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Iron Warrior driven by Trey Myers is part of the Black Stallion Team
Michael Vaters said he always finds time for his fans at Monster Jam Events
Michael Vaters is also known as The Godfather of Thunder Nationals to his fans
Black Stallion took the wins in Monster Jam racing, wheelie and freestyle contests at the Alltel Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas
Michael Vaters is continually designing and improving truck parts for the Monster Jam Circuit
Iron Warrior Driver Trey Myers also made time for fans at the sold out Monster Jam event in Little Rock
The Thunder Nationals Monster Jam featured six monster trucks at the Alltel Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas. Black Stallion, Iron Warrior, Raminator, Rammunition, Predator and Prowler were in the spotlight.
Michael Vaters, owner and driver of Black Stallion showed the fans in Little Rock why he is known as the Godfather of the Thunder Nationals. The K&N sponsored driver took wins in Racing and
Wheelie contest Friday night. Vaters also took wins in Wheelie and freestyle contests Saturday night.
Vaters uses K&N air and oil filters on his Monster Trucks. “Over my many years in this business I’ve used a lot of products, but K&N is the one that can handle the dirty and dusty environment during Monster Jam competitions,” said Vaters. “We are known nationwide for our wild and crazy driving and the ability to push our engines to the limit. We’re hard on our motors and K&N gives us the protection we need for competition.”
The packed crowd was treated to some incredible action as the night began with a huge
Wheelie contest. The drivers were up against a long narrow arena that took a lot of skill to navigate through.
Iron Warrior driven by Trey Myers was the first one out. He slammed the stack and scored a 10 point run. Prowler, driven by Lenny Kuider scored a nine point run.
Geremie Dishman drove Rammunition up to the line and the big hemi powered Dodge flew across the stack line to finish with a 16 point run. When Mark Hall came to the line and scored 18.
It was still not over, Dale Mitchell pulled out Predator and scored a strong 16. “The crowd was in a fever pitch and knew we had a horse in the barn,” said Vaters. “That horse was Black Stallion. I reared up and sky rocked by Ford to the win with a 20 point run.”
Friday
Monster Wheelie results:
1. Black Stallion
2. Raminator
3. (Tie) Rammunition/Predator
4. Iron Warrior
5. Prowler
Monster Donut results:
1. Raminator
2. Predator
3. Black Stallion
4. Iron Warrior
5. Prowler
On Saturday, the stadium was packed to capacity. “When the crowd entered the building it looked like a Monster Jam palace,” said Vaters. “When they left it looked like a Monster Truck junkyard. It was a smashing testimonial to the raw talent of the six men and their monster size chariot’s of destruction.”
The judges wanted big air and held the drivers to task. Each one slammed his truck into the stack and the crowd was going crazy, said Vaters.
In the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, James Buescher will be the driver of the No. 10 International MaxxForce Diesel Ford F-150 for Circle Bar Racing.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver James Buescher
Buescher will team with series veteran Rick Crawford, who will drive the No. 14 International Truck and Engine F-150. Buescher is on the hunt for Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year honors with veteran crew chief James Jones. Jones has more than 25 years of racing experience
and has a proven track record working with young racing talent all the way to victory lane.
Buescher is only 18-years-old, but has an accomplished racing resume. He won national championships Bandoleros, Legend Cars and Late Models. In 2007 he was the youngest winner in ARCA RE/MAX Series history at USA International Speedway in Lakeland, Florida. In 2008, Buescher completed six NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
“As a driver, we are expected to perform on the race track,” said Buescher. “However, we are only as good as the parts and pieces that make up our trucks. At Circle Bar Racing, we only use K&N Filters in our Roush-Yates engines to provide the ultimate on-track performance. Our engine tuners performed off-season dyno testing that proves we receive maximum horsepower and reliability when we use K&N products in our Fords.”
Circle Bar Racing was established in 1978 and has competed in the Indianapolis 500, CART and NASCAR. “Circle Bar Racing has its roots in Ozona, Texas,” said Lisa Mitchell, Chief Operating Officer. “To have James, a true Texan, represent us is special. We’re looking for James to learn from Rick, make a strong bid for Rookie of the Year and add to the rich racing heritage my father established. Tom Mitchell has prided himself on helping drivers establish themselves in the sport and we feel that Circle Bar Racing can do the same for James.”
The 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series commences on February 13 at Daytona International Speedway. It will be televised live on SPEED-TV.
Round four of the AMA Supercross Series took place at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Rockstar Hart and Huntington Honda Team came prepared to battle the other riders.
