Fuzed MotorSports

The heat race was up first and Dennis’ mission for the night was if he couldn’t get by the number 65 car he would stick to him like glue. On the start the #65 passed the #63 and took over the 4th spot. A lap later Dennis passed the #63 and closed the gap up on 65 to a few inches. With plenty of racing going on up front both Dennis and the 65 couldn’t move any farther forward and would both end up in 4th and 5th places. With all championship races counting as double points Dennis would lose 2 points in his lead leaving him with a 21 point advantage going into the feature event.

Next up was the 40 lap final race of the season. With the championship on the line both Dennis and the #65 could not afford to make any mistakes. They had both locked up 1st and 2nd place spots so all that was left was who would be crowned the champ. The top 6 cars were lined up just how they were in the heat race with the rest of the field in their points order behind them. On the start the 14 car, who started 3rd, made a three wide move and took over the lead on the first lap. The number 65 and Dennis both passed the 63 car putting them up to 4th and 5th again. With Dennis all over the 65 car and just a little faster his crew had to keep reminding him over the radio of the big picture tonight. With very close racing going on between the 2nd and 3rd place cars and no room to pass without wrecking, both the 65 and Dennis had to race smart and wait for their time to move up. Before the half way point in the race a few fast cars that started back in the pack had made their way up to Dennis and the others making for a very close race to the finish. For the last half of the race there were no gaps between the 2nd place car and the 7th place car. If anyone would have messed up in the pack he would have either been passed or wrecked. The close racing continued until lap 37 when the 7th place car blew a front tire sending him up close to the turn 3 and 4 wall. With only 3 laps to go the nerves were starting to tingle and everything from a flat tire to loosing the brakes went through both Dennis and his teams heads. Nothing was said over the radio as everyone knew what the others were thinking. The green was thrown and the close racing continued for the 3 final laps until the checkered flag flew. With Dennis’ 5th place finish right behind the #65’s 4th place he and his team were crowned the 2009 Auto City Super Stock division Champions by a mere 17 points!

The Fuzed Motorsports Racing Team would like to thank all their sponsors and fans for their support over the years. With your help we ended up with an impressive 2009 season record. Out of 10 qualifying sessions we had 1 fast time and were in the top 4 fastest cars 8 other times. Out of our 9 heat race events this year we won 3 times and had 8 other top 5 finishes with 5th being our worst. For our 10 feature event races this year we won 1 and what a win it was. The patriot 100 on July 3rd was the biggest race of the year for the class. We also had 8 other top 5 finishes and one 6th place finish.

Since the start of Fuzed Motorsports in Jan of 2008 we have only had 1 DNF out of 37 races and that was in 2008. The following is our overall racing record:

9 wins
30 top 5 finishes
35 top 10 finishes

Dennis would like to thank his family and crew for all their hard work and sacrifices they made over the year. Car Chief and Co-Owner; Mike Coulter, Crew: Vern Rederstorf, George Burgess and Pete Merecki, Doris Rederstorf and of course his beautiful wife Sharmaine. Plus, let’s not forget our web site designer Jeff Finkbeiner.

Together we made this Championship Happen!
See you all in our 2010 run for the Championship

(Sep 12th) 4th Win of the Season
It was another great day to be at the track. The weather was just perfect for some close racing action. We started out the night with being the 3rd fastest qualifier. That set us up for a outside front row start in the 4 car fast dash. We took the lead going into turn 3 on the first lap and never looked back giving us our 4th win for the season.

Next up was our 40 lap feature. We drew a 3 for our starting spot giving us the inside 2nd row. Coming down for the green flag the two front row cars touched and both crashed hard right in front of us into the outside wall. Luckily we were able to avoid it with just a tire rub on the door. For the restart we were moved up to the front row but after a few laps of side by side racing we picked up a small push in the front end. The push was getting worse with every corner turned so we had no choice but to give up the challenge for the lead and concentrate on the two of us pulling away from the rest of the field.

