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P.J. Groenke completes the newly expanded three-driver team.
Ardent competitor, articulate and respected spokesperson for women in motorsports, and tireless charity champion - Shea Holbrook's plate is jam-packed. Yet, she still manages room for more. Shea Racing Team, with its newly expanded three-car squad, kicked-off their 2013 season with very promising results in the Pirelli World Challenge tripleheader weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The newly expanded team left the highly technical 2.3 mile short course with cars in fourth, seventh and eleventh in the Championship point standings.
New Shea Racing driver Jon Miller.
"I absolutely cherish this opportunity to operate our own racing team. It feels like it's been a long time coming!" Holbrook remarked. "It had always been an aspiration of mine to expand Shea Racing into a team effort with additional cars and drivers and this year that became a reality. We have two great drivers, Jon Miller and P.J. Groenke. It's definitely a lot being a driver and co-owner, but the reward is double when we're going well. It's an amazing feeling knowing we have so much support from our friends in the paddock and fans on our new undertaking. I look forward to further growing the team and moving up throughout the ranks."
The Circuit of the Americas is without question a top notch facility on which to introduce a new team and start a new season, and from Shea Holbrook's perspective "the track looked like a flowing ribbon of red, white and blue with a lot of technicality!" Shea Holbrook came into the tripleheader weekend confident she could deliver a strong performance, in large part, because the team worked relentlessly to prepare the cars in the weeks leading up to the event. Still, the first woman to ever win a Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car race, winning the 2011 Long Beach Grand Prix, wasn't wholly content.
The Pirelli World Challenge with 20-plus cars going bumper-to-bumper brings a smile to Holbrook.
"It was a bit of a frustrating weekend because I performed well, but the results didn't show that. The Touring Car B class is what you would call a showroom stock spec class. After sharing and reviewing data with one of the stronger competitors (he also was experiencing challenging power ratio issues) we found we both drove the cars to their potentials. I love good competition, but all drivers and cars should have a fair shot at competing equally. Pirelli World Challenge and Honda Racing HPD are working together on getting the parity the class needs, and I can't wait to get back out there to compete because I must say, 20 plus TBC cars bumper-to-bumper, door-to-door is a ton of fun!"
This Bell Helmet with Kocher Custom Paint is being raffled off to benefit Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research.
As a realist aware of the shortcoming, Shea Holbrook is also an absolute professional, focused on the many positives the team took away from COTA. "Going from one car to three cars definitely hit us on pit lane," said the dynamic young K&N sponsored driver. "The crew also did a solid job on accommodating all three cars. It's awesome having a teammate to work with on track, especially someone you can trust and strategize with. The cars were prepped well which made our (the drivers) jobs easier. We'll all get to the front of the pack sooner rather than later. It will take a combination of parity amongst the class and us diligently working on how to be faster in the car."
Next up on the Pirelli World Challenge schedule is the July 4th weekend at Lime Rock. "I'm very excited for Lime Rock being that it will be a new track for me. It's unique in that it's a fairly rough track and from what I've observed, and heard, it's tough to be fast there. The fast guys are going to check out quickly. The TCB class is all about drafting and utilizing cars on track to gain an advantage. It should be a very interesting weekend."
"I also would like to send a special thank you out to Bell Helmets and Kocher Custom Paint. I'll be raffling off a signed helmet this season in benefit of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which is near to my heart as it affects my family. To enter to win buy a raffle ticket go to our website." http://community.parentprojectmd.org/events/shea-holbrook
Related K&N News Articles about Shea Holbrook: Pirelli World Challenge Racer Shea Holbrook Prepares for 2013 Race Season; K&N's Shea Holbrook Streams Live In-Car Video from Her TrueCar and Virgin Sportscar; Pirelli World Challenge Racer Shea Holbrook Experiences A Stellar Season; Shea Holbrook Slated as Celebrity Contestant in Epic 2012 Fireball Run AdventuRally
The record setting drag racer and Team Pro-Motion combined skills in an effort to teach riders how to be more complete racers.