AMA Supercross Series and Rockstar Hart and Huntington Honda Team Rider Josh Hansen
Team rider Josh Hansen made the 20 man main event and raced hard through the entire race. When it was all said and done crashes on the track held him to a twentieth place finish. Hansen moved into twenty-third in the overall standings.
Carey Hart's Team rider Troy Adams is looking forward to the AMA Supercross Series Race in San Francisco, California
Hansen’s teammate Troy Adams had problems with the first turn crashes and didn’t make the final. His lap times were competitive enough to be right in the mix. Adams is ready to rebound this weekend in San Francisco, California.
Adams and Hansen are currently running prototype designs of K&N’s XStream Series Air filter for their 2009 Honda CRF450s. The 2009 Honda CRF450 has a much larger airbox to increase horsepower and torque while providing excellent filtration.
“We had an okay race,” reported Team Manager Kenny Watson. “We have to work on getting Troy into the main week in and week out.” The team is owned by freestyle pioneer and celebrity Carey Hart.
The 2009 Superkarts USA ProKart Challenge South Series is off and running. The FX Racing USA Makita Team was in the mix at the PKC Season Opener at CalSpeed Kart Track in Fontana, California.
Superkarts USA ProKart Challenge South Series Podium for FX Team Driver Steve Wiener at CalSpeed in Fontana, California
Roy Montgomery drove for FX Racing Team in the S1/G1 field at Superkarts USA ProKart opener in Fontana, California
Driver Steve Wiener was ready to charge into the new season with a goal to move in the front of the pack. In the competitive TaG master Class, moving up is not an easy task. Wiener fought changing weather as it rained on and off
in Fontana. Despite the changing conditions he delivered solid times throughout the day. The San Diego, California driver put the team in a strong racing position with two karts on hand, one dialed in for rain, the other dialed in for dry.
San Diego, California FX Team Driver Steve Wiener in the competitive TaG Superkarts Master Class
FX Racing consists of three teams and more than thirty karts all equipped with K&N
“During qualifying, the weather question hung as heavy in the air as the grey clouds,” said Jon Engle, FX Racing Director of Operations. “We didn’t know if it would start pouring down buckets any minute.” Wiener and the FX Team read the conditions right, prepared for the race correctly and grabbed 3rd spot on the grid.
In Heat 1 Wiener took the lead and grabbed the win. In Heat 2 he was nudged into a spin while leading and fought back to finish 4th. In the Main, Wiener lined up 4th on the grid and put a decisive move on the third place driver to take home P3 and his first ProKart Challenge podium.
FX Team Driver Roy Montgomery handled the rain and made excellent progress under tough conditions. “Qualifying in the massive S1/G1 field is no easy feat,” said Engle. “The number of top-notch divers means minute differences in lap-time and can take you from the top of the chart to the back easily.” Montgomery delivered a strong P6.
In Heat 1, Montgomery took 2nd place. In the Main, Montgomery came home in 4th place. “It was a sold finish,” said Engle. “This was Roy’s first race after recovering from a broken shoulder last season.”
The San Diego based FX Team has three teams, more than 30 karts and participates in three tiers of division races, Pro, Junior and Club. “We use K&N on all of our vehicles,” said Engle. “K&N makes the best product out there for all of our racing needs.” The FX Team participates in the SKUSA (Super Karts USA) Series.
The team’s next race will be the kickoff for the IFK season, February 6th at CalSpeed in Fontana, California.
The Race and Performance Expo is the largest trade show of its type in the Midwestern United States. One of the exhibitions in 2009 will be the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Championship.
Race and Performance Expo hosts Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Championship
On February 14 and 15 eight high school teams will compete on Saturday and six community college teams will compete on Sunday for the championship. The different teams are made up of invited students from auto technology classes.
High School and Junior College Teams will compete at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois
K&N is sponsoring Joliet Junior College and will send K&N shirts, hats and banners for the group. Each team consists of five students and one instructor. The groups tear down identically prepared small block Chevy engines the way pit crews do at drag races.
Students have to disassemble engines using hand tools. Air cleaner, carb, distributor wires, spark plugs, manifold, headers, heads, lifters, rocker arms, push rods, timing chains and covers, along with K&N oil filters, oil pans, oil pumps and all eight pistons come off. The cams and cranks remain in the engine blocks.
The teams then reassemble under correct assembly procedures and torque specs under the watchful eyes of judges and spectators. There are penalties for dropped components, improper tear downs, rebuilds and improper sportsmanship. After the engine reassembly is complete they must fire up and run.
The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge will take place at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois.
