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Tim Allison won the 360 Sprints car championship at Waynesfield Motorsports Park in 2009
At 51 years old, Tim Allison, a Sprint car driver from Ohio, says some people consider him to be on the downside of his racing career.
Tim Allison has 95 career wins and has set a goal to reach 100 in 2010
Allison has a different perspective. He says as long as he keeps moving, he'll stay healthy and be able to race for years to come.
After winning the 360 Sprint car championship at Waynesfield Motorsports Park in 2009, it's hard to argue he is slowing down. Add that he was the runner-up at Limaland Motorsports Park and is the winningest driver in the 360 Sprint car division at Eldora Speedway, and it looks like Allison has plenty left in the tank.
"Knock on wood, I'm in good health," Allison said. "If you keep your body moving, it puts you in better health. I've been fortunate over the years, had a couple of bad crashes, but I survived them."
Tim Allison is determined to win another Sprint championship
Allison uses NASCAR driver Mark Martin as an example and a source of inspiration on how to have a lengthy and successful auto racing career. Martin, also 51, is considered a Sprint Cup Series championship contender despite being one of the oldest drivers in Cup.
"He can still get the job done," Allison said.
Tim Allison has 14 wins in the 360 Sprint car division at Eldora Speedway
Apparently so can Allison. He won three races at Waynesfield Motorsports Park en route to the track championship.
He has 95 career wins and has set a goal to reach 100 in 2010. He would like nothing more than to do it at his hometrack, Limaland Motorsports Park.
"I'm still competitive. I can still win," Allison said. "I have a lot of energy. I don't like to sit still."
Even though he was the runner-up at Limaland in 2009, he has won more Sprint car championships at the track than any other driver with five.
He also has 14 wins in the 360 Sprint car division at Eldora Speedway, the track owned by NASCAR driver Tony Stewart.
Allison says he plans on racing at all three tracks again in 2010. He works six days a week and races at least two days a week. He stays busy and wouldn't have it any other way.
He says he races against 25 drivers at Waynesfield, a third-mile dirt track, on a regular basis. Eighteen to 20 of those drivers have a chance to win any given race, he said.
"Everybody set the bar higher," Allison said. "Everybody's got good stuff. It's tough. You have to be aggressive, but you have to keep the car in one piece and be there at the end. I love it. It's action-packed."
Limaland presents a different challenge. It's more of a technical track, another third-mile dirt oval, with ties to the University of Northwestern Ohio.
"It's one of the nicest tracks in the United States," Allison said. "It's an awesome place to race, great competition."
Eldora Speedway is the track that has the fondest memories for Allison. He has raced against Kasey Kahne and Stewart at Eldora. He remembers one race which he beat Stewart in a Sprint car.
It was back in 2005. Allison won his heat race. Stewart won his. They started the main event side-by-side. Allison had the ninth spot, Stewart in the 10th spot.
When the race started, Allison shot to the front of the pack. Stewart had trouble getting up to speed and settled in around seventh place. Allison ended up winning that race with Stewart crossing the finish line in eighth.
"It's the fastest half-mile in the world," Allison said. "It's a track that takes a while to conquer. It takes a while to learn how to get around there."
Allison has learned quite well how to get around Eldora, winning twice in 2006, twice in 2005 and three times in 2001.
His goals for 2010 are two-fold. He wants to win another Sprint championship at one of the three tracks. He also wants to win his 100th career race.
"I want to hit that 100 mark and send out a picture," Allison said. "My goal is to win 100 races and we're only five away. We're going to gear back up. Our goal is to win at least one more championship."
This marked the 2nd consecutive Parker 425 win for Glass and his team. Photo courtesy: Kyle LeDuc
Far to often childhood dreams run smack into the proverbial fork in the road, a place where either practicality or pleasure ends up being comprised. Yet, with some, those dreams burn so intensely that they can never fully be extinguished, smoldering until stoked back into a roaring blaze. So it was for Kingman, Arizona chiropractor Macrae Glass. Glass and the KC Hilites Team recently came in first in Class 8000 at the Best In The Desert (BITD) race. What makes this win particularly sweet is that it marks the second consecutive Parker 425 win for the team.
One of the dozens of jumps found along the stretch of the race called the Parker Python. Photo courtesy: Kyle LeDuc
"I grew up reading and dreaming about off-road racing in magazines. In college I would go to the races as much a possible, camped out with a few buddies. We would take a floor jack and tools, hoping some racer would stop, and we would help get them going. We'd cheer on guys like Rod Hall, Bob Gordon, etc. That dream of racing turned to reality in 1995, when I built my first truck in the garage, raced it, and here we are. I have a bunch of other people (crew) who participate in this team now," recalls Glass.
