Robert “Rob” Petersen started Hot Rod magazine in 1948 with $400. The Petersen empire grew to become the largest and most successful publishing enterprise in the west. Hot Rod, Motor Trend and dozens of other Petersen titles packed the racks of newsstands throughout the U.S. At their peak, Petersen magazines reached nearly 80 million readers a month.
In the 1950s, new cars were sold with automatic transmissions. But the “slush shift” “trannies” had to be modified. Bob designed transmission kits so automatics could handle the hopped-up engines in hot rods and street-driven modified cars. The company he founded, B&M, flourishes today as a supplier of street rod gear, superchargers and shifters. Throughout the 1960s, B&M earned a reputation as the premier racing automatic transmission company. In 1961, the Hydro Stick became the only patented four-speed automatic racing transmission in history. And in 1969, B&M teamed with Andy Granatelli and Plymouth on a program to develop the only automatic transmission for Indy/USAC car racing. B&M was one of the original 13 founding companies of SEMA, and Bob was the chairman of what was then called the Technical Committee, which developed minimum specs for everything from fire suits to dragster chassis. He was PWA Person of the Year in 1996, and B&M was named the PWA Manufacturer of the Year in 1977, 1978 and again in 1993. Bob served on the SEMA Board of Directors and was the first SEMA Person of the Year in 1969.
“As reps go, there were few who could match the knowledge and integrity of Jim,” said an industry veteran about Jim Vaughn, a popular sales representative. He was an innovator, well known and well liked.
Chuck operated one of the midwest’s most successful warehouse distributor operations, CB Sales, based in Chicago, during the heyday of speed equipment distribution. Chuck was a “doer” in the truest sense of the word, known for being reliable and dedicated to his company’s manufacture and wholesale clients.
A prominent professional drag racer who is credited with innovations such as the rear-engine dragster design, Donald Glenn "Don" Garlits is a legend of the quarter-mile acceleration sport, a driver whose following of fans remains virtually unmatched in automotive racing sports. He won his first NHRA race in 1955, turned pro three years later and amassed a career total of 144 national event wins and 17 championships. In 1957, he was the first drag racer to go faster than 170 mph, the first faster than 180 in 1958, and the first to the 200-mph mark in 1964. He wasn’t through setting speed records, either, and was the first to break 250 mph in 1975 and 270 mph in 1986. Swamp Rat was the name of his cutting-edge Top Fuel dragsters, and the one that broke the 270-mph record was placed in The Smithsonian. ESPN ranked him as one of the top drivers of all time, while the NHRA ranked him on its Top 50 Drivers list. He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame, International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Motorsports Hall of Fame America, among countless other honors. Florida is home to the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing.
Joe and his brother Tom were drag racers in the early 1960s (back-to-back NHRA champions in 1961 and 1962), who got the idea that they could win more races if they could improve the seal between the headers and their engines. Joe hit on a durable gasket recipe and tested it successfully on his own cars. Earliest prototypes were built in his home basement. As it happens in the racing world, word got around to other drivers, and soon Joe was literally “Mr. Gasket,” selling the popular sealers, at first under the Speed Specialties name, then as Mr. Gasket Co. Joe was a SEMA Memorial Scholarship subfund sponsor.
Jack was a pioneer of what is known today as a sales representative or sales agent—a rep in today’s automotive industry jargon. He was an innovative planner and marketer, one whose successful career was founded on honesty, integrity and trustworthiness.
Considered an innovator, Kenny was the founder of Harman Collins, a producer of high-performance distributors and related ignition components for the Ford flathead V8. The Harman Collins units were used extensively in early-days circle track competition and drag racing, and can be found today on the engines of nostalgia race cars. He also had a shop that focused on motorcycle camshafts, called K-H Cams. Kenny’s background included racing Muroc and Rosamond dry lakes.
Appropriately lauded as the patriarch of the entire performance industry, Wally was the first editor of Hot Rod magazine and the founder and CEO of the NHRA, which he founded in 1951, and for which he also served on its Board of Directors. The beginning of hot rodding and drag racing spurred the start of an industry to serve a growing population of passionate, hands-on enthusiasts, the industry today guided by SEMA. As a proponent of safety in drag racing, he also helped organize the Safety Safaris. Speaking volumes to his contributions, the NHRA named its museum The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, and he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 1992 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993.
Jack was said to have drag racing in his soul. He drove a variety of cars in quarter-mile competition, and was a pioneer in the drag-racing world, racing innovative cars of their time. He eventually went to work at the NHRA; he was with the organization for more than two decades, including as executive vice president. Jack was one of drag racing’s most respected administrators. Soon after the formation of SEMA, it began addressing an important issue: product specifications. With Jack’s encouragement and help, a SEMA specs program was made official in 1967. Manufacturers in the program were permitted to advertise that their product “Meets SEMA Specs.”