Karts to Stock Cars the Latest News and Tech Updates

IS DIRT RACING READY FOR THE LS? SPRINT CARS ARE LEADING THE WAY

THE DIRT TRACK RACING MAGAZINE

KARTS TO STOCK CARS THE LATEST NEWS AND TECH UPDATES

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VALVE TRAIN SECRETS FROM THE PROS HOTTEST ISSUE 1, 2014 PUBLICATION OF PARTS XCELERATION MEDIA

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COMPCAMS.COM CAM HELP® 1.800.999.0853 Shop TALK FROM THE EDITOR 100% Dirt Track Racing Let the Green Flag Fly! Staff Welcome to the very first print edition of OneDirt. Editorial Director Jeff Huneycutt Yes, OneDirt.com the website has been around for a couple of years now, but this issue marks the beginning Contributors Ben Shelton of some big changes for us. We are staking our claim Dan Hodgdon that both OneDirt the magazine and OneDirt.com are Manufacturers going to become the go-to resources for dirt track racers nationwide when it comes to finding the info you need Advertising Dave Ferrato to run better at the track and win more races. And that’s not just rah rah marketing talk. If you need Production Hailey Douglas proof, just check the contents of this issue. We worked Art Jason Wommack with Keith Jones of Total Seal to figure out how you Zach Tibbett can reliably run modern low-tension rings in standard Jeff Huneycutt pistons to gain an unfair (but very legal) advantage in your Street Stock or Mini Stock race engine. And speaking of pistons, we know hypereutectic pistons get a bad rap in racing, but we share a few secrets to get them to run just as reliably as forged pistons in your claimer engine for half the OneDirt is published semiannually to promote the growth of dirt track racing cost. Finally, we know every race car burns money just about as fast as it does as well as recognize the parts and gasoline, so we’ve got a great feature story filled with some unique viewpoints on services from participating manufactur- how to find and keep sponsors that need you just as badly as you need them. ers. The magazine consists of dedicated Those are just a few of the great stories in this issue of OneDirt, and we hope information from partner companies you enjoy them all. We’ve got lots more great stories cooking in the old editorial with the mission of disseminating pot, so if you want to get a look at those as soon as they are available, make sure unfiltered editorial on companies, prod- to keep an eye on OneDirt.com. Our website is constantly updated with the latest ucts and services directly to dirt racing news updates, how-to articles, and the best racing videos to be found on the participants and fans. internet. In fact, we know that racers are mechanically minded people, and me- Editorial and advertisements for each chanical people generally would rather see how to do something than read about issue originate from partner companies it. So not only are we packing the website with videos of fantastic racing action, participating in the magazine. but many of our tech stories also include video clips embedded right in the article OneDirt is a hybrid of content that was illustrating critical steps. It’s just one way we are taking advantage of the digital originally published at OneDirt.com as age to help make your racing life a bit easier—and hopefully, more successful. well as original content that was creat- So please take a look at the magazine in your hands, and don’t forget to visit ed for this semiannual print magazine. OneDirt.com. We’re working awfully hard to stack one great story on top of Magazine distribution occurs through another in both the magazine and the website, and we’re pretty happy with the selected placement of the publishing results so far—but by no means are we finished. We’d love to hear what you think. company and the internal distribution methods chosen by partner companies. No matter if you race a Pure Stock, Modified, Sprint Car, Late Model or a Kart, we want to know what kinds of stories you are looking for. So give us your two OneDirt is a property of Xceleration cents. Where should we keep pushing, and where have we missed the mark? Media. No part of this magazine may What types of tech stories are you looking for, and do you have any great tips you be reproduced without written consent from Xceleration Media. All rights are willing to share with the rest of your dirt racing brothers and sisters? reserved. Printed in the USA. You can find my personal email address below, and while I can’t reply to every email I definitely read ‘em all. Don’t be shy.

Keep your foot in the gas, SPECIAL THANKS Jeff Huneycutt The staff of OneDirt would like to [email protected] express our sincere gratitude to all the talented photographers that supplied is DirT racinG reaDy For The Ls? spRINT caRs aRe LeadINg The the images found in this issue. Without waY ON their talents and willingness to help, THE COVER there would not be a OneDirt print magazine. The DirT Track racinG BILLY OGLE, JR. maGazine KarTS TO TAZEWELL SPEEDWAY, STO Rick Schwallie The LaTesTcK News carS aNd Tech Upda MAY 31, 2013 Tes latemodelphotos.com

Photo by Rick Schwallie TIPS TO GET MOrE Woody Hampton SPOnSOrS For more on the man behind the lens, & Keep Them woodysracingphotos.com

head over to page 22. ValVE TraIn SEcrETS FrOM THE PrOS

ISSuE 1, 2014 HOTTEST Publication of Xceleration Media OD2014-1 Par onedirt.com win more!TS and MOrE: ONLINe gUIde * VIdeO RewINd * eVeNT pReVIew CONTENTS FEATURES TECH 22 JACK OF ALL TRADES 14 UNFAIR (BUT LEGAL) POWER Rick Schwallie gets dirty to get the shots Total Seal’s advantage ring kits 28 PROFILE OF A CHAMPION 18 A WELCOME ADDITION Rodney Sanders has winning in his blood FAST EFI Comes to Saturday night racing 34 SHOW ME THE $$$ 24 TOP SECRET Sponsors help cut the cost of racing Decoding proper valve train selection 48 KNOWLEDGE IS POWER 30 THE WAYS OF THE CARB The AETC Conference is the place to be Holley upgrades two popular carb designs 50 ALL IN THE FAMILY 38 THE RIGHT STUFF The racing community is one big family Finding the balance in race pistons 63 ONE-ON-ONE 42 PRACTICE SAFE RACING Behind the dirt scene with Bill Schlieper Do you have the right safety gear? 71 THE MAN BEHIND THE MIC 60 INTRODUCING THE LS Meet dirt announcer Ben Shelton The LS engine finds acceptance in dirt racing 78 QUARTER OF A CENTURY 64 WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER? Tracey Clay has the I-30 Speedway buzzing Knowing vehicle’s weight leads to perfect setup 86 RETURN OF RACER’S COMPANY 68 CLUTCH AT THE TRACK Lunati returns to its racing roots Selecting the best racing clutch 92 HELLO AGAIN! 72 THE SHOCK FACTOR A number of closed dirt tracks get another shot Rebuild your own race shocks 74 MAKING SPARKS FLY Crane Cams’ trigger ignition systems 82 BEWARE OF THE HYPE Know the truth about your racing oil

2 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 SPEED SHOP DEPARTMENTS Conical Valve Springs COMP Cams...... 52 Ultra HP 2 BBL Carburetors Holley...... 53 01 SHOP TALK Letter from the editor Power Ring Filer Total Seal...... 53 Pull Bar Adapter Kit Intercomp...... 53 05 SPEED NEWS Voodoo Crankshafts Lunati...... 54 All the “dirt” from the Carburetor Kits Jiffy-Tite...... 54 dirt racing world Angled Carb Spacer Pace Performance...... 54 08 DIGITAL GUIDE SportMod Helmet RaceQuip...... 55 The best sites, apps & social Brake Pedal Assemblies AFCO...... 56 media centered around dirt Driveline Fasteners ARP...... 56 SHX Shock Fluid Driven Racing Oil...... 56 10 VIDEO REWIND Racing, product & RY45 Aluminum Block Roush Yates Racing...... 57 entertainment videos Sportsman Solid Roller Lifters COMP Cams...... 57 Predator Transmission Brinn...... 57 46 SNAP SHOTS SL/14 Modified Shocks JRi Shocks...... 58 Dirt track racing defined 10.4” Street Stock Clutches Quarter Master...... 58 52 SPEED SHOP Titanium Hollow Stem Valves Ferrea...... 58 Hottest products TMS Traction Control Units Davis Technologies...... 59 to hit the dirt 23° Alum. Intake Manifolds Racing Head Service... 59 Hi-6RC Digital CD Ignition Crane Cams...... 59 81 PEOPLE FUELED People that power dirt track racing 91 SOCIAL MEDIA SOUND OFF Your online comments to OneDirt topics 94 FAST FORWARD Schedule for dirt track racing’s main events 96 PARTING SHOTS On to the next race

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 3 HARD CORE GRAY™ HARD-ANODIZED FINISH - the perfect barrier to the corrosive properties of ethanol fuels. DESIGNED AND • 100% Holley - Made in the U.S.A. • 97% aluminum construction SPECIFICALLY • 38% weight savings CALIBRATED • 20% more fuel bowl capacity • 10 new fuel bowl features FOR E85 FUEL! • 10 new base plate features • 6 new metering block features • 5 new main-body features Part# Description • 1 new carburetor...Ultra HP 0-80841HB 600CFM ULTRA HP E85 • E85 specific metering blocks 0-80842HB 650CFM ULTRA HP E85 • High Flow primary power valve 0-80843HB 750CFM ULTRA HP E85 • .130” stainless needle & seats 0-80844HB 850CFM ULTRA HP E85 • 50cc secondary accelerator pump 0-80845HB 950CFM ULTRA HP E85 • Secondary jet extensions installed

Part# 26-147

HOLLEY.COM Techline: 270-781-9741 NEWS / HEADLINES / HOT TOPICS Speed NEWS

Sprint Cup Driver Returns To His Roots David Reutimann starts his own chassis building business Lots of NASCAR’s top drivers learned their craft racing dirt tracks across America. Many still enjoy occasionally getting into a Dirt Late Model or Sprint Car for the fun of it, but few have made the commitment to dirt racing that David Reuti- mann has. Reutimann says he’s always been a chassis guy just as much as he is a driver. When he was driving Dirt Modifieds and Late Models in Zephyrhills, Florida, as a youth, Reutimann says he often either built or modified his own chassis. Now, despite several years in NASCAR’s top touring series (Reutimann drove the 2013 season for BK Motorsports) the driver has started his own chassis building business. BeakBuilt Chassis is Reutimann’s new operation con- we’re told the driver even built the jigs used to construct each structing Dirt Modified racing chassis—the name comes from new chassis. BeakBuilt is already enjoying success with several Reutimann’s nickname referencing his prominent nose. Re- appearances in Victory Lanes at many different race tracks. For utimann is more than the money man allowing others to do all more on BeakBuilt, you can check out their Facebook page at the work. The chassis is, in fact, Reutimann’s own design, and www.facebook.com/beakbuiltchassis.

New Rankings for More Musical Chairs Rick Eckert slides into driver’s seat Dirt Late Models for Rocket Racing House car John Blankenship introduces computerized rankings for Dirt Late Model drivers Despite being one of the best rides in dirt racing, Rocket Just like fans of other sports, fans of Chassis is having a little trouble Dirt Late Model racing—and the rac- keeping a driver in its house car. ers themselves—love to have friendly Fortunately, the changes are arguments about who is the best. only happening for the most no- But it can be hard to find a clear-cut ble of reasons. It all began when winner when the best drivers are championship-winning driver split among different series racing Josh Richards announced before across the country and rarely race the season that he would be head-to-head. stepping away from the ride tem- Driver John Blankenship may porarily for medical reasons. The Rick Eckert have solved that particular dilemma reasons weren’t announced, and with his “Wizard” rankings. Blan- John Blankenship we’ve still got our fingers crossed kenship’s Wizard is a computerized that Richards will recover and be back in the car soon. ranking system that helps determine Until then, he’s working in the Rocket shops building cars. which drivers are having a better season based on lots of stats Brandon Sheppard started the season in the Rocket and some complex computer algorithm that we don’t pretend number 1 and performed quite capably in Richard’s stead. to understand. He was actually second in the World of Outlaws Late Model We’re told the system takes into account not just how standings when he made his own decision to give up the drivers finished in their races but also the strength of their ride in March. After the birth of his son, Sheppard under- racing schedule and the car count in the races that are run. standably wanted to spend more time with his family in It penalizes drivers for not taking part in highly competitive Illinois (Rocket’s shops are in West Virginia). events and forgives events missed because of injury. Blanken- Now veteran Rick Eckert has agreed to fill in indefi- ship updates the driver rankings each month, and it is inter- nitely as Rocket’s lead driver. Eckert is a proven winner esting to see not only who is sitting in the top spot but also to and should be able to guide the familiar blue number 1 compare each driver’s stats. You can check it out yourself at back to Victory Lane. www.johnblankenship23.com/wizard.html.

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 5 Speed NEWS NEWS / HEADLINES / HOT TOPICS

CHECK OUT THIS

1965 MUSTANG DIRT CAR

Mike Huey’s ’65 Mustang turns heads at the race track

In the world of dirt track racing we are, by-and-large, a pretty practical lot. Flat surfaces make for good aerodynamics and are easier to repair, so slab-sided bodies have become the norm. Maybe that’s why we always love seeing the vintage classes race whenever we are at the track. And this Mustang driven by Mike Huey at Lancaster (SC) Speedway definitely caught our eye. At first you might think this car is too beautiful to race, and Huey, in fact, said he heard that comment a few times when he first brought it to the track. and door skins are repop pieces from is made up of almost all used pieces After all, 1965 Mustang fastbacks are the auto supply store. Huey’s dad had laying around the shop pretty collectible pieces. But he says the The chassis is an old NASCAR and screwed together. truth is the ‘65 Mustang shell he literally Nationwide chassis that had been So even if this isn’t a big-budget dragged out of the woods to start his purchased and raced by an ARCA team. build, we still think this race car looks build was a basket case. The floor- Huey says he thinks it is a 2001 chassis like a million bucks. We’re working on boards were completely rotted out, and but isn’t sure. When the ARCA team a story complete with video on Huey all he was able to use was the roof, rear decided to move to newer equipment and his fantastic race car, so make sure quarters and rear decklid. The hood it sat in storage until Huey picked up to keep an eye on www.OneDirt.com comes from another car, and the fenders the roller for $700. The motor, he says, for that.

6 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 NEWS / HEADLINES / HOT TOPICS Speed NEWS

Mountain Creek Added to USMTS Slate USMTS Mods Make First Visit to Grand Prairie during stops in Texas, Oklahoma The USMTS (United States Modified Touring Series) has announced that the Mountain Creek Speedway in Grand Prairie, Texas, has been added to the 2014 schedule for the USMTS Casey’s Cup powered by Swan Energy. The USMTS Modifieds’ debut at the high-banked quarter-mile clay oval will take place on Thursday, June 26, as part of five straight shows in the S&S Fishing & Rental Southern Region presented by Day Motor Sports. Due to this addition Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, the next day. The to the schedule, the event at the Superbowl Speedway in five-event run wraps up Saturday, June 28, at the Southern Greenville, Texas, will now be one day later on Friday, June Oklahoma Speedway in Ardmore, Oklahoma. 27, and replaces Timberline Speedway on the calendar. Seventeen shows in 26 days are scheduled for the month of The week kicks off on Tuesday, June 24, at the Heart O’ June for the USMTS before the tour gets a two-week summer Texas Speedway near Waco, Texas, followed by a visit to the vacation in July. Sponsor for ROTY Program Announced Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series partners with Dunn-Benson Ford for Rookie Awards

Officials at the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series have an- Davis, owner of Midwest Sheet nounced Dunn-Benson Ford has come on board as the title Metal (www.msmfab.com), sponsor of the 2014 Rookie of the Year program. In addition has agreed to post a $50 cash to this sponsorship, Dunn-Benson will also be the “Official award and $50 product award Pace Vehicle” for the season. to the highest finishing rookie This year’s Rookie of the Year program will pay $10,000 driver at each series sanctioned cash, plus product awards, to the top rookie driver that earns points event. the most points over the course of the season. The Rookie This year’s group of rook- of the Year runner-up will receive a $2,500 cash award at the ies includes three drivers that are separated by a slim margin in series year-end banquet. what is shaping up to be a tight battle for the 2014 Rookie of Additional cash and product awards for the Rookie of the the Year title. Year program will come from Midwest Sheet Metal. Chris No. Ala. Speedway Makes Moves North Alabama Speedway Joins NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series

North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Alabama, has joined the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series for the remainder of the 2014 season. North Alabama Speedway promoter Wayne Burns wanted to create a separate class of Late Models for the competitors using the Chevrolet Performance 604 and 602 circle track engines. Burns also wanted his new Late Model class to be sanctioned by the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series so the drivers could compete for not only a track point fund, but also for the $20,000 national point fund that pays $10,000 to the National Champion and pays back through the Top 10 in the national point standings at the end of the 27-week season. drivers at North Alabama Speedway will compete against driv- In addition to the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series ers at other participating at NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Late Model Division, Burns also signed up for the NeSmith Series sanctioned tracks through a points system that counts Performance Parts Street Stock Division presented by AR their 14 best weekly point totals over the 27-week season that Bodies. NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Late Model runs through September 28.

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 7 Digital GUIDE WEBSITES / FORUMS / APPS

HELPING RACERS INTO THE WINNER’S With all of today’s technology, the digital world can be overwhelming. Let’s face CIRCLE it – with so many web- ONE CLICK @ A TIME sites, forums, apps, social media and everything else out there, it can be pretty tough to navigate through all of the nonsense (if you even understand how to use it in the first place) to find the information you need. Not to mention how little time you have when every spare minute is spent trying to win races, right? Here at OneDirt, we’ve done the dirty work for you. We’ve waded through all of that nonsense and extra stuff for you to find some of the best sites, apps and other resources to help you make it to Victory Lane.

Looking for the dirt? the country covered, meaning We’ve got you covered that it always includes a steady OneDirt.com is your go-to stream of new and relevant resource for all things dirt. This information. You can also join is the dirt racing website that over 100,000 dirt enthusiasts covers Sprint Cars, Late Mod- on the OneDirt.com Facebook els, Modifieds, Street Stocks page for even more up-to-the- and much more. Updated daily minute news and the opportu- by a staff of dirt racing experts, nity to talk with other dirt fans OneDirt.com features news around the world. and videos from around the dirt Whether you’re a fan or rac- racing world, along with pro- er, OneDirt.com is designed to files, opinions, product reviews keep you in the know each and and tech tips. The site has the every day of the year. dirt scene in every corner of onedirt.com Shout Out Follow OneDirt Already a fan of OneDirt on facebook.com/onedirtdotcom social media? Then check out twitter.com/onedirt the OneDirt Social Media pinterest.com/xceleration/ Sound Off page to see if your comments made the cut. See page 91.

8 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 Websites & FORUMS Hoseheads.com LateModelRacer.com Features great stories, results and images from Sprint Car racing Anything and everything related to Late Model racing across around the United States. the United States. STLRacing.com RacinBoys.com Includes the latest news for Late Models, Modifieds, Sprints and A website for all things racing organized by type so that you can Midgets in the Missouri and Illinois area, as well as a forum. easily look up your favorite dirt car series to follow all the action. IBRacn.com DirtOnDirt.com News and stats for World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Late Models across the country broken down by region with a Car Dirt Series. full schedule for each month. RacinDirt.com CircleTrack.com All-inclusive site that gathers all of the dirt on dirt track racing, Website based on popular magazine with editorial features on including news and videos on demand from a wide variety of engines, chassis and drivetrain, as well as safety and tech tips. sanctioning bodies.

Photo by Rick Schwallie

Sanctioning BODIES

LucasDirt.com USMTS.com AmericanModifiedSeries.com The official site of one of the premier The site for this popular and rapidly grow- The American Modified Series is a fast-grow- national touring sanctioning bodies for ing Dirt Modified Touring Series features ing Open Wheel Modified tour that holds Dirt Super Late Models. This website news, videos of sanctioned events as well events in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and highlights nearly 50 events in 19 states, as regional races, a complete schedule Tennessee. The series has a stated mission with the official event and television broken down by region, points standings, of generating added exposure for competitors schedule as well as highlights of the driver bios, links to the official USMTS and sponsors, offering elevated prize money tracks and drivers in the series. tracks and more. and providing the best in regional competition. WorldOfOutlaws.com ASCSRacing.com DIRTcarUMP.com As one of the main sanctioning bodies for Following a similar format for other dirt Everything Big Block Modified, Late Model, Sprint Cars and Late Models, this site has track sanctioning bodies, ASCSRacing.com UMP Modified, 358 Modified, Sportsman a separate section for each racing platform. features 300 c.i. Sprint Car series news, Modified, Pro Late Model, Sportsman/NE Each includes up-to-date news, race schedules, results and points on a national Pro Stock, Limited/Pro Modified, Stock Car, results, the official race schedule, points level. You can also search for that informa- Factory Stock and Sport Compact. Yeah, standings, driver bios, track info, a guide for tion based on the region you are in. that about covers it. first-time dirt trackers and much more!

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 9 Video REWIND RACING / PRODUCT / ENTERTAINMENT

DOUG WOLFGANG: “HIS STORY” An in-depth look at the career of legendary Sprint Car pilot Doug Wolfgang. Love him or hate him, there’s no disputing that Doug was a throwback driver that did it his way from start to finish. youtu.be/CVLUmpKc4Yw

Scan QR Code to watch now! Dirt Track PROBLEM SOLVING

FRONTSTRETCH FIGHT AT RUMBLE AT THE RACEWAY PENNSBORO SPEEDWAY This epic race track meltdown filmed at Southern New Mexico Speedway is highly entertaining and helpful in that it shows how In this footage from the late 1990s, a massive front straightaway NOT to handle your emotions at the race track. pileup leads to fisticuffs and hurt feelings between several well- youtu.be/DGk9sSK6lwM known Dirt Late Model drivers at the famous Pennsboro Speedway. youtu.be/31qNWDTd2GA

10 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 ABANDONED TULSA SPEEDWAY Closed in late 2005, Tulsa Speedway was a hotbed of Open Wheel talent in the Midwest. This video shows what the facility looks like today in a sight that has become all too familiar to dirt racing fans. youtu.be/sHpHi1HmrCU 1986 WORLD 100 FROM ELDORA SPEEDWAY VINTAGE This video from the first ever World 100 night race shows the stars of that era battling for DIRT TRACK RACING the prestigious victory. When the dust settles, Jeff Purvis claims his 3rd World 100 title. youtu.be/QAGZcb91hLU Some of the oldest dirt track racing video footage we’ve ever come across online. It’s really cool to look back at the infancy AMAZING HOBBY STOCK RACE of the sport, and you’ll immediately have This Hobby Stock race from Bakersfield Speedway is full of non-stop action from the drop more respect for the drivers from that era. of the green flag to the checkered flag. With a full field and hard-nosed racing, this one is youtu.be/rhWjHiXQd78 worth your time to watch. youtu.be/Cga4Ki1Nmvc 50G TO WIN KART RACE It might be hard to believe that there really was a Dirt Kart race that paid $50,000 to the winner, but it happened in Clay City, Kentucky, and we found the video to prove it. youtu.be/zmUaae3WELU DALE JR GOES DIRT RACING DRIVE: KYLE LARSON For years his legion of fans have clamored to see Dale Jr. do some dirt racing. Finally the This video produced by Target reviews the wait is over. This is one dirt racing video you don’t want to miss. career of NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie and youtu.be/L8Fb5jXV5YA dirt track hot shot Kyle Larson. It’s a great look at what it takes to groom a future racing superstar. youtu.be/bmqEJxRkTHo

Tech CORNER

TECHNOLOGY EXPLAINED: COMP CAMS 4-PATTERN CAMS Power AutoMedia explains how COMP Cams has incorporated NASCAR-de- rived technology in a new series of camshafts that offer better performance and combustion efficiency.

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 11 Nothing Else Matters You can’t help but feel like all is right with the world when experiencing moments like this. Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 13 THE UNFAIR ADVANTAGE TOTAL SEAL’S ADVANTAGE RING KITS MAKE LEGAL POWER IN CLAIMER CLASSES

LET’S BE HONEST, it can be really rings make just two-and-a-half pounds BUT THE THINNER RINGS actu- tough making power on a budget in the of tension. Generally, that adds up to ally offer more advantages than simply lower classes in dirt track racing. about a 10 to 15 horsepower gain in a just a reduction in friction. Because For one, the rulebook almost al- running engine. I’ve had one gentleman there is less mass changing direction ways requires mainly stock or stock-re- that changed just the top ring and saw every time the piston reaches TDC placement components in the engine. a nine horsepower gain. Because when or BDC, thinner rings are less likely And besides, if you could afford all you reduce friction in the rings, even a to suffer from compression-robbing the top-dollar stuff, you’d be racing a small change gets multiplied by several ring flutter. Plus, thinner rings break- Super Late Model in a touring series, thousand RPM, and it really adds up.” in more quickly and actually provide a right? Of course, even if you don’t better seal to imperfect cylinder walls mind spending the money, claimer rules in the lower classes make putting too much of an investment into your race engine a dicey proposition. At OneDirt we’re always on the lookout for ways that you can improve your racing program without breaking the bank, and Total Seal’s Advantage Ring System is a perfect example of how you can do exactly that.

