Wheels Of Thunder July 2014

Vol. 5 Issue 7JULY 2014

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Page 46Page 40

Page 2 Find us on Facebook “Wheels of Thunder” July 2014

Special FeaturesPaul Teutul Sr .........................................4BIR - Racing Through Summer ................24Princeton Speedway .............................28Mystik Terracross..................................40Pro Stock Cars .....................................46

Rally’s & ShowsMystic Lake - Northern Thunder ..............9Ogilvie Raceway ..................................16ERX BeaterX.........................................32Thursday Night Thunder........................36BRRP....................................................45

Reviews & TechTransworks ..........................................18

DepartmentsGarage Built.........................................12Boiling Point .........................................14ABATE of MN ......................................39Game On! ...........................................50

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OWNERPRESIDENT – Scott [email protected]

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OFFICE STAFFAR/AP – Stacy Robinson

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EDITORIAL STAFFEDITOR/CREATIVE [email protected]

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Photographers/WritersMYLIE LAVOLD TOM EDWARDS

BILLY BOYLE JENNA OSTERLUND

CEAJA PHILP STEVE CASPER

ADVERTISING STAFFSALES – Scott Robinson

[email protected]

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All content published herein is owned exclu-sively by Midwest Wheels of Thunder Maga-zine. Reproduction or further disseminationof the content herein is strictly prohibitedwithout the express written authorization ofMidwest Wheels of Thunder Magazine.

www.WheelsofThunder.net Page 3July 2014


“I’ve always believed that you can’t keep it unlessyou give it back. That’s always been a philosophyof mine…it’s part of the feeling that you havewhen you’re able to be in a position where youcan give back, because, there’s a reward in that.”

–Paul Teutul Sr.

Written by Mylie Lougheed

Photography by Greg Abrignani


There is more to Paul Teutul Sr. of OrangeCounty Choppers fame, than meets theeye. Under what may be perceived as atough exterior, lays the heart of a man whois passionate about kids, animals and help-ing others.

I will admit, I was a bit nervous prior to myinterview with the famous, and sometimesinfamous, Mr. Teutul. But, if I have learned

one thing over the years, it is never judge abook by its cover. I found Sr. (as he iscalled) to be a man with a passionate heart,an attitude of determination and strongwork ethic.

Teutul is best known for his custom mo-torcycles and themed choppers that are de-signed and built by Teutul and his team atOrange County Choppers. Teutul andOCC gained national and internationalfame on the Discovery Channel’s reality se-ries American Chopper and CMT’s OrangeCounty Choppers. The shows gave us all aclose up look at the building of some of thecoolest and cutting edge bikes ever made.Yeah there was drama. But its television,what do you expect? Again, don’t judge abook by its cover. The important thing isthat the show opened a window to custombike building and really got people think-ing creatively.

Speaking of thinking creatively, the OCCteam has not let up on setting the bar highand reaching new heights in engineeringand imagination. On June 20th, OCC un-veiled the Forever Remembered HearseChopper or Casket Bike as Teutul calls it.Teutul says it was one of the most chal-

PAUL TEUTUL SR.Orange County Choppers


lenging things they have done. “We had toget the bike to go straight down the roadwhich was difficult due to the weight of thesidecar, or casket side. We had to design aspecial front end to make it work.”

This is just another example that if you canimagine it, OCC will work with you tobuild it. A phone call to senior designerJason Pohl and a healthy bank account isall you need. Pohl has been with OCCsince 2004, using his design and computerskills to take 2-dimensional conceptualdrawings and modeling and reshapingthem into fully functional 3-dimensionalparts. “Don’t ask me how he does it,” saysTeutul with apparent respect and admira-tion for Pohl’s skills.

Custom builds can run into the hundredsof thousands of dollars if that’s what thecustomer wants. Teutul says they built abike that topped out around a million. Butthat’s not the norm. “Back in the day we didbikes for big corporations like Nike andCaterpillar that were up there in price butthat’s less common these days. Now, a hun-dred thousand is good price for a build.”

Besides commissioned builds, Teutul stillbuilds bikes as a hobby. “I’m always build-

ing a 70’s style bike. I just finished the goldchopper in the pictures.” The bike features

a Rolling Thunder Softail Frame, Indian100 Cubic Inch Motor, Harman Front End

made by Bill from Executive Choppers,Baker 5 Speed left side drive transmission,Primo Primary Belt Drive, PM Hand Con-trols, Accutronix Brass Pegs foot controls,No School Choppers Dual Headlight, DNA

Diamond Spoke Wheels and OCC customtank, rear fender, risers, handle bars, fish-tail exhaust, air cleaner. The paint, leatherand chrome are also OCC custom; paint byRalph Estrada and leather seat by Pirate

Upholstery and chrome by Chromemasters(Nashville, TN).

Teutul says not all the bikes he builds aresuper fancy or extreme, and even callsthem “plain”. “I don’t build pro-streets oranything like that. It’s mostly the tradi-tional David Mann style chopper.” “Plain”as they may be, Teutul says they’re builtwith correct angles and alignment, whichis key in building choppers.

Building isn’t limited to bikes at OCC. Oneof their latest builds is the Orange CountyChopper’s Café. The restaurant is locatedin Newburgh, NY along with OCC corpo-rate offices but plans for more locations arein the works, as are franchising opportuni-ties. The theme is probably what youwould expect, says Teutul. “When youcome in there’s bikes hanging from the ceil-ing, wheels on the walls and lots of memo-rabilia.” The menu is pretty standard;wings, sandwiches, salads and entrees likesteak, ribs and chicken. But Teutul says it’sthe burgers that are the stars of the show.“We have the best burgers anywhere, by


far. I would challenge anybody to make abetter burger.” Maybe Bobby Flay willshow up and take Teutul up on that chal-lenge?

Business keeps Teutul beyond busy butnever too busy to help others. It seems Teu-tul is always doing something for one char-ity or another, especially if it helps kids,animals or our nation’s service men andwomen.

Currently, he is involved with the Hope forHeroes Foundation whose mission is “tobring the outdoors back to our nation’s dis-

abled heroes by providing education, em-powerment and a sense of healing throughtheir favorite outdoor pursuits,” saysfounder Mitch Serlin on the foundation’swebsite. Teutul and OCC have donated abobber style chopper (the last bike built byPaul Sr. and Paul Jr. as seen on TV) valuedat $22,000 for raffle. Tickets are $20 andavailable online at hereoshope.org. Draw-ing will take place on August 30th at 11:00p.m.

Make a Wish and the Hudson Valley SPCAare two charities that Teutul supports reg-ularly.

In a June 2012 interview with CNBC Teu-tul talked about Make a Wish. “We supportthe Make a Wish Foundation— it’s termi-nally ill kids, and basically, they get a lastwish, and we were number one as far astheir wishes which is, I think, pretty im-pressive, you know, to want to come hereand see …bike guys. When I talk aboutmaking a difference in people’s lives, pretty

much that’s what I refer to. Because I thinkwhen these kids come here, it breaks yourheart. But…the thing of it is they’re herebecause they want to be with you, theywant a part of you… it’s their dream. So, tome it’s an honor to be able to do that, andI think I get more out of it than they do.”

According to Make a Wish Foundation’sJanuary 2012 press release, “Teutul’s sup-port of Make-A-Wish dates back to 2004,when the Orange County Choppers crewgranted the wishes of several kids wantingto meet them. Since then, the OrangeCounty Choppers team has granted morethan 50 wishes to Make-A-Wish kids andhas supported its local chapter, Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley, by hosting events forwish kids and their families and invitingthem to Orange County Choppers pro-grams.” Because of his support and dedica-tion to the organization, Teutul was chosenas the Make-A-Wish Person of the Year in2005, an award he was much honored toreceive.

