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Casey Currie finished top 15 out of 158 durring the 2014 Griffin King Of The Hammers

As a third generation racer, racing's is in the blood for Casey Currie. His family has been in business over 50 years building high performance rear ends for most off road and NASCAR style racing. By the age of five, Cassie was racing motorcycles and by 16 jumped behind the wheel of his first race truck. At 22, he became the youngest team owner in Short Course. Dirt sports are his specialty with wins in motorcycles, trucks and buggies in the desert. He has raced CORR, AMA, Score, MDR, Best in the desert, King of the Hammers, TORC, and Lucas OiL Off Road Series (LOORS).

Casey Currie's specialty is dirt sports with wins in motorcycles, trucks and buggies in the desert.

He says his most memorable career highlight was winning a championship and world championship in the same day! "I was flipped over on the last turn and that driver was black flagged! It was insane racing and one of the best days of my life! I grew up racing motorcycles and my dad and grandfather were always into racing as well", stated Currie, "so growing up it's just what I did. And racing short course fit me well! I love battling it out like Moto, so short course was that with a cage."

Earlier this month, he returned for the 2014 Griffin King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley, California, and of 158 entries, he qualified his #88 Ultra 4 truck in the 44th position. The 150 mile brutal course consisted of dry lake beds, slippery rocks, sand washes and dunes. He finished in 14th place and was the first vehicle to come in that had only 14 inches of travel, where as all the other finished had 20 inches.

"We couldn't be happier with our finish. It was a long day out there and the course was rough. The ruts were huge and dealing with other stuck competitors was a challenge. There is always the chance that they can take you out as well. Finishing in the top 15 out of 158 speaks volumes of our team and the vehicle. Big thanks to everyone who puts this race together." Stated Currie.

He was racing in the CORR series and when he won an event, he met the marketing director at the time for K&N and has been hooked ever since. "Using K&N products saves me tons of money and gives me the most power!," he went on to say. "Not having to rebuild engines with sand in them is awesome and getting max airflow makes the most power!"

SEMA featured A.R.E Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck

The best part about inspiration is that you never see it coming, which explains why it's so rousingly motivational. For Jose Reyna the spark that ignited him was his first SEMA show in 2004. He had just started working for local truck accessory retail store called Daco Truck & Van Equipment located in North Hills, California. "Seeing all that customizing under one roof blew my mind away," said Reyna.

Modified Dodge Ram 1500 in the A.R.E. booth at SEMA 2013

After that show Reyna set a goal to customize a vehicle worthy of being displayed for others to ogle. He built his first truck the following year in 2005, his GMC Sierra Denali. "I loved it," he recalled, "And I knew it was important to use the best products, so I used K&N as well as A.R.E. products. And later that year A.R.E. used my GMC Sierra for the L.A. Auto Show and I was so stoked. After that build I knew I wanted to build another truck, and having it displayed at SEMA was my new goal."

To meet that goal Reyna bought a new Super Duty Harley Davidson Edition truck from Galpin Ford, and by this time he was working for A.R.E. Accessories LLC. Founded in 1969 by Sal Gatti, Jonas Yoder and Aden Miller, A.R.E. and originally manufactured aluminum truck caps and storage buildings. In 1979 A.R.E. started to manufacture a commercial work shell for trucks called the Deluxe Commercial Unit (DCU). The first fiberglass truck cap A.R.E. made was in 1982, and in 1989 they produced their first Tonneau cover. In 1990 A.R.E. was the first fiberglass manufacture to offer paint as a standard option for all truck caps and Tonneau covers. They have been an ISO certified manufacture since 2001, and one of the founders has been inducted into the Light Truck Accessory Association (LTAA) Hall of Fame.

