SEMA 2015 | By The Numbers Day 2 - Something for everyone

This is my 4th or 5th trip to the SEMA Show.  It's always a great time, but always a bit overwhelming.  If you've never been, you owe it to yourself to visit at least once.  The first time I went, I had not yet done a track day.  Now, I've done way too many (probably over 150 days over the past 3 or 4 years).  I've always loved cars, but the more I participate in track events, the more I see my personal interest in them becoming more and more focused on track oriented vehicles.

A lot of the SEMA coverage I've seen in the past shows a lot of things that never really interested me.  The By the Numbers coverage we have come up with is essentially a tailored approach to the SEMA show.  As drivers, a lot of us often think that SEMA isn't aimed at us (it is, but it is also aimed at a lot of other people as well).  If you take the time to filter everything else at the show out, there are actually very unique thing you can see.  At times, we may be sparse on words, but when you consider the size of the SEMA show, and the sheer volume of content that we have tasked ourselves with creating, we are trying our best.  Feel free to leave your thoughts on our coverage below.  We are always looking for feedback, good or bad.  

Check out that #gridlife license plate

One of the #gridlife competitors, William Au-Yeung was out at the Borg-Warner booth with his new Civic build this year.  This car is spectacular and the attention to detail is plentiful.  Will will be competing at SuperLap Battle next week at Buttonwillow.  We will catch up more with him there.  Be looking for a feature on this car coming soon.

There were a number of legitimate racecars at the show as well.  Here is the Alex Job racing car driven by Cooper MacNeil and Leh Keen.

This car is a work of art, as expected.  Attention to detail again seems to be the name of the game.  Look at the details in this Carbon Fiber Headlight bucket.  I don't even what to know what this costs.

The best way to experience certain cars is to look at the details.  Take the GT350 that was the main photo in our By the Numbers Intro Post.  It has a unique history, which is very apparent if you take the time to look at the details closely.

-Carroll Shelby

Along the lines of detail, factory backed cars usually have among the best.  While we couldn't get up close to the new Ford GT racecar that is being prepped for Le Mans, it is absolutely stunning.

In my opinion, it looks amazing from almost every angle.  I can't wait to see this thing competing soon.  Speaking of competition, but on a much more affordable level than Le Mans, the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was out at the show showing off the new NASA NP01 series cars.  They are all built by Elon and powered by Mazda.  Be on the lookout for a  SlipAngle episode later today where we talk to the NASA guys about the NP01 program along with a lot of other stuff.  

NASA NP01

With a focus on competition and driving, you can find more relevant things if you just open your eyes a little bit more and look.  Pegasus racing had a few things they were showing off that were aimed specifically at drivers.

As a driver, I am always excited to see any form of motorsports competition.  Lucky for me, there is the final round of the Red Bull Global Rally Cross (GRC) during the SEMA show every year.  Unfortunately this year it was raining.  That did make for some interesting racing however.

While you have to have tickets to watch the race, you don't need them to see what's going on in the paddock.  I love watching racing, but Im usually even more interested in what's going on behind the scenes.  The level of prep and maintenance and repair these GRC cars go through between session is staggering.  The sport is rough, but the crews are the ones that allow the drivers to keep going out each session.

At the end of the day, the SEMA show is really what you make of it.  As a driver, you could come here and get overwhelmed by the things that don't interest you.  Or you can come and actively seek out the things that would interest you like I have been doing.  There is something for everyone at the SEMA show.  Even for those Track Rats Among us.

We still have a lot more to cover over the next few days.  Keep checking back for more By the Numbers coverage.  In the meantime, check out our full Day 2 Gallery below.