Lovell Brothers Crawl Back on Top

After a setback in Albuquerque, N.M., the Lovell Racing Team regrouped and head off to the rocks of Cedar City, Utah. Three Peaks Off-road Park would be the location of choice for the second event in the 2008 WE-Rock Western Series.

As the sun warmed the rocks a record number of Pro Modified teams slowly trickled into the event site. With 25 teams ready to compete, the rocks were busy with tight lipped talk of strategy and who to watch. An adventurous excitement filled the air that can be best described as a realization that this was a return to old school rock crawling. The courses were tight, technical and consisted of awe inspiring climbs and amazing drops.

Brad and Roger Lovell got off to a quick lead on the first course with a successful run but the first day of competition would still present challenge. After watching fellow competitors struggle with the bonus line on the B1 course, the brothers decided to take the risk and go for the hard line. Brad carefully lined up the Fabtech/AMSOIL/Ford Ranger and Roger worked to place rocks in the perfect location. The Ranger bridged the enormous gap and as the nose pointed skyward Brad settled into the driver’s seat and lost his view of the rocks below. Driving by nothing but feel and the direction of Roger, Brad slowly tip-toed the Ranger through the gates. The gamble worked and Team Lovell took a commanding lead over fellow competitors. After the end of the day, the brothers found themselves with a six point lead over veteran rock star Jason Paulie.

“Brad did and incredible job, if he only knew how close he was to the edge” commented Roger.

Day two brought new challenges and the W.E. Rock courses proved to be brutal on all competitors. Brad and Roger had another near flawless day. The course that was set for the final round was the longest of the day and would push every team to the limit. The course also had two bonus lines, but every team stuck to the regular course, except for Paulie. Careful planning paid off and Brad piloted the Ranger through gate after gate until the final climb. The team knew they had to make the last climb in one shot and Roger stood back and directed Brad to the perfect line. Like a pilot on a launch pad, Brad stomped on the gas and the BF Goodrich Krawlers pushed the Fabtech Ford to the top of the rock. With a single turn to the right the two carefully crossed the finish gates and captured their second victory in the W.E. Rock Western Series. With back to back first place finishes in a four event series Lovell Racing has a commanding lead in the series.

June 14th will find the Lovell Brothers racing head to head in the Fabtech Ranger and the Dirt Logic Ranger in XRRA round three in their hometown of Colorado Springs, Colo.

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

Solid Start for Team AMSOIL at AMA Motocross Opener

With the Supercross championship over and decided, (congratulations to AMSOIL rider Trey Canard for his East Coast Lites championship), the GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL team began its chase for top honors in the AMA/Toyota Motocross Nationals at Glen Helen Raceway on Memorial Day Weekend.

With Kevin Windham sitting out the majority of the Nationals, the team is concentrating on the Lites class over the summer. However, they were without star rider Josh Grant, who suffered a concussion in practice at the series-finale Las Vegas Supercross. He'll be back soon, but Canard, Jake Weimer and Dan Reardon were all looking for first round success in San Bernardino, Calif.

Weimer was the team's top rider on Sunday. He went 7-7 in the day's two motos for sixth overall.

"It was all right," Weimer said. "I was there, and I got two decent starts, and I didn't make any major mistakes. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. I see a lot of areas where I can make improvements that should make a pretty big difference this summer.

Canard was the fastest rider on the team in practice, but after a decent start in the first moto, he was taken out and had to start the race from nearly dead last.

"I think I was ahead of two guys, so I don't think it was the worst start I could've gotten," Canard said. "I was pretty upset, because I had a decent start going, and it was just kind of a bummer to get cleaned out the way I was. I just had to forget about it and try and stay calm and make the best out of it. I put my head down and went for it. I've had some really awesome races this season, and I've had a couple of bad ones, so if they all went really well, I'd be wondering what was up."

He recovered from his extremely poor start to grab 14th in the first moto, which won him the new Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award. The new award goes to the rider who passed the most riders in any single moto on the day. According to the official tally, Canard passed 22 riders in the first moto. For moto two, Canard ran fifth for much of the race, then finished sixth and was credited with an eighth overall.

For former Aussie Supercorss and MX champ Reardon, it was his first-ever AMA National MX event, and he finished a strong 11th in the first moto, but had some bike-setup issues in the second moto and struggled a bit on his way to 23rd.

Now that the first-race jitters are gone, the AMSOIL sponsored team heads to Hangtown this coming Sunday near Sacramento, Calif. for round two of the AMA Outdoor Nationals. AMSOIL is the Exclusive Official Oil of the AMA Outdoor Nationals, which air nationally on SPEED.

