Jeanette Ladina had an unlikely start to becoming the President and CEO of Flaming River Industries. She was just in high school when she began working at the company, at the time just a start-up itself. Little did she know she’d have the opportunity to
When you grow up in a family that operates a transmission shop in small, rural Lawrenceville, Ilinois, the chances that you’ll end up in the same business are pretty strong. For Mark Bowler, that path began early. “Since an early age I was attracted to hot
Jim Ries might not be a household name, but car and truck enthusiasts are certainly familiar with the business he started 31 years ago – Classic Performance Products. Over the past three decades, CPP has grown from a small startup selling disc brake conversion kits
Dave Lane is an unassuming, soft-spoken guy who built a reputation for crafting cool, timeless, well-crafted hot rods at his one-man Iowa-based Fast Lane Rod Shop over the past 20-plus years. Primarily self-taught, Lane has specialized in complete builds and constructed a long string of
IndyCar fans are quickly getting familiar with Scott McLaughlin, a 28-year-old rising star from New Zealand who was a three-time Australian Supercars champion before making the jump to Team Penske’s U.S. IndyCar team in 2021. McLaughlin had a strong enough first season to earn the
Over the past two decades, Dean Livermore has gone from the new kid on the block to one of the industry’s most established and consistent hot rod builders. His shop, Phoenix-based Hot Rods by Dean, got a fast start in late 2001 and within a
When Zack Farah opened the doors to Gearstar Performance Transmissions 20-plus years ago, the company quickly became known for producing quality products. The reason was simple enough. After years of involvement with Tristar International, a company that produced more than 100 remanufactured transmissions and 300
Alex Xydias' contribution to hot rodding is unrivaled. During his seven-plus decades in the industry, there’s little he hasn’t done. He founded the original So-Cal Speed Shop in 1946. His iconic lakester graced the cover of Hot Rod. He produced motorsports films. Edited both Car
Harold Chapman didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a hot rod shop owner. He started Texas-based Customs and Hot Rods of Andice out of necessity after bad experiences with other shops forced him to hire a crew of fabricators to build his first street rod.
If you’ve ever read Hot Rod Magazine, Car Craft, Hot Rod Deluxe, or tuned into the MotorTrend channel to watch Roadkill, you know the name (and face) of David Freiburger. He began his automotive journalism career at Petersen Publishing in 1991 and has helmed many