Ten years ago, resurfacing after a nine-day coma, Ashon "Capo" Dickerson experienced an epiphany leading him to restack the building blocks of his life in a new configuration. The motorcycle crash that nearly ended things couldn't shake his childhood fervor for two-wheels, but it did redirected his approach (K&N Filters Supports Dragbike Racer and World Record-Holder Ashon Dickerson).
K&N sponsored Ashon Dickerson is the first person to put a Pirelli road race tire in the 7-second zone on dragstrip.
Ashon Dickerson continues to evolve and his path to motorcycle enlightenment has taken him to a new endeavor, as he joins forces with Team Pro-Motion, the largest road racing school on the East Coast.
"Back in 2011 I was approached by a guy who asked me if I wanted to be involved in some research and development with using the Pirelli road race tire on the dragstrip," details Ashon Dickerson. "I am always looking for a performance advantage so I jumped at the opportunity. At that point I really started to pay attention to the road racers. Also, at that time I was just getting involved with SportBikesInc Magazine, which covers a lot of road racing material."
Ashon "Capo" Dickerson says he has a great deal of respect for what road racers do as professional riders, but during all the footage he reviewed there was one consistent common denonator, there weren't any real launch techniques. "It's a drag race until you reach the first turn," he says. "So, I figured that having worked to become the first person in history to put the Pirelli tire in the 7-second zone on dragstrip was all a part of a bigger plan to bridge the gap. I wanted to provide my knowledge and my years of experience on how to properly launch a motorcycle effectively."
Ashon Dickerson's overall concept for "bridging the gap" includes getting all the wanna-be racers off the street and into a controlled environment so they can be taught properly. "Mental preparations, take away the fear of the wheelie, build confidence, work on body position, throttle and clutch control, and after the time with me, these guys are more complete riders. That's why we teamed up with Team Pro-Motion to cross promote our sports and hopefully to get some drag racers out to bend corners, and get some road racers out at the dragstrip. More fans in the stands, more complete racers, makes for great competition and it's a great way to grow both our sports."
"Now I get the attention of the road racers too, because we have something in common," Dickerson adds. "Also, with me cross promoting in the magazine with my column Capo's Cut every month, these guys are familiar with what I do and they take me serious."
"As for K&N, I have always used the best products for my machines. So I've always used and have been successful with K&N Filters, even before the sponsorship. This includes all our tow vehicles. I tell all the guys, why run no air filter and risk your motor, when you can make the same power with a K&N air filter and be safe. And why run expensive oil with a cheap filter when you can run the best oil filter!"
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Daniel Suarez crosses the finish line at Columbus Motor Speedway for his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East victory.
Daniel Suarez won his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Columbus Motor Speedway in Ohio. Cale Conley posted his best finish of the season and Dylan Kwasniewski is starting to run away with the lead in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings.
Suarez, a 21-year-old from Monterrey, Mexico, took the lead from Kwasniewski on lap 65 and was out front for the remainder of the NAPA 150.
Daniel Suarez led 88 laps of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race NAPA 150 Columbus Motor Speedway.
"It's amazing. I cannot explain this feeling," said Suarez, driver of the No. 6 Toyota for Rev Racing. "I worked really hard for this moment. I'm really happy for this result. I am really happy too for all these guys. They are working really hard for this result. Just try to keep this momentum going."
Suarez also won the NASCAR Toyota Series race in Monterrey, Mexico on June 30. His win at Columbus Motor Speedway was the first in 24 starts in the K&N Pro Series East. He became the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race since Rogelio Lopez at Nashville in 2007.
Conley, who won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Columbus Motor Speedway last year, was second, his third top-five finish in eight races.
Daniel Suarez celebrates his win in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Columbus Motor Speedway.
"Daniel was super fast," Conley said. "May have been able to get to him, but Dylan had such a good restart, he was right on his butt and I was blocked out."
Kwasniewski won the pole and led the first 64 laps of the race. Suarez worked his way from the seventh starting spot to challenge Kwasniewski for the lead. There were only three caution periods in the race for 17 laps.
Daniel Suarez shows off his trophy after winning the NAPA 150 at Columbus Motor Speedway.