Teutul makes wishes come true for animalsas well. He not only supports the HVSPCA,he serves as vice president. “It’s one of thefew true non-kill shelters,” says Teutul. “It’sa challenge with all the medical and otherbills but it’s important to have a non-killplace for the animals to have a chance fora good life.” He encourages adopting a res-cue animal if at all possible. “There areplaces where you can get a specific breedor just a mutt/mix.”

Another way Teutul helps others is byopenly talking about his addiction and so-briety. 29 years sober, Teutul knows it isn’t


easy getting and staying sober. “When youare out there getting high it’s a way of life.People don’t know or don’t believe there issomething better. I was one of those peo-ple. But there is a life without booze ordrugs and it’s a good life.” Teutul got soberthrough AA and encourages others to takethat first step and go to a meeting and reachout to someone. “I didn’t trust anyone atfirst but then I found out all the things wehad in common, how we were all thesame.” He also says we wouldn’t be wherehe is today if he hadn’t gotten help and got-ten sober.

When Teutul finds that rare “me time” hesays he is usually at home with his “fourdogs, two cows…and partridge in a peartree.” You can also find him fishing, work-ing out and enjoying one of the many clas-sic muscle cars in his collection. Of course,he still has a passion for jumping on a bikeand heading out for a ride on the openroad.

What does the future hold for Teutul andOCC? A return to the Discovery Channelfor one thing. Yes, it is true. Contracts werebeing signed at the time of my interviewwith Teutul. “I’m looking forward to beingback on air and building bikes,” says Teu-tul. He says fans can look forward to see-ing some new things this time around. “Ithink we are going to try showing some dif-ferent technology. It will be bike related butwe want branch out and try new things. Wehave talked about a steam engine and otherunique things that viewers will be inter-ested in.”

Fans looking to catch up with Teutul inperson this summer can find him at theNew England Patriots Bike Unveil on July20, benefiting the New England FitnessChallenge. For a chance to will the customOCC chopper visit www.NEFC2014.com.From there, Teutul heads to Charlotte NC,for a July 25th appearance for Black Flag.

If you are feeling like a fall road trip, headto Reno, NV to the Street Vibrations FallEvent on September 24-28 and catch upwith Teutul at the rally. Registration is opennow atwww.roadshowsreno.com/sv_fall.php or,join Teutul on the Make-A-Wish CharityRide at Orange County Choppers WorldHeadquarters in Newburgh, NY on Octo-ber 4th.

The road of life has been a scenic ride forPaul Teutul Sr. From the MerchantMarines, to building bikes in his basement,to heading a multi-million dollar business,his journey has had twists and turns, be-ginnings and endings and it sure isn’t overyet. That brings to mind a quote I read byUrsula K LeGuin, “It is good to have an endto journey towards; but it is the journeythat matters in the end.” I think Teutulwould agree.

Connect with OCCWebsite: orangecountychoppers.comMain Corporate Office: 845-522-5248Twitter: PaulTeutulSrInstagram: PaulTeutulSrFacebook: Orange County Choppershttps://www.facebook.com/orangecoun-tychoppers





Stock OriginalThis is where it all started!Stock Original

This is where it all started!

Sound Familiar?Do you have a story of your custom ride? [email protected] and you could be

featured with your ride in the next issue!

Lukawski 1940 FordCoupe Deluxe Car

“4 U Pops!”In 2000, William was diagnosed with cancer and was in and out of

the hospital. Through the hospital visits J recalls that when itseemed his dad was at a low he would mention the latest updatesfor their project, which he said would lighten his father’s spirits.

Sadly William’s battle with cancer ended with his passing on March10th, 2001. Even though he was not able to finish the 1940 Ford

Coupe project himself, J and his family made a promise to him thatthe car would be completed as he had wished.

They did just that!

Written by Ceaja Philp


A dark alley in South Minneapolis, MN,sitting next to a burn barrel sure doesn’tsound like great place to be for a dia-mond in the rough. In 1964, WilliamLukawski recognized the same thing,gave the owner $40 and brought homehis project car. It was a chore just to getthe 1940 Ford Coupe Deluxe home thatday, with missing floor boards and tryingto keep from falling through what wasleft of them as he shifted the gears.

Lukawski got his Coupe together andraced it in the late 1960s and early 1970s.The Ford has seen many different enginesunder its hood, including a 283, 327 anda few 350s. After the birth of their son, Jin 1969 and his daughter Terri, in 1971,the Ford Coupe became a daily driver,running errands, getting groceries, goingto work and so on through the late 70sand early 80s.

In 1994, J and his dad decided to start acomplete restore on the ‘family car’. Thistime it was to have things such as air con-ditioning, new interior (now that the kidswere ‘ice cream safe’), power windows,brakes and more.

They were excited to take the car in tohave it dipped (an acid process to rid allthe old paint, rust, etc). Excited untilthey saw the car afterwards and realized

a lot of the car was now gone. The proj-ect then became bigger with having toput in a new floor, firewall and otherparts that came up missing after theprocess had been done.

They continued working on the Coupeon and off while working on other carsalong the way for the next 5 years.

With the help of Julianne Lukawski, J’smother, with how she felt her husbandwould have liked to see the Coupe com-plete, they were able to get it done thevery morning of the 2003 GSTA show.They rolled it out of the shop and to theshow. It was a very happy moment for theentire family. The 1940 Ford Coupe thathad been a part of their lives for so manyyears was sitting on the show room flooras an entry.

The beautiful Coupe was nominated forStreet Rod of the Year by MSRA in 2003(only 12 are chosen and voted onthrough the year). It was again nomi-nated in 2005, but this time won, andthroughout 2006 it was celebrated asMSRA’s Street Rod of the Year.

Another award that stands out to thefamily is the Silver Hacksaw Award, givenout by the Twin Cities Roadsters. It wasgiven to them at the MSRA event in 2004.This award is given to a non-member

with a pre-1949 closed car that they feelwould be ‘the perfect car…if you cut thetop off’, as they are a convertible group.

J is proud to say they hold many otherawards with their ‘family car’ and hismother drives this car still today.

There is so much care and love that hasbeen put into the completion of theLukawski’s prize 1940 Ford Coupe. Eventhe license plate expresses their love forthe man who holds the most special placein their hearts, which reads, “4U POPS”.

Today, their 1940 Ford Coupe features a1967 Corvette 327 with 425hp, 700R4transmission with overdrive, 9” Ford rearend with 355gears, paint by Unique Bodyand Paint, interior by Bill’s Auto Trim andsuch luxuries such as power windows,power seats, cruise control, stereo sys-tem, and A/C. The body has been modi-fied by shortening the bumpers, hiddenhandles with poppers for the doors andtrunk, and the hood has been ‘nosed’with 2 ½ inches cut out.

There is no doubt meeting J and hismother at this year’s 2010 GSTA, the blueflamed 1940 Ford Coupe Deluxe will bepassed from generation to generationwith great pride and a wonderful story totell.


On May 31st 2014 I first heard of an Amer-ican soldier that was held captive for fiveyears by the Taliban was in the processbeing released. As a father of a Marine I waselated that the United States of Americaand our President Barrack Obama negoti-ated a deal to get one of boys back homeafter a grueling five years in captivity.

