OneDirt Spring/Summer 2016

OneDirt.com 1

OPTIMIZING YOUR 305 SPRINT ENGINE

BANG FOR THE BUCKWILL TO

WIN

ONEDIRT.COM #OneDirt JUST GETTING STARTED KARTING BREEDS FUTURE STARS

BUDGET BULLETS HIGH-TECH, LOW-COST PISTONS

TO HELP YOU WIN BY ANOSE

PRODUCTS

SPEEDWEEKSCHILI BOWLPHOTO RECAPS

RICKY THORNTON JRMORGAN TURPENBOBBY PIERCEBILLY MOYER

VOL. 3, N

O. 1

OneD

irt.com

OD2016-1$7.99

036584

310020

THE DIRT TRACK RACING MAGAZINEPRINTWEB VIDEO SOCIAL

SALUTE TO A HERO GRANT JUNGHANS

Call or go online for yourNEW 2016 Catalog!

1.800.423.3110www.longacreracing.com

High Resolution Full Color Display• Easy to use. Everything included,

all set up, ready to go.• Partial % can be easily customized.

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#72715 with tablet .. $1898.00(You can also use your tablet or Smartphone)

Wireless Scales

NEW FOR 2016:Note Taking:

• Use to record changes• Or list setup info – springs,

shocks, tire pressures, etc.• Or both.

• Download to a PC OR e-mail.

High Resolution Full Color Display•• Easy to use. Everything included,

all set up, ready to go.•• Partial % can be easily customized.

Show just what you want.•• Memory for 50 sets of weights.•• Shows current and memory together.

#72715 with tablet(You can also use your tablet or Smartphone)

Wireless Scales

Display can be customized. Wired models also – from $1029

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Lower tire pressures 1 psiIncrease spoiler angle 5 degReduce diag weight 1%

Accurate Setups

• Expanded range – Camber + or - 9°, Caster + 12° to - 4°.

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Photo byNEIL ERIC MILLER

Win More Races.

StaffGroup Publisher Shawn Brereton

Editorial Director Ben Shelton

Senior Tech Editor Jeff Smith

ContributorsBrady Alberson Richard AllenDan Hodgdon Jeff HuneycuttBrandon Flannery Whitney ThomasManufacturers

Advertising/SubscriptionsIvan Korda Dave FerratoJonathan ErtzFor advertising inquiries call 901.260.5910.

Copy Editor Cindy Bullion

Production Hailey Douglas

Art Jason Wommack

OneDirt is published semiannually to promote the growth of dirt track racing as well as recognize the parts and services from participating manufactur-ers. The magazine consists of dedicated information from partner companies with the mission of disseminating unfiltered editorial on companies, prod-ucts and services directly to dirt racing participants and fans.

Editorial content and advertisements for each issue can originate from partner companies participating in the magazine.OneDirt is a hybrid of content that was originally published at OneDirt.com and original content that was created for this biannual print magazine. Magazine distribution occurs through direct distri-bution from parent company Xcelera-tion Media and partner companies.OneDirt is a property of Xceleration Media. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written consent from Xceleration Media. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

100% Dirt Track Racing

Going GREEN FROM THE EDITOR

OneDirt.com 1

OPTIMIZING YOUR 305 SPRINT ENGINE

BANG FOR THE BUCK

WILL TOWIN

ONEDIRT.COM #OneDirt JUST GETTING STARTED KARTING BREEDS FUTURE STARSBUDGET BULLETS HIGH-TECH, LOW-COST PISTONS

TO HELP YOU WIN BY ANOSE

PRODUCTS

SPEEDWEEKSCHILI BOWLPHOTO RECAPS

RICKY THORNTON JRMORGAN TURPENBOBBY PIERCEBILLY MOYER

VOL. 3, NO. 1

OneDirt.com

OD2016-1$7.99

036584

310020

THE DIRT TRACK RACING MAGAZINE

PRINTWEB VIDEO SOCIAL

SALUTE TO A HERO GRANT JUNGHANS

OD2016-1_REV.indd 1

4/12/16 4:25 PM

JARRETTANDRETTIBUBBA RACE-WAY PARK, 2.18.16

Photo by Eric Gano

Inset photo by Michael Jackson

COVERON THE

OneDirt: Who we are

I’ve heard of OneDirt before, but I’m not sure exactly what you guys do.”

This was an inquiry I received a few months ago from a friend. It came on the heels of the announcement Dec. 1, 2015, that I was taking over the editorial role for both the OneDirt.com website and magazine.

I gave my buddy a quick overview of our mission. He loved the concept and the vision. Since that day, it got my wheels spinning on making sure that I did my very best to educate racers and race fans alike about who we are.

Before talking about just who OneDirt truly is, it’s very important for me to say this: OneDirt is an always evolving media outlet. We are constantly looking for the topics that most interest our supporters. We will never sit on our laurels. Rather, we will relent-lessly pursue new angles.

Regardless the type of motorsports it represents, if it touches dirt, then it has a home at OneDirt.

There are literally hundreds of results-driven outlets on the web and in print. While we do occasionally post event recaps and features, this is not our main focus. We like providing breaking news on teams, events, tracks, sanctions, and anything else dirt-racing related. Whether it be a schedule announcement or a major event preview, we are all about it.

We love to take in-depth looks at the characters who make this sport go round. One minute you might be reading a feature on a well-known driver. Moments later, you might be scanning through a profile of an unknown crew member who works behind the scenes to keep a car in championship form.

Much like most gearheads, we are totally ravenous when it comes to consuming all of the motorsports pictures and videos that we can possibly find. We are always trying to feed our hunger for racing. As a result, we have been working diligently during the past few months to exponentially increase the number of contributors we have on our team.

From the United States to Canada to Australia, we are quite honored to have the awesome photographers and videographers who have joined our team. As stated ear-lier, we are never content to just sit back and relax. On a daily basis, we continue to ag-gressively pursue expanding our team with additional talented and eclectic members.

Rather than view other media outlets as competitors, we actually view them as our brethren. When they post cool photos or videos on social media, we take pride in shar-ing the posts on our own outlets. This allows us to not only salute their great work, but it also allows us to do our part to promote racing as a whole. It’s our position that the more positive publicity racing can receive, the brighter the future will be for us all.

I’ve even had some questions asking if we are in direct competition with sites like dirtondirt.com and racindirt.com. The reality is quite contrary. Those guys are some of our best friends. The fact of the matter is all of our media outlets have different specialties. Furthermore, we are all constantly working together to see how we can best promote one another. The racing world is truly a cool fraternity.

Another avenue, which separates us from most, is we have a devout interest in covering the latest and greatest technology. I’m proud to say we have some of the most tech-savvy experts in the racing industry on our staff. These folks are always canvassing the market for what’s next. We take this research and use it to educate racers and fans alike. Our goal is to help you go faster.

Perhaps my most-favorite aspect of OneDirt is the open platform we offer our supporters. We have racers, including Billy Moyer Jr. and Kevin Swindell, who write regular blogs. Whitney Thomas, wife of Sprint Car racer Kevin Thomas Jr., brings us regular insights on the life of a racing spouse. We even have fans, like Elliott Aldrich, who provide the race fan perspective. The list and diversity of writers is continually growing. The bottom line is we do our best to leave no rock unturned.

From the bottom of my heart, I say a special thanks to everyone who supports OneDirt.com. As we embark on the future, I encourage you to hold on tight because the ride is only going to get faster and more exciting.

“

Ben Shelton

CONTENTSFEATURES04 A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVEWhitney Thomas: Life of a racer’s wife

15 GIRLS DO IT BETTER2015 USCS Champion Morgan Turpen

22 HOPE YOU’RE HUNGRYChili Bowl coverage to feed your need

32 NO LIMITS KNOWNRicky and Savannah do whatever it takes to succeed

38 LIFE EXPECTANCYDirt Late Models get a doctor’s report

46 WITH HEAVY HEARTSA salute to the life of Grant Junghans

66 GET REALNew streaming technology changes racing coverage

74 NO IS NOT AN OPTIONTurning racing dreams into reality

80 4-LAP DASHThe voice, Shane Andrews

86 IN HIS OWN WORDSBilly Moyer talks history

92 SUNSHINE SYNOPSISPhotographic tour of Speedweeks ‘16

104 THE FUTURE IS HERENext generation of stars have arrived

TECH08 FAST APPROACHThe ignition game gets a new player

18 DRIVELINE EFFICIENCY

Lightening the load for power

30 WEIGHING OPTIONSPrecise scale options

36 CUTTING CARBSTips to improve 2-barrel carbs

42 BUDGET POWERAffordably, high quality pistons and connecting rods

50 SPRINT CAR SENSEGaining speed in a 305 Sprint Car without sacrificing cost

64 RACERS AND BUSINESSMEN

Enjoying success behind the wheel and behind the counter

68 WHERE IT BEGANExcellence on and off the track has deep roots

78 SHOCKING CHANGESGood becomes great with new shock technology

82 BODILY PERFECTIONMD3 body technology invades

88 TAKE THE TOURInside the shop at a clutch classic

98 FLEXIBILITY IN CONFORMITY

Piston ring technology to meet any scenario

102 LOAD IT UPCarburetors loaded for bear

Even more tech, features, & videos

@OneDirt.comPhoto by Heath Lawson

2 OneDirt.com / Vol. 3, Issue 1

SPEED SHOPLow Ground Clearance Bellhousing Kit Quarter Master.......................................................... 56AN Fittings Jones Racing Products ....................... 56Vinyl Nose ID Kits Five Star Race Car Bodies ...... 5722 Gauge Straight Brake Mittler Brothers .......... 58Race Billet Distributors FAST ............................. 58Earl’s UltraPro Series Fluid Transfer System Holley ........................................................................ 58Serpentine Water Pump Drive Systems Jones Racing Products .............................................. 59Ultimate Wireless Radio Frequency Scales Mittler Brothers......................................................... 60ComputerScales Tablet XLi Longacre Racing Products ......................................... 60SW656 iRaceWeigh Scales Intercomp ............... 60Pro Elite SB Ford Cylinder Heads RHS .............. 61H-Beam Connecting Rods Lunati ........................ 62Optix Plus Window Cleaner Five Star Race Car Bodies ......................................... 62Ultimate Tire Pressure Gauge Longacre Racing Products, ........................................ 62Spline Grease Driven Racing Oil .......................... 63Ultra-Pro Roller Lifters Crane Cams ................... 63

DEPARTMENTS01 GOING GREENLetter from the editor

06 SPEED NEWSThe latest “dirt” from the dirt racing world

10 DIGITAL GUIDEThe best sites, apps & social media centered on dirt

12 SOCIAL MEDIA SOUNDOFF

Your online comments to OneDirt topics

14 VIDEO REWINDRacing, product & entertainment videos

56 SPEED SHOPHottest products to hit the dirt

100 FOOD 4 THOUGHTTake time to make memories

108 PUT IT TO THE TESTPiston ring filer

110 AUTOGRAPH PAGEMake memories here

108 PARTING SHOTSUntil we meet again

SPECIAL THANKSThe staff of OneDirt would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the talented photographers that supplied the images found in this issue. Without their talents and willingness to help, there would not be a OneDirt print magazine.

Richard Allen insidedirtracing.com

Michael Amos

Tim Aylwin

Jamie Brabson

Alex and Helen Bruce

Chad Ebel

Scott Frazierscottfrazierphotography.smugmug.com

Eric Gano epa-photography.smugmug.com

Michael Jackson thrillerphoto.com

Josh James joshjamesartwork.com

Heath Lawson heathlawsonphotos.com

Chris McDill

Mike Petty mikepettyphotos.smugmug.com

Bobby Pierce

Tyler Rinken tylerrinkenphoto.smugmug.com

Steve Schnars schnarzy.com

Rick Schwallie latemodelphotos.com

Kenny South

Mike Spieker speedway-shots.com

Mike Washburn

OneDirt.com 3


IN YOURWITH FROM RACE WIVES & GIRLFRIENDS

Seeing America, one dirt track at a timeBy Whitney Thomas

I am somewhere near the West Virginia/Ohio state line as the sun is setting and as usual, I’m unclear

what day of the week just ended. I ask that more often than not. When you are at a racetrack over 100 times during the year one loses track.

Speaking of track, I’m on my way back from New Smyrna Speedway, in beautiful Florida, where my husband just ran his first pavement race. Don’t worry! He races dirt too.

I’m a 29-year old, terribly inde-pendent, wildly sarcastic, incredibly big-hearted, wife to what people have recently taken to calling a “dirt car ace.” Not because he’s undeserving of the title but that phrase just makes me giggle.

The “dirt car ace” otherwise known as Kevin Thomas, Jr., or KT for short, is my better half. He races 410 non-wing sprint cars, midgets, 410 wing sprint cars, and most recently pavement late models. All this leading up to his ARCA debut in a stock car at the glorious Day-tona International Speedway.

We happily wed on a Thursday evening this past September. Yes, I said Thursday. I think I repeated that phrase to DJ’s, caterers, and the venue at least a thousand times. Apparently Thursday weddings are not at all common.

Why Thursday you ask? Easy. We race for a living.

Anyway, I waited patiently through two months and multiple schedule releases before choosing an available Friday, only to be railroaded a month later as a late season race was added to his schedule. So Thursday it was, and a perfect Thursday it turned out to be.

I married my best friend at sunset in front of our closest family and friends. The next day we jetted off to…you guessed it… Terre Haute, Indiana!

Okay, so you probably didn’t guess that. That’s where the race was so that’s where we went. Our honeymoon was postponed until, well, we still haven’t actually taken it, so I’ll keep you posted on that too.

Revisiting the statement “racing for a living,” it is our daily routine and how we pay the bills. As a result, we race as much as humanly possible. Your average person doesn’t understand that Mon-

days and Tuesdays are our weekend, because Wednesday through Sunday we are at a dirt track near you.

Typically, dirt racers aren’t morning people either because they are at the track late or on their way back during the early morning hours. This has been true of my life the past year. It works for me because I’m a firm believer that life shouldn’t start before 10:00 and two cups of coffee.

Let’s talk about my life for a second. I have the privilege of not working.

By not working I mean I don’t clock in, get health insurance, or paid holidays. I do have a job, however.

I think I work harder now than when I had a regular job, and often think maybe I’ll go back just for the normalcy. Normal is nowhere to be found when your husband raced 100+ times last year, from the East Coast, to the West Coast, and everywhere in between. I did my best to take whatever I could off his plate so he was able to “just go race.”

I designed and managed his website, arranged all the travel plans, kept his race gear clean and bag packed, and in my spare time I gave live updates on Twitter for each race. Occasionally I even drove the truck and trailer home. Oh, I also sold his merchandise in this wonderful trailer he bought me … that I did not even ask for … or need.

Yes, new friends, that is sarcasm. Any one that knows me understands I’m not incredibly personable — at first — so sell-

ing merchandise to the general public was quite the personal challenge for me.

People are always saying how glam-orous the road life must be. Seeing new places and meeting new people all the time. It’s so much more than that. It’s countless hours in a truck. It’s gas station food. It’s not having phone service in the middle of Kansas. It’s making a mad dash from Southern In-diana to Knoxville, Iowa because your first race got rained out. It’s living out of a suitcase for weeks at a time. It’s missing out on normal holidays with family and friends.

So no, glamorous is not the word I would choose but I wouldn’t trade those long hours in the truck eating gas station food with my husband for an eternity of Fourth of July picnics.

Not to be misled, it has its perks. Last year alone, I’ve seen historic Philadelphia, swam in both the Atlantic & Pacific oceans, zip lined across Las Vegas, watched the sun rise over the Grand Canyon, and enjoyed wine with my gal pals in Napa. Having dirt in my hair four nights a week couldn’t be more worth it.

With the formality of introductions over, I have to thank Ben Shelton and OneDirt for the opportunity to ramble on about my perspective as a race wife. In future articles I hope to further shed some light on what life is like being the supporting cast to all those “dirt aces” out there.

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Speed NEWS NEWS / HEADLINES / HOT TOPICS

Dirt racing goes back under the dome

Four Crown for $100K at the Big EEldora Speedway has always awarded big money, and the 35th Four-Crown Nation-als are not any different. Track officials have announced a $100,000 bonus will be awarded to the driver who wins all four races in the historic event.

For the first time since 2007, the Four Crown Nationals will have four races on Saturday, Sept. 24, as the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions have been added to the event, joining the USAC Silver Crown, National Sprint Car, and Midget Championships.

If a driver wins any three events on Saturday, a $25,000 bonus will be paid out.“One of our goals with returning the Four Crown to four divisions on Saturday

was to give the USAC and All Star drivers an Eldora-like prize to go after,” said Roger Slack, general manager of Eldora Speedway. “As race fans, I believe we’re enjoying this latest era of drivers who are proving to be both extremely versatile and compet-itive in midgets, champ cars, and with or without a wing on a Sprint Car. With four wins and the $100,000 bonus we’re putting up, one of these drivers could elevate to superstar status.”

Lucas Oil Racing TV LaunchedLucas Oil announced the launch of lucasoilracing.tv, the first streaming TV network dedicated solely to the world of motorsports. The new network launched on January 1. Its programming includes live racing, expanded pre-and post-race action, behind-the-scenes content, unseen in-terviews, automobile build shows, and an extensive library of motorsports content and racing.

The new online site offers unlimited access to a wide variety of motorsports including Sprint Cars, Dirt Late Models, Off-Road racing, Pro Pulling, and more.

Headlines were made during Speed-weeks when it was announced Dirt Late Model racing will go under the dome for the first time in more than 34 years this December. The event is being tabbed the Gateway Dirt Nationals, and will be held December 15–17.

The winter event will include three days of racing action at the Dome at America’s Center, part of a 1.7 million square foot convention center and sports complex formerly known as the Edward Jones Dome. The plan calls for a 1/5-mile, semi-banked dirt oval to be constructed inside the Dome.

North Carolina promoter Cody Som-mer made the announcement during the 40th Annual DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park.

“The central location in the heart of some of the healthiest dirt racing in America makes St. Louis perfect for an event of this magnitude,” Sommer says. “Not to mention the dome and the America’s Center provide more than ad-equate space to do such an event. There really is not another place like this.”

The dome was formerly home to the St. Louis Rams, who relocated to Los Angeles at the conclusion of the 2015-2016 National Football League (NFL) season. It has also regularly played host to other motorsports events, including Monster Jam, Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Truck Series, and the Monster

Energy AMA Supercross.The biggest indoor stock car event

since a 1982 National Dirt Racing Association race at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, will feature the largest indoor oval track in America with 800-horsepower stock cars roaring around the temporary dirt track.

To bring more experience to the event, Kevin Gundaker, who owns and promotes Tri-City Speedway in Illinois, will be constructing the track and preparing the racing surface. Gundaker is regarded as one of the best track-prep specialist in the business.

The track will be comparable in size to Illinois ovals Macon Speedway and

Belle-Clair Speedway. Each of these tracks have hosted national-touring, Dirt Late Model events over the past few years with great success.

Gateway Dirt Nationals practice is scheduled for Thursday, December 15, followed by a Friday racing pro-gram made up of $5,000-to-win events for Super Late Models and Open-Wheel Modifieds. The grand finale on Saturday, December 17, will feature a $20,000-to-win event for Super Late Models and a $10,000-to-win event for Open-Wheel Modifieds.

More information on this mega-event will be released in the coming months and can be found online at gatewaydirt.com.

Keep up with dirt racing news, updated daily at OneDirt.com.

OneDirt.com 7

NEWS / HEADLINES / HOT TOPICS Speed NEWS

Clauson launches into circular insanityNoblesville, Indiana’s Bryan Clauson is known for doing extraordinary things behind the wheel of his racecar, and in 2016, he’s taking it to a whole new level. His goal is to enter 200 racing events in a calendar year. The feat is tabbed “Circular Insanity,” and T2 Digital Inc. is documenting the entire drive.

“This year is going to be unlike any other in my racing career. It will have lots of fun, exciting, tiring, and challenging moments as we go along this journey, but now fans can follow along and experi-ence the ups and downs in a very raw form,” Clauson says. “I want to thank T2 Digital Inc., for giving us the platform to share this with all of our fans!”

The episodes of “Chasing 200 Tour; Beyond the Helmet” are available at thecushion.com.

Seat-switching, silly season

Craftsman tools inks historic deal with World of OutlawsJust days before the 2016 campaign opened, huge news was released from the World of Outlaws organization. Sears announced the return of Crafts-man tools as a major presence in motor-sports, becoming the title sponsor for the World of Outlaws.

The three-year agreement re-named both series. With the names, the World of Out-laws Craftsman Late Model Series and the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series, it marked the first time both national tours have shared a title sponsor.

“We are beyond excited to begin 2016 with an incredible partner like the Craftsman brand,” says World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter. “For 87 years, the Craftsman brand has built a reputation as solid as the products it sells. We look forward to showcasing the Craftsman brand and tools to our dedicated fans all across the country.”

Before the 2015 season could even come to a close, the annual ride changes had already begun in the dirt track world.

The Dirt Late Model ranks wit-nessed Steve Francis parting ways with Clint Bowyer Racing in late October. The separation was amicable and mutual, and found Steve Francis reuniting with long-time friend and previous car owner Tim Logan. As the duo began to make preparations for 2016, it was announced Francis’ vacant seat at CBR would be filled by three-time World of Outlaws (WoO) Craftsman Late Model Series cham-pion Darrell Lanigan. The Union, Kentucky, driver was welcomed by CBR teammate Don O’Neal.

Lanigan’s custom-built, Club 29 Race Cars replaced Barry Wright Race Cars in the Bowyer stable. Of equally major news, it was also announced that for the first time in his career, Lanigan – a mainstay on the WoO tour – would pursue the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) title.

