FK Rod Ends- FK Motorsports

JA Scores Pair of Seconds and Takes Points Lead

One week after picking up his fifth Dave Bradway, Jr memorial, Jonathan Allard came up just short twice, as he ran second to two of the countries up and coming talents during the fifth and sixth stops of the 2012 King of the West Series in Tulare, CA.

“This team is strong, and we showed how consistent we can be by a couple of top two’s this weekend, and taking the point lead,” said Allard.

Friday night saw Allard pace the field with the fifth quickest lap during time trials, putting him in the second heat where he scored a third place finish.

Scoring a fifth place finish in the Dash, Allard would ultimately line his Williams Motorsports entry up in the third row of the 30-lap feature.

Falling back to sixth early, Allard put his entry up on the fence as he worked passed a slew of stout cars and got into the second spot late as he looked to chase down eventual winner, Kyle Larson.

JA would hang on to second, and following Tim Kaeding’s wreck, Allard took over the point lead.

“We had a great car tonight (Friday),” said JA. “Larson was a little better than us, and he was good in the rubber and I congratulate him on his win.”

The series returned to the Thunderbowl on Saturday night, and with 28 cars in the pit area, JA stopped the clocks with the second fastest lap of the night during time trials.

Allard’s third place finish in his heat put him in the dash where he would end up in the eighth spot, putting him in the fourth row of the main.

“It’s good that we’ve been in the dash a lot this year, but we always seem to end up near the back, but seem to find our way to the front in the feature,” said JA.

As the feature got underway, Allard made a couple of early moves to put himself inside the top five.

As the race went single file again as the rubber began to build up on the track, Allard found himself in the third spot behind Larson and Rico Abreu.

On the 26th lap, Larson went up in smoke and brought out the caution, putting JA next to Abreu with just four laps remaining.

Abreu got the jump, and Allard stayed behind him, but wasn’t able to get around the youngster and grabbed his second consecutive second place finish.

“It’s good to be on the front stretch, and it’s cool to see Rico win his first one with the 410,” said Allard. “We were a solid top-three car tonight and we’ll take this and move on to Calistoga.”

Another Solid Night at 'The Grove'!

The 2012 World of Outlaws schedule hit the ¼-mark yesterday as the Big Game Treestands #7 team returned to the Williams Grove Speedway for another night of action including the Morgan Cup Challenge after recording their ninth top-ten finish of the season the previous night.

Another great day of weather in 'The Keystone State' saw 45 drivers sign in for competition as Craig Dollansky made his 59th appearance at the famed ½-mile. After recording his 2nd fast-time of the season on Friday, 'The Crowd Pleaser' laid down another solid lap on Saturday at 17.169 seconds, good enough for 6th quick.

Early action in heat #2 saw Dollansky, teammate Sammy Swindell, and Jac Haudenschild go three-wide for second exiting turn 2 of the first lap. With Swindell taking the spot down the backstretch, Dollansky used the bottom in turns 3&4 to steal the position and race to a 2nd place finish. A little luck of a six-pill inversion for the dash put the MobileStar Maxim on the outside pole where Dollansky battled closely with Danny Lasoski but finished 2nd.

In the 30-lap A-Main the Aggressive Hydraulics #7 started outside row one and charged into the lead as the field took the green flag. 'The Crowd Pleaser' maintained the top spot until lap 8 when Steve Kinser used the low side in turn 2 to claim the point. Now in second until a caution on lap 10, Dollansky worked the high side on the restart but Kinser held the lead and the Eaton's Aeroquip Performance Products Maxim slipped to third a few circuits later.

Running third until the halfway point, Dollansky then lost a couple more positions before a caution came on lap 22. After a red flag on the restart and an open red stoppage, Dollansky maintained the 5th spot during the final eight circuits to record his seventh top-five of the season.