The initial details were sketchy on whatwas negotiated and then the details hit thenewswire. For me it was like I was deflatedfrom the emotional state I was in just a fewhours prior. The details that we were re-leasing five of the top Taliban leaders beingheld at Guantanamo Bay for Sargent BoweBergdahl.

My concern was releasing five known andproven leaders of one of the top terroristmilitant groups in the world. Previously re-leased prisoners have marched right backfrom where they left off and have killed andmaimed just like they did before they werecaptured. Believe me I am a supporter ofnever leaving an American behind, but Ialso know that the caliber of this swapopened a big security risk for AmericanMilitary personnel to be targeted by anyterrorist group in exchange for more dirtbag terrorist.

The Negotiations

The President’s response was SargentBergdahl health was failing quickly and wehad to make a move quickly or he woulddie. Watching the swap and closely watch-ing Bergdahl he appeared to be well nour-ished and alert. I have seen more Americanhomeless GI’s stateside that look far worsethan the captured Bowe Bergdahl. I hadhoped there was a deeper reason that thisridiculous swap negotiated, as in trackingdevices being shoved so far up the Talibanleaders rectums that we could follow theirevery move. But that was my only hope ofthe USA saving face. The reality of the ne-gotiations had started to fall completelyapart when information from Bergdhal’sown platoon buddies came forward to dis-close that he was never abducted by theTaliban. Bergdahl simply walked awayfrom his post exposing the security of thenow vulnerable outpost and sought out theTaliban. When more information startedto leak out we the American people foundout that our President did not clear thisswap with Congress as it is written in theconstitution. In this case, the secretary,Chuck Hagel, acknowledged in a statementthat he did not notify Congress ahead oftime. When Mr. Obama signed a bill con-taining the latest version of the transfer re-strictions into law, he issued a signingstatement claiming that he could lawfullyoverride them under his executive powers.

“The executive branch must have the flex-ibility, among other things, to act swiftly inconducting negotiations with foreign coun-tries regarding the circumstances of de-tainee transfers,” he wrote in the signingstatement, adding that if the restrictions“operate in a manner that violates consti-tutional separation of powers principles,my administration will implement them ina manner that avoids the constitutional

conflict.” So if you were playing poker wetraded our full house for a lone two ofspades. I still don’t get it and probablynever will, but let’s get off this possible Tal-iban sympathizer and turn our attention toa true American hero.

The Medal of Honor

Marine Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter is thenewest recipient of the Military’s highesthonor the Congressional Medal of Honor.Again being a proud father of a UnitedStates Marine I was excited that a Marinewas selected, however the skeptic in meemerged. Corporal Carpenter was well de-serving of the award, but did our govern-ment speed up the award ceremony to takethe heat off the President for the bumblingrelease of the five Taliban leaders?

Marine Corporal William KyleCarpenter’s Story

Cpl Carpenter was serving in Afghanistanwhen, on November 21st, 2010, he was ona rooftop in Afghanistan’s province of Hel-mand where a grenade came onto the roofto endanger both him and his fellow Ma-

Written by Billy Boyle

A SOLDIERS FALL FROM GRACE –THE MEDAL OF HONOR SAVES FACE

Marine CorporalWilliam Kyle Carpenter


rine, Lance Cpl Nicholas Eufrazio. CplCarpenter then covered the grenade to pro-tect his friend from the blast and in turnsaved both of their lives. As a result of theblast, Carpenter lost part of his jaw, hisright eye and required frequent surgeriesfor dozens of fractured bones. Lance CplEufrazio sustained damage to the frontallobe of his brain from the shrapnel, in-hibiting his speech until late 2012. It wasCpl Carpenter’s immense bravery that un-doubtedly saved both of their lives, ac-cording to many of the troops who servedwith the men.

So let’s get this right Bergdahl walks awayand leaves his buddies behind and Corpo-ral Carpenter shields his buddy from agrenade with his own body. Bergdahl de-nounces the United States of America andCorporal Carpenter visits wounded war-riors regularly to inspire them to get backon track. And the released Taliban at leastone has already vowed to kill Americans.Way to go B. O.

Medal of Honor II

Ryan Pitts will wear the nation's highestaward for combat valor, but the humbleand soft-spoken Medal of Honor recipientwho continued to fight after beingwounded in one of Afghanistan's bloodiestbattles insisted that the medal belongs toall of his comrades who fought and diedthat day. Pitts, now a 28-year-old marriedfather of one, will receive the medal in Julyat the White House. The citation says Pittsfought off enemy fighters on July 13, 2008,in Wanat, Afghanistan. Despite losingblood from wounds in both legs and anarm, he continued to fire at about 200 Tal-

iban fighters and guided air strikes thathelped repel the attack. He also used a tac-tic known as "cooking off" grenades,pulling the pin and holding it longer thanusual so the enemy couldn't throw it back."While it is an honor to have been nomi-nated for the award, it is not mine alone,"he said. "The honor belongs to every manwho fought at Vehicle Patrol Base Kahler,especially to those who made the ultimatesacrifice that allowed the rest of us to re-turn home. I have an absolute responsibil-ity to tell our story, because there are ninemen who cannot and it is their names youshould know." They are Sergio Abad,Jonathan Ayers, Jason Bogar, JonathanBrostrom, Israel Garcia, Jason Hovater,Matthew Phillips, Pruitt Rainey and Gun-nar Zwilling.

"I take comfort somehow in the pain ofthat loss, because it reminds me that theymeant something to me and I never wantto forget that and I appreciate the sacrificethey made for us," he said. Ryan Pitt rocks,here he is being honored for the nation’shighest award and as a true hero would domentions his comrades that lost their livesbattling the Taliban in that bloody battle.

As far our so called released prisoner of warthe word on the street is that several ofBergdhal’s comrades were in killed in ac-tion while looking for the missing soldier.We need to honor these brave Patriots forthe sacrifice they made while in search of afellow soldier. But that’s what these bravemen are trained to do, Carpenter shieldinghis buddy from a grenade, Pitts never giv-ing up even in the face of death and theodd’s stacked against them. And finally wehave these five Patriots putting their liveson the looking for a possible deserter.

Whatever side you support in this debateof did he stay or did he go, American Mili-tary go above and beyond every single day.They don’t turn their back on their com-rades or country. They don’t seek out theenemy because America opposes theircause and the leader of our country shouldconfide with the experts before letting fivehomicidal criminal maniacs back into theTerrorist network. What was he thinking?I could write a book on what has transpiredover the last decade that are somewhat re-lated to the actions like the Bergdahl strollin the park. But we need to focus on thenow – bring our heroes home, bring themhome with honor, and never forget whatsacrifices these brave men and women havemade so we can live free.

As always I welcome your comments, yourviews and your input. The point of theBoiling Point is to weigh up the pro andcons. I really tried to see both sides withthis article, but the more I read and re-search the case the more I am in disbeliefthat this event actually happened. I am anIrishman from South Boston with a thickspine if you have another view of the inci-dent let’s bring it on. I am sure we can pub-lish your side of the debate. Stay safe,healthy, and enjoy the awesome summer.

Former Staff Sgt. Ryan Pitts



Arecent visit to Transmission Works on Highway 65 in East Bethel, Minnesota brought to my attentionthe importance of values when you own a business. Meet Nick Dubovich owner and operator of Trans-mission Works, as I started to interview Nick the phone would ring again and again, Nick would apolo-

gize and excuse himself to take the customers call. As a former owner of a business and now writer for Wheelsof Thunder the last thing Nick needed to do was apologize. I recognized that customer’s calls are not distrac-tions, customer calls are what keep a business thriving much like Transmission Works. That’s what sold me onthis truly family owned business. When Nick and I finally got a little time to speak that is what impressed mewas this business started long before Nick Dubovich hung the “Open for Business” sign up.