The World of Outlaws (WoO) Craftsman Sprint Cars saw its own slate of driver shake-ups. Late in the season, Motter Motorsports, who fielded entries for Joey Saldana, made the announce-

ment they would not be able to return for the full 2016 campaign without additional sponsorship support. As a re-sult, Saldana departed at the conclusion of the racing year to join Roth Motor-sports, for whom he drove in 1996 on the WoO tour en route to claiming the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year title.

NASCAR driver and former WoO champion Dave Blaney filled the vacan-cy left by Saldana at Motter Motor-sports with the plan to enter a limited slate in 2016.

Meanwhile, Watertown, Connecti-cut’s David Gravel — who drove for Roth Motorsports early in 2015 — left Destiny Motorsports at the end of the season to join CJB Motorsports. The 2013 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year joined the legendary Sammy Swindell at the team. While Swindell in-tended to compete in a limited schedule in 2016, his current plans now include more than 60 events.

Last, but not least, David Gravel replaced Paul McMahan at CJB Mo-torsports, so it only seems appropriate McMahan took over the driving duties at Destiny Motorsports for 2016.

You just have to love “Silly Season” in the dirt track world.

Photo by Steve Schnars

http://www.thecushion.com

For years, Fuel Air Spark Technology (better known as FAST) dominated the drag racing and street perfor-mance markets, while Crane Ignition took on circle

track racing. Now those worlds have come together with the introduction of FAST Ignition.

Thanks to the purchase of Crane Cams’ ignition products and technology, FAST will offer a wide variety of products for both dirt and asphalt oval racing.

“FAST will have a wider variety of innovative products, more inventory, and a larger tech department,” FAST Igni-tion Products Manager Terry Johnson says about how the transition will benefit racers.

Parts include the full line of previously Crane-branded components, as well as new products developed by the FAST engineering staff. Each part is designed and developed using cutting-edge technology and then goes through a rigorous testing process both in the R&D facility and on the track.

“Our ignition systems and distributors are a great choice

for dirt racers,” Johnson says. “They are reliable, accurate, provide more stable timing, and create more horsepower and torque than competing versions when used in combination.”

One of the top choices for dirt racers is the E6 CD Circle Track Ignition Kit available for both Ford and Chevy engines. The kit features an ignition system with an adjustable rev- limiter, a race billet optical trigger distributor, an E93 E-Core Coil, and FireWire Universal Plug Wire kit. There also is a kit option that includes a replacement aluminum mounting tray, allowing racers to mount the kit anywhere in the race car for easy removal.

All FAST parts are also backed by unmatched technical assistance. FAST ignition systems and components such as coils, distributors, crank triggers, and spark plug wires can be found in the new 2016 FAST Ignition Catalog and on the FAST website.

Johnson says much more for the circle track market is coming soon. Source: Fuel Air Spark Technology, fuelairspark.com

IGNITIONFAST ENTERS THE

MARKET

Photo by Heath Lawson8 OneDirt.com / Vol. 3, Issue 1

• Pistons & Rods • Phone: 949-567-9000 • CP-Carrillo.com •

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We recently shared this photo of Lee Jensen’s dirt car with our more than 160,000 fans on Facebook. Needless to say, this phenomenal hot rod from Bakersfield, California, instantly became a fan favorite. Below the image is a hand-picked sampling of the responses we received. To make sure you don’t miss the next instant classic, like us at facebook.com/OneDirtdotcom

Who would love to see a field of these bad boys mixing it up on dirt?

MIKE SEELY: I would love to see thatDENNIS HAYES: I think that would be awe-some, and that would be a blast from the past.SAM MACKENZIE: Nostalgia body cars might make Late Models less aero-dependent plus they look cool. I love this car!LEVI O’ROURKE: That would be amazing, com-ing out of the turns sideways.ARCHIE SPIRES: That would be totally cool.KEN STOCK: That is one badass stock car.

JAMES NEWBERRY: Would be cool to see it for sure: Wouldn’t mind being the wheelman either.RON ILLINGWORTH: Way better-looking body than the current bodies of today! Nice job!MITCH KESAN: Sure, I just don’t want to have to do the body work on it after.RONALD SAMOL: I think it might invite some new fans.DUANE REDMAN: I would go, watch & love it.STEVEN STORCH: Love, love, love this dirt car.

BE SOCIAL!When you are at the track, use hashtag #OneDirt on pics from the pits, racing shots, and any other cool dirt stuff that we all dig… or even give us a shoutout @OneDirtRacing to share something and we might even repost it.

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Photo by Michael Amos

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Video REWIND RACING / PRODUCT / ENTERTAINMENT

Video Rewind is where we point out interesting videos found on the Internet

— whether historical, funny, dramat-ic, or technical. We like them and thought you might, too.

SIGN UP TO KEEP UPSubscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with our original and curated video content that is updated daily by the OneDirt editorial staff.youtube.com/OneDirtRacing

To watch all the videos here, head to:OneDirt.com/video-rewind

2015 INDIANA SPRINT WEEKIf you give us a sentence containing the words, “Loudpedal TV, vid-eo, and Sprint Cars,” we are instantly hooked. These masters of the video mashup return with a stellar production from the week-long, wingless war known as Indiana Sprint Week. Sprint Car fan or not, this video is a must-see from these video visionaries.

ONEDIRT EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

FUTURE PREDICTIONS FOR BILLY MOYERIn late 2014, OneDirt sat down with Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Billy Moyer to talk about the past, present, and future. The propri-etor of more than 800 feature wins hinted in the two-part interview at the possibility of a rapidly-approaching, partial retirement. Many said there was nothing to it. In 2015, it became a reality.

ONEDIRT EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

LARRY SHAW SAYS Larry Shaw is more than just the owner of Larry Shaw Race Cars. He’s an innovator. He’s a visionary. And he’s always a great inter-view. His stories never disappoint. In this interview from PRI 2015, he talks about building 5,000 racecars and how important it is to only do something if you love it.

IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL IT’S OVERThis Modified finale from Beatrice Speedway in Nebraska has more plot twists and turns than a daytime soap opera. Just when you think you have it figured out, the last-lap fireworks blow your mind. Check out the video from our friends at Speed Shift TV.

WHY BEARINGS FAILThe one and only Bill McKnight with Mahle Aftermarket Inc. brings us this straight and to-the-point video piece to explain why bearings fail.

GirlJUST A

Morgan TurpenRACER SPOTLIGHT

To see the full video, search “Morgan Turpen” at OneDirt.com.

Photos by Scott Frazier

Morgan Turpen is just a girl. She’s just a girl, who won a Sprint Car feature while also claiming nine podiums, 16 Top 5 finish-es, and 27 Top 10 finishes during the 2015 season. Oh by the way, she’s also just a girl who won a national championship and two regional championships in 2015.

Some people say racing is a sport where only men can win, but apparently Morgan failed to get the memo.

“It was very special to be the first female to win the United Sprint Car Series championship, but I just like to look at it as me being just another champion,” the 23-year-old from Cordova, Ten-nessee, told OneDirt during a recent interview. “To win the USCS National Championship was really awesome, but to also sweep all two of the regional divisions was just huge for our team.”

Throughout her career, Morgan has been forced to ignore the naysayers and keep her focus on doing her absolute best every time she straps into her familiar #10m Sprint Car.

“The toughest part of racing for me has been dealing with the talkers and the haters, but as I’ve gotten older, I just put my focus on winning races.” Morgan says. “More than anything, when I win or do really well, it just shows them how wrong they are in their assumptions about my abilities and who I really am.”

Morgan also has straight-forward advice for other young women who want to become professional race car drivers.

“Just keep digging and never give up,” she says. “I’ve had so many things go wrong and get me down, but I’ve always found a way to pick myself up and keep moving forward. My best advice is to always find a way to endure those tough times and those naysayers because it will only make you a stronger person in the long run.”

To view OneDirt’s complete interview with Morgan Turpen, please point your browsers to OneDirt.com.

Silence before the stormAn aerial view of Ark-La-Tex Speedway (Vivian, Louisiana) as cars iron the track surface. Just a few moments later, more than 150 racers took their shot at taming the famed bullring.


Photo by Mike Washburn

OneDirt.com 17


FINISHINGButtoning up our Crate Late Model engine to maximize efficiency and put more power to the ground

Like football, crate racing is a game of inches. Everybody on the track has the same power plant, so the differ-ence between winning and losing often becomes hair’s

breadth thin. Of course, it’s still possible to find a consistent advantage over the competition, and there are three main areas where you can find one.

The first two areas are pretty obvious: setup and driving skill. But it seems like racers are often running over the same plowed ground there. The third area where you can still find an

By Jeff HuneycuttPhotos Jeff Huneycutt

OneDirt.com 19

advantage is by improving the efficiency of your driveline — and we think there’s still lots of opportunity here.

Recently, we’ve been working with Jones Racing Products to upgrade and improve a Chevy 604 crate engine in a Dirt Late Model to see just what is possible. To move weight off the nose of the car and utilize some of Jones’ ultra-low drag belts and pulleys, we’ve already relocated the power steering pump, fuel pump, and alternator to the back of the block using a Jones Racing Products setup. If you haven’t seen that story, it’s definitely worth checking out. Just go to OneDirt.com and search for “rear mount accessory drive.” We promise it will be worth your time.

And now we’ve circled back again to finish buttoning every-thing up and get ready to go racing. Of course, after talking to CJ

1. We’ve already moved all the accessories (power steering pump, fuel pump, and alternator) to the back of the engine block using a Jones Racing Products kit, so we needed a simple, reliable way to spin the water pump. This is Jones’ cogged belt system that eliminates slippage without the added complexity of an idler pulley. It is also extremely lightweight, and the pulley sizes are chosen specifically for this engine package to get the ideal ratio.

2. This is the aluminum drive hub for the crank pulley. On the right side, you can see the spacers Jones added to make sure everything aligns properly. Racer Chris Hargett adds a bit of high pressure lube to ensure the portion of the drive that centers the assembly in the harmonic damper won’t gall up.

3. The drive hub keys into the damper so it locks in place and won’t move.

4. After that goes the cogged pulley. The machined plate behind it keeps the belt from slipping off. There will be another plate like it on the other side to guide the belt without pinching it.


Jones of Jones Racing Products, we found he’s got a few more tricks up his sleeve that we wanted to try for ourselves.

First of all, Jones has a very cool three-blade radiator fan they are calling the Hustler. The Hustler fans hold a number of ad-vantages over a stock-style four-blade radiator fan. First of all, removing a blade cuts weight, both from the loss of the blade and from Jones’ superior manufacturing quality — the fan uses a machined central spine to mount the blades instead of using two stamped plates riveted together. Plus, it moves more air than a stock-type four-blade design, so instead of a 19-inch fan, you can get away with a 17- or even 15-inch diameter to further reduce rotating weight and inertia as you try to rev the engine coming out of the turns.

Since we’ve already moved all the pulleys to the back of the motor, we also needed to find a way to spin the water pump and radiator fan, so we’re going with a lightweight cogged belt drive that is low drag and also eliminates slippage. Because of that, Jones can go with a smaller crank pulley to make sure the water pump isn’t spinning too fast.

Finally, we’re also trying out the company’s new hoses and AN fittings as we finish plumbing up the fuel system. Fuel line and fittings may not seem like such a big deal, but once again, Jones has found a trick that makes you wonder why everyone doesn’t do it this way. Follow along and see for yourself. Source: Jones Racing Products, jonesracingproducts.com

5. But before the other plate can go on, the pulley is keyed in place so it cannot spin on the hub.

7. Finally, the main bolt for the crank pulley is ready to be torqued into place.

6. Here’s a nice touch. This aluminum piece isn’t simply a washer, the underside (seen here) has been machined to slot over the hub so that the bolt always stays centered.

8. With the lower pulley in position, Hargett installs the belt and upper pulley. The belt length and pulley diameter has already been scienced out by Jones, and everything fit perfectly. Because the belt is cogged, it doesn’t have to be super tight — which can wear the crank’s main bearings — while still eliminating slip.

9. Here’s a comparison between Jone’s 17-inch Hustler fan (left) and the stock-style, 19-inch blade Hargett previously ran. While moving similar amounts of air, the Hustler fan is significantly lighter, cutting rotating mass on the front of the engine.

http://www.jonesracingproducts.com

OneDirt.com 21

10. We’re also using one of Jones’ ultra-lightweight fan spacers. This is a two-inch unit cut from aluminum billet and only weighs just a few ounces.

12. The rear accessory drive kit from Jones also allowed Hargett to up-grade from a standard fuel pump to a high-flow belt driven pump from Wa-terman. To take advantage of this he wanted to be able to run a fuel return line back to the fuel cell. This billet carburetor fuel log from Jones fits the bill perfectly. The front of the fuel log will be the fuel inlet, while a pressure regulator can be mounted to the back with a return line to the cell.

14. Assembly is standard for most reusable fittings. One trick is after sliding the collar over the hose, Hargett marks the hose with a Sharpie right at the edge of the collar. This way if the hose pushes out during as-sembly it is easy and quick to tell that you don’t have a good connection.

15. The assembled hose fitting looks great, is lightweight, and swivels so you don’t need to worry about having all your angle fittings clocked perfectly every time.

11. Like everything else, each Jones piece centers off a button or a hub, so it is practically impossible to bolt up the fan and spacer out of alignment — critical for high-rpm operation.

13. Not many people are aware Jones also has their own line of lightweight hoses and fittings, but we bet that’s going to change pretty soon. Their hose is resistant to practically all fluids and includes steel wire to increase the burst pressure resistance. The fittings are anodized aluminum that swivel for easier installation. And best of all, they are all clearly laser etched with the fitting size so you can quickly identify the wrench you need when thrashing on the race car between heats.

16. One of Jones’ high-flow 180-degree fittings allows Hargett to route the fuel feed line to the carburetor log while still keeping everything compact and out of the way. We still need to run a return line off the back of the log and plumb up the fuel pressure regulator.

17. We are almost ready to race and eager to see how the new setup from Jones performs on Hargett’s ride.


INSIDETHE

To see more, search “Chili Bowl 2016” at OneDirt.com.

By Dan Hodgdon

Bobby Unser is cruising around the pit area on an electric scooter. Tony Stewart is working the 1/4-mile dirt track on a tractor. A crowd is gathering to watch Sammy Swindell work on his race car.

Meanwhile, Shannon McQueen is readying her ride honoring the 25th an-niversary of her racing idol Kara Hendrick’s passing. Loyet Motorsports is sell-ing t-shirts featuring driver Brad Loyet’s golden retriever Buddy. Matt White is explaining to passersby how he came up with the perfect maroon color for Pat Schudy’s car.

Beer and concession lines are long. Fans in the stands are tossing around a beach ball, and scorers are feverishly recording car numbers to ensure that they have the proper finishing order. The scent of methanol and rubber collides and hangs in the air, while the nearly constant roar of four-cylinder engines provides the sonic backdrop. These are just a few of the scenes inside the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during Chili Bowl week.

Rico Abreu, the 4-foot-4-inch fireplug driver with a huge heart and foot to match, wins the A-Main for the second consecutive year Saturday night and pro-ceeds to turn in an epic set of donuts as his machine whines. He then dives into second-place finisher Bryan Clauson’s arms and climbs the fence in the middle of turns three and four as the capacity crowd chants, “Ri-co! Ri-co!” For his victory, he is rewarded with the Golden Driller, a scaled-down model of the gigantic oil-man statue in front of the building. Abreu’s story is a special one for sure, yet it is just one of thousands at the event.

2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the Chili Bowl Nationals, one of the most prestigious races in the world and easily the most important Midget race each year.

Every January, racers and fans flock to Tulsa for the Chili Bowl

Photo by Tyler Rinken


The event was born as a two-day show in 1987 and named for the local Chili Bowl food company. That original sponsor is no longer around, but the rac-ing program has grown into an epic five-day show and party that attracts com-petitors and spectators from around the globe, as well as live television coverage.

It is also now one of the toughest tick-ets in motorsports, with a long waiting list and standing-room-only capacity by the time Saturday’s finale rolls around. Some fans even bring folding chairs and set up in the pits to watch the races on gi-ant, video boards. Chili Bowl organizers say nearly 20,000 people were in atten-dance during 2016’s Saturday A-Main.

Amazingly, the Chili Bowl is close to outgrowing the gigantic River Spirit Expo Center, a 10-and-a-half acre build-ing, located four miles east of downtown Tulsa. Throughout the year, it hosts boat shows, home-and-garden events and more, but each January, it is transformed into a racer’s dream.

The Tulsa Shootout for Micro Sprints kicks off the new year, followed two weeks later by the Chili Bowl. During racing events, the building contains a 1/4-mile dirt track on one end, pits in much of the rest of the building — where cars are stuffed into every nook and cranny — and a trade

show along the front wall. There ven-dors representing race car parts, ap-parel, books and magazines, and any and all companies associated with rac-ing hawk their wares.

Among the vendors at the Chili Bowl is a name well-known to race fans: Max Papis. Originally from Como, Italy, Pa-pis drove race cars in Europe, including seven races in Formula One, before com-ing to the United States. He has made multiple starts in the Indy 500 and is a multi-time IndyCar race winner, compet-ed in the 24-hour races at Le Mans and Daytona, and ran in the three NASCAR national touring series in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

At the Chili Bowl, however, he is sim-ply a salesman providing information on his company, Max Papis Innovations, or MPI. The company makes steering


Photo by Tyler RinkenPhoto by Tim Aylwin

Anyone who races knows about the Chili Bowl

I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. The atmosphere in the infield is just indescribable versus in the stands.

– Roy Whitelock

Photo by Dan Hodgdon

wheels and associated products and is currently trying to gain a foothold in the dirt world.

It is Papis’ first time at the Chili Bowl, and he is impressed.

“I knew about the Chili Bowl since I first came to the U.S., and I knew that it was always a very special event; I didn’t know that it was this big,” he says. “This is my first time, and I’ve got tell you that I definitely understand why guys like Tony Stewart have the passion to come over every year.”

Papis adds there are few times in his life that he has seen the same enthusiasm for an event combined with what he calls

a “very true competitive and genuine rac-ing spirit.” He also desperately wants to compete in the race, but doesn’t want to simply participate unless he has a shot at a good result.

“I’m a racer, I cannot deny that when I see them out there, I want to be one of them,” he says. “But for sure, I will be here one day.”

Meanwhile, Roy Whitelock of Tulsa is a 10-year veteran of the Chili Bowl but is experiencing it as a track worker for the first time. In the infield, he is one of the guys that keeps the show moving, thanks to his work helping to line up cars in the correct order, removing damaged vehicles, and even providing fence re-pairs when the need arises.


“I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” says Whitelock of his new per-spective on the Chili Bowl. “The atmo-sphere in the infield is just indescribable versus in the stands.”

Whitelock works at an electrical distribution center by day and also serves as track worker in turn one at Tulsa’s Port City Raceway throughout the year. He points to the intense com-petition and family atmosphere at the event as a couple of his favorite parts of Chili Bowl week.

The competition is intense indeed. Three hundred thirty-six cars took part in the event this year, making it the biggest in history. The racing action is broken into four qualifying nights from Tuesday through Friday, with a quarter of the drivers competing each evening.

Each night of racing features a com-plex system taking into account finishing position and passing points to set the evening’s A-Main, and just 12 cars — the top three from each night’s main event — are locked into Saturday night’s finale. The rest of the entrants must take to the track again at some point on Saturday, a marathon day of incredibly hard racing, as they try to move through a series of letter-assigned features.

Bob Gross is one of the thousands of spectators who make the annual pil-grimage to the Chili Bowl. A contractor from College Station, Texas, he annually attends the event by himself after making the seven-hour drive from his home to

Tulsa. A veteran of 12 Chili Bowls, he has made friends from places like Kansas and Illinois with whom he sits each year, simply due to fate putting their tickets in the same section of bleachers above turns three and four.

“I grew up with [racing] when I was a kid, my dad raced and I was around racetracks all the time, so I just enjoy the sport,” Gross says.

He grew up in the southern Indiana

town of Salem, and his ties to the Hoosier State are responsible for at least some of his open wheel fandom. He doesn’t re-ally have a favorite driver or any specific memories that stand out from the race; he simply doesn’t want to miss any of the great racing that occurs throughout the week every year.

“I follow NASCAR too, but open wheel’s more of a favorite for me,” Gross says.

Photo by Tim Aylwin


The Chili Bowl winners list reads like a who’s who of open wheel racing over the last three decades. Rich Vogler won the first, Sammy Swindell is a five-time champion, Sammy’s son Kevin won the event three times in a row from 2011 to 2013, Tony Stewart has won the race twice, and Bryan Clauson and Tracy Hines each have one victory apiece. Those are just a few of the winners; the full list is even more impressive.

A native of Germantown, Tennes-see, Kevin Swindell suffered a spinal cord injury in a well-documented crash at the 2015 Knoxville Nationals, which has for the time being confined him to a wheelchair. Still wanting to be a part of the Chili Bowl, he fielded a car for Kevin Thomas Jr. at this year’s event.

“Having some control and kind of getting to put a car together my way was always something that I wanted to do a little bit of,” Swindell says.

He also notes that he enjoys watching the events unfold throughout the week due to the sheer number of cars and di-versity of drivers.

“I’m a fan of this race as much as I en-joy racing in it,” he says. “I’ll definitely get out and be here regardless of my ca-pacity for as many years as I can.” Photo by Tyler Rinken

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Mason Zeigler is another Chili Bowl driver who considers himself a fan of the race first. However, he is a Dirt Late Model competitor from Clark Hill, Pennsylvania, who had never even sat in a Midget before this year’s Chili Bowl.

“Anyone who races knows about the Chili Bowl; it’s just something I’ve al-ways wanted to do,” he says. “I’ve always watched it, and I thought it looked like fun, and we finally got the opportunity. The Fike family allowed me to run one of their cars. We just figured if we’re going to do it, why not now?”