The 2013 SEMA Show included this custom Dodge Ram 1500 truck built by A.R.E. Products

These days Reyna is a SEMA show veteran, and in the A.R.E. booth at the 2013 SEMA show they had on display a crowd pleasing Dodge Ram 1500. "For the Dodge Ram we partnered up with great companies to make our Dodge Ram stand out," Reyna explains. "We used great products from our partners to build this truck. For the exterior we used Fusion Bumpers, N-Fab Dura Steps, N-Fab Mesh Grille, Rigid Lighting, BDS Lift Kit, Bushwacker, Hellwig Products, Toyo Tires, DUB Magazine's TIS Wheels, A.R.E. Accessories Overland Series Truck Cap, BedRug, Cargo Glide, Monster Hook, Bolt Lock, Surco Roof Rack, Warn Winch, Spyder Automotive front and Rear Lights, and Katzkin Leather kit."

SEMA 2013 was a great success for A.R.E. and their custom Dodge Ram truck

"Now we needed to step-up the performance on this bad boy, and we needed the best to move this beast," he continues. "Knowing we needed to increase the air flowing into our truck we decided to use a K&N filter kit, Corsca Exhaust, and a BullyDog tunner to fine tune this truck's performance. We feel we built a solid overall truck which looked good and performed as well as it looked. SEMA 2013 was a great hit for us because we arrived with a new look. The mission for A.R.E. was to make an impact at SEMA and feel we accomplished it with the help of great partners."

"I will for sure be at SEMA 2014, and this year we have taken on a new project which is fishing. We were surprised to realize what a huge roll a truck plays in the fishing industry. We partnered up with Bass Master and several professional fishermen to build some cool trucks. And we are certainly sticking with the same great partners for this new industry."

NAPA Auto Parts/Haas Automation Chevrolet driver Cole Custer leads the field during the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West at Phoenix International Raceway

Cole Custer opened the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season at Phoenix International Raceway with a career first.

The 16-year-old from Ladera Ranch in California won his first K&N Pro Series West race in only his third start.

Cole Custer celebrates with a burn out after winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West at Phoenix International Raceway

He won two races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East last year. Custer has three K&N Pro Series wins in his short NASCAR career.

He had to hold off Greg Pursley, a three-time winner in the K&N Pro Series West at Phoenix International Raceway, and Brennan Newberry in the final laps of the Talking Stick Resort 75.

"We spun the tires a little bit a couple of times," Custer said. "I think they almost got us in one and two. I just was able to hold them off."

Fortunately for Custer, Gray Gaulding was nowhere near the leaders when the checkered flag dropped.

Gaulding won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West finale at Phoenix International Raceway in 2013 after knocking Custer out of the lead on the final lap. Custer won the pole and led every lap but the final one. Gaulding spun out Custer, who recovered for a sixth-place finish at Phoenix last year.

"It almost felt like the same thing because our car wasn't very good on the short runs," Custer said. "I had to do everything right to make sure we didn't get passed. There are so many restarts, so many opportunities to make a mistake. I guess we got lucky a little bit we didn't make a mistake. Can't thank my guys enough for giving me a great car."

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West racer Cole Custer in victory lane after winning Talking Stick Resort 75 at Phoenix International Raceway

This time around, Gaulding experienced engine trouble early in the race and finished 29th.

Custer won the pole for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West opener at Phoenix International Raceway. He led the first nine laps of the race before giving way to Pursley.

Pursley led 18 laps until Custer regained the top spot on lap 28. He was out front for the rest of the race.

But a late caution period set up a green-white-checker finish. Custer outdueled Newberry on the final restart.

"Restarts were key. We had to hit them. We had to make sure we were right on target," said Newberry, who posted the second top-five finish of his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West career. "Luckily I got past Nick there and the 83 of (Kelly) Admiraal. I saw the 16 (Brandon McReynolds) have some trouble there. I wanted to run Cole really clean. He had done nothing to me. He was fast all day."

Custer won two races in the K&N Pro Series East in 2013. He won the race at Iowa Speedway with drivers and teams from the K&N Pro Series East and West. He also won the K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire International Raceway.

After the race, Custer was asked where the Phoenix win ranks among his victories.

"It's up there," Custer said. "If we could go win at Bristol, that would be even better."

Newberry finished in second place in the race at Phoenix International Raceway, followed by 16-year-old rookie Nick Drake in third.