SMART ENGINE BUILDERS have known for a while now that an excellent way to cut the parasitic drag in an engine is to use thinner rings. Thinner piston rings create less friction as they move up and down the cylinder bore, and every ounce of force not required to overcome drag is that much more power that can be put to the rear wheels. That may not sound like much, but Keith Jones of piston ring manufacturer Total Seal says in a race engine those ounces really add up. “Typically, a 5/64-inch thick piston ring, which is what is commonly considered a standard size, makes about seven to eight pounds of tension against the cylinder wall per ring,” he explains. “Our modern 1.2 millimeter thick

14 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 TENSION: WHAT A DRAG Total Seal's engineers did the science behind this chart, but it is true for any ring. The moral of the story here is thickness equals tension, and tension equals drag. The key is to find the least amount of tension your engine combination can get by with. To find that out, give the tech line for your ring manufacturer a call. RING TENSION Compression Rings Oil Rings Axial x Radial Tension Axial x Radial Tension 5/64” x .190” 7.3 – 7.5 lbf. 3/16” x .187” 20 – 25 lbf. 1/16” x .190” 5.5 – 5.7 lbf. 3.0mm x .145” 9 – 11 lbf. 1.5mm x .160” 3.0 – 3.2 lbf. 2.0mm x .125” 7 – 8 lbf. Total Seal’s Advantage Ring Packages in- 1.2mm x .155” 2.3 – 2.5 lbf. geniously use a spacer that allows you to .043” x .155” 1.8 – 2.0 lbf. run modern 1.2 millimeter thick low-ten- .0325” x .135” 0.8 – 1.0 lbf. sion rings in standard pistons made for .0274” x .110” 0.5 – 0.7 lbf. standard 5/64 rings. The result is less drag and more power to the rear wheels. than larger, stiffer rings. Many racers thin ring doesn’t handle as well as a times the rule book requires a “stock- and engine builders worry that a thin- thicker and heavier ring is detonation, type” or “stock-replacement” piston ner piston ring won’t hold up as well, and if you are trying to race with a det- — and those simply aren’t available and the race engine will suffer from onating engine you’ve got bigger prob- with narrow ring grooves. Plus, high- blow-by too soon, but the reverse is ac- lems than ring seal. end pistons with narrow ring grooves tually true. Once the rings are properly This is old news for upper lev- are simply out of the budget for these seated, the reduced friction against the el touring classes, but the advantage race engines, and when there is a $500 cylinder walls means the rings will actu- of racing with thinner rings has seen or even $1,500 claimer rule, it doesn’t ally last as long, or longer, than conven- slower acceptance in the Street Stock make sense to invest too much into the tional rings. The only thing a modern, and claimer classes because many rotating assembly.

Lower or entry-level racing classes often have a claim rule or a requirement for stock or stock-replacement engine parts. Being able to use modern, low-tension oil rings in these engines can free up significant horsepower. When you reduce friction in the rings, even a small change gets multiplied by several thousand RPM and it really adds up. – Keith Johnson Total Seal

TOTAL SEAL’S ADVANTAGE RING PACKAGES are de- most critical for helping the ring to seal, the spacer rides on top signed to allow the Street Stock level racer to take advantage of the ring so it stays out of the way. of modern piston ring designs without breaking the bank. You can purchase an Advantage Ring Kit with either To- They actually allow you to install a 1.2 millimeter first and tal Seal’s signature gapless ring technology or with a standard second ring into a conventional piston with a larger groove gapped top ring. Either way, Total Seal offers steel rings with dia- for a 5/64-inch ring by utilizing a hardened steel spacer that mond-finished edges that will provide excellent sealing. Pair that takes up the extra clearance and allows the thinner ring to with a thinner, napier-style second ring and one of Total Seal’s work optimally. low-drag oil-ring packages, and we’re talking about a horsepow- The best part is this is a significant power upgrade that is er difference you can actually feel from the driver’s seat. totally legal in most racing classes. Jones points out that while This is an engine building option that we love here at rulebooks will often require a stock-type piston, they never say OneDirt because there really isn’t a drawback for the rac- what size ring package you have to put in them. So for a street er. Yes, the modern rings are slightly more expensive than stock engine you can go out and purchase a set of hypereutectic previous-generation cast iron rings, but they provide better flat top pistons for a couple hundred bucks, install a set of Total sealing, lower rotating weight and less parasitic engine drag Seal Advantage Rings with the spacer and get the performance without a penalty in usable lifespan. And now you can install advantage of low-tension rings without having to purchase an them in a wide range of affordable piston packages that are expensive set of custom pistons. legal for your racing class. So the question becomes: What can you do with an additional 10-15 totally legal horsepow- INSTALLING AN ADVANTAGE RING PACKAGE really er in your race car? isn’t any different than a standard ring set with the exception of the spacer. The spacer hides totally within the ring groove so it Source should never touch the cylinder wall and shouldn’t have to be Total Seal 623.587.7400 gapped. And because the bottom ring land in the piston is the totalseal.com

16 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 uem_icon_onedirt_half_pg 3/11/14 11:25 AM Page 1

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+1 763-476-2531 Worldwide THE FUTURE IS HERE When the sanctioning bodies didn’t move fast enough for his liking, racer and engine builder Dave Arce worked with FAST to put fuel injection on a refreshed stock engine and is testing it in his race car to prove it can be done economically.

IT SEEMS THAT SOME THINGS innovation, and if there is a way to im- Innovative we’ve been told are coming never seem prove the life of the average dirt track to get here. Flying cars for example, or racer, then we should at least look into it. Engine Builder dishwashers that unload themselves. It We recently learned of a racer and seems we’ve also been told that electron- engine builder that has taken the bull Brings Fuel ic fuel injection will inevitably be making by the horns and is forcing innovation its way to racing, but by and large, we’re into the series he’s racing by mak- Injection to still waiting. ing the benefits impossible to ignore. NASCAR made waves a couple of Dave Arce of Arce Engines has built Saturday Night years ago when it finally introduced and plans to campaign a fuel inject- EFI to its Cup Series engines, but their ed, LS-based race engine that powers Racing package turned out to be astronomically a Modified race car in the Lucas Oil expensive and it isn’t even close to be- Modified Series (LOMS). Yes, the ing used in the Nationwide or Camping Lucas Oil Modifieds race on asphalt, World Truck Series yet. Obviously, when but we think Arce’s innovative engine we talk about keeping costs down in rac- package will work equally well in a dirt ing so that more people can get involved, racing environment—and in a variety the Cup solution really isn’t viable for of different classes. (If you know of a the rest of us. dirt racer or engine builder doing simi- In the dirt racing world, with the ex- lar things, please let us here at OneDirt ception of mechanical fuel injection sys- know about it.) tems utilized by Sprint Car racers, we’re We know Arce is truthful about his still depending on carburetors to get the intentions to help Saturday night racers job done. Now don’t get us wrong, we be able to enjoy their sport more afford- aren’t saying carburetors should be out- ably. As an engine builder it is easy to see lawed—quite the opposite, in fact. We how his best interest would be served by believe that racing should be all about continuing with the status quo and sell-

18 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 ing expensive custom engines for racing. Instead, he used himself as a guinea pig and campaigned last season with a rebuilt street engine. “I really believe we have to have something more affordable for the Satur- We think the innovation day night racer,” he explains. “It has to on this Asphalt Modified be more efficient, and it has to be readily is worth investigating. available for the average guy. So I start- The engine runs mostly ed out with an LQ series motor. Every- stock parts and burns body talks about the LS engine. Well, pump gas, but it is already approximately as fast the LQ series is in the LS family, except as the more expensive it is a cast iron block version that came custom-built race engines in trucks and other heavy vehicles. The in the series. LQ9 was the top performing engine in the family, and it came in the Escalade and some other stuff. “So I bought a 5.3 from a wrecking yard, bored it oversized to make the dis- placement 5.7 liters (350 cubic inches) and put it all back together. It’s a 5.7 now, so I call it an LQ9. I kept the origi- that he felt he had a solid foundation tem before bringing it to the race track. nal block and heads, and it was very easy with the motor, he wanted to add fuel He says he answered only the baseline and inexpensive to do. injection to the mix. questions in the EZ-EFI’s removable “I put it in my Modified that I race “I went to the SEMA show last year hand-held tuner. in the Lucas Oil Modified Series. We and someone I trust recommended the Arce wasn’t allowed to compete with use a rule book that is a lot like the FAST EZ-EFI system to me,” Arce says. the EZ-EFI system in the first race of the IMCA except we don’t have a claim “So I went to the FAST booth and told season at Havasu 95 Speedway in Lake rule. If you have a thousand dollar them what I was trying to do. That’s Havasu City, Arizona, but he was allowed claim rule you wind up with a lot of when I met Brian Reese (the Vice Pres- to test with it before switching to a car- people building junk, and I don’t think ident of Product Development at the buretor for qualifying and the race itself. that leads to good racing. You achieve the same thing with the eight-inch tire rule and shock package that we have, I really believe we have to have something which really limits how much power you can put to the ground. more affordable for the Saturday night racer. “And I have to give the racing series – Dave Arce a lot of credit. To run the LQ9 I needed Arce Engines them to change the rules so that you can run an engine with more than one coil and also allow a crank trigger instead of COMP Performance Group, which in- “The system surprised me with how a distributor, and they were willing to cludes FAST). He was very interested well it did,” he says. “We practiced with it work with me on that.” in what I was trying to do and said he so that the people running the series and Arce said his LQ9 ran very well would commit to helping me any way he the other racers can see what it is all about. all last season. One thing he did find could. He told me he really wanted to see Like I said, we didn’t dyno it or even try to is that the up-and-over design of the this thing work, and I could tell he real- tune it before we got to the track. But on the headers put a lot of heat into the coil ly believed his EZ-EFI system could do track within a couple of laps it started tun- packs which are normally mounted on what I needed.” ing itself to the engine and the conditions, the valve covers, and coil failure be- Arce says he installed FAST’s EZ- and you could really see the difference.” came a problem. The location for the EFI system on the race car exactly ac- Threatening rain meant Arce had coils also created issues in finding a cording to the instructions with no to switch over to a carburetor before way to run the spark plug wires from modifications to any of the components. he would have liked, but he says he is the coil packs to the plugs without con- During the off-season, he had gotten the excited about the possibilities of bring- tacting the hot headers. So he designed LOMS to agree to look into the viability ing fuel injection to racing. “Some guys a mounting plate that moved the coil of electronic fuel injection but no more, may think, ‘Hey, you’re trying to get an packs to the back of the engine and so Arce wanted to prove the FAST sys- advantage here. But so what? What we underneath the headers where they do tem not only to himself but also the rac- are trying to do is make these engines not see nearly as much heat. In this lo- ing series and other racers, as well. more efficient and easier to maintain. cation the plug wires can also be rout- To do that he installed the EZ-EFI Guys won’t be melting pistons because ed underneath the header tubes, curing system in his LQ9 powered Modified they are trying to lean out the fuel too the second issue. and confirmed that everything was in much. The system tunes itself, so it For the 2014 season he wanted to working order but didn’t run the en- eliminates a lot of the costly mistakes push the envelope even further. Now gine on the dyno or even tune the sys- we make. It isn’t expensive, the FAST

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 19 Arce mounted the in-line fuel pump on the left side of the car where it is protected between the driver’s compartment and the battery. In the event of a wreck, when the engine shuts off, What racers don’t need is any unnecessary complexity. With the air cleaner in place, the EZ-EFI a switch monitoring engine oil pressure acti- fuel injection system is barely noticeable. vates and cuts all power–killing the fuel pump. system will bolt up to any engine that uses the same 4150 in- sensor in real time and making adjustments to the amount of fuel take manifold flange that the Holley four barrel bolts to, and it is giving the engine right there on the race track.” anyone can use it. I want it to be open to everybody, because I Arce hopes to actually run his fuel injected setup in real believe we all can benefit from it.” competition in a few weeks to see how it holds up under fire. From the driver’s seat, Arce says the FAST EZ-EFI system His next goal is to come up with an affordable fuel cell setup felt more “pure.” The computer eliminated the stumbles and that moves the fuel pump into the cell, but as far as the actual hesitation so common with a carburetor when you first get back fuel injection system goes, his development is done. on the throttle coming out of the turns, and the engine pulled “I think this system from FAST will work great for racing,” he hard all the way down the straight. Even with just a minimum says. “We already know that you can’t reprogram the ECU to give amount of track time, Arce–who qualified third for the race us- you some sort of traction control because it doesn’t even have the ing his carbureted setup–believes he could have sat on the pole hardware to do it in the box. In fact, the control unit only requires with the fuel injected setup. one plug. If we are all racing the FAST system and you think I’ve “But the speed isn’t the best part to me,” he says. “It is how it cheated up my system, then fine, I undo the four bolts securing can benefit the racers. When I had to switch back to the carbure- the ECU, unplug the harness and swap it out for a control unit tor for the race, I realized I really don’t want to do this anymore. I provided by the series in just a few minutes. It’s that simple.” had to tear the carburetor apart twice to make jet changes with the At this point, we don’t know if or when the LOMS will allow changing weather, and both times I was trying not to spill fuel all fuel injection officially, but we think Arce makes so much sense that over the engine, and we all have the cups of race gas that we end a fuel injection system like this is worth considering. For example, up throwing onto the ground. There is none of that with the fuel his 11.5:1 compression LQ9 with stock cylinder heads and the injection. I could spend all day tuning on a carburetor and not get FAST EZ-EFI is running comparable lap times to the custom-built it as close as the EZ-EFI because it is sniffing on a wide-band O2 race engines, but Arce is fueling his LQ9 with the same four-dollar 91 octane fuel he puts into his hauler! Inexpensive stock engine parts, cheap gas and less tuning in the pits – what’s not to like? If you are interested in learning more, or want to approach your sanctioning body about using a fuel injected racing engine, Arce has founded the Fuel Injection Racing Association (FIRA) to help the cause. You can check it out at www.FuelInjection- Racing.com. And make sure to let us know here at OneDirt if This small ECU you’re looking for a fuel injection solution near you. controls the EFI system. Arce Sources mounted it in the Arce Engines driver’s compart- 888.272.3227 ment not only for arceengines.com protection, but this also makes it easy FAST to inspect. If a tech 877.334.8355 inspector suspects fuelairspark.com foul play, removing FIRA and replacing the fuelinjectionracing.com ECU is simple.

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22 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 6. What’s the behind-the-scenes 8. Any tips for aspiring manage our promoter relations down to life of a traveling motorsports motorsports photographers on every nut and bolt with the race track. photographer like? getting great, dynamic photos? So I am usually working very closely A lot of hours! If there’s one thing I’m not one that likes to sit in the infield with the track promoter. that I dislike about it, it’s the photo and shoot from the same spot all night Usually, the most relaxing point is editing. Working a typical race week- long. To me, that’s the key to it all: when we get to racing. Once everything end for the Lucas Oil Series is pretty You’ve got to have variety. Try differ- has started, that means everyone is in grueling and exhausting. Plus, I’m a ent locations with different lenses and position to do what they need to do, truck driver for the series, so when I experiment to see what works for you. and I am freed up to where I can start get home—usually on a Sunday—after Always try to find something unique. taking pictures. the race all the equipment has to be So be patient. Be willing to learn and unloaded. I usually spend Sunday experiment. And don’t just shoot from 10. Can you give us an up-and- night and most of Monday editing one spot in the infield all evening. coming driver to keep an eye on? and uploading pictures. That part of Oh, that’s no problem. A very talented it I could really lose. I love taking the 9. What is a typical race young driver racing with us right now photos, but going back through and weekend like? is Bobby Pierce. He just captured his editing and uploading them to differ- A lot of stress! Usually, we’re some of second series win with us this year. I ent websites isn’t my favorite. the first people at the track and one of don’t think he’s even 18 years old yet, the last to leave. I like to get to the track and he’s already winning races. I have 7. Do you shoot anything the night before each race. We usually no doubt he’s a star on the rise. besides racing? have roll call for all of our staff and of- No, I do not. I don’t shoot anything ficials around noon the day of the race. To see more of Rick’s work check out besides racing and my family. I’m there to manage the staff, and I also www.latemodelphotos.com.

Photo by Rick Schwallie

PROPER VALVE TRAIN SELECTION

SETTING UP A VALVE TRAIN PACKAGE for dirt racing is never an easy task, even for the most experienced racer or crew chief. The cam is often considered the brain of the engine, meaning that it is the control center for all of the valve train functions. The patterns and position of the lobes on the camshaft determine the timing and lift applied to the valves, which in turn move air through the system and create horsepower. However, all valve train components need to work together—as well as with other engine parts—to create the optimum power and torque needed for the track on any given day. Budget, the rulebook, driving style and engine upkeep all are significant areas to consider in the selection of a camshaft and related valve train components. We got the thoughts from some of the leading minds at a few Photos by Woody Hampton of the world’s top valve train companies on the best way to select a dirt valve train package.

ALLAN BECHTLOFF OF CRANE CAMS is a circle track specialist for the Daytona Beach-based company. He says that the first two major considerations in selecting valve train parts are the rules and the budget. Each racer must be aware of what the rules will allow him or her to do and not do. Some race sanctioning bodies have strict rules on what type of cam can be run and what its specifications must be, other sanctions are wide open with a “run what you brung” attitude. “First, know your rules,” Bechtloff says. “Secondly, be aware of the old adage that speed costs money. We all want to go fast, but what is realistic for your budget? All cam companies have catalog cams at reasonable prices that may be fine for your application. These cam selections are based on past experience and are designed to fit the most likely engine combinations.” He goes on to say though that if you are trying to take full advantage of the rules and/or to finely tune your engine combination, a little more expensive custom ground cam that is de-

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 25 signed exactly for you may be the key to success. He believes these custom options are well worth the time and investment. TERMINOLOGY: CAMSHAFTS Bechtloff also gives a great overview of the various types of dirt racing and the rules associated. The internal combustion engine is a giant air pump. The cam- The entry level Bomber and Street Stock classes are de- shaft is the metering device that opens and closes the valves, signed so that the dollar investment is easier on the pocket and the more efficiently the air moves through the system, the book. These classes usually have rules packages that limit what more horsepower is created. Camshafts differ in designs for you can do with the engine with the sole intent of keeping several reasons but the three main factors are: duration, valve the dollar investment at a minimum. Here is where you find lift and lobe separation angle. rules that limit the type of cam you can use to a flat tappet DURATION determines the RPM potential of the engine and its design (either hydraulic or mechanical/solid). The valve lift power band. It is how long the valve is open, measured in de- may be specified and in some cases even the vacuum the grees of crankshaft rotation. Small duration numbers mean the engine can generate. engine operates best at lower RPM, concentrating the power, As you move up to the mid-level classes the rules become building it quickly and then peaking. Larger duration numbers less restrictive, the horsepower output increases and the cars go hold the valve open longer, allowing more air to enter and faster. These classes are where the Modifieds and Late Models exit, thereby enabling the engine to reach higher RPM. Larger compete. Here the use of a roller tappet camshaft might be legal. duration cams have less bottom-end power but more mid-range If you continue up the ranks, you find at the top of the list the to top-end power. Unlimited Late Models and open wheel, winged Outlaw Sprint Cars. At these levels the engine cubic inch and compression ra- VALVE LIFT is the distance the valve travels. This determines tio are allowed to increase. Roller tappet camshafts with needle how much of the air/fuel mixture can enter and exit the engine, bearing journals and high ratio shaft-mounted rocker arms be- thereby producing more torque. It is created by the lobe lift of come the norm. the camshaft and is increased by the rocker ratio to arrive at “With each class the engines become more powerful, the total valve lift. Lift is measured in the thousandths of an inch in complexity of the racing increases, the cars go faster and of travel. Increased lobe lift and/or increased rocker arm ratio will course the dollar investment increases,” Bechtloff explains. lift the valve farther. “But no matter the level of competition, if you are trying to find LOBE SEPARATION ANGLE (LSA) On a given cylinder, this is an edge in a Bomber Class or an Outlaw Sprint Car, the cam- the angular distance by which the centerline of the intake and shaft selection is still a very important part of the process. “ exhaust lobes are separated, measured in camshaft degrees. If we consider duration to determine RPM potential and valve MEANWHILE, DAVID CHAMBERLAIN OF LUNATI lift to determine torque, then consider lobe separation as a in Olive Branch, Mississippi, is a tech support and sales represen- modifier of these two things. Lobe separation is important tative. Like Bechtloff, Chamberlain explains that before getting too in determining the shape of the torque curve and where far, racers in any discipline of dirt racing should check the rulebooks. horsepower is made across the overall powerband. Tight lobe He goes on to say that the size of the track, engine size, type of fuel separation angles bring the torque on earlier in the RPM range and compression ratio are some other major factors to consider. and concentrate it for more power off the turn. Wider lobe Chamberlain also says that RPM is usually key—especially the separation angles soften the launch and build more power past RPM out of the turn since it is important to not over-cam the the flagman. If your car has lots of tire with good grip you can engine. “For most circle track applications we keep in mind that run tighter lobe separation angles. If you have a tire limitation the engine is only running within a certain RPM range and not a (with a narrow or hard compound tire) the tight separation broader operating range,” he says. angle would tend to spin the tires and lead to loss of traction. A wider lobe separation angle would lessen the shock to the tire, helping to prevent spinning and traction loss. – Courtesy of Crane Cams Lots of people just think bigger don’t have the time or resources to go through these rigorous tasks each week. However, the type of abuse the engine faces on is better, but when you figure the track plays just as much of a role in cam selection as does how the whole power curve you it’s treated in the garage. Race lengths are vital in the type of valve train setup a racer uses. For instance, a 20-lap Street Stock race need to find the cam that is may lend itself to a harder-hitting valve train than a 75- or 100-lap Modified or Late Model race. The way the driver treats the car in best for your program. those races also is an important factor in choosing precisely the – James Fry right cam. “A camshaft is just an extension of a person’s driving COMP Cams style,” Fry states. “It is very important to match the cam selection to his or her type of driving. A driver who likes a smooth power This piece of information plays a major part in how the cam curve would use a camshaft that is less torque-y than someone profile is designed. Most circle track cams have a tight Lobe who requires a snappier throttle response.” Racers who lack this separation angle. The tighter LSA will narrow the powerband knowledge often make critical errors in camshaft selection be- but make it peak higher and pull harder within the given RPM cause they simply want the biggest cam possible. range. This will be a benefit because most of the time the engine “Lots of people just think bigger is better, but when you fig- is only working within a narrow RPM scope. This LSA design ure the whole power curve you need to find the cam that is best is common practice for most circle track cams, but that does not for your program,” Fry says.It is also important to consider the mean there aren’t cases where a variation is necessary. relationship of the entire valve train package when buying com- “If a driver tells us he or she has a heavy foot, we may put a ponents. If a racer buys the latest trick cam or rocker arms, but wider LSA and a little more duration to make the hit on the tires has the idea to use them with stock parts in other areas, there a little softer off the turn,” Chamberlain explains. Lunati also actually is a greater chance for engine failure. It’s crucial to work tries to not make the cam too application-specific for one track within a budget to select compatible components. because the driver often takes care of the change by switching After taking all of these ideas into account, Fry sums up the ba- rear gears from one track to another as needed. As for a racer on a sics of valve train selection this way. “The first thing to remember budget, Chamberlain says that there are a couple of areas Lunati is that you always have to finish a race. It doesn’t matter how you will focus on to be sure he remains competitive. “The first would start, you have to finish well. Choose a valve train package that is be style of cam. In most budget scenarios we try to go with a sol- friendly and durable but aggressive enough to make horsepower. id flat tappet. Solids will make good power because of the solid Consider your whole package and think about compatible com- design and will be easy on the car owner’s purse strings. The ponents within your budget. And be sure that your maintenance second area to save money is to use less-aggressive lobe designs. program is in order. Those are the keys to success.” This will be easier on related parts, such as lifters and springs, and require less maintenance throughout the season.” Sources COMP Cams 800.999.0853 COMP CAMS’ JAMES FRY is a specialist in circle track compcams.com power plants and has worked with some of the top names in dirt. Crane Cams He says that one of the first things a racer should explore when 866.388.5120 selecting valve train parts is the team’s maintenance program. cranecams.com A race team that performs regular maintenance in the form of Lunati frequent valve lash, normal spring pressure checks and overall 662.892.1500 visual awareness can probably run a stouter cam than those who lunatipower.com