"We had a solid weekend all the way around from qualifying on through the A-Mains both nights," commented the Elk River, Minnesota native. "We got closer to where we needed to be with our car for Saturday night though I'm not happy running 5th after leading a few laps. I felt loose and knew we were going to struggle once we got the first lap of the feature in. Once I finally got my wing all the way back and moved down into the rubber groove we could maintain our position but at that point it was too late, we had already lost four spots and had to settle for a top-five. My crew did a great job and I'm looking forward to going back in July with what we learned this weekend."

Saturday's program also featured the Morgan Cup Challenge which pitted five Outlaws from last year's National Open as well as the five highest finishers of the 'PA Posse'. Starting from third in the $4,000-to-win event, Dollansky lost a spot at the start and ran the bottom like the rest of the field as passing was very difficult and finished 4th in the 12-lap race.

Poison Spyder Larry McRae Wins
Modified Class at Cinco de Baja

BANNING, CA MAY 9, 2012 - Larry McRae drove the Poison Spyder Modified Ultra4 #4581 to a class win at the Ultra4 Cinco de Baja race last weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With this Modified Class Western Series win and the 2012 Modified Class King of the Hammers win, the Poison Spyder Racing team is leading the Pro Series Modified Class and the Western Series Modified Class points race. “The only thing that we had to do was put fuel in the car,” said driver Larry McRae. “The crew prepped the car meticulously and have slowly worked the bugs out of the car making the 250 miles consecutively with no issues to speak of.”

A known and very respected rock crawler, driving fast is still a learning experience for Larry McRae. “I’m a rock crawler…slow and technical driver. The hardest part for me is learning to drive fast! This was a fun, relaxing and a beautiful course that was perfect for giving me the seat time I lack in the faster stuff.”

Co-Driver Shad Kennedy, a desert racing veteran, helped navigate the light blue and silver Modified Ultra4. The strategy for this race was to click off conservative laps early on and then see how the other competitors in the class were fairing. Depending on the split times they would decide whether to race the last three laps or stay conservative to ensure a finish. With the 5 lap – 40 mile loop race, the attrition rate allowed the Poison Spyder team to continue the conservative pace and preserve the car.

Even with the conservative pace they managed to finish 11th overall in the much faster Ultra4 Unlimited 4400 class. “We were tracking the split times of every lap, so we knew where we were in the big race,” said McRae. “We had no reason to race the 4400’s at this race. Our goal is to make a run at the 4500 class championship and our race strategy put us one step closer to successfully achieving that goal!”

We’ve made many improvements to the car since our last race,” said McRae. The most notable change was to the innovative and somewhat controversial steering. “I think this steering will be a game changer. It made the car so much more drivable that we’ll need to spend more time tuning with FOX Shox for the higher speed this car is now capable of.” Even with a nearly perfect race, they have already started full prep for the upcoming races this summer including 4 Wheel Parts Glen Helen Grand Prix in July and BITD Vegas to Reno in August as part of the Ultra4 Modified Series.

Follow Larry McRae and the Poison Spyder Racing team at www.facebook.com/PoisonSpyder or online at www.PoisonSpyder.com

About Poison Spyder Racing:
Poison Spyder Racing strives to combine cutting edge innovation with a the highest levels of teamwork, competitiveness and sportsmanship. As an extracurricular effort of Poison Spyder Customs, the race team gives the company an opportunity to push the limits of its engineering, design and fabrication abilities. The team's flagship race car, the BFH Racer, was built by Poison Spyder Customs on its new, proprietary Venom Chassis. The car was designed to be as competitive as possible in the new "Modified" class of Ultra4, introducing several new innovations to the sport. The BFH Racer is piloted by veteran champion rockcrawler and Poison Spyder owner Larry McRae. Co-driver Shad Kennedy, Poison Spyder's general manager, led the design and fabrication team and also heads up the race team organization. After winning the Modified class at the 2012 King Of the Hammers and the Ultra4 Cinco De Baja races, the team looks forward to continued success for the remainder of the season.