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

Laursen Wins AMSOIL Opener

Three time AMSOIL Late Model Series champion Steve Laursen dominated the action in the series opener at the Superior Speedway Friday night.

The Cumberland, Wis. driver served notice on the competition that he wants to win his fourth AMSOIL Late Model Series championship. The crafty veteran easily won his ten lap heat race and used his pole position starting slot to the best advantage dominating the 35 lap feature.

While veteran Tom Nesbitt of Thunder Bay got the first jump on Laursen, a three car tangle in the first turn quickly brought action to a halt. The second restart brought a four car pile-up in turns one and two. That gave Lausen the advantage on the third restart and led from flag to flag.

Defending champion and AMSOIL driver Darrell Nelson finished 14th. Other AMSOIL Late Model sponsored drivers included A.J. Diemel (3rd), Pat Doar (10th), Joel Cryderman (15th) and Bob Richardson (25th).

The AMSOIL Late Model Series heads to Hibbing Raceway (Minn.) on Tuesday, June 10 for the second race of the season. The AMSOIL Late Model Series is sponsored by Fox 21, B105, The Fan 560, Tom Clusiau's Motors, The Shack Liquor Store, Highway 210 Auto Parts, Scott Didrickson Construction, Ashland Ford Chrysler, Duluth Lawn and Sport, Superior Beverage and Short Stop gas stations.

See overall results

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

CORR on NBC, AMSOIL Late Model Series Begins

CORR on NBC

It will be a high exposure weekend for AMSOIL this weekend as the racing efforts go to network television on Sunday.

Championship Off Road Racing returns to NBC this weekend as it airs the second round of racing from Pomona, Calif. The Pomona race will feature the Pro 2 and Pro 4 class from the short course, off-road racing series. AMSOIL is the Official Oil of CORR and title sponsor of the AMSOIL/Kumho Tires Super Team of Scott Douglas and Mike Oberg.

AMSOIL will unveil its first nationally network televised commercial on Sunday featuring Indy 500 legend Bobby Unser and his reliance on AMSOIL products throughout his racing career. SPEED will also air round three from Primm, Nevada this Saturday. For complete television times and race information, go to AMSOIL CORR.

AMSOIL Late Model Series Starts Friday

AMSOIL is proud to announce the return of the ninth annual AMSOIL Late Model Series tonight. The series kicks off at the Superior Speedway with hot laps starting at 6:30.

Team AMSOIL driver Darrell Nelson won the AMSOIL Late Model Series in 2007. With the Superior Speedway returning to the WISSOTA/AMSOIL Dirt Track Series, the AMSOIL Late Model series will run under WISSOTA rules. AMSOIL is the title sponsor and Official Oil of WISSOTA and the AMSOIL Dirt Track Series.

AMSOIL would like to thank the sponsors of this race; FOX 21, B*105, The Shack Liquor Store, Scott Didrikson Construction, FOX 21, B*105, and the FAN.

AMA Outdoor Nationals Set for Opener

AMA Supercross East Coast Lites champion Trey Canard will tackle the AMA Outdoor Nationals this weekend as the motocross series opener will be held at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif.

The Geico Motorsports/AMSOIL Lites team featuring Canard, Josh Grant, Jake Weimer and Dan Reardon will look for a win in the season opener. (Kevin Windham will be running a limited outdoor schedule in 2008). The AMA Outdoor Nationals (motocross) season starts May 25 at Glen Helen Raceway. AMSOIL is also the Exclusive Official Oil of the AMA Outdoor Nationals, which will air on SPEED this summer.

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

Smith Successful on Weekend Trip

The AMSOIL Brady Smith Racing team trekked south to Iowa and Illinois last weekend for a pair of high-profile Dirt Late Model events and came away with some impressive results.

Their weekend kicked off on Friday night at the Farley Speedway in Farley, Iowa. A $10,000 top prize was up for grabs in the 'Banner Valley Hauling 50.' Smith ran third in his heat race and started the 50-lap main event from the outside of the fifth row. Smith had a great run during the A-Main, as he passed four cars en route to a sixth place finish.

The dirt-slinging action quickly turned to the LaSalle Speedway in LaSalle, Ill. on Saturday for another $10,000 to win show. Smith won his heat race, which earned him a coveted starting spot up front in the 50-lap 'Spring Shootout.' The Solon Springs, Wis. native led on two different occasions during the A-Main at the 1/4-mile bullring before settling for an impressive runner-up effort to winner Tim McCreadie.