After some close nose to tail racing with the leader our push had gotten really bad and we got passed around lap 20. This put us back to 3rd for the next 20 laps and we ended up the night with a good 3rd place finish. Our next race is Saturday, Sept.19th. This will be our final race of the year and it is also the season championship night. The races are at Auto City Speedway with qualifying starting at 4:45 and racing starting at 6:30pm.

(Aug 22nd) Last Autograph Night
It was the last autograph session of the year and what a great night it was. We were glad to see many old friends, family and fans at the track. We started out the night with a great qualifying time placing us 2nd fastest for the night. Our first race was the fast 4 car dash. We started 3rd and made a run for the lead early only to be denied.

The 1st and 2nd place cars ran side by side the entire race making any pass impossible and we finished 3rd with a good handling car for the feature.

Next up was the autograph session where all the race cars come on to the track, along with the fans, to sign racing card pics, shirts, flags or what ever the fans want us to sign (we won't go there this is a G rated web site). There are also many free giveaways for the kids and adults too. Don't miss this event next year. The kids love it!

After signing a couple 100 cards and misc. items our 40 lap feature was up next. We drew a 5 for our starting spot and moved up to 3rd place by lap 2. After a few laps the car started to have a little push and we were passed putting us back to 4th. For the next 30 laps we ran nose to tail and side by side with the 2nd and 3rd place cars. Sometimes we ran a little too close which caused some minor damage to the nose of the car. The good news is the damage helped by adding down force to the front of the car and fixing the push problem we had.

After many attempts to pass we ended up with a strong 4th place finish which also gave us our 8th top five finish out of 9 races this season. Our other finish was 6th early in the season. The season is winding down as we only have 2 races left at Auto City Speedway.The first race is on Saturday, Sept. 12th and the last one is on Saturday, Sept. 19th. Both races start at 6:30pm.

See you at the races and remember, if your not making left turns, your doing it wrong!

(August 1st) Rained Out
It was a cloudy afternoon with rain in the forecast. We qualified the night with fast time and unfortunately a 1/2 hour afterwards it started down pouring. After a 2 hour wait the races were canceled for the night. Our next race is scheduled for Saturday, Aug 22nd. It is also Autograph night at Auto City so bring the kids and a large empty bag for the candy they will be getting.

(July 25rd) Hard Charger
It was a good night of side by side close racing once again. We started out the night with being the 3rd fastest qualifier. For the fast 4 car dash we ended up with a 3 place finish with a few minor adjustments needed for the feature. Next up was the 40 lap feature. We drew a 7 for our starting spot and after some close racing we ended up with a 4th place finish. We were also awarded the hard charger points for the night.

(July 3rd) Patriot 100 Win!
The weather was great for some fast paced racing action at Auto City Speedway. On tap for our only Friday night show was the Patriot 100 lap race to celebrate the 4th of July weekend. We started out the evening by qualifying second fastest with a time of 15:48 around the 7/16's of a mile track. That was just 700th's of a second off the track record and the fastest we had ever qualified in this class. Because we had a 100 lap feature to run there were no heat races on tap for tonight. For the feature we drew a #2 for our starting spot which put us on the outside front row.

On the start of the race we challenged the pole sitter for 3 laps by running side by side with him. On lap 4 Dennis decided he was getting no where on the outside and because he didn't want to wear out his tires too early he settled in behind him and then kept applying pressure for 34 laps hoping he would make a mistake. Finally on lap 35 Dennis took over the lead and by lap 50 he had built up almost a half track lead on the entire field. On or around lap 80 Dennis started lapping some cars and was slowly being reeled in by the 2nd place car. On lap 90 Dennis had cleared the first set of lapped cars a started pacing himself behind the 7th place car. On lap 98, two laps too go, the 7th place car he was behind broke something and almost stopped right in front of him on the front straightaway. To avoid him Dennis dove down to the left and while he was passing him the 7th place car turned left to get out of our way not knowing Dennis was already there. The 7th place car then hit Dennis right in the middle of the right side door all most causing him to crash.

