Wisconsin Winners
NVR is a race-oriented engine shop that builds mostly circle track and drag vehicle engines. With more than 40 years in the industry, Tom Nickerson works with his wife Cindy handling mostly Chevrolet builds, as well as other nameplate engines. NVR was named the 2014 Performance Engine Builder of the Year and we took a look at its operation.
Speed-Pro Crowns Performance Engine Builder of the Year
Tom Nickerson, owner of NVR Racing, in Butler, WI, was named the 2014 Performance Engine Builder of the Year, sponsored by Speed-Pro POWERFORGED Pistons and Engine Builder magazine. Nickerson was presented the award by Engine Builder magazine publisher Doug Kaufman at a press conference Friday at the Performance Racing Industry Show (PRI) in Indianapolis.
Five Points to Ponder Prior to PRI
Being an FE Ford fan, and having raced them, and still owning several, “Animal” Jim enjoyed Engine Builder’s article about FE Fords in the April Issue. Jim has been in love with FE’s since his brand new ’63 R code he had when he was 22. In this article he share’s five points prior to the 2014 PRI show.
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.
King Engine Bearings to Host PRI Seminar
King Engine Bearings is sponsoring a unique technical seminar at the 2014 PRI Trade Show, featuring expert engine builders Jay Dickens and Magnus Ohlaker. This free event will take place Friday, December 12 from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm in Rooms 231-232 at the Indiana Convention Center. In addition, any attendees who stop by the King Engine Bearings booth #601 will have the chance to perform the pMax Black overlay scratch test with the opportunity to instantly win a prize, including a Profilometer worth over $2,500.
Greetings From Bonneville
This year an opportunity came to go to a gathering of speed freaks drawn together from around the world. An event that I’ve now learned is on most “Motorhead’s” bucket lists, and was put forth as the background for a great movie that hit limited screens in 2005 and is recorded on DVD in many of our video libraries. The movie was “The World’s Fastest Indian,” and the event is simply called “Bonneville.”
Racing with the Ramchargers
Before Neil Newman’s tenure with Chrysler Marine Division, he had gone to school at the Chrysler Engineering Institute (CEI) with many members of the original, legendary “Ramchargers” drag racing team.
Holley EFI to Power 2015 ARCA Racing Teams
Holley has announced that the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) has selected Holley EFI to power the new ARCA Ilmor 396 engine recently introduced for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards 2015 stock car racing season. ARCA introduced the new engine on Friday, August 1, 2014 as an option for teams in an effort to address
Cracking Down on Block Fillers
In earlier articles, I mentioned filling dedicated, drag racing iron blocks to keep cylinders round and keep them from cracking. Many drag racers still practice that modification. Today, racers have the luxury of a low-cost block filler called Hard Blok, provided by Joel Bayless. Back in my early Pro Stock days, when I was racing
Replacing Crankshafts, Connecting Rods and Bearings
The crankshaft, connecting rods and bearings are extremely important in every engine build, whether mild or wild, because they convert the reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotational torque. The longer the stroke, the greater the leverage effect and the greater the torque output of the engine. There are three things that need to be
Racing “Spec” -tacle: Engine-Related Rule Book Changes for 2014
When it comes to racing, some say rules are meant to be broken (or bent). Names that come to mind here include the legendary Smokey Yunick, Darrell Waltrip and even NASCAR technical inspector Gary Nelson (from his days serving as a crew chief). Of course, other times, rules just so happen to get changed by organization
PRI Trade Show Organizers Call Return to Indianapolis a ‘Spectacular Success’
Show organizers for the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) tradeshow in December said they received positive feedback from exhibitors describing the amount of business they were able to do. Organizers and attendees alike said they were pleased with the number of exhibitors and buyers during the three-day show at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Tens
The King – Richard Petty – Set To Help Open PRI Trade Show’s Return To Indianapolis
This year’s PRI Trade Show is expected to play host to exhibits from more than 1,100 racing companies occupying 3,300 booths, and attract more than 40,000 racing professionals from across the US and 72 countries. Richard Petty, known to many as simply The King, will help kick-off the opening of this year’s 26th Annual Performance Racing
Honda, USAC Announce Major Partnership
Honda will become title sponsor for USAC’s National Midget, Ignite Midgets and .25 Midget racing series. A racing version of the Honda K24 engine, distributed by Honda Performance Development (HPD), will become the new spec engine for the Honda Ignite Midget Series. USAC National Midget Series events currently include cars utilizing Honda K- and F-series
Shell And Pennzoil Extend Alliance With Penske Racing
Penske Corp. and Shellhave confirmed a multi-year extension of their ongoing alliance in North America. As part of the agreement, Shell and Pennzoil will continue sponsoring Penske Racing entries in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the IZOD IndyCar Series. Pennzoil will continue to be the "Official Motor Oil" of Penske Racing. Shell and
A Million Here, A Million There
First, Fisher’s a former winning sprint car driver running with the top-gun World of Outlaws and All-Star groups. Then, there’s the fact that he’s got the mind of a skilled surgeon when he probes the innards of his engines looking for more performance. The guy is a graduate engineer (Ohio State – 1975), but his
Dan Wheldon Memorial Service Scheduled for Oct. 23
INDYCARwill hold a public memorial service to celebrate the life of IZODIndyCar Series driver Dan Wheldon at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23 at ConsecoFieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis. Wheldon, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and 2005 IZOD IndyCarSeries champion, sustained unsurvivable injuries in a racing accidentOct. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He is survived by
Lotus Racing Engine
Not IndyCar engine, but Lotus will soon announce details of what they are building for 2012.
Can Diesel Performance Help Boost Your Business?
Most people associate diesel engines with truck and tractor pulling events, not traditional motorsports. There are no diesel-powered NASCAR races or Indy cars. But diesels are making inroads in other types of racing. Diesel-powered race cars and trucks are setting land speed records at Bonneville, winning endurance races at LeMans, and running over 200 mph
Connecting Rods and Bearings
Selecting connecting rods and rod bearings for an engine is a lot more complicated when you are modifying the engine from stock specifications. OEMs spend a lot of time and money developing the components that go into a stock engine, and cost is usually a factor in what components are used. Rod bearings also play