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 27 PROFILE OF A CHAMPION RODNEY SANDERS Just to go and root for my dad each week was about the most fun thing I remember as a kid. Well, until I got my hand on a steering wheel the first time. – Rodney Sanders

Photos by Rick Schwallie

IT TAKES ALL KINDS of personalities to make the sport “It was quite the jump from the Kart to the B-Mod,” of auto racing go round. Some racers are loud and boisterous, Sanders remembers. “I was really nervous early, and it took me while others are quiet and reserved. Happy, Texas, native Rod- a while to get a handle on my new surroundings. It definitely ney Sanders definitely fits the latter mold as the soft-spoken wasn’t easy, but I really enjoyed the challenge.” driver who does almost all of his talking on the race track. Rodney and his dad spent the next few years racing together Sanders grew up watching his dad, Marcus Sanders, race before the elder Sanders parked his own race car to focus on divisions ranging from Stock Cars to Late Models and always his son’s career. With the focus solely on Rodney, the team looked forward to heading to the track each week. began to enjoy success around the local scene as he progressed “Just to go and root for my dad each week at the track into the Open Wheel Modified class. The 2006 season found was about the most fun thing I remember doing as a kid,” the Sanders claiming the track championship at Route 66 Speed- younger Sanders says. Then after a pause and with a smile way as well as a $5,000 triumph late in the year in Kansas. Soon he continues, “Well, it was the most fun thing, until I got my thereafter he began branching out to more tracks in the region. hand on a steering wheel the first time. That’s when I found “I really enjoyed traveling, and I especially liked the chal- the real fun.” lenge of trying to learn new tracks,” he says. “I knew that to get Rodney’s introduction to driving came in 1998 at the age better behind the wheel, I had to take on new challenges.” of eight when his dad bought him his first Kart. He was in- Being a lower budget team with limited replacement parts stantly hooked and won his very first race. Sanders spent the presented one of those challenges during the team’s early days next five years enjoying his wildest dreams of being a winning of traveling. However, they would progressively begin to gain race car driver. But soon he had the desire to dive even deeper sponsors as their runs continued to improve. into the world of motorsports. By the age of 14 he found By 2009 Sanders had become a frequent flyer on the himself as the driver of a B-Modified at Route 66 Speedway in ultra-competitive United States Modified Touring Series Amarillo, Texas. (USMTS), and on June 26th of that year at LA Raceway in La

28 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 Monte, Missouri, he solidified his spot on the national scene Sanders also lists Krohn as a catalyst in his charge to the by racing to his first career feature win on the tour. 2013 USMTS championship. “To be 19 years old and get a win against guys like (Kelly) “Jason has so much knowledge in this sport, and he was Shryock, (Jason) Krohn and (Jason) Hughes, it was just an constantly helping me with notes from his own MB Customs amazing feeling that I’ll never forget,” he reminisces. car last year,” Sanders explains. “There were many a night I With confidence in his corner Sanders made serious noise was at a total loss, and he got me pointed in the right direction. across the nation in 2010 with several big wins including a Without Jason’s help I don’t know that I would have won that $12,000 payday in the USRA Fall Nationals at Mississippi championship last year.” Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wisconsin, as well as a Sanders is also quick to note that the support from sponsor $10,000 triumph in the Fall Nationals at Southern New Mexi- Swan Energy’s Brandon Davis has been priceless in his pursuit co Speedway in Las Cruces, New Mexico. of progressing through the national scene. The 2011 and 2012 seasons found Sanders continuing to “Brandon came on board to help us in 2011 as a major amass wins nationwide, and those strong seasons set the stage for supporter, and that allowed me to take my program to the a career year in 2013 in his number 20 Open Wheel Modified. next level,” Sanders says. “He gives me everything that I He began the season with three wins during the annual need to perform against the best drivers in the nation. Before Winter Extreme at Tucson International Raceway in Tucson, he started helping us we were literally a night-to-night team Arizona. From there he went on an absolute tear in the Open that was one engine failure away from being headed to the Wheel Modified division with 17 total wins for the year with house at any point. He’s brought a great deal of stability to various sanctions. The icing on the cake came in the form of this team. I have so many amazing sponsors that allow me to the 2013 USMTS National Championship. do what I do, but Brandon really has led the way. I’m beyond “Those wins meant a lot, but that USMTS Champion- grateful for all he has done for me.” ship was something that I wanted more than anything else,” After the banner year that he had in 2013, Sanders knows Sanders says. “We came so close to reaching the goal in 2012, that it will be quite the challenge to have a repeat performance and that made me that much hungrier to get the job done for in 2014, but he’s confident that his team is up to the task. 2013. To stand on that champion’s podium at the end of the “With the opportunity and equipment that Swan Energy year at Deer Creek Speedway (in Spring Valley, Minnesota) is Racing gives me, it’s really up to me to get the job done again,” a feeling I will never forget.” he says. “All of the pieces are definitely in place for another Not only did Sanders wreak havoc in the Open Wheel championship run with the USMTS.” Modified class in 2013, but he also got his first taste of Super While Sanders has his sights set on another USMTS title Late Model racing courtesy of good friend, Jason Krohn. Sand- he also hopes to do more Super Late Model racing at various ers’ debut in Krohn’s new car at Casa Grande’s Central Ari- events across the nation. zona Raceway, nearly became a dream outing. He started his “We are going to do our best to run some of the early season night by winning his heat race, and then ran at the front of the USMTS regions to lock into The Hunt for the end of the year,” pack in front of some of the nation’s best drivers for the first he says regarding this year’s plans. “That’s definitely our primary half of the feature event before a mechanical failure brought his focus. If we can do that I really want to spend a decent amount of night to a disappointing end. time racing the Super Late Model. I really love the feel of those Sanders remembers, “I was about as nervous to drive the cars, and again I always love the challenge of a new division.” Super Late Model as I was the first time I got in the B-Mod. It Looking at long-term goals in his career, Sanders, much like was all so new, but I fell in love with it immediately.” any other driver, has aspirations of reaching the NASCAR ranks. Not only did Jason Krohn give Sanders his first shot at driv- “Sure I would love to be running in one of the NASCAR di- ing a Super Late Model, but Sanders is also quick to note he’s visions, but it takes so much sponsorship to make that happen,” also been a major factor in his success over the years. he notes. “Being realistic I know it would take a lot of things to “In my early years on the road I can remember breaking come together to make that happen. If it never does and I stay a motor one night with no back-up engine in the trailer,” he in the dirt world for the rest of my career I will be happy, too. remembers. “Jason heard about my problems and invited me to “I’ve really had a ton of blessings in my career to get to race his shop to put one of his in my car. I mean this guy barely knew for a living, and there’s a lot of things I still want to accomplish me, and yet he stuck his neck out for me. I’ll never forget that.” in this sport.”

Rodney Sanders powers through a turn in at the I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Nebraska. PUSHING BOUNDARIES

THERE’S THAT OLD SAYING in racing that if you aren’t improving, then you are getting passed. And although there are a few other DESPITE DOMINATING MOST carburetor manufacturers in racing, Hol- DIRT RACING CLASSES, ley is far and away the dominant brand in dirt track and practically every other HOLLEY UPGRADES TWO OF THEIR form of racing that utilizes carburetors. Still, the company recently overhauled CARB DESIGNS TO WIN MORE RACES their legendary carburetor design with several upgrades in their Ultra HP series to make sure it won’t be getting passed any time soon.

Photo by Rick Schwallie When Holley reworked the 4412 two barrel carburetor they didn’t just slap on their Ultra HP upgrades, they also made several changes to help racers deal with the challenges unique to two barrel carbs. Besides removing the choke tower, the Ultra HP 2BBL has also moved the air cleaner PUSHING flange so that it is now centered over the venturis to move as much air through the carb as BOUNDARIES efficiently as possible.

A new feature on both carbs that dirt trackers will appreciate is this cap that seals the housing bore for the throttle shaft. Its purpose is to keep out dirt and grit so that you have a nice, smooth throttle all season long.

Holley’s Ultra HP Four Barrel Car- buretors include as standard equipment While running E85 versus gasoline you are many features that dirt track racers have benefited from to tune their carburetors going to use approximately 40 percent more more easily, run quicker, have more con- fuel at wide-open throttle. sistent laps, and even win more races. – Laura Shehan The list of upgrades is pretty long, but Holley the notables include lighter all-aluminum construction, clear sight windows, larger fuel bowls that utilize cast-in baf- E85 FUEL IS A BLEND containing stoichometric ratio) for gasoline is 14.7 fles to minimize fuel slosh upsetting the as much as 85 percent plant-based etha- parts air to one part fuel, E85 burns most floats, relocated air bleeds, contoured nol and at least 15 percent gasoline. It is efficiently at a much richer 9.76:1 ratio squirter screws that don’t impede the problematic as a street fuel, but it can be of air to fuel. That means the engine will flow of air, tunable billet aluminum mean incredible tool for racers. That’s be- need a lot more fuel than if it were burning tering blocks and an integrated bypass cause E85 is rated 105 octane and burns straight gas, so besides installing a larger valve that eliminates drilling holes into cooler than straight gasoline. And while fuel cell, you will have to adjust your car- the throttle blades and helps maintain a 110 octane race fuel can sell for $10 a gal- buretor to be able to properly deliver the steady idle even with the most aggres- lon or more, E85 is sold right out of the increased fuel load required. sive race cams. pump at a price that is equivalent to—or Unfortunately, building a race-quality Now Holley’s engineers have ex- even less than—87 octane gasoline. E85 carburetor requires a bit more than panded the lineup of Ultra HP Carbure- As a result, many smart racers are look- opening up the jets. “While running E85 tors to include two specialized units that ing to run E85 in their race cars because versus gasoline you are going to use ap- caught our attention here at OneDirt, they realize that they can get the benefits of proximately 40 percent more fuel at wide- because both look like they can poten- race fuel at gas station prices. But running open throttle, and there is more that goes tially be a very big deal for dirt track rac- E85 involves a little bit more than simply into converting a carburetor to E85 than ers. We took a closer look at both, and emptying your fuel cell and refilling it increasing the jet size,” explains Holley’s we think you are going to be very inter- with the ethanol-blended fuel. While the Laura Shehan. “In developing the cali- ested in what we found. optimal air/fuel mixture (also known as brations for the E85 Ultra HP series, a

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 31 Making a carburetor work with E85 requires more than simply opening up the jets. The E85 Ultra HP carb has a host of tweaks to make optimal power with good throttle response on the ethanol/gasoline blended fuel. This is the billet aluminum base plate on the four barrel. Not only is In oval track racing high it much stronger than g-forces can cause prob- the cast piece it re- lems when fuel sloshes places, it also includes inside the bowl. A larger an idle bypass system bowl with a “shelf” about for a smooth, de- midway up keeps fuel pendable idle—even from sloshing on top of the with ultra-aggressive A large drain plug was floats for more consistent racing cams. added to the bowls to operation. Also notice the make jet changes at “trough” in the bottom of the track much easier the bowl that routes fuel di- without spilling fuel all rectly to the jets and keeps over the hot engine. them covered in fuel. significant amount of time and develop- tors for racing than we can count, and he is running at higher RPM; the power ment went into determining the correct mentioned that the two barrel carb always valve can be tuned, or selected, such that main-well sizes and booster configura- seems to be harder to keep tuned and the manifold vacuum causes it to close tions as well as the actual restrictor sizes operating smoothly. He thinks it may be off and lean out the fuel mixture.” in the metering block and main body. In because the two barrel lacks the second Unlike the Ultra HP E85 Carb that addition, the emulsion stack had to be fuel bowl and the extra pair of squirters visually looks quite similar to other tuned properly to the main well to lift the and venturis to even out spikes or dips in 4BBL carbs, this new 2BBL looks quite fuel without separating it and causing fuel the fuel delivery, but he hasn’t done the different from its predecessors. That’s distribution and performance issues.” testing to determine exactly why. mainly because all pretense at being a If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it Holley’s new Ultra HP 2BBL Carbs street carburetor used for racing has is. The Ultra HP E85 Carb may look like attempt to cure all that by not only adding been dropped. The choke tower has one of Holley’s standard four barrel gaso- the previous improvements from the Ultra been completely done away with in or- line carbs on the outside, but it has been HP designs, but also by making many new der to improve air flow into the venturis, significantly reworked to make best use of changes specifically designed to overcome and the throttle lever is a dedicated race the new fuel. What that means is racers can the two barrel’s unique drawbacks. piece with all unnecessary street attach- bolt up an E85 carb and hit the race track “The most unique challenge to tuning ment points and tangs removed. Holley without suffering through the usual tuning a two barrel, specifically the 4412 HP (a even moved the air cleaner flange so difficulties that come from switching fuels. popular choice among racers and sanc- that it is now centered over the venturis tioning bodies), is that this carburetor is to give the carburetor every advantage THE TWO BARREL CARBURETOR undersized for most of the applications it when it comes to maximizing airflow. is still the standard in the Mini Stock and is mandated for,” Shehan explains of the With the Ultra HP design platform a few other classes. Your track may have a difficulties working with the typical two plus the purpose-specific upgrades variation on the name, but Mini Stock usu- barrel carb. “So while on the typical four Holley’s engineers built into these two ally refers to the entry-level class requiring barrel calibrations are for the most part new carburetors, both definitely hold rear drive cars with carbureted four cyl- (correctly) sized for the application, the a ton of potential for dirt track racing. inder engines. The class is dominated by engine will be pulling a lot harder on the We’ll keep an eye out for racers run- Mustangs powered by Ford’s 2.3 liter four fuel circuits of the two barrel carburetor. ning these new carburetors and report and Toyota Corollas with that automaker’s “This was taken into consideration back on how well they are performing semi-hemi four. But regardless, the carbu- when the main well and booster config- in real-world racing. retor is practically always some variation of uration were developed. In addition, the Holley’s venerable 4412 two barrel carb. power valve selection comes into play Source Holley We spoke with engine builder Keith because of the amount of manifold vacu- 270.781.9741 Dorton, who has tuned more carbure- um that may be present when the engine holley.com

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LET’S FACE IT, RACING IS AN EXPENSIVE SPORT. EVEN IF YOU ARE RACING IN THE HOBBY STOCK CLASSES, THE BILLS CAN ADD UP QUICKLY. THAT’S WHY, UNLESS you’ve al- ers in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series make Pit-area-focused marketing includes ready earned yourself a sizeable fortune, appearances and shoot commercials to companies whose products or services securing a quality sponsor or two (or help boost their value to sponsors. So if are used by racers. This includes parts more, if we’re honest) is nearly as im- they have to go to those lengths, just imag- manufacturers, tire companies, racing portant as skill behind the wheel. After ine what you will need to do. fuel distributors and others. These com- all, nobody doubts there are plenty of You must also consider that even if a panies don’t usually care how many fans super-talented drivers out there that nev- company is large enough to have a market- are in the grandstands, they just want to er got the chance to win championships. ing department, they aren’t going to spend know how you can get other racers to They were certainly capable but they a lot of time thinking about your racing purchase their products. lacked the finances to put a competitive program—all their energies are focused on Grandstand-focused marketing race car on the track. their products. So before you even try to includes companies with products To that end, we hope to provide you secure a meeting with a potential sponsor, that are purchased and consumed with some quality tips on finding—and make sure you are prepared to explain to by everybody. These include restau- keeping—the sponsorship you need them how you can specifically and mea- rants, casinos, service companies, and to help your racing operation succeed. surably increase their business. companies with products that have a And the first rule is simple: Start now. Securing and keeping a sponsor is a wide consumer base (everything from If you wait until you need sponsorship tough business. You must over-deliver at ice cream to dishwashing detergent). from a company to start building a re- every opportunity, both before you get the Companies with a grandstand-focused lationship, it’s too late. Sponsorship is sponsorship and certainly after they have marketing program market to the gen- all about relationships, and building re- agreed to support your racing efforts. eral public and will want to know how lationships takes time. you will drive fans from the race track The key with relationships is they are BEFORE YOU CAN properly pitch a to their business. always a two-way street. Simply expecting potential sponsor, you have to know who At first it may seem like working with a a company to write you a check in return they are marketing to. Generally, you can pit-area-focused company will be the eas- for a decal somewhere on the car isn’t go- break down their ideal market into two ier choice. But you have to be aware that ing to cut it. Even the most popular driv- areas, “the pits” and “the stands.” it does have a few very specific require-

34 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 No matter what class you race, there are ways you can be beneficial to a potential sponsor. ments. First of all, you have to be a good track each week, the local business own- $100 for a billboard on the backstretch racer. No one will want to purchase any er may not be as good a match for what and be done with it. products you endorse if you are consis- you can offer versus a company that is As racer though you can offer much tently finishing in the back of the pack. But trying to sell a product nationwide. more—you can build a relationship and just as important, you have to be helpful actively market that company to their ben- and actually willing to assist your compe- THERE ARE TWO TYPES of sponsor- efit. But that requires you to make a com- tition. To be effective, you can’t just win, ship you can target. The first, and proba- mitment to that company. Ben Shelton you have to be willing to prove to your bly most common, is a product sponsor- not only works as an announcer on the competition that your sponsors played a ship. A product sponsorship—where the World of Outlaws Late Model series, he role in gaining that victory. A perfect ex- manufacturer actually provides you with also works with many race teams, tracks ample is the Rocket house car team of Josh its products versus cash—is much easier and even sanctioning bodies to help Richards now being driven by Rick Eck- to attain compared to a financial spon- match them up with potential sponsors. ert. Although they are definitely at the race sorship. It is also the most logical place “The hard part isn’t getting a spon- track to win, both the drivers and their to start when searching for sponsorship. sor, the hard part is keeping a sponsor,” crews are constantly approached by other Your goal with this type of sponsorship he says. “The reality is the hard part is Rocket drivers at the track with questions should be to over-deliver and grow it into getting a sponsor to stick around once about setups and how to make their own financial backing. If handled correctly, you get them. Because I’ve seen so many cars faster. And as far as we’ve seen, no one most product sponsors will continue to times that once a racer or a team gets approaching respectfully (when the team offer support for many years and in many that money they forget about the spon- isn’t thrashing on the car or about to leave cases, your entire racing career. sor’s needs and quit taking care of them. for staging) and with legitimate questions has ever been turned away. One of the best ways to gain a new sponsor’s YOUR RACING SCHEDULE will play a big role in the type of companies attention is to give them a plan they’ve never you are most likely to be able to benefit heard before. through sponsorship. Take, for example, McDonald’s. McDonald’s has restau- rants nationwide and will be looking to Financial sponsorship, on the other That’s why I always say the real work be- any marketing program to be able to cast hand, is normally extremely tough to gins once you get the sponsor. a net as wide as possible. Meanwhile, the find and virtually impossible to secure “A lot of times you are going to want owner of a muffler shop with only one without some sort of existing relation- $10,000 from them and they are only location cannot benefit from sponsoring ship. To gain a financial sponsor you going to give you a hundred bucks,” he a racing operation that follows a touring must be innovative and able to prove to continues. “But don’t give up on them. If series that spans several states. the potential sponsor that you can bring you are able to make that hundred dollar If you race a home track each week, in a significant return on his investment. sponsor feel like a $10,000 sponsor, then search out potential sponsors that also If you can help a company make money down the road they are more likely to up market in that area. If this describes you, they will happily support your racing their commitment to you. the owner of a single muffler shop (or program, but proving it will be tough. “The perfect example is the COMP restaurant, or carpet cleaning service, Cams Super Dirt Series. When I first got etc.) will most likely be your ideal mar- IF ALL A POTENTIAL sponsor want- involved with it, they wanted COMP to be keting partner. You can benefit each oth- ed was for people to see its logo at the involved with the series in a big time way. er the best. On the other hand, if you are race track, instead of paying you to put But when COMP Cams first got involved a touring operation racing at a different its logo on your hood, it could spend it didn’t come in with a ton of money but a

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 35 SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO KEEP & GROW A SPONSOR? There are lots of things you can do, but here are a few options:

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA and build an online fan base. Send out regular updates—not only on race results and where you will be racing next, but also any promotions your sponsor may be having. This point used to be about building a website, but these days social media like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest If you benefit from a product sponsorship, that means you will have to help other racers understand how that product can help them. Drivers of house cars for chassis manufacturers even are the heavyweights and not to be ignored. have to be willing to share setup tips with their competition. If you have a team website, make sure you use it to promote your sponsor as well. jacket. They gave a jacket to the driver that had the most feature wins during the season. In GET TO KNOW & BE FRIENDS with the one pocket was $500 and in the other pocket was a $500 product certificate. track announcers and photographers. You “At the time the series was called the Mid South Racing Association, and they will need their help and all the publicity were kind of bummed about it. But I told them to make COMP feel like a big time they can offer. Always make sure the track sponsor and give them a reason to stick around. You’ve got to prove yourself. And announcer has a one-page bio on yourself they went above and beyond and now COMP Cams is the title sponsor of the series. and your sponsor listing. “The moral of the story is you’ve got to be in it for the long haul, and you’ve got ATTEND TRADE & RACING SHOWS— to grow your sponsors.” both national events like PRI and local—and make an effort to meet future sponsors and career influencers. Never solicit sponsorships at these events. It’s all about forming and building relationships. SEND PHOTOS & REGULAR UPDATES both to existing and potential sponsors. Photos are always needed for marketing and advertising materials. Highlight your successes. Now that we live in a digital age this is easier than ever. MAKE YOUR CAR AVAILABLE to the sponsor to draw fans. Maybe you can park it in front of his facility to draw a crowd or take it to community events. Getting people to see that big logo on the hood doesn’t always have to take place at the Instead of asking for money, this team worked a deal with a restaurant, Buddy’s Point, to occa- race track. Does your community have a sionally feed their hardworking volunteer crew a good meal. local fair? Even if you have to put it on a trailer, see if you can be a part of the local ONE OF THE BEST ways to gain a new sponsor’s attention is to give them a plan Christmas parade. You get the idea. Of they’ve never heard before. Try to find ways that can benefit your racing program course, this means you have to keep your while minimizing the cost to the sponsor. car clean and in good shape. A race car For example, we know of one team that has worked out sponsorship from a near- that looks like its next lap will be to the by restaurant and entertainment venue. No money changes hands, but the restaurant crusher doesn’t impress anybody. feeds the crew weekly. Since most of the race crew are volunteers, being able to treat them to a nice meal is a great way to thank them for their hard work. The restaurant, BE APPROACHABLE & FRIENDLY. meanwhile, doesn’t mind feeding a few extra mouths once a week, and the race team Sometimes it’s fun to play the villain on the actually draws a crowd. race track but if other racers and fans in the Another idea is to help show other racers how to make the most of their product. If stands have the urge to spit every time they your sponsor manufactures a racing component, make a YouTube video showing how say your name, your usefulness to existing that part is installed and used to its best advantage. You are racing with the part anyway, and potential sponsors will be severely lim- so shooting the video can simply be added to your normal maintenance routine. ited. The same thing holds for your personal life—don’t show up on the police blotter.

36 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 More Power & Throttle Response For Small Block Chevy Engines

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IF YOU RACE IN A CLASS that has an engine claim rule, FIND THE RIGHT MIX you have to find a delicate balance between finding the best performance possible and keeping costs down so you aren’t out to OF ECONOMY AND lunch in case somebody puts in a claim for your engine. Maximizing your horsepower-per-dollar ratio is key here. ALL-OUT PERFORMANCE And not only must you find components that give you the most bang for your buck in terms of producing power, but you also FOR THE PISTONS IN need race parts that are well-made and durable because a blown engine can be a worse drain on the bank account than a claim. YOUR RACE ENGINE One area where you can sometimes get good performance and durability at a discount is with your pistons. Stock or stock-replacement pistons are usually cast slugs with full skirts which increase parasitic drag and are often heavy and use a pressed-in wrist pin—which also causes greater drag and can create wear issues in high-RPM applications. On the plus side, they are cheap. At the other end of the spectrum is the high-performance forged piston. Forged piston designs cover the spectrum from mild to wild, but for racers the benefit is greater strength to be able to withstand lots of horsepower, more modern low-friction

38 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 United Engine Machine produces cast, hypereutectic and forged pistons through the different brands it owns (Silvolite, KB and Icon, respectively). One of the more interesting offerings is their KB Claimer Series pistons which pack a lot of features into a set of pistons that sell for around $250 a set.

