Smith Sizzles at Scorcher 100

AMSOIL Late Model driver Brady Smith continued his consistent "Month of Money" during the 4th Annual 'Scorcher 100' at the Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tennessee on August 22-23. Following top-six finishes in both the 'North/South 100' and the 'Topless 100,' Smith turned in an impressive fourth place effort in the $20,000 to win 'Scorcher 100'.

Smith set the fast time for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series event on Wednesday, August 22, as he toured the 4/10-mile, high-banked oval in a mere 12.400 seconds. He then finished a strong second to car builder Scott Bloomquist in his heat race to earn a coveted starting spot in the 100-lap A-Main.

When the action resumed at the eastern Tennessee oval on Thursday, Smith rolled off from the inside of the fourth row. The Solon Springs, Wis.~native sported a strong car throughout the main event and was able to improve his AMSOIL entry three spots to earn a fourth place finish.

Smith will be at the Fox Ridge Speedway in Arcadia, Wis. on Thursday night and Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. on Friday night. Both events are WDRL sanctioned events. AMSOIL is the Official Oil of the WDRL.

Until then, we'll see you at the races,

Jeremy Meyer

AMSOIL Race Program Manager

Windham Stellar at Steel City

Team AMSOIL rider Kevin Windham continued his second half surge on the AMA Outdoor Nationals last weekend at the Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Penn. With near-perfect track conditions, K-Dub made a strong push for his first overall win of the year.

In the first moto, Windham took on a pair of riders, Grant Langston and Mike Alessi for most of the race. The trio broke away from the pack early and excited the Steel City crowd, swapping positions and even a little paint before the checkered flag flew. While battling Langston for second, Windham almost came unglued. Langston hit a slippery spot coming off a jump in the rhythm section and made contact with Windham's Honda CRF 450. K-Dub was knocked off the track and visibly angry with Langston. The two hopped back on the track with Langston in second behind Alessi. Windham finished in third and confronted Langston immediately after the race.

The trio squared off again in the second moto. The back-and-forth racing was even more heated through out the race. Windham grabbed the early lead and was in control for most of the circuit. A bobble put Alessi in third and left the final battle for the finish line up to Windham and Langston. With a chance at the overall, Windham couldn't hold off the hard-charging Suzuki rider in the final laps. K-Dub finished second behind Langston, who took home the overall. Windham finished the day third overall and is fifth in the season point's race.

In the Lites class, Team AMSOIL trotted out Josh Grant, Jake Weimer and rookie Trey Canard to battle in the competitive class. Grant had the best chance of unseating the Pro Circuit Kawasaki regime for a podium spot, riding in fourth for much of the first moto before finishing fifth. Grant's strong ride was made all the more impressive after he had dislocated two fingers during the morning practice. Weimer made the top ten with a ninth and Canard finished 16th.

The second moto saw a reversal of fortunes for the AMSOIL riders. It was Canard who picked up the pace. The Oklahoma-native, who was competing in only his second pro race, rode in the top ten for much of the race and was able to pick up a fifth place finish for tenth overall. Grant dropped back after a slow start and finished ninth for a sixth overall. Weimer held steady with a tenth in moto 2 for ninth overall. For the season, Grant has a stranglehold on third place in the overall standings and with two race remaining on the schedule should keep that position. Weimer is three spots behind in sixth.

The SoBe/Samsung/AMSOIL team will be riding this weekend at the Freestone County Raceway in Wortham, Texas for the 11th round of the AMA Outdoor Nationals. AMSOIL is the exclusive "Official Oil" of the AMA Outdoor Nationals.

Until then, we'll see you at the races,

Jeremy Meyer

AMSOIL Race Program Manager

Teague Wins Third in a Row

The Amsoil Offshore Racing team competed in Orange Beach, Alabama last weekend for the Thunder on the Gulf, which is part of Offshore Super Series national circuit. Throttleman Bob Teague (Valencia, CA) and driver Paul Whittier (Yarrow Point, WA) raced in the main event of the Sunday schedule. The showcase included the ten best Cat Lite teams in the nation which raced for six laps – a reduced lap count from the originally scheduled ten due to exceedingly rough water conditions. Seas during the race were consistently five to six feet with an occasional eight foot hole.