Zeigler says the racing is completely different from full-bodied cars, and that everything from the driving style, to ad-justments, to crowd reactions are new to him. His experience on dirt helped shorten the learning curve, but just get-

“It’s just something that’s really spe-cial to you…it’s a dream come true to be able to race this race, let alone being with a team that’s the best team,” Bell says.

Daryn Pittman is another Oklaho-man who is a regular at the Chili Bowl. The native of Owasso competes for Ka-sey Kahne Racing in the World of Out-laws Sprint Car Series and was its 2013 champion. Like Bell, he grew up watch-ing the race and made his first couple of starts in the late 1990s. He then took some time off to compete in Australia during the off-season, but has now been competing in the Chili Bowl for close to 10 consecutive years.

He believes that being from Oklaho-ma doesn’t add any pressure; it simply has allowed him to see the race from a different perspective.

“I got to see it as a fan first as a kid growing up and then got to compete in it,” Pittman explains. “So I don’t know that [being from Oklahoma] adds any more pressure or changes the sig-nificance of it, I’ve just maybe seen it evolve a little bit more than people from out of town.

“It’s an event; it’s not just a race. So I enjoy my off nights just as much as when I’m racing. It’d be a big race to win and it’s big to run well, but all in all the week’s just a good time. “

Pittman says he’s probably seen or been a part of at least 20 of the 30 Chili Bowls run to this point, and that since he’s started coming back with his own team, he wouldn’t miss it for anything.

“I enjoy every day, every part of it, whether I’m racing or not racing,” he says. “I definitely enjoy the racing part of it probably more, but every day you’re in this building is a good day.”

ting used to the car takes some time.And now that Zeigler has a good feel

for the vehicle, he’s ready to do some more open wheel racing.

“Any off week that I have, I’m going to try and arrange to drive a Midget some-where, I’d really like to come back here and be extremely competitive,” he says.

One of the most competitive drivers throughout the week is Christopher Bell, a Norman, Oklahoma, wheelman who drives a Midget for highly regarded Keith Kunz Motorsports, a five-car team that also fields winner Abreu’s ride. Bell has just turned 21, but his natural ability on both dirt and asphalt surfaces in a variety of vehicles has already drawn compari-sons to Stewart and A.J. Foyt. Being an Okie, Bell says he has been coming to the Chili Bowl as long as he can remember.

Photo by Tim Aylwin

Photo by Tim Aylwin

To see more, search “Chili Bowl 2016” at OneDirt.com.

Photos by Tyler Rinken

OneDirt.com 29


In the world of motorsports, a pound of weight variance on any corner of your car can be the difference in fin-

ishing last or standing in victory lane. In some divisions, it may even be the dif-ference in being legal or disqualified in post-race inspection.

The bottom line is there’s no room for guessing. As a result, it’s no big sur-prise one of the most important tools in your arsenal is your scale apparatus.

For more than 35 years, Intercomp Company has been serving the weigh-ing and measuring industry. It is the world’s largest manufacturer of porta-ble weighing and measurement prod-ucts, producing high-quality products at competitive prices.

While Intercomp has long since es-tablished its presence as the industry standard in the racing community, its reach goes much farther. Customers in aerospace, transportation, law enforce-ment, and numerous other industries know Intercomp’s products provide reliable solutions for the most exacting applications.

Headquartered in Medina, Minne-sota, with ISO 9001:2008 registered manufacturing facilities there and in the United Kingdom, with an ever-ex-panding worldwide network of dealers, Intercomp Company is positioned to provide products and services for most any weighing operation. Their state-of-the-art manufacturing and calibration fa-cility in Minnesota features a full-service center and knowledgeable technicians providing complete service, support, and certification for all its products.

Known the world over as an industry leader, Intercomp is providing high qual-ity, high performance scale solutions, su-perior customer service, and innovative new products — including RFX Wireless Weighing Technology.

The industry leading, field-proven, RFX Weighing Technology is the most advanced wireless weighing technology of its kind and has been used by champi-ons in all forms of racing.

In the fast-paced world of motorsports, no one likes to settle for second-best. This is why practically every major North

American race-sanctioning body uses In-tercomp as their official tech scale.

Intercomp also manufactures the industry’s first billet 2.5-inch (64mm) low-profile scale pad with 1,500-pound (700kg) pad capacity. All scale pads are manufactured from billet aluminum on high-precision CNC machining and turning centers to maintain the tight-est tolerances and finest product finish available.

All load cells and scale systems are tested and calibrated to the regulations set forth by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. These reg-ulations include: temperature range, accuracy, repeatability, humidity, R.F.I./E.M.I. interference, and permanence. Accuracy is ± 0.1% of applied load or ±1 graduation, whichever is greater on every scale system.

Intercomp is constantly looking to make the experience for their customer more flexible and free. This has led to upgrades that include a cable-free, hand-held indicator. However, the advantages don’t stop there as Intercomp offers an-

WORLDOF THEWeight

Intercomp’s RFX weighing technology sets the industry standard in scale solutions

SHOP TOUR

OneDirt.com 31

other industry first. The data can also be analyzed wirelessly on your laptop, tablet, or smart phone via Intercomp’s signature Race Weigh Software.

These wireless capabilities extend up to 200 feet from the base unit, which al-lows the user the ability to be relatively anywhere in his or her shop and still have full access to this ever-so-important data.

Not only does Intercomp produce industry-leading technology, but they do it on American soil. The company is

family-owned and operated. Its employ-ees are the driving force behind the com-pany’s excellence. Intercomp’s team of electrical, software, and weight engineers have years of proven-technical expertise and creative-thinking ability, and are con-stantly looking at the latest technology, standards, and innovations.

From sales to customer support, Intercomp takes great pride in the service it provides its much-valued customers. Their technology speaks

for itself, but they go the extra mile to guarantee that their top-notch em-ployees exceed your expectations to meet your specific needs.

The bottom line is Intercomp has grown to be the successful company it is today due to diligent work and great staff. More than 35 years of excellence doesn’t lie. When it comes to weighing and mea-surement tools for your racing program, there is truly only one choice. Source: Intercomp, intercompcompany.com


Twenty-five-year-old Ricky Thornton Jr. has already proven to be one of the West’s shining stars in dirt track racing. The native of Chandler, Arizona, has become a Modified ace and a regional hero, and he does it all with the unfal-

tering support of his wife, Savannah. In 2015, Ricky and Savannah experienced a season of which most racers can

only dream. This is a proven fact for multiple reasons. First, Ricky and Savannah raced 81 times, which is well more than double the amount most local short track racers can manage in a season. Secondly, Ricky won 47 of those races. Yes, you read that correctly; he won 47 features in 2015. Thirdly, they did it all on a sur-prisingly limited budget.

So how did they do it? How did a young couple from Arizona overcome the odds and become one of the most potent Modified teams in the country?

It’s customary these days for racers to come from “racing families.” However, Ricky and Savannah’s story seems to bring a whole new meaning to this term.

Ricky is actually a third-generation racer. His parents are both veterans of the dirt track racing world. Ricky’s dad primarily drove Stock Cars and Modifieds, while Ricky’s mom drove everything from Bombers to Sprint Cars. It is a vast understate-ment to say Ricky Thornton Jr. had racing is in his blood from day one.

the world

vsricky & savannahBy Brady Alberson Photos by Steve Schnars

OneDirt.com 33

year title and track championship in his first year in the division. Ricky’s career has been full-throttle ever since, focus-ing mainly on racing Modifieds almost year-round with the occasional Dirt Late Model race thrown in here and there, when someone offers him a ride.

In 2015, Ricky and Savannah ex-panded their traveling radius and found constant success along the way. That summer, the couple towed their Modi-fied on an open trailer to the northern-most part of the country to compete in the Dakota Classic Modified Tour, a six-race mini-series that spans five different tracks in North Dakota and one track in Canada. This tour draws some of the best Modified drivers from the northern states and averaged 92 entries per race. In a series that spanned six tracks Ricky had never seen before, Thornton earned four Top 5 finishes, including one win, and was named the series champion.

Ricky and Savannah traveled to Boone, Iowa, in September for the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Na-tionals. Out of nearly 300 Modified entries, Ricky finished 3rd in one of the most prestigious Dirt Modified races in the country. Later that month, the couple went to Marshalltown, Iowa, to

compete in the World Nationals. In a borrowed car with literally no practice time at a track he’d never seen, Ricky went on to win the dash and the 50-lap, $10,000-to-win feature.

In October, the team made the rel-atively short haul to Las Cruces, New Mexico, for the Southern New Mexico Speedway’s Fall Nationals. After win-ning Friday night’s preliminary race, which locked the team into the pole po-sition for Sunday’s $10,000-to-win 50 lapper, Ricky and Savannah drove back to Arizona. Upon arrival, they put an IMCA crate motor in the car and raced a local Saturday night show at Arizona Speedway, which they also won.

The couple then dropped the open motor back in the car that night and drove back to Las Cruces early the next morning to compete in the Fall Nation-als finale. Upon his arrival, the track of-fered Ricky a challenge in front of all of the fans to drop to the back of the stout, 26-car field for a guaranteed $5,000 bonus with a chance to ultimately claim $25,000 if he still won the race.

In regards to the offer of the bonus Thornton modestly comments, “At that point, I kind of had to. I mean, who wouldn’t try it?”

Ricky’s own competitive career began on two wheels at age 5, racing BMX with his brothers.

“We raced for a couple of years, pretty much until we were old enough to start jumping, then we had to quit,” Ricky rec-ollects with a laugh.

Ricky got behind the wheel of a stock car at 14 and raced that car for two years before progressing into an Open Wheel Modified. Success came quickly as Thornton Jr. won both the rookie of the year and track championship in his first year of competition in a Modified at the legendary Manzanita Speedway.

The success continued for Ricky in 2009 as he advanced into Dirt Late Models and again won the rookie of the

Ricky Thornton Sr., Ricky Thornton Jr., and Savannah Thornton before a race.

[Savannah] is probably the one person that helps my racing the most. She knows the car just as much as I do.


Ricky tore through the field but fell just short, finishing 5th.

“It worked out really well for us in the end though, because we sold a lot of T-shirts that night,” Ricky says, laughingly.

Throughout Ricky’s whirlwind of a career, whether he was racing Modifieds or Late Models, or whether he was rac-ing in Arizona or Iowa, there has always been one constant: his wife, Savannah.

“My dad and her stepdad raced to-gether,” Ricky says. “I used to hang out with her little brother all the time, and she was just always there.”

Having been raised in a racing family, Savannah understands the lifestyle that is required of a serious racing program and has played a vital role in Ricky’s success throughout the years.

“She’s probably the one person that helps my racing the most,” admits Ricky. “She knows the car just as much as I do. She lets me know when I’m doing stuff right, and she lets me know when I’m do-ing stuff wrong. Normally, it’s more often wrong than right,” Ricky comments with his contagious smile.

Another thing that makes Savannah so unique in the category of racer’s wives is her own passion for the sport.

“Even if I don’t want to go to the track, she does. If we have an off-weekend, she’ll make me go watch the Sprint Cars,” Ricky laughs. “It definitely works out well.”

For an example of their combined passion for racing, they got married in Las Vegas last November. This date of eternal matrimony for the happy, young couple conveniently fell on the same weekend as the annual IMCA Duel in the Desert at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Mo-tor Speedway.

Perhaps one of the most outstanding aspects of Ricky and Savannah’s story is they have accumulated such an impres-sive resume with a modest budget. In a time where the high-cost of racing is such a talked about issue, the Thornton’s rac-ing operation has essentially been fully funded by Savannah’s full-time job and Ricky’s race winnings.

“Racing is all I do, and Savannah works at Walgreens. She pays some of the bills, and I pay the rest. I run as well as I can. That way we know we have a pay-check coming in.”

In addition to having so many well-paying finishes throughout the year, Ricky and Savannah have done their best to stretch their hard-earned dollars as far as possible in their racing program. The

couple is well-known for showing up to high-paying races with their car on an open trailer pulled by a modest Silver-ado 1500. It’s not uncommon for them to squeeze their small operation into the pits between the semi-truck trailers used by their competition.

In order to keep costs down, Ricky ran a crate motor all year in 2015 and changed the oil every five or six races. Instead of running tires for one or two nights, he took it easy on the throttle and stretched their life to four, five, or six rac-es. He kept the same four shocks on the car all year long.

He explains his philosophy, “If the car needs a new part, we’ll put it on. If not, then we’ll keep running it. We don’t fix it, if it ain’t broken.”

Ricky and Savannah are hitting the ground running in 2016 as they plan to race in the highly-competitive Unit-ed States Modified Touring Series (USMTS). The couple plans to do as many races with the series as possible, but their schedule may be limited by funds that depend on results.

“I’d like to do the entire USMTS schedule, but I’m pretty much the one footing the whole bill,” Ricky notes. “If we can run more, we will. If not, I’d like to do at least part of the South-ern Region, the Central Region, and the Hunt.”

Although Ricky has had a few sponsors join the team for 2016, he acknowledges the tire and fuel bill will likely be the toughest challeng-es that come with competing in the USMTS ranks. With these challenges ahead, Ricky’s goals in 2016 include winning at least one USMTS race, winning rookie of the year honors, and finishing in the top 10 in the USMTS Hunt.

Beyond 2016, Ricky’s primary goal for his racing career is to find a full-time ride and race for a living.

“If a guy offered me a ride, I would move tomorrow honestly,” Ricky im-

plores. “Ideally, I would love to race with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) because they race every-where, and it seems like the bulk of the Late Model Competition is there.”

While fully acknowledging that full-time driving gigs are rare, Ricky reveals another one of his dreams.

“I’ve always wanted to have a Modi-fied and a Late Model and just run ev-ery big show we can find. Whether it’s in Arizona or in New York somewhere,

I’d love to be able to just travel around full-time.”

Ricky and Savannah’s story is tru-ly something unique and special in our sport. Their story eliminates the idea that competing against dirt track racing’s biggest names and having success can only be done by starting with a fortune.

Furthermore, it shows that when two people work together with a common goal and a shared love for something, no hurdle is too big to overcome.

®


Two-barrel carburetors don’t have to be the kiss of death for power. With the right modifications,

even rules that forbid airflow modifica-tions can still be used to your advantage.

One of the most popular fuel mixers for two-barrel classes is the 500 cfm Hol-ley 4412 carburetor. We talked with JET Performance Fuel Systems’ carb expert Johnnie Valdez, who offered to share a few basic tweaks they perform on these undersized carburetors to improve their performance.

Of course, they didn’t share all their secrets — no decent carburetor tuner ever will — but even these simple modifica-tions will help the fuel curve compared

to an out-of-the-box carburetor. The tuning tips in this quick story are

all intended to improve the carburetor’s fuel curve. These modifications are legal under most class rules since most sanc-tioning bodies only regulate modifica-tions regarding airflow.

The 500 cfm Holley 4412 is basical-ly the front half of the classic 3310 750 cfm Holley carburetor with 1 3/8-inch venturis and 1 11/16-inch throttle bore diameters. Part of the flow discrepancy (half of 750 cfm is 375 cfm, not 500) is because Holley uses a test depression of 1.5 inches of mercury for its four-barrel carbs, while bumping this to 3 inches of mercury for its two-barrel versions.

TWO-BARREL

JET Performance reveals a few 4412 carb techniques

By Jeff SmithPhotos Jeff Smith

This is because the two-barrels should pull more vacuum at WOT if viewed as a flow restriction. Regardless of ratings, the 4412 can be tuned much like a typi-cal Holley four-barrel.

Since we will be feeding a hungry small-block with only one needle and seat, one of the first things JET does is increase the stock 0.097-inch diameter version with a larger 0.120-inch assem-bly to increase fuel flow with the same fuel pressure. JET also replaces the stock brass float with an updated nitrophyl float wedge to maintain a higher fuel level in the corners. That may not sound like a big deal, but a stock float can push the inlet closed under high lateral g-forces,

OneDirt.com 37

valve channel restrictor (PVCR) orifices. Valdez recommends the power valve be retained to allow the engine to run crisp-er at part throttle, which is a critical yet often overlooked factor for circle track carburetors.

Certain Holley 4412 throttle plates come drilled with a pair of 0.093-inch holes to allow additional bypass air at idle. Because these engines are often equipped with long duration camshafts, JET recommends opening these holes to 0.173-inch. The main advantage is to more fully close the throttle blades at idle so that they barely uncover the idle trans-fer slot. This drastically improves idle quality and prevents pulling excess fuel at idle. A secondary benefit is the larger holes tend to prevent pulling excessively rich air-fuel ratios on deceleration as the car enters the corner.

We’ve only touched on a few simple changes, but if you have a carburetor you think needs some professional help, JET offers three levels of modifications, with Stages 1 and 2 making all of the changes mentioned here plus several more. Stage 3 mods increase the venturi diameter for classes where airflow modifications are legal. Check out JET’s website for more details or give them a call on their Tech Line. Just because it’s a two-bar-rel doesn’t mean it can’t be optimized. You just have to know the right moves to make in order to help that carburetor work to its full ability. Source: Jet Performance Products, jetchip.com

Our carburetor, though off a restricted class car, was essentially right out of the box. JET suggest-ed changes to the emulsion holes in the metering block (arrows) and also increasing the size of the power valve channel restrictors (PVCR).

which is not desirable. A wedge-style float allows the fuel to stack in the right hand side of the fuel bowl while minimiz-ing the effect on the needle and seat.

Valdez also suggested the stock Hol-ley 50cc accelerator pump is overkill for this application, so they regularly replace it with a stock four-barrel style 30cc pump.

Moving to the metering block, JET will evaluate the engine size, breathing capacity, compression, and cam timing variables and recommend changes to both the emulsion circuits and the power

Holley outfits the 4412 with a 50cc accelerator pump body that JET has found is unnecessary. Valdez replaces the larger pump with the smaller 30cc pump found on most Holley four-barrel carburetors.

Holley places stock 0.093-inch idle bypass holes in the “215” throttle blades. JET has determined these are undersized for most circle track cams so they drill them out to a much larger 0.173-inch. This relationship is shown with the two transfer punches. This allows you to close the throttle blades to the proper position relative to the idle transfer slot.

IT’S A

LIFEThe decreasing life span of a Dirt Late Model

Photo by Heath Lawson

By Richard Allen

OneDirt.com 39

The average life span for a person living in the United States has been steadi-ly rising for quite some time. With improved healthcare during the past 50 years, we have added a full decade to the length of time we can expect to

inhabit this planet.A person born in this country today can expect to make it to 80 years of age, while

the lifespan of someone born in 1965 was just under 70 years of age. However, this trend does not seem to apply to Dirt Late Model race cars. The av-

erage life span for one of these racing machines seems to be going in the opposite di-rection than that of human beings. Where drivers used to get as many as three or more seasons out of a good car just a few short years ago, some claim just one single year of competition, or even less, is about all that can be hoped for nowadays.

Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Georgia, experienced the fatigue of a Dirt Late Model race car first hand last season. In his first full campaign with Maryville, Tennes-see-based Blount Motorsports, the young driver won six races during the first half of 2015. But after a victory in the Southern Nationals feature at 411 Motor Speedway in July, his car’s life expectancy ran out.

“These dirt cars are changing a lot right now, but the flex in these cars for a long time has been the main key, and they only last so long,” McIntosh explains. “They seem to have like a 25- to 30-race span where they’re good, and then they just go away. That’s what ended up happening to our good car in the middle of the Southern Na-tionals when we were leading the points. I had never experienced it because I hadn’t raced enough to have experienced it.”

And that car went away at a bad time for McIntosh and his crew. It ultimately result-ed in the removal of the car from the BMS stable.

“Right in the middle of the Southern Nationals, we went from setting the track record at Swainsboro to nothing,” the 2015 Spring Nationals champion continues. “In that Smoky Mountain Speedway race (Southern Nationals Series), we just went to where we couldn’t hit on anything. We actually sold that car and got the one we raced at the end of last year.”

These dirt cars are changing a lot right now, but the flex in these cars for a long time has been the main key, and they only last so long. They seem to have

like a 25- to 30-race span where they’re good, and

then they just go away.– Donald McIntosh


Jason Welshan of Maryville, Tennes-see, had a season for the ages in 2014 as he piled up more than 30 feature wins. His victories were spread across the Super, Limited, and Crate Late Model classes around the region located within a couple of hours of his shop. However, the No. 29 team did not find as much success the following season as they would have liked, coming off such a re-cord breaking campaign the year before.

The veteran racer had experienced cars reaching the breaking point men-tioned by McIntosh. Welshan believes he knows why a car (or stable of cars) that could win more than 30 features in one year might not follow up the next season with such success.

Like McIntosh, Welshan says the cars sometimes just wear out. However, that “wearing out” can be hastened or slowed depending on the type of metal used.

“Basically, it’s the fatigue of the metal, the chassis,” Welshan explains. “If you’ve got a mild steel car, it is not going to last nearly as long as a Chro-moly car would. A Chromoly car has got memory in it, and the tubing will go back to its original form somewhat if you tweak it a quarter-inch or some-thing like that.”

Chromoly is an alloy containing chro-mium and molybdenum. It is lighter and stronger than standard steel and has a number of applications, such as being used by championship bicycle manufac-turers and the military.

Welshan goes on to point out the number of laps on the car is an important determinant in the eventual life span of a Dirt Late Model.

“A lot depends on how many races you run,” Welshan declares. “If you’re just running 12 to 15 races a year, you

can get a couple years out of a race car. But for somebody like us that races two or three nights a week, which puts you running 65 or 70 races a year, you might get two years out of a car. But more likely with the way these cars are put together these days, one season out of the car is about all you’re going to get.”

A driver or crew member with a trained eye can spot the signs that a chas-sis is reaching its limits.

“A good indication will be the deck metal around the roll bars,” Welshan says. “If that sheet metal starts flaring up, you know you’ve got a lot of flex in that race car. That’s a good indicator that it may be time to start thinking about re-placing the chassis. But the components on the car, you maintenance them weekly and replace them as you need to.”