Smith will take place in the Show-Me 100 at the West Plains Motor Speedway in West Plains, Mo. on Friday and Saturday night. The two-day event showcases a $42,000 to win payday. Smith will also be at the Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill. on Sunday for the Fed-Ex 50.

Just a reminder that the AMSOIL Late Model Series will kick off its ninth year of racing this Friday night in Superior, Wis. The six-race series brings in $17,000 to win and returning champions Darrell Nelson and Pat Doar will be on hand Friday night.

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

Douglas Leads AMSOIL Charge In Primm

AMSOIL race fans experienced the highs and lows of racing this past weekend, (and sometimes in the same race), as Championship Off Road Racing took its turns at rounds three and four in Primm, Nevada.

The highs were aplenty for the AMSOIL sponsored teams. Scott Douglas qualified second in his AMSOIL/Kumho Tires Pro 4 for Saturday's race. Douglas quickly moved from his inverted starting spot of seventh and into the lead. Douglas picked up six points for leading at the half way mark of the 18 lap affair. After the mandatory-yellow bunched the field back up, Douglas was still leading the field when Johnny Greaves banged his front bumper into the left rear wheel of Douglas' AMSOIL/Ford. From there, Douglas battled to keep the truck out front, but a broken spindle and an eventual broken drive shaft pushed the AMSOIL #7 off the track. Douglas was credited with ninth.

On Sunday, Douglas was clearly the fastest truck on the track. He qualified the AMSOIL Ford F-150 in the top spot as the only truck to break the 55-second mark. Again getting caught up in the inversion, Douglas started in the fourth row, but quickly moved into fourth. There he battled Carl Renezeder for the first seven laps before finally taking over the third spot. Douglas didn't relinquish his podium position, desptie a broken rear axle and finished third for the third time this season. Unofficially, Douglas sits second overall in the points chase behind Rick Hussman.

In Pro 2, the AMSOIL/Kumho Tire Super Team found a renewed Mike Oberg pushing the top drivers in CORR around. Running the second fastest practice lap on Friday showed that changes made to his Pro 2 Chevy after the first two rounds could pay off in Primm. Saturday's race saw Oberg move through the field from his 15th starting spot and into the the top seven after just a few races. Dust control caused havoc on all of the racers, but non more so than Oberg. Through the sandstorm, Oberg headed towards turn three when another driver spun out in front of him, causing Oberg to slam into the other truck and taking the #80 AMSOIL truck out of the race.

Oberg was looking to improve his position on Sunday and threw down the third fastest qualifying time of the day. Oberg started in the third row after the inversion and came out of turn one in third. The battle was on as Oberg jumped between third and fourth for the next few laps. On lap six, the bad luck continued for Oberg after a flying rock sliced the oil pump belt, causing Oberg to pull of the track and ending his day.

AMSOIL did pick up a trio of podiums from Ricky Johnson and Jeremy McGrath in the Pro 2 class. Johnson overcame a spin-out early in Saturday's race and raced from 21st to the win for his first victory of the year. McGrath picked up two podiums this weekend, a second on Saturday and a third on Sunday.

CORR will air its first NBC telecast of the season this Sunday. The show will air starting at 12:30 p.m. EST. SPEED will also air round three from Primm this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. EST. AMSOIL Dealers, don't forget about the AMSOIL CORR Party Program where you have the opportunity to win a free trip to the final CORR weekend of the year in December.

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

CORR Returns to Primm, Nevada

AMSOIL/Kumho Tire Super Team drivers Scott Douglas and Mike Oberg will be looking for their first wins of the year as Championship Off Road Racing returns to Primm, Nev. for rounds three and four of the 16-race series.

CORR features the top drivers in short-course, off-road truck racing. The first round was held April 26-27 in Pomona, Calif. Douglas scored a pair of podium finishes and is tied for third in the Pro 4 class. Oberg, who struggled in qualifying, missed the top ten but sits 13th overall in Pro 2.

Pro Lite driver Chad Hord leads the class in points after picking up a win and a third in Pomona. Ricky Johnson, racing out of the Barlow Motorsports/Red Bull camp, also picked up a second place finish in Pomona and is seventh overall in Pro 2. Steve Barlow finished tenth and fourth and is fifth overall in Pro 4. Baldwin Motorsports drivers Josh Baldwin and Jeremy McGrath finished in the top ten with Baldwin sitting seventh overall and McGrath tied for fifth.