Young hot shoes Kyle Larson & Rico Abreu return to CA for “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial Spring Shooutout” in Tulare this Friday & Saturday

Tulare, CA – The excitement level is set to be kicked up a notch with the Cancen Oil KWS Series presented by Goodyear this weekend, as young stars Kyle Larson and Rico Abreu throw their names into the mix for the “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial Spring Shootout" at Thunderbowl Raceway.

Both drivers were in action last weekend with the USAC National Midget Series in Dodge City, Kansas where Larson picked up a win on Friday and then tallied a runner up effort to Tracy Hines on Saturday. Larson then promptly jumped into the Abreu/Stadelhofer wingless sprint car on Sunday night and captured victory at the Kokomo Speedway in Indiana.

Abreu brought home a best finish of eighth in his debut at the Dodge City Raceway, as he continued his rookie season with the USAC National Midget Series driving for Keith Kunz Motorsports.

Larson considers the Tulare Thunderbowl to be his favorite track and the 19-year-old will be searching for another win at the one-third mile oval while driving the Silva Motorsports No. 57 mount this weekend. At the KWS opener on April 7 he drove the Paul Silva owned machine to a fourth place finish from the rear of the field.

Last October Larson dominated the Saturday night portion of the Trophy Cup to easily win the 50-lap finale. The Elk Grove native will also be doing double duty this weekend in Tulare, with him competing without the wing both nights with the West Coast 360’s. The former state 410 champion claimed the “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial” in 2010, which was the same season he ended up winning the title.

Abreu returns to California for the first time since winning his first career sprint car race two weeks ago in Chico. The 20-year-old also had a strong run going with the Cancen Oil KWS Series the following night, until issues in turn two put an end to his night. The St. Helena driver should be a thrill to watch at the Thunderbowl as he guns for his initial KWS victory.

Alexander Motorsports takes 1st place at the
BITD Silver State 300

Alexander Motorsports started first of the line in the Class 5000 at the Best in The Desert Silver State 300 and never looked back. Steve Alexander and ICON’s Sean Kepler ran the first 100 miles together going from 4,000 up to 7,000 foot elevation. No matter what the Silver State 300 course threw at them the car sucked it up thanks to the expertly tuned ICON Vehicle suspension. Turn after turn the Mickey Thompson Tires dug in deep keeping the car on track. The new RC Trans prepped Mendeola transaxle proved to be flawless, owner John Houlton wasn’t kidding when he says “we’ll get you in gear”. After 2 hours and 20 minutes they reached Pit 3 only to find out that the closest competitor was 40 miles behind them. After a quick splash of fuel, a clean set of K&N outer foam filters, a Livewire Energy chew, Gavin Ferguson traded seats with Sean to attack the final 200 miles navigating for Steve whose plans were to ironman the 300 mile course. The next 50 miles would prove to be the toughest with 6 water crossings and some of the deepest silt beds the 5005 crew has ever seen, many of them still littered with incapacitated race vehicles. They arrived at Pit 4 where the crew noticed a small crack developing on the front beam. 25 miles further down the road Pit 5 had a welder set-up and ready to go. Steve made the decision to push on to Pit 5 rather to wait for a welder. The crack was repaired at Baja Pits within 10 minutes and they were back in the race. At the 200 mile marker Gavin noticed a slight loss in oil pressure; they stopped and added a quart of Torco oil. 10 miles later they arrived at Pit 6 to take on fuel. The crew noticed the motor had developed a leak and more oil was needed. Steve made the choice to push on with the help of another Livewire Energy chew to keep him alert and focused. 50 miles later at Pit 7 the crew added two more quarts of oil but the motor was getting tired. With only 34 miles to go to the finish Steve made the call it’s “do or die”. They had 3 spare quarts of oil in the car; they crossed their fingers and hit the gas. Gavin called out every 10 miles to the crew and Steve was sweating bullets. Oil pressure dropped dangerously low to 20 pounds but with the finish line in site, Steve hammered down. It was all worth it, with a total time of 7 hours and 48 minutes and no flats Alexander Motorsports crossed the finish line scoring their first Best in The Desert victory.