Notice the small grooves just above the top ring land. These are anti-detonation grooves that disrupt any pressure waves caused by detonation before they can reach the top ring. Between the first and second rings is the accumulator groove which provides a zone for gasses that get past the top ring to accumulate so they won't cause the second ring to flutter.

designs, a floating wrist pin for better durability and less parasitic drag in high-RPM applications, and machined valve pockets With a hypereutectic piston, they with minimal wasted area to help increase compression ratio. will last a tremendous amount of Of course, a high-quality set of forged pistons also comes with a high-quality price tag and can often eat up the entire claimer time if you are good to them. budget all by itself. – Marko Glush The middle ground is to go with a set of hypereutectic pis- United Engine Machine tons which offer greater performance than stock but without the cost of forged. Tech specialist Marko Glush of piston manufacturer United Engine Machine (UEM) explains that hypereutec- the engine to go into detonation, they can crack. But if you’re tic pistons are essentially cast pistons using a special aluminum good on your tune-up they can do a great job in a race engine alloy with extra silicon. “With cast pistons the aluminum usual- and last a long time. ly absorbs around 12 percent silicon and when they are hyper- “One of the characteristics of the hypereutectic aluminum is eutectic we add a few more ingredients to help the aluminum that it reflects heat better than a forged piston will. A hypereutec- absorbs a higher content of silicon, usually around 16 percent,” tic piston will run cooler than a forged piston because it reflects Glush says. “That makes it a very hard piston which reflects heat back into the chamber. It also moves a lot of heat into the heat better and controls expansion.” cylinder bore through the top ring, so it requires a larger ring Glush is an interesting resource for OneDirt and dirt track gap than a forged piston does. If you treat a hypereutectic piston racers in general because he essentially doesn’t have a dog in the like you would a forged piston and run the standard 0.020 of an fight. His company, UEM, manufactures standard cast pistons inch ring gap on a four inch bore, that can cause you problems. through its Silvolite brand, hypereutectic pistons through its In a race you are really loading the engine, and when all that heat KB Pistons arm, and forged under its Icon line of performance gets into the top ring with the smaller end gap, the ends can butt. pistons. Because of this, Glush regularly works with racers and That is when you wind up breaking the top ring lands off. engine builders to spec out the right pistons for their needs. “Hypereutectic pistons have a bad reputation with some Even though hypereutectic pistons have gotten a bit of a bad people for breaking the ring lands, but really it is a preparation rap in racing circles, Glush says that he has seen many engine issue. With a hypereutectic piston you need to run the gap on builders have great success with them. The problem arises, he that top ring quite a bit bigger, usually between 0.028 and 0.032 says, when engine builders treat a set of hypereutectic pistons the on a four-inch piston.” same as forged. Because of the difference in material, hypereutec- A hypereutectic piston also requires special consideration tic pistons require a few special steps when building the engine. when machining the engine block. Because the hypereutectic alu- “With a hypereutectic piston, they will last a tremendous minum has a lower expansion rate than the material used in forged amount of time if you are good to them,” he says. “They are not aluminum pistons, the clearance between the piston and the cyl- flexible like a forged piston, so if you make them flex by allowing inder bore should be reduced. Glush usually recommends a bore

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 39 Another nice feature for such inexpensive pistons is an anti-friction coating on the skirts that helps protect the cylinder bores on startup or if the oil pressure dips.

A slipper skirt design helps cut parasitic friction loss by cutting away the skirt from the sides where it isn’t as useful. The slipper skirt also allows the pin bores to be moved inboard so that lighter weight 2.5-inch wrist pins can be used.

clearance between 0.0025 and 0.0035 of an inch for hypereutectic pistons in a dirt track racing application compared to the standard 0.0035 to 0.0065 of an inch of clearance for forged pistons. Running a bore clearance that tight can make some old-school engine builders nervous, but it really isn’t as much of This is UEM’s Icon FHR piston. FHR stands for an issue with hypereutectic pistons. First, “formed head relief” which means the valve as we’ve already mentioned, they simply pockets are pressed during the forging process do not expand as much as a typical forged and not cut after the fact. This is one of the rea- piston. Plus, the material is extremely hard sons UEM is able to offer these forged pistons for less than $400 (street price) which is signifi- and doesn’t tend to gall against the cylin- cantly less than most forged piston options. der bore like a softer forged piston will. Still, there are applications where a Pro Race Distributor forged piston is better suited than a hy- • Most accurate “out of the box” pereutectic. The general consensus is in good shape and aren’t starting to gall distributor available that a forged piston should be used in up, and the skirts measure to their spec, • Optical trigger for speed, accuracy any engine producing 550 horsepow- then you can probably go four seasons • Status LED light for quick diagnostic er or more or whenever the rpm level with them. The main thing is don’t let the • Full bearing supported shaft with exceeds 7,500. “The reason why is the engine go lean or get into detonation.” double lip seal higher-revving race engine is more likely Most teams racing in claimer classes • Championship winning since 1997 to have a valvetrain failure,” Glush says. don’t have the luxury of a dedicated en- “If something goes wrong, say you break gine tuner, so to avoid detonation issues a valve spring, and a valve hits the top of shortening the life of your race engine, Race Billet Distributor the piston, the forged piston is more duc- you may want to consider backing off on • Optical trigger for steady trigger signal tile and more likely to be able to take the your timing a couple degrees. No, your • Full bearing supported stainless shaft impact without coming apart. The cast engine won’t be running on the ragged • Solid brass lugs in cap for best spark or hypereutectic piston, when they expe- edge, but it will still make very close to • Billet lower housing rience something like that they are more its maximum horsepower and you will • Includes gear compatible with steel likely to break apart. So for motors that have a race engine that’s affordable and and cast cams are going to see a lot of RPM, the forged dependable for seasons at a time. piston is probably the better option.” So if you are racing in a class with an But in the right application, Glush says engine-claim rule and can’t work a set- a quality hypereutectic piston isn’t only forged pistons into the budget, there a good value up front (typically cheaper definitely is a better option for you than than a mid-priced set of forged pistons cast stock replacement pistons. by $150 or more) but they are also quite durable. “When you do your teardown at Source the end of the season, do a quick check of United Engine Machine 800.648.7970 Made in the U.S.A. the pistons,” he adds. “If the pin bores are uempistons.com 866-388-5120 | cranecams.com WIN MORE IN

® 2014 TCI TORQUE CONVERTERS DELIVER WINNING PERFORMANCE & MAXIMUM DURABILITY

FastLapTM Circle Track Torque Converters Looks aren’t everything…but with regards to torque converters, they can hide the secret to winning races. For sanctioning bodies that mandate the use of a “stock appearing” converter, TCI® Circle Track Torque Converters satisfy the rulebook requirements while delivering a distinct performance advantage. TCI® Circle Track Torque Converters are specially designed with a lower “positive lock-up” stall speed, eliminating approximately 10% of the power robbing slippage found in OEM and lesser quality converters. On the track, this results in huge off-the-corner acceleration improvements and the ultimate in “green ﬂ ag” starting speed.

Built with a heavy-duty stator, furnace-brazed fi ns and precision-certifi ed stall speed to maximize effi ciency, these stock appearing converters usually reduce lap times by one to two- tenths of a second. In addition, these converters feature reduced rotational weight to improve engine braking in corners and lower transmission operating temperatures. Brand X TCI® FastLapTM • Satisfy requirements of “stock appearing” converter • Only 4 Fins Hastily Tack Weld- • All Fins 100% Furnace-Brazed • Designed with positive lock-up stall speed to eliminate ed Create Stall Fluctuation For Stall Consistency approximately 10% of power robbing slippage • Small Diameter, Inferior De- • Oversized, Heavy-Load Bear- sign Bearings Prone To Failure ings For Increased Durability • Feature heavy-duty stator, furnace-brazed fi ns and precision-certifi ed stall speed • Unmachined Bearing Surfaces • Fully Machined Bearing Sur- Cause Unneccesary Loading faces Ensure Trueness • Can reduce lap times by up to two-tenths of a second • Improperly Balanced • Every Unit Digitally Balanced • Reduced rotational weight improves engine braking in corners to lower transmission operating temperatures

Flexplate Safety Shields Flexplates Flexplate Safety Shields are mandatory in many classes to protect TCI® stamped fl explates are .035" thicker than stock, and the starter both drivers and spectators from fl explate or starter ring gear failure. ring is welded to both sides of the fl explate for additional strength. Con- All TCI® Flexplate Shields are manufactured from high-strength steel, structed from a high-tensile strength material, these precision balanced SFI 30.1 certifi ed and built to precision tolerances for perfect fi tment. fl explates resist elongation and cracking.

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JUST USING THE MINIMUM SAFETY EQUIPMENT TO GET YOU ON THE TRACK MAY NOT PROVIDE THE PROTECTION YOU EXPECT IN THE EVENT OF A WRECK OR FIRE

IN THE LAST DECADE there has been an increased emphasis on driver safety in the big league racing series’ of NASCAR, Indy- Car, Formula One and the NHRA. And thankfully, much of that new awareness has also trickled down to the Saturday night dirt track racing levels. No, we aren’t seeing custom-fitted carbon fiber seats and $3,000 carbon fiber helmets in the Street Stock classes too often, but we are definitely seeing an increased use of quality safety gear, head-and- neck restraints, and higher-quality racing seats practically everywhere we go. And that is much more important than the lightweight carbon fiber seat. But the trap with the personal protective safety equipment is that it can be tempting to simply turn your gear into a checklist. Helmet? Check. Driver’s suit? Check. Gloves? Check. You get the idea. Quite often, that checklist mentality for most of us simply comes from reading the rulebook. The thinking goes, if the rulebook says you have to have at least a single layer suit to race, well then by gosh, that’s what I’m going to buy. If that’s what the rulebook requires, then it must be good enough to protect me. And besides, the multi-layer fire suit is more expensive, and I can spend that extra money on tires! So you buy one of everything the rulebook requires you to have, check them off your list and go to the race track thinking you are all set. But the truth of the matter is the rulebook sets a minimum standard, and every racer should be aware of just how much safety they are getting with their hard-earned dollar. To help you determine what safety gear is best for your needs, we’ve put together a few tips with the help of safety products manufacturer RaceQuip on the major areas where personal safety equipment is concerned. We aren’t necessarily saying you have to go out and purchase the most expensive of everything—in fact, some companies like RaceQuip specialize in providing Saturday night racers top-level safety gear at very reasonable prices—but you should be aware that not all personal safety equipment is created the same. We’re all racing on a budget, so here’s how to get the best bang for Photo by Rick Schwallie your buck.

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 43 THE DRIVER’S SUIT, or fire suit, is probably the single biggest area where racers will try to get by with less than they truly need. In the spring and summer it can get awfully hot, so we understand the desire to use the lightest weight suit possible. Plus, often the only requirement in the rulebook is that the fire suit be SFI certified. A current SFI certification is critical for any driver’s suit, but that isn’t a one-size-fits-all stamp of approval. The SFI designation for a driver’s auto racing suit is 3.2A, but there are additional levels for that designation. For example, an SFI 3.2A/1 suit is a single layer suit that is rated for protection against second degree burns in a gasoline-fueled fire for three seconds. That definitely isn’t very long, but it is better than nothing. An SFI 3.2A/5 rated suit is a multi-layer suit capable of preventing second degree burns in that same fire for at least ten seconds. There isn’t a set number of layers for The Snell foundation updates its SA requirements for helmets every five a 3.2A/5 suit, and sometimes manufacturers years. So even though this new SportMod helmet from RaceQuip retails can achieve this level of protection with for less than $200, because it is SA2010 compliant, you can be confident one or two layers but it requires space-age that it offers better protection than an SA2005 helmet that sold for sever- (read, expensive) materials. al hundred dollars when new. If you think the difference between three and ten seconds isn’t very much, do a quick test. With your helmet Just think about the differences crashing a motorcycle versus on, buckle yourself into your race car and then have someone crashing a race car—namely sliding down the road vs. multiple time you as you try to get out and see just how many seconds hard impacts against a roll cage. A motorcycle helmet is designed you need. Now imagine the car is on fire, and try it again. to meet a different set of criteria and does not have to meet the same The major difference between suits costing $100 and those level of protection when it comes to being flame retardant and costing $1,000 are the materials used and the number of layers strong enough to protect your head after multiple impacts against the suit is made from. The two main materials used to build a roll bar. It’s also important to note that an M rated helmet will racing suits are Fire Retardant Cotton (FRC) and Nomex. FRC not have TearOff posts or provisions for a head-and-neck restraint. can go by many trade names, like Banox, Proban, Pyrovatex, Also, if you are currently racing with an SA2005 or older hel- and others. All of these FRC products are created by treating met, we strongly urge you to consider upgrading to an SA2010 the cotton fibers at the molecular level to be fire retardant. No- model. First, your helmet is at least eight years old, the liner is mex, on the other hand, is an inherently fire retardant, man- starting to break down, and the shell may be fatigued. And sec- made fiber that can be woven into cloth. ond, the Snell Foundation seriously upgraded the requirements Since an FRC suit and a Nomex suit will carry the same SFI with the 2010 testing specification, so all SA2010-spec helmets rating, you can make an apples-to-apples comparison. Typical- will provide a much greater level of protection than older models. ly a Nomex suit will be built with a lighter-weight fabric than a When shopping, be careful not get too fixated on the weight comparable FRC suit. However, since cotton is a natural fiber, of the helmet. While lighter weight means less strain on your it is hypoallergenic and also wicks away moisture so it provides neck in longer races, it also means more expensive construction. added comfort. The biggest difference between the two fabric All Snell SA2010 helmets have to pass the same tests, regard- choices is cost—a Nomex suit at the same SFI-rated protec- less of overall weight or shell materials used. In other words, a tion level will cost you around twice as much as an FRC suit. fiberglass helmet offers the same level of impact protection as a Regardless of which type of suit you buy, the experts always carbon fiber helmet. recommend a multi-layer SFI-5 suit for oval track racing—even if your series, sanction or track will allow you to wear an SFI-1 HEAD-AND-NECK RESTRAINTS still aren’t mandatory at single layer suit. some tracks, but given what we know now, no one should even consider racing without one. Even Hobby Stock cars attain YOUR HELMET, like the driver’s suit, should also meet a min- enough speed to cause serious neck and back trauma or death if imum safety criteria. Every quality auto racing helmet has an you hit the wall at the right angle. “SA” certification which comes from the Snell Foundation. You Currently, there are four head-and-neck restraint systems will find the certification printed on a sticker underneath the that have passed the rigorous testing and received the SFI liner of the helmet. The SA testing specifications are updated 38.1 designation. They are the HANS and Hybrid (both every five years, and the current certification is SA2010. owned by Simpson), NecksGen Rev and the new kid on the Even if your track allows you to race with a Snell “M” rated block, the Leatt MRX. motorcycle helmet you absolutely should use a full face helmet All four systems use the same basic layout to keep the head with a Snell “SA” rating. A motorcycle helmet does not provide from moving too far forward in a frontal impact, but each has the same level of protection as an SA helmet. its own features and design. If you possibly can, try on different

44 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 models on to see which you are most comfortable with. It really doesn’t matter which style you choose, as long as you get one and wear it every time you get in a race car.

DRIVER’S GLOVES AND SHOES have the same ratings as fire suits when it comes to protection from heat and flame. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can get by with wearing tennis shoes and no gloves at all, even if your track doesn’t check. After all, how good are you going to be at getting out of a burning car if you can’t unbuckle your harness because your fingers are too badly burned? SFI-rated fire retardant gloves are typically made using Nomex backing and a leather palm. Lately, more racers report that they prefer the feel of soft suede on the palm of their racing gloves. They say that it improves their grip on the wheel. Racing gloves are easy to get used to, and before long you will wonder how you ever raced without them. Likewise, a good pair of racing shoes is also an important piece of safety equipment. Aside from the safety aspect, a racing shoe is designed to work within the narrow confines of a race car’s foot box, typically on very small pedals. When they do happen, most fires originate in the engine compartment from spilled fuel, and your feet are the part of your body closest to that point of origin. They are also the last part to get out of the car when you are diving out of the window to get away from a car fire. That image alone should be enough to get you to consider a quality pair of fire retar- Head-and-neck restraint systems are a vital part of the safety equation, dant racing shoes. and manufacturers are working to make adding them as comfortable as possible. For example, this belt system from RaceQuip is fully SFI compliant and has narrower two-inch wide shoulder belts for less WITHOUT A GOOD SET OF BELTS even the very best rac- binding—and thus, better protection—when combined with a head and ing seat is practically useless. We once had a conversation with neck restraint. Brian Butler, owner of premier racing seat manufacturer Butler- Built, about racing safety and were surprised that he spent as much time talking about belts as he did racing seat design. It is the belt system that holds you in place so that your racing NYLON 6.6 WEBBING –OUTDOOR EXPOSURE seat can keep you cocooned and protected within its confines. 100 Unlike every other piece of safety equipment mentioned so far, the belts are unique because they stay in the car after 80 you get out. That means they are subjected to an extra level 60 of wear the rest of your protective safety gear is not. When 40 you wash the car they get wet, and when your car is sitting 20 in the sun they are exposed to damaging UV rays while your 0 6 12 18 24

driver’s suit and helmet are safely tucked away inside the Breaking Strength Retained, % hauler. That exposure to the elements will cause the materi- Exposure Period, Months als to break down faster. This chart explains why you need to replace your seat belts every two As a result, your seatbelts must be changed regularly. SFI years. As the nylon webbing is exposed to UV rays, the belt’s strength is recommends replacing racing seat belts every two years. The drastically reduced over time. Only 12 months of UV exposure it has just science behind this is based on the tremendous drop in tensile 50 percent of the breaking strength it did when new. strength of both nylon and polyester webbing after 24 months of exposure to UV rays. Wait, you keep your car in the shop so they should last longer, right? Well, your shop lights also put out UV rays, so just SA2010 auto racing helmet as the minimum standard—re- plan to replace them every two years or any time your car has gardless of the class you race in.” That’s pretty good advice to be brought off the track on a wrecker. If you hit the wall hard in our book. Following that advice may cost you a bit more enough to have to be towed in, you probably stretched the belt up front, but there are safety companies like RaceQuip that webbing and/or bent the harness hardware. Racing seat belts specialize in providing top-level gear at a reasonable cost. are consumable, they only stretch one time. Once they have And if it can keep you out of the hospital after a crash, then done their job they need to be discarded. we all know it’s money well spent. When we spoke to Patrick Utt, RaceQuip’s President, he summed up grassroots racing safety this way: “If I made the rules for oval track racing, every racer would be required to Sources RaceQuip wear an SFI-5 multi-layer suit, SFI-5 gloves, SFI-3.3 shoes, 813.642.6644 an SFI 38.1 head-and-neck restraint system, and a Snell racequip.com

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 45 Snap SHOTS MOMENTS IN TIME THAT WE BELIEVE CAPTURE THE TRUE ESSENCE OF DIRT TRACK RACING.

46 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014

MAKE MORE POWER THE ADVANCED ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE CELEBRATES ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY BY HELPING YOU GO FASTER

Advanced Engineering TTechnologyechnology Conference

EVERY YEAR THE Advanced Engineering Technology Conference (AETC) draws the best and brightest minds when it comes to making horsepower and building engines capable of winning races—and lots of ‘em. AETC IS THE LEADING There’s no doubt the AETC is a big deal among engine builders every year, but EVENT OF ENGINE this year it’s definitely going to be something special. The 2014 edition of the AETC will be the 25th anniversary of the conference, and we hear that planners are working BUILDERS, RACERS, to make it one of the best yet. MANUFACTURERS & Each year the AETC lines up several speakers that are the leaders in their respective area of expertise. For example, last year engine builder Lee Carducci OTHER PROFESSIONALS of Arrow Racing Engines spoke on the secrets he found to help make power IN THE HORSEPOWER when using stock components in race engines. Chris Paulsen of C&R Racing revealed what he’s learned about how racers can use pressurized cooling systems INDUSTRY. to increase engine performance. And Keith Jones of Total Seal presented the company’s latest findings on how to improve cylinder sealing for better engine efficiency. And that's just three of the nearly 20 topics of discussion.

48 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 2014 AETC PREVIEW The benefit of getting a vast amount of knowledge in a few days is great. Most of the presentations aren’t about motorcycles specifically, but there are things we can apply to do performance work. – Greg Rodriguez Harley-Davidson

The 2014 lineup of speakers was still being finalized as this went to press, but it already includes several great speakers who plan to present on some very interesting topics. Fred Husher of Crane Ignition will offer ways not only to improve ignition timing accuracy but also how to diagnose your own ignition’s weaknesses. Chris Brown of ARP Fasteners will explain how to choose the right fasteners to match both power and durability. Joe Rogers of Xceldyne Technologies has chosen to share what the company has discovered when it comes to recently developed coating technologies to benefit the valve train as well as the rest of the engine. Loannis Andrianakis of Plex Tuning will lead a presentation on how to better understand the process of combustion in order to win “the battle against knock.” And Arrow Racing Engines will be back, this time with Bill Hancock, to lead the presentation we’re most looking forward to. Its working title is “An Engineering Guide to Creative Rules Interpretation,” and we can’t wait to hear his stories on how to outwit the rulebook writers. Free stuff you say? Besides lining up great speakers, the AETC has also lined up sponsoring companies that will be giving away an incredible 30 grand in giveaways to attendees. With that much being given away in product and gift certificates, every attendee is practically guaranteed to win something at least once. When is it? As usual, the AETC will be held directly before the Performance Rac- ing Industry (PRI) trade show in the Indianapolis Convention Center, but instead of the three-day schedule that’s been the norm for the last several years, this time around the conference will be packed into two days to minimize downtime and lodging costs for attendees. The 2014 AETC will be December 9th and 10th, and all attendees will also receive passes to the PRI show (also in the same location) December 11-13. For more information you can visit the AETC website at www.AETCOnline.com.

The AETC is popular among engine builders and racers besides simply sitting and listening to presentations, priority is also given to allowing plenty of time for attendees to ask questions. THE

FAMILYTHAT

RACES TOGETHER

Photo by Rick Schwallie

Earl Pearson, Jr. with son Trey Pearson share a moment on Feb. 7 at the Golden Isle Speedway for the Georgia Boot Super Bowl of Racing.