"(Suarez) was so good on the long runs," Conley said. "Who would have thought Columbus would be a long-run race. And it was. We weren't bad. We had a second or third place car."
Conley dominated the race at Columbus Motor Speedway last year. He started on the front row and took the lead on the first lap. He led every lap and won the first race of his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East career.
This time around, he ran with the leaders, but had trouble matching Suarez.
"Not the same story as last year, but totally new team, totally new shop," Conley said. "This year, we've struggled. This was our highest finish we've had all year. We started from zero and now we're getting second places halfway into the year. It's not where we were last year, but from where we were at early, this feels like a win for us. If it wasn't for the guys, we wouldn't be here."
With his third-place finish, Kwasniewski padded his lead in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings. He is 23 points ahead of Brett Moffitt, who finished seventh at Columbus Motor Speedway. Ben Kennedy, who was ninth at Columbus, is 30 points behind Kwasniewski after eight races.
"We had a good car. It was close," Kwasniewski said. "I was just trying to conserve my stuff as long as I could. I knew it was just a matter of time before we got passed by Suarez."
Kwasniewski won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship in 2012.
The next NASCAR K&N Pro Series race is at Iowa Speedway on August 2. It will be the second race for the drivers and teams from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West.
Related K&N News Articles about Columbus Motor Speedway and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East: Cale Conley Wins First NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race at Columbus Motor Speedway in Ohio; NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Racer Dylan Kwasniewski Wins at Langley Speedway in Virginia; Darrell Wallace Jr. Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race at Columbus Motor Speedway; NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Racer Ben Kennedy Wins NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 at Bowman Gray Stadium; Driver Ryan Gifford Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race Blue Ox 100 at Richmond International Raceway
It didn't take long for Kenzie Ruston to make her mark on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. With her third-place finish at Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina, the second race of the season, Ruston became the highest-finishing female driver in the 26-year history of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
She added two more top fives in the first seven races of the season and is in contention for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East rookie of the year.
The 21-year-old from Reno, Okla., is not only becoming the most celebrated women driver in series history, but one of the more respected drivers in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
"At the start of the year, maybe because I didn't expect to be right off the bat to be competitive running top five and top 10, to be running with the guys and earning respect and showing them a girl can do this," Ruston said. "We belong here too, as much they do. I'm dedicated to this just like they are."
She said when the season started her team set a goal to win the rookie of the year. The team also wanted to be in the top 10 in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings.
Ruston is in eighth place in the East Series standings and has reset her goals. She wants to be a top-three driver by the end of the season.
Her breakthrough performance at Greenville Pickens Speedway started a string of record-breaking races for Ruston. Even though she posted an impressive finish at Greenville Pickens, she said it could have been better.
"It was quite crazy," Ruston said. "Everybody was so excited and I was so disappointed because I thought we had a little bit better car than third. I thought we were second or could have even gone for the win that day. Top three in my second race is beyond crazy."
She had to rally through the field for her third-place finish at Greenville Pickens. She didn't qualify well and started the race in 17th in a field of 26 drivers.
"We were close there at the end," Ruston said. "We worked and worked and worked and worked in practice to get our race set-up good. We didn't focus that much in qualifying. I definitely have to get better in qualifying so we don't have to start far back and burn our stuff up."
She followed her third-place finish at Greenville Pickens with a fourth-place finish at Five Flags Speedway in Florida. Fellow rookie Mackenna Bell finished fifth in the next NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Richmond International Raceway. It marked the first time in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East history that female drivers finished in the top five in three races in a row.
"I think us rookies can run pretty well," Ruston said. "I think we're just trying to learn from the veterans. Hopefully next year be just as competitive and run for the championship."
Ruston returned to the top five in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina. She finished fourth. Bell was sixth making it the first time in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East history that two female drivers finished in the top 10 in the same race.
Ruston is in second place in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East rookie of the year standings. She is one point behind Gray Gaulding with eight races remaining.
The next race on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule is at Columbus Motor Speedway in July 13.
