WDB - News

Wells, Richard-08/19/2003

Dick Wells began his career in the field of motorsports much the same as other Americans, when he was about 16 years old and got his driver�s license for the first time. He began by working in an automotive parts store in Lincoln, Nebraska, as a stockroom clerk, then quickly moved up to become a salesman, and after a few years took over as manager. The store sold auto parts and speed equipment. Later, Dick was hired by Speedway Motors, today the largest distributor of automotive performance equipment in the United States, and he remained there as assistant manager until relocating from his native Lincoln to the Los Angeles area.

It was in California that he became actively involved in motorsports as a career pursuit. He was the first editor of National Dragster when it was introduced and published by the National Hot Rod Association in 1960. It was at National Dragster he began to build on his name as an automotive journalist. From being a staff member at NHRA, Dick became the managing editor�hand later feature editor�hof Hot Rod magazine, then the largest automotive magazine in the world. He also served as the executive editor of Motor Trend magazine, and at Petersen Publishing Company, the publisher of Hot Rod and Motor Trend, he was eventually promoted to director of special events, during which tenure he produced various hot rod shows and races, including the Motor Trend 500 and Hot Rod Magazine Championship Drag Races at Riverside Raceway. More importantly, he produced the first and now annual trade-only SEMA Show. Held annually in Las Vegas, the SEMA Show is the only one of its kind in the world, a 1.5-million-square-foot extravaganza in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Dick’s first SEMA Show, in 1967, was made up of 98 booths.

Dick was the first active president of the National Street Rod Association, and he is credited with the massive street rod movement in the U.S., the largest U.S. motorsports hobbyist activity in which tens of thousands of individuals participate by building and driving their own hot rods. He started the Street Rod Nationals, an event which today attracts upward of 15,000 pre-1949 hot rods each year to participate. The street rod parts market is now a major segment of the specialty automotive aftermarket, which includes racing equipment for drag racing, circle track racing and other forms of automotive competition sports. Wells is credited with being the “father” of the robust street rod specialty industry segment.

As an association specialist, Dick has served as executive director of several groups, among them the Performance Warehouse Association and the Auto International Association, both national organizations in the automotive aftermarket. He applies a unique creative talent to association management, specifically services provided to participating member companies.

Mr. Wells has been repeatedly honored for his dedication and contributions to industry causes, including the prestigious SEMA Person of the Year in 1977; he was inducted into the elite SEMA Industry Hall of Fame in 1993. He was presented the International Specialty Car Association (ISCA) Founder�s Award in 1994, and in 1996 the Street Rod Marketing Alliance, SRMA, presented him with its Industry Recognition Award. In 2001 he was among those honored with the NHRA Pioneer’s Award.

In addition to his writing skills, he has done emcee gigs in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. His spontaneous wit and humor have been applauded. He has also co-hosted a cable television show, “Rolling Art,” which features unique and exotic cars, from customs to carmakers’ concept vehicles.

Dick recently retired as the vice president of corporate projects for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), a trade association of 4,800-plus businesses in the specialty and performance automotive products field. (In the 1970s, he spent five years as the executive director of SEMA.) Mr. Wells is also a member of the board of directors of the National Hot Rod Association, a position he has held for 23 years. He once served as one of NHRA’s delegates to ACCUS, the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States, the U.S. arm of the FIA, where he was the group’s secretary.

Dick resides in Orange, Calif.; his favorite pastime, outside of cars and auto racing, are dogs (he has two, Morgan and Sophie) and recreational vehicles, motorhomes in particular.