Given the immense popularity and size of the racing and hot rodding industry, it is truly rare when any individual can build relationships across the breadth of it.

John Menzler was the rare man that did.

The hot rodding and aftermarket industry lost one of its stalwarts last year when Menzler finally lost a hard-fought battle with cancer. In his wake he left many people who otherwise had no connection besides their friendships with John, swapping stories and laughs about the man many referred to simply as “Menzler.”

Menzler finished his career working as a sales leader for the Comp Performance Group, but he had previously worked with many other companies, including the NHRA, Goodguys and Classic Instruments.

Menzler was honored as the SEMA Person of the year in 2011. That’s Airaid’s Chris Thompson on the left and Comp’s Scooter Brothers on the right.

“A lot of people knew John and remember him as a friend,” says Chris Douglas, who worked with Menzler at Comp Cams. “I think that’s because of his passion. You’ve got to start with that word because he was so passionate about the industry. Yeah, he did some great things for the Comp Performance Group, but really, he was always working for the industry.  He spent a lot of time making sure the next generation of young people got their shot and were exposed to the benefits of the industry. So really when you say his name, passion comes to mind first.”

Douglas says practically everyone who spent any amount of time with Menzler came away with a funny story about him–and those stories almost always had something to do with food.

“Of course, everybody knows that John loved to eat,” he says. “He was a connoisseur of good food and loved hunting down great eating establishments. When he came to Memphis (Comp’s home office) you could find him every morning at the Arcade restaurant downtown. He had a spot in just about every city he loved much like the Arcade.

“Out in Las Vegas for the SEMA show he would always take people to what he called the ‘original’ pancake house. Every town has a pancake house, but he swore up and down that this pancake house was the one that started it all.

“I’ll always remember when he took the there,” Douglas continues. “I went to the restroom to wash my hands, and our orders came while I was gone. John had ordered some type of apple pancakes, and when I get back from the bathroom it looked like he was chowing down on a full apple pie with the top off of it!”

Menzler at the SEMA Cares Pinewood Drag Races.

Comp’s Brian Reese also remembers Menzler fondly. “The best way to describe John is he was an ambassador,” Reese says. “Not just for Comp Cams but for the industry as a whole. He was the best definition of an ambassador I’ve ever seen. He lived it, he breathed it, and he talked about it nonstop. Ever since the first time I met him, he was a pillar of the industry acting as an ambassador.

“He was always trying to promote our industry, our products, our racers and the culture of cars,” he continues. “He is universally known throughout the industry. In his later years he really stepped up not only as an ambassador to the industry but also as a mentor to others. The thing that really struck me about John was his committment to helping young people. He helped them get ahead, introducing them to the right people and helping them learn more about the performance aftermarket industry. So everything that he got out of the industry as a salesman, he spent the last five or 10 years focused on giving back.

“I know a lot of people in this industry owe him a debt of gratitude for how he’s helped them in their careers.”

Menzler was able to accomplish so much because his gregarious nature naturally drew him to people. “John was our sales group leader,” Douglas says, “but we joked that he was really our entertainment director.

“John wasn’t just a co-worker, he was the embodyment of the industry. Everywhere he went he was laughing and he made sure everyone around him had a good time. I don’t look at it like just Comp Cams lost an employee when John passed, I really think the industry lost a champion. He really was pounding the pavement promoting the industry day in and day out.

“John really was a people person,” Douglas continues. “I think the legacy that he leaves behind–his greatest accomplishment–is all the really good people that are working and enjoying success in this industry because of him.”