WE ALL LIVE LIVES that are filled no way of ever knowing when that time By Ben Shelton with uncertainty. Most of us spend much will be. It could be today, tomorrow, or of our time trying to find the best possi- 80 years from now. We live the best that ble path that we think will get us where we can, knowing that this fate ultimately we want to be. awaits us all. I think most of us put it out In our personal lives, in our profes- of sight and out of mind and just assume When the chips sional lives, and in the faith-based sector that when the time comes we will be pre- of our lives, it’s a constant battle to try pared to deal not only with our own end are down, and look over the next hill to see what of days but also that of our loved ones. waits for us. Sometimes what waits is The reality though, as I’ve experienced remember exactly what we hoped would be there, a few times already in my young life, is while other times our worst possible that you never can be truly prepared to that we are fears eagerly anticipate our arrival. All lose a loved one. It’s incredibly hard, that we can do is hope for the best and but the support from your family and all just family keep moving forward. friends can make all the difference when While there are infinite unknowns it comes to enduring the pain. in our time on this planet, there is one Already this year I’ve observed from thing that is undeniable, and that is the afar as our racing world has suffered fact that one day our time on this spin- two tragic losses. 15-year-old Niokoa ning rock will come to an end. We have Johnson from Florida lost her life from

50 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 injuries sustained in a racing accident in her first time ever in a racecar at Ocala, Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park on Sat- urday, March 22nd, while 36-year-old devoted race fan Thomas Childress Jr. from Delta, Ohio, passed away unexpectedly that Saturday as well. The use of social media and internet forums in regards to the racing world can at times be total hell on earth with relentless bickering, finger pointing, etc. However, it seems like when the going gets really tough people put their petty issues aside and support those who need it the most, when they need it the most. This has definitely been the case Niokoa Johnson always wanted to get to race Thomas Childress, Jr. was a proud member of that I’ve seen over the past weeks as I’ve more than anything else. the Turn 3 Gang. watched my brethren from the racing community band together to help their friends in dark times. I never met Niokoa and to my best knowledge I never had the privilege of meeting Thomas, but I knew many of their friends and families through racing, and because of this my heart has absolutely been hurting for everyone affected by these untimely passings. Thomas was a proud member of the Turn 3 Gang (T3G), which is an avid group of race fans from the Ohio area, and he was paid homage to pretty much the entire week after his passing by his non-biological brethren. I kept tabs on Photo by Rick Schwallie Dan Rice, who was one of Thomas’ best Darrell Lanigan and “crew” in Victory Lane at the Florence Speedway in Kentucky. friends, throughout the week, and I was more than touched to see how the guys befell me. I quickly learned my assump- they know, and sometimes we let our who might seem rough on the exterior tion was wrong. emotions get the best of us as we say were pouring their hearts and souls out In the blink of an eye, my friends and do things we shouldn’t in the heat in public as they mourned the painful from the racing world embraced me and of the moment. However, for all of the loss of their brother. I’ve only talked to surrounded me with love and support, forgettable moments that we experi- Dan a handful of times, but again, despite and I quickly learned just how big my ence together there are so many more his rugged exterior, he has a huge heart family truly is. That allowed me to work times that together we are one amazing with a giant passion for racing and time through the pain and keep moving group. Love, support, and caring – spent with his friends. I consider him forward. Many of these people had there’s no shortage of these character- part of my racing family for sure, and my never met my mom, but it didn’t matter. istics in this family. We take care of our heart aches for the loss that he and his All that they knew was that a member own. It doesn’t matter if the guy or lady friends are being forced to endure. of their racing family was hurting and you sit next to at the track every week Similarly, friends immediately began in need, and they came forward to is your blood relative or not, because an outpouring of support for Niokoa’s make sure that those needs were met. at the end of the day we are all truly family in the form of moral support, as I can honestly say each and every one brothers and sisters. well as charities. It’s hard to lose a loved of those people hold a special place in I dedicate this article to the mem- one at any point, but to see a 15-year- my heart and always will. One day they ory of Niokoa Johnson and Thomas old young lady pass away is a loss that is too will unfortunately endure that same Childress Jr., as well as the friends and just unimaginable to have to bear. situation, and I can promise that I’ll be families who are going through these Viewing all of these happenings there for them. terrible losses. I know there’s not much made some of my own feelings and We all use the term “racing family” that anyone can say or do to completely thoughts come rushing back to me from from time to time, but I’m not sure that erase the pain. But, hopefully there’s my own recent loss. Three years ago any of us really appreciate just what it comfort in knowing that while we may my mom passed away unexpectedly means until we encounter tragedies like not see these two beautiful people with in her sleep. I don’t come from a big this. The racing family is a passionate us at the race track anymore, there is no family. Just an aunt, an uncle, and my and feisty bunch, and for the most part doubt in my mind that they will still be grandmother. I always thought I had no we don’t pull any punches. When we present each and every night. Be safe brothers and sisters until this tragedy disagree with someone we make sure my friends.

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 51 OneDirt has compiled a list of some of the hottest products to hit the dirt track market recently. 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!

Less Is Actually More COMP Cams, Conical Valve Springs Looking for a revolutionary advancement in high performance valve spring technology? If the answer is yes, then you'll be happy to learn that COMP Cams now offers a new line of conical valve springs to meet all of your race application needs. The focus of this new product is the ability to provide longer spring life, which in turn leads to the ability to run more aggressive camshafts. Obviously the more aggressive the camshaft design the better the performance, which is something that every racer desires. Even better, the new design of the valve springs includes a reduced mass, which translates into an increased lifespan for all valve train components. You can grab the popular COMP Cams Conical Valve Springs individually or in sets of 16. PROGRESSIVE FREQUENCY increases RPM limit & creates ability to run more aggressive camshafts CONSTANTLY DECREASING DIAMETER from bottom to top reduces active mass and decreases applied forces—result is longer valve train component life and less parasitic HP loss BEST NATURAL FREQUENCY damping setup—dampens without wear, heat/friction or risk from interference contact COMPLETE VALVE SPRING KITS ALSO AVAILABLE compcams.com Include: Conical Valve Springs, Steel or Tool Steel Retainers, 7º Steel Valve Locks, Valve 800.999.0853 Seals, Spring Seats

52 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 Two Barrels That Think They Are Four Holley, Ultra HP 2BBL Carburetor Close your eyes and imagine experiencing the power of a four barrel carburetor from just a two barrel. That’s a pretty trick thought. The folks at Holley have raided our dreams and made our fantasies a reality with their Ultra HP 2BBL Carburetor. With almost 50% weight savings due to an aluminum build, the Ultra HP 2BBL Carb delivers proven results of the Ultra HP HBBL but now in a 500CFM 2BBL. NASCAR has already jumped on board to approve the product for use in some of their divisions with more sanctions expected to join the party soon. With more power, while simultaneously meeting rule requirements, the Ultra HP 2BBL provides two barrels of fun. holley.com 270.781.9741

Pulling the Performance Limits Intercomp, Pull Bar Adapter Kit You can have the best equipment in the world, but if you can’t get your chassis dialed into a well-handling setup you will never visit Victory Lane. Intercomp is lending us a helping hand in the setup world with their latest innovation, the Pull Bar Adapter Kit. Offering the ability to accommodate various suspension links and travel Ring Filing & lengths, this new kit allows racers to test the resistence and travel of Grinding Galore their pull bar setup. Flexibility and the ability to adjust on the fly are Total Seal, Power Ring Filer priceless in the world of motorsports, In a sport where winning and losing is separated by thousandths and this technology goes a long way of an inch, it only makes sense that the tools that fine tune your to maximize your options. engine’s components be precise. With this in mind, Total Seal brings intercomp-racing.com their new Power Ring Filer to the party. Not all of us are experts 800.328.3336 when it comes to operating machines, but this tool makes life easy and produces a highly-accurate finished product. Operating at 3,000 RPM and including a grinding wheel, deburring wheel and a diamond wheel dresser, the Total Seal Power Ring Filer is a must-have addition to the shop for anyone that builds engines. totalseal.com 623.587.7400

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 53 Speed SHOP PARTS / TOOLS / ACCESSORIES

Torture The Competition (Not Your Wallet) With Voodoo Lunati, Voodoo Crankshafts Not only does the very name strike apprehension and fear, but the performance of the Voodoo Crankshafts from Lunati will force competitors to take notice. Long known for their durability and strength in high-performance applications, Voodoo Crankshafts are back again to set the track ablaze with a new design. Strategic lightening, dynamic balancing and windage profiling to increase horsepower all culmi- nate into a crankshaft that separates the men from the boys. Voodoo Crankshafts are available for both Chevy and Ford Small Blocks. It’s not “black magic” or “witchcraft,” rather the secret formula is better material, better design and better craftsmanship. lunatipower.com 662.892.1500

No More Corner Stumble Pace Performance, Accelerator 1 Angled Carb Spacer Carb Changes It’s a terrible, terrible feeling. You absolutely drive away from the competition down the front stretch, but as you exit the corner you can Come Clean, Quickly begin to feel the engine stumble. If this is a problem that plagues your team, Pace Performance is now standing in your corner with their new Jiffy-Tite, Carburetor Kits Accelerator 1 Angled Carb Spacer. This product keeps the carbure- It’s race night, and shortly after practice, to your dismay, you tor level as the car is rocked over to the side in the corner. The end discover that you’ve got terminal carburetor issues. You have result is a proper float angle/level, which allows for quicker throttle limited time to change the carburetor, and you need all the response. Fastrak and NeSmith have already approved the design in help you can get to complete this difficult process. Jiffy-Tite their crate engines, and it conforms to IMCA Modified and Late Model Motorsports introduces their Jiffy-Tite Carburetor Kits to save rules. Most importantly, you don’t have to watch your advantage get the day. Not only do these kits allow for a quick change, but erased in every corner by a stumbling engine. they’re also virtually drip proof. Anybody that’s been covered in paceperformance.com fuel when changing a carburetor can appreciate this priceless 888.748.4655 feature. Compatibility is no issue either as this unique design works with most of the popular high-performance carburetor applications available on the market today. motorsports.jiffy-tite.com 888.605.7788

54 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 Protection You Can Afford RaceQuip, SportMod Helmet Racers cut corners in a lot of areas in their racing program, but one place you can’t afford to take a shortcut is in the safety department. RaceQuip has long provided top-notch safety equipment at an affordable price, and they are back with their SportMod helmet. Exceeding Snell SA2010 testing and certification requirements, this is the perfect product to protect your noggin while you are unleashing your inner speed demon on the track. The SportMod offers both safety and functionality for the racer. HNR/HANS anchors make installation a snap, and sizes are offered in XS–2XL in gloss white and flat black. And please remember…while you might be able to risk running that set of tires a little too long, a compromise in the safety department just doesn’t add up. racequip.com 813.642.6644

We PoWer

ChamPions. crate engine Upgrades available call for Details

Winning RaceRs DemanD aDvanceD Technology. They geT iT fRom comP cams®. Whether they’re competing in the top levels of dirt racing, or on local tracks across the nation, champions know to trust COMP Cams®. COMP® has nearly limitless camshaft options available. From off-the-shelf options to application-specific custom grinds, each cam is designed and built by the industry’s largest team of engineers – then tested and retested on the dyno and at the track. Every part is backed by a knowledgeable technical support staff.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional racer or a weekend warrior, choose COMP Cams® for the most power when you need an edge on the competition. Don’t believe us? Ask a champion racer – COMP Cams® has powered more of them than any other cam company.

® COMPCAMS.COM CAM HELP 1.800.999.0853 Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 9385j55 Speed SHOP PARTS / TOOLS / ACCESSORIES

Pedal Pushing Performance AFCO, Brake Pedal Assemblies Even though nothing feels better than pushing the gas pedal all the way to the floor, sometimes we have to pump the brakes to avoid the other guy. With this in mind, AFCO brings us cutting-edge technology in the brake system market with their latest innovations. From forward and reverse mount master cylinder positioning to an aluminum H-beam design, AFCO has it all with their latest product that targets the brake needs of the circle track racing market. None of us want to have to consider slowing down, but sometimes it happens. It’s nice to know that with this new product from AFCO we can at least make it happen our way. afcodynapro.com 800.632.2320

Show Shocks Some Love Driven Racing Oil, SHX Shock Fluid Shocks aren’t cheap. Of course, this isn’t anything that you didn’t already know. As a result, it’s more important than ever to use products that not only maximize shock performance, but also provide unwavering consistency. The new SHX Shock Fluid from Driven Racing Oil achieves this very goal via the use of Transmission Installs next generation synthetic oil technology. The end result is Don’t Have To Suck consistent, fade-free shock performance. As you hammer ARP, Driveline Fasteners through the corners on your favorite race track, your The performance of your transmission is only as good as the sta- faithful shocks cushion the bility of its installation, and we all know that securing the driveline blow and keep you glued to the track. Viscosity loss is the into your race car can be anything but easy. Luckily for us, ARP enemy and SHX Shock Fluid has been proven to show no has developed a set of studs that includes a special rounded “nut loss under grueling conditions. It’s likely time to give your starter” nose that guides the transmission into place, while also shocks a much needed drink of SHX Shock Fluid. aligning the input shaft with the clutch disc hub. Best of all, this drivenracingoil.com configuration works on pretty much any GM car through the 1980s. 866.611.1820 If you aren’t a GM lover, and you need help with your mountings, fear not. They’ve also developed case bolts for Muncie 4-speeds as well as bellhousing bolt kits for post 1961 Mopar Big Blocks plus 1965 and later Ford Small Blocks. These innovations from ARP give us one less piece of installation stress. arp-bolts.com 800.826.3045

56 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 Big Time Tech Goes Local Roush Yates Racing, RY45 Aluminum Block You’ve seen products from Roush Yates Racing fill Victory Lanes across the world as you watched along on television. Many of us have wondered what it’s like to run their championship products in our race cars. Wonder no more. Roush Yates Racing is introducing their all aluminum RY45 engine block to the grassroots market as it looks to take the dirt track world by storm. With this product, NASCAR knowledge meets the local track. The revolutionary, purpose-built blocks target the Dirt Late Model and market with state-of-the-art technology, as well as the top-notch quality that Roush Yates Racing has built its reputation upon for decades. roushyatesparts.com 877.604.8077

Solid Lift, Small Price COMP Cams, Sportsman Solid Roller Lifters You want your race car to perform at its peak, but at the same time you don’t want to break the bank in reaching your top-speed goals. With this in mind, COMP Cams presents the Sportsman Solid Roller Lifters, where winning meets affordability. The great thing about this premium product is that it offers both a bronze bushing roller bearing option as well as a value alternative over pricier options. The pursuit of compatibility seems like a never-ending battle for most racers, but with this product there are several options to meet your exact needs. A more reliable oil feed combined with decreased weight and increased strength makes this product a no-brainer addition. compcams.com 800.999.0853 Put More Power To The Track With Less Maintenance Brinn, Predator Transmission You’re coming side by side through the turn. You nose ahead and know you can get clear down the straightaway. But you’ve got to be able to put your engine’s power down. Brinn has you covered with their Predator transmission, which incorporates a lightweight design with low inertia to transfer every single ounce of horsepower to your rear wheels. The design that couples input and output shafts together and ignores all other internal features to allow you to enjoy true power. Best of all, if you don’t like having to do constant maintenance, Brinn has got you covered on this design with minimal effort required. brinninc.com 989.686.8920

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 57 Speed SHOP PARTS / TOOLS / ACCESSORIES

Less Pressure, More Potential JRi Shocks, SL/14 Modified Shocks It’s no big secret that racing technology is an ever-evolving field, and the folks at JRi are doing their part to lead the developmental charge with the new JRi SL/14 Modified Shocks. With this latest product, JRi is focusing on reduced gas pressure within the shock itself, as well as adding even more functionality, while also ensuring the proper range of ride height with an improved coil-over kit. Lower internal pressures result in better performance and less fatigue on the equipment. The ability to quickly adjust ride heights and bump stops only makes your life easier as you make adjustments on the fly during the course of a race night. With these advancements from JRi your chances at Victory Lane continue to grow. jrishocks.com 704.660.8346

Clutch Performance Quarter Master, 10.4” Street Stock Clutches Not all of us compete in racing divisions where the rules have allowances for countless variations in every aspect of our powertrain. Sometimes there are specific requirements that must be met. With this in mind, Quarter Master now offers the 10.4” Street Stock Clutch- es, which are designed for circle track applications that require stock- type components. Knowing that the weekend warrior has to both be legal and competitive, this product offers the maximum performance advantage. Equally important for the budget racer, dependability and longevity are also built into the design. Keeping the tech man happy is important, but let’s be honest, so is winning. Meet both needs with the Quarter Master 10.4” Street Stock Clutch. quartermasterusa.com 888.258.8241

Weight of the World Ferrea, Titanium Hollow Stem Valves Weight is the name of the game in the racing world. The lighter the better, and Ferrea is doing their part to slim us all down with the Titanium Hollow Stem Valves. Utilizing a newly developed manufacturing process Ferrea now provides us with valve stems that are gun-drilled and micro-polished. While you might not understand the fabrication process, there is no denying the end result. Stronger and lighter is what every power enthusiast wants to hear. Best of all, this ground-breaking product can be custom manufactured to individual specifications with the fastest turnaround times in the industry. ferrea.com 888.733.2505

58 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 Small Block Chevy Power Superstar RHS, 23°Aluminum Intake Manifold Pumping out power and producing strong torque curves are ways of life for the RHS 23°Aluminum Intake Manifolds. As if these traits weren’t enough, it’s the only manifold designed to make your life easier with a 4150 flange and bolt machining to fit all versions of SBC heads. It’s no secret that when it comes to circle track applications the difference in winning and losing is the power and strong torque curve throughout the mid-RPM range. With the RHS 23°Aluminum Intake Manifold installed in your dirt car, you’ll no longer have to worry if you have what it takes to reach the finish line first. Variations to meet your specific needs are available upon request. racingheadservice.com 877.776.4323

Fire It Up For More HP And Durability Crane Cams, Hi-6RC Digital CD Ignition The functionality and flexibility of the ignition in your race car can be the difference in crossing the finish line first or a distant second. With this in mind, Crane Cams has developed the Crane Hi-6RC Digital CD Ignition. Imagine making easy, rev-limit adjustments at the track in 100 RPM increments with no chips required. Crane has now made this a reality. Utilizing state-of-the-art, digital components this product is the most reliable CD ignition available. With a durable design that includes protection against heat, dirt and moisture we now can enjoy fewer worries in the wear and tear department. As an added bonus, this technology allows for longer engine life, which is something we all want and need. cranecams.com 866.388.5120

Maximized Dirt “Track-tion” Davis Technologies, TMS Traction Control Units It really doesn’t matter how many horses are living under the hood of your race car if you can’t unleash all of them on the dirt. Wheel spin is bad, but losing is far worse. Davis Technologies is doing their part to make losing a thing of the past for your team with their latest innovations in their TMS line of traction control products. Boasting features like easier tuning, smarter processing and more functionality, the latest edition of the TMS has been shown to reduce lap times by 2-3 tenths, while also easing tire and engine wear. If you can’t figure out where the other guy has a performance advantage on you, then this very well could be the product to solve the mystery. moretraction.com 888.920.7746

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 59 IS DIRT TRACK RACING FINALLY READY FOR THE LS

FOR OLD-SCHOOL RACERS and engine builders, Gener- al Motors’ LS engine family is still considered a “new” engine. That is until you realize that Chevrolet first put out the LS1 in After nearly two decades the Corvette all the way back in 1997. That means the engine has almost made it through its second decade of production. in production, it seems And nearly two decades of production also means that we have nearly two decades of engine cores sitting in boneyards the LS engine family and garages nationwide. In fact, these days it is much easier to find an LS engine than it is an unmolested first-generation is starting to find small block. So if that’s the case, then why haven’t we seen more LS en- acceptance in dirt racing gines in dirt track racing? After all, racing is as much about innovation as it is driving, and we have always known dirt racers will flock to practically anything that offers better performance for less cost.

60 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 Currently the best performing LS heads are the LS7 design. RHS has improved on the performance of the stock LS7 head by raising the ports and CNC porting everything.

For years, the answer was pretty sim- tition. Instead, he is actually showing how have one specifically for Sprint Car rac- ple: Sanctioning bodies and track own- a mostly stock LQ9 (the truck version of ing where you can drive the dry sump oil ers were afraid the engine would bring the LS with an iron block) because of its pump, a magneto and the water pump excessive costs as well as excessive cheat- improved ports can run pump gas and off the front just like they are used to in ing—in the form of traction control—and still be competitive with traditional high more traditional Sprint Car motors. simply wrote them right out of the rule- compression (and expensive) race engines “Besides the Sprint Car front drive, book. The acronym “LS” is never men- running 110 octane. For more on Arce’s we have several other products for the LS tioned, just some sneaky language that efforts, check out “The Future is Here” on here at RHS,” Feeney continues. “And says the engine must have a carburetor, a page 18 of this issue of OneDirt. that includes our LS7 cylinder heads and distributor and a single coil. Besides the “The LS architecture is significantly our aluminum LS Race Block. I actually LS, that language manages to rule out al- different from the first-generation small have two Sprint Car teams out of central most all modern engine designs. block,” says Kevin Feeney of RHS. “And Ohio that have built engines using our But we’ve seen a change in thinking one thing that I think will really help the LS products, and one is racing in the lately as Chevrolet’s crate motor pro- LS platform gain acceptance in dirt rac- World of Outlaws right now.” gram has gained traction in both asphalt ing is the aftermarket stepping in with Feeney didn’t want to divulge the teams and dirt racing. They began with the parts that help the LS feel more like a because he says they are trying to keep “602” and “604” crate engines which first-generation small block. their efforts to themselves and he respects were based on the venerable first-gener- “For example,” he continues, “a few that, but he did say that their LS programs ation small block. But with the success companies have intake manifolds for show promise. Even with RHS’s and oth- of those options Chevrolet Performance mounting up a single four barrel car- er manufacturers’ support, they’ve had to also quickly made available the CT 525, buretor, and some have come up with fabricate a lot of components to get ev- a 525-horsepower carbureted crate en- a front cover where you can run a me- erything to work—particularly the Sprint gine based on the LS3. While the CT chanical fuel pump and a distributor off Car’s iconic eight-stack mechanical fuel 525 ditched the fuel injection system the front of the motor. In fact, we even injection system—and the teams are still for a carburetor and single-plane intake, it did keep the multiple coil packs and crank trigger ignition. Meanwhile, NASCAR also unveiled its “spec” motor, an LS complete with carburetor, Feeney says one of the distributor, mechanical fuel pump and ways to help engine even a single coil. builders accept the LS engine is to make NASCAR’S SPEC MOTOR isn’t it work in the same manner they are used found in dirt racing as far as we know, but to. So for Sprint Car there are several Dirt Late Model sanc- racing, RHS produced tions that currently allow the CT 525. a front assembly that Still, what’s gotten our attention is a short allows engine builders track Modified racer that has taken the to mount a traditional magneto, dry-sump oil bull by the horns and is working with his pump and even the wa- sanctioning body not only to make the LS ter pump off the front engine family legal but also bring in fuel just like they do on a injection. What’s interesting about this is first gen small block. the racer and engine builder, Dave Arce, isn’t a deep-pockets racer that’s trying to collect wins by out-spending the compe-

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 61 SPECIALTY TOOLS ONLINE Day Or Night

All of the LS blocks use mostly the same architecture. RHS’s LS race block is stronger than stock and utilizes windows in the bottom half of the block to alleviate the stock block’s windage issues.

working their way up the learning curve. Still, it’s just another example of innova- The LS platform is tive engine builders and racers forcing gaining acceptance the issue and embracing new ideas if they think it can help them find Victory Lane. in dirt racing as the “The big advantage of the LS design aftermarket steps in is in the valve train,” Feeney says. “The heads flow better than any production with parts that help 23-degree head from the gen one small the LS feel more like block. But then with each update with the LS they just got better, too. They put a first-generation those narrow cathedral ports in the in- small block. takes for the LS1, and then they improved Browse hundreds of professional airflow with the LS3 by going back to a – Kevin Feeney quality, problem solving tools for rectangular intake port. When they came RHS racers & engine builders. out with the LS7 they improved airflow even more by raising the ports. And when to benefit racers,” he says. “This year we From time saving hand tools to preci- we developed the RHS LS7 heads we introduced the small bore LS7 cylinder sion measuring devices, Powerhouse® raised the ports more on top of that to get head because we had some people run- offers the right tools to complete your even more power out of them. ning UMP Modifieds, and we thought “Besides that, engine builders that we could help them out. In that class racing project more efﬁ ciently. Shop the have built both gen one and LS race they have an iron engine block rule, and internetʼs largest selection of specialty engines will tell you that they can make the six-liter blocks that are available from tools featuring safe, secure ordering 24 good power with the LS, and the power GM (the LQ engines) they are using have hours a day, 7 days a week. is a little more usable because the valve a small cylinder bore. Those blocks are train is so stable that they can push the relatively inexpensive, and so we reconfig- • Top Quality & Hard-To Find Tools RPM higher with the LS than they can a ured our LS7 head to fit their 3.900-inch • Safe & Secure Online Ordering traditional small block.” cylinder bore. When you put the two to- The interesting thing about all this is gether, the racers now have a very potent • Daily Product & Shipping Specials Feeney has no dog in the fight. RHS has package that’s surprisingly affordable. • Fast Delivery To Your Doorstep developed a broad range of performance “That project was a lot of fun,” Feeney small block cylinder heads along with says. “I think things like that will catch on as their LS7 heads, so Feeney is more than racers and engine builders find what all they happy to sell customers whatever they can do with the LS engine platform.” want. But he also understands how easy it is to make power reliably with the more Source efficient LS platform. Racing Head Service (RHS) 877.776.4323 “We are going to continue to evolve racingheadservice.com our LS cylinder head line as we find ways POWERHOUSEPRODUCTS.COM 62 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 9081j IN HIS OWN WORDS Bill Schlieper OWNER, PRO POWER RACING

