Dirt Empire Magazine - Issue 9 - 2022

POLE POSITION

OWNER/PUBLISHER

Adam Cornell

EDITOR

Justin Zoch

SUBSCRIPTION COORDINATOR

Abigail Cornell

WEBSITE COORDINATOR

Shaun Cornell

WORDS

Ashley Allinson, Ashley Zimmerman, Bert Lehman, Bill Blumer Jr., Bob Mays, Brett Swanson, Chad Meyer, Chris Romano, Cyndi Stiffler, Danny Burton, David Sink, Doug Kennedy, Doug Seeger, Elizabeth Madley, Eric Arnold, Gary Costa, Greg Soukup, Jessica Jenkins, Joanne Cram, Joe Duvall, Kelley Carlton, Kevin Oldham, Larry Weeks, Lee Ackerman, Melissa Coker, Mike Spieker, Odell Suttle, Scott Erickson, TJ Buffenbarger, Todd Heintzelman, Vahok Hill

Brinn Inc. ISSUE 09 2022 REVIEW IN PICTURES: BRISTOL PART I $8 US/$10.25 CAN LATE MODEL MODIFIED SPRINT STOCK & MORE • CRAIG WHITMOYER • BRAD LOYET • RYAN GUSTIN: CHAPTER 2 17-YEAR-OLD USAC PHENOM REVIEW IN PICTURES 4 DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 09 - 2022

Advertising COVER PHOTO CONTRIBUTOR: KYLE STRICKLER & MATT WILLIAMSON BY JOSH JAMES FOR SUBMISSION INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT SENIOR EDITOR JUSTIN ZOCH: ZOCH24@HOTMAIL.COM

PICTURES

Adam Mollenkopf, Andy Newsome, Bill Miller, Bill Taylor, Bob Mays, Bob Yurko, Brad Plant, Brandon Anderson, Brendon Bauman, Brian Bouder, Bruce Palla, Buck Monson, Buzz Fisher, Carey Fox, Chad Wells, Chris McDill, Chris Pederson, Conrad Nelson, Dan DeMarco, Danny Howk, David Campbell, David Giles, David Hill, David Pratt, Dennis Krieger, Don Laidlaw, Donna Rosenstengel, Doug Burgess, Doug Vandeventer, Glen Starek, Gordy O’Field, Greg Stanek, Greg Teel, Heath

PAGE 28

Modified or Late Model, it doesn’t matter Kyle Strickler is out there pedal to the metal looking to improve in the 2022 season.

18 EMERSON AXSOM - #DEASKS

With a breakout start to the season at the Tulsa Shootout and Chili Bowl and two USAC wins to start the Sprint season in Florida, teenager Emerson Axsom is primed for a huge 2022. We asked him your questions as he gets set to become a household name.

28 KYLE STRICKLER - LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK IN ‘22

After a rough year with Bloomquist Racing, Kyle Strickler is back on familiar turf but grateful for all his opportunities with an attitude perfect for a 2022 redemption tour.

36 REVIEW IN PICTURES - FLORIDA SPEEDWEEKS

Sure, racing around the country has heated up but everyone’s car looks the best when they first roll out of the trailer in the Sunshine State in January or February. Here’s a photo gallery from when every team thought this was definitely going to be their year!

44 BRAD LOYET – FINDING A RACING LIFE OFF THE TRACK

Following a devastating shop accident that nearly cost him his hand and did cost him a career behind the wheel, open wheel maestro Brad Loyet looks back on his career, his injury and his new life as a crew chief and fabricator.

48 CRAIG WHITMOYER – BEATING THE ODDS

After a long career in racing despite losing a hand as a teenager, modified racer Craig Whitmoyer is poised for one of his most successful campaigns ever in 2022.

52 REVIEW IN PICTURES – BRISTOL

It’s Bristol Baby! Josh James covered every inch of the half-mile bowl of dirt and sent in his finest photos to show every angle from a wild month of racing at the wildest short track in the country.

Photo Josh James

YEAR ONE

ONE YEAR IN the books…or magazines as it were. We have managed to claw our way through our first year in business and not just survive, but thrive!

It was not without moments of peril and stress, however. And as I look towards the future, it would appear that it’s not all sunshine and lolipops.

Throughout our first year, we were dealt price increase after price increase from the paper industry, culminating in a full 40% increase in production costs per piece from our first issue to this issue. This despite our print run quantity increasing dramatically from that first issue. When it comes to printing, the more you print, the less each copy costs. Not this year, baby. Inflation ate up any value gained from economies of scale.

It was so bad we had to change the paper we used, settling on what you now have in your hands. I believe it’s a suitable substitute, and some have even commented, an improvement.

Additionally the entire world is now facing an actual paper shortage; paper of all kinds including that which is used to produce this publication. We are hearing that it may even be difficult to acquire paper for the next issue. What will we do if we can’t get paper for a time?

I hope it doesn’t come to that, but if it does, we have a game plan. 1) we would still produce content and put it online. 2) we would pause all subscriptions and not count any digital issues against a subscription. 3) we would jump through every hoop and turn over every rock

until we found the paper to go back to print. I am dedicated to producing a print publication. On that you can be sure.

Despite all this, I am personally thankful for all the achievements we reached this last year, and all the awesome content we produced. In this first year of production, we were proud to print the best dirt track racing photographs in the world. One of our photographers (Dave Pratt in Issue 4) even won an award for a photo that was featured within our pages and we could not be more honored to have him onboard.

We also enjoyed a great many feature articles written by some of the best talents in the industry. We were able to hitch our wagon to a rising star in writer Ashley Zimmerman who sprang up out of the rodeo and sprint car scene to become our best interviewer. Half of the fun of building each issue is getting the submissions from Ashley to see what gold nuggets of racing fun she’s mined from her latest interviewee.

Then, of course, there are the many readers I’ve had an opportunity to meet in person at different events like races or trade shows. Getting to take, even just a moment, to talk with the readers who are enjoying what we create with each issue brings me a rewarding feeling. Being a creator - both an artist and a writercomes with the peril of self-doubt and performance anxiety (and not the kind they advertise a pill for during NASCAR races.) The fact that our readers have entrusted their hard-earned money to us for their racing entertainment is not something I take lightly. We want to perform well and make each reader feel like they just finished the best racing magazine ever when they get to that back cover (sponsored by Eibach.)

Our editor, Justin Zoch and myself, along with all of our contributors, strive to make each issue better than the last. There are times, as we’re putting together an issue, where we start to wonder if this is finally the one where we fall flat. And then a batch of photos arrives, or an article is submitted that pulls the whole issue together and makes

By Adam Cornell

it shine. Those moments of realization of having produced something great that I know people will enjoy; those moments I treasure.

We haven’t batted 1.000 by any means. There have been times where the postal service of this fine nation has let us down and copies haven’t made it to mailboxes for some reason or another (we confirmed at least one theft!) But I stand behind this publication and take responsibility for it. We always work to make things right for our subscribers, even if it means trying to answer Facebook Messages in the wee hours of the morning to track down a problem, or getting a replacement copy into the mail while on location at a race.

Some of you dear readers have been with us from the beginning – and for that, I thank you. We would not be here without you.

Our advertisers have been amazing this year, as well. Their willingness to support this publication from its infancy is a testament to their desire to do everything they can for this sport we love. I always encourage our readers to love them back and support their businesses. Without our advertisers, we would not be here.

2022 has already had its fair share of challenges, for us and the industry as a whole. The tire situation has grown… tiresome. The price increases industrywide have become… taxing. And the gas prices have… driven us crazy (and it was a pricey drive!)

But look at all the awesome racing we’ve had so far – and how much is yet to come. I can hardly wait.

Let’s go racing!

Photo: Melissa Tousley

from the EDITOR

FIGHTIN’ WORDS

By Justin Zoch

BEFORE YOU READ ON, I owe you a disclosure – I’ve never been in a fist fight of any kind, never been punched and, also, I’ve never driven a race car. So, if those confessions make it impossible for you to take my opinion in this column seriously or, worse yet, might make you want to punch a wall, turn the page.

The last month has featured two prominent examples of public violence, one about as far from our sport as you can get and one at the highest level of our sport. Will Smith slapping Chris Rock after a joke was about the dumbest thing you’ll ever see on TV and Ty Gibbs and Sam Mayer throwing haymakers, while one of them is wearing a helmet, is similarly stupid. I think a stupid act like that should be punished severely, certainly more so than it is now.

I know we’re in the entertainment industry and I also realize that racing is a highly emotional sport. I get it. Racing is one of the few sports where you can literally lose everything – your life savings or your life – because of someone else’s mistake. I can see where that would make you want to seek retribution or maybe just kind of lose your mind for a second. I’ve got a temper, too. But, that doesn’t mean we have to glorify it, right?

There seems to be a movement in the sport that wants to make confrontations more public, going back to NASCAR’s infamous “Have at it, boys” comment a few years back. We’ve all heard it at several racetracks over the years that, and I’m paraphrasing, “there is no fighting allowed in the pits but you’re welcome to come fight on the

frontstretch so everyone can see.” I’ve laughed at that joke many times and I’ve certainly left my seat to see punches thrown or ran through a crowded pit area to see what all the fuss was about at someone’s trailer.

Fighting at the racetrack is one of those things that should go by the wayside and shouldn’t be encouraged. There are plenty of ways to show your personality, your emotion and to entertain without committing assault and battery. As I said, I’m not trying to pass judgment on anyone or anyone’s actions and plenty of guys that have thrown a punch at a racetrack are certainly at the top of my heroes list.

does this at a racetrack?

Sure, there’s the argument that if you don’t take care of it with fists in the pits, they’ll take care of it of with cars on the track. This is the same tired argument you get from hockey fans that the only way to protect players is to send your goon out to fight their goon to protect the non-goons. There has to be a better way. I’d argue if anyone is so emotional that the only way they can control their anger towards another racer is to hit them, they probably need to leave the car in the hauler for a spell. Obviously, any on track retaliation needs to be dealt with even more severely.

The tolerance for physical altercations should be over and we should make the punishments fit the crime, which, you know, it actually is.

However, I would advocate for very stiff penalties going forward at every level. It just can’t be acceptable anymore, right?

I’ve never once seen someone throw a punch at a bar or get into a fight on the street and think “Wow, that guy is awesome. What a winning personality!” No, I think, “What a ridiculous meathead. Throw him out of here.” Can we not do the same thing, or at the very least, think the same thing about someone who

There are plenty of ways to show your personality, your emotion and to entertain without committing assault and battery.

NOTES &

As the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model presented by Born2Run Lubricants Flynn’s Tire Touring Series season is set to kick-off in just a few weeks at the much anticipated “Battle of the Bay” Speedweek presented by 3C Graphix, Series Directors have been working diligently over the past few weeks to substantially increase the “Filler’up With Sunoco Bucks” program, which will be presented by Sunoco and other soon to be named contributors. To assist racers with increased travel costs in 2022, RUSH Touring Series participants will receive over $12,000 of Sunoco fuel cards an increase of more than $7,000 over last season!

Last season, the “Fill’er up with Sunoco Bucks” program was introduced and awarded $5,000 in fuel cards. At each event, a random draw took place at the drivers meeting for all competing racers that awarded the selected driver a $100 Sunoco fuel card in addition to the dash winner, who also received a $100 fuel card.

In 2022, once again the Sunoco dash winner will receive a $100 Sunoco fuel card; however, this year, two drivers in the top 15 of Touring Series points will receive a $100 Sunoco gift card plus four other competing racers will receive a $50 Sunoco fuel card, all by random draws at the drivers meeting. By distributing the fuel cards in this manner, both Touring and regional RUSH racers who support the event will receive Sunoco fuel cards!

“We all know that inflation has driven up prices on just about everything this season, and it’s no secret that the cost of fuel has skyrocketed,” said RUSH Director Vicki Emig. “With that said, we felt it was important to do whatever we could to support the racers who participate in our Touring events, many of which involves lengthy travel. The program will distribute fuel cards to both Touring Series and regional racers who support the events.”

“The Touring Series events have been phenomenal with tremendous car counts

KNOXVILLE RACEWAY TO UPGRADE LIGHTS

One of the brightest, best-lit speedways in the country is going to be even better going forward as Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, recently announced that they are upgrading their lighting system.

The project, approved recently by the Marion County Fair Association, will have a cost of over one million dollars but the raceway felt the change was necessary to keep the raceway at the forefront of dirt track facilities.

“It is a huge investment; the lights that are up were put in back in 1997. We spend a lot each year keeping them up and we decided to do a remodel so we thought about staying with the lights we have because it would be cheaper, but that would be going backwards to what’s available so we decided to go

with the LED Project. Musco [Lighting] is just 25 miles down the road so it was a good fit as they had put in all of the current lights,” said Knoxville Raceway Director John McCoy explained in a radio

and awesome racing,” added Emig.

“Because of this, our promoters stepped up for 2022 and have increased the Touring purses to a minimum of $3,000 to win. It’s our job now and always as a Series to do everything in our power to preserve what the speedways and their fans have come to expect when RUSH rolls into town. We can’t thank Sunoco Race Fuels for their ongoing support, as well as many others who will be contributing to the program whose names will be released in the near future.”