"I think all the cautions sort of hurt us," said Drake, who was in the top five at the UNOH Battle of the Beach race at Daytona earlier this month. "I couldn't really get the restarts figured out. I think a car got by us every single start. Brennan got by us there on the second to last restart. I think we could have ran second if it wasn't for that. He ran a good race, Cole, I don't think we had anything for Cole. We'll take third."

Pursley was fourth and DJ Kennington was fifth.

The next race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West is the NAPA 150 at Irwindale Speedway on March 22. It will be the first K&N Pro Series West race at Irwindale Speedway since 2011.

Steve Mott says he's been using only K&N air filters for many years, on all his cars including his many track cars.

"To start with, I am a nuclear engineer by profession, so I am rather a technical guy and a bit of a perfectionist." Steve Mott is indeed a powerful concoction of adrenaline and brains, mixed with shots of micro-detailed perfectionism and an insatiable need for speed. He's an agreeable contradiction of categories and perceptions and his life is significantly fuller as a result.

Steve Mott's Nissan 350z is not a show car, insists Steve Mott, there are scratches, dents, scrapes and other imperfections that prove that the car is not a trailer queen, but a car that is driven and driven hard.

"2013 was my first ever SEMA event," Mott said. "I got there as I was chosen to participate in the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI) by winning the "Spirit of the Event" award at the 2013 Silver State Classic Challenge. I had a great time there at SEMA, and would be pleased to be invited back by any sponsor whose products that I use on my vehicle. I think my car garnered its fair share of attention at SEMA, even among the other great cars there. Most of the cars there at the show are 'trailer queens,' and will never see track time or be abused like in the OUSCI or driven almost flat out for 90 miles such as in the Silver State Classic races. To have a street legal 700hp Nissan 350Z is rather rare, I think."

"Every modification that I have done on the car has had a legitimate performance purpose, be it more power, better handling, more downforce, better braking, better reliability, weight reduction or better safety (well, maybe except for the vanity plate - '350Z TT' - the TT is for twin turbo of course)."

Street legal 700hp Nissan 350z featured at SEMA

Mott started his alterative career road racing motorcycles in the early 1980's, at legendary tracks like Sears Point, Willow Springs and the old Riverside raceway. "It was great fun," he admits, "But a few falls from high speed told me that maybe it was better to race something with a cage around me."

So he started out auto-crossing in a Mazda RX-7, and even became a SCCA Auto-X instructor. He did well, winning a South Florida Sports Car Club C-Stock championship. But he wanted more seat time than just 40 seconds at a time. "In 1988 I took a Skip Barber 3-day competition school at Sebring. From then on, I was hooked," remarks Mott.

Mott went on to race numerous SCCA races and earned several competition licenses, including a SCCA National license, an IMSA license, and an FIA International license. "I earned a professional level license and drove in the 1994 12 Hours of Sebring," he adds. "I later obtained licenses from NASA, ASA and even a Mexican rally license. I won my class in the first rally that I entered, the Chihuahua Express in Mexico in 2008. I also entered the 25 hours of Thunderhill in 2008, but our car developed problems and did not finish."

Although Mott's SEMA featured Nissan 350z is not considered a full-on racecar, he has logged quite a few track days on it, as he's also a performance driving instructor with ProAutoSports in Phoenix. "I have done well in Time Attacks too," he adds, "Having twice been on the podium in the Redline Time Attack series with the car. In fact, my driving ability at one of the Redline events got me some sponsorship. That is how I ended up adding a Jim Wolf Technology twin turbo kit to the car."

This SEMA worthy 700 horsepower Nissan 350z is owned by Steve Mott

"After I had gained so much power, I had to do so many other modifications to the car to have the other systems able to remain reliable. You can imagine that a car originally designed for 287hp, and now having somewhere around 700hp (at the crank), needs a few more mods to keep it viable. I have gone through dozens of mods to make the rest of the car be able to cope with all the power, including much bigger brakes, a special one-off clutch, and a stouter differential, thermal wrapping to protect hoses and lines and much beefier cooling. Cooling has been the most difficult problem to solve."

