Adam Kern is a Chicago native who in 2012 purchased his first Porsche after growing up as a lifelong muscle car fan in a GM loving family. Since then he has joined the board of directors for the PCA-Chicago region along with running the club’s autocross program and its social media. In 2017, Adam led efforts to create CheckedItOut Chicago, ‘the Porsche convergence’ held in downtown Chicago. CheckedItOut is a non-profit that raises money for local charities by bringing Porsche owners and enthusiasts together for a day of cars, food, and music in an urban setting.

Brenda Priddy likes to tell people that she was born with a camera in her hands, and hardly remembers a time that she didn’t own a camera or two, or maybe a half dozen. Since 1992, Brenda has been a well-known fixture in the automotive industry, photographing pre-production automobiles undergoing hot weather testing in the desert, and selling the photos to publications including The New York Times, USA Today, Car and Driver, and even the Encyclopedia Britannica. The mom of two suddenly became one of the most famous automotive “spy photographers” in the world! In 2013 she shifted to fine art photography and in 2014 organized people-to-people tours of Cuba. Brenda has always been involved in raising money for charities, and in 2017, she was appointed a CASA (court-appointed special advocate for foster children) by the Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona.  

Mark Steigerwald is the Executive Director at the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento, California. Their mission is to preserve, exhibit, and teach the story of the automobile and its influence on our lives. After graduate school, Mark interned at the International Motor Racing Research Center where he became their Director. Along the way, he got to meet fascinating and generous people associated with all facets of the racing world including Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Vic Elford, Sam Posey, Rusty Wallace, and many others. I have had the experience of visiting the California Automobile Museum and it is a very special place. Regular listeners will recall the museum’s Curator Carly Starr was a past guest on Cars Yeah.

Charles Navarro is the President of LN Engineering, a company he founded while studying Computer Science at Northwestern University in 2002 along with his wife, Tammy Hellings. LN Engineering formed a niche previously non-existent for precision performance aftermarket engine components specifically targeted toward addressing known issues and improving upon original equipment engine components for Volkswagen and Porsche models. LN Engineering is best known for its trademark Nickies air-cooled cylinders. The company has evolved and grown and along with Raby Engine Development, focusing on research and development leading to solutions for past and current models.

Ed Petersen is the CEO of Wrench. He studied History and Business at Whittier College where he graduated and then went on to become an entrepreneur. Ed participated in the founding of multiple technology and data companies before he founded Wrench 4 years ago in January of 2016. Ironically, he did not come from the automotive industry; his entire background was in technology. Ed recognized that there was a need in the auto repair industry for a newer, more efficient, trustworthy, and convenient way for consumers. In his vision, the whole process of car repair and maintenance needed the introduction of technology and data. Hence, Wrench was born and has disrupted the industry in ways never before thought possible. 

Elana Scherr didn’t grow up in a car family but has made up for lost time since then. She started her wheeled career in motorcycle parts fabrication, then did a stint in Automotive PR before moving to the editorial side. She was a staff editor at HOT ROD Magazine, Editor in Chief of Roadkill Magazine, and currently reviews new cars for Edmunds and Car and Driver while also covering classics and car culture for American Car Collector, Sports Car Market, and other enthusiast titles. Elana and her husband Tom have a large collection (more than a dozen) of mostly carbureted vehicles including an Opel GT, several muscle cars, and a classic open-backed ramp truck race hauler that originally belonged to Pro Stock legend Dick Landy. They cover their collection and keeping it running on the Challengeher YouTube channel. Along with the car projects, Elana is writing a book with Don Prudhomme about his life and racing career.

Brian Allan is the Senior Vice-President of Strategic Partnerships at HyreCar. He is responsible to assist OEMs and retail dealers with strategies to profit from the carsharing, ridesharing and transportation as a Service (TaaS) opportunities. Brian serves on advisory boards for several retail and technology firms and he is renowned for recognizing industry trends and developing innovative solutions that leverage technology to improve the employee and customer experience for the automotive industry. After 30 years of service as a General Manager and Group Director of Business Development at Galpin Motors, Brian founded Respective.io, a strategic advisory and investment firm focused on emerging technologies and innovation in the retail automotive industry. 

Mike Furnari, HyreCar’s Chief Business Development Officer is a previous guest here on Cars Yeah.

Casey Putsch is the founder and president of Genius Garage, a 501(c)3 public educational charity centered around hands-on automotive engineering, design, and history.  After college, he started Putsch Racing, a facility for high-end road racing preparation and automotive restoration. With a solid foundation of hands-on fabrication, engineering, art, and design, Casey has created a fan base on social media for his exciting personal stories and automotive adventures. Some of his builds include the world’s only turbine-powered Batmobile and the Omega Car high-high-efficiency prototype. He was awarded The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in education and was honored to fly with the United States Air Force Thunderbirds for his work in mentoring young people. 

Michael Rapetti is co-founder of The Motoring Club, a membership site for automotive enthusiasts. It is a destination where they are building a community through their network of Clubhouses, starting with Los Angeles and their online membership platform. The Motoring Club is a place where like-minded people work together to source the finest products, services, experiences, and deals. Think of it as a combination of vehicle storage, a social gathering place, and networking space with exclusive benefits. Michael started his career path in New York City in commercial real estate and then moved into tech working for large companies to small startups before starting The Motoring Club.

Don Newlove is a designer and builder working alongside Mike Scott. He built his first Top Fuel Bike in Canada and started racing Top Fuel Bikes with Clyde Rawlings in 1988. Don raced with Clyde as his Crew Chief helping Clyde to score 7.84 seconds at 170 mph on a Shovelhead back in 1987. Don built his first Harley Drag Bike in 1988 and throughout his career has built numerous winning bikes including show bikes. Don and Mike joined forces in 2004 and within a year set their first CMDRA Record at Mission Raceway in the 1/8 miles at 194.55 mph and they have made numerous 6 second passes at over 200 + mph. In 2018 they earned the CMDRA Wrench of the Year Award. 2020 proves to be another winning season for the Newlove brothers. Their other brother Rod Newlove has been a past guest here on Cars Yeah.