Related K&N News Articles about NASCAR K&N Pro Series East: Daniel Suarez Wins First NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race at Columbus Motor Speedway in Ohio; NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Racer Ben Kennedy Wins NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 at Bowman Gray Stadium; NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Driver Ryan Gifford Wins Blue Ox 100 at Richmond International Raceway; NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Racer Gray Gaulding Gears up for 2013 Race Season
Bob Michaels and team Heavyweight Racing have earned podium positions during evry race of the 2013 nseason thus far.
As the second season of the Cadillac Challenge Series gets underway, team Heavyweight Racing's Bob Michaels, seems to be on the right track. Having competed in the series since its fruition, the driver came into year-two with a mission and hasn't looked back since the initial waving of the 2013 green flag.
Bob Michels is anticipating yet another successful season in the Cadillac Challenge Series.
Racing in the C3 Unlimited Modified class, Michaels challenged his competitors with vigor in round-one, at the Auto Club Speedway, in Fontana, California. When the checkered flag deemed the event over, the driver was sitting in second place, less than one-half a second behind the winner.
With the first event of the season in the rearview mirror, Michaels headed for the Chuckwalla Raceway, situated about 60-miles east of Palm Springs, California. And his intentions were no different. He had aspirations of earning yet another position on the podium.
Lining up against a record turnout in his class, the driver focused on the task at hand. After a fierce battle, Michaels closed the race in third place with only two-seconds separating him from the victory. Although a win would have been most savored, he was more than happy to have earned a rightful spot on the podium.
The driver's next bout in the C3 Unlimited Modified class took place just north of Bakersfield, California, at the Button Willow Raceway Park. Round-three brought with it another huge turnout of competitors, but Michaels had no intentions of letting numbers prove intimidating. In fact, he managed to finish the event in second place, putting team Heavyweight Racing in the overall points lead.
Looking back at his recent string of success, the driver said, "This season has turned out to be one of the most competitive and challenging racing series I've competed in. Many teams stepped up their programs from the C2 class and modified their cars to run in C3. Consistency has been the key to success this year. We have managed to place on the podium at each of the first six events, with our first win of the season at Willow Springs Raceway.
Bob Michaels is a strong advocate of proper maintnenace and depends upon K&N products for hisfiltering needs.
"We currently sit first in the championship point standings in our class," he continued. "But we are only half-way through the season, with five more races to go."
When asked the key to continued success throughout 2013, Michaels explained, "I don't know if there is necessarily one thing or another that captures success in this series. Minding your program and staying focused on the fundamentals in preparing for each race has been my practice.
"The key to holdong the lead (overall points) will be maintaining the constant pace we've established. We must keep the car on the track for each session and avoid any mistakes with set-ups. I fully expect my fellow competitors to be focused on catching me, and it will get tight by the end of December."
Bob Michaels is mindful that his team will play a significant role in his overall success throughout the season. "I started Heavyweight Racing to support my time attack efforts with the car," recalled the driver/team-owner. The team sets the foundation for the level of performance we want to achieve. All of the guys associated with the team are devoted to winning, and likewise, I stand behind the them, and our efforts."
With an increasing stiffer competition, Bob Michaels and his team will be quick to agree that mechanical issues must be avoided in order to experience success on a consistent basis. That being said, they are strong advocates of using K&N products to keep their engines running contaminant free.
"When you push your equipment to the edge, it's very important to be proactive with maintenance," explained Michaels. "It can be the difference between winning and losing. With regular maintenance, we can avoid the distractions caused from a mechanical issue."
Referring to their filtering systems, the driver continued, "I run K&N products on all of my equipment. For the race car, we run a custom cold-air intake with a K&N air filter. Since we run on remote and dusty tracks, I also use the K&N pre-charger filter wrap as well. It's surprising how much dust you can collect throughout the day.
K&N products have always represented quality," he continued. "When we built the car and needed a special size and shape for the air filter, K&N had what we needed. K&N air intakes on my trucks and transporters certainly help us get to and from the tracks efficiently."
With one-half the season ahead of them, Bob Michaels and Heavyweight Racing are anticipating more trips to the podium in the weeks to come. When asked what fans can expect throughout the remainder of the season, The driver ensured, "We're headed into the second half of the season with determination to continue with our pace and consistency. We're determined to take the championship for a second straight year."
