SEMA Show 2023: Dai Yoshihara Shows You How to Get Your Project Car to Las Vegas

Photography: Pit+Paddock

  • For the second year in a row, Pit+Paddock is collaborating with ENEOS Oil to present one lucky grand prize winner with a feature vehicle spot at the 2023 SEMA Show from October 31, to November 3.
  • Pro driver and Formula DRIFT champion Dai Yoshihara is the host of this year’s SEMA Show Car Contest and will be promoting the campaign through his Instagram fanbase of 288,000 followers.
  • Vehicle submissions will be accepted from August 28, 2023, to September 18, 2023. The top five finalists will be announced on September 25, 2023, with the grand prize winner selected on October 9, 2023.

BACK FOR ROUND TWO

Last year, Pit+Paddock teamed up with ENEOS Oil to create what we called, the “SEMA Show Car Contest”. This contest allowed any builder (within the 48 contiguous states) the opportunity to have their project car shipped to Las Vegas for the world’s largest aftermarket automotive and performance trade show. If you don’t know why this is a big deal…

SEMA is considered the Super Bowl of shows in this industry. It’s the only event where you’ll find all of your favorite manufacturers under one roof along with more than 100,000 people from the industry. SEMA’s massive allure is why having a car on display there has become such a big deal — the amount of exposure there is more than any other event in the country — and it’s become increasingly challenging (and expensive) to get any show car on display. 

Our contest gave every grassroots project car builder a rare opportunity to enter the SEMA Show Car Contest for a chance to win a primo spot! 

2022 WINNER: ACURA INTEGRA

It’s important that you check out last year’s winner because it’s an understated build that truly represents what this contest is all about. Alex received the most social media votes in our contest — and the unanimous favorite among the judging panel — granting him a VIP space inside the Pit Paddock booth and making a lifelong wish of his a dream come true.

You see, Alex Alfaro has never been to SEMA before. His Acura Integra is one of those cars that could win a Best of Show trophy at any Honda show, thanks to its collection of rare JDM parts, but because of SEMA’s tough feature vehicle application system, and because Alex’s DC2 isn’t a viable platform to showcase new aftermarket parts, his car would’ve likely never have made it to the show if it wasn’t for our contest.

SPECIAL GUEST HOST DAI YOSHIHARA

This year, we’re excited to find the next marquee build with the help of Dai Yoshihara. Dai had his hands full last year debuting three of his own SEMA builds, including the Nissan Frontier in the ENEOS booth; however, this year, he’s taking a break from the SEMA crunch. He’ll be going to Las Vegas as a Pit+Paddock and ENEOS ambassador and this year’s host for the SEMA Show Car Contest. What that means is all announcements and updates will be published on his Instagram account, so be sure to follow it!

HOW TO ENTER

So how does someone enter to win a show car spot at SEMA? Starting Monday, August 28th, all you need to do is create an Instagram post — using either photos or video — showcasing your build. Then, in the caption, list your top five favorite modifications, and include the hashtag #SEMAShowCarContest. Lastly, don’t forget to follow and tag @pitandpaddock and @eneosusa. That’s it! 

We’ll be accepting submissions for a month with a final deadline of Monday, September 18th.

GRAND PRIZE

If your car is selected as the grand prize winner, you’ll receive a highly coveted feature vehicle spot in the Silver Lot of the 2023 SEMA Show. We’ll be covering your SEMA badges, vehicle transportation, and lodging, plus give you a mini allowance for general travel expenses.

FINE PRINT + IMPORTANT DATES

For the most detailed information about the rules and how the contest works, we encourage you to visit the ENEOS contest link.

  • 8/21: Contest announcement.
  • 8/28: Submissions are open.
  • 9/18: Submissions close. 
  • 9/25: Top 5 finalists announced, and the public vote begins.
  • 10/2: Public vote ends and judges begin final selection. 
  • 10/9: Grand prize winner announced.

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