Sunoco Race Fuels has been an important corporate marketing partner of the RUSH Racing Series as 2022 will mark the 10th year of their longstanding, successful relationship. Sunoco, the “Official Fuel” of RUSH, has fueled the Series over the past several years and will be offering their Sunoco E85R as an exciting cost-effective option for the RUSH Late Models in 2022.

interview KNIA/KRLS.

The new Musco lighting system will begin to be phased in during the months of May and June of 2022.

Photo: Paul Arch

ANOTHER NEW CHAMP WEARS KING OF AMERICA CROWN;

Humboldt Speedway the 11th edition of the Summit King of America event in late March in Kansas and, once again, there was a first time winner in the USMTS-sanction event. Jake O’Neil bested an extremely tough field of modifieds to score the $15,000 winner’s check.

O’Neil followed Dustin Sorenson and Dereck Ramirez through the early stage of the race before got to second on lap 15. On the 25th circuit, he got by Sorenson in lapped traffic and took the top spot for the rest of the 60-lapper despite some late yellow flags to bring his competitors close. Homestate hero Darron Fuqua was second while Sorenson, Ramirez and Jason Hughes filled the first five.

This was O’Neil’s first win in the event that has now seen ten winners in the 11 editions – only Ryan Gustin has won more than one Summit King of America event.

Steel Block Bandits is a steel block late model touring series with events throughout the southeastern US.

They have a 14 race schedule in six different states planned for 2022. Several races are already in the books, with more racing action scheduled. Steel Block Bandits have three 10k-to-win races including the season finale Cash Money 100.

The Steel Block Bandits travel to each track once a year to create a carnival like atmosphere that brings crowds in. The Steel Block Bandits points championship is worth $10,000 to the champion and $3000 to the Rookie of the Year.

More info is available on the website at: banditsdirt.com

ARIZONA’S O’NEIL TAKES PRIZE

Photo: Todd Boyd

pitside FUN & FRIVOLITY

Crofton, Kentucky driver Scotty Owens had an interesting pit golf cart with a racecar-style body and coil/over shock rear suspension that he used for cruising around the gator pond and the expansive pit area at Volusia Speedway Park.

“The Concrete Kid” Anthony Macri’s team has a nifty tray used to store body panels during maintenance on the car throughout the evening.

It can get to be a long week during Florida Speedweeks and you’ve got to use every tool available to amuse yourself.

Photo: Matt Butcosk

“Hang on, dad, just one more.” Kyle Larson looks on as his son Owen signs a wing panel.

Photo: Scott Bender

Photo: Paul Arch

Photo: Paul Arch

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE continues to strive to make the magazine reading experience as alive and exciting as a night at the races. Utilize your smart phone or tablet with the QR codes below to jump right to the videos. Who would have thought you could watch a video in a magazine? We’re kind of awesome like that, but couldn’t do it without the hardwork of the videographers.

WHO IS DIRT DOBBER VIDEO?

Located in Tallahassee Florida, John Horne is the owner and operator DirtDobber Video, a professional video and promotion service geared towards the Motorsports Industry. Like his Facebook page and be sure to subscribe to his channel on YouTube.

Facebook: @DirtDobberVideo • YouTube: Dirt Dobber Video

moving PICS

century sent in by Chris Romano displaying the bold colors of 90s dirt track wear and highlighting one of the greatest tracks from that era – the big half mile at Manzanita in Phoenix, Arizona.

SPEEDWAY CAR CAMS

For nearly ten years, Michael Elliot has been placing cameras into the cars for amazing POV shots of what the drivers experience. We’re pretty big fans. Use the provided YouTube links or the QR codes to access the videos.

POINT YOUR SMART CAMERA PHONE AT THE QR CODE ABOVE TO CHECK OUT THE VIDEO!

POWERED BY:

POINT YOUR SMART CAMERA PHONE AT THE QR CODE ABOVE TO CHECK OUT THE VIDEO!

DAVID WHITENER GO PRO 604 LATE MODEL ALL-TECH RACEWAY 4/9/22

WINNER #15M SHANE DEMEY IN HIS MODIFIED AT THE 2022 BRISTOL DIRT NATIONALS INCAR CAMERA

the lighter side of

DIRT

IF YOU CATCH a great brain bucket out there, capture a photo, send it to Dirt Empire Magazine at zoch24@ hotmail.com with a quick quip about why you love it.

Skol! Jacob Ulrich from Sand Springs, Oklahoma went full Viking during Florida Speedweeks at Volusia with this interesting, but not particularly effective, skid lid. Ulrich wore a more conventional helmet during actual competition.

You don’t have to be a professional, or even an adult for that matter, to have a fancy looking helmet. Plus, when you’re racing cageless karts, your helmet is the most prominent feature of your race car. This slick number on Tyler Morris caught the eyes of photographer Rich Labrier at the indoor Clash at the Coliseum.

Buschhhhhhh! Chris Simpson made the trip from Iowa to Florida for Speedweeks and brought along this slick helmet showcasing the unofficial State Beverage of his home state. Cheers!

Photo: Paul Arch

Photo: Rich Labrier

Photo: Matt Butcosk

the lighter side of

DIRT

ASIDE FROM SPONSORSHIPS, racers use their cars to convey everything from politics to jokes and to express their personalities. Here are some of our favorites from the last couple of months.

He’s always in Beast Mode! Jeff Taylor owns and operates The Wild Animal Park and The Wild Drive Thru Safari in Chittenango, New York, and proudly displays some of his favorites on the side of his Big Block Modified. Plus, he’s definitely got the coolest jack in the country.

Send

Guess how you can support local racing? Drive this billboard up and down the road all summer. Jeff Lapalme drew everyone’s eyes to his trailer in the pit area at Volusia and he has plenty of reason for folks to be interested in his appearance – he’s the founder of FastRacingGrafx.com.

PHOTOS BY PAUL ARCH

Subtlety. Mike Marlar snuck a nice tribute to a legend we lost last season with a C.J. inside his famous number 157 digits earlier this year honoring CJ Rayburn.

With a historic run by their basketball team and a possible Savior head coach hired in Mario Cristobol for the football program, Florida Street Stock racer Bubba Bodiford was all in on the Canes at All-Tech Raceway early in the season with the University of Miami’s Sebastian the Ibis plastered on his car.

Graphics aren’t just for race cars – pit mules can have fun, too! The Snow Racing Capstone Motorsports team and driver Kevin Thomas Jr. are all set on all sides of their mule for the 2022 season as KTJ looks to conquer winged racing.

Pennsylvania’s Davie Franek nabbed a checkered flag early this season in Florida and it may be that this slogan for living life to the fullest may have just inspired him. Certainly seems to be a winning motto for any team making a living on the road.

ask the DRIVER

DRIVER:

EMERSON AXSOM

Dirt Empire is taking questions provided by YOU and will seek out your favorite drivers to get you the answers to your long awaited questions! All you have to do to submit your question is just Like Dirt Empire on any social media and include #DEasks with your question. Then watch for the next issue to see if your question is featured!

SINCE STRAPPING into the seat of a Clauson Marshall Racing sprint car, seventeen-year-old Emerson Axsom has been nothing short of incredible, already securing a place in the USAC record books in just the first weekend of the 2022 racing season. What was originally planned to be a fill in moment on the team soon grew into a fulltime ride. It proved a wise decision on the part of Clauson Marshall Racing. Emerson Axsom is quickly giving proof that the rising stars of the world of non-wing sprint car racing will have the talent to follow in the footsteps of an already tough league of drivers.

With the short break between his

successful Florida Speedweeks stint and the next upcoming race, Dirt Empire sat down with him for a round of #DEAsks where Dirt Empire brings fan submitted questions to your most requested drivers to get the answers you’ve been scouring the internet for. If you’d like to see your favorite driver answer your most nagging questions, like us on any social media platform and submit your question utilizing #DEAsks. Then all you have to do is stay tuned for the next issue to see if your question has been picked!

DIRT EMPIRE: Let’s start from the beginning. Last fall when you climbed in the seat for Clauson Marshall Racing [CMR], the opportunity was not long term, but for three races, so when the offer came for you to race fulltime with the team what were your emotions and thoughts?

EMERSON AXSOM: So, the very first time that they asked me to drive for them back in August for the Kokomo Smack Down, I was really excited, I’ve always

BY ASHLEY ZIMMERMAN

said that if I was given the opportunity to drive for someone like CMR or Keith Kunz, that I would be able to show my ability a lot more because I’ve never had the opportunity to drive for a top tier team and I’ve always wanted to at least try. I was really excited to get the opportunity to drive for such a great team. I never knew at the time it was only a three race deal, I just thought that we were going race, it never really dawned on me that it could be more than a three race deal. I also didn’t know that it was only supposed to be a three race deal. I just thought it was me and Tim [Clauson] kind of going racing for a little bit. When I got the opportunity to run full time this year, I was pumped even more than I was last year because I felt like I was given an even bigger opportunity to run a full schedule and really kind of figure out how to drive a non-wing sprint car.

Photo: David Campbell

DE: Do you think that not knowing it was a limited number of races or that a full time opportunity might be available took some of the pressure off of you?

EA: Yeah, I think that helped a lot really. I think it probably would have gone a little bit differently if I would’ve known that. I probably would’ve put a lot more pressure on myself. I’m really happy I didn’t know that.

DE: While you were in Florida earlier this February, you got the opportunity to break a couple of streaks by winning at Bubba Raceway Park, for example breaking a nearly 20 year streak of getting your first series win during a season opener and becoming the first driver to get two USAC career wins in 48 hours since 2008. What do you think made it so easy for you to find success so quickly with CMR?

EA: We went down with the midget to Florida a week earlier. It sounds silly but I think that really got me back acclimated to racing and got my eyes back ready. Just the stuff that, you don’t really get rusty on, but you forget about so running the midget

Photo: David Campbell

Axsom basking in Tulsa Shootout glory, where he had his 2022 breakout.

there the week earlier, I think it helped me a lot. Bubba Raceway Park is already a super tricky track, so the more laps you can get on it the better you’re going to be.

DE: Given that you had a few chances to race with the team last fall before the off season break, were there things that you wanted to work on during the off season to improve on before you got back in the car this year?

EA: Not necessarily work on myself, I feel like as a young driver every time the off season happens, you naturally mature, so the next time you hit the track, even if you don’t race during the off season, you’re just automatically a lot better as a driver because you’re a lot more mature; you think more maturely and it sounds silly but that’s every time an off season happens. I only race, you know, twice during the off season – the Shootout and in the Chili Bowl, and somehow I seem to come back the next year ten times better than where I left off two races ago. I feel like during the off season, as a young driver, you mature a lot and that’s where a lot of that natural progression comes from.

DE: Prior to the Chili Bowl you

competed at the Tulsa Shootout and had quite a bit of success throughout the week, do you think that success in the same building, same track, gave you some confidence that you might not have normally had going into the Chili Bowl to build on?

EA: I’m a confident driver, I feel like anyway, so I probably would’ve went in with the same attitude. But, you know, when other people are talking about me, I feel like it makes me step up my game a little bit, so after having a week of where I felt like if I opened my phone I’m getting tagged on Twitter, that just in general obviously does boost your confidence, but I feel like I’m automatically a bit more of a confident driver with all of the talk, so it did help, but I feel like I would’ve went in there with the same attitude.

DE: Let’s talk a bit more about the Chili Bowl, in an interview leading up to the Chili Bowl, you had said that anything aside from a podium finish on your Thursday night qualifying night would be disappointing. Looking back now on how that night and week went for you, would you still say you were disappointed with the finish?

EA: I’m not disappointed with the speed we had because I felt like we had a

podium car. I’m disappointed with the way it played out because I made a mistake.

DE: Looking at the 2022 race schedule, is there anywhere or anything you’re particularly excited about?

EA: I want to try to win Sprint Week and Midget Week. The select amount of wing shows I’m going to get to race at I’m really excited about.

DE: Being a fulltime competitor on the USAC tour this year, what would you say is going to be the hardest part about being on the tour?

EA: So far, from what I’ve learned running the midgets, it’s just really putting a bad night behind you. Not letting a bad night carry over into the next three nights. If you’re on a weeklong tour or something like that, you have to learn that a bad night is a bad night and to move on it. It happens, so there’s no changing that.

Photos: Paul Arch

It’s 4 Crown weekend and the just turned 17 year old is hustling at Eldora in a Midget.

DE: Is there any advice you’ve been given along your career this far that has been exceptionally helpful?

EA: I can’t really think of anything specific. My dad has helped me the most for sure, especially growing up racing quarter midgets and micro sprints. My dad, he’s never really ever been that guy that just absolutely freaks out on me or anything like that, but he’s hard on me, and obviously wants me to be better and wants me to be the best I can be. So, if I mess up, he is the first one to tell me that I made a mistake and I feel like that’s helped me a lot, just the brutal honestly that if I suck, he tells me why so I can go out there and fix it.

DE: Let’s talk about race day, do you have any pre-race rituals or superstitions?

EA: Not anymore, not really. I used to have a little bit, but nothing really anymore. Before they were like not eating chicken on race day, or if I had a bad night I would have to clean my helmet, just to wash all of that bad luck off, just stuff like that.

DE: What do you think has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to

overcome thus far?

EA: When I moved from micro sprints to midgets, as a young driver, that’s the first time you really start racing guys like Justin Grant, Kevin Thomas Jr, T-Mez, Brady Bacon, just all of the guys that I looked up to, that you weren’t racing against three years ago, eventually you have to luck into a good night and start thinking that you’re good enough to run with those guys even if you aren’t. I believe a lot of stuff in racing is in your head, so getting to have that first good run with USAC or even in the midget was for sure the biggest so far.