Racing was always a way of life in the Schlieper household. Bill and his brother, John Jr., grew up around their father’s business, Schlieper’s Speed Shop in Brook- field, Wisconsin. The Schlieper family built engines together for several years, but by 1993 Bill and John Jr. were ready to test the waters on their own and they started Pro Power Racing, while their father continued to operate his speed shop. The Schlieper brothers slowly but surely built their company reputation and customer base before actually buying out their father in 2002 as Pro Power Rac- ing came to take up its permanent residence in Sullivan, Wisconsin. The company has built engines that have powered racers to victories on many of racing’s biggest stages, from dirt and asphalt circle tracks to the Baja to Pikes Peak. Today Pro Power remains very much a family operation, as the husband-and-wife duo of Bill and Josie Schlieper owns and operates the well-known engine company. Bill Schlieper offered his thoughts on Pro Power Racing and the engine building business as a whole. Photo by Rick Schwallie

In this business you have to ”Dad is now 75 and he works every day “pay your dues to get to where doing the balancing you want to be. It’s not easy, for our engines. Between him, Josie but if you want it bad enough and John Jr. we you can make it happen. At Pro are still the same family-based com- Power Racing we like to show pany that Schlieper’s our customers that we are in it Speed Shop was back in the day.” to win it. When you come to us Photo by Joey Millard, thesportswire.net as customer we challenge ourselves as a business to make “Customer service is priority number one for Pro your team better. Power Racing, and our theory is the best way to ” provide customer service is to be at the track as much as possible. Obviously you can’t always be “By the time I was five years everywhere, but being there whenever we can is old, I was working in the shop just what we do. In a performance-based industry sweeping, cleaning machines, you have to go that extra mile for your customers.” washing parts and just doing anything needed. There’s no doubt that it was in my blood from day one.” Honestly, at the end of the day “I do still love it as much today as “Winning the 2002 World 100 with Brian when I started. It’s in my blood, Birkhofer at Eldora Speedway will always be special. Unless you are part of this sport it’s a disease. Just like the racers you just don’t understand what it’s like to are addicted to getting behind the have a race where 200 guys are trying to wheel, I’m addicted to building beat you, and only 24 make the feature, them the fastest motor possible.” and then you win it. It was just amazing.” Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 63 MATTERS SCALEof

Photo by Rick Schwallie

AN ACCURATE SET OF SCALES is a vital tool for any rac- ZERO IN ON THE ing program that hopes to see Victory Lane regularly. This is true, no matter if you are racing Pure Streets, Mini Stocks, Su- per Late Models or Sprint Cars. PERFECT SETUP BY Weight has a large impact on the handling of a car, and how that weight is distributed plays an equally large role in how your KNOWING WHAT race car handles during acceleration, deceleration and corner- ing. Since we are talking about dirt track racing here, all three YOU WEIGH of those things happen at least twice every lap, so you’d better believe being able to precisely map the weight distribution on all four tires is critical for success. After all, you may be able to luck out and hit on the right setup, but without a set of scales (among other tools) you will likely never be able to find it again. We recently spoke with Intercomp’s Scott Elmgren about the questions dirt track racers most often have when it comes to using racing scales. Intercomp makes a wide range of four-corner scales as well as other setup tools for racers. Today, Intercomp has ultra-accurate scales designed not only to make racers’ lives easier but also to help them improve their setups for greater success on the

64 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 track. Besides simply telling you the weight at all four corners of the car, Intercomp has scales that can actually calculate a car’s center of gravity and include a very useful target-tune feature that helps you get your setups right where they need to be with less time spent moving lead around. There is even an option to read and record weights on your iPhone or iPad through Intercomp’s iRaceWeigh technology which definitely beats kneeling on the floor and trans- ferring numbers from an old-school console to a spiral notebook. If you are just starting out, you can get baseline setup numbers from your chassis builder or more experienced racers at the track. These numbers will be your target when first scaling the car, and as you gain experience you can adjust from there. “To get an accurate reading from any set of scales, it is critical to make sure the scale pads are sitting on a level plane,” Elmgren says. “Small angles can throw off your readings significantly. Leveling the scales can be achieved in a number of ways, including shims or with the use of scale pad levelers. Intercomp’s Billet Leveler with a Roll-Off Pad is a popular item among racers for its durability, convenience and the ability to roll the car back and forth after adjustments to unbind the suspension.”

BEFORE SCALING A RACE CAR, you need to make sure it is as race-ready as possible. This means fluid levels should be correct, including coolant, transmission and rear end fluids and about half a tank of fuel. Your chassis and suspension settings such as camber, ride height and even wheel spacers should be set just like you plan when you roll off the trailer at the race track. Also, don’t forget the driver; he or she must either be sitting in the driver’s seat when scaling the car, or you can use Intercomp’s wireless system uses transmitters in each of the heavy-duty sandbags or other forms of weight to simulate the driver. billet scale pads so that there are not wires to untangle and run to each Before you put your race car on the scales, double check to wheel. Each pad is labeled with its correct position on the car (notice make sure all four pads are level (as we’ve already mentioned), the color-coded labels). turn on the scales and hit the zero button so that every pad reads zero for the weight figure. Now, either roll the car up on the scale A modern set of scales (these are Intercomp’s Quick Weigh Wireless pads if you are using roll-off pads, or jack up each side of the Scales) will not only tell you the weight over each wheel, but they will also run the calculations to quickly let you know your percentages, car and slide one pad under each wheel. Before taking a scale crossweight and rear bite. reading make sure to bounce each corner of the car once or twice CONTROLLING REAR BITE is very important for dirt to ensure the suspension is settled and not binding. This is im- racing because it is so difficult to find the right balance be- portant because frame height can influence the percentage of the tween sliding the rear end out to help the car turn while also car’s total weight over a particular wheel. getting maximum forward traction on turn exit. Unfortu- nately, the optimal amount of bite varies wildly with several A QUALITY DIGITAL SCALE such as those Intercomp sells factors, so we can’t give you a specific number to shoot for. will tell you the weight at all four wheels, the total weight, and For example, just in the Dirt Late Model class, we know that even do some calculations to tell you your percentages to greatly rear bite can vary from one driver to the next, anywhere from simplify the process of installing 30 to 200 pounds, depending your race setup. on chassis manufacturer, track Different types of racing will of- To get an accurate reading from configuration, tires and even ten place an emphasis on different any set of scales, it is critical to horsepower and driving style. things when scaling a car. For ex- We spoke with one driver who ample, oval track asphalt racers will make sure the scale pads are often switches from the crate usually place the greatest emphasis sitting on a level plane. engine class, where the horse- on the percentage of weight over the power hovers around the 400 front wheels versus the rear, the left – Scott Elmgren range, and a limited class where side percentage and cross weight. Intercomp the engines produce between Cross weight is the weight over the 600 and 650 HP, and he says right front tire plus the left rear tire divided by the car’s total weight. simply switching engines requires him to change his rear bite Dirt track racers, while just as interested in dialing in the right by just under 50 pounds. front-to-rear percentage and left-side split, normally are much As a general rule, if you want your car to be tighter, add more more concerned with “rear bite,” or simply “bite,” than they are bite. This can be useful if the track goes dry slick towards the end of cross weight. Rear bite is basically a simpler form of cross weight the night. But be careful because overdoing it and adding too much that places an emphasis on weight at the rear of the car. It is cal- rear bite can make you lose on turn entry. Likewise, if the track has culated by taking the weight over the left rear tire and subtracting lots of grip and you’re having a hard time getting the car to turn, you from that the weight over the right rear. So, instead of talking in can help the rear end break free by taking out some bite. terms of percentages as you do with cross weight, bite is referred When adjusting your weight bias, again make sure to always to in pounds. For example, if a racer says he runs 50 pounds of bounce the front and back of the car after any change to resettle

bite that means he has his lead placed so that there is an extra 50 the suspension. Moving lead ballast weights is the easiest way to

pounds of weight over the left rear wheel versus the right rear. change weight bias on your car, but be aware that frame height The ONE event where the latest in “ “performance technology is freely shared by the industry’s key thinkers.

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WWW.AETCONLINE.COM66 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 Get The Latest Conference News 9403k changes can also do the same thing. So if you use coil-overs or ride height stable by instead putting a quarter turn down in jack screws to adjust your frame height, be aware that it will also the left rear and right front and a quarter turn up in the right affect your weight percentages. rear and left front. Of course, that phenomenon can also be useful for making That’s just one of the many tricks possible when setting small adjustments to bite. If you want to adjust your rear bite up your race car, but be careful to always document all your at the race track, it isn’t practical to start unbolting and moving changes so that you can return to your baseline whenever you lead. Instead, running the jack screw or coil-over adjuster down need to. For free downloadable setup sheets to help you track (clockwise) will increase bite, while doing the opposite will de- all your setup changes no matter what scales you use, check out crease it. If you need to keep your ride height consistent so that www.Intercomp-racing.com. you don’t throw off other suspension settings, you can do the opposite at opposing wheels. Source For example, if you increase bite by bringing the screw jack Intercomp 800.328.3336 on the left rear wheel down by a half turn, you can keep your Intercomp-racing.com

After putting the scale pads under each wheel, take a moment to bounce each corner of the car to make sure the suspension is settled.

All four pads should be level for best accuracy. Once you’ve found the most level location on your shop floor, mark the locations for each pad with tape or paint so that you will get repeatable results every time you scale your car.

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 67 WINNING IN THE

68 OneDirt.com / IssueCLUTCH 1, 2014 Not all dirt track racers use clutches, but for those that do the right one can make all the difference

CHOOSING THE PROPER CLUTCH can mean the difference between finding Victory Lane and finding yourself a lap down, or worse, on the trailer. The best clutch for your application isn’t necessarily the lightest, the biggest or smallest, or the least or most expensive. In- IN THE stead, it is better to study the weight of your race car, tire type and engine type, driveline, horsepower, torque capacity and rules package to determine the clutch you need. Lightweight applications can utilize lighter, smaller clutches, but that also means that heat will build up quicker. Heavier clutches with more discs on the other hand are more durable and withstand more abuse from heat, but they have a greater moment of inertia. The key is to find the best balance for your application. CLUTCH Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 69 MOMENT OF INERTIA (MOI) is a measurement of how much energy it takes to spin an object, dependent upon the TIPS: INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE amount and distribution of its mass. For instance, the heavier or larger the clutch in diameter, the harder it is to accelerate or Keep your race clutch functioning properly for as long as possible decelerate. If two clutches are the same weight and one is half the by following these simple steps during the installation and life diameter of the other, then the smaller diameter clutch will accel- of the clutch. erate and decelerate faster with less overall energy being used. PROPER INSTALLATION. Be sure to read manufacturer’s This translates to a faster acceleration coming out of a turn, and instructions during installation. In addition to step-by-step direc- a faster deceleration going into the next one. Faster acceleration tions, this document will also most likely cover the importance translates into a speed advantage over the competition. of using an alignment tool, how to check for proper fitment and While it’s obvious that a small diameter and low MOI is de- cleaning options. With the time it takes to remove and replace sired, it is also not the only factor to consider when buying a OE components, it is worth the bit of extra time to read the clutch. A smaller clutch is equal to less radial friction surface instructions. It will save hours and money. and low MOI, but in turn it also is more susceptible to heat NO LOADING ZONE. To extend the life of your racing clutch do buildup and a higher rate of wear. This might be fine in a light- not use it to load the car on your trailer. The amount of slippage weight, four-cylinder Mini Stock application, but if you drive a caused by doing so actually creates more wear than an entire light clutch around the pits in a heavier, eight-cylinder Street night of racing. Stock, you will be operating the engine at a low RPM, which will cause it to stall easily, resulting in a higher rate of wear of the REGULAR INSPECTIONS. Check your friction discs, pressure clutch components. A clutch with two or three discs will also be plates and floater plate in regular maintenance intervals to be able to handle more horsepower and will absorb less heat, but it sure that everything is in spec. Although pressure and floater also features a higher MOI. If you do not plan on replacing your plates may not wear as quickly as the friction discs, they can still clutch frequently it is important to strike a balance and consider deteriorate. Also, be sure to check clutch fluid levels. Without the best setup for performance, reliability, durability and value. full attention to every component within the clutch, a competitor may be sidelined prematurely. TORQUE CAPACITY is another major factor to consider during clutch selection. The torque capacity for a clutch is the clutch’s is important to always check the rulebooks before choosing a highest ultimate torque rating, or the maximum torque that can be clutch. Most sanctioning bodies indicate the minimum clutch applied on a continual basis while still maintaining a normally ex- diameter permitted for the friction/driven discs. Some sanc- pected fatigue life. To size a peak-torque-capacity clutch for your tions also specify the number of discs allowed, along with the application, multiply the engine’s peak torque by 1.25 and choose type of friction material. This is often limited to iron or alumi- a clutch that has as much or more torque capacity. Then add one num options. In some cases the rules may even require a com- extra disc for heat capacity and durability. It is important to choose pletely stock clutch, or one that is “stock appearing.” If you a clutch with more torque capacity than needed to avoid slippage. show up at the track with a trick clutch that falls outside of these parameters there is a good chance you will be going home emp- KNOWING THE RULES can be complicated, but sometimes ty-handed or with a lighter wallet. your track or sanctioning body will simplify your options. It In addition, it’s important to ensure that all parts work together. For example, if you are using a stock clutch and buy an aftermarket flywheel for your race car, you need to double check that the flywheel bolts clear the clutch springs. Or if you have a new clutch you’ll want to be sure that it fits properly within the bellhousing. Otherwise you may be out of hundreds of dollars and a lot of aggravation. Again, it is important here to check the rulebooks and be sure that all of these parts are legal as well. Remember that the best policy in choosing a clutch is to do plenty of research and choose the option that strikes the ideal balance for your race vehicle.

Source Quarter Master 888.258.8241 quartermasterusa.com

In classes that allow aftermarket clutches, a 5.5” diameter clutch is a popular option.

70 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 OneDirt recently caught up with regular contributor and motor- 4-LAP DASH sports announcer, Ben Shelton for a quick Q&A. Ben Shelton You can learn more about Ben Shelton and his ventures at ANNOUNCER / MARKETING, MSR MAFIA www.msrmafia.com.

In addition to writing for us, we see your name 1 popping up all over the place in the racing world. Give readers an idea of what all you do. I always joke I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none. My main endeavor is MSR Mafia Marketing Services, where I do websites, PR, and anything else that needs to be done for almost 200 drivers, series, companies, etc. across the United States, Canada and Australia. I also announce close to 100 events a year, which includes serving as the announcer for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and working in various capacities as an on-air personality for DirtOnDirt.com. Finally, whenever possible, I also write articles for publications like OneDirt and Dirt Late Model Magazine. Needless to say, I don't sleep much. We've seen from your articles that you are 2 a guy that is not afraid to voice your opinion when you think you see something wrong in our sport. With that said, what do you think is the biggest issue that racing faces in today's world? The biggest issue we face is amazingly ourselves. As a whole, our sport has a way of being “cannibalistic” if you will. We book against one another, we take shots at one another, and sometimes do whatever we can to do damage. In the end, all we do is hurt ourselves and doom the survival of our sport. Rac- ing has enough working against it without us working against ourselves. On the surface it’s not a hard fix, but jealous pride has to go away if we ever hope to remedy the problem. Hope- fully we can all see the forest for the trees before it's too late. OK, with the negative out of the way give us 3 a couple of things that you absolutely love about dirt track racing. Not to contradict myself from the previous answer, but I truly love the fact that we are one big family. Sure we might fight and bicker, but in our times of biggest need we all come together for support. Whether it's a death, tragedy or another different situation the racing family definitely takes care of its own. Apart from that, I just love the spirit of the sport. I love the idea of a guy working all week in his garage with his buddies to get his race car in tip-top shape to take it out to the track on Saturday night in hopes of taking the win and the glory. That's what it’s all about! Final question. What is one thing Ben Shel- 4 ton would like to see changed about racing? A lot of tracks battle having programs with too many divisions. The end result is a diluted program that often runs entirely too long. The length and lack of quality with the racing program in turn deters fans from supporting the track. It's a lose/lose situation. I honestly believe that some of the most successful weekly shows in the country run no more than four divisions. Tracks should really take this into account when trying to optimize the program. Drivers in the divisions that get eliminated will fall into line in one of the four remaining classes. I guarantee it. Less is definitely Photo by Rick Schwallie more in this situation. Rebuild Your Own Race Shocks THANKS TO MODERN DESIGNS YOU CAN EASILY ADVANCE YOUR SHOCK PROGRAM FOR BETTER RESULTS ON THE TRACK

THE DAYS ARE LONG GONE when you could bolt up a set of OE replacement shocks from the parts store and expect to have much success on the race track. Even in the entry level classes, setups have become more sophisticated, and modern, rebuildable racing shocks are definitely part of the equation. Fortunately, companies like QA1 are making high-quality racing shocks affordable for racers on real-world bud- gets. QA1 also understands that the average Saturday night racer operates a lean and mean operation. There are no shock specialists and no money in the budget to be shipping shocks off every week to be dyno’ed and rebuilt. Instead, many of their shocks can be completely rebuilt in your shop or race trailer with a minimum of specialized tools, and that’s something any racer operating on a budget can definitely appreciate. QA1’s tech specialist Marshall Fegers explains the process for rebuilding and revalving their 26 Series monotube racing shock. The details may differ slightly for other styles or brands of shock absorber, but the process is always basically the same. The big money teams that utilize a shock specialist will run each new shock across the shock dyno to verify performance, but that isn’t absolutely necessary. QA1’s tech- nicians have done extensive testing with practically every combination of shim stacks and have put together a com- prehensive chart to help you determine the correct shim stack to provide the valving you need. Now, we’re not going to be able to give you the blow- by-blow from teardown to reinstalling the shocks on your race car. Instead, we’re going to pass along some of the highlights. For more information you can hit up YouTube. com and do a quick search for “QA1 Precision Products” (or www.youtube.com/user/QA1TECH if you’d like to go directly). QA1 has an excellent YouTube channel with several very helpful videos on rebuilding and revalving both monotube and twin tube shocks.

Source QA1 800.721.7761 qa1.net Getting the shock apart is really no more difficult than removing a couple Changing out the shim stacks—the thin aluminum wafers that control the of bleed screws and C-clips. The important part is taking your time so you flow of oil through the piston—will affect the shock’s compression and don’t get shock oil everywhere. rebound.

One of the keys to consistent shock operation is making sure no atmo- Use a caliper to measure the thickness and diameter of each disc. You can spheric air contaminates the nitrogen. This bleeder screw helps seal the cross reference this information on QA1’s build chart to determine which system after all the air is out of the tube. discs you need in your shim stack to achieve the valving you want.

Surprisingly, charging the shock with nitrogen is actually quite straight- When building shim stacks the largest diameter shims always go closest forward. This tool attaches to an everyday air hose connected to a nitro- to the piston with the smallest furthest away. The rebound shim stack goes gen tank and lets you seal the shock after the nitrogen pressure is correct on the side of the piston away from the shaft, while the compression stack while keeping the shock sealed from atmospheric air throughout. always goes on the side with the shock shaft.

FC/50/60/62 SERIES TUNING GUIDE VALVE CODE 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Base Valve Soft: #9055-293 Firm: #9055-122 — — — — — — — — — — — — — .70" x .015" — — — — — — — — — — — — .70” x .015” .90" x .015" — — — — — — — — .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .90” x .015” .90" x .015" — — — .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .90” x .012” .90” x .015” .90” x .015” .90” x .015” 1.1” x .015” 1.1” x .015” — — .90” x .006” .90” x .006” .90” x .010” .90” x .012” .90” x .010” .90” x .012” .90” x .012” .90” x .015” 1.1” x .015” 1.1” x .015” 1.1” x .015” 1.1” x .015” Compression — 1.1” x .006” 1.1” x .006” 1.1” x .006” 1.1” x .008” 1.1” x .012” 1.1” x .010” 1.1” x .012” 1.1” x .012” 1.1” x .015” 1.1” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .006” 1.3” x .006” 1.3” x .006” 1.3” x .006” 1.3” x .008” 1.3” x .012” 1.3” x .010” 1.3” x .012” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” o o o o o o o o o o Piston Bleed Bleed Bleed Bleed Bleed Bleed Bleed Bleed Bleed Bleed No Bleed No Bleed No Bleed No Bleed .059" .059” .059” .059” .055” .052” .046” .040” .038” .033” 1.3” x .006” 1.3” x .006” 1.3” x .006” 1.3” x .008” 1.3” x .010” 1.3” x .012” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” — 1.1” x .006” 1.1” x .006” 1.1” x .008” 1.1” x .012” 1.1” x .012” 1.1” x .012” 1.1” x .015” 1.1” x .015” 1.1” x .015” 1.1” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” 1.3” x .015” — .90” x .006” .90” x .008” .90” x .008” .90” x .010” .90” x .012” .90” x .010” .90” x .015” .90” x .010” .90” x .015” 1.1” x .015” 1.1” x .015” 1.1” x .015” 1.1” x .015” — — — .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .90” x .015” .90” x .015” .90” x .015” .90” x .015” 1.1” x .015” 1.1” x .015”

Rebound Use 2 VPs — — — — — — — .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .70” x .015” .90” x .015” .90” x .015” — — — — — — — — — — — — .70” x .015” .90” x .015” — — — — — — — — — — — — — .70” x .015” Revised 3.14.12

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 73 Serious WE TAKE A LOOK AT CRANE CAMS’ UNIQUE OPTICAL Spark TRIGGER IGNITION SYSTEMS

IN YOUR RACE ENGINE, getting as much air and fuel lit off And that is exactly why Crane Cams says they have devel- in the combustion chamber at the correct moment is the key to oped their unique optical trigger ignition system for racing. making power. The air and fuel part is the domain of your car- The optical trigger system originally started out for high-end, buretor and induction system, but setting it on fire is all about big-money race teams, but since it proved to be so helpful it has the ignition. And to make big power you’ve got to have a nice, since migrated to Saturday night racing levels. hot spark that consistently fires exactly when you want it to. Of course, in a racing environment that is easier said than MOST DISTRIBUTORS use a magnetic system that spins an done. The combination of high RPM, high heat and lots of vi- iron reluctor wheel with eight flanges past a magnetic pickup. bration make it difficult for an ignition to work as well as it does When the pickup “sees” the flange move past it tells the ignition in your street car cruising from stoplight to stoplight. box to fire. But the problem with a magnetic system is that as

74 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 the RPM increases it has trouble keeping up and tends to retard the timing. Crane’s optical trigger system is quite different. It attaches a thin steel disc to the distributor shaft that has a small window punched into it. The distributor uses an optical sensor that picks up when the window passes over the sensor and sends a signal to the ignition box. “What we use is known as an emitter sensor,” explains Crane Cams’ Terry Johnson. “There is a constant signal that goes between the emitter and the sensor, and what we do is put a reluctor wheel between them that breaks the signal. The signal is just a beam of light, and when we break that beam, that’s your trigger event. It works basically like an on/off switch, so it is extremely accurate.” The difference is with a magnetic trigger the magnetic force between the reluctor wheel and the sensor gets stronger as the reluctor gets closer to the magnet. So the system has to deter- The optical trigger system works by spinning a reluctor wheel on the distributor shaft. When one of the eight windows in the disk passes be- mine the moment of highest magnetic force, or “attraction,” and tween the optical emitter and sensor, the distributor signals the ignition send the signal. With an optical trigger the light is either hitting box to send a spark to the correct plug. the sensor or it isn’t, which helps improve timing accuracy. “Because you don’t have the inaccuracies inherent with a mag- gine on the dyno and determined that it makes the most power netic signal, it’s impervious to RPM,” Johnson says of the optical at 32 degrees before top dead center. You’d love to be able to run trigger technology. “So it doesn’t matter if you’re going 2,600 or your engine on the race track at 32 degrees, but you don’t want 9,600 RPM, it delivers the same signal accuracy all the time.” to take a chance with it going into detonation with the timing The result is something jumping around, so you have we’ve seen for ourselves in en- to allow yourself a safety mar- gine tests. Ignition manufactur- We actually developed that gin and set the timing at 30. ers and some high-end engine “You can’t truly get the builders have expensive diag- technology for these distributors best performance from your nostic equipment that allows several years ago when NASCAR engine because you can’t lean them to verify ignition timing on on it and set the timing of the all eight cylinders in a running came out with what they were true sweet spot. Plus, as your engine accurate to less than a calling the Car of Tomorrow. engine gains RPM going degree, but you can actually see down the straights, the spark the difference with something – Terry Johnson timing is actually retarding as simple as a timing light. With Crane Cams and giving up even more po- your timing light pointed at the tential power. But now you degree marks on your engine’s balancer, you will probably see can set your timing exactly where you want it with the opti- the timing bounce back and forth between one-half to three decal trigger because not only is it steadier throughout the RPM grees when the engine is revved up to the RPM levels it will see range, but it also does not change with RPM.” on the racetrack. But with Crane’s optical distributor the timing mark is much steadier and usually only moves less than half of a INTERESTINGLY, THERE IS also an option to upgrade the degree—if at all. standard optical pickup with a fiber optic unit that can increase timing accuracy even further. “We actually developed that tech- BESIDES HELPING the engine be more consistent from nology for these distributors several years ago when NASCAR cylinder to cylinder, Johnson says you can actually use this im- came out with what they were calling the Car of Tomorrow,” proved timing consistency for better performance on the race Johnson says. “The way they had closed off the nose on those track. “Let’s say you did a series of timing sweeps with your en- cars caused the temperature underneath the hood to really

Crane’s Race Billet Distributor is the company’s most popular among dirt track racers. It uses the optical trigger technology first developed for NASCAR Sprint Cup racing at a more affordable price than Crane’s full-zoot Pro Race Distributor.

