School Auto Center Revs Up Students
Alex Kosterman, Kevin Bendorf and Matt Beier hunched over the shiny red Pontiac Sunfire, carefully inspecting the car’s leaky battery before cleaning it up and replacing it. The hands-on lesson on starting systems and batteries took place Tuesday in Racine, Wis.-based Park High School’s new automotive technology center, a 5,000-square-foot dream for the school’s automotive students. The investment bucks a national trend, as more and more high school auto shops are stalling despite a huge demand for skilled auto technicians. The most common roadblocks: the hefty cost of running automotive programs and a more intense focus on college preparatory classes.
Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum Raises $35,000 at Auction
Race fans and collectors recently raised more than $35,000 for the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, at the museum’s Feb. 19 memorabilia auction. The auction featured 113 items including several pieces from the personal collection of NHRA Founder Wally Parks and his wife Barbara, who attended the auction and even autographed their items.
BWD Automotive Offers New BorgWarner Brand Emission Control Systems Parts Catalog
BWD Automotive has announced the availability of its BorgWarner brand Emission Control Systems Parts catalog, No. EC-04. The catalog lists applications for emission control systems parts for North American and imported passenger cars and trucks in an easy-to-use format. All model years are covered, including both light duty and medium duty trucks.
Snap-on Extends Long-Time Partnership With Pedregon Racing
Snap-on Tools has expanded its partnership with Pedregon Racing, serving as associate sponsor of the Funny Cars of Cruz Pedregon and Tony Pedregon of Pedregon Racing, Troy, Mich. Snap-on began its relationship with Pedregon Racing during Cruz Pedregon’s 1992 championship season. The agreement continues Snap-on’s sponsorship of Cruz Pedregon, while celebrating defending Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon’s move to Pedregon Racing with a second Snap-on Tools associate sponsorship.
ASA Planning ‘Celebration of Excellence’
The Automotive Service Association (ASA) is finalizing plans for the “Celebration of Excellence” which will take place Friday, Nov. 5 at the Flamingo Las Vegas. The event will honor the achievements of ASA members and other industry leaders. The program will include a graduation ceremony recognizing those who have earned the Automotive Management Institute’s Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation, as well as the presentation of a number of awards, including the Chairman’s Award of Excellence, a humanitarian award and a legislative award.
CBS Segment Featuring ASA’s Ron Pyle Sparks Criticism from Insurers, Repairers
The Automotive Service Association’s (ASA’s) Chief Staff Executive Ron Pyle was recently featured in two CBS programs that addressed the issue of insurer-owned body shops. A number of insurers and repairers responded negatively to the segment, including the National Auto Body Council (NABC), which sent a stern letter to CBS News stating that the segment didn’t live up to its sensationalized billing, when Dan Rather told the viewing audience to stay tuned to see how consumers are possibly being ripped off by collision repair shops.
Edelbrock 2004 Catalog Now Available
The new 2004 Edelbrock Catalog for American Cars & Trucks is now available. Sporting a historic cover shot of Vic Edelbrock Jr. with his father’s just-restored ’32 Ford Roadster, the new catalog has 244 pages of automotive parts including manifolds, shocks, cylinder heads, fuel pumps, carburetors, camshafts, headers, crate engines, etc. It is also the company’s largest catalog to date.
Timken to Become NASCAR Contingency Sponsor
Timken has signed on as a contingency sponsor of the NASCAR Busch Series for three years, beginning with the 2004 season. The Hershey’s Kisses 300 at Daytona International Speedway, which took place last weekend, was the first time the Timken logo appeared on multiple NASCAR stock cars.
Transpro Expands A/C Condenser Program
Transpro has expanded application coverage for its line of Ready-Aire Air Conditioning Condensers with the publication of a new 2004 catalog. The newly expanded product offering includes more than 400 total part numbers with coverage through the 2004 model year on several applications.
SEMA Expands Installer/Specialist Test Programs with Custom Wheel and Tire Accreditation Test
SEMA has added a custom wheel and tire specialist exam to its battery of certification tests. The new test, known as Z5, will measure real-world knowledge and skills of the wheel and tire professionals who install custom applications on passenger cars and light-duty trucks. SEMA has added a custom wheel and tire specialist exam to its battery of certification tests. The new test, known as Z5, will measure real-world knowledge and skills of the wheel and tire professionals who install custom applications on passenger cars and light-duty trucks.