18607 Highway 65 NE • East Bethel, MN 55011

763-219-4181

Exceptional workby exceptional

auto mechanics


Nick started working in his dad’s auto bodyand maintenance shops at a very youngage. You could say he was weaned in thebusiness or bitten by that bug that excitesyou to go to work every day. To round outthat experience Nick eventually found hisway to the new and used auto parts busi-ness for ten years. This was kind of a nicestepping stone to make way for what wasto become his primary livelihood.

Nick found his niché working for a com-pany that specialized in the transmissionrepair and installation. Nick had an oppor-tunity to do what he had dreamed aboutdoing. He solidly planted his feet and fi-nancial resources and bought the place heonce was employed by. That was twelveyears ago and Transmission Works is stillone of those true family operated businessthat found a business plan to keep it suc-cessful. As Nick describes the success “Itall boils down to customer commitment,giving people the best service they couldpossibly get and treating them and their ve-

hicle like a VIP everyday”. I can see whycustomers refer Transmission Works tofamily and friends as the first place ofchoice when needing transmission work orother maintenance work performed ontheir prized possession.

Speaking of other maintenance work,Transmission Works employs three fulltime techs that are all professionally certi-fied to take your vehicle from start to finishmuch like a doctor treats his patients. Di-agnosing your vehicles problems early andaccurately saves valuable time and money.Nick stated “there is nothing we can’t do”I have all the confidence in the world of mytechnician’s” Tranny’s are our specialty, butour guys have so much experience in otherareas it makes sense to offer the full serviceplan.

Maybe you need a quick purchase of a bat-tery or the replacement of a windshieldwiper Transmission Works also offers a full

TRANSWORKSA business that focuses

on family, customers andthe community.

Written by Billy Boyle

Making auto maintenanceeasy & convenient for you!

A well-maintained car or truckis sure to last you manyyears on the road. Sowhether you need an oilchange, scheduled mainte-nance services, or a tune-up,you an always depend on usfor quick turnaround timesand courteous service at an

affordable price.


line of batteries from Interstate Batteriesand Excide. They also have full visibilitycenter offering ANCO wipers to keep thewindshield clear, clean and safe.

The family business consists of Nick’s twobrothers and his wife, waiting in the wingsis the Dubovich’s 14 year old daughter, butthey may be waiting a while as she is a busylady playing basketball and lacrosse. Thisis a nice Segway about Transmission Workscommunity commitment. Nick being fromthe area and knowing how importantsports and activities are to a growing com-munity he and his wife tend to get more in-volved than the everyday business owner.

Financial donations are one area whereTransmission Works steps up to the plate;however the real hits the road when itcomes to rolling up the sleeves and volun-teering at an event or two. From my per-sonal perspective I have seen too manylocal businesses talk the talk about com-munity support, Transmission Works andthe Dubovich’s live it and breathe it. That iswhy local and family owned businessessurvive and grow. I spoke a customer as hewas leaving his comment was that hewould not take his vehicle to any other

service center, he trust Nick, his team ofmechanics, and the commitment to cus-tomer excellence. That statement is better

than any billboard you could buy on awell-traveled highway. That is real peopletalking about exceptional service.

If you need to contact or visit TransmissionWorks for any service needed they are lo-cated at 18607 Highway 65 N.E. in EastBethel, MN. You can call them for an ap-pointment or answer to your questions at763-413-7001. Or visit the website atwww.transmissionworksmn.com. Trustme - you will be glad that you chooseTransmission Works for all you automotiveneeds.





In true Fourth of July fashion,

Brainerd International Race-

way’s July racing schedule

starts off with a bang and features

a diverse lineup that race fans

have come to expect.

The schedule starts with the 28th AnnualPleasureLand RV Show & Go on the Fourthof July weekend, followed by an Aussie-style

cruisin’ event, the fourth Bracket Drag RacingSeries weekend and Superbike racing.

Variety, again, is the name of the game at BIRas the July schedule gives fans a taste ofsome unique and new types of racing anddriving events.

It all starts July 4-6 with the PleasureLandRV Show & Go, which is a long-running tra-dition at BIR. There’s drag racing, road rac-ing, a car show, live music, camping and aspectacular fireworks display to celebrate In-dependence Day. It’s always been one of BIR’s

largest events of the summer, and this yearshould be no exception.

This year’s Show & Go features the debut ofthe Cheerios Racing Great North LegendsCars, which will be on the road course Sat-urday and Sunday for wheel-to-wheel rac-ing action. The Legends Cars are five-eighthsscale replicas of 1930s coups and sedans,but these are built for speed. They’re lightand quick and always put on a great show.Throughout the season, they race at pavedoval tracks around Minnesota, so ask aroundto learn how much fun they are to watch.

Visit www.BrainerdRaceway.com for more details


The Legends Cars will be sharing the roadcourse Saturday and Sunday with theSports Car Club of America (SCCA), whichwill be racing in several different classes,including open-wheel cars, Spec RacerFords and vintage racers. They have prac-tice and qualifying sessions both days andthen 12-lap races each afternoon.

On the drag strip, giant horsepower will beon display during the second leg of theMuscle Car Series.

Off the track, there’s a classic car show, livemusic by Junk FM, activities and games forkids, and fireworks, all on Saturday.

The Aussies come to town the followingweekend, July 11-13, for Powercruise,which is a crazy cruising that’s unique to

North America but huge in Australia, NewZealand and parts of Europe. It’s a full-par-ticipation event for drivers interested in aPlay Day for their cars. Individual eventsinclude drifting competitions, power skids(accelerated burnouts), off-street drags,burnout contests and stage shows. But thecruising sessions are very popular becauseit allows participants to load up their carwith their buddies and cruise around BIR’sroad course next to muscle cars, modifieds,hot rods and imports.

When the track recovers from Powercruise,drag racing and Superbike racing takesover July 18-20 with the fourth weekendfor the Bracket Drag Racing Series on thedrag strip and the Central Roadracing As-sociation’s insane brand of Superbike rac-ing on BIR’s Competition Road Course.

Fans can watch more than 250 dragsters,cars, trucks, bikes, snowmobiles and Jun-ior Dragsters battle on the drag strip forprize money and series points. It’s some ofthe most competitive amateur drag racingin the country.

The Bracket Series has street classes forthose who want to give drag racing a try,but a more appropriate opportunity mightbe the Wednesday Night Drags – StreetLegal Style program, where BIR opens itsdrag strip to anyone who wants to try theirhand at drag racing. For $25, drivers canrun the track as many times as time allows,using the light tree, the scoreboard and theburnout box. There’s even an announcercalling the action. There are three dates thismonth: July 2, 16 and 30.

If you’re looking for unique racing events,BIR is the place to be this summer.

Written by Geoff Gorvin

Photograph provided by Rick Corwine


June has been another fantastic month ofracing and activities at the PrincetonSpeedway. The month featured a Kid’s

Night, the Upper Midwest Sprint Cars and lots ofgreat WISSOTA Amsoil Dirt Track Racing action.

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect onMay 30 when Justin Pogones won the Street StockFeature. Ryan Kostreba took the lead whilePogones stole second. Allen Gessell, Jr. moved inand the three of them battled for the lead.Pogones pulled away and rolled the Pogo ChickenPowered #01 into victory lane for the secondweek in a row.