After avoiding a collision in the first turn between Reliable #40 and Let’s Play #142, Team Amsoil emerged in 7th place. They began to move through the fleet and were running in 3rd place by the end of the second lap and then in 2nd place by the third lap. The race was led from the third lap to finish by the battling 368 Skater race boats, Team Amsoil and Motley Crew #00. Amsoil took the lead at turn #1 of the final lap and continued to dominate, winning the race. The conditions made for some great racing, many near-crashes and some interesting events including the Nichol’s Live Bait Super Cat MTI, which stuffed during the 2nd race of the day and the Super Cat MTI Reliable #20 race team, which flipped during the same race.

Up next, AMSOIL will be at the POPRA/Pro Series speed trials and offshore race event in Pittsburg, Calif. on September 7-9. Then, they are on to the OSS National Championships to be held at Lake of the Ozarks, MO on September 29-30.

Until then, we'll see you at the races,

Jeremy Meyer

AMSOIL Race Program Manager

Rinker Captures First Victory of 2007 In Kentucky

Grand Prix Series Champion Terry Rinker came home with his first victory of the season. Rinker closed to within 91 points of the points lead after winning the 50-lap feature at the Gallatin County’s “Thunder On The River” just outside Cincinnati, Ohio on the Ohio River.

“We made some important changes this morning and it really paid off for us today as we pushed hard from out of 6th starting position to win,” said Rinker. “We want to dedicate this victory to our friend Wyatt Nelson who was injured yesterday in a heat race and feel we finally have the momentum and confidence back that we need in order to push for our third straight championship at season’s end.”

Randy Rinker drove the second AMSOIL-sponsored boat well until he took out both turn-four buoys on the 22nd lap. He eventually finished 7th.

The 5th Round of the 2007 F1-ChampBoat Grand Prix Series will take place in Windsor, Colo. on Labor Day Weekend with the main featured event on Labor Day Monday as the series returns to the north central part of the state for the first time since 2005. Four drivers are within 91 points of each other, making 2007 something special with the champion probably not being decided until the final race in Savannah, Georgia in early November. Thanks to http://www.champboatracing.com/ for the update.

Unofficial Results

Smith Second at North/South 100

The AMSOIL/Brady Smith Racing team trekked south over the weekend to compete in the 25th Annual 'North/South 100' at the Florence Speedway in Union, Kentucky. With 86 of the best Dirt Late Model drivers in the country in attendance for the premier event, Brady Smith timed his AMSOIL late model 13th quickest in qualifying on Friday, August 10. The Solon Springs, Wis. native then won his heat race on Saturday night to earn the pole position for the $50,000 to win A-Main.

Smith ran up front throughout the 100-lap feature event and even led a couple of laps early. After falling back to as far as fourth late in the race, Smith charged back by car builder Scott Bloomquist and Chub Frank to earn an impressive runner-up performance to winner Jimmy Owens.

“I was very pleased with the performance of our AMSOIL / Big Red Motorsports sponsored car at Florence over the weekend,” exclaimed Smith. “The car was strong all weekend, but we just didn’t quite have enough there at the end of the race to get by Owens for the win. It feels good to run up front in another Crown Jewel event and hopefully we can do that again at Batesville this coming weekend!”

Smith and his #2 team will travel to the Batesville Speedway in Locust Grove, Arkansas this weekend for another one of Dirt Late Model’s Crown Jewel events. The annual ‘Comp Cams Topless 100’ is on tap at the Batesville area venue this weekend and a $46,000 top prize is up for grabs. Qualifying and heat race action will take place on Friday, August 17, while the consolation events and the 100-lap A-Main are slated for Saturday night.

Until then, we'll see you at the races,

Jeremy Meyer

AMSOIL Race Program Manager

Douglas Wins, Oberg Closes Points Gap

The World Series of Off Road Racing returned for a special three-day race weekend in Bark River, Mich. last weekend and the AMSOIL Super Team was ready to rake in the hardware.