Welshan adds that improvements in other aspects of the race car can

Photo by Richard Allen

A lot depends on how many races you run. For somebody like us that races two or three nights a week, which puts you running 65 or 70 races a year, you might get two years out of a car. But more likely with the way these cars are put together these days, one season out of the car is about all you’re going to get.

– Jason Welshan

Photo by Richard Allen

end up taking an unintended toll on the chassis.

“The beating the car takes because of the race tracks being like they are, and we’re going so much faster nowa-days than what you were 10 years ago. You’re planting the right-side frame rail into the race track a whole lot harder because we’ve got so much more horse-power than we used to. With the shock packages like they are and the bumps on the right front, if you just don’t hit that right every time, and it’s hard to do that, the cross members will hit the race track and the right side frame rails will hit the race track.”

Chassis builders are not construct-ing their cars with intent of giving them shorter lives. Rather, they are building cars with the intent of making them go faster. In turn, drivers are driving them faster than ever before. And as is so often the case, higher speed directly relates to greater amounts of wear and tear.

Richard Allen is a writer/editor for insidedirt racing.com. That site presents feature stories, photos and live updates as part of its coverage of dirt racing in the east Tennessee region as well as throughout the southeast. Also, follow @RichardAllenIDR on Twitter. Photo by Richard Allen

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BULLET CP-Carrillo’s new line of pistons and connecting rods

By Jeff SmithPhotos by CP-Carrillo

OneDirt.com 43

The trick to building a durable small block for dirt track racing is to find the best parts that will do the job for the best price. Off-shore pieces are often attractively

priced, but durability and reliability are often expensive lessons in what not to do.

At the most recent PRI show, we learned how CP-Carrillo has figured out a way to deliver made-in-America quality at a price budget-based builders can appreciate.

Besides brake pads and rotors, the most abused components in a dirt track car have to be the pistons and connecting rods. Short track racing is all about launching the car off the corner with a deep gear and a screaming small-block through a wide low-to-high rpm curve. That’s the life of a short-track small-block and where CP-Carrillo decided to make some inroads. Their goal was to deliver a set of affordable yet high quality pistons and connecting rods, and it led to what they call their Bullet lineup.

“The best thing about the Bullet line is we took everything we learned in our custom pistons and transferred it into a shelf part,” says CP-Carrillo’s Bryce Mulvey. “You’re going to get the best of both worlds — a piston with the same technology used in NASCAR parts, and we’ve taken many of those little secrets and put them into a shelf part.”

We thought we’d take a little closer look into exactly what all that means in terms of specific applications like a small-block Chevy. Right off the shelf, the Bullet pistons are not repackaged street engine parts.

The Bullet line is made from the classic 2618 race alloy, which is a much more durable aluminum forging than the street forgings made out of a 4032 alloy containing 12 to 13 percent more silicon to contain expansion. The Bullet 2618 material is far more forgiving under hard use and exactly the type of piston that can survive the harsh life of a short-track engine.

The ring package has also been updated to follow the trend toward tin rings. Even today, many “race” engines still follow the 1/16-, 1/16-, 3/16-inch ring formula. But frankly, when pro-duction LS engines now use a thin ring, there’s little reason to stay with old technology.

All other variables aside, thinner rings can immediately deliver an immediate power advantage based on simple physics. Thick-er rings present a larger surface area in contact with the cylinder bore and that means higher unit loading pressure. Thinner rings can reduce this radial load because there’s a smaller contact area.

The entire Bullet piston line has been updated to a more contemporary 1.2mm, 1.2mm, 3.0mm ring package. How does that compare? A 1/16-inch ring is 0.0625 inches thick while the 1.2mm ring is thinner at 0.047-inch. But the real difference is in the oil ring package. The traditional 3/16-inch oil ring measures 0.1875 while the 3mm is much thinner at 0.117-inch.

Race engine builders will tell you most of the ring drag comes from the oil ring, so gains here will pay off with a greater return because of the smaller expander. Of course, experimenting with lighter tension expanders is also another way to improve power, but we’ll save that story for a later time.

Other benefits that have come from the racing world include computer-driven Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of the piston design, during which possible failure points can be quickly identified and redesigned to minimize these stress concentra-tions. This greatly improves piston durability. Improvements including forged side relief designs and accumulator grooves in between the top and second ring, all intend to improve ring seal. According to Mulvey, this makes these Bullet pistons easily reliable up to 650 hp.

One significant advantage to the Bullet line that should not to be overlooked is the combination of a lightweight piston and rod assembly. Reduce this weight, and you can take mass out of the counterweights. Suddenly, your engine will accelerate quicker.

This Bullet flat top small-block Chevy piston is forged with a 2618 alloy and offers such features as FEA design, forged side reliefs, and light-ened areas to reduce reciprocating mass while not affecting durability.

As much as we can appreciate the piston being abused, the single-most stressed component has to be the con-necting rod. While most might consider the compressive forces imposed on a piston during the power stroke as the most abusive, in fact it is the combination of a heavy piston


at high rpm that imposes the biggest threat to connecting rod durability.

This is old news to the CP-Carrillo people whose history dates back to Fred Carrillo in 1963 designing a high-perfor-mance race connecting rod that has certainly withstood the test of time. The Bullet rod is based on this long-established history using the company’s famous 4330 alloy net forging steel that is the same alloy used in all its forgings. This allows CP Carrillo to rate these rods to 8,500 rpm.

But with current net forging capability, CP-Carrillo is able to produce an affordable rod with 7/16-inch WMC H11 tool steel cap screws that are one key to their durability. You’ll also notice that these are what CP-Carrillo calls A-beam rods, simi-lar in design to I-beams. The most common application for the dirt track small-block Chevy would be the 0.927-inch floating pin 6-inch rod that is far from the least expensive connecting rod you’ll find. But, consider this as excellent insurance against the alternative. CP-Carrillo even serializes each individual con-

The Bullet rod lineup for the small-block Chevy is available in both 5.7- and 6-inch lengths with big end dimensions ranging from 1.889-, to 2- and 2.10-inch rod journal diameters.

This side view of the Bullet rod indicates how light the rods can become with FEA analysis indicating where excess materi-al can be removed without sacrificing strength.

necting rod and guarantees 100 percent traceability if there’s ever any question.

We touched briefly on weight, and this is one advantage of the Bullet series. A typical Bullet flat-top, two-valve relief piston for a 3.50-inch stroke small-block Chevy weighs in at barely 404 grams (not counting pins, locks, and rings). Combine that with its match-ing 6-inch CP-Carrillo Bullet rod that weighs 545 grams and you have a very lightweight reciprocating system that means a little ex-tra torque coming off the corners at your favorite bull ring.

If all this sounds intriguing, the next thing to do is to find your way to the CP-Carrillo website and run through their electronic catalog for the piston application you need. While we focused this story on the popular small-block Chevy, the Bullet piston line also covers GM LS, big-block Chevy, the small-block Windsor Ford, the Chrysler late Hemi, as well as the LA series engines, several iterations of the big-block Ford lineup, and even a few Pontiac and Olds engines. Check it out, and then start building. Source: CP-Carrillo, cp-carrillo.com

Description Bore Stroke Rod Dish/Dome Wt. (gms) PNBullet Special SBC 4.00 3.50 6.0 -6.00 404 BCR1320-STDBullet Special SBC 4.030 3.50 6.0 -6.0cc 408 BCR1320-030Bullet Special SBC 4.030 3.50 5.7 -6.0cc 455 BCR-1350-030Bullet Special SBC 4.040 3.50 5.7 -6.0cc 455 BCR-1350-040Bullet SB Ford 4.030 3.00 5.4 -6.6cc 485 BF6001-030Bullet SB Ford 4.030 3.40 5.4 -8.7cc 418 BF6010-030

When CP-Carrillo says the pistons are on the shelf, that’s what they mean. One feature of the Bullet line, for example, is for a 4.00-inch bore small-block Chevy 350 where the company stocks pistons in 4.00-, 4.020-, 4.030-, 4.035-, and 4.060-inch bore sizes.

CP-Carrillo has a bank of in-house CNC machines. Using net-forging techniques, CP can minimize the machine work necessary to do the finish ma-chine work, resulting in a more affordable piston.


Right now I feel like I get a six-month lease on life at a time. I know that every time I walk into that doctor’s office that he could tell me my cancer is back, and

surgery or something else is going to be needed. So what I do is go and live every day of my life like it’s the last. I don’t take anything for granted, and I truly cherish every moment.”

Grant Junghans said these inspirational words to me during a January 2015 interview at USA Raceway in Tucson. His fear-less attitude and his amazing courage instantly inspired me. I had only talked briefly with Grant before this day. But with those words, I immediately became a huge fan.

Grant Junghans was a man who truly lived every day of life to the fullest. I rooted for him not only on the track, but even more so away from the track, where he battled this ruthless dis-ease with the courage of 10,000 men.

So when I received word Grant had passed away on Satur-day, March 12, 2016, I was devastated. Like so many others in the racing family, I was heartbroken such a special, young man had been so unfairly taken from this world at just 27 years old.

My heart ached for the Junghans family. Greg and Pat Jung-hans are exceptional parents for whom I have always held the ut-most respect. They’ve always stood behind their boys through the good and the bad. As Grant battled cancer for the past six years, they bravely supported their son. No parent should have to watch their children suffer, much less have to survive them. It’s just not fair.

I can’t begin to fathom the hurt and loss Grant’s younger brother, Chase, is feeling. Over the past few years, Chase and I have become good friends. Anybody who knows the 23-year-old will tell you he has a sense of humor that goes on for days.

“By Ben Shelton

Grant Junghans left us after only 27 years, but his fight and passion for life will live forever

Photo by Michael Jackson

OneDirt.com 47

Photo by Chad Ebel

It’s something he and his brother definitely had in common: the rare gift to laugh and love during even the most trying of times.

Behind Chase’s sense of humor, though, has always resided a very special respect for the mental and physical strength of his brother.

In the January 2015 interview, Chase said, “Man, I just don’t know how I would handle it if it was me, but for him, he doesn’t let it get him down. In fact, early on I didn’t want to be gone from home much to race, but he told me to go live my life and race every chance I had. His big thing is he’s always told people not to worry about it, that it’ll work out.”

Grant and Chase’s father, Greg, echoed the sentiments of his youngest son regarding Grant’s courage.

“Me and Pat were just in shock, when we found out. As a parent, this is just like your worst nightmare to find out your


son is extremely ill,” remembered Greg. “I really think that Grant handled it bet-ter than any of us. His courage through this whole battle has just been nothing short of amazing.”

The Junghans family are just like many other families in the racing world. They live and breathe racing. They’ve spent countless weekends at race tracks across the country. Greg’s lifelong love for motorsports was most-definitely in-

herited by Chase and Grant at an early age. The boys grew up at the race track as they progressed from being crew mem-bers to being racers.

Life seemed really good for the Jung-hans, but in early 2010, the family was dealt a sobering blow.

Grant had been experiencing some shoulder pain and other issues and fi-nally went to the doctor. The test results caught everyone off guard.

“I was racing out in Tucson in Jan-uary and started having shoulder pain. I knew that there was something going on there, but I didn’t know exactly what it was,” Grant recounted. “The doctor walks in and tells me I have this real rare cancer, called Neuroendocrine Carcino-ma. I just went numb.”

The 21-year-old had been diagnosed with a form of cancer that causes tumors to randomly form throughout the body, most notably on lymph nodes. Because of the rareness of the cancer, doctors told Grant it was hard to say whether or not it could be successfully treated. Further-more, they told him treatment would be an ongoing experimentation to see what would and wouldn’t work.

Junghans battled various bouts of the vicious disease throughout his body. There were definite highs and lows, but the one constant through it all was Grant’s relentless courage.

As I watched Grant overcome the peaks and valleys, I often questioned my own integrity. I wondered if I would have the strength and the positivity to keep forging ahead when life so unfairly kept knocking me down. It seemed to me it would be far easier to just pack it in and give up.

Photo by Mike Petty

Photo by Jamie Brabson

However, for Grant, giving up was never an option.

It just made my respect for the young man grow more and more every time I thought about him. I definitely wasn’t alone as the entire racing community prayed and hoped for his health.

I regarded him as a true hero and al-ways will.

The 2015 season marked Grant’s fi-nal year of racing, and what a year it tru-ly was. He picked up his second career United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) victory in June with a triumph at Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, Texas). He backed it up later that season with the biggest win of his career. He took home the $10,000 top prize in the 3rd Annual Armadillo Nationals at Lone Star Speedway (Kilgore, Texas) in Sep-tember 2015.

“I cherish every moment that I’m able to race, because you never know when the cancer might return, and I have to deal with everything all over again,” Junghans said one week after his monu-mental win. “Last weekend, we won that $10,000 down there in Kilgore, and it all kind of set in on the way home. It was so rewarding, and it gives you a drive to want it more and more.”

The following week found Junghans at the 17th Annual Featherlite Fall Jam-boree at Deer Creek Speedway (Spring

Valley, Minnesota). Grant would enjoy a solid weekend in one of Modified rac-ing’s biggest events. Sadly, it would mark the last time he would ever race.

His cancer would return early in 2016. This time the cards were stacked against Grant, but that didn’t faze his courage and determination. He lived life to the fullest and fought tooth and nail until the day he left us. He was always a winner. From his first day to the final day, Grant Junghans was a champion.

As word spread through the racing community that Grant had passed away, the massive outpouring of support be-gan. I can’t tell you how many times I was brought to tears by social media posts I read. Racers, fans, and crew members from literally around the world shared their condolences, memories, and love. Some people knew Grant quite well, while others just knew of him.

The posts all shared one common denominator. Everyone held the utmost respect for Grant’s legacy, and what he represented.

Never quit. Never give up. Live life to the fullest.

His big heart and generosity live on in grand fashion. Grant didn’t want a big deal to be made of his passing, but he did want to use it to help others. He requested that donations be made to the

Photo by Kenny South

Mayo Clinic to help fund research for childhood cancer.

These donations can be made to the Grant Junghans Memorial Fund in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Fu-neral Home, located at 1616 Poyntz Ave-nue, Manhattan, Kansas 66502.

Again, this is just another shining ex-ample of the amazing type of person that Grant Junghans truly was.

On March 12, 2016, when Grant Junghans went to be in heaven, so many of us felt hurt and pain. Our hearts ached for the Junghans family. We felt sad such a special, young man had been so unfair-ly taken away. We selfishly felt mourning for the fact we would never again hear his funny stories or see his infectious smile.

However, there is solace in know-ing Grant is no longer suffering. There is comfort in knowing he’s eternally a champion. There is peace in knowing he will definitely never be forgotten.

In my mind, whenever I think of Grant Junghans, I will always think of complete respect. I’m just one of thou-sands of souls who Grant significantly impacted in his short time here on earth. While my relationship with him was brief, I know I’m a better person for hav-ing known him. Hopefully one day I can be half the man that he was.

A fighter. A winner. A champion. R.I.P. Grant Junghans (1988–2016).

How to choose the best internal engine parts for 305 Sprint Cars

LESSMORE

IS

Words Dan Hodgdon

OneDirt.com 51

Sprint Cars are some of the coolest dirt racing machines on the planet. They also can be some of the most

expensive, and it’s easy for the local rac-er to be priced out of competition by the high-dollar teams competing in 360c.i. and 410c.i. classes.

This is where the 305c.i. option comes in. Not only does the 305 pro-vide a platform for open-wheel enthusi-asts to compete in the high-stakes, light-ning-fast world of Sprint Car racing, it also allows him or her to do so with a variety of relatively inexpensive off-the-shelf components and limited rules.

Sanctioning bodies like RaceSaver provide specs that allow for a state-of-the-art engine to be bought for around $18,000, a far cry from the $40,000 or more that a 360 or 410 team might spend on a power plant alone. Since 305 en-gines require specifically mandated parts to keep prices down, valve train compa-nies around the country are looking for ways to help engine builders make the most on a limited budget and rules. It turns out there is a lot of compromise.

While these companies design parts for high-end machines winning races and championships in the World of Out-laws, ASCS, the National Sprint League and others, they also provide parts any hobby racer can afford for classes where many stock, off-the-shelf options are mandated. The trick is knowing how they work together.

Due to the limited rules of 305 Sprint Cars, engine builders have found the ability to create a wider torque curve and make more rpm and horsepower by go-ing to a slower, less-aggressive lobe pro-file, which promotes valve train stability. A slightly less aggressive cam also make the springs last longer because the valve is not being hit as hard.

“What we have found — by using chassis dyno technology — is that we can make much more torque with the gear selection than with the cam profile,” explains COMP Cams Performance Ac-count Manager Jay Adams.Photo by Scott Frazier

The ideal valve train is one that has found that happy place where it provides adequate power but is still in control.


RaceSaver 305 Sprints are limited to a single spring, as opposed to the dual or conical versions that might be found in the upper levels of Sprint Car racing. They also must run a flat tappet camshaft with stock-diameter .842-inch solid lift-ers. Any duration or lobe separation on the cam is legal, but the valve lift, when measured at zero lash, cannot exceed .510 inches on the intake and .535 inch-es on the exhaust.

Any cam lobe lift and rocker ratio that ends up with that valve lift, or less, is acceptable. These series also often have very limited cylinder head rules, a 3/8-inch diameter rocker arm stud, spec valve weights, and any other variety of cost-saving measures.

At first, builders tried to make all the torque they could using fast ramp pro-

files, but they were hard to control with the limited valve spring, and fatigued it as well.

Initially, it was thought that the legal valve weights and cam rules make the natural rpm potential of a 305 Sprint around 7,200 to 7,400. This has been far surpassed, some eclipsing the 8,000 rpm mark. And, while it’s possible to simply put a fresh set of springs and oth-er parts on an engine for a performance advantage, just like four new tires, very few racers in 305 series have the budget to do that.

As a result, less aggressive profiles to save springs are a viable option. It sounds counterintuitive to what a racer usually likes to hear, but in this case, it’s true that sometimes less really is more for better valve control in the higher rpm range.

“The ideal valve train is one that has found that happy place where it pro-vides adequate power but is still in con-trol,” says longtime Crane Cams sales manager Allan Bechtloff. “Sometimes that place isn’t always easy to find. With a big-budget NASCAR team, it can be found with a lot of expensive dyno and Sprintron testing. But in the case of a budget racer, the trial and error meth-od is reality. So, the communication between the racer, engine builder, and camshaft supplier become very import-ant. Everyone needs to be taking care-ful notes and reporting what works and what doesn’t.”

Since the rules packages in 305 Sprints are so limiting, it’s a necessi-ty to be creative to get the most from these engines.

Photo by Scott Frazier

OneDirt.com 53

You have to keep in mind that these motors don’t make near the torque or power of that of a 360 or 410.



In addition to finding a valve train set-up that is easier on components, Adams says setting up the car is also important because a really good 305 engine will tru-ly make around 500 horsepower at most.

“You have to keep in mind that these motors don’t make near the torque or power of that of a 360 or 410,” he explains.

“That being said, setting these cars up ‘free’ almost to the point where they are on the verge of stepping out on you is where they tend to make the most speed. You get a 305 car just a bit too tight, and it will kill lap times. They just don’t have the torque to overcome a tight set up, es-pecially when the track is locked down either heavy or taking on rubber.”

He notes that a dyno is great for com-paring and testing different components back to back, provided all of the elemen-

“The rules are very good at boxing you into a corner,” Bechtloff says. “It be-comes a management challenge. The best idea is to keep the engine components as compatible to one another as possible to get as much consistency out of the engine as possible and increase its longevity.”

Adams explains it wasn’t until he and engine builders began testing cars on the chassis dyno instead of the engine dyno that they finally realized it was the opti-mum way to tune a 305. Otherwise, racers would be looking at replacing springs ev-ery four nights of racing or so — counter-intuitive to a class designed to cut costs.

“What we found was that we could make up for a great deal of torque defi-ciency with the gear,” Adams says. “We could make more upper-end horsepower by slowing the ramp speed down on the cam lobe and maintaining better control of the valve. This also prolongs valve spring life.”

While some smoother and more sea-soned drivers can get away with more aggressive valve train packages, the compromise in sacrificing aggression for control has been a performance-en-hancing and cost-saving discovery for many racers.

tal inputs are the same. A chassis dyno allows you to get an idea of how the car will react to certain changes. But to really know how the engine’s valve train pack-age is going to complement the driver’s preferences, nothing beats track time.

“Knowing the driver’s preferences on car set up, being familiar with torsion bar rates, tire compounds, track surface, the fueling system, as well as the locations relative to sea level and so on all become vitally important to making these cars fast,” Adams says.

The staff at Lunati, LLC is also heav-ily involved in the 305 scene. The com-pany designs not only valve train com-ponents, but rotating assembly pieces as well. The concept is the same, however, that components are tested both on the dyno and the track.

The focus of this 305 class is much more about ‘work on the chassis,’ ‘work on your driving techniques’ and less about making more horsepower. Have fun, grow the sport, and move up the ranks as your knowledge and abilities increase.


OneDirt.com 55

Choosing the proper oil for a 305 Sprint CarAlong the lines of limited engine rules, changing oil types and grades is a major area for improving performance. For instance, going from a conventional 20W-50 to a syn-thetic 10W-40 is worth up to 10 hp. Companies like Driven Racing Oil have spent weeks on an acceleration dyno studying which components and formulas help an engine accelerate faster.

This is particularly important in the 305 division where horsepower and torque is limited. Driven has found synthetic oils like its XP9 option provide quicker accelera-tion rates in 305 engines compared to mineral-based 20W-50 oils. Faster acceleration means quicker lap times, so it’s important racers do their research to determine which oil work best for their specific needs.

Lunati’s Kirk Peters explains many of his company’s cams are custom-ground to fit within the limited 305 engine rule packages.

“Getting a cam that matches the needs of the racer is easy as pie,” Peters says.

