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Josh McGuire began racing Late Models full time in 2005
Josh McGuire says racing has always been part of his family, and that his uncle Wayne McGuire, who raced in the 1950's and 1960's was one of the best there ever was. "He greatly influenced my career; from the #41 I run (which was his number), to my mechanical knowledge. I have big shoes to fill to even be half the driver that he was."
Josh McGuire's childhood interest in racing pays off at the winners circle.
His whole life, Josh had told his parents all he wanted to do was to be a racecar driver. His grades weren't the best in the world, but it was because his interest was in racing...so they made him a deal...If he'd promise to finish college, they would help buy him his first car. And so during his sophomore year in college at the University of Kentucky, he began his racing career with a Bomber (1978 Firebird). After a successful first year in the Bomber class, they started venturing into Late Models (although not full time until 2005).
The beginning of this year (2009) Josh ran with the Lucas Oil Series, but dropped off half way in hopes to run for the Rookie of the Year title in 2010. They then began jumping between series anywhere from Lucas Oil, World of Outlaws, Battle of the Bluegrass, Mid Atlantic Championship Series and others. Josh has had wins with the following series: Lucas Oil, Battle of the Bluegrass, MACS, NASRA and IRS.
"To date, winning my first $10,000 Lucas Oil Series Event at one of my home tracks (Portsmouth Raceway Park) was one of the most memorable ever, " says Josh. "We were able to celebrate this victory with my friends, family, sponsors and fans who have supported me and cheered me on throughout my entire career--there is not much more rewarding than getting to celebrate your accomplishments with those who have helped you get there. It still seems like a surreal experience".
With continuing racing success, Josh realized that having sponsors to help mitigate costs of broadening his reach to more and more venues would be a great help. He approached K&N since he had always used their product and is convinced they are the premier filters in the dirt racing industry. "While at the Performance and Racing Industry show in Orlando, Florida., they accepted my offer. I now not only represent their company, but promote their products during all of our racing ventures."
"I would use their product whether they sponsored me or not," says Josh. "K&N filters flow more air into the engine while maintaining their ability to stop more dirt and dust than a paper air filter. This is very important in the dirt late model world because our motors are state of the art technology and must be able to run for long periods of time without failure. We must remove as many variables as possible and dirt in the engine/oil is a constant concern. K&N filters can remove that variable to a point that we know there will not be a problem."
Rain made a big difference in Pennsylvania at Mercer Raceway Park where Del Rougeux Jr. raced his Chevy powered race car in the Big Block Dirt Modified Division’s Fall Brawl.
BRP Modified Tour Racer Del Rougeux took first place at Mercer Raceway Park, photo by Oyler Action Photo
Del Rougeux worked his way to the front of the pack in the Dirt Late Modified Series, photo by Oyler Action Photo
The track was heavy and rough because of the amount of water and crews were constantly working and packing it to make sure it was the best racing surface possible.
Heavy Rain turned Mercer Raceway Park into a rough track where Del Rougeux hit a rut and had to pit for repairs, photo by Oyler Action Photo
The final race in the 2009 BRP Modified Tour will be at Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania on October 23-24, photo by Oyler Action Photo
“In our heat race we started outside of the front row,” said Rougeux. “But, as I went into turn one I hit a bad rut and pushed up the track. After that, the car was a handful to hold on to. We settled for 2nd place in the heat and went to the pit for some major adjustments to handle the rough surface.”
In the 25 lap feature Rougeux took the 5th place starting position. “I moved up into 4th place on the drop of the green and the car was running much better,” said Rougeux. “On lap nine, I made an inside pass and settled into 2nd place.”
The Frenchville, Pennsylvania racer set his sights on the lead car. “He was running on the outside,” said Rougeux. “I moved up the track to try his line. It was faster but rougher. I moved back to the bottom where the groove was easier on the race car.”
Rougeux said his plan was to race hard until the final five laps then throw caution to the curb and run the top groove. The decision paid off and he took the lead with only two laps remaining.
“I opened the throttle up and pushed it to our second win of the year at Mercer Raceway Park,” said Rougeux. “We race in muddy and dusty conditions. When I pull my K&N air filter off after a race there is absolutely no dirt in my carburetor. The seal on the air filter lid also does a great job of preventing debris from passing by the air filter element. My K&N oil filter is also great. With all the movement and ruts we deal with on the track, there is never any pressure fluctuation on the gauge.”
The next race for Rougeux Motorsports will be at Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania on October 23 and 24. “It’s the final points night for the BRP Modified Tour,” said Rougeux. “We are second in points, only ten points away from winning the series.”
The World Speedway Grand Prix Championship will be decided this weekend at the ZKS Polonia Stadium in Bydogoszcz, Poland. Australian
rider Jason Crump has a third World Championship within his sights.
Australian Jason Crump will make his last stand in the World Speedway Grand Prix Championship Finale at ZKS Polonia Stadium in Bydgoszcz, Poland
“Jason knows the task ahead of him will not be easy,” said Roy Stone, Crump’s Media Relations Manager. “He still has an uphill battle to regain full fitness to his upper left arm after a serious injury four weeks ago.”