WISSOTA Modified feature had some greataction as well that night. The race got un-derway with Dustin Nelson in the lead.Don Eischens moved into second andbegan to work Nelson for the lead. Nelsonkept him back but Eischens caught Nel-son’s bumper and dove low. Eischens madethe pass and drove away from the pack. Asthe checkers were raised, Shawn Fletcherand Nelson were side by side for second.Fletcher was faster and took second whileDon Eischens rolled his Richmond Tireand Auto #9e into victory lane.

There was rain in every direction, howeverthe Upper Midwest Sprint Car series(UMSS) was in the pits and was ready foraction on June 6.

The UMSS were on hand for the 13th An-nual Billy Anderson Memorial Race. An-derson was a long time racer who wasinjured in a sprint car accident, and after along time battle with medical complica-tions, passed away in 2001. The sprintstook the green and Chris Graf claimed the

lead. Brooke Tatnell quickly made the passfor first and soon the leaders were lapping.Tatnell used the whole track surface to lapdrivers when Davey Heskin and soonthereafter Graf went over the tracks edge.Both drivers kept going and the race re-mained green, but Graf gave up his secondposition. The Sprint 25 lap feature wentflag to flag as Tatnell took the checkers.Tatnell celebrated by doing multiple “tor-nado style” burnouts and the crowd wentwild.

23 WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds filled thequarter mile for the next race that night.Kevin Schmidt quickly took the lead butthe first caution appeared. Multiple cau-tions took place but Schmidt retained thelead. Denis Czech and Jason Hall battledfor second but soon took Schmidt’s sidesand went three wide for first. Hall pulledahead but the yellow flew putting Czechand Shane Sabraski on his bumper. The topthree drove away as the green waved, butSabraski made the pass for first. Sabraskiheld the competition the remaining lapsputting his #7a into victory lane.

Jasmin Matthewman and Lexy Kastnerbrought the Princeton Speedway Hornetsto the stand and Matthewman grabbedfirst. Dannie Burkholder came through thetraffic and assumed the lead. Matthewmanheld onto second as the yellow flew for in-cidents on the track. Burkholder remainedin the lead as the green flew and put his#46ssg sponsored by Outdoor Authority invictory lane for the third time this season.

The first Kid’s Night of the season was alsoin June and families filled the stands. Bike’swere donated, activities planned and in-flatable’s were available for kids enjoyment.Marv’s True Valu and Just Ask Rental ofPrinceton sponsored the night and sup-plied the inflatable’s and activities. Also,Princeton Public Utilities, Riverside Chi-

Written by Tami Jo Kuehn

Photography byBailey Sens and

Laura Hess-Ulman


ropractic, ABRA Auto Body and Glass,Bright Child, Minuteman Press, PrincetonSpeedway, Little Red Wagon, Dirt RaceCentral, Roxbury Racing Transmissions,Walmart, Guys Towing, Princeton TradingPost, Jasmin Matthewman #06 Racing,Dannie Burkholder #46ssg Racing andAmanda Milbrandt #81 Race Team donatedthe bikes to be given away. Along with thenormal Jr. fans, there were Jr. flag peopleand even a Jr. announcer. It was a fun nightfor the kids and adults!

After the bike excitement settled, the JNPWISSOTA Mod Fours ran with Abby Garinand Tommy Bawden on the front row. Baw-den grabbed the lead but the yellow waved.Bawden took the lead on the restart butKeith Thell took second. Thell passed Baw-den and sped away as Funt stole second.Thell took the win with his Wollak Con-struction #00t.

The WISSOTA Super Stocks took the clayand Kyle Robideau claimed first. MikeLoomis and Shane Sabraski battled for sec-ond as they rounded the curves. Sabraskitook second and passed Robideau’s #23 forthe lead as the yellow flew. Sabraski wasalone on the restart while Loomis and Ro-bideau went door to door for second. Dex-ton Koch waited patiently behind themuntil Loomis broke away. Koch thengrabbed the high groove and settled intosecond. Sabraski was a straight-away aheadand took the checkers in his West MetroBuick GMC sponsored Super Stock.

The final race on Kids Night was for theWISSOTA Modifieds. Dustin Nelson andJeremy Nelson brought the drivers to thestand and they battled side by side whenthe green flew. After a couple laps, DustinNelson broke away. Jeremy Nelson keptsecond and ran the cushion along withLarry Zeller. Both drivers nearly went offthe edge, but kept their cars going. ShaneSabraski moved into second and with onlytwo laps remaining Zeller was next toSabraski. Zeller tried to take second, butSabraski’s lower groove was faster. DustinNelson maintained his lead and rolled his

#46 into the Massman Geothermal & Me-chanical Victory Lane.

Looking forward, July and August will fea-ture many great nights. Make sure youmark your calendar for July 18. This datewill be the second and final Kids Night ofthe season. This Kids Night is Meet theDrivers night where all drivers pull on thetrack and kids get to meet them, get candyand other prizes. It’s a fun night for the en-tire family. Kids aged 12 and under will alsobe FREE this night.

July 25 will be the 2nd Annual Car Show.The Car Show takes place before the racesat the track with cars being on display.Drivers, Fans and track employee’s all voteon the cars and awards are given before thenight is over. If you have a car you want toshow, contact the speedway and get regis-tered.

The winged warriors UMSS sprint cars willswing into Princeton again on August 15for the Kouba Memorial race. Their firstvisit to the track was great with lots of ac-tion, make sure you come out for thisnight’s action.

Remember, the Princeton Speedway raceson Friday nights at 7pm. To get all the upto date info on the Friday Night Car Fightsvisit www.princetonspeedway.com or“like” us on Facebook by searching Prince-ton Speedway.








This is the foundation of everything we doin life. Whether at work or play, knowingwhat has been successful in the past andproblems that may develop in the futurekeeps us sharp. This is why the militarytrains constantly. It is also the foundationof motorcycle rider training, motorcycleawareness, and, my focus today, interactionwith your elected officials.

Legislatively, Minnesota motorcyclists havehad it pretty good for a number of years.This has lulled many people into the falsebelief that this will always be so. They justassume that others will take care of theirride. I am here to tell you that there areforces lining up that want to take your ride,as you know it, away from you. Read on:

What if they priced you off the road? Don’tthink it can happen? For the second yearin a row there was a bill introduced in theMinnesota legislature (HF3393) thatwould force you to buy very expensive in-surance before you could legally ride yourstreet bike. How expensive you ask? Iasked my insurance agent to write up aquote based on the requirements of the bill.If this type of statute were to become law, I

would be looking at a $1,443 increase forinsurance annually. That’s increase. On topof what we are already paying. Per bike, notper rider. Our household has four motor-cycles registered for street use - a whopping$5,772 more per year! The summer paradeand town hall meeting season is in fullswing across Minnesota. Your state repre-sentative and senate candidates will bethere ready to talk. Get to know them now.Then when this issue and others come upin the 2015 legislative session, you willhave a much easier time making contactand getting their support. Practice makesperfect.

What if they tried to sneak something intoa nationwide bill? Recently ABATE of Min-nesota sent out an Enews alert asking forimmediate action. A routine appropriationsbill contained a provision that would allowfederal agencies to throw their resources atstate legislatures to reduce motorcycle fa-talities (Read: helmet laws). Two US Rep-resentatives had written an amendment toremove this language and they asked allfreedom loving bikers to contact their USHouse of Representatives for support (Thevote was in two days). Many Minnesotans

did exactly that. Some went an extra stepand actively engaged other motorcyclists totake action the following morning (ThanksRed). Thanks to quick action from freedomminded motorcyclists across the countrywe were successful. However I was a littlesurprised at some of the responses I re-ceived. “I don’t know who represents me”,“How do I find the office number” etc.These folks should have been making reg-ular contact on minor issues over the yearsso they would be ready to act when calledupon. The phone number should havebeen in the smart phone. Again, practicemakes perfect.

