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TJ Smith earned his first USAC 360 win of the season at Santa Maria Speedway, then followed that up with another win in the next series race.
Santa Maria Speedway is a one-third mile clay surfaced oval, located 12 miles inland from the Pacific coast, three miles north of the city of Santa Maria, California and TJ Smith and his S&M Racing team recently earned their first win of the season there.
Smith competes in the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series, driving the Steve La Gras' UHL Rubber number 14 Maxim car.
"We run the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series, driving Steve La Gras' UHL Rubber number 14 Maxim car," remarked Smith the Fresno, California racer.
"We were qualified seventh quick in time and won the heat race. We seem to have been right on with the set up that night. It was awesome to lead all 30 laps and to score our first win of the season at Santa Maria Speedway's Bud Stanfield Memorial. We've worked hard for this win. The West Coast Series is a very fun and competitive group to run with."
The S&M Racing team consists of Rob Russell, TJ Morgan, Grandpa Dan and Matt Wolters.
"I started racing Quarter-Midgets when I was eight, and then moved to 600 Micros, and now 360's." explained the K&N sponsored driver.
"The season has had its ups and downs. We run a 600 Micro Sprint as well as the USAC 360 Sprint Car. We've had a lot more luck in our Sprint Car though, than in our 600, but we have had a main event win in both classes this season."
Smith, the former Plaza Park track champion, currently sits in second position in the USAC 360 points race. He now has two feature wins, three heat race wins, three fast times, six top-five's, and 12 top-ten finishes. Proving once again that consistency is always the game of the game. *
"We use K&N oil and air filters, along with the filter oil on both cars, as well as the K&N cleaners. The K&N products are working out great for us, we never have a problem with them. As soon as we order, our K&N rep is right on it, and it is shipped quickly to us."
"We hope to finish off our 360 Sprint Car season in the top three or better," says Smith. "We have plans to run more USAC 360 races next year, as well as 410 races. We hope to have our own 410 motor next year to run some USAC/CRA races."
* Smith followed up his win at Santa Maria Speedway the following race by qualifying his 600 Micro first on Friday, winning his heat and finishing second in the main. Then on Saturday in his 360 Sprint car he qualified sixth, and won both the heat and the main.
Cook and his number 53 car currently sit in fourth place in the latest version of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) point standings.
"It certainly feels great to have back-to-back years with ten or more wins. It's the first time in my career I've been able to do that," said the Late Model Dirt Series racer Ray Cook.
This is Cook's second year in a row with ten or more wins.
The Brasstown, North Carolina native registered his tenth victory of the 2010 racing season recently at Cleveland Speedway in Cleveland, Tennessee. The Southern Regional Racing Series (SRRS) rolled into the historic southern Tennessee venue to sanction a $3,000 to win showdown. Cook qualified well in SRRS group time trials, which locked him into the fourth starting spot in the A-Main. During the course of the 40-lapper, Cook grabbed the top spot on the ninth lap and never looked back en route to the $3,000 victory.
"We had a good car and the track was racy for the most part. I was actually lucky to even finish the race, much less win it, as I broke an A-Frame with about five laps to go. It all worked out though and hopefully we can get things to go our way again this weekend, remarked Cook"
"We haven't found anything special to contribute to this, it's just been a great team effort."
"In 2009 I merged my team, and now with everyone else involved, well, it's just been great ever since. It's a lot of hard work, but it's worth it at the end. Our success is really only possible because of everyone's involvement with our team. All of our sponsors and product sponsors like K&N are such an important part of our program, and we couldn't do it without them."
"We are looking forward to the rest of the year, as this is the time last year when we won about three or four of our big races. We have the Hillbilly 100, along with the prestigious World 100, all coming up next month. Thanks so much for keeping up with our team and your support," adds Cook.
Cook "The Tarheel Tiger" and the number 53 team currently sit in fourth place in the latest version of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) point standings.
