Dart’s Maskin Inducted Into Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame
Among this year’s inductees into the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame is Dart Machinery founder Richard Maskin. Following his success as a drag racer, crew chief and engine builder, Maskin went on to establish Dart as a leader in race engine components manufacturing.
Dave McClelland to Host His Final SEMA Awards Banquet
Dave McClelland, the renowned announcer who began emceeing the SEMA Awards Banquet in 1976 when the SEMA Show was in Anaheim, California, is stepping down from the podium and will host his final SEMA Awards Banquet, Thursday, November 5, 2015, in Las Vegas.
Shop Solutions October 2015
Managing your scrap is an everyday chore. We all know aluminum pistons are worth more than aluminum mill waste, but by removing pins and rings they’re worth even more.
My Cheating Heart
Like most racers, I was not keen on tech officials and some of the rules they enforced during my drag racing career. But in 2004, as my racing career was winding down, a friend named Chris McMahan, Operations Manager of RT. 66 Drag Strip in Joliet, IL, talked about having me come work for him on his tech official staff. That bizarre idea intrigued me – so I did it.
Sourcing Engine Blocks
Production engine builders today want engine cores that match a very specific vehicle application. In many cases, they also want the tinware that goes with the engine because the oil pan, valve covers and timing cover are also year, make and model specific. That has changed the way core suppliers have to inventory their stock.
Rottler, Wilkerson to Race For Wally in Seattle
For the second consecutive season, Tim Wilkerson will hit the track at this weekend’s NHRA Northwest Nationals in a specially designed Ford Mustang Funny Car featuring Rottler Manufacturing.
Hooker Blackheart Mustang Giveaway
Recently, Holley got its hands on a 2015 Mustang GT to use for research and development. Since then, Holley has installed a complete Hooker Blackheart exhaust on it, in addition to other goodies from DiabloSport, Eibach, and soon to be added NOS nitrous system. The company will be giving away the car this summer.
Diesel Oils Will Soon Be Changing
With May’s Engine Builder focusing on performance diesel engine technology, it’s the perfect time to alert you of two new diesel engine oil performance categories that will appear on the market in 2017. These new categories are the direct result of our federal government asking diesel engine builders and truck manufacturers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Winning With Your Own Engines
As a tech official at RT 66 Drag Strip in Joliet, Ill., since 2004, I have had the opportunity to see hundreds of bracket racing engine combinations. As a bracket racer myself early in my drag racing career I’ve been able to build my own. I’ve had unique opportunities to learn how to build winners that can translate into dollars off the track as well.
Drag Racer Carly Jo Ellingson Wins 2015 ‘Search for a Champion’ Contest
Carly Jo Ellingson has won dozens of races during her comparatively brief drag racing career, but her latest victory tops them all. The 20-year-old Rapid City, S.D., native is the winner of the $50,000 grand prize racing sponsorship in the Champion Spark Plug brand’s annual “Search for a Champion” contest.
Lokar Anchor-Tight Locking Flexible Transmission Dipsticks
Lokar’s patented Anchor-Tight Locking Flexible Dipsticks have many advantages over conventional dipsticks such as no leaking, even with the transmission upside down and they are NHRA accepted for use in all categories of competition.
PRW Sponsors Orlando Speed World
PRW Industries, Inc. has announced the new strategic alliance and sponsorship of Orlando Speed World. PRW has a dedicated lane and timing board at the Orlando Speed World Dragway. This extensively upgraded track is located at 19164 East Colonial Drive in Orlando.
Race Tuner’s Biggest Challenges from a Piston-Maker’s Perspective
Gibtec may be a new name in competition piston-making, but its leaders aren’t new to the craft. Nick Plantus, one of the three founding partners of Diamond Racing in 1968 and his colleague, Rob Giebas from a younger generation, served roughly 20 years with the same operation, usually involved in development programs for NHRA Pro Stock programs. But when asked where he sees the biggest challenges in race engine tuning, Giebas responds with one word: Nitrous.
The Rebirth of the Green Monster
Recently, Tim Arfons brought the sights and sounds of turbine dragsters to an entirely new generation of racers and fans thanks to the life-lessons and hands-on expertise he learned from his father, the legendary Art Arfons. Arfons has painstakingly remade the famous Green Monster front-engine dragster to better-than-new condition and is using it as a high-speed history lesson for today’s drag racing fans.
Motorsports Safety Organization ICMS To Hold Annual Congress at PRI
For the fifth consecutive year, the world’s pre-eminent motorsports safety conference, the International Council of Motorsports Sciences (ICMS), will return as a part of Race Industry Week in conjunction with the 27th annual PRI Trade Show at the Indiana Convention Center, Dec. 11-13.
Going Hohl School
During the 1950s and ‘60s, building and tuning a performance race engine was a different world from today. It was definitely more of a hands-on situation where the feel, sound and smell of an engine were important tools of early engine builders.
WELD Racing Hosts Celebrity Appearances at the 2014 SEMA Show
WELD Racing, manufacturers of WELD Racing Wheels, will host a variety of celebrity guests all week long during the 2014 SEMA Show. WELD supports all forms of racing, and the list of celebrities that will visit WELD demonstrates this. Don’t miss out on the action happening at WELD’s booth #24957 in Las Vegas.
Andrew Sexton Speaks About Federal-Mogul Motorparts
Andrew Sexton is senior vice president, global sealing and engine, Federal-Mogul Motorparts. Sexton’s responsibilities include the company’s renowned Fel-Pro Gaskets business, based in Skokie, Ill. Fel-Pro, “The Gaskets Professionals Trust,” is North America’s preeminent brand of engine and related sealing components for automotive and high-performance applications. Federal-Mogul Motorparts is a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation
WELD Racing Strengthens Motorsports Team, Promotes Sales Executive
Expanding on its nearly 50 year commitment to motorsports, WELD Racing has announced the promotion of Mike Mulcahy to vice president of sales. The company has also announced the addition of Greg Bennett to WELD’s sales and marketing team.
Why Pushrods Fail
The Michigan firm Trend Performance is a manufacturer and supplier of pushrods. In 1988 when Bob Fox founded his pushrod company after working the phones as a tech rep at Diamond Racing, things were different. During his time at the piston company he noticed that the performance of competition pushrods was a little better than adequate—their