Football players practice during the weekso they are ready on Sunday. First respon-ders train constantly so they are ready at acrash or accident scene. Motorcyclists takerider training so they are prepared for anemergency. Bikers should also prepare forfuture days of defending motorcycling free-dom.

I am reminded of the New York City touristwho asked a cop “How do I get to CarnegieHall?” His response: “Practice, Practice,Practice!”

Yours in freedom,

Mack

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT


MystiK Terracrosschampionship 2014

The Mystik Lubricants Terracross Champi-onship rolled into Southern California andbrought UTV Supercross style racing to the

San Diego County Fair. Racers from all over theUnited States, and a bunch from right here in South-ern California came out to participate in one of thelargest, most anticipated UTV races ever held! The

racing was full of chaos, excitement and hard noseddoor-2-door competition. Everything was filmed fortelevision to be aired on on CBS sports at a laterdate, but it was all about the spec Polaris RZRXP1000 class at Terracross and thats where the bestracing took place for 2 days strait.


Terracross is one part MX and one part en-duro. The format is consists of practice,seeding, qualifying and then finals ormains. All seeding and qualifying is heldon Saturday with Sunday hosting theLCQ’s and Mains. In front of a packedhouse both days, just under 26 spec Ter-racross XP1000�s competed in front ofpacked stands at the San Diego CountyFair which attracts 10s of thousands ofpeople each and every day. The machinesas mentioned are spec XP1K’s provided byseries sponsor Polaris. Machines are out-fitted with doors, roofs, beadlock wheelsand tires. The only difference between ma-chines are the graphics adn some cars runPro Armor doors, some factory Polarisdoors, some run Walker Evans Racing

wheels, others run Method Race Wheelsbut all are on GBC Motorsports KanatiMongrel Tires and all sport 5-point har-nesses. One interesting feature on the ma-chines were the new Factory windshieldintrusion bars. This could be an insidelook of what to expect from the factory atPolaris this year. The Polaris doors werealso different providing a full door vs. justa half door. Racers are allowed to adjusttheir ride height and tire pressure but areprevented from adjusting or adding any-thing else to their machines.

With a qualifying format the pressure is onracers to perform. Only 16 cars make eachmain leaving 10 racers to sit the sidelinesand miss the big filmed for TV main! Rac-ers are encouraged to “put on a show” bothfor fans and for TV and thats exactly whatthey did! The other exciting part aboutTerracross is the lineup of drivers. Ofcourse the reigning 2013 champ and Po-laris poster boy RJ Anderson is back thisyear as is last years UTVUnderground.comdriver Chad Ragland. Colten Moore, DanaCreech, Darryl Rath, BC Vaught, and BrianBush are a few of the other returning rac-

Photos By: Rusty Baptist& Ernesto Araiza

UTVUnderground.com


ers from 2013. Ragland moved out of thefactory UTVUnderground.com #23 race carinto a new #33 CageWrx / UTVUnder-ground machine making room for WORCSstar Mitch Guthrie Jr.! “Mitchie” took overthe #23 UTVUnderground / Walker EvansRacing RZR this year for us and we could-n’t be more excited about having him onour team with support from Super ATV,Holz Racing Products, GBC and UtendorferDesign. What also makes this year excitingis the addition of Supercross racing legendJeremy McGrath! Showtime McGrath willbe piloting the #2 Loctite RZR this year andnot only does that add another level ofcompetition for racers it also adds a lot ofexcitement to the series as a whole. As aUTV guy, I am honored to have McGrathcompeting in a UTV and I know I sharethat sentiment with many others in oursport.

Joe Duncan, the head of Terracross, wentone step further in making sure the open-ing round of Terracross went off this year.Besides locking down one of the coolestvenues to ever host a UTV race, he also

brought out off-road icons Walker Evansand Larry Ragland to come participate.Walker Evans who jumped behind thewheel of his very own Walker Evans Rac-ing Polaris RZR brought the same style ofdriving to Terracross that has earned him

21 off-road racing championships, includ-ing 5 Baja 1000 wins! The 75 year old puton a clinic racing his young prodigy RJ An-derson head to head both days at Ter-racross. Day 1 saw RJ lead Walker into thebig arena over / under gap jump but before

they could even complete a lap the racinglegend through a pass that would overtakeRJ and give him the lead for the next 5laps! He would finish that exhibition racein the lead with RJ making comment to usthat he was trying everything he could torun Walker down! Larry Ragland is noslouch either! Lightning Larry Ragland isalso a 5 time overall Baja 1000 winner andhas more wins in off-road racing then wecare to count. Larry jumped behind thewheel of his own CageWRX / UTVUnder-ground Terracross RZR and ran with thepack all day on Saturday. It was so cool tosee Larry and son Chad out there in thoseorange UTVUnderground RZR’s, it truly isa highlight for us here at UTVUnder-ground.com and an even bigger highlightfor our sport as a whole. It really showswhere this sport is going when such iconicveterans of our sport are truly embracingUTV culture and competition!

The racing caused pure carnage both daysfor many racers. One driver went end overend just in a practice run and racingclaimed numerous drivers due to roll overs,mechanicals and collisions. One such col-lision would take the reigning 2013 cham-pion and UTVUG race team driver RJAnderson out on lap one of the first main.After dominating all the qualifiers RJwould lead the pack out of the gate butthen one anxious driver would drive straitinto RJ on a hair pin turn leaving RJ with adestroyed steering rack. Unfortunately forthe driver, RJ was able to pin it down thestrait and return the favor by parking hisRZR strait into a k-rail sending the crowdinto a frenzy! From there it was all aboutthe #23 UTVUnderground.com RZR andteammate to RJ Anderson, Mitch GuthrieJr., who would work his way through thepack and take over the lead in an excitingfirst main. Guthrie would begin to laydown some of the weekends fastest laps


with newcomer Mickey Thomas hot on histail. Thomas in his #44 RZR tried every-thing he could to reel the young gun in buthe just couldn’t get close to the #23 whowould cross the finish line and take homethe first big main win of the season!

We support all racers, those with and with-out UTVUnderground.com logos, but ofcourse we are lucky enough to have ourvery own UTVUnderground.com machineand so to see that RZR win was huge for usfor many reasons. #1 we work very hard tohelp grow this sport, and have done so nowfor over 5 years. Joe Duncan at Terracrossand the staff at Polaris gave us an opportu-nity to run our own machine and with helpfrom some amazing sponsors and of coursewith the talents of Mitch Guthrie Jr. behindthe wheel we are using this #23 to hope-fully help put even more eyeballs on our

site. This site is not just for us, this site isfor EVERYONE who loves this sport so themore people who see and read and watchwhat we do here, the MORE we can do tofurther promote and grow the UTV indus-try. This machine is not only a means tohave fun, its a tool to hopefully attract

more people to UTVUnderground.com andwhich in turn will help us turn more peo-ple into UTV enthusiasts.

