Corky Coker Receives Nsra AwardThe man who redefined the vintage tire industry was recently honored for his outstanding support of the street rod industry. Joseph "Corky" Coker, president of Coker Tire Company and the former chairman of SEMA, has been awarded the NSRA 2006 Street Rodding Achievement Award. The annual NSRA award, presented at the HRIA banquet at the recent SEMA Show in Las Vegas, recognizes and honors a business, company, or individual each year for outstanding support of the street rod industry.
"I'm extremely pleased to have been chosen for this honor," said Coker, as he accepted the distinctive NSRA trophy. "I'd like to thank all of the people within the industry, as well as the collectors, professional restorers, and especially the end-user enthusiasts who appreciate and use our specially developed street rod products. We are determined to help keep more of these marvelous cars on the road and properly maintained so they can be handed down to a new generation of street rod enthusiasts."
Coker received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 from the National Hot Rod Association for his unrelenting commitment and dedication to the preservation and expansion of the sport of street rodding. He was also recognized as the Automotive Restoration Market Organization's (ARMO) Person of the Year for his achievements in the restoration industry. In 1997, Coker was elected to serve on the SEMA board of directors and was elected chairman of the board of SEMA in 2003, making him the trade organization's first chairman to come from the restoration/street rod segment of the automotive aftermarket.
Mothers Bestows Shine Award At SemaMothers Polish discovered a new type of radiation in bestowing its prestigious Shine Award to Reactor, a '67 Mustang fastback themed with radioactive symbols and glowing with a custom paint scheme dubbed Chernobyl Green. This high-energy automotive creation achieved critical mass at the 2006 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where Mothers presented the prestigious Shine Award to the car's builders, the Ring Brothers, and the owner, Doug Hoppe, along with Mothers Choice trophies to 13 other deserving vehicles.
The Ring Brothers have been building resto-mods of all types for many years, and this is the fourth Mustang they've done. Requiring more than 2,000 hours to complete, they worked closely with partner Todd Milanowski, who provided the extensive amount of CNC machining and fabrication work that's clearly evident on the vehicle. Nearly every component on the car is custom crafted with meticulous workmanship, from the hood pins to the split rear window design. Power for Reactor isn't derived from nuclear fission, but instead a 550-plus-horsepower Roush V-8 with independent throttle bodies.
The Mothers Shine Award is highly prized by automotive specialists, and hundreds of entries compete to take home this distinguished trophy. A panel of independent experts, known for their automotive expertise and critical eye, handled judging for the Shine Award. To pick the Best of Show winner, and 13 Mothers Choice runners-up, they perused a dozen miles of convention center aisles that crisscross 2 million square feet of exhibit space, scrutinizing and evaluating an impressive collection of stunning vehicles customized for public display.
For more information, visit Mothers Polish at www.mothers.com.
Goodguys Chosen 5 HonoredThe Goodguys Rod & Custom Association honored the Chosen 5-an elite group of award-winning cars and trucks-at the season-ending 9th Southwest Nationals in Scottsdale, Arizona. The lineup featured John Hill's Canada-based 1970 Chevelle SS LS6 (Goodguys/Unique Performance Muscle Car of the Year winner); Bob and Sherrie Benn's 1936 Ford kustom from Old Hickory, Tennessee (Goodguys Kustom of the Year); Richard Ruiter's Guelph, Ontario, Canada-based 1955 Chevy convertible (Goodguys/Eagle One Custom Rod of the Year); Jeff Wingo's Chicago-based 1950 Studebaker pickup (Goodguys Truck of the Year-Early); and Gary Coe's radical 1957 Ford pickup from Portland, Oregon (Goodguys Truck of the Year-Late).
The Goodguys Chosen 5 award-winners are selected from a pool of finalists chosen throughout the entire 2006 Goodguys event season. Instead of picking the awards at specific events, Goodguys selected finalists for each award at different events around the U.S., providing car owners from around the country a shot at winning.
Goodguys will again select the Chosen 5 awards in 2007 by qualifying a finalist for each award at various events around the country. Visit www.good-guys.com for a full list of all 2007 Goodguys events and special awards!
2006 Edelbrock Scholarship Winner AnnouncedVic Edelbrock Jr., of the Edelbrock Corporation and the WyoTech Institute in Laramie, Wyoming, announced that James Crowe, a native of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, is the recipient of the 2006 Vic Edelbrock Sr. Scholarship. The WTI Foundation and Vic Edelbrock Jr. selected James from 13 potential candidates.