A close look at a NASCAR Whelen™ Modified at PRI 2018

The NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Racing) booth at the 2018 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show displayed the #46 Goodie Racing 2018 Chevrolet NASCAR Whelen™ modified driven by Craig Lutz and sponsored by Riverhead Building Supply. Goodie Racing is owned by Riverhead Building Supply owners Russell and Jeff Goodale with crew chief Douglas Ogiejko. 

The 106-inch wheelbase LFR Enterprises chassis built in West Boylston Massachusetts is powered by a 610-horsepower NASCAR-spec  364-cubic inch Robert Yates Racing engine  based on  GM LS2 block  with LS2 CNC ported heads fed by an 830 CFM (cubic feet per minute) Holley carburetor. The Spec engine is not “sealed” and NASCAR rules do allow teams to assemble, disassemble and rebuild the engine but no modifications to the components are allowed. 

Craig Lutz from Miller Place New York finished in fifth place in the 2018 NASCAR Whelen™ modified tour points in his first full season with Goodie Racing.  With three races completed in the 17-race 2019 NASCAR Whelen tour Lutz is in 14^th place in the standings with one top ten finish.

 Check out the NASCAR Whelen™ site at https://hometracks.nascar.com/regional/whelen-modified-tour/ and LFR Enterprises at https://www.lfrchassis.com/

Midget auto racing on display

at the 2018 PRI show 

There was a wide selection of midget auto racing displays at the 2018 Performance Racing Industry show in Indianapolis Indiana. 

The #21 KS midget race car driven by Karter Sarff from Mason City Illinois in the 2019 Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget League was on display in the PAC Racing Springs booth. The car is powered by a Stanton SR-11 engine. PAC Racing Springs is the racing and aftermarket division of Peterson Spring Company  Check out their entire product line at https://www.racingsprings.com/

The Automotive Racing Products (ARP) booth featured the Honda engine that Scott Hatton used to win his fifth Badger Midget Racing Association championship in 2018 on display. The development  engine was built by  Haisley Machine of Farimount Indiana and used ARP fasteners throughout. Check out ARP's website at   https://arp-bolts.com/ 

The Mobil One display featured the Keith Kunz Motorsport Spike.Toyota that won  the 2018 United States Auto Cub (USAC) P1 Insurance National Midget championship driven by Logan Seavey. Seavey from Sutter California is only the third driver in USAC history to win the national midget championship as a rookie. 

Seavey started the 2018 season out right with a win in the season's first race in March at Southern Illinois Center indoor race, then added wins at Sweet Springs Missouri and Bakersfield CA on his way to the championship. Logan was a model of consistency thorough 2018 as he scored 15 top-ten finishes and started every feature event. 

All photos by the author 

     

A cut-away dirt late model at PRI 2018 

The Goodridge Racing booth at the 2018 Performance Racing Industry trade show in Indianapolis Indiana featured a cut-away 2019 Lazer late model chassis to show off Goodridge’s new line of G-Line Ultra PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) lined hose which features an Aramid and stainless steel outer braid for lightweight and high strength with full vacuum resistance up to 200 degrees Celsius (nearly 400 degrees Fahrenheit).

The first Lazer Chassis was built in Jonestown Pennsylvania in 1978 by the Bernheisel family, who still run the company which sells parts, chassis, bodies and offers repairs and set-up assistance to their customers.  In 2018, six (6) Lazer Chassis late model racers combined to collect eight (8) track championships, and Lazer Chassis drivers recorded 55 victories during the 2018 season.  

All photos by the author 

Check out the Goodridge products at their website at  https://goodridge.com/ and the Lazer chassis website at https://lazerchassis.com/chassis_lm.html

Trent Stephens’ ISMA supermodified

The Schaeffer’s specialized lubricants booth at the 208 PRI (Performance Racing Industry) show in Indianapolis Indiana featured the ISMA (International Supermodified Association) race car driven by Trent Stephens of Talmadge Ohio to an eighth-place finish in the 2018 ISMA points.