Dennis continued on, no yellow flag was thrown, and ended up making it to the finish line about 4 car lengths ahead of 2nd place for our first feature win of the season. This was also Dennis' first major race win ever! He has won many races but never anything over 75 laps. Dennis would like to thank all our sponsors, crew members and family. He would also like to thank Al Hahn and Linda & Joel Beard for sponsoring us with 4 tires for the race. All three were good friends of Bill Becker who we had lost back on June 1st.

(June 20th) Another Night of Close Racing - A Great Win
The good news is the weather on Saturday was clear after some bad Friday night storms passed through. The bad news for the drivers is that the humidity stayed around and boy was it hot in the cars. We qualified 4th fastest again this week and started on the pole for the Fast 4 car dash. The race was once again a very close 4 laps and at the end we took home our second checked flag of the year.

Next up was our 40 lap feature. We drew a number 2 for our starting spot which put us on the outside of the front row. For the first 14 laps we ran bumper to bumper with the lead car having very few chances to over take him for the lead. On lap 15 one of the cars dropped off the back stretch and went head on into the outside guard rail causing a red flag for about 20 minutes while they removed the car. Because of the long delay the track decided to shorten our race to 30 laps instead of scheduled 40. After the restart, about lap 17 the 3rd place car got a run on us going into turn 3 and after a few hard fought laps of running side by side we were over taken and slid back in behind him into 3rd place. About 2 laps later our car started to pick up a push in the front end while in the corners. This made us unable to challenge for the lead but we were able to hold on for a 3rd. place finish for the night. Our next race is on Friday night July, 3rd for the Patriot 100 lap feature. The races start at 7pm.

Mid season re-cap: So far out of 10 races we have had 2 wins, 7 top 5 finishes and 1 sixth place finish. Currently we are in 2nd place in the Auto City Super Stock season points.

FAREWELL TO A GREAT FRIEND
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of a great friend, fan and sponsor. Bill Becker passed away on Monday, June 1st. We will be honoring Bill at the Multi-Lakes Conservation Club in Commerce Township off Newton Road on Thursday, June 18th from 7-9pm. The wake will be held in the range house. Please feel free to stop by and show your support to his family.

(June 6th) Win Dedicated to Bill Becker
The weather was cloudy and in the 70's for the first of two autograph nights at Auto City Speedway. We qualified 4th fastest and drew a 3 for our starting spot for the nights 30 lap feature. Our first race of the night was the fast four car dash. We started on the pole and the number 25 Ford Fusion never looked back. Dennis picked up his first race win of the 2009 season against the best of the best Auto City has to offer. The team has dedicated the win to our lost friend Bill Becker. God Speed Bill that ones for you!

(June 6th) 2009 Autograph Night
Next up was the fan favorite autograph session. Every car in the pit area drove onto the front stretch of the track. The fans were then allowed onto the the track for some up close and personal autographs from the drivers. As is custom at Auto City there was also free candy and misc. sponsor items handed out to the fans.

Our next race was the 30 lap feature. After starting in the 3rd spot Dennis made a gutsy move to the bottom of the track in turn 1 on the first lap. Coming out of turn 2 he was 3 wide going down the back stretch but had to lift while going into turn 3 as to not cause a big accident. At that point he was also passed by the 4th place car and settled in for a good race to the finish. For the rest of the race they were in a 5 car battle for 3rd thru 7th spots and when the checked flag waved we brought home a 5th place finish. After the race was over Dennis was quoted as saying 'that was some of the best racing our class has had all year. Tons of side by side, nose to tail action and no accidents'. Our next race is scheduled for Saturday, June 20th at Auto City Speedway. Hope to see you there.

(May 23rd) Total Destruction Night
It was Total Destruction Night at the track, not for us fortunately, but for the bus races, the chain gang and trailer races is was - big fun. After our second rain out of the year on May 9th it was time to hit the track once again with our Champion Performance, Clyde's Frame, Tax Group and Jimmy John's sponsored Ford Fusion. The weather was a little cloudy and in the 70's. We qualified 3rd fastest and drew a #4 starting spot for the 40 lap feature. Our first race was the 4 lap fast four car dash. This 4 lap race is all out fast and all ways a very close race. We took the lead on lap one coming out of turn 2 and lead the fast paced race until the last lap. Unfortunately the car got a little loose coming out of turn two and the second place car got underneath us going into turn 3. It was a drag race to the finish where we lost by inches. After the race was over our right rear tire went flat in the pit area. We didn't know if it was going down while we were racing or if we ran over something while exiting the track. Anyway we had to buy a new tire for the feature. $130.00 down the drain! Oh well what are you going to do.