DE: While you’re still very young in your career, I’m sure you have a bucket list of races you want to compete in or win before your career is over, what are some of the top on your list?

EA: I mean obviously I’d like to win the Chili Bowl, the Knoxville Nationals, and right now the third one is probably the BC 39, its right up there with the two other most prestigious races in my opinion.

DE: What tracks on the current schedule do you think your driving style fits the most?

EA: Obviously, a lot of the Indiana tracks just because I’ve been to them a lot. I would also say a lot of the tracks we’ve already went to in the midget, if we go there with a sprint car, I’m probably going to be a lot better than expected just because I’ve had a lot of laps around there, like Bubba Raceway Park for example.

DE: You have been very vocal in interviews saying that your goal is to one day race with the World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series and being able to step up into a team like CMR has put you one step closer to that goal. If you had to map out your next steps toward the World of Outlaws, what do you think they would be?

EA: I hope, you know, that it’s with Clauson Marshall. Tim and I have kind of had a conversation about what my main goal is and what his goals are, and they kind of align. I think if I could stick with CMR and they take me to go wing racing, since you know their goal as far as I know is to have another wing program, our goals really match up. I don’t think I should be with any other team any time soon.

short track STARS

SIX DECADES IN THE FAST LANE

LANE RACING

Terryville, Connecticut

BY DOUG KENNEDY

FOR THREE GENERATIONS and nearly 60 years, the racing Lane family of Terryville, Connecticut, have been on the fast lane of racing. “Lane Racing was started by my dad, (John) and now my son, Brandon, is taking it over,” said Tim Lane, the second generation racing Lane.

Outside of these three, several other family members have raced, including Sam Lane, the cousin of Brandon, who together, raced Motocross under the auspicious of the Milford Riders. Tim’s brothers, Michael and Todd, also raced for a number of years. According to Tim, both Michael and he were extremely successful racing karts both nationally and locally. Upon retirement, Michael got involved in doing race car wraps while Todd currently owns a dirt modified for Dryzone Racing.

“I come from a family of racers and it’s in my blood,” said the 26-yearold Brandon. Brandon has had the opportunity at times to race against both his dad and his uncle Todd.

THE VERY BEGINNING

John, the patriarch, owned an automotive business called D and J Automotive. “He had a three bay garage,” said Tim. “Each year, he would build a new race car in bay number three. They were all homemade with no factory parts at all.”

For John, now 83 years old, the racing bug bit when he attended a race at Fonda Speedway back in the 1950s. From that point on, he was hooked. His favorite driver was Steve Danish, who raced the number 61, the number that John would choose for his own race car. John raced mainly at asphalt

tracks in Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut, including West Haven and two since closed tracks, Danbury Race Arena and Plainville Stadium.

Beginning in 1995, the Lanes decided to build a classic modified. Two years later, it was ready to compete on the racetrack. Now, there’s a replica of that modified that Brandon will take to auto shows. “That car connected all three racing Lanes,” said Brandon, who actually grew up in Milford, Connecticut.

THIRD GENERATION GETS GOING

Brandon’s racing career began in 2000 when he was just four years old. A little over a year later, he recorded his first win

on October 13th at Norwalk Kart Club. “I actually swept that weekend,” said Brandon. “I won a heat race and both features.”

In 2005, Brandon began racing on dirt, something he has been doing ever since. He stayed with the kart through 2007 but then took a four-year hiatus from racing to compete in Motocross.

During Brandon’s early days of racing, his grandfather and grandmother would attend all of Brandon’s racing. According to Tim, John got really excited as a spectator. This prompted his wife, Winnie, to convince him to return to racing. This time, instead of racing a modified, he chose to race a street stock, citing financial considerations as the main reason. This came in 2004, exactly 30 years after he had initially retired.

Meanwhile, Brandon returned to racing in 2011 driving his grandfather’s street stock. They only raced twice the first year but in his first race, he started 25th and finished 7th. At the end of 2011, Tim and Brandon purchased the team’s first Sportsman Northeast Modified.

The 2013 season was a big one for Brandon as he not only graduated from high school and also enlisted in the Marine Corps, where he spent his time at Parris Island. After not racing at all for the next year, he became part of the Marines Reserves, which allowed him time to race a partial schedule.

“The biggest accomplishment for me was always qualifying for a race,” Brandon said. “I never missed one. I would show up and just qualify for the race.”

By 2018, Brandon was sporting a 358 modified that he raced for three seasons. “It gave me the opportunity to race against seasoned modified drivers,” said Brandon.

A big boost to Lane Racing and Brandon came in 2020 when they secured a sponsorship from All Green Hydroseed. It was the team’s first real major sponsor and a company that is headquartered in Brandon’s home town of Terryville. With a shortened schedule in 2020, the pandemic year, Brandon was able to finish 7th in points at Lebanon Valley.

During the 2021 season, Brandon felt competitive finishing no worse than 9th out of 17 races he ran. However, in mid-August, the team had an engine failure. That prompted the team to make the next step to a Big Block Modified. They purchased a Troyer Chassis from car owner Scott Hamlin. Brandon’s uncle, Todd Lutinski, was involved greatly

All three generations share a huddle as Tim and John lean in to greet Brandon.

Brandon during his time in the United States Marine Corps.

in getting the car ready for 2022. Al Heinke, the owner of Mohawk Northeast Construction provided the motor. Heinke was also the guy who provided Brandon’s first 358 engine. Maria from FK Rod Ends has been a part of Brandon’s racing program since his early days in kart. They manufacturer heim joints for racecars.

“He gave me the opportunity to move up with good equipment at a reasonable cost,” said Brandon of Heinke. “Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

FAMILY AFFAIR

At the track, Tim, is considered the team’s crew chief, while Vinny Clancy, a close friend of Brandon’s, helps during the week and also at the racetrack. Grandpap John comes to every race that Brandon runs. Brandon’s girlfriend, Bethany Edwards, who works as an occupational therapist, provides team motivation, and does public relations work and marketing while his mom, Ann-Marie, is in charge of selling t-shirts for the team.

Tim raced in a number of different types of race cars, including a quarter midget, a kart, Motocross, a mini sprint, a pro stock and then a modified. During his racing career, Tim’s cousin, Lenny Fletcher, would build the motors for the team. Tim retired from racing in 2000, when Brandon was four. These days, he works as a medical service engineer for GE Healthcare.

As a US Marine Sergeant, Brandon learned to drive heavy equipment while in the Corp. His current job is to drive heavy equipment for Schultz Corporation, a company that specializes in constructing regional bridges. The relationship between Schultz and Brandon is great and in addition to working through his race schedule, they also supply some sponsorship on Lane’s Big Block.

Being a racer and a Marine were two things that Brandon always wanted to do, and he was able to accomplish both. His dad and grandfather also preceded him as a Marine as well.

The performance of Brandon in his final three events of the 2021 season prompted Howard Commander, the owner of Lebanon Valley Speedway, to declare that Brandon Lane was going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future. “We are certainly ready to rock and roll for the 2022 season and we are planning on doing it on a full schedule as well.”

Brandon and his girlfriend Bethany Edwards stop for a quick pic before a race.

Brandon’s grandfather, Johnny Lane, waving the checkerd flag in his modified.

Brandon’s father, Tim Lane, waving the checkerd flag in his kart.

action CAPTURE

A PRO-STOCK

wasn’t enough. Cleetus McFarland teamed up with the guys from Hunt the Front and ran a few laps in a Late Model. Check out the video by using your smart phone on the QR code below.

Photo: Josh James

CLEETUS MCFARLAND is the charismatic and entertaining-towatch host of a YouTube channel with over 2.8 million subscribers. One of the things that makes McFarland so much fun to watch is the seemingly spontaneous nature of the main host.

‘Hey guys, let’s go racing at Bristol Speedway on the dirt!’

This spur-of-the-moment decision making and then ardent follow through makes each video a fun ride. Whether it’s running on a dirt track for his first time ever, or going out and buying an abandoned race track and turning it into the Freedom Factory, each episode is a blast. (We’re not supposed to talk about asphalt racing here, but check out the heartbreaking Stadium Super Truck Race!)

Needless to say, the Cleetus McFarland team was at Bristol, running the 1776 car. McFarland had never even run a dirt track car before, but that didn’t stop him.

Hell Yeah Brother! Live the dream and ride along with Cleetus McFarland at Bristol Motor Speedway. Use your smart phone and point your camera at the QR code below to check out the video.

a main FEATURE

WHILE SKILL AND EQUIPMENT play crucial roles in a successful race season, when challenges arise the biggest asset for a driver is strong mental fortitude and the ability to roll with the punches, not allowing them to carry from one race to the next. For Kyle Strickler, the 2021 race season produced some of the biggest tests in mental fortitude a driver might endure throughout their career, from his departure from PCC Motorsports, the loss of his crew chief, to struggling to adapt to new equipment at Team Zero. Strickler faced them all while working toward returning to the success he had experienced just one season prior but now seemed more and more elusive as the season carried on.

The offseason gave the Highside Tickler the opportunity to rebuild, gather his thoughts and plan for 2022, stronger mentally than he may have ever been where his career in dirt track racing would be concerned. After returning to a Longhorn chassis and familiarity of not only equipment but long time sponsors and team members, we sat down with Kyle Strickler to reflect on the struggles of his 2021 season, the reality of mental health as a competitive driver on a national tour, and the hope that glimmers in the form of a clean slate and a fresh season.

Dirt Empire: The 2021 race season brought about a lot of challenges for you as a driver. What do you feel the opportunity to race with Team Zero and Scott Bloomquist taught you?

KS: I’ve always looked up to Scott, it was something I always wanted to do, to go at least give it a shot to go drive for him. He’s taught me a ton about the racing world, how important certain things and different components are on the race car, how if you want things done right, you have to learn how to do it yourself. With people coming and going, moving around

KYLE

from team to team, the only way to really keep the knowledge in your team is to do it yourself otherwise you don’t know how to do it when they leave.

DE: Do you feel like it has helped having someone like Scott in your

corner? You’ve been friends long before the move to Team Zero came about.

KS: No matter if you like Scott or not, you have to respect what he’s done in the racing world and being what I consider to be the greatest of all time

Photo: Zach Yost Photography

STRICKLER AFTER MESSY 2021

STRICKLER LOOKS TO ‘22

BY ASHLEY ZIMMERMAN

in the late model world. So, even when I wasn’t driving his car, and I was running a Longhorn, Scott would try to help me some, and we would talk; that’s kind of what led me to go drive his cars. It’s definitely helped my career and helped me to learn a lot about the racing world in general, and how the politics of it all work out because late model racing is big business and it’s a lot different from the lower series and way different from the modified stuff that I did.

DE: When you decided to make the move from modifieds to late models, what was it that made you decide to make the transition?

KS: I’d been trying to get into late model racing since I moved down to North Carolina in 2006. I bet I had ten opportunities that I thought were going to happen and none of them ever panned out, so I went back to modified racing. The turning point was I just won the Race for Hope for $20,000 in Batesville. I was at Lance Landers shop and he gave me an opportunity to run his son’s Gavin’s car and go to Greenville, Mississippi, and run at the Gumbo Nationals. It was obviously the top of the line, best equipment and team, and I got in the car and won my first weekend out in that car driving for Lance. So, that’s

what catapulted me to almost national level, and then people knew who I was, besides just a modified driver who had a lot of success. So, when that happened, I started getting calls with people wanting to put deals together. I got in contact with David Wells and we put a deal together for the next year. Brandon Overton told me that getting your first serious ride in late model racing is the hardest one, after you get in and have some success it makes it way easier to move forward. That was very true, before it was people taking a huge chance on a kid that was unproven in late models, but after I won that first race, a lot of people saw that I could win, and it made it a lot easier.

DE: Is there anyone else that has made a huge impact on your racing career?

KS: I grew up around a bunch of the Northeast Modified guys that taught me a lot. Kenny Brightbill drove for my parents. Guys like, Jeff Strunk, Meme DeSantis, Billy Pouch, Craig Von Dohren, Duane Howard, Brett Hearn, all those guys were guys that I really looked up to, they were kind of my idols. They taught me a lot about those types of race cars, and how to race, the on track stuff, how the veteran racers can do tricks or things that younger racers don’t even realize

are getting done on them, I learned a lot of that stuff at a young age. Then once I moved down south, Randle Chupp played a big part in my modified and late model racing career. I worked at Wolf Pack with him and he taught me a lot of the fabrication side, a lot about brakes, race car suspension, a lot about the cars that I didn’t know because the late models were so different from what I was used to with the Northeast modifieds.

DE: Turning back to the present, what would you say you are the most excited about on the 2022 race schedule?

KS: I’m very excited about the people we have involved with my team now, I’m driving for longtime friends and sponsor, Charlie and Melanie Donaldson, and they were my first sponsors when I moved to North Carolina and have had some sort of involvement with me my entire career. We’ve started our own team and we’re kind of doing this late model stuff legit now. I have a lot of great people in my corner with them, G-Man, G-Style Transport in North Dakota have been with me for a long time, they are my two main sponsors and we’ve hired a bunch of great guys to come on the road and work on our team with Kenny Payton, Scott Fegter, and Jasper Sumner this

Photo: Zach Yost Photography

year. We’re building a brand new shop and trying to go full time late model racing with a bunch of great people behind us. That’s what I’m most excited for to finally have some really good guys in my corner that I can trust, because there’s a lot of people out there in the late model world that are ruthless and can be extremely fake.