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 75 The next time you check the timing on your engine, take a moment to see Although Crane’s optical trigger distributors will work with most brands’ how much the timing marks jump around. If it is more than a degree, you ignition boxes, Crane’s HI-6RC ignition box is incredibly popular be- are losing out on potential power. cause of its accuracy, consistently strong spark and built-in electronic ignition retard that doesn’t use any moving parts.

Here’s a shot of a standard magnetic pickup. When the iron reluctor This is the standard pickup in the Pro Race unit. The guts of the pickup swings past the pickup it triggers the spark. But as the RPM increases a are all sealed in epoxy to protect the unit from moisture, chemicals and magnetic system tends to retard the spark. Also notice the mechanical vibrations so that it can provide a consistently timed spark race after race. advance up top. The extra mechanical movement also harms timing accuracy. That’s why many engine builders lock it out, but that can make a hot race engine difficult to start. spike. It was elevated way beyond the they are rated at 200°C. And instead Crane’s engineers developed an ignition survivability of a lot of parts under the of a regular emitter sensor, we actually box that actually has a digital timing re- hood, and the design of the motors at the incorporate a laser so the speed of the tard baked right in to help aid crank- time was really causing a lot of harmon- signal is actually almost faster than we ing a heat-soaked motor. The feature is ics. For instance, they were exploding can capture on a scope. We don’t ser- standard equipment on Crane’s most alternators on the cars because the tem- vice the NASCAR Cup teams anymore popular ignition for circle track racing, perature was so high and there was so since they moved to fuel injection, but its HI-6RC ignition box, and it works much vibration. The manufacturers had we still sell a lot of the fiber optic pickup by automatically retarding the timing 20 to go in and redesign a whole new alter- systems in our distributors. It is more degrees on startup. The timing retard is nator for those things so that they would expensive, but we have many dirt track turned off as soon as the engine hits 600 live through a race. racing teams that use them because they RPM and is shut out so that it cannot be “We didn’t have a (distributor) fail- demand that accuracy and resilience.” triggered by accident. The only way to ure, but we knew that it wouldn’t be too get it back on is to completely power off long because the temperature was way ANOTHER FACTOR with the optical the engine and ignition and then crank beyond the threshold of what these trig- pickup system is mechanically it is ex- the engine again. That way, if your race gers could stand. We already had expe- tremely simple. There’s just a disk on the engine stalls on the track, the automatic rience with fiber optic pickups for some distributor shaft and an emitter/sensor timing retard will kick in and make it eas- private customers and decided to de- assembly mounted on one side of the ier to re-fire before the tow truck shows velop it for the distributor pickup. That distributor housing. Crane doesn’t even up to ruin your night. stuff doesn’t care how hot it is, and it have an option for mechanical advance doesn’t care how much you shake it, so in the distributor because the extra mov- Source Crane Cams it works really well in that environment. ing pieces allow slop into the system that 866.388.5120 In fact, with the fiber optic technology, can throw off timing accuracy. Instead, cranecams.com

76 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 ONLY

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Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 77 SUCCESS AGAINST THE ODDS

Photos by Woody Hampton

THE RULES ARE PRETTY SIMPLE. Nonsense isn’t tolerated, so don’t even try it. Fighting isn’t an option. You will receive respect, but you should fully intend on giving it as well. If you plan to bend the rules you better be prepared to pay the penalty. You might think it’s a man’s world, but when you get to this place it’s a woman who runs the show. Thanks to Tracey Clay’s The rules above don’t apply to a bar or a club, but rather Tracey Clay’s I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Arkansas, which no nonsense approach, over the past four decades has operated as one of the most successful short tracks in the country. I-30 Speedway has Every weekend across our great nation hundreds of race tracks host their weekly events. Some make good profits, while increased car counts & others are happy to just break even, and some perpetually lose every week. For the tracks that have remained profitable packed stands through the good and the bad times, there seems to be a secret recipe. For I-30 Speedway the recipe seems pretty simple. “At I-30 Speedway we’ve always had the mindset that we don’t care who you are or who you know, you’re going to get treated the same,” comments promoter, Tracey Clay. “Whether it be one of our loyal fans in the stands or one of the great racers

78 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 in the pits, we are going to give you respect from the time you get here until the time you leave.” With a smile she concludes, “Well, that is as long as you understand we expect the same in return.” Tracey Clay grew up around the racing world as her father, Joe Clay, began racing Sprint Cars when she was just five years old. She reminisces, “From my youngest years I can remember looking forward to the weekend each and every week because I just loved going to the track with my dad. In fact, I called his Sprint Car my big brother.” The Clays spent many a weekend competing at tracks across the South, but it wasn’t until the 1987 season that the close-knit family made the transformation from racers to promoters/owners. “We went to I-30 Speedway just about every Saturday Clay and Pete Walton, the owner of the United Sprint Car Series. night, and in 1987 word hit the street that the track might soon fall into financial troubles,” Tracey remembers. “My dad, along with local businessmen Ron Pack and Odus Pack, just loved the place and decided to go in together to purchase the to the experiences she faced with drivers and other promoters track in bankruptcy court later that year. From that point there early in her new role. was no turning back as the Clay family took control of the “To be fair, it wasn’t everybody, but a lot of the drivers facility that originally opened around 1960.” and promoters in this sport just saw a young woman who In August of 1987 I-30 Speedway officially opened was running a race track, and I think they honestly thought to for business under the direction of the Clay family, and at themselves, ‘I can steam roll this person to get what I want,’” 25-years-old, Tracey’s first job was to work in the ticket office she notes. “One thing I can tell you is that I might’ve been alongside some of the long-time employees of the track. young, but I sure wasn’t a pushover, and I think it shocked a lot “The folks who worked in the ticket office had been doing of people early on that I would stand up to them. Caving in to it for a long time, and I quickly learned a lot of the ins and outs intimidation just wasn’t an option for me.” of the business from them. It really laid a good foundation in the racing business for me.” While Tracey spent a majority of the night selling tickets, Whether it be one of our loyal running numbers and putting together the payouts in the ticket fans in the stands or one the great office, when it came time for the nightly Sprint Car feature, you could only find her in one place. The press box. racers in the pits, we are going to “I don’t care what had to be done early in the night, there give you respect from the time you was no way I was ever going to miss watching a Sprint Car feature,” laughs Clay. get here until the time you leave. She quickly began to take note of the scorers and was – Tracey Clay fascinated at how they could keep track of where each car was I-30 Speedway in the field on each lap. Tracey began scoring for fun as she watched the Sprint Car main event, and in 1994 she made the transition to full-time scorer. With Tracey Clay spearheading the charge, I-30 Speedway While the Clay family enjoyed running the track, they quickly grew with weekly car counts in excess of a hundred quickly found that the grass isn’t always greener on the entries and packed grandstands. As the weekly show grew, so other side. did the track’s trademark event, the annual COMP Cams Short Tracey comments, “I can remember as racers we always Track Nationals, which was born in 1988 and is hosted each thought that promoters and track owners had it made, but we year in late October. The race soon gained mega-event status, quickly learned it can be a really thankless and stressful job. No and early in its existence drew approximately 40 cars. The four matter what you do, there is always a conspiracy theory float- day affair now attracts more than 100 Sprint Cars each year to ing among the racers and accusations of favoritism. We learned the ¼-mile oval. real quick that you just have to do the best job you can, and not “To see what the Short Track Nationals has become is take any of it personally.” really just humbling,” Clay says with a big smile on her face. In 1996 Tracey’s dad, Joe, had decided that working in the “My family, our great fans, racers and sponsors have all track office and managing the day-to-day affairs of the track worked hard for over 25 years now to build this event and just wasn’t his cup of tea, and with that came another role to see what it is now….well, words just can’t describe that change for Tracey as she became the promoter. feeling. It’s just amazing.” “Dad basically told me that answering the phone and doing While big events like the COMP Cams Short Track the paperwork wasn’t especially his thing, so he wanted me Nationals have put I-30 Speedway on the national map, Clay to do it,” remembers Clay. “It was all way new to me so it was is equally proud of what she and her family have been able to definitely a sink or swim thing, but I was able to get the hang of create with their weekly programs. things pretty quick from trial and error.” “A lot of tracks struggle with their weekly show, but we Tracey, who is known as one of the toughest promoters in have pretty much 100 cars in five divisions every week,” the country, credits her strength and sometimes stubbornness comments Clay. “A lot of people come to see the Sprint Cars,

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 79 A lot of tracks struggle with their weekly show, but we have pretty much 100 cars in five divisions every week. – Tracey Clay I-30 Speedway

but I’ll say this – our Super Stock division puts on an amazing hard work. They know that I pour my heart and soul into show each and every week, and many a night, they steal the making this track work, and making it as fair as possible for show. It makes us proud to have an entry level class that is so everybody who passes through that gate.” competitive with so many great drivers. I look forward to their I-30 Speedway is planning for a huge 2014 campaign that feature every Saturday night.” will include a fair share of specials to go along with the bench- Twenty-five years after taking the reins of I-30 Speedway, the mark weekly racing series events. As Clay looks ahead to the Clay family continues to enjoy operating the track just as much future, she does so with optimism but also understands that this today as they did in the beginning. While Tracey Clay works as is a different world than when she started in the racing game. the track promoter, her dad spearheads the track preparation “Obviously the economy has dealt us all a curveball over crew, and her brother, Joe Jr., works as the weekly announcer. the past few years, but equally important, we as track promot- “It’s a total family effort for us, and we all love this sport ers all have to continue to look for new ways to entertain the more now than when we started,” says Clay. “Even though fans. We can’t sit back and keep doing the same thing over and sometimes there are complaints and controversies we just love over if we expect to grow or even survive for that matter.” meeting the great people of our sport. I honestly believe folks With an eye on the future and a respect for the past, Tracey in the racing world are some of the greatest that you will find Clay and the Clay family do as good a job of running a race anywhere, and I’m proud to be a part of it.” track as anybody in the country. One thing is for sure, when From the promoter role Tracey still feels like she is you go to I-30 Speedway, you might not like the shake you get, fighting an uphill battle in a male-dominated sport, but by but there is no denying you are getting treated the same as the the same token she feels that she now gets more respect next person. Can we really ask for any more than that? than ever before. “There’s no doubt that some people just look at me and think to themselves ‘This is a woman trying I-30 Speedway to run a race track. I’m sure she doesn’t know anything.’ 12297 Interstate 30 Little Rock, AR 72209 However, there’s just as many that now respect me and my i-30speedway.com

Even though sometimes there are complaints and controversies we just love meeting the great people of our sport. I honestly believe folks in the racing world are some of the greatest that you will find anywhere, and I’m proud to be a part of it. – Tracey Clay I-30 Speedway 80 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 People FUELED OUR SALUTE TO THE UNIQUE AND PASSIONATE PERSONALITIES THAT POWER DIRT TRACK RACING. We know you are always looking for an edge on the competition. But don’t waste money on marketing hype.

BEWARE THE HYPE: NANOTECHNOLOGY DOES NOT MAKE MIRACLE OIL. Driven Racing Oil’s Lake Speed, Jr. helps us separate the marketing mumbo jumbo from the real deal.

WHEN YOU SAY “NANOTECHNOLOGY,” most of us picture pointy-headed scientists in lab coats peering into mi- Speed says that in most cases, the right mix of old-school additives croscopes and scribbling onto their notepads. In the movies, work better than most nanotech materials developed so far. For ex- nanotechnology is often portrayed as some miracle science ample, Driven’s break-in oil uses a very specific mix of Zinc and other additives to help break in a new engine quickly while protecting the the hero will use to keep volcanoes from exploding or cure moving parts from damage. all the zombies.

82 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 Nanotechnology means working with materials on a molec- I tell people all the time, there ular level, and while there are definitely some products that are useful in oil, not everything labeled “nano” is a miracle cure. is no best oil. There is only But “nano” just means small. In fact, it means one billionth of which oil works best for your something. Normally, in science the unit of measurement is the nanometer, which is one billionth of a meter, or 1/25,400,000 application. of an inch, depending on which side of the pond you live. In- – Lake Speed, Jr. cidentally, your fingernail grows about one nanometer a second Driven Racing Oil —which is both cool and kind of weird when you think about it. Over time, nanotechnology has essentially come to mean working with chemicals or materials on a molecular level. And In fact, in a presentation they made at a recent major tribology the successes in nanotechnology are definitely pretty cool. conference (for scientists who research oil and other lubricants) Nanotechnology has allowed such inventions as flexible body they said that one of the problems with the nanoadditives they armor that helps our police force stay safe, lithium ion batteries looked at is the university researchers developing these nanoad- that make portable handheld tools so incredibly powerful and ditives often aren’t aware of other factors that can affect a lubri- long-lasting, and even synthetic bones that surgeons use to help cant’s performance outside the laboratory. people recover from traumatic injuries. Heck, did you know For a little more clarification we turned to Lake Speed, that the carnauba (palm-tree wax) in your favorite car wax that Jr., of Driven Racing Oil. Speed has been around racing all his keeps the swirls from showing up in your paint is only a couple life, but he is also a certified lubrication specialist. That means nanometers wide? he is one of the few people on the planet who can understand But what has happened is with each success in the nanotech- pointy-head science speak and translate it into “gearhead” for nology sector, many of us have come to believe that anything the rest of us. labeled “nano” is practically a miracle in a bottle. Marketers “The nanoadditives have promise, but they really aren’t have taken advantage of this, turning “nano” into a buzzword there yet,” Speed says. “Yes, in some applications they may and slapping it on nearly everything. But the truth is, nano only have some benefit, but that doesn’t mean they are an improve- means small, it doesn’t always mean better. ment in every application. It’s just like I tell people all the Recently, two scientists, Boris Zhmud from Applied Nano time, there is no best oil. There is only which oil works best Surfaces in Sweden and Bogdan Pasalskiy from Kyiv Nation- for your application.” al University in Ukraine, took a long, hard look at some of the What Speed warns against is falling for the marketing hype. newest nanoadditives being used in lubrication to see how they “You’ve got all these different brands of oil to choose from, and worked in motor oils. Specifically, they looked at a handful of while we’re trying to choose we see, ‘Hey! This one says it’s got nanoadditives that scientists have held up as the most prom- micro ball bearings. That sounds like a good thing!’ ising in laboratory tests: fullerenes (sometimes referred to as “Well, there are nanoadditives that do act like very, very “micro ball bearings”), nano diamonds, boric acid and PTFE. small ball bearings, and it is easy to visualize how ball bearings Unfortunately a running internal combustion engine is would work to cut friction. So you can see why the marketing worlds apart from a typical clean room laboratory, and Zhmud department would jump on that concept. But what happens in and Pasalskiy found that these nanoadditives did not work the real world of your engine is that not all of those parts are nearly as well in what you might call real-world environments. smooth. And those particles that act like tiny roller bearings get

Dirt Late Model racer Bobby Pierce currently runs with Driven’s XP5 blend quite successfully. XP5 is a “semi-synthetic.” It offers better protection and high temperature stability than any mineral oil without the cost of a full synthetic. Many Saturday night racers find XP5 offers optimum protection while keeping costs under control.

Photo by Rick Schwallie

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 83 caught in the crevices and jam up. Then everything starts loading up and starts getting in there scraping and now you have damage to the components. “It may work well in a lab in a Nano diamonds used straightforward test,” Speed continues, as an additive in “but a running engine is a very compli- motor oil have been shown to cut friction cated and complex environment.” initially because they The same thing holds true for an- quickly wear away other nanoadditive with the very im- any sharp edges. But pressive name of “nano diamonds.” the problem is after they cut away the Nano diamonds contain extremely hard, rough edges, they will diamond-like particles that are also ex- continue grinding up tremely small. The idea is that the nano everything else they diamonds embed into sliding surfaces, are pressed against, making them more resistant to wear. causing accelerated engine wear. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN that motor oils using a nano diamond additive package actually do help cut friction at first, but over time the friction comes right back greater than before. This is because You’ve got all these different brands of oil to the nano diamonds act as a lapping compound. In a new engine they serve to choose from, and while we’re trying to choose knock off the rough edges quickly which we see, ‘Hey! This one says it’s got micro ball helps to reduce friction. But the nano diamonds never stop grinding away at bearings. That sounds like a good thing!’ the material, and you wind up with ad- – Lake Speed, Jr. vanced engine wear in a very short time. Also, that wear produces extra metal par- diamonds in your engine, we already have Among other things, PTFE will clog an ticles which get caught in the oil that will stuff that will do the same job much better. It oil filter. It’s unlikely you will find a ma- wind up causing damage throughout the just doesn’t have that space age name.” jor brand motor oil using PTFE, but you engine. Another nano additive is known as should watch out for it in aftermarket en- “We already have additives like ZDDP PTFE. PTFE is actually a great additive gine treatment products. films or Moly that you can put into the oil for certain applications such as greas- Speed says that while there are is- that will have a similar surface smoothing es, dry-film lubricants and chain oils. It sues with many nanoadditives, that property to the nano diamonds to reduce does a nice job of creating a film between doesn’t mean performance lubricant friction, but they won’t destroy the surface sliding surfaces that often stop and specialists like Driven Racing Oil ar- finish,” Speed says. “Unlike the nano dia- start—known as “stick-slip.” en’t keeping an eye on the horizon for monds, the ZDDP or Moly packages aren’t But while PTFE may be an excellent nanoadditives that can be useful to removing material to cut the friction, so nano additive for the spray you use to horsepower enthusiasts. there is no damage. And that’s the key differ- lubricate your sliding glass door, it is a “The key is to match the strengths ence. Even though it’s neat to say you have poor option for the oil in your engine. of the nanoadditive to the application –

CRITICAL BALANCE: DETERGENTS TO ZINC ZINC VS. DETERGENT The oil additive Zinc Dialkyldithiophos- clean all three away. Modern API certi- phate (ZDDP) works because it is a polar fied oils contain high levels of detergents molecule, so it is attracted to metal sur- and dispersants. The old school theory on CJ-4 faces. ZDDP reacts under heat and load engine break-in was to run non-detergent Diesel Oil to create a sacrificial film that allows oils, and this allowed for greater activation ZDDP to protect flat tappet camshafts of the Zinc additive in the oil. and other highly loaded engine parts. Driven BR Break-In Oils utilize the Zinc Despite the presence of Zinc in oils, correct balance of high levels of Zinc Detergent other detergents and dispersants in the mix anti-wear additives and low levels of de- complicate the situation. Detergent and tergents, so you don’t need to buy expen- dispersant additives compete against Zinc sive additives to try to correct a low Zinc in the engine because they are also polar (ZDDP) content oil. DRIVEN BR Break-In Oil molecules. Detergents and dispersants Visit drivenracingoil.com for more in- clean the engine, but they don’t distinguish formation on the latest developments in between sludge, varnish and Zinc – they oil technology.

84 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 TECHNOLOGY: TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT Smart racers advance their programs by staying on the lookout for advancements developed in other series that can be applied to their own. Now that NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series has successfully moved to fuel injected engines, many people think that the technology is so far removed from Saturday night racing they might as well be different sports. But that really isn’t true. In fact, as someone who works with race teams at every level, Speed says he sees ideas developed at the Cup level integrated into racing engines at a faster rate than ever before. “There are all types of things smart engine builders are using,” he says. “Now it isn’t uncommon for teams to run DLC-coated lifters even in what you might consider entry level classes that require a flat tappet cam and lifters, so they can avoid wear on more aggressive cams. “They’re going to billet cams and tool steel lifters and a quality oil to match. They are not only able to go with a much more aggressive cam profile, but their cams and lifters are lasting for which is true for any oil,” Speed says. “A great example is Bo- The key to proper oil years. Yes, it costs more up front, but selection is to match ron, which is a great friction reducer, plus it works well with the additive package your replacement costs are lower, and other additives like Moly and ZDDP. The problem is the carrier to the precise needs you may even be winning more races in for Boron is boric acid, and an acid will corrode things. It is of the application. the process. And that all came from the especially damaging if you have yellow-metal in the engine like Internal engine com- Cup Series and trickled down.” ponents have very brass or bronze bushings (typically found in lifter bushings and different lubrication Speed says this is one of the reasons valve guides). needs from the ring Driven Racing Oil is willing to sell the “So if you’ve added acid to the oil while trying to get Boron in gear pictured above. same oil blends that it has developed there, that means you will need more acid neutralizer to balance for Cup teams to anyone else. After it out. And that means you’ve just thrown another additive into all, those tool steel lifters with a dia- the mix that isn’t actually helping lubrication. It all comes back to mond-hard coating need an oil formulat- having pros and cons to all these additives, and you have to see it ed to work optimally in that application. in the totality of what it is actually doing. Pressurized cooling systems are coming “That’s why understanding your application and matching on strong in dirt track racing because the properties of the oil to it is so important,” he continues. “Bo- they make power—but you better run an ron can actually be good in very specific applications. Say I have oil that’s capable of maintaining proper a Pro Stock engine and I’m running four passes before draining lubrication under elevated temps or you the oil out. In that situation using a motor oil with a Boron ad- can melt your engine down quickly. ditive might work well. The boric acid won’t have a chance to Another example of the trickle down be harmful to the engine because it is changed so often, and the phenomenon is spec motor classes where engine’s lifespan between rebuilds is so short anyway. So if the engine builders have found they can tight- boric acid gets me a little more horsepower, then I’m OK with en up the bearing clearances legally and that. In that situation you can make the additive work, but you free up some horsepower by switching to wouldn’t want to use boric acid in an application where the oil a lighter weight oil. Previously, the lighter isn’t changed extremely often. oils couldn’t hold up to the stress of rac- “When choosing any motor oil, no matter what additives it may ing at high RPM for extended periods, but be using, the key is to look at the application first and let that dic- by going with Driven’s blends that were tate the chemistry. Only after you have determined what best meets originally developed for the Cup cars run- your application should you look at the brand.” ning those same tolerances, racers can get free horsepower in those rules-limit- Source ed engines while also actually improving Driven Racing Oil their protection levels. 866.611.1820 drivenracingoil.com Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 85 Lunati today, located at 11126 Willow Ridge Dr. in Olive Branch, Mississippi.