Next up was our 40 lap feature. We started in the 4th spot outside 2nd row. On the start our car was hooked up and very fast. After about 5 to 7 laps of trying to make some moves to put us up front the car set up started to go away. For some reason we picked up a push in the front end in the corners which caused the rear of the car to be loose coming out. In other words our driver had his hands full and was NOT happy at all! Anyway back to the story. After a close battle with a few cars during the race Dennis brought home a 5th place finish. He wasn't happy about it but the car is in one piece and it gives us time to work on it to find our set up problem.

Our next race is Saturday, June 6th. This is also Autograph night at Auto City Speedway and a great night to attend with your kids, grand kids or any kids you can pick up along the way to the track. Trust us they will have a great time! See you at the track.

(May 2nd) Close Racing!
The weather (rain) finally broke and we had some cool temps and partly cloudy skies for a good night of racing at Auto City Speedway. Once again we had a close field of cars timing in. The first race was an 8 lap heat race. We started 4th and finished 2nd wishing it was a 10 lap race because we were getting close to a pass for the lead.

Next up was our 40 lap feature and we drew an 8 for our starting spot. It was once again very close, side by side, racing for much of the event. Unfortunately the set up we were trying went away after a few laps into the race making it a long 40 laps. Thank God we used to race on dirt and ice in the early years otherwise it would have been a very bad night. On lap 39 we took over the 5th spot but because of a last lap caution we were put back into the 6th spot for a 1 lap shot out for the finish. When all was said and done we ended up 6th place in a 3 wide fight for 5th at the line. I guess you could say it was a good night but we are never satisfied with anything but a win. We live to race another day.

See you at the next race on Saturday, May 9th.

(Apr 25th) Rained Out!
Once again Mother Nature won the race. Our make up race is scheduled for next Saturday, May 2nd at Auto City Speedway.

Hope to see you there!

(Apr 18th) The New Season Begins
The sky was clear, the temp was warm and there was that sweet smell of racing fumes and burning rubber in the air. It was opening day at the Auto City Speedway in Clio, Michigan and after a long cold winter the #25 Fuzed Motorsports Ford Fusion was ready for battle. We started out with a great qualifying run of 15:64 around the half mile. After all was said and done we ended up with the 3rd. fastest time in the stellar field of Auto City Super Stocks. Fast time for the night was 15:62 and was shared by two drivers as was our 15:64 time. As a matter of fact the top 8 cars timed in between 15:62 and 15:70. Looks like it's going to be a very close year on the track this season. We were in the first race of the night which was the fast four car dash. Unfortunately things didn't work out so well and during the first lap we were pushed up the track after going 3 wide and kind of rubbed the wall a little. There was only some minor damage to the right side paint but the worst thing is it cost us a few spots and we ended up 4th. Next up was the 40 lap feature. We started out on the outside pole and once again got pushed up while coming out of turn 2 costing us to slide back into 5th place on lap one. After avoiding a few accidents that happened in front of us we finished the night with a strong 3rd. place finish. All in all we are happy with the cars performance and will be returning on Saturday, April 25th for our second race of the season.