Peters also notes Lunati has a rotat-ing assembly package perfect for the 305 engine combination. It is built around the company’s budget-priced Voodoo Series, and includes a Voodoo Crank-shaft, Voodoo Connecting Rods and Flat Top ICON Pistons.

“Getting the rotating assembly as light as possible within the rules is so im-portant,” Peters notes.

Allan Bechtloff of Crane Cams be-lieves the idea of 305 Sprint Cars fits right into the wheelhouse of what his company’s namesake always hoped to accomplish in the circle track world.

“Harvey Crane always preached that you had to finish the race to win the race,” Bechtloff says. “He was very much into trying to learn what was really going on and how to increase horsepower and still keep control of the valve train. It’s a balancing act, more aggressive designs


make more power, but then how do you keep that advantage and survive the race event? The learning curve has been con-tinuance. And along the way you push things too far, but hopefully you learn were the edge is design-wise.”

Jay Adams of COMP Cams is a racer himself and says while it is of course pos-sible to spend high dollars on 305 Sprint Cars — as it is with any race car — on aver-age, he spent less than $230 per night on a 305 Sprint than when campaigning with his 360. When you consider purses in 305s have grown substantially throughout

the class’ two decades of existence, it actu-ally is a pretty good return on investment.

For some, 305 racing is about racing on a budget; for others it’s about sharp-ening skills; and for many it’s both.

“The focus of this 305 class is much more about ‘work on the chassis,’ ‘work on your driving techniques’ and less about making more horsepower,” Becht-loff says. “Have fun, grow the sport, and move up the ranks as your knowledge and abilities increase.” Sources: COMP Cams, compcams.com; Crane Cams, cranecams.com; Lunati, lunatipower.com


Speed SHOP PARTS / TOOLS / ACCESSORIES

Even more new [email protected]

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OneDirt has compiled a list of some of the hottest products to recently hit the dirt track market. On the following pages of our Speed Shop, be sure to check out the variety of racing products offered. Product and company contact information is provided should you see something you wish to purchase—and we know you will!

Stance mattersQuarter Master, Low Ground Clearance Bellhousing KitDrag is an enemy for any race car. Hence, the creation of nose cones and wings, just to name a few aerodynamic devices in use on tracks today. Quarter Master has now designed a driveline component allow-ing for a more aggressive vehicle stance and improved downforce. The Low Ground Clearance Bellhousing Kit features a smaller ring gear and flat-bottom bellhousing that help lower a car’s center of gravity so its nose can hug the ground, creating less drag and better handling. The LGC kit also offers extra webbing for strength and is designed for dirt racers using 5.5-inch clutches and a rear-mount starter.

quartermasterusa.com888.258.8241

All about easeJones Racing Products, AN FittingsJones Racing Products, Inc. offers a full line of AN fittings, lightweight braided hose, and complimenting AN wrenches. Their high-quality, lightweight, re-useable fittings are specially designed to work on the standard steel braided hose or their own lightweight fabric hose. All fittings are swivel-style, so there’s no need to clock fittings for alignment, and have one end with a straight opening and the other angled for ease of use. Each fitting is also laser engraved with the size, eliminating racers’ searching for the correct wrench to fit and, ultimately, saving valuable time. The Jones AN wrenches are CNC machined in-house, made of 1/2-inch thick billet aluminum, hard-coated for durability, and are available in -3, -4, -6, -8, -10, -12, -16 and -20. They may be purchased individually or as a set.

jonesracingproducts.com610.847.2028

Finishing touchesFive Star Race Car Bodies, Vinyl Nose ID KitsFive Star Race Car Bodies, the creators of vinyl headlight decals, have the graphics to add that finishing touch to your car. Their nose ID kits offer the OEM look with realistic details designed for all major manufacturers. A kit for the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro is the newest in the lineup. Printing on six-year high tack vinyl with aggressive adhesive ensures they won’t blow off. The clear, glossy

laminated surface provides sandblast and chemical protection, making these vinyl graphics tough and long-lasting, just like their plastic MD3 noses! Nose ID kits sell for only $32 and include all realistic emblems and Five Star decals!

fivestarbodies.com262.877.2171

Only Total Seal® offers you winning piston ring technology and selection...

• Advanced Profiling™ Steel Rings • Diamond Finish™ Rings • Gold Finish™

Ring Sets• Gapless® Top Rings • Gapless® 2nd Rings• Napier 2nd Rings • CR Ring Sets

• Advantage Ring Sets• Ring Groove Spacers• Gapless® One-Piece Oil Rings• ProRail™ & Custom Oil Rings• PVD & IP Coatings • Tighter Tolerances• Custom Face Profiles

Total Seal® Piston Rings deliver the highest level of reliabilty, durability and consistent power to dominate not only at the start, but all the way to the finish. That’s why the top engine builders in Sprint Cup, Circle Track and Drag Racing rely on the proven performance of Total Seal® Piston Rings. Don’t accept OEM production car piston rings for your racecar. Demand Total Seal ®.

800-874-2753 • TotalSeal.com • Tech Line: 623-587-7400

When you need the key to unlocking more horsepower, turn to the PISTON RING AUTHORITY...TOTAL SEAL®. We offer the most advanced piston ring designs, greatest selection and personal technical assistance that is second to none. We can also handle any of your custom ring needs, from special coatings to any bore, thickness or radial dimension.

TS_1Dirt_1-2_Mar16.indd 1 3/16/16 2:19 PM



Stability through the changeFuel Air Spark Technology, Race Billet DistributorsDirt racing can be intense, with drastic rpm changes coming quick and often. With Fuel Air Spark Technology’s (FAST) Race Bil-let Distributors, you can count on an accurate trigger signal through the entire rpm range and no retard, so your timing remains stable from idle to go time. The distributor features a Hall-effect-style pickup and a CNC-machined billet housing supported with sealed ball bearing on top and long bushing on bottom. It comes with a rotor and distributor cap, available in the large diameter Ford style or smaller GM points size with HEI terminals. You can choose a steel, bronze, or composite gear, or without any gear at all.

fuelairspark.com877.334.8355

Fab on a smaller scaleMittler Bros., 22 Gauge Straight BrakeThe Mittler Bros. 22 Gauge Straight Brake is ideal for .040 aluminum race car body fabrication and is very popular in the oval community. This design is not only economical, but also includes some of the same quality features of bigger brakes. The 72-inch and 96-inch brakes both include legs. A 1/2-inch Upper Radius Bar is included with the 92-inch but optional on the 72-inch. Mounting holes are pre-drilled in the 72-inch brake. The maximum capacity on both models is 22-gauge (.030-inch) mild steel and 18-gauge (.040-inch) aluminum.

mittlerbros.com800.467.2464


Ready for a beatingHolley, Earl’s UltraPro Series Fluid Transfer SystemEarl’s has expanded its line-up of performance plumbing products with its UltraPro Series fluid transfer system. The UltraPro formula is based on superior hose and hose end technology. Both stainless and polyester braids feature a carbon-infused, PTFE inner liner, which is lightweight and rugged. This promotes robust flow in tight bends and makes it impervious to the corrosive properties of mod-ern-day fuels. UltraPro hose utilizes a double-helix, ribbed structure, promoting superior-sealing properties through positive engagement and hose end retention. The hose ends feature Earl’s popular Ano-Tuff black hard coat anodizing for extreme durability and also feature ultra-high-strength 2024-T8 aluminum in high-stress compo-nents. Flouroelastomer seals, which are chemically resistant to all known fuels, oils, and chemicals, are used internally. Hose ends are available in both dynamic swivel-crimp and non-crimp. Color options are offered for replacement sockets and crimp collars.

holley.com 866.464.6553

Lighter for more horsepowerJones Racing Products, Serpentine Water Pump Drive SystemsJones Racing Products’ new lightweight serpentine water pump drive is designed to optimize cooling and efficiency. Billet aluminum pulleys reduce harmonics and load on the main bearings by sitting only 1/2-inch from the face of the balancer. JRP has also maximized the belt engagement surface and contact between the pulley and belt, allowing you to run less belt tension while virtually eliminating belt slip. Less tension means reduced wear on bearings, the water pump, pulleys, and belt. Manufacturing technology that perfectly

matches pulley and belt designs also promotes a lightweight belt drive for today’s horsepower conscious crate racer. Each kit is sold complete with everything you need and is pre-configured with the proper spacing and alignment to ensure easy installation. Kits are available for Chevy, Ford, and Chrysler, along with a complete line of drives for the CT-525.

jonesracingproducts.com610.847.2028



Get rid of the cablesMittler Bros, Ultimate Wireless Radio Frequency Scales You can take advantage of the same technology in use by top NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series teams. No matter what form of motorsport you participate in, the Tanner Racing by Mittler Bros. Ultimate Wireless Radio Frequency scale system will make your job easier and more accurate. You can now walk around your race vehicle without tripping on cables! In addition, all of the data will be at your fingertips through a 5.7-inch LCD Touch Screen (with included carrying case). The system is avail-able with two types of race scales. The 3-inch tall scales are 15"x15" with a 7,000-pound max capacity (1,750 per scale), while the lighter, more portable 1-inch tall scales are the same diameter but have a 6,000-pound max capacity (1,500 per scale).

mittlerbros.com800.467.2464

In your pocketIntercomp, SW656 iRaceWeigh Scales The SW656 iRaceWeigh scale system is a convenient way for scaling your car using an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or any smartphone or tablet for Android. Utilizing iRaceWeigh, the first app to control, view, and record live scale data, and RFX Wireless Weighing Technology, it provides complete, secure control over scales and setup data.

Intercomp’s iRaceWeigh App is available for free on iTunes and Google Play, and can be downloaded to as many devices as desired. As new updates become available, the app can be updated right from the device, keeping racers armed with the most up-to-date features and functionality. The system includes four 15" x 15" x 2.5" Wireless Scale Pads, an iRaceWeigh Module, batteries, and a two-year warranty. Users need only to supply their preferred compatible smartphone or tablet and can be up and running in minutes!

intercompracing.com800.328.3336

Weight gone wirelessLongacre Racing Products, ComputerScales Tablet XLi

Longacre’s new ComputerScales Tablet XLi uses a full-color, high-resolution tablet that brings new wireless technology to your race team. The scale was designed from the ground up as an app-based system, and the signal is sent directly from the scale pads to the porta-ble 7- or 10-inch tablet.

You can easily scroll through your options and customize the look from the set up screen. One feature racers will appreciate is the system shows memory weights and current

weights at the same time. The weights and car icon can be rotated on the display to four dif-ferent positions so you never become confused.

New for 2016 is a note-taking feature on the tablet that allows you to tie chassis chang-es to weights recorded in memory. This free app upgrade can easily be downloaded from the Google Play store.

longacreracing.com800.423.3110

SCALES central

Factory customizedRacing Head Service, Pro Elite SB Ford Cylinder HeadsThe need for small-block Ford racers to seek out custom cylinder heads is diminishing. Racing Head Service’s (RHS) Pro Elite 20-degree Aluminum Cylinder Heads feature CNC-ported intake and exhaust runners and 62cc combustion chambers, which help to relieve valve shrouding commonly found in “as cast” chambers. Adding up to 5 percent more air flow — and, thus, horsepower — are hardened multi-angle intake and radiused exhaust valve seats. The Pro-Elite heads, built using Clean Cast Technology for smoother transi-tions, also have refined water jackets to reduce hot spots and a thick deck surface for better head gasket retention.

racingheadservice.com877.776.4323

9694

k

1.877.334.8355 • WWW.FUELAIRSPARK.COM • #GoFASTer

A new line of FAST® ignition products provides the best in spark technology for all levels of dirt racers.The FAST® E6 CD Circle Track Ignition w/ Rev Limiter delivers the perfor-mance and reliability dirt racers demand. The unit produces full-voltage sparks through high revs. Since many racers use locked-out timing, a built-in 20-degree start/retard eases cranking and start-up. A built-in, en-gine-protecting sequential rev limiter also utilizes sealed rotary dials to allow for adjustments in 100 RPM increments up to 9,900 RPM. The entire unit is encased in soft urethane for protection from harsh conditions at dirt tracks.

FireWire® Spark Plug WireNew 8.5mm wires trans-fer max amount of en-ergy to plugs & filter out high-output ignition sys-tem noise.

Race Billet DistributorProvides stable timing through full RPM range & utilizes optical trigger for timing accuracy.

E93 CoilFeatures an E-core de-sign with heavy-gauge wire windings for greater spark energy.

Tough Racers. Tough Ignition.



Clear view to victory laneFive Star Race Car Bodies, Optix Plus Window Cleaner It’s not just for windows. Five Star Race Car Bodies' Optix Plus Window Cleaner is designed for any clear plastic, includ-ing helmet face shields, windshield tear-offs, window tints, colored plastics, safety glazing, lenses, and even painted surfaces. Without any chemicals or abrasives that damage plastics or windows, it repels finger smudges, dirt, dust, grime, and moisture with a streak- and haze-free finish. It also has a special anti-fog agent. Optix Plus is available in 8 or 24 oz. spray bottles.

fivestarbodies.com262.877.2171

No pen and paper requiredLongacre Racing Products, Ultimate Tire Pressure GaugeThe Ultimate Tire Pressure Gauge by Longacre is designed for top professionals and any team serious about winning.

If pressures accurate to .1 percent and a gauge that reads to .1 psi are important, then this gauge needs to be in your pit cart.

The Ultimate tire gauge does away with the need for paper and a pencil as all four pressures are easily visible on the large display.

The gauge’s three high-volume bleed off buttons make those fi-nal pressure adjustments a snap.

You can even attach a Longacre pyrometer probe, and the gauge will store and display all 12 tire temps.

The Ultimate Tire Pressure Gauge comes in 0-25, 0-60, and 0-100 psi ranges, and a silver case is provided for safe storage.

longacreracing.com800.423.3110

Strong connectionLunati, H-Beam Connecting RodsStrength and durability were paramount when Lunati designed its H-Beam Connecting Rods. Available for big- and small-block Ford and Chevy engines, including LS versions, the rods are forged from 4340 steel alloy in a two-piece casting arrangement for precise structuring and control of grain. A precise cap-to-rod alignment provides ultimate clamping force and even stress

distribution. Lunati’s H-Beam Connecting Rods are outfitted with heavy-duty 7/16-inch ARP hardware and balanced to race-specific tolerances, They are also pre-clearanced for stroker setups.

lunatipower.com662.892.1500

OneDirt.com 63

Going aggressiveCrane Cams, Ultra-Pro Roller LiftersIn applications with aggressive cams, hardcore lifters are necessary to handle violent lobe profiles. Crane Cams’ Ultra-Pro lifters are built to fit the bill. Recommended for short track applications where valve spring seat pressure exceed 250 pounds and open pressures exceed 700 pounds, the lifters are made from the finest grades of alloy steel for maximum strength, especially in the axle support struts that ensure geometrically perfect roller wheel tracking. These Ultra-Pro Lifters represent the best combination of light weight, ultimate strength, and reliability.

cranecams.com866.388.5120

Grease for your teethDriven Racing Oil, Spline GreaseIn most cases, where there’s friction, there should also be grease. A dirt racing vehicle’s driveline is no exception. Driv-en Racing Oil’s Spline Grease has been designed specifically for racing applications with sliding spline teeth operating at high temperatures. Track-tested by top World of Outlaws Sprint Car and NASCAR teams, it utilizes a high-viscosity syn-thetic base and proprietary anti-wear additives to increase spline teeth durability, enhance thermal stability, and create oxidation resistance. A Polyurea thickener also controls oil loss, meaning longer service intervals. Driven’s Spline Grease is a great choice for top-quality protection for cambered axle drive flanges, drivelines, and much more.

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Think thinTotal Seal, Thin Ring PacksTotal Seal announces a new set of ring packs for normally aspirated as well as turbo, forced induction, and or nitrous applications. This new product features 1.1mm (.043-inch), 1.1mm, 2.0mm ring sets available for most bore sizes, ranging from 4.000- through 4.250-inch bore. These packs feature the AP steel top ring, ductile iron Napier 2nd rings (in most sets where available) and a new oil ring set.

The reduced stack height of these rings permits the use of a pis-ton with a very short compression height, allowing the use of longer connecting rods, and or increased strokes while keeping the wrist pin out of the oil ring groove.

totalseal.com800.874.2753



A family that races together, stays together. Sometimes this same family also builds a successful,

racing business from the ground up.Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s Etheridge

Race Parts is a prime example of the re-sults that can be produced by determina-tion, hard work, and passion. Owned and operated by the father-and-son duo of Ronnie and Rodney Etheridge, the com-pany has grown from a part-time hobby into a successful, full-time business.

“When we started this deal, it was just to provide basic parts and accessories to racers in our area,” Rodney Etheridge says. “We would just take a few contain-ers of extra items to the track with us in our race hauler. It wasn’t anything just massive at the beginning, so it’s pretty crazy to see how big our little operation has grown to be.”

Etheridge Race Parts was born in 2001 with the upstart business sell-

ing race parts at the track out of their team’s hauler. At the time, both Ronnie and Rodney were racing in the Modi-fied division. The only other person at the track with them was Rodney’s mom, Karen, so it made things challenging to keep two cars on the track, while also selling parts.

“Looking back now, I’m honestly not sure how we managed to do it,” Rodney laughs. “I mean we have two cars racing, and at the same time, we are trying to take care of the parts needs of all of the teams in the pit area. I won’t lie. A lot of nights, it was really overwhelming.”

The company quickly grew by leaps and bounds, and by 2005, they were ready to take a leap of faith.

“I had just graduated from the Uni-versity of Alabama with a degree in mar-keting, and our little parts deal at the track was thumping,” Rodney says. “Dad and I sat down and decided it was time

to go full-time with the company, so away we went. It was probably both the most exciting and nerve-wracking experience of my life.”

By the time that they officially opened their store, Etheridge Race Parts had built a long list of customers. While the company’s heart was in the dirt track racing market, they also provided a full line of products for drag racers, asphalt competitors, and street rodders. In addi-tion to having relationships with clients in multiple forms of racing, they also had long since established working re-lationships with some great companies, including Washington-based Longacre Racing Products.

“From the time we started in the business, Longacre was one of the first companies that we bought our parts from,” Rodney notes. “Dad and I had both been using their parts on our cars and in our shop for years, and we knew

By Ben Shelton

FAMILYALL IN THE

Dreams become a reality with family determination

OneDirt.com 65

that their quality and customer service was second to none.”

As not only a family-owned compa-ny, but also a family-owned race team, the Etheridges fully appreciate the val-ue of a company like Longacre Racing Products.

“I mean, these guys not only offer great products, but they also offer a wide variety of products,” Rodney comments. “Furthermore, they have products that won’t break the bank and are priced for all levels of racing.”

Etheridge Race Parts is a dealer for roughly 20 companies out of their 5.400-square foot shop in Alabama. However, products from Longacre Rac-ing tend to move the fastest off the shelves.

“We move a lot of tire gauges, ta-chometers, scales, and really just a lot of Longacre products in general,” Rodney says. “They really give our business a nice peace of mind because I can pick

up the phone at 4 p.m. in the afternoon, and whatever parts I need typically go out that same afternoon. That’s import-ant in the world of racing, where most times, guys need their stuff immediately if not sooner.”

Past the business end of things, the Etheridge family regards some of the staff at Longacre as extended family. This was blaringly obvious on April 27, 2011, when a devastating EF5 tornado tore through Tuscaloosa.

“Luckily, we were spared from much damage, but the first calls we got were from Jack Jaynes, who is the president of Longacre, and Tom Glithero, who is the vice president of sales, to make sure that we were OK,” Rodney explains. “That meant a lot to us.”

Things are a bit different for the Etheridge family at the track these days. They now have a stacker trailer pulled by a toterhome. It allows them to take

more parts to the track and be more or-ganized. They also have additional help in the form of Rodney’s fiancée, Tiffany, and her family.

“We’ve now got more help than ever to sell stuff and work on the racecar, so it’s really taken a load off me and Dad,” Rodney says. “Between what we sell at the track, out of our shop, and online, our company is really doing well. Our success is tied to the loyalty and support from not only our customers, but also the great companies that we deal with like Longacre Racing Products.”

Etheridge Race Parts is the epitome of what racing is all about. This hard-work-ing family has made their dreams come true, both at the track and away from it, and Longacre Racing Products has been there almost every step of the way.

Sources: Longacre Racing Products, longacreracing.com; Etheridge Race Parts, etheridgeraceparts.com

Photo by Chris McDill


New technology can be intim-idating, but maybe this is because we don’t immediately

understand it. Our world is constantly changing, but history has taught us success can only be found by embracing change rather than resisting it.

Within just the last year, live video streaming apps have emerged from seemingly out of nowhere, with Peri-scope and Meerkat being the two most popular on the market today. Periscope, which was acquired by Twitter in Janu-ary 2015, boasts a surprising 10 million users, while Meerkat reported 2 million users in May 2015.

These apps allow users to broadcast or view live video from their mobile de-vices to and from anywhere in the world. As a result, they have understandably

become an exciting development in this social media-crazed world in which we live. However, these apps have also stirred up a bit of controversy, primarily due to the opportunity for users to freely broadcast an event or experience to the entire world.

It only makes sense that we begin to wonder how the world of dirt track racing might be influenced by this new form of technology.

Although it may scare race promot-ers, I believe if used properly, the posi-tive effects from this technology could greatly outweigh the negative.

Until now, almost the only forms of live video streaming that have been uti-lized in dirt track racing are pay-per-view and on-demand programs. While several of dirt track racing’s major-touring series

offer free, live audio as well as live timing and scoring for their regular events, live streaming and on-demand video is usual-ly reserved for paying subscribers.

The demand appears to be rela-tively high, though, as companies like RacinDirt, DirtonDirt, SpeedShiftTV, RacinBoys, Speed51, DirtVision and numerous others work year-round to provide coverage of dirt racing’s most-popular classes.

