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Tim Bertrand Motorsports' drivers know how to win. Taking his spot in victory circle this time around was Randy Cabral. Cabral withstood a late race challenge from second place Russ Stoehr on his way to notching the win at the Northeastern Midget Association's 25-lap Marvin Rifchin Trophy race by a mere foot.
Randy Cabral was able to sustain a serious late race charge, narrowly squeezing out the win by a shoe's length.
Cabral lost his brakes soon after taking the lead and he couldn't enter the turns like he wanted to. He also battled with over-heating woes all race. He decided at that point that if anybody was going to get around him, it would have to be on the outside. Pedal to the metal the rest of the way.
"We started to slow up a bit with five laps to go," explained Cabral. "The brakes were fading and the motor was over heating due to the 100 degree outside temperatures. He (Stoehr) saw us start to slow up and he mounted a serious charge."
"I looked down at my water temperature gauge - and when I did that - I saw him out of the corner of my eye. I didn't know he had closed in so quickly. I drove the car nearly full-throttle through the final corner and beat him by a nose. I'm happy we held on."
It was the second win of the season, and the eighth career triumph at Thompson Speedway for Cabral. It was a big night for Bertrand Motorsports as well. Visiting driver and team member Cole Carter brought home a third place for the team. Carter races with Bertrand Motorsports when he's not competing in the IndyCar Series.
"100 degree outside temperatures and our 3002 oil filter looked like brand new upon inspection," remarked team owner Tim Bertrand. "What more needs to be said."
"We have a very busy schedule with five races in the next three weeks. We have won three out of the last four. Hopefully we can keep it up!"
Bruno Jr. qualified 1st at the NHRA Lucas Oil Series race in Stanton, Michigan
The 2010 NHRA competition eliminator class is extremely competitive and takes years of experience to become a world champion. The Bruno Massel Race team definitely has what it takes to pull out another championship this season. It has been a slow race season for Bruno Massel Racing but, the team feels their ship is on the right track after numerous issues with $5 parts and the crash at Chicago. Bruno Jr. qualified 1st at the NHRA Lucas Oil Series race in Stanton, Michigan clicking off a 7.218 second pass.
2010 NHRA Competition Eliminator class with the WyoTech Turbocharged Chevy Cobalt
Bruno Massel Jr. and his father currently participate in the 2010 NHRA Competition Eliminator class with their WyoTech Turbocharged Chevy Cobalt. Last year Bruno Jr. drove the car to a NHRA Competition Eliminator championship running with K&N oil filter HP-5001. Between his busy scheduling of Speed channel's Truck U TV filming, modeling, freelance work, and racing Bruno Jr. found some time to answer some brief questions.
K&N: What are your future career goals?
Bruno Jr.: To be an NHRA Pro Stock driver.
K&N: How is the 2010 season going compared to last year?
Bruno Jr.: It's been a tough year so far. We are back-up-and running after Chicago.
K&N: What is your favorite track?
Joliet is my home town and favorite. Another favorite is Brainerd.
K&N: How important is it to have family present at the race track?
I live Chicago. Any time family can be with me it makes it a lot easier.
K&N: What advice do you have for young racers seeking to enter a career in racing?
You gotta do something you really love doing. You will find a way.
K&N: What do you think of K&N products? Describe them in one word.
Cutting edge. They have the latest and greatest on the market.
K&N: Who is your toughest competitor?
I have ultimate respect for Dan Fletcher and David Rampy and I always wanna bring it up a notch. They carry themselves as true class acts.
K&N: How do you stay race ready throughout the season?
I work out a lot to stay healthy. I am in the gym at 6:30 am. Sometimes on a good day, I'll go for a run in 90 degree weather and jump into the simulator and practice reaction times.
K&N: What was your most memorable victory?
Comp eliminator race at Dallas last year locked championship for us. We had to beat some of the best racers. We blew up the motor and overcame all of the obstacles at Dallas to win the championship.
K&N: What is the status of your acting career?
I have a two years contract with Truck U. I'm trying to start my own show. It is a motorsports based show. It's 30 minutes long. It involves behind the scenes actor's interests in sports.
K&N: Who would you say has been the most inspirational in your life?
