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Some guys just seem to have it all, they play football, baseball and run cross country in high school, they have mad racing skills, and to top it off, they have that innate quality that has the whole world cheering for them. We are taking about Troy DeCaire, at only 24 he has already amassed 20 years of racing experience. The Tampa, Florida resident made his racing debut behind the wheel of a go-kart when he was but a wee lad of four years old.
This marked the second win of the year at New Smyrna for DeCaire and the third with the TBARA this season.
DeCaire already owns over 20 championships in both karts and QMA quarter midgets. Last year he finished second in the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association (TBARA) point standings, and was co-champion in the Central Florida Wingless Sprint Car Association point standings, and this year is shaping up to be another stellar year for the young-gun racer.
DeCaire flew in from Indiana late last week, jumped into his familiar George Rudolph number 68 car and swept the night at New Smyrna Speedway, the half-mile banked oval located near Daytona International Speedway.
"It certainly feels good to be back in victory lane. This is my second win of the year at New Smyrna and my third with the TBARA. My car owner George Rudolph always brings a strong horse to New Smyrna, and tonight was no different," commented DeCaire after the race.
"You can't ever get to comfortable with these guys in the TBARA, they are tough every single event. I'd have to say it's the confidence I have in the type of racecar George Rudolph brings to the track that gives me an edge. He is spot on with everything. His level of know-how and his ability to find speed are second to none."
DeCaire hasn't only been doing well with the TBARA this season though, in fact for the past 30 days he has not finished outside of the top-10 in any race he has entered, regardless of state or sanction. DeCaire passes much of the credit for his success to his sponsors, such as K&N.
"I currently use the K&N air-box system and oil filters for my cars. K&N produces the best filters in the sport and I am very proud of the fact that they would think enough of what I'm doing to come on board as a product sponsor for 2010. Regardless of what form of racecar I get in on a weekly basis, I know I have the best filters on the market protecting my car's engine."
DeCaire says that winning is always good for momentum, but the team still has to stay after it and work hard every week to ensure that the second half of the season is every bit as successful as the start.
"As far as future plans go," says DeCaire," I'm just racing anything and everything I can get into. I plan to run the remainder of the Silver Crown schedule and sprinkle in some USAC National Sprint races as well. Other than that we are staying focused on running the best we can with the wing car every week."
Regarding the aforementioned natural popularity quality DeCaire possesses, this year he was voted the most popular Sprint Car driver in the state of Florida in a poll conducted by the USA Sprint Car website. He is currently back in Indiana, picking up a USAC Silver Crown car he will be preparing for the series' next race.
Oklahoma based NHRA Pro Stock driver Mike Edwards, had set the bar quite high for the entire field of competitors over the last season by obtaining numerous poles and event championships.
Mike Edwards and his Penhall/Interstate Batteries/K&N Pontiac GXP
After quite a streak of number one qualifiers, Edwards and his Penhall/Interstate Batteries/K&N Pontiac GXP had a little snag in their program at the NHRA event in Norwalk, Ohio when he and his team could only muster a number twelve spot.
With a week off for the first time in over a month, Edwards prepared for the beginning of the "Western Swing" and to get his team back to their familiar territory of qualifying number one.
The first event of the "Swing" would find Edwards making a 2,100 mile trip from his home in Coweta to Seattle for the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceway, in which unlike many other professional drivers, one may note that he drives the rig himself.
When the teams first took to the track for the Friday sessions, Edwards seemed to be finding his footing once again. As the Friday sessions wrapped up, he was just lagging the number one qualifier by less than two-hundredths of a second, holding down the number three spot with two more sessions on the horizon.
It was during Saturday's fist session that Edwards emerged as the pole sitter and it just took the team going back to their data of last season's Seattle event.
"Yesterday we were trying a lot of things. We stepped out of the box a little bit and tried a few things and didn't really like what we saw. So we basically went back this morning to kind of how we ran the thing here last year," he explained.
Barely edging out Johnny Gray, the only other team to make a pass into the 6.5-second range, Edwards' 6.598 effort catapulted him to number one, which earned his team the maximum number of points available during each event for the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge and the $3,000 K&N qualifying bonus money.
"We made a nice run. We barely inched out Johnny Gray. He made an awesome run, too," Edwards added.
With Edwards' current stronghold on the NHRA Championship points, he had made reference in weeks prior that when the opportunity presented itself, his team would do some testing during qualifying at events.
"The conditions were favorable to what we were wanting to do for awhile. We thought the weather was going to be better this morning, so we thought yesterday's qualifying wouldn't hold up, which it didn't. Most everybody ran a little bit quicker today. But we thought it was a good time to do it. I'm not much on doing that, but it was just the right opportunity, and I really thought it was going to work out," Edwards said following Saturday's sessions.