Cook and his team race next at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where he will compete for a share of the $10,000 purse.
Ron Pappel remarked that winning the championship on the same evening as his daughter is a memory that he and Rochelle will cherish for a lifetime.
Sharing valuable life memories with your daughter is one thing, being crowned NHRA Oregon State Champions, on the same evening at Champion Raceway in Medford, is totally off the hook.
Rochelle raced her K&N sponsored half-scale dragster in the Junior Lightning Class and won the 2010 NHRA Oregon State Championship.
"It was a very special and memorable occasion to have father and daughter win in the same day," said Rochelle. "It's such a great feeling to be in the winner's circle with my dad."
Rochelle raced her half-scale dragster in the Junior Lightning Class. In the time trials she ran an 8.062, 8.012 and 7.997. The first round the win light came on in a hole shot, as she ran a smooth 8.122 on her 7.99 dial. In the final round her dragster ran an 8.051 on the 8.03 dial, at 81.96 miles per hour - making Rochelle the 2010 Oregon State Champion.
"This is only the second time that Rochelle and I have ever won on the same day," commented Ron. "For her and I to win the Oregon State 2010 Championship race in the same day, bringing home the prestigious Wally plaques, is amazing and will be a memory that will last forever for the both of us."
Ron ran his 1927 Model-T Roadster in the Super Pro Class. Ron qualified number fifth with a .005 reaction time. In round one the roadster took the win light in a hole shot, running a 9.043 on a 9.00 dial. In round two he won in a double break out, running a 9.018 on the 9.02 dial, as his opponent went 10.425 on a 10.50 dial.
Then in the semi-finals and in another double break out, Ron wins running 9.006 on his 9.02 dial, as his opponent runs 10.98 on an 11.05 dial. And in the final round the automatic win light comes on when the other car cannot make the run due to mechanical problems. Ron is also crowned the 2010 Oregon State Champion.
Was it simply a case of thorough preparation and luck coming together at the same point in time, or Ron's inspirational pre-race pep talk that produced the magic?
"Rochelle and I always discuss the races one round of competition at a time," explained Ron. "The final words usually go like this, 'it's just another practice round until the finish line, and you know what to do.' Then there's a smile and a fist-to-fist confidence bump and Rochelle is in her zone, a stealth competitor that cannot be rattled."
There's no arguing with the results in that simple, yet heartfelt scenario. Rochelle has qualified for her seventh trip to the NHRA Division Six Finals in her Jr. Dragster. It's a return trip to Mission, British Columbia where she won the championship back in 2004. And Ron won the Super Pro Division Six Championship in 2005 at Pacific Raceway in Seattle, Washington.
The K&N sponsored family team is preparing to compete in this year's race which is scheduled for September 3-6. This time around Rochelle will be racing in the Jr. Lightning division, as well as driving a full-size car in the High School Class. Ron has qualified to race in both the Super Pro and in the Race of Champions.
"We are very excited to have the opportunity to compete at this level again for 2010," adds Ron.
At barely 14 years old Kyle already has five championships on his race resume.
On his website Kyle Denmyer states that his favorite two tracks are Hunterstown Speedway, and Selinsgrove Speedway. Ask him to whittle it down to just one and the clear bet is that he'd say Hunterstown.
Kyle Denmyer won all three races he entered in the same night at Hunterstown Speedway.
Kyle and the Denmyer Racing Team were entered in three different classes at the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania track recently, in the same evening, and Kyle won all three. His pit crew, Tammy (mom) and Roger (dad) couldn't have been prouder.
"I was very excited," said Kyle the Jopp, Maryland resident. "Not too many people can say they won three times, in one night, in three different classes."
Kyle was entered in the Briggs 340 and Briggs 375 in the Denmyer Racing Kart number 38, and in the Animal 340 he raced in the Dart Power Racing kart number 48.
"I was definitely in the zone," said Kyle. "Guess we just got everything right for a change with or chassis setup, and tires."