My father because he is one of the most intelligent people I know. He's self taught and hard working. I look up to him every day.
Bruno Jr. will continue to tackle the competition in Competition Eliminator class throughout the 2010 season looking for another championship. After being the spokesperson for 9 years, this is his last year with WyoTech behind the car. This year looks promising for the Bruno Massel Racing's last 8 races of the season.
The entire POPS Race team was on hand to celebrate Kenneth Walker's ASCS win at Dallas' Devils Bowl.
Phil Oaks has been active in the racing scene since age 15. "I have been racing since 1958, I started first in Drag racing," explains the Arrow, Oklahoma native.
The Devils Bowl win was Walker's first ASCS win of the year.
"In 1965 I started running Top Fuel and in the seventy's Funny Cars. In 1978 I was asked to build engines for a World of Outlaws team, and I have been involved with sprint cars ever since."
Oak has been a motor builder for sprint car teams at Tulsa Speedway, and from 1998 until now, he has been a racecar owner of Phil Oakes Performance racing team, or POPS Racing.
"The name comes from my parts business, Performance Parts and Phil Oakes Performance Service (they build engines) - everyone just started calling me pops - I figured why not go with it."
Kenneth Walker drives for Oaks. He has raced since he was old enough to hold a steering wheel Oak tells us. Walker worked his way up from street stocks to Outlaw Sprints. He recently took a trip to Dallas' Devils Bowl, and his son Mickey and wife Saundra, were the only crew he needed to win that ASCS race.
"The win at the Devils Bowl in Dallas was our first win this season," remarked Oak. "This was a good win for us as the Lonestar-verses-Sooner rivalry is strong and brings out the best in each driver. The fact that he won from the seventh starting spot and went right to the front was lost to no one. This is a very tough race track and any racer would be proud to have a win at this track."
Oak is a family oriented businessman and race team owner, and he's extremely proud of his driver. "Kenneth has always been a winner, says Oak, "He has championships in almost every class he has ever driven in. In Sprint Cars alone has won four championships at the Tulsa Speedway, and Oklahoma City Fairgrounds, well, he's won at least three there."
Walker also has one ASCS Championship at Creek County Speedway, before it became a national event. In the ASCS National tour, he finished ninth in 2007, eighth in 2008, and twelfth last year. The increasing expense of travel has kept the team closer to home this season says Oak.
Oak says he's been involved with K&N for too many years to count. "It started somewhere with motorcycles, or race cars in the late 60's or early 70's, I would guess," recalls Oak. "Norm McDonald has had a cycle store here (Oklahoma) since he moved from California. And I have used K&N filters from the very first time I found out about how great they are."
"I sell K&N in my store and have since the day we opened. We use K&N air filters, which we clean each week. The K&N oil filters are cut open and inspected each race and replaced, we also use K&N crankcase breathers, filter oil and cleaner. A K&N air and oil filter keep the tow rig going down the road too. My wife's Honda and my old Chevy truck wear K&N filters as well."
"We do not race alone," says Oak. "Saundra and Mickey are great pit help, and Saundra keeps us all well fed. Vinson Rasmunson is the pit crewman that helps set up the car, and he does a fantastic job. My job is to keep the engine in tune."
Pursell says he's completely focused and geared towards winning many more URC. races.
When racing is your life, as it is for Frenchtown, New Jersey native Scott Pursell, down time seems like an eternity. Last season, due to a hard crash and an injury sustained at Grandview Speedway, Johnson was sidelined for much of 2009. However, Pursell and his Advanced Autosports sprint car team are back, and they're looking forward to the 2010 season. Pursell races with the United Racing Company (URC). The URC has been in existence for 63 years and Pursell has six wins with them.
For the 2010 campaign Pursell will be driving his own orange number one car.
For this year Pursell will be driving his own orange number one car, with help from URC sprint car owner Bruce Engler, and his crew chief Brain Thomas. Pursell's team has been racing with a new car and motor, thanks to Bitner Automotive, and he also has a backup car at his disposal.
It was while driving Engler's number 36 car at Grandview Speedway in Pennsylvania last year that his accident occurred. They had won their heat and were leading the feature when rain canceled the event on June 13. Over a month later, on July 25, when the feature was continued, Pursell took up right where he had left off - leading the field.
