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.

Rick Rollins swore that he would never be a white-collar guy. He distinctly recalls working as a mechanic with his head under a car's hood and telling a friend: "Man, you'll never get me in a white shirt behind a desk. This is all I want to do."  The route from the garage where he made that statement to his office at Superchips, where he is the vice president of sales and marketing (in 2006), has also taken him to race tracks, retail jobber stores, distribution businesses and even a stop at the sheriff's office.

Few people foresee the path they will eventually follow, but Dick Maxwell recognized automotive engineering as his road very early on. His father, Carl, worked on and helped redesign diesel engines during a 42-year career with the Caterpillar heavy-equipment company, and he shared his love of cars with his son.

Not many members of the SEMA Hall of Fame made an early career contact in a city jail while waiting to be exonerated, but that’s how Nate Shelton met Bill Casler of Casler Tire Service, who was not only a friend but also instrumental in Shelton’s future. As a young football player at Chaffey Junior College in 1969, Shelton used to make a little side money by selling reconditioned appliances for his dad at the Ontario swap meet in California. One weekend, he also helped out a couple of buddies by transporting some tires to the swap meet.

As president and COO for Hedman Manufacturing in Whittier, California, Ron Funfar embodies the kind of success story that parents tell their children when seeking to provide positive motivation. He attended Catholic grammar and high schools and took a couple of college classes, but the bulk of his education and his accomplishments in the specialty-equipment industry came through his own hard work and willingness to devote himself to a sometimes strenuous but always worthwhile career.

Honesty and integrity. When those words are repeatedly applied to one man by respected contemporaries, they develop deep significance. To those who know him best, Bob Cook is the essence of honesty and integrity.

Cook grew up in west Georgia and moved to Atlanta when he was eight years old. His parents had already parted company by that time, and his mother was raising four children on her own. Cook was fortunate to find a mentor and surrogate father in his older brother, who shared his fondness for cars and racing.