Jay Leno, Tony Stewart and Tom's Refurb Headline SEMA Industry Honors 2026

Tony Stewart received a lifetime achievement award at the SEMA Show while sitting fifth in NHRA Top Fuel points. That was Thursday night, Nov. 5, at SEMA Industry Honors in the BleauLive Theater at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, where the aftermarket hands out its biggest people awards. Stewart got his, Jay Leno got his Hall of Fame jacket, and a YouTube muscle car rescuer walked away as Content Creator of the Year.

Leno's jacket, with Tim Allen on stage

To be clear, Leno wasn't inducted on Thursday. SEMA inducted its 2026 Hall of Fame class (Leno, Doug Dwyer, Ellen McKoy and Dennis Overholser) at the SEMA Leaders & Legends Gala on July 24 in Newport Beach, Calif. What happened in Las Vegas was the show moment. According to SEMA, Leno received his Hall of Fame jacket on stage, joined by his friend and fellow car-loving comedian Tim Allen.

SEMA honored Leno for using his platform to champion car culture, enthusiast rights and the specialty-equipment industry. He was all over show week, too: he helped cut the opening-day ribbon and was a featured speaker at Tuesday's Kickoff Breakfast with Harley-Davidson CEO Artie Starrs.

Tony Stewart, still racing

The Petersen Automotive Museum presented Stewart with the Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award. The museum created it in 2002, and it puts Stewart on a list with NHRA founder Wally Parks, Carroll Shelby, Richard Petty, Dan Gurney and Don Prudhomme.

Stewart's résumé is long. He has three NASCAR Cup Series championships, the 1997 IndyCar Series title, four USAC crowns including the 1995 sweep of Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown, and a NASCAR Hall of Fame induction. He has owned Eldora Speedway since 2004. As an owner, his Tony Stewart Racing team won the 2023 NHRA Funny Car title with Matt Hagan.

What makes this one unusual is that he's still racing. Stewart, 55, switched to NHRA Top Fuel, was Rookie of the Year in 2024 and has three national event wins, including the 2026 Winternationals at Pomona. He was nominated by Juan Gonzalez of Mission Foods. "I've been racing since I was 7 years old, and all I ever wanted to do was win the biggest trophy," Stewart said, as reported by Drag Illustrated.

Person of the Year: Dawson Druesedow

SEMA named Dawson Druesedow its 2026 Person of the Year. Druesedow founded 4 Wheel Performance in 2005 and grew it into an off-road and performance business. He has served on the SEMA Truck & Off-Road Alliance (TORA) Select Committee since 2017 and now chairs it. He also volunteers as a New Products Awards judge and supports SEMA Cares.

Content Creator of the Year: Tom's Refurb

Tom's Refurb took Content Creator of the Year. The channel rescues abandoned muscle cars on a budget, with real wrenching and a sense of humor, and it has built a combined following of about 2.4 million across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. It follows Westen Champlin, who won in 2025. SEMA keeps handing this award to the people who get the next generation interested in old cars.

Chair Service Award

According to SEMA, Board Chair Melanie White presented the SEMA Chair Service Award to three California state senators: Tim Grayson, Shannon Grove and Dave Cortese. The award is given only at the chair's discretion and isn't presented every year.

Earlier in the week, at the Kickoff Breakfast, SEMA named Advanced Clutch Technology its Manufacturer of the Year and Motor State Distributing its Channel Partner of the Year.

SEMA CEO Mike Spagnola closed with the theme of the night: "Since 1963, this industry has given a lot of us a great life. Now it's our turn to help somebody else build one."