(Oct 1st) 2008 Season Recap
The 2008 racing season is now in the books. What a busy season we had. First off, we would like to thank Jeff Finkbeiner for this awesome web site he put together and updates for us weekly. Next, Mike and Dennis would like to thank the crew. Vern Rederstorf, George Burgess (our spotter), Dave Fetterolf and Dennis Koenig. Without their help week after week, we wouldn't have had the great season we did. We would also like to thank our 2008 sponsors. Ron & Doris Polley of The Tax Group in Waterford, Clydes Frame & Wheel, and now Trailers too, of Pontiac, Marc and Toni Heinonen of the Commerce Township Jimmy Johns. (If you're still undecided on your presidential vote. Vote for Jimmy! free bumper stickers are available at your local Jimmy Johns), Joe & Ed at Champion Performance - 90% of the parts on our car came thru their doors. If you know anyone that needs street or racing engines done call them first. They can also get just about every high performance part for your cars, trucks, boats and off road vehicles. Our 2008 individual tire sponsors who's names were on the race car deck lid this year were Bill Becker, Linda & Joel Beard, Al Hahn, Marla & Jon Johnson and Kathy & Bob Wilton. Thanks so much for your support. We would finally like to thank our behind the scene crew member Pete Merecki. Pete was a great help at the race garage but only made a few appearances at the track this year. Thanks for all your help Pete!

The 2008 season didn't start out so well. We had a rain out at Toledo for the first USPRO race and then after 100 laps of practice at ORP in Indianapolis, Indiana a part on the rear end failed during qualifying causing us to crash hard ending our weekend with a DNS. After that, we rebuilt the whole front end of the car, new frame included, and rebounded with our first win of the season the next time out at Auto City Speedway on May 31st. (The rest of our season is explained in earlier news so feel free to scroll down for all the info)

For 2009 we plan on running for a championship at Auto City Speedway. If our schedule permits (and sponsor money) we will also run a few selected races around Michigan, Ohio and maybe Indiana. Dennis and Mike would like to thank everyone who visited us at the track this year. For those of you who didn't, hopefully we'll see you next year. And remember, Just say 'NO' to the towel!

(Sep 27th) The Season Finale
On Saturday September 27th at Auto City Speedway, Fuzed Motorsports and driver Dennis Rederstorf finished up the 2008 season. There were two races scheduled that night, one 10 lap heat race and a 40 lap open invitational feature. Dennis started out the night being 5th fastest in qualifying. He started in the 6th spot in the heat race and took over the lead on lap two. Never looking back, he costed to his 5th race win of the season by more than a straightaway lead by lap 10.

For the feature he was lined up 3rd, but after a lap one spin by the pole sitter they were re-lined up placing Dennis on the outside pole. Coming out of turn two on the first lap, Dennis took over the lead. On lap 20 while still leading by three car lengths Dennis' car started pushing up in the corners and on lap 23 he was passed. With his car still pushing up and now loose coming off the corner Dennis was able to hold off the very hard charging 3rd and 4th place cars for a 2nd place finish! After the race was over, the team discovered that Dennis' right front tire had lost air pressure and had a rivet size hole in it. This was the cause of the push. All in all, it was a great night of racing to close the 2008 season.

(Sep 20th) The Speed Racer Spin
We had great weather for racing Saturday night. Our Clyde's Frame & Wheel, Jimmy John's, Tax Group Ford Fusion Qualified 6th fastest out of 16 cars with a 15.82. Fast time was 15.73 with 14 of the 16 cars all in the 15 second bracket. (In short track racing terms, that is a very close field). Once again the track owner decided to run us in Australian Pursuit races. (see racing news from August 23rd for explaination) We started the race in 3rd spot, held off a few hard chargers behind us and finished 2nd. The 30 lap season championship race was very exciting to say the least. We started in 3rd spot after the the fast qualifier drew a 8 for his starting spot. On lap 1 there was a big wreck on the front straightaway (Luckily behind us). This wreck took a few cars out of the race. On the restart the front two cars got together coming out of turn 2 right in front of us and spun. Dennis split the difference and went between them hoping to get thru clean. Unfortunately one of the cars came back down the track, hit him in the right side door and sent him in a 360 spin. Dennis recovered (in Speed Racer fashion) and continued going with only minor damage.