The Seattle event is only the second of a long list ahead for drivers pursuing one of eight available spots in the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge. The number one success for Edwards at Seattle moved him up to the number five spot and only forty points behind Allen Johnson, who currently sits at number one.
There could be lots of place swapping in the Challenge before the dust settles from the "Western Swing" with back-to-back NHRA National Event stops at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California and Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado.
In a field of the best drag racers, Biondo came out on top at JEGS US Open Bracket Championship.
On his race resume Peter Biondo already lists 36 total NHRA National Event Wins in the categories of Super Comp, Stock and Super Stock. He also keeps what he refers to as a normal schedule of bracket races each year. Last season Biondo won the overall points championship at the Five-Day Bracket Race in Bradenton, Florida, topping a race week filled with the best bracket racers in the country. He took home the $10,000 check and the points lead with that win.
It appears being up against the cream of the crop racers brings out the best in the Clarksburg, New Jersey driver, he recently added to his substantial resume by winning the 6th Annual JEGS US Open Bracket Championship at Indianapolis' O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. Biondo rolled through the 260 car hyper-talented field with his K&N powered dragster, taking home the $20,000 first place prize.
"I felt my chances were as good as anybody's going into the weekend. The previous weeks my driving was very sharp and I have been getting close to the winners circle. I could feel it. The talent at the race was basically the best of the best in bracket racing. Coming out on top was pretty special," remarked Biondo. "Thanks to K&N for keeping my air clean and my motor clear of rocks and debris."
"The K&N filter does the job both on and off the track. While, driving through the pits at Indy, I could see the sand and particles blowing around. K&N air filters gives me peace of mind that my engine is being kept clean. I really wonder why someone wouldn't run one."
This has been a great season so far for Biondo and his K&N backed racing team. "I'm hoping I can keep the ball rolling through the summer months," adds Biondo.
Malmgren Racing still managed to set the low ET, earn a top-speed track record, and win the race in Alastaro, Finland.
One of Europe's winningest drag racers ever is K&N sponsored Michael Malmgren from Sweden, and he is once again dialling up the heat. Malmgren and his team travelled to Alastaro, Finland recently for round two of FIA racing and set the low ET, earned a top-speed track record, and won the race.
They began the weekend though facing big problems - a broken fuel pump was latter discovered to be the culprit. Malmgren says he was lucky to catch it right away; the engine didn't pull right, so he clicked it into second gear, thereby avoiding any engine damage. He had to shut down again in the second round as well.
"I hit fourth gear and things still didn't feel right, and I didn't want to take a chance on burning pistons or something," commented Malmgren. "Our car behaved very strange in low gear, same problem we had first race, only worse now. Despite the problem Malmgren still managed to be the fastest car out there. In the first round off eliminations he set new track record and Low ET with 6.76 at 204.7 mph, and they remained out of reach all the way to the finals.
"We went through the whole car," explained Malmgren regarding the engine gremlin, "I called my supervisor Marcus Bowen at Cunningham Motorsport and he told me it must be in the fuel system. So we changed the complete fuel system. Turns out we had a bug in our fuel regulator, we changed it and the problem was gone, it was very easy too. I thought at first it was in our set-up of the car, but my supervisor Marcus told me different, so I believed his advice and changed the fuel supply system."
With this victory Malmgren Racing now owns the points lead outright. "Yes the entire team feels very strong and positive at this time and that is a very important factor - you can't buy that with money," says Malmgren.
Next stop on the FIA European drag racing Championship tour for Malmgren Racing is Mantorp Park, Sweden.
"We will do our very best to repeat the story from Alastaro - that's for sure. Once again many thanks to K&N for all the support, we couldn't do this without you."
NASCAR Pro Series West driver Greg Pursley was essentially born with an accelerator pedal under his right foot. He has been around racing his whole life, doing everything from working on racecars and motorcycles to being in the driver's seat, tearing up the track.
Greg Pursley says it take a great amount of commitment to do it right.
He started racing motorcycles, and then switched to automotive racing in his twenties. Greg made his debut in the K&N sponsored NASCAR Pro Series West in 1999, and has been steadily improving since. His current team started together about two years ago when Greg began talking with long-time friend and Gene Price, owner of Gene Price Motorsports in Parker Arizona, who owns the team. While there have been some crew changes along the way, the team's mentality has been unified - championship.
K&N recently had the opportunity to sit down with Greg Pursley and gain some insight into who Greg is, what his passions are, and how his team feels about their performance in the 2010 season.