DE: Looking forward even more into your career, what would you like to accomplish over the next five years? KS: I want to win Crown Jewel late model races; I’ve never really been a pointschasing type of guy. I think that the way late model racing is now, that the Crown Jewel events are more important than the championships. It’s not to say that

we won’t ever go down that road, I’d love to go run the full tour sometime and win a championship, but winning the World 100, The Dream, Bristol [would] solidify my name into the late model history books. I’ve pretty much gone and won everything there is on the modified end of it, so now this is the next step… You know, right now everyone remembers

Photo: Zach Yost Photography

Photo: Zach Yost Photography

me for getting a flat tire on the last lap at Eldora and losing that race that I should have won, so I want to change that to people remembering me for winning, doing something that not a lot of people have done; sometimes you gotta lose them before you can win them. If you’re going to solidify your name in late model racing, winning the big races at Eldora is priority number one.

DE: You mentioned that you really enjoy running the NASCAR trucks on dirt, is there much of an adjustment going from a late model at tracks like Knoxville and Eldora to running a truck?

KS: The trucks drive way different than a modified or late model. You are going way slower, they weigh a lot more, and they’re not really built for dirt tracks, but they are a lot of fun. They’re heavy and they slide around, but the biggest adjustment was the shifting, I’ve driven street cars with manual transmissions but it’s very different when you get into the trucks in a racing situation with restarts and pit road. Having a spotter and having all of that stuff going on was for me what was so different, but I really do enjoy it. Any time I can get into something that’s out of my element, I feel like it makes me a better race car driver. I plan to and hopefully get to do a lot more of this type

of stuff, I think it helps everybody with the Larson effect; I like to call it, where you’re bringing together different forms of motorsports.

DE: Let’s talk a bit more about the 2021 race season, when the opportunity came to go to Team Zero, were you surprised the offer had come or was it something that you figured may have been down the line for you as an opportunity?

KS: At the spot that I was in, in my career with how everything had played out, we had a bunch of people shuffling around, I had just lost my crew chief to another team, lost my ride with PCC. I was kind of starting from scratch again. I went down and talked to Scott and I said if we’re ever going to do this deal where I get to drive for you, I think now’s the time. Scott really helped me out; everyone at Team Zero really helped me out to get me through that tough part in my career. Now with Scott’s future kind of being uncertain with what he’s even going to do, I think it’s tough, I think he’s in the same spot that everyone else is in where he hardly has any personnel to run his own team, let alone everyone else’s. Scott and I are still good friends, I talk to him a lot. Going back to Longhorn stuff, I think was in my best interest, and that’s what we ended up doing.

DE: Obviously when you transitioned to Team Zero you transitioned into new equipment and entirely different cars, was that challenging for you?

KS: They are completely different, with having McDowell’s shop right next to Scott’s shop; those guys are old school racers that I think look for the same thing in a race car. The only thing I’ve ever known is Longhorn stuff, and it was a huge adjustment, and I never really did get it perfected to where I was comfortable in the cars. It’s almost like you’re sitting in a completely different race car, not just a different chassis, everything Scott does is so different than anyone else. The way the seats are

Photo: Mike Campbell

Photo: Zach Yost Photography

Strickler in this 2021 ride at Eldora Speedway.

mounted, the way the shifters are, the way the pedals are, the way it feels, it all just felt foreign to me. I don’t know what it is about those cars that make it so different, I don’t know if it’s the location of the driver where you sit compared to other cars, but it’s noticeably different to go into. I’ve driven a Rocket, I’ve driven a Longhorn, and to get into that Bloomquist car, they’re almost on an island all by themselves; it takes some serious adjustments to feel comfortable. It was almost like I was just trying to retrain everything, and it just was something that didn’t ever feel right or work for me, that was the biggest part.

DE: Given the roller coaster that was your 2021 race season, would you say that this was your most difficult season?

KS: Yes, I was so glad to see 2021 end, and I’m hoping for as terrible as it was that 2022 will be that much better. It was definitely my most emotionally straining, mentally trying year that I’ve ever had, so much stuff happened, that I’ve said before that it felt like it was five years long. But, I learned a lot from it, I feel like as bad as it was that I’m setting myself up for success in 2022 for as much learning as I did. That stuff that happened makes you stronger and you learn from it.

DE: How would you say those struggles developed you as a driver?

KS: I would say that it taught me a lot of lessons more so off the racetrack about the people who you think are your friends but aren’t your friends. The people in the racing industry that will lie right to your face for gains, you just have to really do a lot of thinking and paying attention to what’s best for yourself and your team. The off track racing stuff I learned way more there and about the industry than I did the on track stuff. By far, I think the most important thing, the way that the industry is, and the competition level is right, it is so hard to just jump in and go for a long period of time. You can jump in and have some success because there are not really a lot of expectations, but then when you get down the road and people start expecting of you, I think that’s what hurt me more than I even realized was my immediate success. I had some good people behind and I really wanted to go late model racing, and we went out on the road in my first

full season, won some Lucas Oil races, and won two World Of Outlaws races, we were on the highest of highs, and we were running really good for a team that had just started with a driver that’s never run a full late model season, I didn’t realize how bad the immediate success could be. Late model racing is one of the most humbling forms of motorsports. You can be a hero one night, and a zero the next. If you don’t have a good support group, it’s extremely

easy to start doubting yourself, doubting your equipment, doubting everything, doubting who your friend is and who’s not your friend, the mental warfare that gets played on you is absolutely ruthless and brutal, I went through all of those feelings in 2021. I went from the highest of high to the lowest of lows, but I think it made me stronger for what I went through and learned.

Photo: Josh James

Strickler doing what few did in 2021leading Nick Hoffman.

review in PICTURES

Every year dirt track racers of all ilks make the quest to the sunshine state to take part in Speed Weeks. Though it seems like a distant memory now, some of the striking images to come out of the weeks in the warmth in the middle of winter are just too good not to enjoy.

2022

FLORIDA SPEED WEEKS

PHOTOS BY JOSH JAMES

Kenny Shaw advises on his Facebook page that “We are a low budget race team from the Midwest doing what we love the most.” It certainly looks like the Illinois native enjoyed his first laps of his season

That’s our cover story, Kyle Strickler, out front in the number 8. He’s got plenty of company in this shot.

Topless sprint cars were a fun addition to the month long festivities in Barberville. Here, a trio of USAC stars - Chase Stockon (5s) , Jake Swanson (21) and Robert Ballou (12) dice it up early in the evening with the new Xtreme Outlaw Series.

A new era begins! The Xtreme Outlaw Series Sprint Cars took their very first four wide parade lap at Volusia.

Photo finish! Aussie Peter Britten got his first win at Volusia in incredible fashion with a last lap pass of Jimmy Phelps (98H) and exclaimed in victory lane “We got a gatah!” Phelps, however, got the last laugh as he won the series standings to take home the grandest gator trophy.

Stewart Friesen (44) and Peter Britten (21A) lead them to a heat race green.

CJ Leary is now trivia gold. “Alexa. Who won the first ever Xtreme Outlaw Sprints feature?”

Brandon Overton brought sexy back and scored a DirtCar win.

Nick Hoffman’s mastery of the Barberville oval carried him to a seventh title.

BRAD LOYET FINDS A SECOND RACING LIFE

BY ASHLEY ZIMMERMAN

“RACING WAS ALL I ever knew, and I wouldn’t say that it was taken from me, but I never got to have that opportunity to get back out there and race at the level that I did. If I couldn’t go back out there and be that competitive, I didn’t want to do it. I wanted to be the one who ended it on my terms, I wanted to be the one who said I was finished,” said Brad Loyet while sharing details about the injury that altered the trajectory of his career in open wheel racing. While Brad Loyet would shock the midget racing community in 2019 with a surprise return for one final entry in the Chili Bowl, it was the races that came before that began building the Loyet name to become synonymous with midget racing. Though his injury will continue to affect Loyet in ways outside of no longer being able to race, he has continued leaving his mark in the world of midget racing through his innovative perspective as owner of BP Fabrication where he’s building cars and parts for the very teams he used to find himself competing against each weekend.

Even though his driving career was cut short, Loyet made every lap count racking up numerous wins and

championships. His experience as a driver has made him just as talented a fabricator, with BP Fabrication parts getting to play roles in helping other talented drivers turn laps into wins for their place in the history books. With BP Fabrication continuing growth in reputation just two years after Brad’s official retirement from racing, it was only fitting we did a little catching up to add some fresh ink to the story that is Brad Loyet.

Dirt Empire: While your family always had a large presence in the midget racing scene, you are in fact a first generation driver. Was driving something you always had on your radar?

Brad Loyet: When I was younger, I started in micros, it was a situation where my dad asked if this was something I’d want to try, and we knew nothing about racing. I used to call us professional race fans, we would travel all over the country to watch racing, we didn’t know anything about how to work on the car and I didn’t know how to drive a race car. The closest thing we had ever got was some go-karts that

we had at my dad’s shop, which was the most experience I had getting into anything close to a race car. I was lucky my dad gave me the opportunity. When I was thirteen or fourteen we got a micro, and the deal with my mom was that we were only going to race once a month or so, but that changed really quickly. My second year racing, I ran something like 120 races across the country. It wasn’t just me that was bit by the bug, but my dad was, too, and it blew up from there. Midgets are where the passion lies for me; it’s what I had the most fun doing, and more or less the most success doing as well.

DE: Before we touch on the accident that took racing from you, has it been hard for you to go back to the racetrack since retiring from the driver’s seat?

BL: I had always told everyone that when I quit racing, I’m just not going to go to a race again. For me to not be out there competing is, it’s just, that’s what I was there for. I went from being a professional race fan, to a professional race car driver; it’s hard to go back after that. After I got hurt, I think we went to

Photos: Dave Condit

just Pevely every year, just because it’s ten minutes from home. I think I went to a couple races at little Belleville but I went from racing eighty times a year to going to maybe watch five. It was a big adjustment for me. This year, when an opportunity came up for me to work on a car again, it was something I had to think about because now I have a wife and kids, I have a business that I run, it had to be worth my time to go out and do this. It was a big discussion for me to do it, everything just worked out, and I actually really, really enjoy being back out there.

DE: Speaking of your business, in 2015 you starting to begin building your business BP Fabrication. Was it ever easy to balance your life once you were both driver and fabricator?

BL: At the time, when I initially started making cars, it was really just for us. It wasn’t a big consumption of time during the day or week. As it progressed, we obviously got busier and busier. I don’t know how we could have ever still been racing fulltime and me running my business at the point we are now.

DE: What do you feel caught your eye about fabricating and designing parts?

BL: I was always just a very curious person. I like to learn things even now. So, with having always been around Flea [Ruzic], seeing him weld, I wanted to know how to do that. He told me to start coming up here once a week and you can work for me. I didn’t get paid money; I was getting paid by the skills that he taught me. Throughout my entire racing career, I was blessed with the opportunity to be surrounded by some very successful people in the sport, whether that was fabricators, crew chiefs, or mechanics. I feel like I always had the opportunity to work with some of the best people. Flea was the guy that got me started welding; he was the guy who showed me why the geometry of a Jacob’s ladder works the way that it does. Most people might just have those conversations with someone at surface level. But I was trying to remember as much of that stuff as I could. Rusty Kunz, who worked for me as a crew chief, was super smart with setups, so I would sit there and literally take my own notes while he was taking notes; just so I got an idea of why does this do this. I owe

a lot of my knowledge as far as what to do during the night to Rusty. I think a combination of all of those things you learn along the way makes you a bigger force.

DE: Is there anyone you go to now for mentorship?

BL: I’m big on the mentor deal, for me mentors are super important. I have four or five mentors, and that might sound like a lot, but I draw from different aspects of everyone’s life. I mentioned Flea, and Rusty, and there’s my dad. I read a study one time that said kids spend 90% of their time with their mom or dad by the time they are eighteen and then they only get about 10% after that. I’ve been lucky enough to see my dad every single day. My dad had a successful business all while driving me all over the country. We would have conversations going down the road that most father and sons never get to have. I appreciate all of that. A part of the deal for me to race, was that I had to go to college and get my degree, one of my mentors is one of my college professors who was in charge of the entrepreneurship program, he’s the guy who kind of keeps me straight, booksmart wise. The other guys are very, very street-smart. It’s these types of guys that I draw from daily, if I have an issue, I feel like I can reach out to them.

DE: The shop accident that caused

your retirement from racing happened in 2018. Can you share what happened and how does it still affect your life now?