"The car is still a work in progress," Mott continues. "And being I am a perfectionist, it may never quite be finished. I am also picky about handling and I've gone through four different suspensions trying to find one that I liked. The car is quite fast and handles reasonably well, it's faster than a stock Nissan GT-R and Lotus Elise on the race tracks that I have driven. Yet, the car is still street-able and still has factory A/C, factory radio with CD player and the factory navigation system. It even retains the headliner and original carpeting even while sporting a four-point roll bar, racing seats and six-point harnesses. It truly is an 'ultimate street car.'"

"I have used K&N air filter products for years, and have had them in all of my sports cars and track cars over the years. K&N air filters are efficient and long lasting, while reasonably priced. I love the fact that they are able to be cleaned and re-used. They certainly flow more air than the stock filters and make more power. I am happy to promote K&N products, and they have been a long-time sponsor of the Silver State Challenge events."

Mott has been competing in the Silver State Classic Challenge since 2004 in his Nissan 350z, entering 20 open road races, and winning his class five times, including an overall win in 2011. He's also had several 2nd and 3rd place finishes. "I was the 2008 International Series Champion," he informs. "In 2008, I also became the Chief of Tech for the Silver State Classic Challenge events. This was in part due to my engineering background, but I also saw that emphasis on safety was lacking, and I thought I might be able to do something to help that situation."

TMI Products displayed this 1967 Chevy Chevelle at SEMA

SEMA featured 1967 Chevy Chevelle has a K&N Extreme Airflow filter

Back in 1982, the four resourceful Tuccinardi brothers came up with a novel idea for producing Volkswagen door panels in their family garage in Torrance, California. Through trial and error experimentation they developed a highly effective process for matching interior components to the original OEM manufacturing specifications. And today, TMI Products, Inc. (Tuccinardi Manufacturing Incorporated) is a successful family-owned company, now operating out of Corona, California.

These days TMI is renowned for their high-quality interior automotive components such as seating, interior consoles, floor coverings, door panels, convertible roof assemblies, headliners, sun visors, and integrated electronic systems. For more than 25 years TMI Products, Inc. has specialized in developing high quality interior components for new premier models as well as restoration vehicles. And for over a quarter of a century they have continued to showcase their products at the Las Vegas, Nevada, Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show. At the year-ending 2013 SEMA show TMI had on display a 1970 Camaro, 1967 Chevelle and a 2005 Mustang.

This 2005 Ford Mustang got a lot of attention in the TMI SEMA booth

TMI's custom 1970 Camaro was at SEMA with a K&N Extreme Airflow filter

"The number of vehicles we bring usually depends on the number of product lines we plan on displaying at the show," confirms TMI Sales Manager, Waylon Krumrie. "TMI initially started in VW interiors, but quickly developed a Ford Mustang line (1964-current), which was followed up more recently by the addition of our first and second Gen Camaro line (1967-1981), and our Chevelle line (1964-1972)."

The highlighted feature of any TMI booth car will always be the interior, as TMI Products got their start in replicating factory original interiors, but over the years they have also come to be known just as well for their Sport Seat Series.

SEMA featured 2005 Ford Mustang has a K&N Air Intake system

The interior of this TMI 2005 Ford Mustang was a sight to see at SEMA

"What we display in our SEMA booth cars will always be the newest and the best of our lines," says Krumrie, "We strive to make the interior of the car just as impressive as the outside, if not even more so!"

Both the 1967 Chevelle and the 1970 Camaro are sporting K&N Extreme Airflow filters, and the 2005 Mustang was equipped with a performance K&N Cold Air Intake. "This has been the third year in a row that K&N has been a part of our SEMA builds, and we are very grateful for the support!" he adds.

TMI will be releasing several new products and product lines in 2014 that will send them once again sailing in uncharted waters "As for what we're bringing to the show this year," says Krumrie, "Let's just say it will be unprecedented and definitely exciting news for the classic automotive aftermarket."