After another set of LCQs the stage was setfor the second and last main of the week-end. Unfortunately for Guthrie in our #23,he would suffer a broken rear axle whichwould take him out of making this finalrace preventing any hopes of a back to backweekend. However, with no one being ableto even get close enough to take out the2013 champ, RJ Anderson was able to leadflag to flag and win his first race of the2014 season! RJ would hole-shot onceagain and never look back. The only timeracers would get within striking distancewas with a couple full course cautions andrace re-starts, but even then the smooth,hard driving Anderson would check out

and put time between he and the rest of thepack. The only thing that felt similar be-tween the first and second main was thecarnage and that same #44 putting pressureon from the second place position. MickeyThomas was someone we had never heardof before this weekend. After speaking toMickey Thomas Sr. we found out that Jr.

has been competing at the GORS seriesdown south. I’ll tell you what, we got oureye on this fast kid from the south. We planto track him down and fill everyone in onjust who he is, and we hope to get someUTVUnderground.com logos on that carsooner than later!

In between the Terracross ChampionshipPro class races was a fun Pro-Am Nationalqualifier round of racing which allowedracers from outside the series to bring intheir own UTVs to compete. Names suchas Nick Nelson, Nic Grunland, Jake Shaw,James Hill, John Pacheco, Will Rodgers,and Tommy Scranton would come out totest their skills and machines on the trackin hopes of earning their own invite to thebig class at a later round this season. Theracers from WORCS and Lucas Oil put on


what looked more like a demo derby thana race at times! They did not disappointwhen it came to putting on a show and wewere stoked that Terracross allowed thisrace to happen despite the cars absolutelycausing mayhem to the track and to theirown machines! We would love to see thisclass carry through to later rounds, sothank you to Terracross and to the racerswho came out on such short notice to bat-tle!

In addition to all the fun racing actionUTVUnderground.com along with WalkerEvans Racing, GBC, Pro Armor and a fewother series sponsors set up to show offcars, assist racers and sell products. Webrought out the UTVUnderground / Race-Dezert / Mint 400 trailer, sold and giveawaya bunch of shirts, hats, DVDs, and stickersand just had a blast interacting with every-

one in our own backyard. If you didn’t geta chance to pick up some of our awesomenew gear in person then no worries, wewill soon have it up in our store which isalready full of other cool swag so go checkit out and support the cause by purchasing

some of your very own UTVUG gear!!

We had a ton of fun this last weekend.Thank you to EVERYONE who repre-sented us out there in Del Mar, especiallythose who did so by purchasing gear andsporting it throughout the race weekend. Itwas awesome seeing all those red and blackshirts and hats running around. I can’t tellyou how cool that was for me and ourteam. Also, HUGE thank you to you racersand teams. You guys are why we do this,you guys and girls killed it out there andhelped show those in attendance just howfar our little golf carts have come. BIGthank you to Joe Duncan and his dedicated

staff at the Mystik Terracross Champi-onship. You guys put on a hell of show, laidout a fantastic course and really put on oneof the most exciting and un weekends ofUTV racing we have ever been a part of.Lastly I want to extend a huge thank youto the hard working staff at UTVUnder-ground.com. As you can see by the images,Rusty Baptist and Ernesto Araiza are 2 of

the best photogs in our sport. They workedtheir butts off for 2 days strait to make sureyou guys have some BANGER images toshare, so grab them and blow them up!And stay tuned cause you know we got asick video coming from our boy Aaron,curtesy of Mad Media. One more shout outgoes to Ty who held us down in theUTVUnderground.com trailer all weekendslanging that quality merch.

Until Haydays…..


2014 RACING SCHEDULEBRRP Series includes: IMCA Modifieds & Northern Sportsmods, Legends,

Pure Stocks, Hornets, Wissota Mod 4Sunday May 11th Season Opener - Regular ClassesSunday May 18th Regular ClassesSunday May 25th NOSA Sprint Cars & Regular classes (no Mod class)Sunday June 1st Regular ClassesSunday June 8th Regular ClassesSaturday June 14th Tuff Trucks, Train Races, Roll Over ContestSunday June 15th NLRA Late Models & Regular classes (no Mod class)Saturday June 21st Regular Classes - Fan Appreciation NightSunday June 22nd Regular ClassesSunday June 29th Regular ClassesSunday July 6th Regular ClassesSunday July 13th Regular ClassesSunday July 20th Regular ClassesSaturday July 26th NOSA Sprint & Regular classes (no Mods or Mod-4 class)Sunday July 27th Regular ClassesSunday Aug. 3rd Regular Classes but no Mod-4'sSunday Aug. 10th Regular ClassesSaturday Aug 16th Tuff Trucks, Train Races, Roll Over ContestSunday Aug. 17th Regular ClassesThursday Aug. 21st Rally AmericaSunday Aug. 24th Regular ClassesSunday Aug. 31st Season Championship - Regular ClassesSaturday Sept. 6th Corn Cob NationalSunday Sept. 7th Corn Cob NationalSaturday Sept. 13th IMCA SpecialSunday Sept. 14th IMCA SpecialFriday Dec. 12th ISOC National SnocrossSaturday Dec. 13th ISOC National SnocrossSunday Dec 14th ISOC Regional Snocross

Regular Classes include: Modifieds, Northern Sport Mods, Mod-4's, Legends, Pure Stocks, Hornets


Unlike nitro burning Funny Cars and Top

Fuel dragsters, Pro Stock cars are normally

aspirated; no superchargers on these race

cars. Duel 4 barrel carburetors sit on high rise tunnel

ram manifolds; that’s why a “dog house” style scoop is

on the hood. The NHRA maximum displacement is 500

cubic inches. The V8 engines use a single camshaft. A

ready to race Pro Stock engine carries a price tag in the

quarter of a million dollars neighborhood. The racing

fuel in the gas tank has an octane rating of 118 and is

delivered at the rate of more than 7 gallons a minute.

With the driver behind the wheel, the cars have in min-

imum weight of 2,350 pounds. The engines develop

1,200 to 1,300 horsepower. Historically, Pro Stock has

consistently produced tightly grouped qualifying fields

with the first and number 16 qualifiers separated by as

little as .05 of a second. It makes for some great door

handle to door handle drag racing


The first NHRA national event to featurePro Stock as a professional category was the1970 Winternationals at the legendaryPomona race track. Bill “Grumpy” Jenkinsturned on the win light with Ronnie Sox pi-loting the Sox & Martin car in the oppositelane. Bill made it 2 in a row when he wonthe Gatornationals in Florida. From 1965to 1975 The Grump had 13 wins. He wasknown as The Father of Pro Stock for themany design innovations he brought to thesport. I enjoyed seeing a Grumpy’s ToyCamero race the Sox & Matin Mopar at aConnecticut Dragway match race in themid 1960’s. Years later at an event at theWally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museumat the Fairplex in Pomona, Bill and Ronnieautographed photos I had taken at the Con-

necticut track. Jenkins Competition en-gines have been the power plant of choicefor a lot of racers. Seeing Grumpy wearinghis standard floppy hat and taking notes atthe starting line was a frequent sight atNHRA races for years.

In 1974 Bob Glidden won his first NHRAPro Stock championship. He did it again in1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1987,1988 and 1989 for a record setting 10 titles.His first win was at the 1973 U. S. Nation-als. The following year featured 3 wins andhe reset the national elapsed time and speedrecords. Bob finished the 1978 season with7 consecutive victories. His 1979 seasonhad 9 consecutive national event wins. TheLee Shepherd driven David Rehr & BuddyMorrison prepared entry clinched titlesfrom 1981 through 1984. Glidden’s domi-nation of the category continued withchampionships from 1985 to 1989. In 1987he was the number 1 qualifier at all 14 na-

Written by Tom Edwards


tional events. His final win light was turnedon at the 1995 Mopar Parts Nationals.When the NHRA compiled a list of the top50 drivers during their golden anniversaryseason in 2001, Bob Glidden was in thenumber 4 spot.