The gates open in Primm (45 minutes south of Las Vegas) at 9:00 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Opening ceremonies will take place at 1:30 p.m. both days. Saturday's race will air on May 24 on SPEED. Sunday's race will air on June 15 on NBC. NBC will also air Round 2 from Pomona on Sunday, May 25. For more on the television schedule go to AMSOIL CORR or http://www.amsoil.com/.

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

Lovell Brothers on Totally Off Road Radio

The AMSOIL Rock Racing tandem of Brad and Roger Lovell will be hitting the airwaves on Wednesday night as special guest on Totally Off Road Radio.

TORR is a live radio broadcast out of Carlsbad, Calif. and features the top names in off-road racing. The Lovell's are winners of two events this season and will be talking about their two-truck effort in 2008 in both the XRRA and We-Rock.

TORR airs from 6 to 8 p.m. on AM 1000 in San Diego, or you can LISTEN LIVE online.

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

TailGator Sweeps Outlaw Nationals

Doug Noelke piloted the AMSOIL sponsored TailGator monster truck to a victory on both nights of the Outlaw National’s Motor Spectacular held at the Miami Fairgrounds in Miami,Okla. this past weekend.

Noelke defeated eight top monster trucks in the country, including Iron Outlaw, Bounty Hunter, Barbarian, War Wagon, Big Dawg, Ballistic and Brute Force, to sweep the weekend racing bracket. It was an AMSOIL sponsored final on Saturday night as Big Dawg and TailGator squared off. Dale Gerding looked to give Noelke a run for his money off the starting line, but the Big Dawg lost power over the first set of cars, giving Noelke an easy win. The Dawg was fixed and returned for the wheelie contest and freestyle. Big Dawg and TailGator travel to Lima,Ohio this weekend for the 4-Wheel Drive Jamboree Nationals at Allen County Fairgrounds.

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

Windham Rounds Out Season On Podium

The final round of the 2008 AMA Supercross championship marked the debut of the Factory Connection team’s new title sponsor, GEICO Powersports. The finale also held championship implications for the team, as 450cc rider Kevin Windham hoped to overtake his championship rival Chad Reed in the final tally with a last-race push.

K-Dub entered the weekend on a hot streak after winning in Seattle. He was only ten points down heading into Las Vegas and the night started out well for Windham, as he beat Reed in their heat race.

“I was on cloud nine,” Windham said. “I had a weak practice, and I was a little concerned, and to be able to achieve that in the heat was a good feeling."

Windham started near the front in the main event before passing Davi Millsaps for the lead. However, Reed found his way into second before too long, and soon Windham was under pressure.

“I had a couple times when I lost it and I was lucky I kept it on two wheels,” Windham said. “And on the jump-on, jump-off right before the finish line, my rear wheel slid out of the rut, I lost all my drive, and I doinked my front end going up to the finish line, so there were a couple of those mistakes that really helped Chad close the gap, and once he got by me, it was tough. It’s been a great season, and I’ve got to look at that, but in this moment, it’s pretty bad.”

Windham finished second on the evening and in the championship, and he is the only rider this year that finished inside the top five at every race. The final tally was four wins and eight additional podium finishes.

Lites East/West Shootout

Eastern Regional Lites Supercross champion Trey Canard got to debut the number-one plate inside Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas for his first-ever Lites East/West Shootout, where the top 20 riders from both coasts merge for one final winner-take-all race.

Canard started and finished in third behind Ryan Dungey and Ryan Villopoto. Teammate Dan Reardon, also a rookie in Supercross this year, finished fourth.

“Going into it, I had heard it was a gnarly race, and it was good to go up against those guys,” Canard said. “It was a fun race. I got kind of smoked, but that’s okay, I’m safe and ready to go for the outdoors. I’m not going to worry about it too much.”

Canard, Reardon, Josh Grant and Jake Weimer will now head outdoors for the summer AMA Outdoor Nationals motocross series. Windham will only be participating in selected Outdoor events in 2008. AMSOIL is proud sponsor of the AMA MX series which starts on May 25 at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif.

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

See SPEED TV's interview with AMSOIL champion Trey Canard

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Doug Noelke Wins Monster Nationals

Doug Noelke, owner and driver for Big Dawg and TailGator, dominated racing brackets all year long on the Monster Nationals Tour.

The long time AMSOIL sponsored driver clinched the series championship in Erie, Pa.on April 29. Noelke won both races in Erie, giving him the championship win with one weekend left on the tour.