BL: I was supposed to be going down to Florida to take a kid racing, and we were getting tires ready to go. I can remember it like it was yesterday, I was airing up a tire, and the wheel failed. My hand was inside airing it up, and when I looked down, my hand was basically stuck to my arm. I broke both bones in my wrist, and spun my wrist around 360 degrees, and it was just sitting there. I’m the type of guy, I’m a positive person, and I have a good outlook on life, I never went into shock at the time, I just looked over at the guy in the shop and said I think we need to call an ambulance. I just walked into the office, and I sat down in a chair and waited for the ambulance to

Photos: Paul Arch

Loyet in his winged phase at the Front Row Challenge in 2015.

show up. It seemed like it took forever, and when the ambulance got there, I think that’s when I had maxed out on the amount of brain power I had to stay positive, and that’s when I started to realize this hurts a little. When they got me to the hospital they had to do emergency surgery the day of, and when I came out they told me everything looked great, looks like you should have full range of motion, six to eight weeks recovery, not a big deal. Like I said, I’m positive, I thought cool, this sucks, but well I could have lost my hand, worst case scenario they might not have been able to put it back on. I looked at it like at least it’s getting fixed. Six months later, I still can’t really feel my hand. I was doing therapy but not really seeing a whole lot of improvement, I still couldn’t bend my wrist. We were at Lakeside, because we had decided to rent my sprint car out for the year to try to keep money flowing for the race car deal, and Tony Stewart was there. He asked how it was going, and I explained to him this and that, and he told me to come see a doctor in Indianapolis. That was the tipping point for me; Dr. Fischer just looked at me and said well your wrist is still broken. I said, nah, I’ve got two plates in there still, it’s not broken. We did an x-ray, and he was right, the break was bigger that day than it was the day it happened, to the point that the plates were about to break from flexing. We scheduled surgery, and he patched me up better than I ever had been, I could instantly feel my hand again, the pain subsided quite a bit. There was another surgery six months after to get the plates taken out, as they

were causing a bit of irritation. I don’t think people realize, even this morning I woke up and my wrist and hand look like a balloon and it hurts. I can throw as much Advil and Tylenol you want at it and it doesn’t feel better. I can’t bend my wrist still to this day; this is something I have to live with, it’s not going to get better, I have what I have. I don’t call it a disability or a handicap, it’s just who I am, I’m still going to make the most out of my life. It still hurts almost every single day, and some days more than others. Today, it was enough pain that I called to make an appointment to have it checked out. There’s still one more surgery that’s on the table and possible for us to do, I’ve avoided it just because I don’t really want to have another surgery but I don’t want to hurt like I do. Physically, everyone knows what happened, but emotionally, I was in a really bad spot after it happened. I don’t think I left my house for six months, it felt like forever, I was diagnosed with PTSD, and it was so bad. I don’t remember the exact noise it made that day but the concussion of the noise, it sounded exactly like a thunderstorm or fireworks, and to this day, if a firework goes off and I don’t see it, I’ll drop to the floor, it’s that bad. It took me a long time to get past it, and I think the only thing that got me back was getting back to the shop, working on stuff, remembering why I was doing all of this, but I lost my way there for a little bit.

DE: In 2019 you shocked the racing community by returning to racing and entering what would be your last Chili Bowl and first race after the

accident. What was that week like for you? What were the emotions you felt throughout the week having made that decision?

BL: For me, as weird as it sounds, it was a transition in life. For me, it was almost harder to watch everyone else, because I knew this was it. I had already closed the book well before me strapping into that car, but I think a lot of other people kind of thought, oh he’s going to come back, he’ll get this going again. But when that week ended, it was just over, there was no coming back. I’m not the type of guy that’s going to come back out of retirement - that was it. It was a change; it was big transition for my entire family, so that was probably the most difficult thing. I was super emotional that last night, and it wasn’t just me, it was my crew guys, it was my dad, and my family. Even Flea, he wasn’t even working on the car, but he came by and said go give them hell; you know that moment is not ever happening again, it was moving into a different point in my life. That was why I never wanted to go back to the races after; I’m not here competing, I can’t do what I want to do while I’m here, so that’s off the table.

DE: Obviously the fabrication shop became your main focus after that. How has that evolved for you?

BL: Luckily, we’ve been very successful in a short period of time. I think a lot of that is how I build cars. I knew things that I liked about the parts that we use, and I knew the things that I didn’t like about parts that we used. I owe a lot to Chad Boat for jumpstarting all of this,

Photo: Dave Condit

Photo: Bob Mays

Always versatile, Loyet runs a non-wing sprint at Granite City.

he was someone who reached out early on and asked if I’d be interested in doing some stuff for them that kind of set the tone as far as the midget stuff for us. Now, a lot of the guys on the midget series run our parts in some form, and to me that’s rewarding. I’m always trying to innovate something, if I see a part that’s competitive, I’m going to try to find a way that I can make it just a little bit better if I can and that’s kind of been our main focus the last year, how can we make things just 10% better than our competitors. There are three of us here with just four machines, so we’ve grown a lot quicker than we probably thought we would, and we take on a great deal of stuff that’s non racing related that pays really well and takes up a lot of our time. But my passion is always going to lie with racing and making race car parts, that’s always going to be a division of BP Fabrication.

DE: Do you feel your experience as a driver gives you an advantage on the fabrication side?

BL: I think it does because midgets are a pain in the butt to work on. A sprint car you could build one off the shelf, but midgets always require a little bit of extra work to get right, and measuring to get right, which is something we try to do here. It helps that we have CNC machines, tubing benders, notchers, and welders; we have everything we need at our disposal to make really, really nice race cars. So, like this car that I’m building for Chili Bowl, there are details on this car that if the average Joe walked by, they aren’t going to notice them, but I know they’re there and I know the purpose they serve and I know how much easier it was for us to assemble this car. It definitely helps the business, because when we’re able to establish a new part or make one better, people are obviously going to want to buy it then.

DE: You’ve shared details here and there throughout our interview about being back out there and being a crew chief. How did this come about?

BL: I think most people probably already know that I’m back out racing. The whole deal transpired with Kyle Beilman, while I was out in LA for a podcast that I do and interviewing a guy; and he [Kyle] just so happened to have a car, and he said he couldn’t race because he was getting married and would I want to hire someone and go run Ventura. I land out there, did the podcast interview, and he calls me and tells me there is a little bit of work to be done on the car, he had sent me a picture the week before and it was a complete roller, he tells me he took it apart because he wanted to get it painted, so I get to the shop to a frame and body with a race in two days. We threw the car together in two days, finished it like three hours before the race, had Chase Johnson drive for us, and we set quick time by half a second. It had been three years since I was like a hands on crew chief at the races, so I was like okay well this feels good, maybe I do still have a little bit of knowledge. We set quick time by that much, I was like “okay, well, I’m not that dumb”. Kyle’s a super successful person; he hasn’t raced much, so it’s fun to work with someone who is a high achiever and trying to figure out something new to him. We click really well as a pair and are connecting as far as establishing a relationship, I’m pretty excited about what we can do because he’s given us the resources that we need to be competitive, so hopefully with some time and experience underneath him, we can be competitive.

CRAIG WHITMOYER JUST KEEPS BEATING THE ODDS

BY RANDY KANE

AS THE FINAL LAPS of the 2021 racing season clicked off at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania, veteran Craig Whitmoyer was already looking ahead to 2022.

The 46-year-old chauffeur had just completed his second full season steering a solidly-backed 358 Modified machine, finishing tenth in the overall season-long points race, following a good two-dozen or so campaigns wheeling his own sportsman rides and a handful of partial efforts aboard a 358 modified, which ended earlier than expected for a variety of reasons.

“In 2021, I had good equipment, but we struggled to begin the season,” said Whitmoyer. “From June on, we ran well. At the start it was hard to get going because of the handicapping system at Grandview. Some weeks I’d miss the invert and start maybe 23rd in the feature. We’d come from 23rd to maybe fifth and have a good run, but it wasn’t easy because the bigger boys always started in front of us. Passing them

wasn’t that easy, most nights.”

“Everyone there now runs Bicknell cars and I switched to a HigFab chassis in late August to end the season, running it to finish out the year as a sportsman car. I liked how it handled and Jerry Higbee Jr. has really stepped up and helped us get a good-running piece. I ran twice at BAPS, once at Bridgeport and twice at Five Mile Point in the end of the season big-paying events. We bought a new HigFab chassis car for 2022, which we’ll run in 2022 as our primary 358 modified car. Jerry’s been giving us all the knowledge we need to be better than the rest. He builds a good car,” Whitmoyer said.

In 2022, the plan is to return to fulltime 358 modified competition every Saturday night at Grandview and to include as much other 358 modified racing as the team budget will allow on Friday nights at Big Diamond Speedway in Forestville, Pennsylvania, plus add in a little traveling maybe to Bridgeport Speedway or other tracks, as time

permits, thanks to backing from race team owner Tony Struss.

“For a good 20 years, I raced weekly in a sportsman car with my own money,” said Whitmoyer, who’ll enter his 29th consecutive season behind the wheel in 2022. “There aren’t a lot of people who can say that. I’ve heard what a lot of people had to say and I really didn’t listen to all that. They really don’t know what goes on. I raced often with a lot of

Photo: Kirsten Snyder

Photo: Scott Bender

other people’s junk. With a 358 modified team, you can’t do that.”

The resident of Hamburg, Pennsylvania raced hard throughout his career, getting the desired results through lots of honest hard work. Basically, Whitmoyer was always the one person paying the bills and doing it year-after-year in the Sportsman division. Running all those years in one division kind of made it a little easier, however Whitmoyer hoped for and wanted more.

“There were several years I thought I could move up to a 358 modified,

but I couldn’t support the full season racing on my own finances,” commented Whitmoyer. “I tried and failed a few times but finally I have Tony Struss helping me. You need the right type of help to do things right. Running a sportsman car, you learn a lot that you can take on into 358 modified racing, but you can’t race with a lot of used stuff if you intend to be successful. Running weekly in a 358 costs you three times as much to be successful. When things break in the 358 division , those bigger teams replace parts with the good stuff, not used flea

I worked about ten years as a machinist and, for me, it was normal to drive the race car using one arm. I never did it any other way so there was nothing to compare it to. Today, everybody just calls me “Hook” and that’s fine with me. Every once-ina-great-while I get some real sour grapes reaction from other drivers because a guy with one arm beats them. They get upset, but I just keep moving forward and do what I need to do to keep moving forward. ~

Craig Whitmoyer

Photo: John Rothermel

Full speed ahead at BAPS Motor Speedway.

Photo: Scott Bender

market stuff. The bigger teams are looking for results and using new stuff as replacement parts improves your odds. If, for example, you run a 20-race season, you’ll have maybe five real good nights. Simply put, racing with lots of used parts cuts down on those nights. You figure a 20-race schedule at Grandview you’ll have Craig Von Dohren grab maybe five wins. You also have Duane Howard and Jeff Strunk and each of those can win five as well. That only gives you five nights left to win as often as you can.”

“In 2022 the plan is to return with a 2022 brand-new HigFab chassis as the 358 Modified car I’ll race with on Saturday nights at Grandview and use it there again. We also have a 2020 Bicknell chassis and that 2021 HigFab chassis I brought out a handful of times at the end of 2021. In those cars the engines are Leindecker Race Engines in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. I want to put the brakes on the 358 modified racing and not overdo things. I tried that before and ran myself out of money in a hurry,” said Whitmoyer.

To get the true feeling of why Whitmoyer is feeling so comfortable and happy with his surroundings these days, you have to rewind the tape and go back to the beginning to get the true meaning of what it is that he is saying. It’s been a long, hard climb up the mountain to get to where Whitmoyer is standing, today.

“When I was 17 I was working on a meat grinding machine, just taking things apart to clean it and I got my right hand stuck in it,” offered Whitmoyer. “Now, I am left-handed and have a prosthetic right arm. I was always able to adapt to situations and challenges and, honestly, it never really bothered me. I just immediately learned how to do everything using my left hand. I never looked back or felt sorry for myself or thought how much harder things might be for me. It’s the only way I know how to

do things. There was no way I could do things any other way. I just learned how to do things.”

“In 1994 we just went ahead with plans to build a roadrunner car to race with at Big Diamond and went full speed ahead. I raced a full season and did pretty good but none of us knew anything about a roadrunner car. We knew a lot about sportsman and 358 modified cars, so, in 1995, we built a sportsman car and went racing. My car has never been different from any other car. I’ve

Whitmoyer showing top form at Grandview during the 2021 season.

Photo: Scott Bender

Photo: Kirsten Snyder

Good times far from home as he scores early in 2022 at North Florida.

never raced with a steering wheel knob or anything else like that. I believed that there wasn’t anything I couldn’t do that anyone else was doing so our cars were built the same. I even went out and got myself a CDL license and, for years, made deliveries driving a tractor and trailer.”

“I worked about 10-years as a machinist and, for me, it was normal to drive the race car using one arm. I never did it any other way so there was nothing to compare it to. Today, everybody just calls me “Hook” and that’s fine with me. Every once-in-a-great-while I get some real sour grapes reaction from other drivers because a guy with one arm beats them. They get upset, but I just keep moving forward and do what I need to do to keep moving forward,” said Whitmoyer.

In his impressive career, Whitmoyer has been crowned as sportsman division champion at the spacious Big Diamond three-eighth-mile dirt track in 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2010. In 2010, in addition, Whitmoyer topped the Thunder on The Hill mini-series points crown at Grandview. Whitmoyer also is tops as the all-time career Sportsman feature winner at Big Diamond.