During the 2018 11-race season, Trent who has three career ISMA victories, scored two fifth place finishes, with four other top ten finishes.    

The #19 car, owned by Steve Stout’s ACME Racing team, in addition to the typical supermodfied details such as extreme offset engine location, push-rod front suspension and air cylinders which allow the top wing to “plane” on the straightaways, also sports a very unusual cantilevered rear suspension.

During the 2018 PRI show, Steve Stout announced that the ACME Racing team will expand to a two-car program for 2019 with 2015 and 2016 ISMA champion Dave Shullick Jr. joining to drive the #49 supermodfied. 

In 2019, ISMA’s forty-third season of operation the racers have a 13-race schedule with two visits each at Oswego Speedway, Delaware (Ontario) Speedway, and Sandusky (Ohio) Speedway.

Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants founded in 1839 in St. Louis Missouri offers engine oils, greases, hydraulic and transmission fluids, gear lubes and fuel additives for the agriculture, trucking, food, heavy construction and racing industries. Check them out at  https://www.schaefferoil.com/

USAC 2019 national event schedules

The United States Auto Club (USAC) announced the 2019 event schedules for their three national series at the 2018 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show in Indianapolis Indiana.  

NOS Energy Drink becomes the new title sponsor for the all-dirt national midget series, while AMSOIL remains the title sponsor of the all-dirt national sprint car series.  The Silver Crown series expands to twelve races for 2019 evenly split with six races each on dirt and pavement.

“Eat’n Dollars” Pulling tractor

a typical John Deere 4010 tractor

Between 1961 and 1963, John Deere Company produced more than 59,000 series 4010 tractors which were powered by 6-cylinder 378 cubic-inch engines that produced 80 horsepower which made the 6300-pound 4010 one of the most powerful two-wheel drive tractors at that time. Interestingly, Elvis Presley owned a 1963 4010 which he used at his Mississippi ranch and Graceland estate; his restored 4010 tractor with a loader attachment is on display at the Elvis Presley Auto Museum.

author photo

The John Deere 4010 lightweight super stock “Eat’n Dollars” tractor on display at the Sawblade.com booth at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show in Indianapolis Indiana has a triple-turbocharged 505 cubic-inch alcohol-fueled six-cylinder engine that develops more than 3000 horsepower.  

author photo

Obviously, the original John Deere frame would be overwhelmed by that much power, so “Eat’n Dollars” rides on a chrome moly tube Component chassis with a 47.2 SFI roll-cage and custom-built spindle arm assembly and hubs to support the front of the tractor.  

photo courtesy David Esteb

Driver David Esteb of Franklin Indiana began competitive pulling when he was just 16 years old but stepped away to work as a carpenter and farmer before he returned to the sport a dozen years ago. Esteb has competed in the Lucas Pro Pulling League (LOPPL) Champions Tour ARP lightweight super stock class since 2011, and David and his wife Janet were honored as the LOPPL “Puller of the Year” in 2017.  David finished seventh on the 2018 LOPPL Champions Tour, and second in points for the Beck's Hybrid Light Super Stock class with the Indiana Pulling League.  

During the 2018 season Sawblade.com was the presenting sponsor for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series(ASCS), as well as supporting the sprint car team of Scott Bogucki. Sawblade.com also supported teams in the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League (LOPPL) and the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series (LODBRS).

Sawblade.com, based in Houston, Texas redefines the way industrial hardware and home-use band saw blades are made and distributed. Its bandsaw speed-and-feed wizard uses standard industry calculations, not only to estimate cutting times for different alloys and metals, but also to provide recommendations for band saw blade pitch for each application.an innovative leader in the production of custom saws and sawblades for wood, steel, and other-cutting applications. For more details visit https://www.sawblade.com/

WoO and All Stars announce 2019 schedules

The two major nationwide 410-cubic inch winged dirt-track sprint car series announced their 2019 event schedules at the 2018 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show in Indianapolis Indiana. 

The World of Outlaws Craftsman sprint car series will stage 92 races across 25 states. 

The Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 will present 56 events across 12 states.