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BAD BOWTIE
Some guys love their Chevys so much that they’ll go out of their way to flush out and record every bit of their cars’ histories. Such is the case with Gene Lavine of Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Lavine is 65 going on 35. A car guy since he was 16, he served his country as a jet fighter pilot and then went on to fly for the Federal Aviation Administration. He also has a Ph.D. and now is vice president of a company that manages collections for more than 30,000 businesses.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: BellaTilt Microsteer Roadster Column by Flaming River
Top-tier quality and a solid three-year warranty set Flaming River apart as the best in the business. Their tilt steering columns come fully equipped with an aluminum dress-up kit, featuring a turn signal arm with a Phillips screw, a tilt lever, a hazard knob with a screw, and a steering wheel hold nut. Additionally, Flaming River offers a comprehensive array of steering column accessories, including steering wheels, custom wheel adapters, floor mounts, and column drops.

MONEY-SAVING, BIG-VALVE PERFORMANCE UPGRADE
You can’t throw a stone these days without hitting an aftermarket aluminum cylinder head. They perform as good or better than anything the factories put out, and then some. They are much lighter than iron heads, and they’re now extremely affordable. Thanks to competition in the aftermarket, it could easily be said that for the performance and price benefits of a new set of aluminum heads, why would anyone bother refurbishing a set of iron castings?
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HPX 2025 Award Winners
Innovation Takes the Checkered Flag
A Showcase of Excellence
With vendors vying for attention, the wins by LABA7 Precision Testing and Kirkey Racing highlight the innovation and dedication driving the high-performance industry forward. These awards aren’t just accolades—they’re a preview of where the future of performance and safety is headed.
Judge’s Choice: Peak Performance Award — LABA7 Precision Testing
LABA7 Precision Testing earned the coveted Judge’s Choice: Peak Performance Award for its revolutionary Electromagnetic Shock Dyno (EMA). This advanced machine pushes shock absorbers to the extreme, testing speeds up to 7,000 mm/s and forces powerful enough to lift a small car, while capturing even the tiniest performance details with unmatched precision.
Designed for everything from mountain bikes to race cars, the EMA runs quietly on standard power outlets (for smaller models) and features intuitive software that generates clear, detailed graphs. This lets teams quickly identify issues like stiff or weak shocks and adjust accordingly. Its versatility extends to testing different shock patterns and temperature effects, giving racers and mechanics a complete picture of shock performance.
The EMA is more than a testing tool—it’s a critical safety device that helps prevent crashes by ensuring shocks maintain vehicle stability. It also boosts performance by allowing fine-tuned suspension setups and saves money by catching problems before they escalate. Trusted by professional motorsport teams and workshops, LABA7’s EMA is driving safer, smoother rides across disciplines.
Judges Mike Galimi (Hot Rod), Robert Kibbe (The Muscle Car Place), and Scott Parker (Power Automedia) recognized LABA7 for its technical excellence, strong presence, and significant impact on the industry.
People’s Choice: Best New Product — Kirkey Racing
The People’s Choice Award for Best New Product went to Kirkey Racing for its innovative 95 Series Full Containment Seat—a lightweight aluminum racing seat designed specifically for Sprint Cars and Northeast Dirt Modifieds.
The seat features a 10° layback angle, SFI 39.2 certification, and a three-piece design allowing up to 4 inches of vertical adjustment—3 inches for torso height, 1 inch for head height—and 2 inches of head restraint positioning. Made from TIG-welded 0.100″ 5052-grade aluminum with additional MIG welds, the 95 Series is both strong and adjustable, eliminating the need for costly custom seats.
Comfort and safety are prioritized with energy-absorbing black cloth padding that reduces vibration and impact, molded rubber grommets to protect seat belts, and a rotating head restraint that enhances visibility and protection. Available in hip widths from 14 to 17 inches, the seat also ensures easy entry and exit while fitting all major head and neck restraint systems.
This combination of safety, adjustability, and durability helps racing teams save money and enhance performance by offering a comfortable, secure fit for multiple drivers. It’s quickly becoming the seat of choice for pros competing in series like Lucas Oil and World of Outlaws, where every advantage counts.
Kirkey Racing’s COO, Kevin Derochie, dedicated the award to “the hardworking men and women in the shop—the ones who build the best and safest racing seats in the industry, day in and day out.”
Looking Ahead: The Future of Performance Innovation
As HPX looks ahead to future expos, innovations like these don’t just win awards—they shape the future of motorsports and high-performance engineering. Breakthroughs like LABA7’s shock dyno and Kirkey’s advanced seating solutions are setting new standards for safety, precision, and performance. With technology advancing at full throttle, HPX remains the place to discover what’s next in the world of high-performance automotive excellence.