Whitmoyer has, on several occasions,

built cars for other drivers who have competed against him. “I’ve built cars for others and maintained cars throughout the season for others, too, and everything I did for all those years put me where I am today,” said Whitmoyer. “I’d give 100% preparing cars for other guys and it left little time to prepare my own rides. The 2022 season is my 29th season in racing and I am anxious to finally race every weekend with the 358 Modified guys, which is where I’ve always felt I belonged. I’ve got three great kids and family supporting me. It’s great having your family behind you. I’ve

worked my tail off to get where I am now and things are finally paying off for me.”

“We just go out there every weekend and go racing,” said Whitmoyer. “I love driving and my family will tell you about spots in the yard where when I was out mowing I burned off the grass from just going over it again and again. I just love driving and we take what we can get out of each race and move on. We give it our best every night out there. I’ve finally got a great supporting cast behind me and I’m out to get the most I can out of it each weekend.”

Photo: Kirsten Snyder

Whitmoyer going hard off the right rear in 2018

review in PICTURES

2022

BRISTOL PART I

Green means go and if there is anything we’ve learned from the dirt shows at Bristol - you’d better go!

PHOTOS BY JOSH JAMES

Shane Clanton is on the outside, trying his best to pinch down on the 49 of Jonathan Davenport.

Wisconsin’s Johnny Vassh brought his classic Dodge Super Bee to have some fun with his hobby stock and add Bristol to a resume that also includes snowmobiles, drag cars, demo derbies.

Street stocks were brought in to do battle on the banks and Derek Green - shown here with the green 32 lettering - was a heat race winner during the event.

Dale McDowell went back to victory lane at Bristol - 22 years after doing it the first time - and is the only late model driver with wins in both iterations of the Bristol dirt track.

It’s close quarters action early in open modified heats, as Trevor Anderson reps South Dakota at the front of the field in his 20.

Iowa’s Dustin Vis made his drive to the Southeast pay off with a win in one of the Street Stock feature events.

TECH

Photos & Text

by Vahok Hill

ALL ABOUT PISTONS

IF WE KEEP LOOKING at engine systems and components from a macro level, we tend to lose important details. That is the main reason for looking at a micro level, it can bring out more detail and consequently a greater level of understanding and transfer of knowledge, which is important in the search for durability and development of power. Pistons are an engine component that few really understand.

Engine builders undertake a great deal of effort and expense machining cylinder bores to correct sizes and then even more effort getting the surface finish of the cylinders to a point where “they feel” they get the best performance/durability and advantage over the competition. This feeling is often accompanied by a stack of empirical data. I have seen some builders who prefer a fine cross-hatch pattern and others who prefer a rough cross-hatch pattern on the cylinder surface. Others want a polished surface and they undergo great pains to achieve the surface they want. They strive to get the dimension the same at the top, the middle and the bottom of the cylinder. From the engine builders perspective, it is critical that the cylinder is round and has the surface finish they require. However, pistons placed in those highly machined cylinder bores are far from round. They are a different diameter at the top than at the bottom and they are not even close to round. They are machined with the application

in mind. The environment pistons work in is very severe. Temperatures are extreme. They start out at ambient temperature and the temperature rises quickly and the Delta in temperatures is all over the map. Lubrication can be heavy or light and it can vary from cylinder to cylinder.

Prior to exploring more about pistons, let’s get into some specific vocabulary as it relates to the piston:

Crown or Dome The crown of the piston is simply the top of the piston, the part you see when looking into the cylinder from above with the head (s) removed. The crown can be flat, flat with cut outs for valve clearances or they can have a pop up on the crown to develop a greater level of compression and as we all know, “Compression is the cornucopia of horsepower”.

Wrist Pin Bore This is the hole in the piston where the wrist pin is inserted, the wrist pin is how the piston is attached to the connecting rod. Many times, the wrist pin bore is off set from the center of the piston to help with the minimization or equalization of thrust loads. Not all pistons have an offset built/designed in. In some engines, this also reduces the potential for clatter or the mechanical noise that can come from the change in angles during the movement of the piston as it travels through the bore.

Ring Lands These are the horizontal groves cut into the piston where the rings are installed. These groves are critical to

The crown of the piston is simply the top of the piston. This is where much of the forces that act against the piston are transferred to the piston, not all but most of the forces. The eye-lid looking cuts on the crown are for valve clearance. Depending on the lift and duration of the cam shaft there may be some clearance issues that necessitate that the crown be machined to accommodate valve clearances. Having the valves contact the piston is a bad thing.

piston operation. They need to be very flat on the top and bottom of the groove to facilitate the ring (s) ability to seal. Yes, rings seal on the O.D. (Outside diameter, where the ring meets the cylinder and they also seal on the top and bottom of the ring against the piston.) There is actually more sealing area in the ring groves than the OD of the piston. The flatness of the ring groove is also critical dimension. We could spend a good deal of time discussing the importance of the flatness of the ring grooves and how they impact the ability of the rings to do the job they have to accomplish. (Should be a separate article.)

Skirt The area of the piston below the ring lands. It is this area that absorbs the majority of the thrust loads and helps to keep the piston moving in a motion that is parallel to the cylinder bore and helps keep the rings square to the bore. For the two or three of you who might possibly care, the skirt does not really continue all around the piston, it is located parallel to the wrist pin bore. This is a critical fit up area of the piston to the cylinder, it is critical with relation to operational success. Too much clearance and the piston rocks in the bore and an excessive amount of thrust is generated against the skirt. If the piston rocks too much in the bore, the rings will not seal as well and power and durability are impacted; if there is not enough clearance, the piston will seize in the bore. Neither one is a good outcome.

Low friction coatings A fairly new addition, these coatings started showing up about 30 years ago, not exactly new from a time perspective but in the timeline for internal combustion engines it is new. These special coatings are usually applied to the skirt of the piston not to the whole surface of the piston. These coatings are

“ANY SUFFICIENTLY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IS INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM MAGIC.” - ARTHUR C. CLARKE

usually limited to the thrust sides of the piston, the skirt area. They help the piston avoid scuffs and excessive wear during break in and normal operation. For the most part the piston manufacturers who coat pistons usually do so with coatings that are usually proprietary and we just have to accept that they will do the job they are intended for and take the piston makers word for the performance increase that these coatings offer. Some other makers are more forth coming about the makeup of the coatings. It is a classic case of buyer beware.

Thermal Coatings Again, these started showing up about 30 or so years ago. The intent is to reflect more of the heat from combustion back into the combustion chamber. A great idea from a purely technical perspective but not always something that shows increases in the dyno room. There are coatings that are used in aerospace engine applications, Turbine engine applications specifically, that allow turbine blades to survive in temperatures that are greater than the melting point of the metal they are coating. These are not or have not yet found wide spread applications in the automotive world.

Pistons live in a very hostile environment; it ranges from very hot and not so very hot over some small-time increments. The temperature varies and it does so constantly, under normal operating conditions. If we look at a Four Stroke engine, that is the intent of this discourse, during the inlet stroke the piston is “cooled” by the incoming fuel and air mixture, then as the air/fuel mixture is compressed during the compression stroke the piston is “warmed” up by the increasing temperature of the fuel air mixture during the compression stroke. Then the power stroke occurs and the fuel/air mixture is

burned and the temperature skyrockets. Then, as the piston travels downwards in the cylinder, the temperature again starts to drop and then during the exhaust stroke the piston again starts the cooling cycle, this is repeated every two RPM. We need to remember that oil also plays a critical part in removing heat from the piston; either from special jets inside of the engine that spray oil on the piston and from the oil mist inside of the crankcase.

At the conclusion of every stroke, the piston comes to a stop, regardless of RPM, (Revolutions Per Minute). That is a dead stop at BDC (Bottom Dead Center) and TDC (Top Dead Center), so of that sixty second period of time, depending on RPM, just for easy math let’s say the engine is turning 5000 RPM that means in that minute of operating at that engine speed the piston will have stopped completely 10,000 times; each minute. The amount of dwell time, that is how long the piston remains at a stop in the bore at BDC and TDC varies based on a number of factors, Stroke, Rod Angle, (another topic for a different article). So, think about that as you start pushing the engine past it recommended RPM limit; there is a good deal of real world, highly stressful things happening in the world of pistons. We have temperature issues and physical issues just from rotating and pressure issues from combustion.

Something else to think about is the acceleration rate for the piston. Once it stops it has to start moving again and the rate of acceleration can be brutal. Not only is the piston accelerating from TDC but on each stroke the piston starts to slow down

so it can stop at BDC. Once it slows to a stop at BDC the cycle starts all over again. There is a term, or more accurately an acronym, that describes what piston designers and engine builders use to help figure out just what kind of loads the piston goes through from a mechanical perspective relative to speed, MPS, Mean Piston Speed. This number is an average of the piston speed as it goes through the trip from TDC to BDC. As the piston is always accelerating or decelerating as it travels through its range of motion, Mean Piston Speed is a good way to look at just how fast the piston is traveling. The formula is: Mean Piston Speed in FPM (Feet Per Minute) is equal to: 2 X the stroke X engine speed (RPM) divided by 12 this gives you the value for, Feet Per Minute. (Disclaimer, I have a rule that you should never do math in public as there is always somebody who will say something about the process, no matter how right or wrong you are, but here goes.) So, if we have an engine with a 3.5-inch stroke running at 8500 RPM this is what you get: 2 X 3.5 x 8500 ÷ 12 = 4958.3333 Feet per minute. If you want to see this number in MPH you simply multiply the FPM times 60 then divide by 5280. For this calculation the MPH comes out to

The view from the bottom of the piston with the connecting rod installed. The pin bore located on the underside of the piston is clearly visible.

The piston viewed from the side you can see the skirt and the ring lands with the rings installed. This piston is ready for installation into the engine at this point once the piston and rings get an initial coating of oil.

56.344 MPH for our virtual engine with a 3.5-inch stroke.

While this speed does not really sound like much, let’s put this number into perspective. Our virtual engine with the 3.5-inch stroke is running at 8500 RPM, that means the piston has an average speed of 56.344 MPH and it comes to a complete stop and accelerates to a Mean Speed of 56.344 MPH 283 times a second. When you put this in perspective, just think of how long it takes your car to accelerate to 56 MPH and then how long it takes to stop from that speed. The piston accomplishes this stop and start in 3.5 inches The forces are quite staggering. There is also a calculation for Maximum Piston Speed, MPS, but I think we have done enough math for today. (If you want to do some more math the formula for MPS can be found by doing a Google search.)

The forces acting on the piston are great, even in your daily driver, unless you are driving an electric car, the piston (s) operate in a very severe environment. If you experience detonation the loads and temperature extremes are even greater. If for any reason you experience detonation due to poor quality fuel for your given application, glowing carbon somewhere on the piston or cylinder head or too much ignition advance or just a case of overheating the coolant and the fuel air charge detonates. At this point the fuel/ air mixture does not burn in a controlled manner, but instead it explodes, just like a bomb. The environment becomes extremely dangerous to the piston (s) and the engine in general, very quickly. The heat during a detonation event skyrockets and the temperature can reach the level that the piston swells to an even greater extent in the bore, the protective layer of oil is burned away and the forces generated by the exploding fuel causes a hammer like physical loading, not a metaphor in this case, the explosion causes forces just like a hammer, a really big hammer, and the hammer is transferring extreme loads to the piston, rod (s) crankshaft and block. These are, or can be, engine ending loads. At the top of the piston the extra heat causes the piston to grow further and the friction rises between the piston and the cylinder walls and the temperatures get extreme enough to start burning the piston, not just melt the piston, but burn. Short story, detonation is not a good thing.

But everything is not doom and gloom. In a less severe operational environment, like the car you drive in daily use or a properly operating race engine, the working environment can be just as harsh but

much more controlled and the piston can be expected to last a reasonable amount of time. In a racing environment, the operating conditions are much more extreme, with much higher loads, higher operating temperatures and a more hostile environment, but it can be controlled with proper care and tuning. Running an internal combustion engine is all about making and controlling heat

Let’s look at the piston from a physical perspective. As stated earlier, pistons are not round; in the truest sense of the word. Pistons are oval shaped and they are also for a lack of a better term are cone shaped. Now when you look at a piston they look round and they appear to have straight sides, which would lead you to believe that they are almost square when viewed from the side. If we take a piston and place it on its side and roll it across a table it will roll to either to the left or right, depending on how the piston is orientation to the table. The same way that stagger impacts a race car. Pistons are also a good bit smaller at the top of the crown than at the bottom of the skirt. This will vary by piston manufacture, type of aluminum used, the intended application and if it is a cast or a forged piston. So now we have introduced more variation to the topic. As the piston rolls it will also wobble as it is not round either it will wobble as it rolls, not a great deal, but it will wobble.

Pistons are not Rocket science but it is a close cousin. There is a good deal to know about the selection and operational environment of a modern piston. There is a good bit of development still taking place on piston design, manufacturing and operation. Even with the looming electrification of transportation; pistons will be around for a good bit of time. If you want to see some great designs of pistons look at some of the modern Four Stroke Motocross bikes. You will find pistons that make the pistons used in the engines coming from the car manufactures look like polished stones. And the Pistons used in Formula 1 are works of Modern Art, 100% machined from billet stock they are a wonder to behold and the ones we are able to see are usually several years old and not the most current example of the state of pistons. They keep this technology under wraps. Just like everything else in the world, the complexity level comes down the more you know. It is not magic, it just seems like it. Do not be fooled, pistons are far from a simple part of the engine but once you know a few things the part becomes less daunting and very understandable. It really is just that simple.

engine builder SPOTLIGHT

By

CHAMPIONSHIP BUILDS INGRAM ENGINES

INGRAM ENGINES HAS been building championship engines for parts of five decades. Beginning as a part time operation in 1989, Ingram became a full-time venture for owner Mike Ingram around 1997. Since then, Ingram has had one goal: win.

