The public has voted – and the 10th 2019 SEMA Young Guns contestant is…

After selecting nine contestants from a series of regional competitions for the 2019 SEMA Young Guns category in the annual Battle of the Builders, the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association (SEMA) has announced the 10^th and final entrant, who was chosen in a public online vote that closed October 4.

Chelsie Lesnoski, a resident of Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, will take her customized purple 2013 Scion FRS to the SEMA Show next month (Las Vegas Convention Center, November 5–8) to compete for a category win—and, potentially, top honors in a field of more than 300 customizers participating in the Battle of the Builders this year.

Lesnoski is co-owner with Cole Marten of Throttle Thrashers Garage, an automotive modification and customization enterprise. First opened in Penticton, the company now has operations in the United States as well.

According to published reports, her Scion FRS is swapped with a Nissan inline-six RB engine, part of a series of powerplants renowned for their use in Nissan Skyline GT-R models.

Canadian automotive website Driven has described Lesnoski as “One Canada’s best known FRS Tuners.”

“Winning this final spot in the Young Guns competition was an absolute dream come true for me,” Lesnoski said. “I hope this achievement encourages other young builders like myself to pursue their dreams no matter how out of reach they may seem.”

2019 is the second year that SEMA has held a public vote to choose one participant for the Young Guns category of the Battle of the Builders competition, now in its sixth year at the annual SEMA show.

The Young Guns category is limited to car builders age 27 and younger.

Finalists in each of the four Battle of the Builders Categories—Hot Rod, Sport Compact, Truck/Off-Road and Young Guns—are announced over the course of the SEMA show, with the Best in Show winner crowned at SEMA Ignited, the trade show’s official “after party.”

SEMA Ignited, set for Friday November 8, 3:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m., is the one activity of the SEMA Show that is open to the public—or at least that segment of the public that is interested in paying the $20.00 ticket price for general admission to SEMA Ignited.

All other activities of the SEMA show are restricted to qualified attendees who work in the automotive industry, as well as media covering the industry. Advance registration is required of all attendees. First-time attendees must provide documentation of their industry involvement with their registrations. SEMA requires media attendees to verify their press credentials in advance each year.