On the restart, Dennis got a little loose coming out of turn 2 and was freight trained back to 5th or 6th spot. After a few laps of getting things back together, he started his charge to the front. At one point he passed 2 guys by going between them coming out of turn 4. Mike said he couldn't watch and George, Dennis' spotter, for once was silent on the radio. (if you know George you know what we mean). After that move, it was time to start catching the 2nd place car who was a 1/2 of a straightaway ahead. With about 15 laps to go, we needed a caution to bunch everyone up but it went green all the way to the finish. At the finish line Dennis had caught 2nd place and had his front tire next to the 2nd place cars rear tire for a 3rd place finish. We will be racing one more race this coming Saturday night Sept 27th at Auto City Speedway. We have a 50 lap feature invitational race. The races start at 6:30pm

(Sep 13th) Rained Out
Thanks to Hurricane Ike, last Saturday was literally a 'Wash-Out'. The season finale has been reschedule to Saturday, September 20th. Come cheer for Team Fuzed as we race our way to victory. It has been a Great Season!

(Aug 24th) Auto City
Autograph day was very good. We handed out 4 bags of candy and handed out over 200 autograph cards to the kids. Auto City has a rule that the previous feature winner has to start the next race behind the fast qualifier. The fast qualifier drew a 7 and had to start 7th, which started us in 8th for the 30 lap feature. To make another long story short, we changed a few things on our set that didn't work as we had hoped. The back of the car was very loose but we held our own for an 8th place finish.

Our next and most likely our final race of the season will be on Saturday, Sept. 13th which is the Season Championship at Auto City Speedway.

(Aug 23rd) Fall Autograph Day
The clouds were rolling in as we qualified. With a very tight field of cars we tied for 8th fastest qualifier and because the person we tied with qualified before us we ended up 9th. Being the fall autograph night the track owner decided to have all classes run Austrian Pursuit races instead of the usual heat style races. An Austrian Pursuit race is lined up single file with the fastest cars starting in the back. (Example, #1 qualifier started 9th, #2 started 8th, #3 started 7th on up to us where we started 1st.) The race is set up that if you get passed by anyone during the race you are out and have to pull off the track. To make a long story short, we started on the pole, held off the guys behind us and won the race (4th race win of the year). The race was so tight that all 9 cars finished nose to tail with only one pass being made for 2nd place on the last lap. 15 minutes after our race Mother Nature decided it was time to rain. The remaining races were canceled and rescheduled for the next day (Sunday).

(Aug 22nd Jimmy Johns
We had the car on display in front of the Commerce Twp. Jimmy Johns. Pictured is Marc and Toni Heinonen the owners of the Jimmy Johns.

(Aug 15th) USPRO Championship
Not much to report. We needed tires but due to a low tire fund and a poor race pay out we had to race on old ones. After the 50 lap feature was over we had 185 laps on our tires (for those of you that don't know, that’s not good) we finished 14th. The good news is we were still on the lead lap and the car was in good shape.

(Aug 9th) Rained-Out
Mother Nature won all races this day. The race was cancelled due to rain.

(Aug 2nd) Double Win After repairing the car from the week before and rebuilding our transmission clutches we decided to stick with our used tires for 1 more week (low on cash!). The car felt good during practice and we qualified 10th fastest with a 15:81 on 70 lap tires. We started outside front row for the 8 lap heat race and led from lap 2 to the finish giving us our 2nd race win of the year. After the fast time qualifier drew for his starting spot it put us on the pole for the start of the 30 lap feature. Although we were happy about this we also wished we had newer tires too. We had a team discussion (Mike, Dad and I) and decided to adjust a little more on the car before the start. The race started and for laps 1 & 2 we fell into 2nd place. On lap 3 we took over the lead and by lap 12 we had a 6 car length lead on the field (yes, the car felt good). On lap 13 there was a caution causing the field to bunch up and restart. After the restart and by lap 20 we again extended our lead to 5 cars. Again another caution came out for a spin and the field bunched back up. Our tires were now 90% worn out and started slipping bad. On the restart a few of the fast qualifiers had passed some cars behind us and were on our tail big time! After many attempts to pass us we held our own. On lap 28 of 30 another caution came out bunching us up once again and setting up a very exciting finish. (not one I was looking forward to) On the restart the 2nd place car hit me in the back causing us to slide a little but again we held our own. Coming out of turn 4 for the finish the 2nd place car was at our door and the 3rd place car was on our bumper but we held them off for our 1st feature win of the year!!!!!! Happy Birthday Dad! 2 wins on the same day.