On Friday night, the WSORR held a make-up round for an event that was postponed in June. In the highly contested Pro 4x4 class, Scott Douglas powered his Ford F-150 to an early lead on the first lap. He was followed by Johnny Greaves and the top two drivers pushed each other for the entire race. Greaves was able to keep the lead position when the checkered flag fell, but Douglas came across in second.

On Saturday, Douglas wasted no time in getting back on the winning track. Douglas pulled the holeshot and lead wire-to-wire and cruised home for the win, his second win in the WSORR this season and he is the only driver to beat Greaves in a WSORR race this year.

On Sunday, Douglas again pushed his F-150 out front and battled with the top drivers in the third position for much of the circuit. On lap nine, however, Douglas ran into problems after breaking a left front wheel. He was able to scrap together a fourth place finish and for the season, Douglas sits fourth overall and less than 25 points from the top spot.

In Pro 2wd action, AMSOIL driver Mike Oberg was looking for wins and a return to the top of the overall standings. On Friday night, the AMSOIL driver took over the lead on the second lap and ran out front for much of the race. He would have a battle on his hands as he would duel for the lead for the remaining five laps. A see-saw battle erupted and Oberg just missed bringing his AMSOIL/Kumho truck across the finish line first. His second gave him his fifth podium in the WSORR Pro 2wd class this year.

On Saturday, Oberg was looking for his sixth podium and he would have a fight on his hands trying to get there. Oberg had to push through traffic to find a top finishing spot, and was able to do so on lap six when he made it around Kevin Probst. Now riding in third, Oberg and the top two trucks ran uncontested for the final four laps.

Oberg had regained his points lead heading into Sunday and would need to keep Scott Taylor be close to retain it. Oberg was running well early in the race, but a truck stalled in front of him in the dusty conditions and kicked Oberg back. The Eagle River, Wis.~native made his way up to fourth by the time the checkered flag dropped. Taylor, however, had already taken the win and now leads Oberg by one point heading into Crandon.

Other AMSOIL drivers fared well at Bark River. Dan Baudoux had a great "rebound" weekend, winning on Saturday and Sunday and finishing fourth on Friday in the Super Stock Truck class. Dave Waldvogel also fared well in the Super Stock Truck class, finishing with three podiums, (third, second and third). Waldvogel now sits just eight points out of first place.

In the Pro Light Pickup class, Dan Vanden Heuvel, Jr. recorded his best finish of his young racing career with a third place on Sunday. Junior now sits eighth in points in the Pro Light Pickup class. His brother Mike Vanden Heuvel also ran well at Bark River, finishing third on Saturday and winning the 1600 Light Buggy race on Sunday.

The WSORR will be racing at the "Big House" on Labor Day weekend. Douglas, Oberg and Dan Vanden Heuvel, Sr. will be at Crandon, Wis. for rounds 10 and 11.

Until then, we'll see you at the races.

Jeremy Meyer
AMSOIL Race Program Manager

Canard, Windham Grab Early Leads at Millville

A little of the old and a little of the new were on stage for the SoBe/Samsung/AMSOIL team at the 10th round of the AMA Outdoor Nationals this past weekend.

Veteran Kevin Windham had a strong showing in the first moto for the senior Motocross class. The Mississippi-native pushed his Honda CRF450 to the front in the first turn, grabbing the holeshot over Ricky Carmichael. (Millville marked the final motocross races for Carmichael who will be racing stock cars this fall). K-Dub held the lead for the first lap before Carmichael took over the lead. Windham battled with a trio of riders before settling into fifth, his final finishing position. In Moto 2, Windham didn't start as well and was pushed to the back of the pack. A restart after a crash by David Vuillemin brought out the red flag. During the re-staging period, Windham's mechanic work tirelessly to replace a bad chain. While the repairs were made in time, the new chain didn't hold up during the restart and Windham was forced from the race after the first lap. Windham sits seventh in the AMA Motocross standing with two races remaining.