The KC Hilites team finished in 8hrs and 56mins of racing, first in class 8000, 19th over-all. Photo courtesy: Kyle LeDuc
Glass' co-rider for the first half of the BITD race was none other than KC Hilites kingpin, Michael DeHaas. "We stopped for fuel at the third pit (midway), and then took off for the remainder of lap one of the three-lap race. We completed lap one and headed through the Parker Python, which consisted of dozens of turns, jumps and long straight-a-ways. I remember seeing dozens and dozens of our friends and other teams crews run out to the track to root us on."
"I am thoroughly enjoying the gift in front of me," continues Glass. "We will race the entire BITD series this year. I have previously won two SCORE Championships in Stock-Mini, the Baja 2000, Baja 500, and most every race at least once. So immediately, I am enjoying the moment. Long term, I'd also like to go to the Dakar Rally and the Australian Rally, likely as a co-driver for another team."
Why did Glass choose K&N? "K&N makes the best filtration products in the industry. I only use the best; it makes finishing and winning possible. I use the HP-5001 oil filter, 14x5 round air filter with the wrap. All my vehicles are treated to K&N products," says Glass.
Glass' plans for the rest of the season include finishing all the races he enters and to continue having fun doing it. "I am still getting to know this new F250 truck and every outing, be it a race, or test session is a learning experience."
Reigning NHRA Pro Stock Champion Mike Edwards set foot on the grounds of the famed Gainesville Raceway this past weekend with a shot to do what few professional drivers ever get to do, and that's win two NHRA National events in one weekend.
Mike Edwards Penhall/Interstate Batteries/K&N Pontiac
The scene was set when the final rounds of the NHRA Arizona Nationals were delayed and rescheduled to take place during this past weekend's Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. By doing so, Edwards became one of eight Pro Stock drivers with the unique opportunity to double up and went into the event well prepared for the extra pressure.
Having already stamped his mark on the NHRA Pro Stock class very early in the season, Edwards has managed to claim about every point possible in just the first three events, starting right out of the gate with a victory at the Winternationals in Pomona.
Mike Edwards win in Gainesville Raceway in Florida
During the event at Gainesville, Edwards continued to build on his momentum by first grabbing the Pro Stock Wally for the delayed NHRA Arizona Nationals and his run didn't stop there.
His Penhall/Interstate Batteries/K&N Pontiac also was the quickest car in two of the three qualifying sessions for the Gatornationals and by the time the dust settled, Edwards had added yet another No. 1 qualifier to his streak, a streak that started at the NHRA stop in Brainerd in 2009 and has continued with the first three events of 2010. Now totaled at twelve, Edwards has one of the longest No. 1 qualifier streaks in Pro Stock history.
While all NHRA professional drivers earn championship points for both qualifying placement and round wins, the Pro Stock drivers have an extra qualifying incentive in that of the revered K&N Horsepower Challenge.
With Edwards' continued domination of the Pro Stock pack and his numerous No. 1 qualifiers, he secured a spot in the 2010 K&N Horsepower Challenge, to be held during the NHRA event in Norwalk, Ohio later this summer.
"The K&N Horsepower Challenge is just an awesome opportunity for NHRA Pro Stock," Edwards noted. "K&N has given us the platform to race and be seen. Steve Williams and all the employees at K&N have been a tremendous help to our class and every team works extra hard to make the top eight so we can run for the substantial amount of bonus money that K&N has put up for us to shoot for at Norwalk every year."
Edwards continued to power his way through the Pro Stock class during the regularly scheduled Gatornationals. He made his quickest pass of the weekend during his first round victory over Rickie Jones, nailing down an ET of 6.520 at 212.53 MPH, which is also the third quickest and fastest pass in the history of Pro Stock.
Making it to his third final of 2010 in as many events, Edwards found himself paired up against former Pro Stock Champion Jason Line, whose semi-final ET lagged a whopping four hundredths of a second behind that of Edwards.
On paper, it looked as if Mike Edwards was just one round away from adding to his early season sweep.
"We ran well and we had a really great weekend. After winning the Phoenix race earlier in the weekend and then we made it to the second final, but we just came up a little short against Line," Edwards said referring to his hole-shot final round loss. "It was just driver error in the final. Jason has a super light and I just didn't get what I was looking for."
"But really, what a great weekend," he added.
As the "Pro Stock Bull's-eye" is firmly placed on Edwards back in what is already one of the most competitive classes, he continues to look for ways to stay ahead of the game.
"You try to find every little bit you can and we test and test and test to stay at the top or even get to the top. It is 24/7, I can tell you that," said Edwards. "We are running good thanks to all of our sponsors like K&N coming on board this year plus Penhall, Interstate Batteries and A.R.T."
Look for the excitement to continue when NHRA makes its next stop on the 2010 Full Throttle Series at Concord, North Carolina and the Inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals March 25-28.
