Follow this link to see the video of Wille B. crashing his 1970 Dodge Charger at Bandimere Speedway:http://youtube.com/watch?v=0RIfQFEupfU

Al Oramas, owner of Pro Auto Care in Denver, recently held a Women's Car Care Clinic as part of April National Car Care Month.  The clinic featured several educational courses and gave attendees the opportunity to get to know the technology on their vehicles.

One Stop Undecar, a two-step distributor of aftermarket undercar and underhood tuneup parts, has recently opened a new jobber store in Broomfield.  The opening marks the third location in Colorado, which includes a hub warehouse in Denver and a spoke warehouse Englewood, said General Manager Ron Hilton.  "We're part of a larger organization and have some horsepower behind us," Hilton said. The Broomfield location is one of 23 in the western United States, he said, with a high concentration of locations in Southern California and a single store in Plano, Texas.

Don Hicks, owner of Shortline Automotive, a Suzuki, Subaru, Kia, and Hyundai dealership in Aurora, and Porsche of Colorado Springs, earned the 2008 Time Magazine's Quality Dealer Award for Colorado.  Hicks was also honored as Colorado Dealer of the Year by the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association, named a Porsche Premier Dealer, and earned a seat at the Subaru Chairman's Club Roundtable for 2008.  Hicks and his dealerships support a number of organizations and causes, including the Pink Ribbon Foundation, which helps cancer patients at the University of Colorado Hospital; the Sunny Vista Assisted Living Center in Colorado Springs; Volunteers of America; the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center; and several others.

Bandimere Speedway hosted Midas' Power of a Wish "Grand Prix" on March 30.  The event was sponsored by 22 Front Range service centers affiliated with Midas International Corp. Several children facing life-threatening medical conditions and their families enjoyed a day of racing activities.  Bandimere representatives presented the wish kids with giveaway bags and free passes to return to the speedway.

Karson Harryman of Merino, a freshman in the Automotive Technology program at Northeastern Junior College (NJC) in Sterling, was recently named Auto Tech Student of the Month for February 2008.  The monthly award is sponsored by NAPA Auto and Truck Parts of Sterling.  Harryman said he plans to complete the automotive diesel master technician program at NJC and one day own his own shop.  Each month a student is honored for his or her outstanding performance not only academically in the classroom, but also in the class labs.  Students are also selected for the honor based on their attendance and overall attitude.
Each year a student enrolled in NJC's resurrected diesel technology program is slated to receive a Kent Ewing Ag Diesel Scholarship in honor of Kent Ewing, a longtime instructor at NJC who died last summer. Scott Poss, a freshman from Hugo,  is the first recipient of the scholarship.  Poss said he enrolled in the program to work on equipment so that he can take this training back to the family's multigeneration farm and ranch operation.  He said he has invested in some land recently and fully intends to stay in production agriculture, but realizes the value of being able to work on his own machinery when needed.

Drive Train Industries (DTI), a distributor of heavy-duty truck parts, has several training classes scheduled for May.  They include a Clutch Clinic on May 12 in Grand Junction; a Mechanics Air & Foundation Brake Clinic on May 13 in Denver; a Clutch Clinic on May 13 in Rifle; a Mechanics Air & Foundation Brake Clinic on May 14 in Denver; and a Clutch Clinic on May 14 in Rock Springs, Wyo.  For more information on times and locations, e-mail Jacqueline Kimble at jkimble@dti-inc.com.

FinishMaster, a distributor of automotive and industrial refinishing products, hosted a 3M/I-CAR masking and taping class on March 26 for 63 attendees, who each earned one I-CAR point, said Chris Johns of FinishMaster.  On April 8, FinishMaster account managers received training on Garmat's new Accele-Cure booth designed for higher-velocity airflow to accelerate the drying process of waterborne paint.  It was hosted by John Jurasic of Jurasic Equipment and Garmat USA in Englewood.

Aravada-based ATS Diesel Performance, a distributor and manufacturer of high-performance transmissions, valve bodies, torque converters, held its annual Summit Dealer Day March 16.  The event was held for ATS dealers across the United States and Canada, featuring several educational seminars on new products and diesel technology, said Matt Bozarth, ATS marketing manager.  Their next event, Diesel on the Mountain, will be held July 19-20 at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison.  For more information on the event, ATS is co-sponsoring with Cummins Rocky Mountain, visit www.atsdiesel.com/partsandpeople.

The United Collision Centers of Colorado (UCCOC) has scheduled its Spring Conference for May 27.  The event features several educational workshops, which include everything from writing a profitable estimate to shop financials, said Phil Oyer, UCCOC board member and owner of Aurora Collision Center.  For more information contact Dan Risley, executive director of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists, at 303-859-2211 or john@uccoc.net.

NEW MEXICO
Mr. Hubcap Inc., a longtime Albuquerque supplier of antique and used wheel covers, has recently reopened after an eight-month closure, said new Owner Bruce Tomlinson.  Wholesale and retail customers have access to more than 1 million hubcaps, he added.

Automotive Test Solutions (ATS) of Albuquerque, a supplier of diagnostic tools, was recognized at the Automotive Service Association of Missouri/Kansas (ASA-MO/KAN) Vision show March 7-9 in Overland Park, Kan.  Tim Cummings, general manager of Rick's Automotive in Springfield, Mo., presented Neal Pederson, vice president of ATS, with the Booth of the Year award, which is awarded to the exhibitor with the most aesthetically pleasing booth smaller than 400 square feet.

Trucks Unique Inc. of Albuquerque is among 17 businesses to be recognized in the first quarter by the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) as qualifying for the Member Verification Program (MVP).  To qualify, NTEA distributor and manufacturer members must meet criteria  for providing quality products and vehicles, proof that they're attempting to comply with the regulatory requirements for the manufacture of trucks.

WYOMING
The new Pit Stop Travel Center in Riverton is the first west-central Wyoming distributor of biofuels, including E85 and biodiesel, said Owner Mike Bailey, who also owns several other businesses with his brother, Darren Bailey.  Those businesses include Bailey Tire and Auto Service Center in Lander, five Pit Stop convenience stores, Rocky Mountain Logistics (an oil service company), NAPA Auto Parts of Lander, Central Wyoming Transportation, Bailey Oil Co., and Evergreen Wholesale.

Colman Equipment Co. of Casper is among 17 businesses to be recognized in the first quarter by the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) as qualifying for the Member Verification Program (MVP).  To qualify, NTEA distributor and manufacturer members must meet criteria for providing quality products and vehicles, proof that they're attempting to comply with the regulatory requirements for the manufacture of trucks.