Noelke will drive both trucks at the MAP Outlaw Nationals at the Miami Fairgrounds in Miami, Ok. on Friday and Saturday.

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

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Sudden Impact Racing Wins Coast to Coast

The Sudden Impact Racing team was at it again this past weekend, with four trucks split evenly between Phoenix, Ariz. and Woodstock, Ga. Sean Duhon in the AMSOIL T-Maxx and Kevin King in the AMSOIL Sudden Impact took to the drag strip at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix for the 10^th Annual Tire Pros Monster Truck Nationals, while Jon Zimmer in the AMSOIL T-Maxx 2 and John Killinger in the AMSOIL Sudden Impact 2 ripped up the Dixie Speedway track in Woodstock. Both pairs of trucks held their own and left a lasting impression on the fans in both places, further proving that the SIR team is on track for one of their most successful years yet.

In Phoenix, Duhon and King had their work cut out for them, as they squared off in multiple exhibition and freestyle competitions against a stacked field of powerhouse trucks and drivers. King piloted the Sudden Impact truck into a three-way tie for first place in the night’s grueling Freestyle competition, which featured the trucks performing wheelies, donuts, and grabbing big air off of various obstacles. Sunday’s event would feature much of the same, as the SIR trucks again threw down the gauntlet on the confines of the Firebird Raceway drag strip.

On the other side of the country, the potent J&J combo of Jon Zimmer and John Killinger took on a slew of big names as well on a long and fast straight-line racing track and a treacherous freestyle track. Although the two AMSOIL/SuperWraps backed entries exited earlier than they would have liked in racing both nights, the duo confirmed that SIR trucks and drivers know how to make it up to their fans during freestyle. Zimmer put on a solid freestyle run on Saturday night, operating only in two-wheel drive, which made his tough job even tougher. Killinger did his part to uphold the Sudden Impact reputation, and showed the Georgia fans that although he may be relatively new to the seat at SIR, he and his truck are clicking just fine. Expect more great things from him as the year progresses.

For more information on the Sudden Impact Racing team including up-to-date schedules, be sure to visit www.amsoil.com.

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

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Brady Smith Wins at Kentucky Lake

Team AMSOIL late model driver Brady Smith powered past Darren Miller on a lap 20 restart and never looked back as he scored his first career win at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Smith in his AMSOIL Monte Carlo earned $9,999 for his win in the Third Annual "99" extravaganza.

Bart Hartman led the first lap until Miller passed him for the lead on lap two. Miller then led until Smith, who started third, made a mad dash to the point passing Miller on lap 20. Smith then withstood five caution flags over a ten lap period as he went on for the win.

Smith also finished in the top ten at the World of Outlaws race at the Monett (Mo.) Speedway on Sunday night.

The reigning Knoxville (IA.) Late Model Champion now heads to the Second Annual SuperClean Diamond Nationals in Wheatland, Mo. with a full head of steam seeking the $40,000 first place prize that will be up for grabs next weekend.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

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

Teague Takes Win on Lake Havasu

The AMSOIL Offshore Racing Team has returned home from an event-filled “Desert Storm” weekend in Lake Havasu City, Azriz. The city hosted a 4-day affair designed for high performance powerboat enthusiasts, and the attendance rivaled that of any other poker run or boat show that is held from coast to coast.

Saturday’s race was for Pacific Offshore points and Sunday’s race was for the Offshore Super Series national circuit. Extremely windy conditions made for a late start on Saturday due to difficulties with setting the buoys on the course. Once racing was underway, hundreds of floating spectator boats enjoyed the scene from just yards away. Lake Police had some difficulty with keeping excited spectators at bay. Team AMSOIL looked strong and kept a lead on the fleet with little drama in the race except for the collision of V-bottom teams a couple laps into the race.

On Sunday, the Team competed in a fierce battle between and Peppers starting on the first lap. The Cat Lite teams approached the final turn of the first circuit to find the end scene of a collision between a pair of Super Cat 850 boats. AMSOIL drove a hard inside line to avoid the stalled boat, as Peppers pulled wide. AMSOIL had a slight lead on the Peppers boat as they both drove down the next straight-away. As the race continued, AMSOIL increased its lead each lap on Peppers and was able to secure a second straight win.

Next up for Team AMSOIL will be a tentative OPA race in Ocean City, Md. June 6-8 and a secured OSS race in Sunny Isles, Fla. June 20-22.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL racing and AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

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