“When we show up at the racetrack we want to win. We’re not just there to show up and be seen,” Mike Ingram said. “When you put all that time and effort into building, you want results. Maybe I’m too competitive, but that’s racing. After all these years we are still that way. When we go to the track, we want to win.”

And win they have. The number of

track championships over the decades has climbed up to the point where it’s almost tough to keep track. Ingram isn’t interested in a one and done win. He likes consistent winners which is why track championships are so gratifying. It means consistent top finishes all year long.

“The last two years (2020-2021) have probably been our most successful years to date,” Ingram said. “We won the FASTRAK National Championship, the RUSH Late Model Series championship and we had the top three finishers at the Bill Emig Memorial which was a $10,000-to-win race. That right there

was pretty special. It’s one thing to win or get into the top three, but to own all top three positions? That’s a pretty solid night.”

One of the secrets of Ingram Engines which is actually no secret at all is their relationship with Jones Racing Products.

“We ship all of our products with Jones [Racing Products] on them,” Ingram said. “They’re the best in the business with a really excellent product.”

The solid working relationship that Ingram has with Jones has grown beyond just business, as is often the case in the dirt track racing industry.

“CJ and Melanie are just good people,”

Michael Duritsky Jr (Masontown, PA) will be a contender for the 2022 RUSH Late Model Touring Series Championship. Duritsky already has Weekly Series wins in 2022 at Delaware’s Georgetown Speedway and West Virginia’s Tyler County Speedway with an Ingram Engine powering his 90J.

Photos: Zach Yost

Ingram said. “We probably talk every week, and sometimes it’s not even about racing!”

An Ingram Engine is often found in the trade show booth of Jones Racing Products at the shows they attend throughout the country.

Ingram Engines itself is a small shop with Mike and his son Brandon handling the bulk of the work throughout the year to push out more than two-hundredtwenty engines annually.

“Realistically, Brandon carries a lot of the load around here,” Ingram said. “He handles most of the machine work and the assembly. Without him I’d be able to only do about a quarter of what we’re doing now. He started when he was around 12 years old and has a really great work ethic. He gets after it.”

Ingram’s other son, Brent helps out once in awhile as well, when things get really hectic. They also utilize another

part-time assistant to handle the workload, but there is room to expand.

“We’d love to get a kid in here that is hungry to learn and has some hustle. Most of the guys that can do this work are getting older or are already gone, so getting some young blood in will be important [for the industry],” Ingram said.

For the most part, Ingram Engines handles quite a bit of work for the teams

of the RUSH series. They produce mostly 604s and 602s. They also produce engines for CrateUSA, FASTRAK and DIRTcar as well.

“Every week during the season I still come in and check all the results,” Ingram said, with a laugh. “If I don’t see one of our drivers in victory lane, I’m grumpy all week man. Maybe I go a little overboard.”

Overboard? We disagree. That’s how you build championship engines. Period.

Ingram Engines

Owner: Mike Ingram

448 Troy Hill Rd

Kittanning, PA 16201

Phone: +1 724/5452663

E-mail: ingramengines@yahoo.com

Website: ingramengines.com

Photo:

Vicki Emig

Kyle Hardy in victory lane after a RUSH Late Model Touring Series win at Eriez Speedway; Kyle went on to win the RUSH Tour & National Weekly Series Championships worth $17,000.

Photo: Adam Cornell

INCRAM CRATE 602 JONES COMPONENTS: 2441-AR-DRT - Belt Drive Kit WP-9104-17-H3 - 17” Hustler Fan

GSR KARTWAY

LITTLE TRACK, LITTLE CARS, BIG DREAMS

BY BERT LEHMAN

WALK THROUGH the pits at any of the dirt tracks in northeast Wisconsin and chances are you will run into several drivers who got their start in racing by running karts at one of the many local dirt kart tracks.

One of those tracks – GSR Kartway in Clintonville, Wisconsin – has been hosting kart racing since the late 1990s. The track was built by and is still owned by Ed Bertram. When Bertram built the track in the late 1990s, he was selling racing parts to local racers. He had a parts store and also traveled to local race tracks with a parts truck. Bertram still sells parts to local racers, but on a smaller scale.

“My intent with that (kart) track, real honestly up front, was I wanted a way to get more customers in my race store,” Bertram said. “My whole thought behind it was if I can hook them young enough on the kart track then I can maybe drag them up into the store to buy parts and cars and everything else. It never worked that way. But that was one of the reasons I started it and pushed it.”

More than 20 years later, GSR Kartway is still hosting kart races on Wednesday nights during the summer months. That’s something that Bertram said he didn’t expect to happen.

“Did I realize it was going to become what it is today? No way,” Bertram said. “I knew the kart track was being built to teach the kids flags, procedures, the whole ten yards, in order for them to transpose themselves into this (car racing) program.”

Bertram moved to Michigan for a few years and leased the track to others who promoted it. Without those promoters stepping up, Bertram said the track would have probably been shuttered.

“Thank God they were able to take over and keep it running,” Bertram said.

One of those promoters who leased the track was the husband and wife team of Brandon and Sarah Blashe, both of which have a long and strong history in local racing. “We had already been running the Mid-State Ice Racing Club in Marion (Wisconsin), so we had a little bit of experience promoting,” Brandon Blashe said. “I was president of the Fox River Racing Club for two years so I had promotion experience there and we just decided to get into promoting.”

The Fox River Racing Club is the organization that hosts weekly racing in the summer at Wisconsin International Raceway, a half-mile asphalt track in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.

The Blashes promoted GSR Kartway

in 2009 and 2010 before taking a break from promoting due to the amount of work it required and the recession that the country was in.

Five years ago, that changed when Bertram asked them if they were interested in a second stint at promoting GSR Kartway.

Even though promoting the kart track is time consuming, both Brandon and Sarah said they enjoyed it, and that is what convinced them to give it another try. “It’s a little bit different with karting because instead of dealing directly with the drivers, you’re dealing with parents. That was a different situation,” Brandon said. “You see the good parts of racing and enjoyment. The kids have a great time and you see the family atmosphere. You also sometimes see the fiery aspect of it when parents get pretty fired up when it’s involving their child. You see both sides. That was a little bit of a new thing for me.

“But at the same time,” Sarah added, “the parents tried to act a little bit more professionally because they’re still trying to be a role model for their own child versus how heated things can get in an adult pit area.”

“With the kids it’s so much fun,” said Brandon. “They come off the track

and they have big smiles on their faces and they are so excited, especially in the beginning of the season they are so excited to get out there. It’s really enjoyable. That’s probably my favorite part.”

In order to make the racing fun for all involved, both Brandon and Sarah said it is their goal to run a “good, professional show. We’ve promoted for car racing, so we know what it takes to run a good program, and that’s what we wanted to do,” Brandon said.

Sarah added, “We didn’t want it to be like just backyard racing. We wanted it professional. We wanted a family’s first experience with racing to be a professional experience.”

Since a lot of the kart racers eventually race cars at the local dirt tracks when they get older, Brandon said they try to give karters a similar experience to what they would get racing at a track hosting car racing.

Fans who attend races at GSR Kartway can sit in the bleachers at the track, bring their own lawn chair and sit around the track or sit in their vehicle and watch the races. There is a food stand at the track for fans to visit.

GSR Kartway uses National Karting Association (NKA) sanctioning and uses its rules. Those same rules are also used by another dirt kart track located in Cecil, Wisconsin, which is less than an hour away from GSR Kartway.

“We work closely with them to make sure we’re doing the same program because we share racers,” Brandon said.

“We run the same tire. We run the same motor program and try to run the same rules.”

There are several divisions of karts that race weekly at GSR Kartway, with most of them comprised of kids. “I think this year we averaged in the low 70s. It was a good year,” Brandon said. “This was the best year that we had. We’ve never averaged in the 70s before.”

Brandon said he thinks the high weekly average of karts in 2021 was partly due to the solid racing program he and Sarah have built at the track.

Sarah added that a new kart rental

program they started in 2021 also helped. They have four karts, three of which are kiddie karts, available for families to rent if their child is interested in trying kart racing. “That’s really encouraged families that maybe were apprehensive to get involved (to try racing),” Sarah said. “And over this time, we’ve been doing that, I think that’s really helped build it too.”

Brandon added, “We kind of made a decision a few years back to invest in some equipment. It’s expensive. It can be cost prohibitive for anybody to get into racing. Even at the lower division at

Ty Majeski is one of the most famous graduates of GSR Kartway and went on to have various NASCAR opportunities and continues to win ARCA championships.

the big tracks, it’s expensive to get in. We didn’t want it (cost) to be a barrier. If you’re a parent and your child shows an interest in racing, even to buy used equipment, you’re probably spending a minimum of $1,500 to get in. And then what if they hate it? And now you’re trying to sell it. So, we provide a rental. It’s try it before you buy it.”

They said the rental karts were rented out every week of racing in 2021. While it’s not necessarily a goal to prepare kart racers to eventually race cars at the local dirt tracks, both Brandon and Sarah believe that is a benefit of kids racing karts.

Sarah feels racing karts helps build character in kids. “Learning responsibility to keep your equipment up and how you act around other drivers, things like that,” Sarah said.

Brandon added, “Kids learn so quickly, so they learn how to handle a kart, how to drive, how to countersteer. They just learn things quickly as a kid, so when they get to the race track, the big track, they’re ready to go. The basics of how to drive a race vehicle, they got it.”

And when kart racers graduate to car racing, Brandon and Sarah said they feel some satisfaction that they played a part in that by providing a racing program they could learn at.

“We go to Shawano (Speedway) to see some of the kids that raced by us. It’s very fulfilling,” Brandon said. “It’s fun to watch them move up and be successful at the next level of racing. That’s very

rewarding. I even try to buy their race apparel.”

Brandon added that graduating kart racers to car racing is essential to keeping racing in general alive in northeast Wisconsin. He said kids need to get hooked on racing at an early age if they plan to race cars someday.

“It’s just different nowadays. There are so many other things kids can do,” Brandon said. “If they’re not hooked on racing by the time they get to driving age, I think the likelihood that people are just going to go into racing like they used to, is small.”

“This is another dynamic that I do see with the karts, is we are getting families involved in karting that no one in their family has raced before,” Sarah said. “We’re literally bringing new families into the sport of racing.”

Realizing that, they said they work with some of the local dirt tracks that host car racing, and have a karting night at their tracks in the summer. “They support us, we support them because they see the value in it too,” Brandon said.

Probably the most famous driver who got his start racing at GSR Kartway is Ty Majeski, originally from Seymour,

Wisconsin. Majeski has advanced up and become one of the top asphalt Late Model drivers in the Midwest and has had limited opportunities to race in the NASCAR truck series.

Majeski’s success, and the success of other karters who have achieved local racing success in cars, shows that dreams can come true. “The little track where big dreams are born,” Sarah said, about GSR Kartway.

While Brandon and Sarah said it is still time consuming to promote GSR Kartway, they learned from their first stint promoting the track and now split up the duties between multiple people. This allows them to try to provide more enjoyment for the kids racing.

“That’s what makes it all worth it,” Sarah said. Brandon added, “For me, it’s the reason I do it. As a promoter you can make some money doing it. It’s never enough to compensate for all that goes into it, but that’s the reason I keep doing it, the satisfaction I get seeing the kids have a good time.”

CHAPTER 2

WORLD OF OUTLAW LATE MODEL DRIVER RYAN GUSTIN

By Cyndi Stiffler

Dirt Empire is hitting the asphalt with driver Ryan Gustin as our contributing writer, Cyndi Stiffler, tracks what it is really like spending a racing season in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series as she chronicles Gustin and his team.

DURING THE MONTHS of January and February, race fans and drivers of every stripe turn their attention to the Florida tracks. Many use this time to escape the cold winter conditions for warm sunshine and kick off their racing season.

Marshalltown, Iowa’s Ryan Gustin was no exception as he and his team pulled out for a long month of racing in midJanuary.

Their first stop was at Willy’s Carburetor, where they did some tuning on the engine, and then it was on to Sunshine State. When prodded for one word to best describe his Florida tour, Gustin chose challenging.

Gustin picked up his new Rocket

chassis in December and got his first laps in it at Volusia County’s WoO opener. During the offseason, Volusia had put a new surface on their track and with the rainy, cold weather that seemed to plague them there in January, the surface resembled a cornfield more than a race track.

“These cars are rigid and stuck to the track and are a handful with a smooth racy surface let alone one that is rutted and rough,” explained Gustin. “These chassis just are not made for holes and baja-ing.” Gustin went on to say that the dirt on the eastern tracks, north or south, is completely different than what he grew up on in the Midwest. “Where I come

from you don’t want any wheel spin, but over there, wheel spin is good thing.” The biggest thing though he said, was with both the Lucas and World of Outlaws teams converging at the same tracks, being able to qualify well was imperative, and something that plagued him almost the entire month in Florida.

