More than $22,000 in cash and prizes were awarded to the winners of FinishMaster's annual competitions for professionals and students.
The winners of the 2023 FinishMaster Hood Master and PiN Master challenges were announced Sept. 22 at the Biltwell Event Center in Indianapolis, IN.
More than $22,000 in prizes including cash, tools and equipment were awarded to this year’s winners. In addition, the FinishMaster team raised a record-breaking $30,000 for the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) through fundraising efforts.
About 350 guests attended the event, where 105 hoods and pins were on display, including a gallery of select prior winners displayed on the main stage.
Guests could meet Dave Kindig of Kindig-It Designs and watch live pinstriping demos from Cory Mroz of Mr.Oz Designs, both featured judges for this year’s challenge. There was also an activity station with 2023 Hood Master challenger and double winner Tom Hudach of TNT Custom Paint, who encouraged everyone to do hands-on taping and design activities with him.
2023 Hood Master Winners
This year’s challengers brought their talent and experience to a whole new level. From intricate painting techniques to lighting and 3D sculptures, everyone was in awe of what they saw. Each challenger poured their heart and soul into their artwork and the industry panel of judges did not have an easy job.
"The FinishMaster Hood Master Challenge is a great opportunity for all skill leveled artists to show their talents and I was very honored to have had the opportunity to see and judge the contest this year,” Kindig said. “The FinishMaster team did a great job presenting the competition and putting on a quality reception and display."
Airbrush
- First place: Tom Hudach, Urethane Circus; $3,000, SATA TrueSun color match light, SATAgraph 4 airbrush and premium sponsor promotional items
- Second place: Tom Strait, Perseverance through Pain; $2,000, SATA 4400 minijet, SATAgraph 4 airbrush and premium sponsor promotional items
- Third place: Craig “WIZ” McNeil, Melting Pot; $1,000, Sagola 3300 GTO Gravity, Sagola Classic Lux Gravity and premium sponsor promotional items
Pinstripe
- First place: Tommy Strader, Endless Summer; $3,000, SATA TrueSun color match light, Sagola Classic Pro XD Gravity and premium sponsor promotional items
- Second place: Kevin Campbell, Purgatory; $2,000, Sagola Mini Xtreme Gravity, Sagola Classic Lux Gravity and premium sponsor promotional items
- Third place: Austin Polen, Turmoil; $1,000, Sagola 3300 GTO Gravity, Sagola Classic Lux Gravity and premium sponsor promotional items
Overall
- Wild Card: Tom Strait, Perseverance through Pain; $2,000, Sagola Mini Xtreme Gravity, Sagola Classic Lux Gravity and premium sponsor promotional items
- Online Crowd Favorite: Tom Hudach, Urethane Circus; $2,000, Sagola 475 XTech Gravity, Sagola Classic Lux Gravity and premium sponsor promotional items
2023 PiN Master Winners
PiN Master is a student challenge hosted at the same time as the Hood Master challenge. The contest is for students in collision repair programs across the U.S., who compete by repairing, designing and painting retired bowling pins. The goal of the PiN Master Challenge is to showcase the students’ skills and to support the future of this industry. More than 50 bowling pins were on display this year.
- First place: Ahryus Griffin, ‘Murica
- Second place: Julian Perez, Project Neon Razor
- Third place: Kenny Rolle, Hot Fudge Sundae
- Wild Card: Kenny Rolle, Hot Fudge Sundae
This year’s PiN Master winners’ prizes included tools and equipment to help advance the start of their careers in collision repair, and premium sponsor promotional items.
FinishMaster is beyond grateful for the continued support from the key industry partners listed below who make the challenges and event possible with their sponsorship commitments.
- Diamond: 3M, AkzoNobel, Axalta
- Platinum: Smart
- Gold: Norton/St. Gobain, Sagola, SATA
- Silver: Accudraft, DeVilbiss, Dynabrade, Evercoat, GFS–Global Finishing Solutions, Innovative Tools, ProStat, RJE–Business Interiors, SEM, Transtar
Congratulations to this year's winners. In 2024, the fifth anniversary of the Hood Master event will be celebrated with another chance to give back to collision repair programs supported CREF.
