
THE AUTO BUILDER
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Keeping Your Cool
Even though we all dream of blasting through the desert at 130-MPH like Robby Gordon, most of our 4×4 adventures take place at a much more reasonable pace. Unfortunately for our engines crawling along a boulder strewn dry river bed or climbing a goat trail through a mountain pass does not always allow enough airflow to keep our engines cool with a belt driven mechanical fan. Belt driven fans are designed to keep your engine cool when traveling down a street or highway not while crushing boulders at 3-MPH and 1,500-RPM. So what can we do to keep our rigs from boiling over this summer? Follow along with us as we install a pair of 11-inch electronic cooling fans along with a programmable fan controller both from SPAL USA.

Rad Win by Rad Rides
We knew this one was special the moment we first spotted it at the 2024 Grand National Roadster Show. Now it’s official—the 2025 SEMA Battle of the Builders Presented by Mothers Polish has crowned Troy Trepanier of Rad Rides by Troy as the best overall builder of the year with his jaw-dropping Fenderless ’36 Ford Roadster.

Thirty Minutes to Glory: Inside the Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown at HPX 2026
The sound of impact tools echoed across the show floor as crowds gathered around one of the most exciting attractions at HPX 2026—the Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown. Equal parts competition, education, and live theater, the event gave attendees a rare opportunity to watch championship-caliber engine builders assemble complete Chevrolet V8 engines under intense time pressure.
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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.