Third World Championship crown possible for World Speedway Grand Prix points leader Jason Crump
Crump had a four hour operation and skin grafts to repair his arm after a motorcycle crash while riding with the British Elite Racing Team. He is also going to physical therapy daily and has seen a big improvement in his mobility.
“This injury has really thrown the cat amongst the pigeons,” said Crump, who holds a 17 point lead over the rest of the pack. “I had a good lead for most of the season and was hoping to wrap the championship up by the second to last round. My injury changed everything.”
Crump will practice Tuesday and Wednesday then said he will mentally focus on preparing for the race Saturday night. “I will do everything I possibly can to win the title,” he said. “My bikes are ready. We use K&N for extra filtration and additional horsepower. K&N makes the best filter on the market and keeps the dirt out of my motorcycle engines. The team is ready and this will be my last stand. Whatever the outcome, I know I will have given it my best shot.”
Team Waggoner of Capistrano Beach, California is one of the best teams in the history of rock crawling. The team is currently 4th in the nation following the Grand National event in Farmington, New Mexico.
Team Waggoner of Capistrano Beach, California had the best score of the Shoot Out at the Grand National event
“The courses were tough and every team was on their game,” said Cody Waggoner. “There are always going to be would have, could have and should haves for every event and even though we had an off weekend, we still finished 4th. I am proud of our team and very happy that we finished every course.”
Team Waggoner's moon buggy climbed and twisted through incredible courses at the rock crawling Grand National event in Farmington, New Mexico
Moon buggy named Roxanne climbed to a 4th place national ranking in rock crawling series
The Waggoner’s BF Goodrich Krawler with K&N filters made some impossible climbs look easy. “There is nothing my buggy cannot climb with these tires,” said Waggoner. “And, our K&N filters are the best. They have seen dust and dirt from Reno, Nevada to Tucson, Arizona and don’t miss a beat.”
Team Waggoner completed every course in its moon buggy named Roxanne and stayed in the hunt for first place throughout the weekend. However, Tracy Jordan seemed to be unstoppable and took the lead on both days of competition.
When it came down to the Shoot-Out Team Waggoner was sitting in 4th place and hoping for a chance to move up in points.
“Cody and Jim definitely put the pressure on the other teams when they finished the Shoot-Out with the best score,” said Lindsay Waggoner. “But it still wasn’t enough to move our team up to a podium place finish.”
Team Waggoner Racing finished out the 2009 season with a 4th place national ranking and the Championship title for 1st place in the We Rock USA West Coast Series.
"In every competition I pick apart each misstep," said Waggoner. "Overall I think we did really well this 2009 season."
Number 78 Wingless Sprint driven by Mickey Kempgen
A happy, loose, race team is usually one that's winning. "We have put together one heck of a combination of cars, product sponsors, money sponsors, and the mind-set to go out this year and have fun," says Shane Miller. Shane and his wife Kim own Miller Motorsports.
20 year veteran Tommy Nichols with the number 55 Sprint car
The team currently runs with three drivers, 20 year veteran driver number 55 Tommy Nichols ('03 Central Florida Wingless Sprint Champion), a seasoned driver; number 78 Mickey Kempgen (Fast Truck Champion) and rookie; Dustin Perez ('08 Desoto Speedway Mini Stock Champion). There's a good amount of friendly competition between the three drivers, which helps to keep the mood relaxed, at the same time continually lifting the bar higher for all.
The season started out rocky for the team with the number 55 and 70 cars experiencing engine issues. The 78 car however, driven by Mickey Kempgens, remained pretty consistent throughout the entire season, reaching top ten finishes in 95 percent of the races entered, including several heat wins. And, in the last four consecutive races, the number 78 car finished in the top five. Presently though the 55 car, driven by Tommy Nichols, has put together an impressive late season run, with Feature and Qualifying heat wins.
Miller Motorsports runs with three Sprint car drivers, Tommy Nichols, Mickey Kempgen and Dustin Perez
The win at the latest event held at Citrus County Speedway means a lot to Nichols and to the entire Miller Motorsports team. Tommy and his Dad (Dennis Nichols) have been racing together for more than 30 years, starting in Kart racing and this win was a career first for them - winning the Qualifying Heat Race and the Feature in the same night. Their winning night was a first for Miller Motorsports as well. "Hard work by the entire team paid off with a big win for all," adds Shane. Tommy has been a life long friend of Shane and Kim and he says he feels honored to be a part of their team.
All three cars utilize the K&N fuel injection style air box for Sprint Car systems and all three use K&N oil filters. Along with the filters, the team swears by the cleaning sprays, oils, and pre-filters as well. Not only does the team utilize filters for the Sprinters, the haulers have K&N filters throughout too.
"Last year we only had one car on the track and it wasn't running a K&N air filter, when that motor was rebuilt for this year, there was pitting in the intake ports. This year we don't have that problem due to the K&N filters," informs Miller.
How does Miller Motorsports intend to build on this stellar year and what plans do they have for the future? "Our plan is to continue to get all three cars in the top ten. Hopefully we can finish out the season with another win or two. As far as next year goes our goal is to win a championship with the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association (TBARA), and quite possibly have a second and third place points finish as well. We also plan on attending as many non-wing races as possible. We have learned a lot this year and look forward to putting that knowledge to good use next season. We are starting to get recognition as a very competitive team, as well as for having a good time doing it," concludes Miller.
