Bud has been a hands-on racer who managed Speed Warehouse, a distributor of performance equipment in Northern California. In 1993 he flipped his streamliner at high speed on the Bonneville Salt Flats trying to set a record. While he emerged uninjured, it unfortunately signified the end of his professional driving career. In 1991, he received the Pioneer Award from PWA.
Although the educational focus of Ray’s studies at USC were in electrical engineering, his knowledge of things mechanical, and specifically his interest in performance cars, enabled him to serve with efficiency as an associate editor, research editor, technical editor and eventually publisher of Hot Rod magazine. He was with Wally Parks on Daytona Beach in 1957 when Wally drove the “Suddenly” Plymouth project car into the record books. He took hot laps around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 1967 Camaro that paced the Indy 500. He helped Mickey Thompson set speed records at Bonneville in a modified 1969 Mustang Mach 1. He covered the Pikes Peak Hill Climb more times than we can count. Ray also did Baja racing, Bashes Rally in Australia and other races as well as acted as judge at concours d’ elegance, including Pebble Beach. He was involved with starting the SEMA Show and in helping to form the National Street Rod Association.
He’s “the voice of drag racing,” but there are very few automotive events during which Dave hasn’t been heard as one of the most recognizable voices in all of motorsports, as well as acting as a host and emcee for SEMA, ESPN and the NHRA. Dave has been such a presence in the performance industry that he ranks as one of the few “behind-the-mic” talents whose face is as recognizable as his voice. Away from the microphone, Dave’s motorsports career runs the gamut from track operator to founder of the Super Chevy shows to serving as the NHRA’s director of communications. He has been involved with drag racing since 1955; a racer himself, his dragster is in the NHRA museum. Additionally, he has served on the Board of Directors and as chairman for Racers for Christ, and has been the recipient of the SEMA Industry Icon Award and the Car Craft All Star Drag Racing Team Award, as well as the NHRA Good Hand Award, Don Prudhomee Award, Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Association Award and Good Guys Hot Rod Hero.
Angelo is regarded as a “mover and shaker” in the field of motorsports. A longtime member of the staff at Ford in its Special Vehicle Operations, Angelo has had an extensive history of involvement in the specialty automotive market. He has also owned his own speed shop in Detroit.
Dick made his mark in the automotive aftermarket as a distributor of high-performance equipment and accessories in the Pacific Northwest. He was also known for his support of industry associations, SEMA among them. Dick has been an invaluable part of the staff that organizes and administers each ALMS race, and while his name might not be well known to the average sportscar fan, he commands the utmost respect of every team that competes in the series. He has been a pit controller and also worked with NASCAR and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Dick was the first editor of the NHRA publication National Dragster, managing editor of Hot Rod magazine and executive editor of Motor Trend. He organized the National Street Rod Association and developed the concept of the Street Rod Nationals events. As director of special events at Petersen, he was also instrumental in the production of the first SEMA Show in 1967 at Dodger Stadium. He served as the executive director of PWA and SEMA; he has repeatedly been honored for his myriad achievements. He was SEMA Person of the Year in 1977, and received the International Specialty Car Association Founder’s Award in 1994. He was awarded the NHRA Pioneer Award in 2001.
A hot-rodding pioneer, his dedication to industry causes and many years of service on the SEMA staff earned Lou recognition in the industry Hall of Fame. He sponsored race cars, encouraged safety specs in all forms of racing, and was a reliable friend to everyone who knew him. He raced Southern California dry lakes before shifting to organized drag racing—at its start. Lou also ran one of the first dragstrips California. Eventually he built and owned several Top Fuel dragsters. Additionally, he served as SEMA’s Executive Director.
When a call goes out for someone to work on a special project, the caller is looking for someone like Murray Diamond, whose dedication to industry causes is rarely equaled. Murray was responsible for unprecedented contributions to the SEMA Scholarship Fund during his tenure as chair of the committee that managed the fund and its activities.
As a marketing guru, few can top Harvey Goldberg, a manufacturer's rep who, as a director of clients’ promotional programs, put many companies “on the map” in sales successes. Harvey’s company, Goldberg Marketing, set the style others would follow.
Joe founded Venolia Pistons, a company that designed and produced pistons and rings for all-out racing engines. But he is best known for the Funny Cars he sponsored in NHRA drag racing. It was the outstanding Candy Apple paint treatments on the cars that always got attention. Not long after he became a partner in what was then called Venolia Racing Pistons in the early 1960s, the company produced the first pistons that were forged rather than cast. Joe also had a partnership with Bones & Dubach, racing a 1933 Willys Gasser.