With 6 championships and 97 wins WarrenJohnson, The Professor of Pro Stock, is oneof the most successful racers in motor

sports history. Warren’s first quarter milewin was at his home state with a 1963 winat Minnesota Dragway. At the nationalevent level, his first win came at the 1982Summernationals in Englishtown, New Jer-sey. He earned his first NHRA title in 1992with 8 wins in 9 final round appearances.1993 was a second consecutive champi-onship with additional number 1 seasonfinishes in 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2001. Hesaw final round win lights at the biggestdrag race of the year, the U.S. Nations inIndy for an amazing 4 year run; winning allof them from 1992 to 1995. The 1999championship season showed his domi-nance of the Pro Stock field; he had the topspeed at every race that year. On April 26,1997 he broke the Pro Stock 200 MPH bar-

rier with a 200.13 run in Richmond, Vir-ginia. He is number 7 on the NHRA list ofthe top 50 drivers of all time. At the start ofthe 2014 season, he is number 1 in victo-ries, final rounds, top speeds and lowelapsed times. Keeping record setting per-formances in the family, Warren’s son Kurtwas the first factory hot rod racer with a 6second run. During qualifying at the 1994race in Englishtown, New Jersey Kurt had a6.98 second blast that earned him a placein the record book. With 3 wins in 7 finals,he was the 1993 Rookie of the Year, finish-ing second to Warren in the championshipchase.

Jeg Coughlin, Jr. has an impressive list ofon-track accomplishments with wins in anumber of drag racing classes. His 5 NHRA

Pro Stock championships are second onlyto Bob Glidden and Warren Johnson in thesports history. The 1998 Rookie of the Yearwon his first title in 2000 with 10 wins in14 final rounds. 2002 was another champi-onship season; it featured 8 wins in 12 fi-nals. The following year was his 7thconsecutive top 5 finish. The 2004 Indyrace kept Jeg on the move. He competed inPro Stock and won the Super Stock HemiChallenge. In 2006 after a year away fromfactory hot rod competition, Jeg returnedand it didn’t take him long to find his cham-pionship level of racing; he was the 2007champ, his third Pro Stock title. He made it2 in a row the next year. 2009 was a 7 winseason with one of those coming at Indy, his3rd win at The Big Go. He earned his fifthchampionship in 2013 and entered the2014 season with 57 Pro Stock wins.

Greg Anderson has won 4 NHRA Pro Stockchampionships with titles in the 2003,2004, 2005 and 2010 seasons. His first na-

tional event win came in 2001 at the Bristol,Tennessee race; his first number 1 qualify-ing effort was at the Atlanta race. The fol-lowing season he became a full-time racerand it was an impressive pro debut with 2wins. The 2003 campaign was the first of 3consecutive championships. Greg had 12wins, set 19 track records and was the num-ber 1 qualifier at 14 races. In 2004, thingsgot better for the popular racer. That cham-pionship season saw him earn 15 wins, 16number 1 qualifying efforts, 76 round wins,reach 19 finals and win his third U.S. Na-tionals trophy. 2005 brought another titlewith 8 wins in 11 final rounds. That 3 yearrun of 35 wins is one of the most impres-sive in motor sports history. His 2006 sea-son was a 5th consecutive top 3 finish with4 wins in 7 finals and 11 number 1 qualify-


ing spots. For the 2007, 2008 and 2009 sea-sons Greg had, say it with me, top 3 fin-ishes. His 4th title was earned during the2010 season; that’s 4 championships in 8years.

In 2005 Erica Enders Stevens became thefirst woman to compete in Pro Stock sincethe 1993 season. The following year at therace in Topeka, Kansas she was the first toearn a number 1 qualifying position andwent to the final round at the Gatornation-

als in Florida. Erica and her team earned aplace in the record book on July 2, 2012when she became the first woman to win inPro Stock at a national event, the Route 66

race in Joliet, Illinois. Greg Anderson wasin the other lane for that historic run. Shefinished in 4th place for the year. Also thatyear my wife and I saw Erica qualify num-ber 1 and win the race at Brainerd, Min-nesota. In 2014 she won the first of 2 racesheld at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speed-way and followed that up with a Springna-tionals win in Baytown, Texas. That victorywas win number 99 for the ladies in NHRA

professional categories.

Along with Erica, next generation Pro Stockracers Jason Line, with 32 wins, Dave Con-nelly who has served as Erica’s crew chiefand has 23 wins as a driver, Vincent No-bile’s 8 victories and a 2013 top 10 finishand Shane Gray with 3 wins shows the fac-tory hot rod class has a lot of talented driv-ers ready to make their mark.

H ello Wheels of Thunder Fans! Happy sum-mer to you! GameON! TV is hoping you areenjoying our summer weather now that the

sun is shining and we're all outdoors. This issue ofWheels of Thunder is great, as always, featuring uniquestories, pictures and sponsor information that under-scores the excitement around motorsports! GameON!TV continues to grow & reach so many of you with oursports programming. We broadcast in the Twin Cities onFOX's MY29 and in the Dakota’s and western Minnesotavia MidCo Sports Network. GameON! loves sports, fromthe variety of professional, college & high school sportsto all the outdoor events that dot our regional landscape.GameON’s partnership with Wheels of Thunder is strongand just like you, we also enjoy the most comprehensiverace magazine and website to be found! Wheels ofThunder magazine gets it and gets you the latest infor-mation, amazing pictures and all those terrific stories tothe most passionate motorsports fans in the country!

GameON! does what no other TV sports interview showdoes. We offer the region a diverse and entertaining halfhour of TV as we bring you the most visible and popu-lar Minnesota sports figures. From the Minnesota Twinsto the NFL Vikings, the NBA Timberwolves to the NHLWild, we also visit with the Lacrosse Swarm and SoccerUnited FC. There’s NASCAR and we’re on top of your fa-vorite drivers too. Each and every week GameON! comesto you in crystal clear full High Definition and our firstAPP (it’s free to for Apple & Android phones) is availablefor your use! GameON! TV is now offering a weeklyPODCAST available @ our show website www.Game-OnTvMN.com. It’s full of bits and pieces of sports fromthe region and what’s ahead on our weekly TV show.

This show is interactive so we’d love to hear from you!Please visit our Facebook site (friend us @ GameON onfacebook), our website @ www.gameontvmn.com and24/7on twitter #gameontvmn. We'll soon announce anew home base for GameON! show tapings and each

week, we'll continue to list guests and updates on theGameON! website as well as our Facebook site. Get up-close and personal with us!!

Furthermore, GameON! Host Rod Simons has baseballon his work schedule as each and every Sunday he’sjoined by 4-time World Series & Twins pitching greatJack Morris for This Is Twins Territory @ 10AM on theradio home for your Minnesota Twins @ KTWIN 96.3.So, please join us for all that sports offers us here in ourgreat neck of the woods, via Wheels of Thunder,GameON! and KTWIN radio! And get your Vikings fixwith our partner in one of the largest Vikings fan web-sites in the world, www.PurplePride.org. Hey Wheelies,it’s time to get off the couch and get your GameON! Bea part of the exciting effort we're putting on! Here’s tothe summer that’s here!

Keep your GameON!


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Date post:	01-Apr-2016
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Wheels Of Thunder July 2014

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