Begining stages of this custom 1996 Off-Road Ford Ranger Pickup
You've seen the comedy setup before, three friends sitting around, left to their own devices, and next thing you know they're jamming across country in search of a romanticized perfect burger joint, while in route mischief and frivolity ensues. Okay, this is nothing like that, except for the three friends part and maybe some merriment.
Custom Built 1996 Off-Road Ford Ranger Truck
"We were sitting in the desert watching all these trucks that were half done, and talking with people that had bought vehicles because they didn't know how to begin to build one. So we decided to venture on building a 1996 Ranger on a $15,000 budget," explains Brian Johnson laughing.
Two years and multiple tests later, and with a revised budget of $35,000, Jeff Itschner, Craig Otto and Johnson had themselves a snarling, totally race-worthy, off-road truck. The three of them built the entire truck from the ground up in a two-car garage.
Jeff Itschner, Craig Otto and Brian Johnson built the entire truck from the ground up in a two-car garage
Was the project tougher or easier than they expected? "Easier, but a lot more time consuming and a lot of geometry," says Johnson. "There were also some hurdles, like getting the driveline setup correctly so it's able to handle the 480 horsepower motor. After three transmissions, three driveshafts and a rebuilt rear-end, all the tests are good now."
Getting the correct filter setup was a whole lot easier and far less time consuming. "BFE Performance in Lake Elsinore, California uses nothing but K&N products on all their motors, and we already knew that they are the most dependable filters on the market. We have been using K&N air intakes on all our personal vehicles for years," says Johnson.
After the first two, expensive, shakedown runs, they've got the truck completely dialed in now. "We had the truck going along a section of four-foot woops all weekend long at 105 mph with no problem," says Johnson. "We love the end results so much that we sold the vehicle and are starting a new, bigger, faster one that we do intend on racing, and we would love to have K&N on-board for the next build."
Stay tuned for the sequel "The Three Amigos Go Huge."
1996 Off-Road Ford Ranger Specifications:
STEREO: JL Audio T21000.1, J2 360.2, (1) PR. OF C2-650 Components, (2) 10W3V3-4, Eclipse Head Unit With Navigation
MOTOR: 383 Stroker pushing 480 Horsepower Built by BFE Performance
SHOCKS FRONT: FOX 2.5 16" Coil Overs and FOX 2.5 16" Double Bypass
SHOCKS REAR: FOX 2.5 16" Double Bypass
SUSPENSION FRONT: Equal Length I Beams with 22" of Travel
SUSPENSION REAR: Deavers with 19" of Travel
OTHER MOTOR COMPONENTS: K&N Air Filter, K&N Filter Wrap, K&N Wrench Off Oil Filter, K&N Fuel Filters, K&N Crankcase Vent Filters
STEERING: Equal Length Steering with Heims
FUEL SYSTEM: Jazz 32-Gallon Fuel Cell with Holley Carburetors
SEATS: PRP Racing Seats and 5-Point Harnesses
WHEELS/TIRES: KMC 15" Beadlocks with ProComp 35x12.5x15 Tires
GAUGES: Autometer Pro Series
TRANSMISSION: TCI Competition Turbo 400 with Transmission Cooler
GRAPHICS: Awthentik Graphics
ADDITIONAL INFO: AV Comm Race Radio, Parker Pumper, Supertrapp Exhaust, MSD Ignition, (8) HID Lights
Kawasaki's VN2000 Vulcan motorcycle features a 2053cc (125 c.i.) V-twin engine. This makes the VN2000 the largest motorcycle Kawasaki has ever produced.
High-Flow Replacement Air Filter KA-2008 for 2004-2010 Kawasaki VN2000 models.
Massive engine displacement, liquid cooling, and electronic fuel injection are
the ingredients used in this recipe for power. Kawasaki’s VN2000 Vulcan
motorcycle is capable of producing 141 lb-ft of torque at a mere 2,800 rpm.
K&N has released a new washable/reusable High-Flow Air Filter™, part KA-2008, to meet the performance demands of these machines and their owners.
This high-flow replacement air filter is washable/reusable, pre-oiled and ready to ride. K&N’s KA-2008 is specifically designed to fit into the stock air filter assembly of 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Kawasaki VN2000 Vulcan models.
K&N high-flow replacement motorcycle air filters are designed to provide increased airflow, resulting in increased performance while providing excellent filtration and long service intervals. Fuel management modifications to your VN2000 are not usually required to obtain increased performance.
Covered by the famous K&N Million Mile Limited Warranty®, and made in the USA, K&N’s KA-2008 will be the last air filter your VN2000 Vulcan motorcycle will ever need.
Below is a list of models that part number KA-2008 fits:
