Harry Hibler made his professional mark in the publishing industry, serving at Petersen Publishing for nearly 30 years. He was responsible for considerable growth in the company’s automotive enthusiast magazines, including Hot Rod, Car Craft and Circle Track.

Robert Vandergriff has been associated with Petersen Publishing, NHRA and McMullen Advertising. At those organizations, he helped increase magazine circulations, contributed to company growth and received countless advertising awards.

It is, however, his role as a businessman and entrepreneur that he is best known. In 1978, Vandergriff purchased his steppingstone to the future: Hedman Manufacturing.

“He put up everything he had so that he could purchase the company,” recalls Dick Van Cleve, who has known Vandergriff for more than 30 years.

Most racers know Marvin Rifchin as the “M” in M&H Tire Co. He and his dad, Henry, owned and operated M&H out of the cellar of a little gas station at 910 Main Street in Watertown, Massachusetts. The two started in the tire business in the 1930s by producing retreads for midget racing—one of Marvin’s passions at the time. Midget racing eventually waned in popularity in the area, so M&H began to retread tires for stock cars.

Bob has been instrumental in preaching the ‘gospel’ of how to run and manage a performance business through his prolific writings published not only by various Canadian automotive consumer magazines, but many SEMA publications as well,” said Bob Keller of Turbonetics. “He always professed the best interest of the industry as a whole—not just his niche.”

The “Bob” that Keller was referring to is Bob McJannett of Performance Improvements.

Ray Lipper, the founder of Center Line Tool Corp., has built a name for himself and his company based on his background as a designer and engineer. He recognized the need for a stronger wheel in racing, then went to work creating numerous wheels for the industry.

Lipper has produced some of the lightest and strongest one-piece wheels in the industry, from his first attempt, known as the Auto Drag, to his development of the technique for using a single blank that can be split and spun into a one-piece wheel.

To label Jim Wirth a car fanatic would not do justice to his passion for the automobile. A quick cruise through his past reveals a history that’s immersed in all things automotive. Born into a family of car enthusiasts, he spent his early years riding around in rumble seats and touring cars. When he was just three years old, his father built him a gas-powered car using parts from old lawn mowers. Wirth drove the car in a St. Patrick’s Day antique car parade, towing a toy rocket ship.

Charlie Van Cleve’s reaction to being inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame was typical of her humor: “The first thing I was going to do was to call SEMA and say that there’d been some sort of mistake,” she said. “I’m sure I’m not old enough to qualify.” In the case of Van Cleve, her accomplishments would certainly warrant the Hall of Fame committee waving the 40-year minimum age requirement.

There were really two Smokey Yunicks. The first was the stuff of legends.

Henry Yunick dropped out of school as a teenager to work on his family’s Pennsylvania farm after his father died. His nickname came from a track announcer commenting on the condition of his motorcycle during a 1941 race. He joined the Army Air Corps, flew bombers and fighters in World War II, and then returned from the war to open what was at first a tiny shop in Daytona Beach, Florida, “The Best Damn Garage in Town.”

John Simmons got into the performance parts business out of necessity—the necessity to go fast. After graduating from high school in Birmingham, Alabama, Simmons went to work for his father’s electrical small appliance repair business. He started a repair parts mail-order business and called it SECO.

During a recent visit to SEMA headquarters, Burke LeSage paused in the middle of the hallway. The myriad of past Hall of Fame portraits that hang on the wall had stopped him in his tracks. "This is truly amazing," he said in a voice that was barely audible, as if spoken only for himself to hear.