"All the wins mean a lot all the time, because they are so hard to come by with the competition that I have every week, but the win that meant more to me was the Animal 340, because it was my first time on this chassis and I was driving for my engine builder Mike Daugherty."
On Kyle's website it also says that his favorite food is Buffalo chicken tenders, cheese fries, and steak. Which provides some insight into the teenage champion's choice of race fuels.
"I have been racing my family owned go kart since I was five, about nine years now. I have five championships so far."
Kyle's five championships include 2004 and 2005 in the Jr. Sportsman, and a Sportsman 2 Championship in 2007. Also in 2007 and 2008 he won championships in the Burris Money Series. All five championships were won at Hunterstown Speedway. Kyle says he also competes in the Pennsylvania Dirt Karting Series (PDKS).
"My dream is to race sprint cars some day, or become a part of the Pa Posse, or to be able to travel with the World of Outlaws," says Kyle.
For now though Kyle says he'd like to thank the continued support of his sponsors like K&N.
"K&N filters are great because they help keep my Dart Power Engine running at its top peak performance, and that's how you continue to win championships," adds the wise-before-his-time champion.
The K&N sponsored Pro-ATV rider has been on a tear, winning two of the first five races.
The Off-road Motorcycle and ATV Nationals (OMA) series journeyed to Mesick, Michigan for round five. Race day conditions were ideal for both spectators as well as racers, with clear skies, temperatures in the upper eighties, and moderate humidity.
Hulsey has raced two-and-a-half years in the OMA Pro-ATV Nationals series.
After eight laps of tight, back-and-forth racing, Missouri based rider Bryan Hulsey blasted his Dirtworks Motorsports Moose Racing Honda through the Moto-Tally scoring grid just one point two seconds ahead of his racing buddy, John Pitts, for the victory.
The K&N sponsored Pro-ATV rider has been on a tear through the first half of the racing season so far. He is in fact experiencing the sort of run, which according to past history, ends with a championship.
"It is really good to get two wins only five races into the series," says Hulsey. "In 2008 when I won the championship, I didn't even have one win at this point, and ended up with three wins and the championship."
Midway through the season Hulsey now leads in the points, and with having already won one championship, does he feel he has a momentum edge going into the second half of the season?
"Well, each year is different, because there seems to be different competition all of the time. Right now it is just simply, win as many races as possible, and with a couple of races left, we will know what needs to be done. It will probably be that I just need to fight for every win I can get in order win the championship."
At 39 years old, Hulsey has logged 20 years of racing experience. "Over half my life," he adds.
"I started in 1989, at my local Missouri Harescrambles Series and I raced ATV Pro GNCCs from 1997-2006. I finished GNCC series as number 11 in 1998, and GNCC number 12 in 2000. I quit GNCCs in 2007 to stay home in Missouri, for the Missouri Harescrambles series, and I won that in 2007. Then I tried the 2008 OMA Pro-ATV Nationals and won that championship."
Last year Hulsey finished second in the OMA Pro-ATV Nationals Championship, so this year he's making every effort to sandwich that second between two firsts. He was also won many local Pro ATV MX titles.
"I loved to use MX as a training regiment for the XC racing. It is amazing what racing MX can do for racing XC," said Hulsey.
As for his racing future, how does Hulsey see that unfolding?
"So far I am taking it year by year in ATV racing. My nephew is starting to race now and he just loves it, so I always joke that when he can beat me, I will quit and help him with his racing. He is just 13 now, so I would say I have a few years left still."
"I would also like to thank K&N and all of my sponsors for sticking with me through all of my good and bad seasons alike. It is always much easier to race at this level with great sponsors behind - sponsors that you can count on."
Hulsey uses K&N air and oil filters and Power Lids.
"All of K&Ns products are top notch," says Hulsey. "I have never had a problem with quality or workmanship from any K&N Products."