Thanks to everyone that made this possible starting with the expert maintenance of the Alexander Motorsports crew and the support of the following sponsors: KC HiLiTES, Livewire Energy, ICON Vehicle Dynamics, RC Trans, Mickey Thompson Tires, FK Rod Ends, BTR Wheels, K&N Filters, MSD Ignition, Torco Advanced Lubricants, Getpipe.com, Butch's Speed Shop and Patrick Sign's.

Ray Cook Victorious at Moulton Speedway;
Eyes Trip to The Gap this Weekend!

The D&R Motorsports team and driver Ray Cook were back in victory lane together on Saturday night, April 28 at the Moulton Speedway in Moulton, Alabama! Ray laid down a lap of 14.08 seconds during qualifying, which was good for Fast Time honors and the pole position for the 30-lap feature event. On a rough racetrack in the A-Main, Ray led flag-to-flag to record his fourth victory of the 2012 racing season. The Brasstown, North Carolina ace picked up the $3,000 top prize in the unsanctioned event by defeating Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, Josh Putnam, Riley Hickman, and Eric Hickerson!

Earlier in the weekend, the #53 team found themselves in the pit area at the North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Alabama on Friday evening for a $10,000 to win World of Outlaws Late Model Series battle. Ray timed in fifth fastest during the time trial session, but later experienced throttle problems during the heat race, which led to a disappointing seventh place finish. Following his sixth place effort in the B-Main, Ray was unfortunately forced to load up and watch the 50-lap main event, which was won by Brad Neat. Complete results from the doubleheader weekend in Alabama can be accessed by clicking on www.dirtondirt.com.

“We sure needed that win on Saturday after the disappointing night at North Alabama on Friday,” quoted Cook this week. “I had a real good car on Friday; we qualified well and were running strong in the heat race until the throttle stuck. That pretty much ended our night, but we rebounded the way we needed to on Saturday at Moulton. The track was pretty rough, but our car and motor were flawless and it was great to get another victory!”

Next up for the D&R Motorsports team will be a trip to the ultra-fast Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tennessee on Saturday evening, May 5. The high-banks of “The Gap” will welcome the Ultimate Super Late Model Series, who will preside over a one-day, $5,000 to win program. The headliner will feature fifty green flag racing laps around one of the fastest dirt tracks in the nation. Additional information on this race can be viewed by logging onto www.ultimatesupers.com.

Parker Nabs $1500 NDRA GMPLM

Southeastern Tree SpecialOn a night when Southeastern Tree out of Fort Mill, SC sponsored the nights’ events, Bellwood, NC’s Ron Parker stole the show in the NDRA GMPLM portion of the night. Parker would set fast time during qualifying for the sixteen cars on hand. When the green flag dropped for the main event, Parker would waste no time grabbing sole possession of the lead exiting turn two. He would go on to lead from start to finish picking up his second win in as many races. The action behind him was fast and furious as Brett Hamm, Donnie Austin, Jonathan Edwards and Timbo Mangum would wow the fans as they would wage an ongoing battle for spots two through five. After numerous position changes amongst these drivers, the rest of the top five was Hamm, Austin, Mangum and Edwards.

Allard Becomes First Five Time Winner of
“The Bradway”

Chico, CA driver, Jonathan Allard, thrilled his hometown crowd as he captured the 22nd Annual Dave Bradway, Jr Memorial Saturday night at the Silver Dollar Speedway, the win marked Allard’s fifth Bradway title, and his second 2012 win in the US.

Allard has been a dominant force during the event for the last five years from qualifying to racing, and that fact remained true Saturday as he narrowly missed out on his fifth consecutive quick time of the event and settled for second quick with 33 cars in the pit area.