Besides the obvious racing challenges, there are the ones that no one sees or perhaps takes time to consider. While the three-man team is enjoying their beautiful new hauler, they are in fact living together on the road in a thirtyfoot box and have no means to easily get around. After the team left Volusia’s season opener that was cut short by

Photo: Jacy Norgaard

An abandoned Sam’s Club parking lot can make a nice home for the week.

rain, they found an abandoned Sam’s Club and set up shop in the parking lot. It was conveniently located within walking distance of fast food places and an automotive store. Other times during the month long trek, the team took advantage of Uber drivers to get them to the laundromat and an evening night out at Hooters.

Without a doubt, being away from their families has to be the hardest part of being on the road. Rolling down the road for weeks at a time without them is not easy. Work and school do not allow Kendra and the children to travel along most of the time, but on this trip, they were able to fly down along with Ryan’s dad, Rick, for the last weekend of the Florida tour. After the last checkered fell, they all got to enjoy a few days on the warm beaches together before the family flew back home.

As Gustin stated, when you qualify poorly, you end up racing in the back and many times that only begets catastrophe. That’s exactly what happened to Ryan, when he got turned hard into the wall. He used provisionals the last few races of the tour, and then took his wounded chassis back to Rocket for a complete front clip before finally getting home to Iowa in late February.

In spite of the many challenges in Florida, Gustin was able to add a highly coveted Florida gator to his trophy case with a DIRTcar score at Volusia. Ironically, it was just a few days after longtime friend and sponsor, Leon Rameriz lost his battle with cancer. It was with a tear in his eye that an emotional Gustin told the

crowd, “This one right here is for Leon Ramirez. He was a good friend, a great sponsor, and this one’s for the whole Rameriz family. I wanted to win this really bad for them, and we did it. Hopefully, we can keep on doing it.”

The win was definitely a boost this team needed, “It feels really good,” Gustin said, “ We’ve been workingreally hard: I think we stumbled across some things that are working really good.” As far as how this win stacks up to the multitude of stellar wins on his resume he said this, “There are a lot of good racers (in the Midwest), and these guys are the best there are in dirt late models. One of my career highlights was outrunning them, (at Volusia). It is far from my biggest payday, but as far as the level of competition, it was probably my biggest.”

The team has about two weeks of grinding shop work as they get ready to head back out for another three weeks that include tracks in Louisiana, Alabama, and South Carolina. You can follow Gustin’s journey on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and his website www. ryangustin.com. Tune into DirtVision to watch in in all the World of Outlaw events.

Sponsored by:

Tri Star Engines & Transmissions, Ramirez Motorsports, VP Heartland, Mahle, Quality Freight Rate, Swift Springs, Fast Shafts, Performance Bodies, ML Performance, Penske Racing Shocks, Rocket Chassis, Ace Race Wraps, Nitroquest Media.

Leaving Iowa in January for Florida comes with all sorts of advantages!

Victory lane at Volusia capped off a month of struggles.

Photo: Josh James

Gustin’s son Bradyn helps out.

shooter at LARGE MICHAEL MOATS

MAYBE YOU’VE NOTICED, but we here at Dirt Empire Magazine love us some racing pictures. This is our opportunity to honor the great photographers of our sport who are on the road throughout the season shooting race cars and drivers and chronicalling history. They are our shooters at large. Lone gunslingers who have choosen to wield a camera as their weapon. Ride on, shooters. Ride on.

Don O’Neal (5) and son Hudson O’Neal (71) during a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race at Tazewell Speedway in 2018.

Three wide racing in the North/South 100 at Florence Speedway in 2020.

GET TO KNOW MICHAEL MOATS

Hometown: Powell, Tennessee

Age: 54

Year Started Shooting: 2001

First Publication to Print Your Work: Sam Holbrooks’

Behind The Wheel

Favorite Track to Shoot: Smoky Mountain Speedway

Favorite Division to Shoot: Dirt Late Models

Remaining Bucket List Races: Prairie Dirt Classic, East Bay Winternationals, Dream Million, any Summernationals race.

Favorite Thing About Racing Photography: Getting to know the people, being in the middle of the action, capturing special moments of the winners.

Outside of race cars, what do you like to photograph:

Family and tourist destinations

Camera Equipment: Nikon D850, Nikon D7500, Nikon D700, Tamron 70-200 f2.8, Nikon 70-200 f4, Nikon 24120, Nikon 24-85, Nikon 8-15 Fisheye

Rick Rogers (right) and son Stephen (left) climb the Tazewell Speedway fence following an emotional win in 2008.

Three wide action between Shane Clanton (25), Jay Scott (J27), and Devin Moran (9) in a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race at Smoky Mountain Speedway in 2020.

Steve Kinser (11) and Paul McMahan (91) battle in a World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series race at Volunteer Speedway in 2010.

Eddie Carrier, Jr. is emotional in victory lane by winning the Butterball Woolridge Memorial at Richmond Raceway in 2018.

dirt CHRONICLES

MID-CENTURY MIDGETS

By: Bob Mays

became the first three-time USAC midget champion, winning titles in 1956-’57-’58. His biggest victory (or should we say victories) during that span came on May 29, 1956, when he won three features in one day at the 16th Street Speedway in Indianapolis. Lest you think this was some kind of watered down achievement, no less than 54 midgets took part in the program with such stars as Don Branson, Jimmy

Bob Gregg (Ashley Wright 57) leads the pack at South Mountain Speedway in Phoenix, Arizona, during the opening USAC event of the 1957 season. Rex Easton drove Lloyd Rahn’s Offy to the win in the 100-lap main, which was shortened to 67 circuits by rain. (Leroy Byers photo)

Shorty Templeman started his racing career on the northwest midget circuits in 1945. He won five Washington state titles and three Oregon state championships before jumping into national competition. Templeman

Davies, Rex Easton, Gene Force and A.J. Foyt. (Armin Krueger Photo)

Dynamic youngster, A.J. Foyt (Jack London 5) astounded the railbirds with his calm demeaner behind the wheel of a midget. Here his is working the cushion at San Bernadino on just another day at the office in 1960. (Ken Coles photo)

Bobby Unser (Doug Caruthers 5) grabbed the victory at Colorado Springs in 1964. Promoter, J.C. Agajainian, with his trademark Stetson, joined Bobby in victory lane. (Leroy Byers photo)

DIRT

By Dan Demarco

MUSTANGS

NOW IN ITS THIRD installment, photographer Dan Demarco has been been featuring some of the most popular modified body styles of the 1960s and 1970s, a very unique era in the history of the sport. After featuring Gremlins and Pintos, Demarco dug into another classic choice – the Mustang. As Demarco relates, “the Mustang bodies were immensely popular because they were plentiful and easily conformed to most of the chassis that were popular during the era. I always liked the Mustang bodied cars as they were sleek and just made the cars look fast. My all-time favorite Mustang bodied car was the yellow 71e driven by Carl VanHorn. It was very fast and just looked mean with those high injector stacks!”

Photos: Sergey Kohlstock.adobe.com

Carl VanHorn was one of the most popular drivers of his era. “Fuzzy” garnered many wins during his career at the Reading, Nazareth and Orange County Fair Speedways.

Freddy Brightbill was mostly a Reading, Pennsylvania competitor and was the cousin of the legendary Kenny Brightbill.

Howie Cronce was a very popular regular and a several time winner at the Flemington Fair Speedway. His recently restored 9c was on display at this year’s Motorsports Expo in Oaks, Pennsylvania.

Gary Gollub was very successful in both the modifieds and sprint cars. He was a regular at Reading but could be seen racing all over the Northeast. He was also a two-time URC Sprint Car Champion and a member of both the URC and York County Racing Hall of Fames.

Walt Olsen was one of the top runners on the PA/NJ circuit during the 1960-70s and was the younger brother of NASCAR Modified champion Budd Olsen.

Freddy Adam was one of the most popular drivers of his era. He was a many time feature winner at Reading, Nazareth, Penn National and Hatfield Speedways. He was also the winner of the 1964 Langhorne National Open for modifieds.

new & featured PRODUCTS

GREBER RACING COMPONENTS is proud to release their new complete radius rod, tie rod, drag link and working arm duplicator. It will duplicate from 14” - 56”. It features all aluminum construction with powder coated finish. Please allow 2-4 days for processing due to high demand for the product.

Greber Racing Components

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440-332-3685

HERE’S SOMETHING from the folks at Summit Racing Equipment – top notch dog gear! Your dog is always ready to hang out with you in the garage, ride shotgun to a car show, or take trespassing squirrels to task, there’s no one more faithful than your dog. Treat him to a snazzy Dog Buckle Collar and matching Dog Leash and get him so Dog Toys to chew on instead of your good slippers. The Dog Collars and Leashes are available with your choice of logos—or is it your dog’s choice?

If your dog’s been banned from chewing on real-deal car parts one too many times, get him these tough, teeth-resistant canvas dog toys that look like vehicle components and have a squeaker for added entertainment. Choose from these toys—better yet, get them all so your furry buddy doesn’t get bored - V8 Engine Block, Turbocharger, Brake Rotor and Caliper, Shift Knob, Oil Filter

Summit Racing Equipment

www.summitracing.com

800-230-3030

ATC BOLTS & FASTENERS has created a complete, all-in-one body fastener kit. Keep all of your body fasteners right where you need them. This kit takes the hassle out of organizing body fasteners and can pack up and go to the track in a moment’s notice. Multiple sizes and kits available.

ATC Bolts & Fasteners atcbolts.com

(813) 787-9774

TIRED OF MARRING your Sprint car’s dust caps and over-torquing spindle retainer nuts every time you change your front wheels? Winters’ new Sprint Hub Wrench solves both problems with one durable, compact, lightweight tool. On one side is a 1-7/8” hex wrench that fits most dust caps, and on the other side is a star wrench designed to fit spindle retainer nuts. Constructed from carbon fiber composite, the Sprint Hub Wrench is stout enough to withstand the rigors of the pits, yet it won’t scratch or gouge anodized dust caps. And its compact size allows you to apply enough torque when reinstalling your wheels without giving you so much leverage that you over-tighten the nut. These handy tools are a must-have for any well-equipped shop or war wagon, and they’re available now for just $57.14 through Winters

Performance—just ask for the Sprint Hub Wrench P/N 12904.

Winters Performance

1580 Trolley Road, York, PA 17408 717-764-9844

www.wintersperformance.com

E3 SPARK PLUGS, the makers of the patented DiamondFIRE Technology spark plug, today announced the introduction of a new line of lithium phosphate motorsports batteries. Born from cutting edge nanoscale materials, chosen by the world’s super car manufacturers and proven on the Formula 1 & NASCAR podiums, E3 Lithium is here!

“We are extremely excited to bring the most powerful, most economical lithium motorsports battery on the market today to racers everywhere,” said E3 Vice President of Motorsports & Business Development, Rob Fisher. “We have tested these batteries in all types of racecars with outstanding results. So, whether you race at Daytona, Pomona, Eldora or Road America, E3 Lithium will help keep you charged to the finish line and beyond.”

Initially, the product line features two offerings, the SuperLite 1200 and the SuperLite 1600. The SuperLite 1200 is a 13.2 volt, 1200 Pulse Cranking Amp battery that features 24.8 Amp Hours of capacity but weighs a feather-light 6.9 Lbs (3.1Kg). Its bigger, brawnier brother the SuperLite 1600, also known as The Beast, puts out a whopping 1600 pulse cranking amps and has 32 amp hours of capacity. Thanks to its custom carbon fiber case, the 13.2 volt Beast weighs a mere 8.9 lbs.

Some of the performance benefits of the E3 Lithium line of motorsports batteries include: 80% lighter than traditional batteries, 3x longer life than traditional batteries, charges much faster than traditional batteries, delivers much quicker starts than traditional batteries IP 66 Environmental Rating (pressure washer friendly), mounts in any position and are environmentally friendly.

Both batteries feature an Integrated Double Redundant Battery Management System that maintains constant cell balancing to ensure that the output of the individual lithium packs inside the battery maintain equal output and charge levels at all times. In addition, the BMS offers the following attributes to ensure years of trouble-free power delivery from your E3 Lithium Battery.

Retail price for the SuperLite 1600 is $1,045 while the SuperLite 1200 is $845 making the pair the lightest, most powerful and best value lithium battery in their class.

For more information about E3 Lithium Batteries visit www.E3Lithium.com.

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SUPPORT OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Dirt Empire Magazine is proud to have assembled a crack staff of freelance photographers and writers who blend their passion for the sport with their talent and artistry to make these pages pop. If you see an image that you’d like to own or need a great image for your shop, drop them a line and support them.

PHOTOGRAPHERS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

Bob Mays - catsracin@yahoo.com

Dan Demarco - deacon39@me.com

Dave Condit - dconditimages@gmail.com

David Campbell – www.seemymind.com

Jacy Norgaard - jacy@jacynorgaardphotography.com

John Rothermel - jcizzybu@ptd.net

Josh James – joshjamesphotos@gmail.com

Kirsten Snyder - snyderwebdesign07@gmail.com

Matt Butcosk – mbutcosk@gmail.com

Michael Moats - mrm4@comcast.net

Mike Campbell - mikecampbellphotos@gmail.com

Paul Arch - peanumber10@comcast.net

Rich Labrier - dirtmanphoto@gmail.com

Scott Bender - zrobert15@comcast.net

Tyler Rinkin – rinkty01@luther.edu

Zach Yost - zyost11@yahoo.com