JOE LUNATI BEGAN AS A STREET RACER IN MEMPHIS but soon moved on to safer and more legal action on the area’s sanctioned drag strips. He eventually wanted to move up to a faster ride, and in 1963 he built a homemade chassis. Exhib- LIKE MANY RACING iting the shrewdness that would one day define his business career, Joe evaluated the A Modified Sports (AM/SP) ET record (on which racing handicaps were then based) COMPANIES, LUNATI and decided the car would be highly competitive as a Street Eliminator. NHRA’s Street WAS FORMED BY ONE Eliminator class featured Gassers, Modified Productions, Street Roadsters, Modified Sports and Stock Sports classes. It was the modern extension of the classic hot rod, MAN’S DESIRE TO GO with cars built specifically for racing and no street driving in question. FASTER AND BUILD IT In those days very few racing-specific parts were available for outright purchase. Racers like Lunati learned either from someone else or by trial and error the skills BETTER required to build a race car. Like most racers in the 60s, Joe built and tuned his own engines. He assembled a Hilborn-injected, 377-cubic inch stroker Small Block Chevy from used engine parts he bought from a local racer. For consistency and reliability he backed his engine with a Memphis-built Coleman & Taylor automatic transmission and went racing. The chassis was cloaked in a somewhat dented, two-seat Devin road- ster body that deviously concealed the car’s formidable capabilities. Joe won often with this unlikely race car, the A-Modified/Sports class three times at the NHRA Nationals, nine separate NHRA AM/SP class ET and speed records, and Street Eliminator at the 1964 and 1966 NHRA U.S. Nationals. His careful selection of the AM/SP class allowed him to selectively increase performance just as much as he needed to best the competition. It was a nearly perfect “edge” and made Joe’s homemade hot rod a genu- ine killer car in eliminations. By the mid-1960s the wildly popular A/Factory Experimental class had evolved into what became known as Funny Cars, so-named because of their radically altered bodies that made them look “funny.” These early Funny Cars became a lucrative way to earn cash by match racing and in booked-up, multi-car racing shows. Brand favorites Chevy, Pontiac, Ford, Mercury, Dodge and Plymouth brought paying spectators in the gates and every track was booking Funny Cars. Still working on a hobbyist’s home garage budget, Joe bought the sheet metal from a ‘65 Corvair and molded his own fiberglass body. He lengthened the original 92" wheel-

86 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 base out to 108" to improve handling at the higher speeds he expected and dropped One of Lunati’s warehouses that stores finished crankshafts and other rotating components. the body onto his homebuilt chassis. Although very sturdily built, the car weighed only 1,700 lbs., far less than the typical 2,500+ lbs. for most Funny Cars of the day. The car’s considerably lighter weight gave Joe’s Corvair an advantage, and that allowed him to stick with his proven 377" Small Block Chevy for reliable power. It all worked very well, and Joe’s homebuilt Funny was soon running high eight-second ETs. He was also winning open competition events and match races, gaining a reputation with Southeastern track owners and fans. This success came with a car dubbed “unsafe at any speed” by author Ralph Nader. One could only wonder what Nader’s reaction would have been had he known Lunati’s one-off Corvair was cranking out 170 mph speeds. In early 1966 Funny Car technology took a major leap forward with the introduction of the factory-backed Mercury Comets. These were professionally built, lightweight tube steel chassis with lift-off fiberglass bodies. They began running normally aspirated, nitro-burning engines, but soon the teams moved to supercharged engines. The “Eliminator 1” Mercury Comet of Dyno Don Nicholson forever changed the face of Funny Car racing. ETs dropped and speeds soared, but so did the cost of Funny Car racing.

TO KEEP UP, Joe built his own tube chassis Funny Car, once again on the concrete floor of his garage. This car featured a fiberglass 1967 Chevy Camaro body. With a nod to showmanship, he named it “The Dixie Devil.” For power Joe again reached forward, building a nitro fueled, Big Block 427 Chevy, boosted by a GM 6-71 supercharger. His outings with the new car were quickly successful. Lunati even found himself in the final round of Funny Car Eliminator at the 1967 NHRA U.S. Nationals. This meteoric rise came just one year after his 1966 Street Eliminator win. Joe’s home-built racer lost in the final to Doug Thorley’s Corvair, but this low-buck effort made many take notice. Not long after the ’67 Nationals, Lunati’s ’67 Camaro was destroyed in a crash at LaPlace, Louisiana. Rather than immediately build a new car, the crash made Lunati reflect on the rising costs and hazards of running a nitro Funny Car. Even with his quickly achieved success Joe saw ominous clouds forming on the horizon.

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 87 Joe had funded the Camaro as a weekend racing enterprise without a major financial sponsor. The expenses of fielding a competitive, nitro Funny Car were rising al- Here you can see finished camshafts waiting to be packaged and shipped to customers. most as fast as their 200+ MPH speeds, and most of the teams were either factory backed or enjoyed funding through big sponsorships. To remain competitive with the ever-escalating speeds meant teams had to push their engines to dangerous extremes, with expensive engine damage the usual result. The rapidly rising expenses came with an even more alarming increase in serious accidents.

THE FUNNY CAR CLASS became plagued with engine and transmission explo- sions, terrible oil fires and spectacular crashes. Many notable drivers suffered serious injuries and burns. With a wife and family to consider, Joe decided to get out of Funny Car racing before fate stepped in. He decided to turn his attention instead to the racing products business, and specifically, camshafts and valve train components. Joe’s first involvement with camshafts came after learning the craft while working for an engine rebuilder in Memphis. After he finished his day job grinding cams for engine rebuilds he would stay late at the shop and grind what became known as “cheater stock” cams. In 1968 he sold his first one, launching him into the racing cam business. Joe had uncovered a niche market with NHRA Stock Eliminator racers, a popular category in Memphis and on the east coast. The NHRA rules of those days allowed a clever cam grinder to create a cam that increased horsepower yet still checked as “legal” in the NHRA tech teardown barn. The rules stated which specs of a factory cam would be checked, and Joe’s early stocker cams focused on taking advantage of the areas that weren’t. The result was an immediate, notable increase in horsepower that helped racers gain as much as a half-second reduction in elapsed time. It was a spectacular performance improvement. Joe’s little niche was mostly ignored by the major cam companies. He gained both knowledge and a following with his Junior Stock cheater cams. These were reground on stock camshaft cores that carried the required original factory part number. In 1968 Joe purchased his first cam grinder and stepped wholeheartedly into the racing cam business. He called his new venture Lunati Cams and decided to focus his efforts on drag and regional circle track racing.

88 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 Joe’s Junior Stock cheater cams continued to be his core market and allowed him to expand into the more lucrative Small Block and Big Block Chevy drag racing and Today Lunati valve train and rotating components are a staple for grassroots dirt racers. Late Model Dirt Modified circle track markets. His friendly, outgoing personality and reputation for honesty helped his new cam and valve train company grow quickly. Within a few years Lunati branched out into selling complete engine assembly products in the form of crankshafts, rods and pistons, in addition to cam and valve train products for racing. Lunati had become a one-stop source for do-it-yourself and smaller professional race engine builders. A partnership with Bill Taylor, another Memphis racer and founder of TCI (Torque Converters Inc.) resulted in a line of forged aluminum pistons, marketed as “Lunati/Taylor.”

DURING THESE DECADES OF GROWTH, Joe Lunati continued to be at the center of his company. His customers and fellow racers came to respect and trust him as a man of his word who backed his products. A call to Lunati often resulted in Joe himself taking the call, answering tech questions and taking orders from racers and engine builders. For assistance in growing the new company Joe turned to his wife (Peggy), daughter ( Judy) and son (Joey). The Lunati family was involved in the operation from the earli- est, with Joe working both in the shop and the offices to keep the ball rolling. This day- to-day stability also allowed Joe to use his vision in reading the market and customer base as well as permitted him to expand his deal-making activities. Joe’s easy-going manner and strong code of business ethics brought a steady stream of opportunities for the former Memphis racer. Peggy, who had worried about her husband’s safety while he was driving the dangerous, unpredictable nitro Funny Cars, jumped wholeheartedly into her key role with the growing company. Assisted by daughter Judy, the mother-daughter team handled daily office and business chores, including finances and banking. Joey Lu- nati quickly became a multi-talented, key employee, manning the phones to answer tech assistance calls. Along the way Joe also collected numerous personal accolades recognizing his career in racing and the industry. He was inducted into the NHRA Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2006, the NHRA Southeast Division Hall of Fame in 1987, and HOT ROD magazine’s 50th Anniversary Hall of Fame in 1977.

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 89 In the early 1990s, Wall Street’s big money interests came to view the perfor- Today, Lunati travels the United States with a mance-racing aftermarket as a cash-rich arena ripe with potential for lucrative acquisi- full parts display to show off the newest products. Also available is a fully trained technical tions. One of these investment groups purchased industry icon Holley then set out to staff to answer any questions you may have diversify their holdings with other performance automotive companies. Holley quickly – FREE of charge. went on a buying binge, placing Lunati squarely in its sights. After negotiations, Joe Lunati sold Lunati Cams to Holley Performance in 1998. By design of the new ownership, Joe’s company was quickly changed from its one-on-one customer base to a completely different business model. Rather than focusing on its racer-direct and engine builder customer base, the new managers decided to re-make Lunati into a wholesale distribution manufacturer. Individual service and fast turnaround were abandoned for large, bulk freight orders to national warehouse distributing firms. Long term customers were turned away and told to buy from other sources. The marketplace failed to embrace this new direction. The new Lunati struggled, sales declined and Lunati’s original, profit generating customer base fell by the wayside. Added to this, the national economy had begun an agonizing decline. After weathering increasingly tough economic times, the financial managers at Holley decided it was time to divest of some of its holdings, and Lunati was placed on the block. In 2007 Lunati Cams & Cranks was purchased from Holley Performance Products. The new owners are also investors, but this partnership is comprised of industry and racing veterans, rather than Wall Street capitalists. Where the prior owners had no understanding or involvement in the market, Lunati’s new owners are industry insiders. One of the first moves made was to return the company’s direction to the products and racer service that made Lunati successful. Products include, of course, a complete selection of racing and performance cams and valve train components. They are joined by forged aluminum pistons, wrist pins and piston rings, forged steel crankshafts, main and rod bearings, both H-Beam and I-Beam forged steel connecting rods and a variety of component matched packages and kits. All Lunati products are expertly recommended by the hands-on tech staff. Likely as not, when you call you’ll be speaking with a tech staff member who’s also a weekend racer and knows what works best. By returning to its prior successful business philosophy Lunati Power has pros- pered and established its own customer base, providing racers and engine builders with top quality products, cutting-edge technology, racer-friendly tech support, “I need it now” service and affordable prices. Source Lunati Power 662.892.1500 lunatipower.com

90 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 FACEBOOK / TWITTER / MULTIMEDIA Social Media SOUND OFF

We recently posed the question below to the 118,000+ fans of the OneDirt.com Facebook page. Emotions run deep within the dirt racing community on this issue and the responses were wide ranging from high praise to pure hatred. Below is a hand-picked sampling of the best responses. Got an opinion on this matter? We want to hear it at www.facebook.com/onedirtdotcom or via any of our other social media channels listed below.

CRATE ENGINES: WE REALLY GET AROUND! SAVIOR OR SATAN OF DIRT RACING? OneDirt is active on all major social net- works and digital content publishing platforms. Join us as we spread the word about dirt racing around the world. Chip Disharoon @OneDirt Crate classes without claimer rule is satan because the big money teams just hop them up and reseal them Really defeats the WHOLE point pinterest.com/xceleration/

Scotty Slatter ALSO FIND Satanic!!! Especially for IMCA Mods!! Last I heard it was the International US HERE: Motor Contest Assoc. NOT the International Crate Motor Assoc. Build em, Don’t buy em!! Kenneth Shepherd Savior we run a crate and had 18 wins last season. 5 more wins than the #MUSTFOLLOW deep pocket boys with fully built crates These are some of our favorite Twitter personalities. They’ll keep you enter- Bruce Kile tained & informed about all things dirt. Hate them. Big money guys still tweek them and re-seal them. Can’t work on them without paying someone to re-certify them. Our B-Mod built mo- @Kenny_Wallace The former NASCAR driver turned Dirt Modified racer is good tor has way more power than a “stock” sealed crate. for a laugh and crazy antics from the road.

Matthew Ginithan @msrmafia Twitter account of dirt rac- I’d say more like purgatory while they have the lower price tag and make ing PR man and announcer, Ben Shelton. it more affordable your stuck with what you have and even crate motors What he lacks in height he makes up for vary in power between manufacturers. in hair gel and racing insight. @Cornettthunder Want to know what’s John Andrade III going down with Late Model racing in Satan... Spec motors would be the way to go... Less expensive and still the Southeast? Follow this guy. keeps the engine builder in business @SnotBloomquist Paraody account Travis Trussell of driver Scott Bloomquist will keep you Depends on tech...can be a great stepping stone or it can just be another laughing all the way to the track. But be warned, this account is equal opportuni- out dollar the next guy class ty when it comes to offending.

Phil Krieg @Braddoty18 Former driver and cur- I like the idea of crate motor classes. The biggest problem I’ve seen locally rent dirt racing TV analyst is a great re- with late models, is due to the engines being so equal, more money has source for behind the scenes stories to be spent everywhere else on the car to try to find an advantage. Way (plus he’s an all-around great person). too expensive light weight/low drag components are almost necessary to @EldoraSpeedway How can you not run up front. Crates with a shock rule and other cost lowering rules would follow the official account for one of the be better. most recognizable dirt racing facilities in the world? Just do it. David Gourley Crates are like watching paint dry, Therefore I vote Satan @TheDirtNetwork Our brother from another mother. Based out of Western Penn- Timothy Andrews sylvania, this account covers news, opinion and interviews from the dirt world. It doesn’t matter if it’s a crate motor or a built motor. Either way, money talks. Bullshit walks. @sooner7nc One of the hardest working guys in racing, Lonnie is always good for the latest scoops especially in the JOIN THE CONVERSATION Sprint Car realm. THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY of our sport, watching race tracks close SWINGING their doors is nothing new. However, over the past decade it seems like the rate of expiration for tracks has been stuck on THE GATES THE fast forward as we’ve watched helplessly as facility after facility ceased their operations at an alarming rate. It’s no doubt been a tough time in the history of our sport, but recent happenings seem to indicate that maybe, just maybe, things are OTHER starting to head in a better direction. DISCLAIMER: Before you read any further please note that this is going to be a positive article with a positive outlook WAY for the future of our sport. If being a pessimist when it comes to viewing every After a few lean years, aspect of the racing world is a way of life for you … well, this might be a great the good news is that several time to exit stage left. promoters with a can-do With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s attitude are bringing new life get to it. As outlined earlier in this piece, countless tracks have seen their doors to dirt tracks across America closed for business in recent times. How- ever, over the course of the past year I’ve noticed a reemergence of some of these previously shuttered facilities with new ones also coming into existence for the first time in recent memory. Central Missouri Speedway (War- rensburg, Missouri) played host to over two decades of outstanding racing atop its clay surface before the end of the 2011 season, when promoters Earl and Susan Walls made the tough decision to close the doors of the facility. A variety of factors played into the decision, including issues with increased taxes as well as other economic woes.

92 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 However, by late 2013 the Walls had History has shown comments, “We all definitely learned a heard hundreds of requests from drivers lot last year, and we’ve used it to make and fans who were looking for a good track that the true patrons the experience for the racers and fans to run weekly. As a result, they decided to of racing don’t take that much better in 2014. Running a reopen the facility for the 2014 season. race track is a tough business, but we’ve “A lot of good people needed a place “no” for an answer, had some great support. At the end of to race, so we decided we would come the day that makes it all worth it.” out of retirement and give it another and we aren’t quitters. In East Tennessee veteran fans and shot,” noted Earl Walls. “We really enjoy racers alike have mourned the demolition running the track and always have. It’s Burns didn’t already have a full plate get- of the former Atomic Speedway (Lenoir good to have it open again.” ting the Tuscumbia oval on its feet again, City, Tennessee). For several seasons the With a few events under their belt he is also actively pursuing a lease on facility was the benchmark of racing in thus far this season, the track has en- Moulton Speedway (Moulton, Alabama), the area with countless big events being joyed good crowds and good car counts which has been closed for almost a year. held at the 1/3-mile, high-banked oval. and hopes the trend continues. The track, which is located approxi- Unfortunately, the track was sold to a Further to the south in Alabama, mately 40 miles to the southeast of North trucking company a few years ago and businessman Wayne Burns has already Alabama Speedway, saw its operations turned into a distribution center. taken the reigns of one closed track come to an abrupt halt in mid-2013. However, over the past year on and is currently looking to complete “I would love to operate Moulton on an adjacent property, I-40 Speedway the paperwork on another. Burns, who Friday nights,” said Burns. “I know it’s has been under construction and the formerly ran Thunderhill Raceway always been a Saturday night track, but ¼-mile oval is nearing completion. (Summertown, Tennessee) reopened Arkadelphia Speedway (another track While the facility doesn’t replace all of North Alabama Speedway (Tuscumbia, reopened for 2014) is doing a great job the history lost with the demolition of Alabama) this season. The 1/3-mile on Saturday nights, and I don’t want Atomic Speedway, at least racers and bullring had previously been run by Jeff to step on them. Plus, I hope to work the fans will have a place to go. Greer for over a decade before seeing hand-in-hand with promotions between While the stories of new and old its doors closed late in the 2012 season North Alabama Speedway and Moulton tracks reopening seem to be abound- due to dwindling fan and racer support. Speedway to allow drivers to run the two ing, the reality is that some just won’t After sitting idle throughout 2013 tracks.” With a laugh he notes, “I know make it. It’s just the way things work. Burns announced his intent to reopen people think I’m crazy, and maybe they’re Even in the best of economic times our the track in 2014 and run on Saturday right, but I just want to do my part to try sport has struggled to find its feet in evenings. While there have been some and keep racing going around here.” some markets. However, to me it’s very bumps early in the process he hopes to Several other tracks across the country encouraging that some of the great rac- make the track profitable once again to have reopened over the past year, including playgrounds that seemed to be lost return it to its former glory. ing Lexington 104 Speedway (Lexington, forever are now being reanimated. Even “North Alabama Speedway is just Tennessee), Hattiesburg Motorsports if they aren’t able to succeed under the too good of a place to not be open, and Park (Hattiesburg, Mississippi), I-75 new management, the fact that they are I want to do everything I can to keep Motor Speedway (Murphy, Tennessee), open again will present opportunities to it going,” comments Burns. “While Thunder Valley Speedway (Glenmora, draw new racers, new fans, and maybe weekly shows have always been a bit Louisiana), Poplar Bluff Speedway (Pop- even new ownership down the road. of a struggle, that place has had some lar Bluff, Missouri) and a host of others. History has shown that the true patrons legendary special events over the years. While old tracks are reopened we’ve of racing don’t take “no” for an answer, and I hope to be able to build the fan base also seen some new tracks opening their we aren’t quitters. We fight for what we and car count back up so that we can try doors for business. Owner of W&W love, and we take care of our own. And if some big specials down the road. Timber, Billy White, built Timberline you really think about it, isn’t that what this “It’s just definitely a work in progress, Speedway (Corley, Texas), and it opened great country was founded upon? Never so I hope folks will bear with me.” As if for business for 2013. The facility went giving up and never saying die to fight for through the typical growing pains in its the things that hold our passion. maiden season but enjoyed some big So I say kudos to all of the promot- crowds and good racing. ers, owners and management giving With the track now in its sophomore life to race tracks across our nation. It’s season, track promoter, Chris Green, not easy, and at times it’s not fun. But it’s what we love to do. Who knows, maybe, just maybe, it will lead to more tracks returning from the grave. If we don’t try, then we don’t know. Race on everybody!

Photo by Rick Schwallie Fast FORWARD SCHEDULES / EVENTS / RACES

Doug Murphrey Memorial The Dream DIRTCar Summer The Doug Murphrey Memorial consistently With a $100,000 grand prize, The Dream is the Nationals (The Hell Tour) draws close to 100 cars, making it one of the richest event on the annual Dirt Late Model cal- This series is called The Hell Tour for good largest and most prestigious Dirt Modified endar. Both the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series reason. Over the course of a just over a month events in the country. The race is only eight and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series each summer some of the country’s best Dirt years old but has grown every year since its have scheduled off-weekends at Dream time so Late Model teams compete for $5,000-$10,000 inaugural running in the mid-2000s. Ark-La-Tex that the best of the best competitors may battle top prizes in blistering Midwestern heat. Say Racetrack is nicknamed “The Land of 3-Wide,” it out on the Eldora high banks. The DIRTCar nothing about winning – just surviving this meaning that attendees are certain to see a UMP-sanctioned event draws several dozen tour is an accomplishment in itself. In 2014 the memorable show as the competitors battle for a cars each year, so just making the A-Main is a Summer Nationals will consist of 34 events on $10,000 first-place check. grand feat. However, while the race pays 100 dirt ovals across nine states in just 39 days. grand to win, the purse for second place drops May 29-31 Ark-La-Tex Speedway The cars chasing the Summit Modified Nation- to $20,000, often making for a thrilling, all-or- Vivian, LA als crown also appear at nearly every stop. nothing-style show. June 11-July 19 Variety of Midwestern June 5-7 Eldora Speedway & Southern Dirt Tracks Rossburg, OH

Photos by Rick Schwallie

Kings Royal MudSummer Classic World Modified This is one of the richest races on the World of Big-time NASCAR racing returned to its roots in Dirt Track Championship Outlaws Sprint Car Series tour with $50,000 go- 2013 with the inaugural MudSummer Classic, a USMTS is widely regarded as the preeminent ing to the winner. It also just so happens to take Camping World Truck Series event that was won sanctioning body for Dirt Modifieds, and this place at the half-mile Eldora Speedway – one of by Austin Dillon in front of a sold-out crowd. The race has quickly become one of its marquee dirt racing’s grand cathedrals. The grueling 40- popular race returns in 2014 and is once again events. Although the USMTS holds dozens of lap event is a test of both man and machine with one of the hottest tickets in the sport. Drivers and races each year, this 100-lap showdown at the the victor, or King of Kings, presented a crown, fans alike love the event’s format that includes 3/8-mile Deer Creek Speedway is one that every cape, scepter and seat upon an oversized throne. qualifying, heat races and a last-chance race single Dirt Modified competitor has circled on before the 150-lap feature. While a race night July 11-12 Eldora Speedway his calendar. The A-Main pays $20,000 to win, schedule like this is common for most short track Rossburg, OH but it’s the bragging rights that come along with series, it is unique to NASCAR. Dirt Late Models besting so much other talent that keeps top are also on hand during Wednesday’s main event teams coming back. program and Tuesday night’s undercard. July 23-26 Deer Creek Speedway July 22- 23 Eldora Speedway Spring Valley, MN Rossburg, OH

94 OneDirt.com / Issue 1, 2014 USA Nationals 100 Battle at the Chip 410 Knoxville Nationals Not only is Cedar Lake Speedway one of the The site of one of the world’s largest and most Ask any Sprint Car driver on the planet which prettiest settings on the World of Outlaws Late well-known gatherings of motorcycle enthusi- race they would most like to win and their an- Model Series circuit, the winner of this event asts, it probably doesn’t take much to attract swer is sure to be the Knoxville Nationals. This goes home $50,000 richer. But the real reason gearheads to Sturgis in early August. If you half-mile oval bills itself as the “Sprint Car Capi- to check out this race is for the A-Main driver need another reason to visit though, in 2014 the tal of the World” and plays host to over 100,000 intros. Each driver gets the rock star treatment trucks of the TORC Off-Road Championship are fans over several days in early August. Legends as the lights go down and a spotlight shines on headed to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the of the sport from Wolfgang to Kinser to Schatz his car while it makes its way onto the track. challenging Legendary Buffalo Chip course for have reached Victory Lane in the ultra-presti- Meanwhile the fans go crazy with glow sticks in the very first time. These powerful, high-flying gious A-Main. $150,000 goes to the winner and the grandstands. It is a scene guaranteed to give race trucks must battle track obstacles and each the total purse is more than $1 million, enticing you chills, and one trip to this crown jewel event other to reach the checkered flag first. When you Sprint Car teams from around the world to try will keep you coming back year after year. put together TORC and half a million motorcycle their hand on the Iowa dirt. The 410 portion of July 31-August 2 Cedar Lake Speedway fans the event is sure to be a spectacle. the program has been sanctioned by the World New Richmond, WI August 5-6 The Legendary of Outlaws since 2011, while ASCS puts on the Buffalo Chip 360 Nationals the preceeding week. Sturgis, S.D. August 6-9 Knoxville Raceway Knoxville, IA

Topless 100 One of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series’ crown jewel events, this is also one of the most distinct Dirt Late Model races anywhere in the country. Each car competes with its roof sheet metal removed, providing the passionate fans a view of the driver working inside that is unpar- alleled anywhere else in the sport. The 100-lap race on the lightning-fast 3/8-mile oval in the hills of picturesque northern Arkansas pays $40,000 to win. August 14-16 Batesville Motor Speedway Locust Grove, AR

Issue 1, 2014 / OneDirt.com 95 Parting SHOTS WHEN THE CHECKERED FLAG DROPS IT IS NOT THE END, IT IS SIMPLY THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT RACE.

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