Fuzed Motorsports would like to thank all our supporters and sponsors including THE TAX GROUP of Waterford, Clydes Wheel and Frame of Pontiac, Marc and Toni Heinonen of the Commerce Twp. Jimmy Johns, Joe and Ed at Champion Performance of Centerline, and Phil Harper from Phil Harper Motorsports for all his engine info over the past few years.

Our next race will be Saturday, August 9th at Auto City and then we move on to Dixie Motor Speedway on Friday, August 15th for the ASA / USPRO race.

(July 26th) Spin-Out in Turn 2
We are continuing with our plan to fine tune and tweak our setup a little every week. We seem to headed in the right direction and qualified 6th. fastest with a 15:79 on 50 lap used tires. We started 5th in our 8 lap heat race and finished 3rd For the 30 lap feature we started 5th (inside 3rd row) and the car was running great. While in a close battle for 4th. from lap 1 to 15 the #63 car and myself touched in turn 2 causing both of us to spin. The 6th thru 10th place cars were right on our tails and were also involved in the accident with one of them hitting our left rear and breaking a suspension part causing us to exit the track for the night.

(July 19th) Rained-Out
Mother Nature frowned upon us. The race was cancelled due to rain.

(July 12th) Successful Setup
Mother Nature was very nice to the Auto City Speedway, fans and racers Saturday the 12th of July. It rained both to the north and south of the track. Although it was very hot and humid with many dark clouds sailing over all day we never saw a drop from the sky.

After about 20 hours of new set up work during the week we finally got most of the bugs worked out of our new car and qualified 3rd fastest out of 15 cars. Our first race of the night was the Fast 4 Car Dash where we finished 2nd. For the 30 lap feature the fast qualifier of the night drew a 10 for his starting spot which set us up for an 8th spot starting position. The field was all very close on qualifying times which made for very close side by side racing for most of the race.

Out of the 30 laps there might have been 2 or 3 laps that we weren't racing next to someone. By the end of the race we crossed the finish line in 4th place with no gaps between 1st. and us. Our next race is schedule for Saturday, July 19th at Auto City. We will be competing in an open invite 50 lap feature for our class. What this means is there will be Outlaw style Pro-Late Model and Limited Late Models from other tracks racing against us for the first time ever at Auto City. It should be very interesting to see how we do against these cars.

Tailgating Cancelled
Due to bad weather, the tailgate party scheduled for Saturday, July 12th was cancelled. It will be rescheduled for a yet date to be announced.

(June 28th) The Lipari Patriot 100
Our return to Auto City Speedway on June 28th for the Lipari Foods Patriot 100 was somewhat successful. We tried a new set up that we hoped would make the car faster at the end of the race which turned out not to work so good. We started out the night being 12th fastest in qualifying and finishing 4th. in the 8 lap heat race. After a few more adjustments we were ready for the 100 lap feature. We started in the 12th position and at the first caution on lap 53 we were only in 11th. place with a very bad handling car.

During the caution laps adjustments were made on the brakes and the car started handling a little better. By lap 58 we had moved up to 7th. and by lap 75 we were in 6th. After that the car set up started going away again and we held our own in a battle with another car for a 6th. place finish on lap 100.

See everyone on Saturday July 12th. for our pre-race tailgate party in the grass area of the parking lot. The party is from 5pm to 7pm and will resume after the races are over.

(June 1st) The USPRO Glass Breaker 75
On Sunday, June 1st we moved on to Toledo Speedway at 7:30 am for the USPRO Glass Breaker 75. After a few practice sessions and some fine tuning, we qualified 13th for the 75 lap feature. Once again we started 13th. There was very close racing going on all over the track and we had to fight for every spot as well as protect our position. We avoided a few big wrecks that happened right in front of us and ended up with a 6th place finish. Again not what we wanted but once again our car seemed to get better as the race went on. Mike and I would like to thank the Commerce Township Jimmy John's for the awesome food this weekend. We would also like to thank George Burgess for his great work spotting for me as well as Dave Fetterolf, Steve Carter and Dad for all their hard work during the long weekend.