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series has been a very exciting season to date.
What got you started in racing?
I've been around racing my entire life. My dad was involved in drag racing, so we were always at the track. I would help him work on the cars. I started riding motocross, then made the transition to street bikes and eventually ended up racing cars.
Is racing a family event? Do your children race?
My kids, Tyler and Taylor, ride dirtbikes. All of our family is involved at our shop in Parker, Arizona. The kids are always around, my wife, Heidi, does marketing for the shop, and I'm always there working on the cars, testing them, etc.
What made you switch from motorcycle racing to automotive racing?
I had a big wreck on a street bike during a race when I was twenty-four. I went down doing about 170 mph at Willow Springs and ended up in a wheelchair for about a month. My dad said that was it, and put me in a racecar because it was safer.
What are your career goals? How does the Pro Series fit into the grand scheme of things?
Well at 46, I don't think I'm going to be progressing into other NASCAR series. Our team definitely wants a championship here. After that, we'd like to set up this team for younger drivers to help bring them up in NASCAR and provide a solid team for them to race. I also want to keep developing our parts business out of our shop for cars and boats too.
What life challenges have you faced being a professional racer?
Definitely the time commitment to do it right. You get out what you put in, and it's a big commitment to do things right.
What have been your best and worst moments in racing?
The best moment was definitely winning the National Championship in the Super Late Model in Irwindale in 2004. I think the worst has just been the bad luck you experience sometimes. Luck is about 50% of racing. Sometimes the wrong stuff just happens at the wrong time.
Is there any meaning behind your number 26?
We won the national championship racing number 13. When we made the transition to the Pro Series West we wanted number 13, but another team had it. We tried to get 13 but we couldn't, so we decided to double it. Maybe 26 would be twice as lucky as 13?
How do you prepare for a race? Any superstitions or routines? How do you stay in "race shape"?
I don't buy into any of those superstitions. I just make sure to hydrate my body for days before a race. We have a gym in our shop and I make sure to exercise to keep in shape and eat healthy. Our family is always doing something active at the river too.
How has the 2010 race season compared to last year? How do you feel about your team's performance this year?
Luck just doesn't seem to be on our side this season. We've been in the top 5 a few times only to have something go wrong, whether that be a crash or the car breaking down on us. It's just "one of those years." We were 3rd in points last year and were hoping to match and do better than that this year, but no such luck.
What challenges have your team faced this year? What have you learned?
We have a new crew chief this year, Jerry Pitts, and we've really been working on communication. He's been doing a great job learning the ropes, and we're always working on making sure he and everyone knows what I need in the car.
What are your expectations for the rest of the season?
Hopefully we will turn around our luck at Irwindale, my home track. We're actually going to be running chassis number 13 that weekend, so maybe that will give us some luck.
What is your favorite track?
Irwindale is definitely my favorite because it's my home track. Phoenix is a close second since it's so close to our shop in Parker, AZ.
What are your thoughts about K&N being a series sponsor for the next 7 years?
I think it's great. K&N came around at just the right time and really saved the series. It will be a great partnership for recognition if NASCAR and K&N.
How have K&N filters improved the performance of your racecar? Do you use K&N products on your family's vehicles?
We have a K&N air and oil filter on our racecar and they're great. They really help the engine breathe well and keep the oil clean and flowing well. I have a K&N 57 series performance intake kit on my Ford F250 diesel, K&N filters on all our motorcycles, and my son's Ford Ranger. They're great products.
What is a normal day like for you off the track?
I'm usually at the shop from 7:30 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. We're getting our parts shop up and running, and we're always working on the racecar, dialing in the setup for the next race.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I love relaxing with my family at the river. We take the boat out and the kids love the watersports. I don't water ski much anymore but I used to a lot when I was younger.
What advice do you have for young racers seeking to enter NASCAR or just racing in general?
If you really want it, you have to commit heart and soul. Start early with someone who's been racing for a while as a mentor-apprentice relationship. That will really help. Overall though, the important thing to remember is that you get out what you put in - simple as that. You get out what you put in.
With one top 5 finish, 3 top 10 finishes, and a pole position at his home track at Irwindale in the 2010 season, lady luck hasn't completely abandoned Greg Pursley and the Gene Price Motorsports team. Greg and his team are currently sitting in 10th place by points, less than 200 points separating 10th and 1st, and with only half of the season behind them there are plenty of races left for the Gene Price Motorsports team to climb the ranks to the championship they so tenaciously want. The NASCAR Pro Series West sponsored by K&N has been a very exciting season to date and the second half is looking to be just as entertaining as the first. NASCAR fans everywhere won't want to miss the exciting finish to the 2010 season!