"On lap 17 I felt the car bottoming out, and with handling problems, I slipped to fourth with four laps to go. When I went into turn two, the torsion arm broke, digging into the track and sending me into a wild ride down the back stretch," recalls Purcell.
"After flipping several times, I came to a rest with my right foot stuck between the gas pedal and chassis. The flip caused the gas tank to crack leaking fuel on me - not fun. After sometime, the track rescue team got me out. I walked away from the accident with a limp, not knowing I had broken my foot. Since the car was destroyed, and my foot broken, we were sidelined for the rest of the season. This was very hard for me. Not racing at all was not a very happy time. It seemed like forever before we raced again. I truly love racing, it's my life."
Pursell, now in his thirty-third year of racing, has notched six stock car championships and captured 20 career wins in sportsman, small block modified and sprint car competition. He has been campaigning since 1998 with URC, garnering six feature wins and finishing in the top ten in URC points seven times.
"We have raced eleven times this year and we have five top 20 finishes so far. We have had three rain-outs, and out of 35 competitors, we are now in 16th in the point standings. Due to some mechanical failures in the beginning of the season, we are behind the eight ball, but we will be back on top again," swears Pursell. He thanked K&N and his other sponsors for being patient and for their continuing support.
"K&N has been an awesome sponsor. They stand behind our racing team 100 percent, in good times and bad. Their encouragement and loyalty have inspired our team.
We use their oil filters, which are so much better than all the rest. They keep our motor running strong. Their air filters are amazing. Looking inside our engines you'd never know we run on dirt tracks. We also use all of their cleaning products and greases. I must say these products make our racing team successful. K&N flat-out makes the racing community a better place. They contribute so much to all types of racing which inspires the young and old."
We are a low budget team, but with the help of K&N, we feel like a high dollar winning team, they give us the added confidence to believe we will bring in many more URC wins."
Johnson went on to win in commanding fashion over a very stout field of 59 competitors.
Louisiana's Jason Johnson is definitely riding comfy aboard the momentum train so far this season. He clearly enjoyed the cool Northwest air recently too, as he completed a sweep of the weekend's Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car race presented by K&N Filters at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Washington, by winning Friday's preliminary and taking the $10,092 winner's share in Saturday night's 35-lap Fourth Annual Fred Brownfield Memorial Championship feature event.
The sweep at the Northwest Fred Brownfield Memorial gave Jason Johnson his 46th career ASCS National triumph.
"I can't say enough about my team, they gave me a great car all weekend and I was just the beneficiary," explained a humble Johnson in victory lane after his 46th career ASCS National triumph. Johnson is the 2008 series champion and with this victory Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) now has ten wins for the year. Piloting his Don Ott powered Haynes/Pope Transportation number 41 Maxim; the "Ragin' Cajun" bested a very competitive field of 59 contenders.
This is the view most drivers have of the JJR Don Ott powered number 41 car this season.
Johnson added the Brownfield Memorial sweep to his Eagle Nationals victory last month, slightly upping his advantage in the $60,000 championship points chase over the defending champion.
"Developing our new Jason Johnson Racing team for the 2010 season remains our main focus, and to be in contention for victories night in night out," explains Johnson.
"One of the most important ingredients to having a successful team is to assemble great people who believe in each other and work well together. As a team, we here at JJR, are having a blast at the moment riding the momentum from race-to-race."
"At the moment, our chance of the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour Championship presented by K&N is very realistic. We are currently in the lead of the points battle, which is exactly where we would like to be. Our focus is to continue to winning races though and let the points work themselves out. But winning the championship again is definitely in the back of our mind."
Johnson says that K&N provides JJR with the proper tools to get the job done right by providing the finest filtration system in the universe.
"Racing on dirt tracks night after night, the K&N air boxes keep our Don Ott engines clean for maxim performance each and every night. After each event, our JJR crew disassembles and easily cleans our K&N air box while replacing our oil filters for preventive maintenance - that's it."
This coming weekend JJR will make the trip south to Cottage Grove, Oregon, before heading back out east for the biggest events of the year in Knoxville Iowa - the 360 and 410 Knoxville Nationals.