The increase in coverage and social media presence of dirt track racing in-dicates our sport is indeed adapting to a more connected and technologically-ad-vanced audience. However, it has been mostly hesitant to explore and address mobile, live streaming apps.

Rather than shunning this technol-ogy or pretending it doesn’t exist, I be-

LIVE-STREAMING TECHNOLOGY IS

NOWTH

E

AND

Photo by Heath LawsonBy Brady Alberson

OneDirt.com 67

lieve it is time for our sport to embrace this new frontier with open arms.

These new technologies create no shortage of questions.

Is it possible for these free services to actually enhance the experience and inter-est of dirt track racing? Does it create the potential of people opting out of buying tickets for races and choosing to watch free live streams of the races instead?

Here are some things to consider: How could dirt track racing benefit

from this new technology?Periscope and Meerkat are being used

by many businesses and organizations to affordably reach a wide and diverse audi-ence. In the same way, I think these plat-forms could be very beneficial for tracks or teams seeking a way to affordably and effectively promote their big events and increase exposure for their sponsors.

For example, a track could provide pre-race coverage by simply having someone on staff walk through the pit area with their mobile device logged in and streaming to the track’s Periscope account. Anyone who follows the track’s Facebook or Twitter account would then just need to click a link that would take them to this live stream. You can get as technical as you would like, such as conducting interviews with drivers, promoting sponsors, or just walking through the pits and looking at the racecars.

Either way, this is a great (and free) way to help build hype for the race and increase sponsorship exposure. This is just one of many ways mobile live streaming can be used to affordably boost your promotion efforts.

I believe this technology could also greatly benefit drivers, who are looking for a better way to connect with fans and increase their overall following. The possibilities for creating an interesting, live stream are endless, and easy.

Here are some ideas:• Set up a live stream in the team’s

pit area so the fans can watch the crew and driver work.

• Set up a live stream in the team’s garage while they are building or fixing their race cars.

• Set up a live stream while the team is traveling, and have the driver recap races and talk about what is coming up in the future.

The main reason fans tend to gravi-tate towards certain drivers is these driv-ers usually have a unique or well-known personality. What better way is there for fans to get to know YOUR personality

than by giving them an opportunity to see what you are like off the track. In turn, more connected fans lead to greater exposure for your sponsors, and — let’s be honest — better t-shirt sales.

What are the possible negative effects that free mobile live streaming could have on dirt track racing?

There are obvious concerns this type of technology can create. Chief among them is the possibility of a race being broadcast for free on someone’s Periscope or Meerkat account. This robs viewership from the company that is providing paid coverage, and can even discourage fans from attending a race if they know someone will be live stream-ing it from their mobile device.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any magic advice for the companies who provide paid-race coverage to combat this prob-lem, other than relying on the good will

of the racing community to continue to pay for their services.

Perhaps in the future there will be a way to regulate this technology. However, I encourage race promoters to remember that a live-streamed race from a mobile device will never equal the spectacular sights, sounds, and smells of attending a dirt track race in person.

The reality is this technology is here. We can choose to ignore it, or we can leverage it to better connect with a younger and more technological-ly-equipped generation of race fans.

If you are a part of the dirt track racing community and have tried some form of mobile live-streaming app, like Periscope or Meerkat, please visit us at OneDirt.com and tell us about your experience! This technology is new and evolving, and we’d love to hear your thoughts.


Photo by Rick Schwallie

HISTORYTHE MAKING OF

Partnership between Mittler Brothers and Bobby Pierce was years in the making

OneDirt.com 69

Fans and photographers cluttered in tightly as Bobby Pierce pre-pared to emerge from the cockpit

of the MB Motorsports #63 Chevy Sil-verado. On pit road, his crew celebrated wildly.

No, he had not won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event at the famed Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, Ohio). However, in the eyes of his team and the motorsports world, he had accomplished so much more.

He had achieved the impossible.In his debut in NASCAR competi-

tion, the Oakwood, Illinois, pilot had made history. Earlier in the evening, he gave MB Motorsports their first-ever, pole award. A few hours later, after a cou-rageous battle for the lead with eventu-al winner Christopher Bell, he gave the under-funded team their best-ever NA-SCAR finish with a 2nd-place run.

While history was technically made on July 22, 2015, the groundwork for this monumental feat actually began 30 years earlier.

Mike Mittler has been a fabricator in some form or fashion for most of his life.

“I’ve always had a strong interest, when it comes to creating things,” says the 64-year-old. “I like to visu-alize products and then make them a reality.”

Mike got his start working at a ma-chine shop near his Missouri home. The proprietor of the company was an absen-tee owner and pretty well gave Mittler the run of the place. However, there was one area the company head didn’t see eye-to-eye with Mike.

“I wanted to hire my youngest broth-er, Paul, because I knew he would be a value to the company,” Mittler recalls. “However, the owner of the company was against it. I still hired Paul, which re-ally made the owner mad at me.”

“So it wasn’t much after that deal that Paul and I decided to venture on our own, and I guess you can say the rest is history,” he concludes with a laugh.

In 1980, the inaugural version of Mit-tler Brothers Machine & Tool was born. The company’s humble beginnings be-gan in a rented, 2,500-square foot build-ing in Missouri, where the duo first intro-duced their Hydraulic Tubing Notcher.

“While I never actually drove a race car, I was always fascinated by what made them tick,” Mike Mittler says. “Even more, I loved the idea of what it took to build them, and that’s really what spurred my drive to design ma-chinery and tools.”

HISTORYBy Ben Shelton Photo by Mittler Brothers


To gain exposure for their products, the Mittler brothers knew they needed to hit tradeshows early and often. This is where fate would intervene for the Mit-tler family and the Pierce family.

“There wasn’t much happening in the winter months for the most part, but they started having this trade show and auc-tion put on by Dave Dayton and Charlie Sentman around Thanksgiving each year in Indianapolis,” Mike recollects. “Pret-ty much everybody who was anybody in the area went to it, so we started setting up a booth at it. This is where, I first met Bob Pierce in 1985.”

Pierce was a Dirt Late Model ace from Danville, Illinois, who burned up tracks across the country. Like most racers of the time, he built most of his own stuff, so he was always looking for an edge.

“Building stuff was a big challenge back then,” Pierce says. “It’s not like now, where you can just call up your lo-

cal speed shop and have whatever you need within a day or so. Back then if we wanted it, most times we had to make it ourselves.”

A chance meeting with Mike Mittler at the tradeshow in Indianapolis opened Pierce’s eyes to the possibilities of what the future could hold.

“I’m walking down the aisle, and I come up on their booth and just see some really eye-catching tools, so I stopped and talked,” Pierce remembers. “Two things I noticed immediately. One was that Mike was a good talker, just like me. The second thing I picked up on was the fact that this guy really knew his stuff. We bounced a lot of ideas off each other, and from that moment I guess you could say we became friends.”

While Pierce had a passion for the dirt racing side of things, it was asphalt that always appealed to Mike Mittler.

“That might be one reason that Bob

and I always hit it off,” Mike comments. “We both loved racing, but on different ends of the spectrum. That allowed us to give each other ideas, and in a way we kind of fed off each other in that way.”

Over the next few years, Mittler Brothers Machine & Tool continued to grow, while Bob Pierce Race Cars was preparing to become a reality.

“Around 1990, I started looking more at building complete cars, and that’s when I officially bought my first machine from Mittler Brothers,” Pierce says. “It was a wall-mounted air-notcher, and it was really a game changer for me because until that point, I was creating my notches with a flat grinder. Looking back, it’s amazing that I accomplished anything that way.”

By 1996, Pierce went full bore into his company, Bob Pierce Race Cars, where he built Dirt Late Models and Dirt Modifieds, and Mittler Brothers was along for the ride.

“Bob would call me pretty frequently and say, ‘I just bought this used Mittler Brothers machine or this Mittler Broth-ers tool,’” Mke says with a laugh. “Bob always said that one or another he would find a way to stock his chassis shop with our machinery.”

While Bob and Mike enjoyed talking about new technology each year at the annual Thanksgiving tradeshow in Indi-anapolis, they would also joke frequently with one another. A running joke would include Bob’s son, Bobby, who was born in November 1996.

“Bob knew that we had started one of the first NASCAR Truck teams with MB Motorsports in 1995, when that se-ries was created,” Mittler says. “From the time that Bobby was a toddler, he would

While I never actually drove a race car, I was always fascinated by what made them tick. Even more, I loved the idea of what it took to build them, and that’s really what spurred my drive to design machinery and tools.

Bob Pierce working with Mittler Brothers machinery in his fabrication shop.

Photo by Bobby Pierce

OneDirt.com 71

bring him by the booth in Indianapolis and say, ‘One day I know you’re going to have my boy drive your truck.’ I would always laugh and respond, ‘Absolutely.’”

For Mike Mittler, the opportunity to start MB Motorsports was a dream come true.

“When they announced that NA-SCAR was introducing this new series that featured trucks, I got pretty excited,” he says. “Again, I had never had a desire to drive, but I loved working on race cars to make them faster. The costs affiliated with this deal was something that we could reasonably afford, so MB Motor-sports was born.”

While MB Motorsports didn’t have the major funding many of the other teams had, it did have the knowledge of Mike and Paul Mittler to propel it. They found ways to do more with less. Twen-ty-one years later, they are the sole-sur-viving original team in the series.

Its program has given several notable drivers their NASCAR start. Racers like Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Justin Allgaier, Jamie McMurray, Regan Smith, and Kenny Irwin all saw their careers launched with MB Motorsports. In late 2014, MB Motorsports became more ac-quainted with their next rising star.

“We were at PRI in Indianapolis in December 2014, and Bob (Pierce) stops

by our booth and says, ‘We’ve got to get something together for Eldora for next year with my son, Bobby,’” Mittler re-members. “Now, keep in mind that in my mind, Bobby is still this tiny kid.”

“I said, ‘I’m not sure if he’s ready yet Bob’, and next thing I know Bobby walks into the booth, and I barely recognized him. He had grown into a strong, young man.”

The Pierce family and MB Motor-sports worked through the details over

the next few months. Before long, it was made official Bobby would make his NA-SCAR racing debut at Eldora Speedway in July 2015.

“This was all a dream come true to learn that I was finally getting my first chance at a NASCAR ride,” Bobby rec-ollects. “I had listened to my dad and Mike joke for years about me driving their truck, and for it to become a reali-ty was totally surreal. I was both excited

Bobby Pierce and Mike Mittler celebrate the team’s first-ever pole award, at Eldora Speedway.

Photo by Bobby Pierce Photo by Bobby Pierce


and a nervous wreck all rolled together because I wanted to do well.”

As the year wore on and the date of the race approached, Bobby may have battled butterflies, but Mike Mittler had no worries.

“We went and tested with Bobby, and his composure in the truck was evident from the start. Furthermore, you could just see in his eyes that desire to compete and to always find a way to be better. I knew he would do well at Eldora, but I would be lying if I said that I knew just how well.”

On July 22, 2015, Bobby Pierce embarked on his maiden voyage into NASCAR competition. His initiation came at a track he knew quite well. Al-beit in limited starts, Bobby had enjoyed considerable success at the 1/2-mile dirt confines of Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway. His accolades at the facility included battling at the front of the pack in Dirt Late Model’s most-prestigious race, the World 100.

Pierce drew the second spot for qualifying, and while some thought the track might be a little slow initially, the then 18-year-old proved them all wrong. He circled the oval with a best speed of 86.889 mph, which was more

“I remember looking over at Bob (Pierce) with tears in my eyes, and he’s got tears in his eyes. On this day, it was definitely an underdog story, and it’s what racing is all about.”

So much history was made on this day by Bobby Pierce and Mittler Broth-ers, but again this path to history was set in motion a dozen years before the younger Pierce was even born. It began with a random conversation at a random trade show in Indiana between two men with a passion for making things go fast.

Mittler Brothers Machine & Tool has now been in business for more than 35 years. The company has grown to in-clude more than 1,000 different varia-tions of machines, tools, and parts. From major fabrication shops, who employee dozens of employees, to weekend war-riors who work in their garage, the com-pany provides all of the tools needed to keep cars going fast.

For Mike Mittler, his recipe for suc-cess is simple, yet straight-forward.

“Running a business is just like rac-ing. You have to take the good with the bad and always forge ahead. Most im-portantly, never forget that the secret to success is great people.” Source: Mittler Brothers, mittlerbros.com

than 2 mph faster than the runner-up in qualifying. With this feat, Bobby Pierce made history as the first driver in the history of MB Motorsports to win the pole.

“Honestly I was so pumped after set-ting fast time that I would’ve probably been happy to just call it a night right there,” laughs Pierce, now 19.

He was far from done though. He won his qualifying race to officially earn the pole position for the finale. He led 39 of the 154 laps and despite body damage on the rear of his truck, he challenged race winner Christopher Bell all the way to the checkered flag. With a runner-up performance, Pierce claimed the best NCTWS finish for MB Motorsports in its 20-year history.

“It was definitely like a dream,” Pierce remembers. “As the race goes on, you just keep thinking there’s no way I’m going to make it in the Top 5 until the checkered flag because these are NASCAR guys, and their experience is eventually going to get me. But it never did. We held our own, and it was an incredible moment that really didn’t hit me until a few days later, while I was relaxing at home.”

Mike Mittler’s memories of the mo-ment are quite special.

From the time that Bobby was a toddler, [Bob] would bring him by the [PRI] booth in Indianapolis and say, ‘One day I know you’re going to have my boy drive your truck.’ I would always laugh and respond, ‘Absolutely.’

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WorkDREAMS

A 10-year-old Ben Shelton dreamed of working in racing. By that age, I was already living,

eating, and breathing racing. It was my everything. While some saw how much I loved the motorsports world, I don’t think many believed my passion for watching fast cars would only grow as I got older.

However, that’s exactly what hap-pened.

As I matured into my teenage years, sure I loved sports and chasing girls, but nothing topped my interest in racing. I skipped many a party, and even lost a girlfriend or two due to the fact that on Saturday night I wanted to be at the race track and nowhere else.

By the time I hit my 20s and gradu-ated college as a civil engineer, my urge to work in racing was only amplified. I quickly learned that while I could make a nice living as an engineer, I dreaded

By Ben Shelton

going into work every day. My heart just wasn’t in it. Furthermore, I hated the thought that my success or failure ultimately lied in the hands of roughly 200 employees.

No matter how hard I worked or how much I tried to encourage them, if even one of the employees didn’t make a concerted effort to perform their jobs to the best of their duties, then I was perpetually doomed. It was a reality that played out again and again.

Even back then, I wasn’t naive to the fact few people truly love their jobs. It’s merely a necessary evil if you will. How-ever, I wouldn’t accept that reasoning. I believed if I worked hard enough, I could find a job that I loved.

For me, the clear-cut light at the end of the tunnel was finding a professional life in racing.

The solution did not come fast, and it definitely did not come easy. It took

me roughly six years. I spent long hours at night pouring my heart into racing to accompany long hours during the day at my engineering job. In 2011, it all finally started to come together.

I had built enough of a clientele with my company, MSR Mafia Website & PR Services, to justify taking the breathtaking leap from the security of corporate America into the clutches of entrepreneurship. It was scary. Actu-ally, it was extremely scary. However, I figured if I didn’t take a chance, then I would never know.

Since that fateful date in 2011, there has been no looking back. I’ve been pedal to the metal. I’ve left no stone unturned, and I’ve refused to take no as an answer. There have been ups and downs, but the results have been quite fulfilling across the board.

In July 2013, I received a phone call offering me a dream opportunity. World

Sacrifices and hard work have turned Ben Shelton’s dreams into reality


TAKE

OneDirt.com 75

of Outlaws Late Model Series (WoOL-MS) director, Tim Christman called to offer me the role as series announcer. The long-time announcer had unexpect-edly vacated the position. Christman told me I was the first person who had come to mind.

It was a dream come true for me.My announcing career started

around 2002 on the local scene. From there, I had worked diligently to get chances to expand my resume. From local events to regional events to nation-al events, I took advantage of any and all opportunities. Whether it be Sprint Cars, Late Models, Modifieds, Street Stocks, or anything else, I never said no to an opportunity.

Many times, I actually spent more money getting to events than I was actually paid just to have a shot to work my way into new markets.

Ten years later, this relentless, work ethic finally paid big dividends with this offer to be the voice of the WoOLMS.

Since that fateful date in mid-2013, I’ve been blessed to get to travel across the United States and Canada, getting paid to talk about racing. The job was everything I dreamed it would be, and it was more fulfilling than words can describe.



I quickly learned that while I could make a nice living as an engineer, I dreaded going into work every day. My heart just wasn’t in it.

Working a pay-per-view event on dirtondirt.com from I-80 Speedway in Nebraska in July 2014.


However, like in anything, there were some major challenges as well.

My personal company continued to grow as I lived the life of a nomad. Despite having a great staff, who shouldered much of the load, I found it quite challenging at times to run a company from the road. When you are living in hotels for weeks at a time, it’s just hard to be productive. I didn’t want my clients to suffer because of my new endeavors, and this definitely added stress to my daily life.

While my professional concerns defi-nitely seemed daunting at times, nothing could compare to the struggles I faced in my personal life.

As anyone who has worked for a race team or a national series will tell you, the hardest part of life on the road is being away from your loved ones on a regular basis. The moms, dads, wives, hus-bands, kids, etc., are the ones who pay the biggest price. While I was out living my dreams, I was missing parties, an-niversaries, weddings, birthday parties, and the list goes on and on, endless.

Two and a half years of this was enough for me. My biggest takeaway from the entire experience was a new appreciation for the veterans of the road. Drivers like Scott Bloomquist, Steve Kinser, Rick Eckert, Sammy Swindell, and Chub Frank have my utmost respect for decades of relentless national touring.

When you are committed to a tour like this, you don’t get sick days, and you don’t get last-minute weekends off. You have an obligation to be at every race. There are no backups. It’s a fun gig, but it’s undeniably a tough gig. I give hats off to the men and women who dig deep to live this life.

So for me, 2015 was going to be my last year as the WoOLMS announcer. I was prepared to pass the microphone to the next voice when the final checkered flag dropped on a memorable year. While I knew I would obviously keep overseeing the operations of my compa-ny, I wasn’t sure what else I would find to try. I knew there was something out there, but just wasn’t sure what.

October 2015 put those wonders to rest for me, when I was offered another amazing opportunity. Xceleration Media approached me to be editor of OneDirt.com, as well as oversee the production of the print magazine. In addition, I was offered the opportunity to do voiceover work as well as on-air services for their various projects.

It’s a fun gig, but it’s undeniably a tough gig. I give hats off to the men and women who dig deep to live this life.

Photo by Rick SchwallieWorking with my good friend, Dustin Jarrett, at the legendary Eldora Speedway during the World 100 in September 2015.

Photo by Heath LawsonInterviewing Morgan Bagley in victory lane at Magnolia Motor Speedway in October 2015.

Looking back now it’s just mind-bog-gling how everything has unfolded. It just goes to show that when one door closes, another door opens. Sometimes you just have to look a little harder than you origi-nally expected to find that next door.

I’m beyond excited for this new endeavor. My experiences to date have taught me so much about who I am and who I am not. They’ve led to changes in my life I would’ve never dreamed possible.

Now, it’s time to buckle in for this latest experience as I try my hand at something new. It’s going to be a wild time, and I’m just honored to have thousands of my closest friends along for the ride.

Filming an interview in the Xceleration Media studio in February 2016.

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The racing season is complete. You’ve just won 28 feature events in 77 starts and, amazingly, only fin-ished outside of the Top 5 in 18 of these races. For

your consistency, you’ve just claimed your fourth WISSOTA National Modified Championship. The stellar campaign is polished with track titles at Rice Lake Speedway (Rice Lake, Wisconsin) and Grand Rapids Speedway (Grand Rapids, Minnesota).

With this list of accolades, most drivers wouldn’t want to change a thing about their racing program. However, most driv-ers aren’t Kevin “Buzzy” Adams.

“We had a stellar 2015 season, but I just felt like there was still more that we could improve within our program to get even faster,” recollects the Cameron, Wisconsin, resident. “One of those areas was in our shock program.”

Late in 2015, Kevin began discussing potential ideas with

some of the engineers at BILSTEIN. The talks progressively gained traction, and before long, his gears were turning.

“As a driver, you are always nervous at the thought of change, especially with the success that we were already enjoying. How-ever, this move just seemed to make complete sense for me,” Kevin notes.

By January, Kevin had officially made the move to BIL-STEIN XVS Series shock absorbers on his familiar #40 LG2 Modified. To get a jump on the season, the decision was made to do some testing at East Bay Raceway Park (Gibsonton, Flori-da) a few days before Speedweeks officially commenced.

The BILSTEIN XVS Series shock absorbers Kevin imple-mented into his program feature a 46mm steel, monotube body with a high-volume, nitrogen bulb. The owner-rebuildable design is available in linear- or digressive-valving configurations and pro-vides the versatility required to perform at any level of competition.

By Ben Shelton

BUZZBUZZBUZZALL THE

Bilstein helped Kevin Adams be comfortable with change

BUZZ

OneDirt.com 79

“Again I won’t lie that I had a little nervous tension about changing anything in my program, but as soon as I made those first few laps I knew that I had made the right decision.” Kev-in says. “It was just amazing how I was almost instantaneously comfortable in the car.”

Kevin has always had a bucket-list dream of winning at East Bay Raceway Park. Known as the “Clay by the Bay,” the 1/3-mile oval has a long history of presenting drivers with an ex-tremely challenging racing surface to conquer. Throughout his career ventures to Speedweeks, Kevin had not been immune to these challenges.

“I’ve always loved the place, but I’ve just never been able to get over the hump and find victory lane,” he says. “We finally changed that all this year, and I have zero doubt that these new BILSTEIN shocks played a major role.”