As for the new, that belonged to rookie Lites rider Trey Canard. The Oklahoma Kid was making his pro debut at Millville and didn't disappoint his supporters. Canard ran well in the first moto, running as high as sixth before he fell in the tricky sand section, landing on a rock and deeply bruising his shoulder. Canard regrouped in time for the second moto and, despite the obvious pain, became the second AMSOIL rider to grab a holeshot off the start. While he ran as high as second, he finally settled into fourth and ran, uncontested for much of the race, in that position. Lites teammate Josh Grant also rode well at Millville, running as high as second in the first moto before finishing sixth. Grant, who started near the back of the pack in the second moto, rebounded for a tenth and a seventh overall. Jake Weimer also ran well, finishing tenth in the first moto and sixth in the second. The second-year rider finished sixth overall for the weekend. Grant is still third overall in Lites class and Weimer is sixth.

Overall Results

The AMA Outdoor Nationals, in which AMSOIL is the exclusive Official Oil, will return to action on Labor Day weekend at Steel City.

Until then, we'll see you at the races,

Jeremy Meyer
AMSOIL Race Program Manager

Smith Busy In Home State

Brady Smith and his AMSOIL late model team enjoyed a busy extended weekend in their home state of Wisconsin from August 1-4. The Superior Speedway in Superior, Wis. kicked things off last Wednesday night, August 1 with a WDRL Series show. Smith ran third in his heat race, which earned him the outside seventh row starting spot for the feature event. Early in the 50-lapper, the Solon Springs, Wis. native was involved in an incident that unfortunately broke his tie-rod. He wound up 25th in the final rundown.

The action then turned to the Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. o Thursday, August 2. Smith ran second in his heat race, seventh in the dash, and a solid fifth in the $5,000 to win WDRL Series main event. The annual running of the ‘USA Nationals’ then took place at CLS over the weekend. Smith finished second in his heat race on Friday evening before starting tenth in the $50,000 to win A-Main on Saturday, August 4. During the course of the 100-lap race on Saturday, Smith ran as high as fourth before he was forced to pull off of the race course due to mechanical issues. He wound up being paid for 14th.

“We had a good car all three races, but just didn’t get the opportunity to show it,” commented Smith this week. “From the broken tie-rod at Superior to the problems at Cedar Lake, we just didn’t have a lot of luck. But, we will look to regroup this week and have a strong run at Florence.”

The Brady Smith Racing team will now set their sights on the 25th Annual ‘North/South 100’ at the Florence Speedway in Union, Kentucky. The unsanctioned mega-event will be held this weekend at the King Family’s 1/2-mile, high-banked oval. Qualifying will take place on Friday evening, August 10, while heat races, consolation events, and the 100-lap, $50,000 to win A-Main are scheduled for Saturday night, August 11.

Until then, we'll see you at the races,

Jeremy Meyer
AMSOIL Race Program Manager

Jeff Dedick Takes Three Straight

Autumn Woods Racing has returned home from a successful three-event road trip.

The team first stopped in Canfield, Ohio for Family Events Inaugural Truck & Jeep Fest by 4-Wheel Parts and 4-Wheel Drive Hardware. In the timed single-pass event on a U-Shaped course over moguls the Autumn Woods Racing boys showed they have the winning edge. Jeff Dedick’s 14.15 seconds run earned the 1st place win with Adam Pautsch just one second behind earning 2nd.

On July 31, the team headed to Buffalo, N.Y. for a SCORR event. The event featured a Chicago-Style, side-by-side bracket race. Dedick again took home the win and teammate Pautsch claimed fourth.

AWR's third driver, Ricky Brantley took joined Dedick for the 4x4 Jamboree in Essex Junction, Vt. last weekend. The side-by-side racing featured a double points weekend. Dedick grabbed another win and pushed the AWR truck into first place in the series points challenge. Bratley took home a third and is just 40 points away from second overall.

The AWR team will be in Indianapolis in September.

