SEMA Driving Force 9/21/16

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SEMA’s New RPM Act Letter Urges Immediate Congressional Action



Your voice is again crucial to furthering progress on the RPM Act. Send the new letter today!




After a seven-week recess, Congress has returned to Washington, D.C. Time is limited before lawmakers head back home for the fall campaign season. While your federal elected officials are in the Capitol, your voice is crucial to furthering our progress on the RPM Act. Now is the time for action!
To mark lawmakers’ return, SEMA has drafted a new letter urging action on the RPM Act in the final months of session. The SEMA Action Network (SAN) is urging its membership and racing enthusiasts everywhere to send the new letter to federal elected officials today. Even if you have previously sent a letter, your voice is needed once again to ask for immediate congressional action to pass the bill this year.
Here is a quick and easy way to send the new letter. Simply visit www.sema.org/rpm and fill out your name and contact information. It only takes a moment!



ANNOUNCEMENT


SEMA Ignited 2016 Invitation: Exclusive to SAN Members

SEMA Action Network (SAN) members, have you heard? In special recognition of your continued support on legislative issues important to the automotive hobby, we are inviting you to SEMA Ignited, the “Official After-Party” of the SEMA Show, FREE OF CHARGE (a $20 value). Join us as we celebrate the top cars built for display at the trade-only SEMA Show. Meet exhibitors, industry icons and SEMA Battle of the Builders® contestants. Enjoy live drifting demonstrations, music and much more! SEMA Ignited will be held at the Gold Lot, adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center on Friday, November 4th starting at 3:00 pm.
Stay tuned to your inbox—SAN members who have not yet confirmed their attendance will be sent a personalized invitation shortly. Read the message carefully and follow its instructions for a special, limited offer to attend the SEMA Show on Friday as well. We hope to see you in Las Vegas!

Legislative Front Lines


Click here for the complete list of Legislative Action Alerts.

• Help Steer Our Nation’s Leadership: Register to Vote Now!
• Amended Michigan Bill to Facilitate Motorized Access to Forest Roads Approved by Senate; Moves Back to House
• California Bill to Require Warranty Disclosure Dies as Legislature Adjourns
• Seventh Annual Collector Car Appreciation Day Revered by Auto Aficionados Worldwide

SPREAD THE WORD! Please credit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) when reprinting any content contained in this email.
SEMA SAN Strike Force


This 1977 Chevy Nova coupe was homebuilt by Eddie Wilson. As it arrived in rough shape, he began by taking the car completely apart. The task of lifting the body off of the subframe lead to all new suspension parts in the front and rear. Its 305 c.i. V8 was bored 0.030 over with a 400 crank equals making the displacement 335 c.i. The engine is backed by a 350 turbo transmission and the rear end houses 4.10 gears. Eddie enjoys drag racing at his local NHRA track just for fun. The Nova’s best time to date is 12.22 at 109 mph in the quarter mile.

Eddie Wilson’s passion for cars started around the age of four. “I remember crawling under my dad’s ’50 Chevy to watch him install lowering blocks between the axle and leaf spring,” explains Eddie. “From that moment, I was hooked. I knew I wanted to be a mechanic.” He worked on his bicycle to learn about its mechanics and would help his father with brake jobs on the family cars. Eventually, he spent his career as a mechanic for Folgers Coffee in Kansas City, Missouri.
A pivotal moment in Eddie’s life came when he was thirteen years-old and traveling to the sprint car races at the Missouri State Fairgrounds. He noticed a race car on a trailer while stopped at a filling station. “I hopped out of the car to look at it,” he remembers. “There was a tall gentleman standing at the back of the trailer who confirmed that he was the team’s driver. After asking some questions about the engine and car, I told him I would like to be a race driver also. He counseled me to stay in school, get a good education and then think about driving. That day, the tall man put on a driving exhibition like no other. In fact, he lapped the entire field twice before winning the race. I later found out he was the great Bobby Unser, long before his memorable wins at Indy. I'll never forget how talented he was that day.”
Ever the racing fan, Wilson had long desired to build a vehicle for competition at some point. Over the years, he finally got a shop and the right equipment to turn that dream into a reality. “My son came home one day with a car he had traded for a guitar amplifier,” says Eddie. “That 1977 Chevy Nova 2-door coupe was what I call a ‘Flintstone special,’ the kind of car where you put your feet through floor boards to stop. It needed help badly.” Wilson traded his son a Chevy Astro van for the Nova (pictured above) and work on the project began in 2005. Eight years later, the car is finished after many busted knuckles, tons of sweat and a good chunk of money. Eddie couldn’t be prouder of the result. “It is my hot rod built with my own two hands.”
It comes as no surprise that this die-hard racing fan found his way to the SEMA Action Network (SAN). The widespread buzz surrounding the threat to the motorsports community eventually lead to the introduction of the “Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2016”, congressional legislation to clarify that street vehicles may continue to be converted into race cars used solely on the track. Wilson and many thousands of others have voiced their support for the legislation. “Americans have enjoyed four-wheeled competition since the days of the first automobiles. I don't want some poorly-conceived proposal from Washington to ruin all motorsports. If the EPA puts a ban on vehicle modifications for racing, such a massive loss would be felt by gearheads all over the nation.”
We couldn’t agree more, Eddie! It’s nice to have you in our corner as we seek enactment of the RPM Act into law.