Kevin scratched yet another item off his ever-shrinking

bucket list by topping the Speedweeks opener with the Sun-shine State Modified Tour (SSMT) at East Bay Raceway Park on January 31. During his six-race stint with the series, he claimed two additional podium finishes en route to clinching the inaugural SSMT championship.

“To finally win a race at East Bay was monumental for my team, but to also win the inaugural SSMT title was just the icing on the cake,” Kevin says with his signature smile. “Starting the season by accomplishing those feats for the first time gives us a great deal of added confidence for the potential that this year can hold.”

For Kevin, the proof has definitely been in the pudding with his move to BILSTEIN products.

“As a company, BILSTEIN has an amazing history, and so many resources,” Kevin says. “Early in our partnership their feedback has already been second-to-none, and as a driver it’s really nice to be able to bounce ideas around to find what will work the best.”

“I can’t believe how great these new shocks feel on my car,” he continues. “My team and I are very impressed by the crafts-manship and the service that BILSTEIN has provided us. I can-not thank everyone at BILSTEIN enough, and we look forward to winning a lot of races with them.”

With Speedweeks firmly in the rearview mirror, Kevin Ad-ams is intently focused on a huge 2016 season. He plans to chase yet another WISSOTA title, with his point of attack in-cluding aggressively pursuing as many events as possible during April and May as tracks in his area kick things into high gear.

“I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to enjoy some great success during my career, but I honestly believe that there is a very-real potential present to make this the most success-ful season I’ve ever experienced,” Kevin says. “We’ve already shown that we are carrying our momentum from 2015 into this season, and with the edition of BILSTEIN shock absorbers we’ve definitely turned things up a notch.”

On a cool, March afternoon, Kevin concluded his thoughts by saying, “The biggest challenge now is to try and be patient until racing season in my area officially opens for business.” Source: Bilstein, bilsteinus.com

Photo by Mike Spieker

Shane Andrews ANNOUNCER, SUPER DIRTcar SERIES BIG BLOCK MODIFIEDS

4-LAP DASH

Shane Andrews is a veteran of broadcasting in the racing world. From being the voice of the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modi-fieds to working various televised races, Andrews is a well-known personality in the motorsports field.

1 Shane you are a lover of everything dirt track racing. From Sprint Cars to Big-Block Modifieds to

Dirt Late Models and all points in between, you are a total dirt junky. Where did your passion for racing originate?My passion originated from when I first went to the races at the age of 8 years old. My family was always race fans, and we went to a lot of races. It is true that once you are bit, you are hooked, and I am no different. I always wanted to race but did not have the money or tech-nical ability to do it, so I thought if I could talk about it, then I would at least be involved. It was the best move I ever made. I am pretty sure I made the right decision. I love dirt track racing. There is nothing better or even remotely like it!

2 Announcers aren’t supposed to have favorites, but do you have a driver that has been your long-time

favorite? Why is that driver your favorite?My favorite driver does not race anymore. I was always a big fan of “Jumpin” Jack Johnson from Duanesburg, New York. He drove the orange #12A. He was the first guy I picked to win a race, when I went as an 8-year-old kid, and he won that night! He autographed the first picture I ever got at the track. From then on, I was a lifelong fan. To this day, he is still my favorite even though he no longer races.

3 You’ve announced hundreds of races. What’s the craziest thing you have ever seen happen at a race

track?A couple of instances come to mind. One time, the lights went out in the middle of a 100-lap Small-Block Modified feature that I was an-nouncing, while the cars were at speed. Another time, I was working a race that had to be suspended because fog rolled in over the hills, making vision impossible.

4 What’s a race or event that is on your bucket list to announce?

Like any announcer, I would like to be involved in all of them. Racing wise, I would like to do the Chili Bowl or the Knoxville Nationals (Sprints), the Topless 100 or Knoxville Late Model Nationals. Non-rac-ing, I would like to just once be the guy that introduces the President of the United States to the Speaker of the House before the State of the Union Speech. To get to say, “Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States,” I think that would be pretty cool.

Photos by Alex and Helen Bruce



No matter what type of racing you choose, one thing is for sure — you’re going to be replacing body

panels at some point. Hey rubbin’ is racin’ right? And if you are replacing parts any-way, it’s always a good time to upgrade.

Whether you are racing on dirt or asphalt, one company is the proven leader in the industry for race car body technology — Five Star Race Car Bodies. For years, Five Star has proven its motto: From grass roots to professional racing … Five Star has you covered!

This is especially true when it comes to Dirt Late Models, where all the best

racers run MD3 products. Five Star has worked together in a partnership with Performance Bodies to develop the MD3 line, and it’s now the industry standard in the division. Due to the overwhelming popularity, the companies are now mak-ing a push to expand MD3 bodies into the Modified market.

The MD in MD3 stands for Maxi-mum Downforce, and MD3’s exclusive high-impact plastics and advanced light-weight composites are the most dura-ble, cost-effective materials for racers. Unmatched durability and shape con-sistency help the exclusive lightweight

materials hold up in the toughest racing conditions.

All MD3 body panels and compo-nents are designed and aerodynamically engineered for high-performance, max-imum-downforce, and great-style. No other body panels are tough enough to withstand the rigors of dirt racing. The great part is that all MD3 Modified body panels are legal for use in all-major Mod-ified racing sanctions nationwide.

We happened to find ourselves in Wisconsin on a recent (unrelated) trip, so we took the opportunity to swing by Five Stars’ facility in nearby Twin Lakes

IndustrYSTANDARDMD3 Bodies are taking the Modified world by storm

OneDirt.com 83

vanced Lightweight Composite Roof has long been the top-choice for winning Dirt Late Model drivers. Five Star was happy to show us the recently announced revised version available for Modifieds. The flat Modified Roof is styled af-ter the popular Late Model Roof, featuring built-in vortex generators to enhance airflow.

Benefits of this cutting-edge piece include: a light-weight-composite construction with a weight of less than 8 pounds, a large shape of 52" x 56" built to the specified max-imum allowable size currently enforced by most rule associa-tions, and an ultra-durable, light weight molded-plastic roof cap. The roof and roof cap are sold together and are available in multiple colors.

This is the only flat composite roof available. Other brands must mold in ribs for added structure due to the inferior con-

Photo by Josh James

to see what the buzz is all about. Here are just a few of the MD3 products you can find in the Modified persuasion!

LOWER AERO VALANCE: The benefits of the MD3 Modi-fied body panels are countless. It all begins with the molded plastic Lower Aero Valance which enhances the aerodynamics, durability, and structure of the nose. This high-impact panel is designed to maximize front downforce.

The fully adjustable 3-piece valance is a universal fit for all Modified aluminum noses.

It’s easy to install and can be mounted for desired ground clearance. It is designed for front overhangs up to 42 inches and for nose widths up to 45 inches. It is available in 10 different colors, and best of all, retails for just $59.

ADVANCED COMPOSITE ROOF: Weight savings is the name of the game in any form of racing, and the MD3 Ad-

Lower Aero Valance

MD3 Lower Aero Valance attached to Modified nose.

struction materials used; these ribs negatively affect air flow and make vinyl installation more difficult.

MOLDED PLASTIC WHEEL FLARES & ROCKER PAN-ELS: We know how important creating maximum aerody-namics around wheels, as well as along the bottom of your hotrod’s body, is. After years of testing and development, the Modified MD3 package now offers Molded Plastic Wheel Flares and Rocker Panels.

Top modified drivers in the country are taking notice of the benefits of these MD3 Molded Plastic Wheel Flares.

By mounting these along with the Plastic Rocker Panels,

Molded plastic wheel flares and rocker panels come in a variety of colors.

you definitely get enhanced aerodynamics, while also adding structural rigidity to the side of the body. Another benefit is the Wheel Flares fit around the wheel opening, which prevents tires from being cut by aluminum body panels. Three Rocker Panels are needed, one each for the

left and right door, and another half-sized Rocker Panel to mount behind the rear tire on the quarter panel. The Wheel Flare has a recessed area for a flush mount to the end of the Rocker Panels. Available in 10 colors, this complete system in-cludes three rockers and four flares for a low price of just $160.

MOLDED PLASTIC NOSE: The line of MD3 Modified prod-ucts includes a full 3-piece Molded-Plastic Nose. This thought-fully-engineered piece is a universal fit for Modified applica-tions and mounts between the external front bumper and the frame stub.

The Molded-Plastic Nose has an adjustable front overhang of up to 42 inches and fits a frame stub width up to 42 inches. The MD3 nose, which is available in six colors, retails for just $169!

Josh Sherbon utilizes MD3 products on his Modified.

MD3 3-piece Molded Plastic Nose

OneDirt.com 85

All new 5-inch tall curved bottom hood scoop.

All new 5-inch tall air deflector.

HOOD SCOOPS & AIR DEFLECTORS: Air filters are a small, yet extremely integral part of your power plant. They are your first line of defense from engine contamination by dirt, rocks, and other debris. With this in mind, the MD3 Hood Scoops and Air Deflectors were designed to provide maximum air fil-ter protection.

Sporting an aerodynamic design, the Hood Scoops and Air Deflectors are constructed from a more durable light-weight molded plastic. The Hood Scoops are avail-able in 3- and 5-inch height varieties with a curved or flat bottom. The Air Deflectors are available in 3- and 5-inch heights also. Each piece is available in multiple colors or with a cool carbon-fiber look. The Scoops retail for $49, while the Air Deflectors are priced at $33.

These are just a few of the new additions to the MD3 line de-veloped as of late. We’re sure you’ll be hearing quite a bit more about MD3, as they continue to innovate ways for racers to go faster, while still saving money and time.

The bottom line is the MD3 product line is the prov-en-best brand in all of dirt racing, being used on race- and championship-winning Dirt Late Models for many years. As a result, it’s no big surprise that this tech-nology is now spreading like wildfire throughout the Modified world. Lightweight-construction, du-rability, and ease of installation make MD3 an easy choice for your racecar.

All MD3 products are available exclusively through Five Star Race Car Bodies and Performance Bodies Dealers. Visit FiveStarBodies.com or Perfor-manceBodies.com for more information on this cutting-edge technology. Source: Five Star Race Car Bodies, fivestarbodies.com

Nick Hoffman uses the new aero valance nose on his Modified.

IN HIS OWN WORDSBilly Moyer DRIVER

Billy Moyer is arguably Dirt Late Model racing’s greatest driver ever. The now 58-year-old has won more than 800 feature events in the division. He’s won just about every crown jewel event — multiple times. While the end of the 2015 season brought the announcement that the Batesville, Arkansas, pilot would be retiring from full-time racing, he hasn’t slowed down a bit. Whether it’s helping his Moyer Victory Chassis customers or slinging his famous #21 into the corners, the driver known as “Mr. Smooth” still lives life wide-open.

ON 800+ CAREER WINS

If somebody told me that almost 40 years later, I would be where I’m at, I would’ve said no way. I never dreamed I would be at it this long. As a kid, you just start out doing what you do and what you love to do. I’ve had a lot of great support from my family and sponsors over the years to get me to this point. Without any of them, there’s no way I would’ve achieved all of this.

ON STARTING HIS CAREERWhen I was 5 or 6, my dad came in dragging a mini bike that had a Briggs and Stratton motor. I loved working on the thing and finding ways to make it go faster. That’s really how I got hooked on racing. I was competitive from the get-go.

ON BECOMING A GREAT DRIVERAs a kid, I always had to master something bigger than I was. My dad always seemed to push me a little faster than maybe I was ready to go. Sometimes, it was a bigger-sized bike, and other times, it was race cars that were a lot faster than I was.

ON CHOOSING ONE MORE RACE TO WINIf I’m only going to win one more race, I would have to cheat and actually pick two that I would want. One is that darn World 100 at Eldora Speedway. It may not pay the most, but it means the most. To get one more of those would be special. I’d also like to get another USA Nationals up at Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin. We used to dominate at that place, but the past several years it’s been tough. I’d definitely like to get one more there.


Photos by Heath Lawson

PROUDEST RACING ACCOMPLISHMENTTo win the World 100 six times is my proudest deal. That race is the Indy 500 or Daytona 500 of Dirt Late Model racing. I would’ve never dreamt we could do that. It takes so much to go right to win that race. It’s hard to put anything above that.

TOUGHEST COMPETITOR THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREEREverybody that knows Dirt Late Model racing would probably think I would say Scott (Bloomquist), and we definitely have raced tough against each other over the years. But across my career, I would have to also include guys like Jeff Purvis, Bob Pierce, and Jack Boggs. All of those guys I’ve had fierce battles with, so it’s hard to pick just one. I’ll also say that a lot of those regional Midwest and UMP guys are a lot tougher than they get credit for.

ON FOCUS AT THE TRACKWhen I’m at the track, it’s completely business. Some people think I’m arrogant because I don’t talk much at the track. I don’t think many realize that I’m a real down-to-earth guy, but when I’m at the track, I’m focused solely on working and winning. Whether it be my car or one of my customer’s cars, I’m 110 percent committed to doing whatever it takes to get it in victory lane. I’m not that arrogant guy that a lot of people think I am.

ON HAVING THE SAME CREW CHIEF FOR THREE DECADESSteve Norris is a one-of-a-kind guy. Most people would have got tired of dealing with my crap a long time ago. We’ve had a lot of good times, but I’m not an easy person to work with. I guess he just developed a tolerance for me, and that got us through the tough times. He’s meant a lot to me and my racing program over the years.

ON MOVING FROM MOTOCROSS TO RACE CARSI had been racing motocross for several years there and never really thought about rac-ing a car. My dad was always into stock car racing, and cars were his life. Dad had an old car sitting in the corner of the shop and one day told me he wanted me to try it. I did it and loved it, and I guess you could say the rest is history.

ON HIS MASSIVE TROPHY ROOMYou know people ask me all the time if I ever go out there and just reminisce on those trophies. Honestly I really don’t. It takes so much time to do this stuff that you don’t have time to think about the past. You have to think about the right now and the future. It’s hard to sit back and enjoy what you’ve done when you are racing so much. Maybe one day when I’m not doing it as much, I’ll spend time some time in there, but so far that day hasn’t come.

OneDirt.com 87


Since 1958, Quarter Master has been leading the way with top-quality products racers can

depend on to get them into victory lane. Ed Stoffels founded the company mak-ing chassis for quarter-mile drag racing, hence the name “Quarter Master.” A pas-sionate racer and machinist, he quickly found success making multi-plate style clutches as well.

Multi-plate style clutches were popu-lar in Europe and proved to be a viable option for various racing scenes in the early 1970s. Their high demand and scarcity in the US inspired Ed to devel-op and produce his own style. Quarter Master concentrated heavily on the circle track market, and by 1976, the company had evolved into a full manufacturing and service company, and an industry leader of clutches and related components.

Quarter Master’s circle track prod-ucts expanded into quick-change gears for midget and stock cars, flywheels, driveshafts, starters, and other compo-nents. With a proven track record for the highest quality and reliability, it has blossomed in other markets including asphalt short track, road racing, open wheel, dirt short track, and driving schools. The company is also deeply involved with many racing series such as NASCAR’s Sprint Cup, Nationwide, Truck, and Grand National East & West series and sponsors a wide range of other racing series like IMCA, USMTS, and CRA, to name a few.

Located in Lake Zurich, Illinois, Quarter Master prides itself on having a tight-knit group of dedicated employees who put quality first, and many of them are racers themselves. Every product

is subjected to rigorous quality control inspection before it ships. It officially certifes many parts for various racing bodies, which often require exacting tol-erances or specifications.

We stopped by their facility for the 10-cent tour and were impressed with the staff ’s hospitality and commitment to quality. Sales and technical advisors George Hovsepian and Geoff Tickes answer the phones non-stop and are two of the nicest guys you will meet. They took the time to extend the same efforts to answer our questions as they would for any of their customers. With outstanding customer service, quality products, and an innovative drive for the future, it’s easy to see why racers choose Quarter Master. Check out the tour photos. Source: Quarter Master, quartermasterusa.com

Quarter Master LAKE ZURICH, ILLINOIS

SHOP TOUR

Customer service is Quarter Master’s first priority. George stays on the phone all day helping customers get the right parts for their application.

Jeff Neal is the facility’s General Manager. He’s a former racer, as seen here, so he truly understands the needs of his customers. Check out that sweet mullet!

Photo by Brandon FlanneryBy Brandon Flannery

OneDirt.com 89

Many components start as solid bar stock. This giant band saw slices them into pieces suitable for machining.

The cast bellhousings come in with their protective coating and are machined to spec in a series of steps. The outer ring is machined off, and the faces are milled perfectly square.

Ring gears are a popular item, and each one is carefully machined to exacting tolerances.

The CNC machines whittle the top of one V-Drive clutch basket and the bottom of another.

Each spring plate is pressure-tested before certification. This measures the maximum force needed to compress the spring over-center.


Clutch disc hubs are meticulously centered in place with a special fixture before riveting.

Central hub rivets are pressed in with a hydraulic press to 6,000 pounds. Each rivet spread is measured with a micrometer to verify the correct amount of holding power has been achieved for certification.

The “short run” press handles anything from one-offs to production runs. Each rivet spread is checked with a micrometer, and the disc is then straightened to within .006-inch toleranc-es per Cup Car requirements.

For a more search “Quarter Master Shop Tour” at OneDirt.com.

OneDirt.com 91

Each Quarter Master starter is disassembled, thoroughly checked and inspected, and then tested for both proper operation and spring pressure before reassembly with upgraded heat-treated bolts. Cross Check tamper proof seals and silicone-dabbed safety wire are then applied.

Driveshafts are built and balanced to spec. They offer aluminum, steel and carbon fiber in an assortment of lengths or for custom applications.

Asa Mayer is the Assembly Manager who personally inspects each and every starter.

Quarter Master has many long-term employ-ees, including Albaro Cisneros, a 15-year veteran in the CNC lathe department.

Brian Bednarski just celebrated his 30th year as a Quarter Master employee. He started hanging around when he was 15, and they put him to work. He’s seen quite a bit!

If you call Quarter Master, there’s a good chance you’ll be speaking with one of these guys. Geoff Tickes and George Hovsepian can answer any and all questions you throw at them. Geoff worked his way up through the shop, so he knows exact-ly what is what. George is a passionate racer himself and a heck of a nice guy.Hidden at the top of a shop door is Quarter

Master’s first decal design.

SpeedweeksIN PHOTOS

The pop of brand-new graphics. The roar of fresh motors. The smell of the racing fuel. The feeling of electricity in the air. The tinge of a February sunburn.

These are all things that make Speedweeks something special. Each and every year, racers and race fans from across North Ameri-ca and Australia flock in droves to Georgia and Florida to get an early start to their racing season. Late Models, Sprint Cars, Modifieds, and more make the pilgrimage south for what’s grown to be almost a full month of motorsports mayhem.

Riding up and down the highways of Florida and southern Georgia, you see haulers headed in every direction. If you are a race junkie like us, it takes great discipline just to keep your eyes focused straight-ahead on the road. It’s far easier to allow your head to wander aim-lessly on a swivel as you quickly turn to try and identify the race hauler you just passed.

Plain and simple, there is nothing like the experience that is Speed-weeks.

If you’ve ever been, then you know exactly what we’re talking about. If you haven’t been lucky enough to attend a Speedweeks to date, then we strongly suggest you end that unfortunate streak as soon as humanly possible.

If you need a little more motivation on scheduling your vacation for February 2017, hopefully the photos in the following pages push you to the brink. These shots represent just a handful of the hundreds of driv-ers who made Speedweeks 2016 something truly special. Enjoy!


Photo by Josh James

To see more, search “Speedweeks 2016” at OneDirt.com.

By Ben Shelton


Photo by Josh James

Photo by Eric Gano




Photo by Josh James

Photo by Eric Gano

Photo by Josh JamesPhoto by Heath Lawson

Photo by Josh James Photo by Josh James

Photo by Heath Lawson Photo by Heath Lawson

Photo by Eric Gano



Photo by Josh James

Photo by Josh James Photo by Heath Lawson


Photo by Josh James Photo by Heath Lawson

Photo by Josh JamesPhoto by Josh James

9695

k

VOODOO ® LIGHTWEIGHT CRANKSHAFTSOn the racetrack, every ounce matters. That’s where Lunati® Lightweight Crankshafts come in. These revolutionary components are perfect for Sprint Cars and Dirt Late Models. The cranks utilize gun-drilled mains, pendulum-cut counterweights, lightened rod journals and a star-cut rear flange to provide the maximum reduction in weight and rotational inertia. The components also feature unmatched durability and straight-shot oiling for optimum flow and bearing lubrication.

Lower weights equal faster speeds – these cranks can help you find the fastest way to Victory Lane.

* A variety of popular strokes are available for two-piece rear seal Small Block Chevys in both 350 or 400 main sizes.

• Reduces weight & rotational inertia• Long-lasting durability• Optimum oiling• Perfect for dirt racing

FEATURES:

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THE LATEST CRANKSHAFTS FROM LUNATI® PROVIDE THE UTMOST IN WEIGHT REDUCTION

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LUNATIPOWER.COM • 662.892.1500


Total Seal is known throughout the motorsports world as The Piston Ring Authority. With in-

novations in piston rings, ring tools, and countless accessories, the company has long since established its cutting-edge products as the industry standard.

In fact, Total Seal offers a complete range of piston rings for virtually every form of motorsports. From the oval track to the drag strip, the company has pro-vided winning technology for decades. Champions of some of the most-promi-nent tours in dirt track racing – including the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint

Cars, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Se-ries, and the World of Outlaws Crafts-man Late Model Series — have all utilized Total Seal’s state-of-the-art products to achieve excellence.

The company’s gapless technology changed the world of piston rings when it was introduced. Never content to sit on its laurels, Total Seal now has a new major breakthrough in piston ring design: new “Total Conform” rings featuring their revolutionary Radial Notch Technology.