Until then, we'll see you at the races,

Jeremy Meyer

AMSOIL Race Program Manager

Canard Sweeps Loretta's

When it mattered most, the Oklahoma Kid dug deep in the Tennessee heat to take home the sweep at the Loretta Lynn's Amateur Nationals presented by AMSOIL.

Team AMSOIL rider Trey Canard needed three wins in two classes to repeat as champion at the biggest amateur race of the year. Canard, who competed in the MX Lites A and MX Lites A/Pro Sport classes, picked up four straight wins to close out two more amateur championships at the home of the Coal Miner's Daughter.

Canard entered Thursday afternoon needing a win in the MX Lites/Pro Sport class to have a shot at the overall championship. He quickly moved into the lead and never looked back. He would go on to win the race and needed to finish ahead of Austin Stroupe in Saturday's final for the overall win. Canard again grabbed the hole shot, but a red flag pushed the field back to the start line. On the restart, Canard again grabbed the hole shot, but had to battle Stroupe for much of the race before finally putting the Kawasaki rider away in the latter third of the race. Stroupe also crashed on the final lap, handing the overall to Canard.


The MX Lites A/Pro Sport class was the second championship of the weekend for Canard. On Friday, Canard entered the final MX Lites A race in a three way tie with Stroupe and Nikko Izzi. Canard showed why he will be a pro contender on the AMA circuits as he pushed his SoBe/Samsung/AMSOIL/Honda to the win and the overall championship.


For complete reaction to Canard's wins and overall championships, go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj_sumG3gsk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN0Z1DQNbI0

Canard will join the pro ranks next weekend as he joins the SoBe/Samsung/AMSOIL team at the AMA Outdoor National in Millville, Minn.

Until then, we'll see you at the races,

Jeremy Meyer
AMSOIL Racing Coordinator

Canard In Championship Position at Loretta's

The SoBe/Samsung/AMSOIL motocross team is getting set to add another stallion to their stable of world class professional riders. The problem is their new rider has to get through the toughest week of amateur racing in his life.


The team signed 16-year-old Trey Canard to a contract this past winter. Now the young Oklahoman is less then one week away from his professional debut in Millville, Minn. Before he heads to north he still has some unfinished business at the Loretta Lynn's Amateur Nationals presented by AMSOIL.
The event pits the world's top amateur riders against one another in 33-classes. Canard, who was a perfect 6 for 6 in his two classes in 2006 is poised to repeat his double championship this year.

Canard has raced three times as of Thursday at noon. On Tuesday, he finished third in the MX Lites A/Pro Sport class. On Wednesday, he took a second place in the MX Lites A class and this morning, Cenard picked up his first win in the MX Lites A/Pro Stock class.


Canard has taken time from the near 100-degree heat in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. to tell us how his first two days of racing have gone:

http://www.amsoil.com/video/racing/index.aspx

If the rain holds off this afternoon, Canard will race his second moto in the MX Lites A class. The overall champion will be an accumulated score of all three moto's in each class. Canard will also race on Friday and Saturday.

Until then, we'll see you at the races,

Jeremy Meyer
AMSOIL Racing Coordinator

Teague Wins Second in a Row

Off Shore racing legend Bob Teague piloted the AMSOIL Cat Lite power boat to its second win of the 2007 season. Teague and driver Paul Whittier went head to head with ten of the top cat lites in the nation in St. Clair, Mich. last weekend.

Drawing a starting position in the third lane, the AMSOIL boat was in prime position to conquer the 11/5 laps on the 7.3 mile course. On the first straight a way AMSOIL led the fleet into the first turn. Coming out of the turn, AMSOIL pushed past the Motley Crew boat and pulled a few boat lengths ahead going to turn 1. AMSOIL nailed the turn and pulled further ahead of Motley Crew and from there continued to add about two seconds per lap to the lead. AMSOIL led the race from start to finish.

"The difference in our boat's performance was attributed to the AMSOIL products being used in the engines and drives," said Teague.

Teague and Whittier will be in Orange Beach, Ala. starting August 17.

Until then, we'll see you at the races,

Jeremy Meyer

AMSOIL Racing Coordinator