The 2010 SEMA Show Directory listing is one of the most important aspects in promoting exhibitor participation at the SEMA Show.

WRAPPED UP: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates drivers Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas clinched their second-straight Grand Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype championship Saturday with their Grand Am single-season record eighth victory at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

GRANTED: Martinsville (Virginia) Speedway has received a $1.5 million grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission, which the track will match, making the total grant $3 million. The money will be used to improve track infrastructure. The International Speedway Corp., the track’s parent company, also pledged to do everything possible to keep two races at the track for the next five years.

STICKING AROUND: Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year Regan Smith has signed a two-year contract extension to stay with Furniture Row Racing through the 2012 season.

Unlike other types of salespeople, manufacturers' representatives work for multiple companies across multiple product lines in a large geographic area, either as individuals or as part of an agency. A rep is an independent businessperson, an extension of the manufacturers' sales force, and he or she can also be a highly valuable jack-of-all-trades who not only closes deals, but also teaches in-house manufacturer, warehouse distributor or retailer/jobber salespeople how to best present the manufacturer's marketing plan to create sales. [Read more]

News and updates from SEMA's councils and committees.

With the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series regular season a distant memory, drivers prepare themselves for the biggest race of the season: the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil and the beginning of the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs. In one week, drivers and fans will descend on historic O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis for the 56th running of the event and the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoff round.

Gregory Boutte, vice-president of eBay Motors, will lead a SEMA Show discussion exploring how auto and parts sales will change as the Internet evolves through social networking and mobile marketing.

Blogs (shorthand for “weblogs”) have revolutionized commerce. They allow companies to directly address current customers while developing new business, explaining product benefits and answering customer questions.

Racing news: Kyle Busch becomes first NASCAR driver to win in all three national touring divisions at one track during the same weekend at Bristol (Tennessee) Motor Speedway; Wal-Mart possibly in negotiations to sponsor four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon next season; officials from Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas, signed Royal Purple to a multi-year title sponsorship agreement, resulting in a new name—Royal Purple Raceway—beginning in 2011; and more.

Exhibiting at the SEMA Show is a major investment. Studies have consistently shown that exhibitors who engage buyers prior to an event will have a more successful Show.