New Business Venture Because the sponsor hunt has been a little tough this year, we are going to get a little creative. We are still working out some details, but have decided to offer our Race Car as an attention getting display for businesses (not just our sponsors) that would like to rent it for a day. The car could be placed in front of a business for special events.

Such events could includ a grand opening, open houses, customer appreciation days, parties or any other event. So, if you know anyone that may be interested, please direct them to the website or call 248.931.2157.

Our next race is at Auto City Speedway on Saturday, June 28th for the Lipari Patriot 100 lap race. Don't forget to click on the lower left corner on the home page to subscribe to the team newsletter.

(May 31st) First Win of the Season Saturday's, May 31st test and tune race at Auto City went very well. We bought 4 used tires from Terry Bogusz (#71) to use for the night. After a few practice sessions and some adjustments, the car still wasn't perfect for qualifying and we ended up 13th fastest. Before our first race of the night we decided to do some more chassis adjusting to help the car turn better in the corners. Our adjustment worked and we are happy to say our Champion Performance, Clyde's Frame and Wheel, Jimmy John's and The Tax Group sponsored Ford Fusion won its first race of the season.

The car was better but still not perfect so we did a few more adjustments before the 30 lap feature. We started 13th and worked our way up to a 9th place finish. We're not 100% happy about that, but the good news is our adjustments worked and as the race went on the car was getting faster. Our main goal for the night was to shake down the car, not get wrecked and get ready for our USPRO race the next day.

(May 27th) Back Together and Ready to Race The car is back together and ready for a weekend full of racing. We will be racing this Saturday night at Auto City Speedway for their spring Autograph night around 6:30 with races starting at 7pm. Then this Sunday, June 1st. we'll be at Toledo Speedway for the 75 lap USPRO race.

Our web designer, Jeff Finkbeiner, decided to do some awesome updates to our web site. Please pass his name on if anyone you know needs a good web site.

Our t-shirts will be $11.00 and hats will be going for $15.00. Pictures of each will be posted on the ‘Merchandise’ page.

(May 1st) Disaster at O'Reilly Well the weekend at ORP didn't quite go as planned. We

arrived on Friday around 2pm. Our tow vehicle drove as smooth as glass all the way down to Indy thanks to the tires and balance job we got at Clyde's Wheel & Frame last year. We made good time getting down there because there was no tire vibration which helped lessen the rest area stops if you know what I mean. After arriving we unloaded and were able to get about 70 laps of practice in between 4 and 6pm. The car was set up perfect and was getting faster every time we went back out. The only adjustment we made was air pressure.

After the practice session was over we were 9th fastest for our division. We were happy with this considering our racing tires had about 170 laps on them. We then settled in to eat our GREAT Jimmy Johns subs provided by the Commerce Twp. Jimmy Johns. Life was good!

Saturday was another story. Our first practice session went good. When we went out and our times were still picking up and by the time we were done our tires had around 200 laps on them and we were still handling good. For our second practice session we put on 4 new tires hoping to make a few freaky fast laps (Jimmy Johns plug again) to see how we would do during qualifying. After a few warm up laps we attempted a fast run. During the run the back of the car started getting looser and looser. I returned to the pit area and we found that a valve cover gasket had started leaking really bad and was throwing hot oil onto the right side tires (not good at 130+mph). We fixed the leak and went back out to clean the tires before qualifying.

Everything was good to go and even though we never got those fast laps in we were still 9th. fastest. This is when things really went bad. During our warm up lap, before taking the green for qualifying, coming out of turn two our right rear suspension bracket came loose and turned the rear tire towards the outside wall. There was no saving it. We ended up leaving a nice mark on the ORP wall and in return the wall left a nasty mark on our cars suspension and right front fender. Once back in the pits we found there was no way to fix the damage and we were done for the weekend.

Mike and I would like to thank George Burgess and Dennis Koenig for all there help at ORP. Also because of the cost of the repair we are going to have to make to the car we had to adjust our racing schedule and race close to home for the rest of the season. See you at the Races!

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