“We were just a tick too free in qualifying,” said Allard. “It’s such a big night, you want to be perfect every time you roll on to the track.”

JA charged to a heat race win, and put his Williams Motorsports entry in the dash, where he would end up with the two pill, which was a breath of fresh air considering he had been in the back of the last two dash draws.

Settling for second in the dash, Allard shared the front row with Jason Statler for the 40-lap slug-fest.

Allard was simply dominant on this night as he was only challenged for the lead one time.

“Ashley Smith and the Zero Heroes had this car perfect tonight, “ said Allard.

On the 14th lap, Tim Kaeding was able to sneak under Allard, as them and Shane Stewart and pulled away from the field, but were in heavy traffic.

Kaeding’s lead over Allard was short lived, as he quickly passed him back in traffic, and then caught a break as the second and third runners, Stewart and Kaeding, made contact and brought out the yellow, Giving Allard an open track.

Back underway, Allard continued to set a blistering pace on the field and cruised on to his fifth Bradway win, and couldn’t of been more pleased with the result.

“It was almost a perfect night, and I am thrilled with the way this team performed,” said a jubilant Allard. “I was hoping we would gain a few more points on Timmy tonight, but he charged back up through the field and was on the podium with us. It’s going to be an exciting title fight, stay tuned.”

ON TAP: Allard and his Williams Motorsports team will now head to Tulare, CA for a weekend double header at the Thunderbowl on May 11th and 12th.

Brandon Thirlby’s 2012 I-96 Speedway Championship Title Chase Begins THIS Saturday, May 5th

Traverse City, Michigan (Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012): The end of April was supposed to feature a nice two races in two nights weekend close to home for Brandon Thirlby starting on April 27th at Mt. Pleasant Speedway in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan for their 2012 Season Opener. Then on April 28th at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Michigan for the tracks’ 7th annual Ice Breaker / Opening Night 2012.

The Thirlby Automotive Racing Team went one for two over the weekend after racing at Mt. Pleasant and finishing a solid third. The next day at I-96, Track Officials were forced to postpone opening night until this Saturday, May 5th.

“We didn't do as much racing as we would have liked, but we recorded another top five finish and my brother Collin (Thirlby) did an awesome job in the modified with a second place finish on Friday night.” Stated the Traverse City, Michigan driver. “The car was good, but we needed a little something more and I think we’ll be ok this weekend when we go back to Mt. Pleasant and especially at I-96.” He added.

This Friday, May 4th will see the 24-year-old make a return trip to Mt. Pleasant for UMP DIRTcar Racing Series weekly action and then on Friday, May 5th will offer the only opportunity for Thirlby to get some much needed track time on the fast and newly revamped 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked dirt oval of I-96 Speedway in preparation for the Inaugural Michigan Dirt Cup Late Models Tour race there on Saturday, May 19th.

“We will have the same plan of attack this weekend as we did last weekend with Mt. Pleasant on Friday and tuning up at I-96 for the first Michigan Dirt Cup race.” He continued. “We're definitely getting anxious for the MDC to start up and also the I-96 points chase. There isn’t a lot of show there this season for us, so every one of them is pretty important and hopefully we can start off strong there.” He ended.

For the 2012 racing season, Thirlby’s familiar black and purple #m14 UMP Super Late Models which is a Mastersbilt Racecar will carry sponsorship decals all season long from Thirlby Automotive as well as Homestead Motorsports, FK Rod Ends, Integra Racing Shocks, Allstar Performance, Micro-Armor Racing, and M.P.H. Promotions.

For more information about Brandon Thirlby and the Thirlby Automotive Racing and to find out about sponsorship opportunities for the 2012 season, check out the Brandon Thirlby Facebook Fan Page at: www.facebook.com and search for “Fans of Brandon Thirlby” You can also go to the Thirlby Automotive website as well located at: www.thirlbyautomotive.com

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