As explained by Total Seal’s engi-neering department, the long-standing problem is the piston ring face needs to


remain in contact with the cylinder bore at all times. The cylinder is round when assembling the engine, however, when you add fuel, air and ignition, it creates heat and pressure, which can significant-ly change the geometry of the cylinder.

The once perfect cylinder bore now changes in shape along its length, and the piston ring must be able to con-form to those changes on every stroke in order to maintain optimum power. A ring with a thick radius will struggle to maintain its face contact against a non-round cylinder, allowing blow-by and reduced efficiency.

Total seal is changing the game again

OneDirt.com 99

Tech: Total Seal

An engine builder could certainly re-duce the radial thickness until the ring conforms easily to the cylinder wall, but then piston ring to piston land contact is sacrificed, which once again produces the highly undesired results of reduced efficiency and increased blow-by. This is obviously far from the ideal scenario in a sport where maximum power and output is the name of the game.

Total Seal’s innovative solution to this daunting challenge was to create a ring with a series of radial notches around the inner diameter to make the ring function like it is an extremely shallow, radial wall

ring. This allows it to conform to the bore distortions, while still maintaining a wide-enough actual radial dimension, allowing it to stay firmly sealed to the pis-ton in the ring lands.

The notches were engineered to end with a constant radius to minimize the stress, maximize the conformability, and eliminate the chance of failure from fracturing.

Over the past several years, Total Seal has been conducting power, reliability, and efficiency testing with the Total Con-form ring. All of the tests have proven to deliver an increase in horsepower and

torque, as well as 1- to 2-inch increase in crankcase vacuum. Other OEM vehicle testing has shown fuel mileage to have increased approximately 2 mpg.

While you might be interested in this new product because you are constant-ly looking for performance advantages and durability from your race car, it’s important to note the capabilities of this technology can be applied in your every-day life. In fact, the efficiency and per-formance from this ring design is able to be utilized in just about any application from street driving to racing. Source: Total Seal, totalseal.com

The Unique Radial Notch design allows the ring to conform to the cylinder wall. Notches in the rings have a radius, which eliminates stress risers since it’s not a square cut. The end result is higher efficiency and power.


PRESENTED BYTHOUGHTFoodBy Jason Wommack

When it comes to racing of any kind, you’d be better suited asking

advice from any of the other OneDirt writers, or anyone who is reading this magazine for that matter.

I’ve been to several dirt track races during my life, mostly to watch my cousins, Coley and Rece, race Mini Sprints; I’m not a racer of any kind. The only “car” races I’ve ever won were against my wife in the go-karts on vacation at the beach, and I feel like that doesn’t really count.

I’ve been designing the pages of OneDirt, and other Xceleratation Media magazines, since its inception, and was so unsure of the types of cars we covered that I had someone create a visual cheat sheet for me, to which I still refer at times.

Over the past three years, I’ve learned a bit about racing, not so much the technical aspects, as most of that is over my head. But, I wouldn’t offer anyone advice other than to watch for flying dirt at the tracks.

I’m known around the office as the “food guy” and would be more comfortable finding a place for you to eat than rec-ommending oil or tire pressure for your cars.

My love of food and eating is something I inherited from my Pappaw while growing up in Mississippi.

He used to chew tobacco and would spit in an old coffee can stuffed with paper towels that sat on the seat in his truck. I sat watching him and would chew raisins so I could spit in the can too because I wanted to be like him. I’d always ask him if I could “taste” it, and he never would let me do it.

Whenever I stayed with grandparents, it was tradition, whether Pappaw knew it or not, for us to hit the kitchen between 9:30 and 9:45 each night (so we’d be done in time to watch the news) for a snack, which was usually a bowl of cereal (Frosted Flakes), a Coke float, or ice cream.

Make time to make memories togetherHaving those “late-night snacks” is something I always

thought was normal because Pappaw did it. It’s just some-thing that was part of my DNA, but it took me a while to un-derstand it. I still continue that tradition in Pappaw’s honor.

After his passing in April 2008, I heard stories about him always having snacks and drinks nearby, and how he loved Mountain Dew because “even if it was hot, it tasted cold.”

Pappaw always kept food around because “you never know when you might get hungry.” For Pappaw, it was in his shop or in one of his work trucks; for me, it’s in my desk at work.

But it’s not just keeping the food around, it’s SHARING it as well. Pappaw would offer people anything he had in the fridge in his shop. He would often buy items because he knew someone liked it and wanted them to have it the next time they stopped by to visit. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done the same thing for people.

My dad told me a story about how he was having breakfast in Branson, Missouri, with Pappaw and Granny. They had just got-ten their food and were only a few minutes into their meal when Pappaw started asking about lunch.

Dad thought Pappaw didn’t like his breakfast, but that wasn’t the case at all. He was just already looking forward to what he would be eating next, which is something I also inherited.

I’m often thinking about dinner before I’m done with breakfast, or where the department is going to eat for lunch on Friday, on a Tuesday.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told, “How do you not weight 300 pounds?” I guess I’ve just been blessed with Pappaw’s good genes.

Some of my greatest childhood memories are times spent with Pappaw. As I got older, I grew to cherish our time together even more, and I didn’t want to believe it when Dad told me Pappaw was starting to show symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

Dad would tell me he’d repeat himself and tell the same stories. I just smiled and laughed because I always remem-bered him telling some of the same stories over and over as I grew up. To me, that was just Pappaw. I never told him I’d heard a story before or didn’t understand what he was talking about because I could tell how excited he was to be telling me everything.

Since I lived in Illinois at the time, I wasn’t around Pappaw enough to really see the symptoms he was struggling with. But during one of my last visits to Mississippi before he passed away, I saw what everyone else had been seeing all along.

Tammy and I pulled up to my grandparents’ house, and Pappaw opened the door as usual to see who had pulled up. I was so happy to see him and got out of the car with a big smile on my face.

As I looked up at him, I could instantly tell by the blank look on his face that he didn’t recognize me. That’s when I knew. To this day, I can still see the confused look on his face, and it brings tears to my eyes.

I’m sharing this with all of you, because even though I’m not part of the racing family, I can see and feel how deep the connections you have with one another.

Sure, there are going to be occasional dust-ups and times Pappaw and a younger version of me making Christmas memories.

when you may dread going to the track because so and so will be there this week. But at the end of the day, you are all family; that’s one thing I’ve learned from designing this magazine.

Not only are you family, but you are making memories together that will last a lifetime.

Like Whitney Thomas points out in her “Life with Dirt in Your Hair” column (see page 4), she’s experiencing amazing memories with her husband, Kevin, both on and off the track.

Then there’s families like the Crawleys and McCools (see page 104) who make going to the track a family affair by watching both dad and son (or daugther) kick up the dirt.

Tracks across the country are filled with families bound together by the dirt, the fumes, the thrill of being behind the wheel, or cheering from the stands. Each weekend at the track is a chance for those families to share laughter, and sometimes tears, but always to make memories. Don’t take that lightly.

From an outsider, I think the world needs a lot more of the family dynamic the racing community provides. I know it’s not all roses, and there’s a lot of late nights fueled with gas station food along the way. But at the end of the day, the time at the track together is something your kids and grandkids will fondly remember. It will bring a smile to their faces, like recalling time with Pappaw does for me.

Time flies by faster than we realize, so take time to make sure good memories are being made. You never know when someone you love won’t be here anymore and all they’ll have left are the memories you made together.

Jason Wommack is a foodie and graphic designer who designs car magazines for Xceleration Media and writes a Food 4 Thought column at Gearheads4Life.com Born in Mississippi, he spent 15 years in Chi-cagoland honing his craft, as well as his love for food, before moving back to Memphis. He’s currently eating his way through the city with his Food Bucket List that contains over 300 items. He and his wife Tammy have two English bulldogs, Savannah and Brutus.

Pappaw playing a game of “Hot Pepper” with my nephew Parker while his brother Junior watches.


When triathlon runners get ready for a race, they do some-thing called carb loading,

eating lots of carbohydrates to build an energy reserve for the race ahead. What we’re really talking about here is Ultra XP carb loading. But instead of carbohy-drates, we’re referring to Holley’s latest series of Ultra XP circle track carbure-tors — the Ultra XP 650 and 750 cfm carburetors.

The Ultra XP is the top of the line for 4150 Holleys and a step up from the very popular HP line. So why should the Ultra XP become your new favorite carburetor?

Let’s start with losing weight. While we all could probably stand to lose a few pounds, the Ultra XP line has already done that by trimming 2.8 pounds off the girth of the zinc-based HP line using cast aluminum components combined with billet aluminum metering blocks and base plate.

You might even notice that air bleeds in the top of the carburetor have been moved ever-so-slightly outboard

By Jeff SmithPhotos by Holley, Jeff SmithCARBLOADINGULTRA

Holley’s latest Ultra XP Series carbs are prepped for the race

Looking straight down through the venturis, there are screw-in high speed and idle air bleeds for each venture. Also note the drop-leg boosters and the radiused Allen bolts now used to retain the accelerator pump nozzles. If you look closely, you can also see the more aerodynamic button-head Allen screws used to retain the throttle plates.

OneDirt.com 103

to create both a smoother transition into the main body and to improve their function. If you look closely, Hol-ley has also added a radiused Allen head fastener to retain the accelerator pump nozzles and fitted the main body with anti-siphon valves to prevent fuel pull-over from the nozzles.

The fuel bowls also feature several changes, including -8 male, O-ring boss (ORB) fuel line fittings that seal to the bowls with O-rings rather than those thin gaskets. Fuel bowl capacity has also been increased by a full 20 percent, which might also encourage slightly low-er fuel pressures to minimize aeration of the fuel. You might also have picked up on the handy fuel bowl drain located in the center of each fuel bowl.

Billet metering blocks means all the passages are precisely drilled, making all the main and idle circuits consistent and responsive to changes. You can also more easily dial in the idle circuit with screw-in idle feed restrictors that will control the four corner idle mixture adjusters. Holley has also revamped several circuits, includ-ing increasing the size of the power valve channel restrictor and the angle channel leading to the booster is also enlarged.

There’s even the very handy idle air bypass featured on all Ultra XP carbure-tors. While setting the idle speed might not seem like a big deal for a race engine, it’s still an important setting to prevent excessively rich mixtures at idle. The idle bypass adjustment fitting is located underneath the air cleaner stud. Carbu-retors with this feature are easily spotted as they all feature four small bypass holes surrounding the center area near the air cleaner stud.

This tight view of the fuel bowl reveals the drain plug in the bottom of the bowl, along with a good look at the new -8 male fuel bowl O-ring fitting. Also note the fuel level sight glass is now retained with retaining rings.

Holley’s idle bypass feature allows setting idle speed with this adjustor located underneath the air cleaner stud. The four surrounding holes feed bypass air into the manifold to set idle speed without having to disturb the ideal setting of the throttle blades relative to the idle transfer slot. This eliminates having to drill holes in the throttle blades.

The underneath view shows the billet alumi-num base plate. The idle bypass air enters the manifold through that hole in the center of the base plate.

The billet metering blocks feature easily removable emulsion, power valve channel restrictor, and idle feed restrictor bleeds. This gives the knowledgeable tuner a tremendous range of tuning options.

The bypass allows the tuner to adjust the idle speed with the bypass adjuster instead of the normal curb idle adjuster. It’s best to leave the throttle plates in their original position so they remain in the cor-rect relation to the idle transition slot. This prevents pulling excess fuel out of the tran-sition slot at curb idle and also will drasti-cally improve off-idle throttle response.

Moving to the base plate, the sec-ondary side now has its own, easily-ad-justable stop located near the second-ary accelerator pump instead of hidden underneath the baseplate. Both throttle shafts are now PTFE-coated and use

oil-impregnated bronze bushings. As an added bonus, the ends of the throt-tle shafts are capped with bronze cups to prevent dirt from entering the shafts, which is a real plus for oval dirt racing.

Overall, the Ultra XP offers many ad-ditional tuning avenues that previously required sending your carb out to a spe-cialized carb tuner. This kind of adjust-ability is a big reason carburetors have continued to deliver excellent perfor-mance for circle track classes all over the country. Carb loading can be a good thing as long as you choose the right one! Source: Holley Performance Products, holley.com

These circle track version Holleys come with wedge design floats that allow the needle and seat to remain open during high-g corner loading. Traditional flat floats can sometimes close the inlet when fuel climbs the outside portion of the bowl, raising the float.


One of our favorite things about dirt track racing is it’s all about family. Every weekend at tracks across the coun-try, families fill the grandstands for a night of whole-

some fun. The pit areas play host to families diligently working together to keep their loved ones on track for success.

While countless factors can have an impact on whether or not it’s a good night at the track for fans and racers alike, the one constant is that quality time spent together is enjoyed by all. You can’t put a price tag on that.

With one of the core foundations of our sport being family, it only makes sense most new generations follow in the path of their ancestors. Racing is a way of life. It’s in your blood from birth. This is an undeniable fact.

Currently in the dirt track ranks, there is no shortage of next-generation drivers making their impact on the sport. It’s no big secret talented young racers like Brandon Sheppard, Bobby Pierce, and Sheldon Haudenschild are continuing the illustrious legacies of their elders.

THE

NEXTGENERATIONofBy Ben Shelton

OneDirt.com 105

enjoyed success in everything from Motocross to Dirt Modi-fieds to Dirt Late Models, Crawley is best known for his suc-cess in Dirt Sprint Cars. He’s a three-time Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) Champion, a former National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Driver of the Year, and has hundreds of wins to show for his efforts.

Johnny “Bub” McCool II hails from Vicksburg, Mississippi, and has been racing Dirt Late Models since he was 14. In fact, he claimed his first-career win in the division a week before his 15th birthday. He has since gone on to win close to a hundred features and was the 2012 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Rookie of the Year.

While these are the two racers that most likely come to mind, when you reference these illustrious last names, this article is actually about two different competitors: Landon Crawley and Johnny McCool III. These two young men are just beginning their racing careers and represent the future of our sport.

For 8-year-old Landon, racing has been a way of life, for well, his whole life. He’s grown up at the racetrack with his mom, Lora, and his father, Tim. After spending his formidable years watching his dad masterfully wheel Mike Ward’s #88 Sprint Car at track’s across the country, it’s no big surprise to learn Landon has always had a desire to race.

Ironically, the youngster made his Go-Kart racing debut in 2014 but initially didn’t care much for the experience. It wouldn’t be until August 2015 that Landon approached his dad again about giving racing a second shot. Tim was more than pleased to acquiesce to his son’s request.

“I’ve always told Lora that I didn’t want to force racing on him (Landon), but that if he ever came to me and wanted to do it, then I was definitely going to get him started,” Tim remarks with a smile. “So a few weeks after he approached me about

However, we recently realized that while drivers like those mentioned above represent an intricate part of the up-and-com-ing generation of dirt track warriors, there is an even younger sector storming onto the scene.

As a race fan, when you hear names like Crawley and Mc-Cool, you immediately shift focus to some of the best drivers to ever emerge from the South.

Benton, Arkansas, racer Tim Crawley has been blistering tracks across the country for more than 25 years. While he has

Photo by Chris McDill

Photo by Scott FrazierTim Crawley

Johnny McCool III

I’ve won a lot of races in my career, but I don’t think I ever enjoyed anything in racing as much as seeing my kids win.

– Tim Crawley


racing, I bought him his first go-kart. I was glad that he finally got the itch because I knew it was something we could do as a family.”

Landon’s second shot at racing came later that month on August 21. One week later, he had claimed his first win with a Junior 1 division triumph at I-530 Kartway in Hensley, Arkansas.

“I had watched my dad win a ton of races and always want-ed to know what it felt like,” Landon notes. “I never dreamed I would win that soon, and it just felt awesome.”

For Landon, to win was really cool, but for his dad, it was something much more special.

“I’ve won a lot of races in my career, but I don’t think I ever enjoyed anything in racing as much as seeing my kids win,” Tim notes. “I’ve gotten to see my oldest son (Devin) and now Landon win, and it’s definitely a different element of excitement. I’m not really nervous when I’m behind the wheel, but those last few laps watching your kid leading a race is nerve racking as hell!”

Landon went on to claim four more wins before the sea-son was complete. He also qualified for both the Junior Clone and Junior Lite finales at the coveted Indoor Kart Nationals in Batesville, Mississippi, in late 2015.

While Landon was beginning to take those first pivotal steps in becoming the next generation of racer in the Crawley family,

11-year-old Johnny McCool III was getting his feet wet in the world of motorsports as well.

Known as B2 — short for Bub 2 — Johnny was likely born with dirt in his veins. Coming from a family that lives and breathes dirt track racing, it was a no-brainer he would feel the fire to be a racer.

Judy McCool, who is Bub’s mother and B2’s grandmother, is quick to note her grandson came by his desire for racing hon-estly.

“It was all we could do to make Bub wait until he was 14 years old to start racing,” she reminisces. “Back then, there wasn’t all of the opportunities to get young kids started in go-karts like there are now. Otherwise, I have no doubt that he would’ve started racing much earlier.”

B2’s first chance behind the wheel came in Jackson, Missis-sippi, in late December 2014. The then-10-year-old was pre-sented with an exciting opportunity to race a go-kart for the first time during the Santa Shootout at the Kirk Fordice Equine Center.

“I remember dad asking me if I wanted to do it, and I said heck yea!” B2 remembers.

The young McCool capitalized on the chance by qualifying

Landon Crawley

Landon Crawley in victory lane in his #87jr.

Tim Crawley helps his son, Landon, makes some last-minute adjustments.

I had watched my dad win a ton of races and always wanted to know what it felt like. I never dreamed I would win that soon, and it just felt awesome.

– Landon Crawley

OneDirt.com 107

Bub McCool and his son, B2.

on the pole before going on to claim the Junior 1 class win in his debut.

“If there was ever any question on whether or not he would be instantly hooked on racing, it was put to rest when he won that first race,” laughs his father, Bub. “As soon as that race was over he was already asking me when the next race was going to be.”

A year later and B2 is already putting together a strong re-sume. He has claimed twelve wins. During the annual Indoor Kart Nationals in Batesville, Mississippi in November of 2015, B2 went into battle against many of the nation’s top racers, where he came away with a pair of wins.

For Bub McCool he’s looked forward to the day that B2 would get to race for quite some time.

“I did that World of Outlaws deal for a few years there, and I really enjoyed it,” Bub notes. “However, on the same token I knew that it wouldn’t be long before B2 would want to race. In order for that to happen I knew that I would need to quit being gone all over the country all of the time.” People ask me all the time how much I miss the road. I tell them that I enjoyed it, but not near as much as watching my boy race.”

Even though they are just getting started in their racing careers, both Landon and B2 already have their sights set on

B2 starting his trophy collection early.

Johnny McCool III’s #357 Go-Kart.

future goals. While most kids have dreams of racing on pave-ment with NASCAR, these two young men have dreams that are deeply rooted in the dirt.

For Landon Crawley, he hopes to move into the Mini Sprint division in the next few years. From that point, he wants to fol-low in his father’s footsteps to race a Sprint Car for a living with a tour like the World of Outlaws.

B2 has aspirations that involve making a living with the World of Outlaws as well, but his dream of the national tour pertains to the Dirt Late Model version. We guess you could say he wants to be just like his dad.

Racers are getting younger all the time. It’s not uncommon these days to see 4-year-olds getting their first taste of go-kart action. They go to the track each weekend with their parents, siblings, and grandparents in tow. Sure, there are friends there to offer support, but more times than not, the family aspect is what drives it all.

This is why it’s not unheard of to sometimes see four gener-ations of a single family giving their all, each and every week, to help one generation reach his or her goals on the track.

That’s a big part of what makes this sport so special.As long as there are young men, like Landon and B2, who

have the determination to be great, we think dirt track racing has a bright future for years to come. Furthermore, we salute all of the family members, who make sacrifices to support the dreams of these youngsters. After all, it truly takes a family to raise a racer.

If there was ever any question on whether or not he would be instantly hooked on racing, it was put to rest when he won that first race.

– Bub McCool

I remember dad asking if I wanted to do it, and I said heck yea!

– B2


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Brandon Flannery is a globe-trottin’ automotive photojournalist, content developer, and certi-fied shop rat now living in Hernando, Missis-sippi, with a herd of projects and a daily-driven ’73 Satellite Sebring known as The Blue Goose.

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Parting SHOTSWHEN THE CHECKERED FLAG DROPS, IT IS NOT THE END, IT IS SIMPLY THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT RACE.


Photo by Eric Gano

Photo by Eric Gano


Oil not only reduces friction and wear, it provides vital cooling. Extreme tem-peratures in the valve springs, camshaft and pistons will break conventional oil down faster than synthetic, which has a greater “specific heat” capacity.The “viscosity index” measures a base oil’s quality and is based upon the highest quality conventional oil – Pennsylvania Crude. PA Crude’s viscosity index is 100. Historically, the preferred synthetic base oil has been PAO, with an index of 140, until the recent development of mPAO, which has an index of 200. Driven uses mPAO to create a lightweight oil with a high HTHS quality (High Temperature High Shear) that’s less sensitive to heat and won’t break down under extreme friction.

To support lab tests with real world results, Driven had to look no further than Dennis Wells of Wells Racing Engines, who actually mailed in a bag of used rocker arms. Dennis’s class rules require stock rockers and he was hesitant about spending a little extra for oil on his claimer motors. High-RPM circle track racing creates extreme heat and scorched oil that breaks down, burns off and gums up on parts with the carbonized, heat-retaining residue. Reduced viscosity causes heat friction that changes the proper-ties of the metal, making it brittle and fail.After repeatedly replacing failed parts, Dennis switched to Driven’s mPAO-fortified synthetic racing oil and was impressed enough to mail that bag of parts to show before and after making the switch. That’s real-world feedback no lab can beat. Change to Driven or change parts. It’s that simple.

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OneDirt Spring/Summer 2016