Compiled by Chad Simon
 NMCA officials are inviting street cars from other states to participate in Rampage at Route 66 in an open time trial format. | |
Drag Week Superstars Featured in Rampage at Route 66 Class at NMCA/NMRA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing
Larry Larson, Jeff Lutz, Joe Barry and many others are coming to the Nitto Tire NMCA/NMRA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing at Route 66 Raceway (Joliet, Illinois), July 11–14, 2013. Named Rampage at Route 66, with an open format, these Hot Rod magazine Drag Week cars will be in search of the sixes and 200-plus mph.
NMCA officials are also inviting street cars from other states to participate in Rampage at Route 66. It’s an open time trial format that will run immediately following the Pro Street field to ensure excellent track conditions. Match racing and Grudge racing is encouraged in this special Fastest Street Cars segment of the NMCA Flowmaster Drag Racing Series. Pre-registration is required; contact NMCARules@promediapub.com for details.
 Justin Pawlak, in his ’13 Ford Mustang GT, took second place during Round 4 of the 2013 Formula Drift Championship. | |
Team Falken's Justin Pawlak Takes Second at Formula Drift's New Jersey Gauntlet
Qualifying first, Team Falken driver Justin Pawlak, fielding his Falken teal-and-blue-liveried ’13 Ford Mustang GT, came home in second place during Round 4 of the 2013 Formula Drift Championship, losing in the Finals to Daigo Saito at New Jersey’s Wall Speedway. Team Falken teammate Darren McNamara qualified second and took fourth. Pawlak currently sits in fifth place in the championship rankings, with McNamara seventh, and their Falken teammate Daijiro Toshihara in ninth.
 The University of Michigan’s 2013 solar car—Generation—features an Avery Dennison vehicle film wrap. | |
University of Michigan Solar Car Features Avery Dennison Car Wrap Films in 2013 World Solar Challenge
The University of Michigan’s 2013 solar car—Generation—which was revealed to the public June 18, will compete in the 2013 World Solar Challenge—a solar-powered car race, which covers 1,800 miles through the Australian Outback October 6–13. The car will feature an Avery Dennison vehicle wrap film.
"Implementing an Avery Dennison wrap on the solar car is beneficial in so many ways,” said Pavan Naik, senior business development manager for the University of Michigan Solar Car Team. “The wrap hugs the aerodynamic body of our car, allowing us to maintain the very efficient shape we designed for Generation. It also allows us to place all our sponsor logos on a single wrap, which avoids the unnecessary drag that comes with decals. We're looking forward to racing Generation in the World Solar Challenge this October."
TKO Graphix—a full-service graphics provider from Indiana—created and installed the vehicle wrap for Generation. More than 700 sq. ft. of Avery Dennison MPI 1005 Supercast Easy Apply film was digitally printed and protected with DOL 1360 Gloss overlaminate. Several support vehicles were also marked with University of Michigan and solar car decals.
Generation will complete a mock race around the perimeter of Michigan in July in preparation for the 2013 World Solar Challenge in Australia. The team leaves the United States in September to prepare for the race across Australia.
 Kevin Rivenbark took home top honors at the Big Dog Shootout at Piedmont Dragway in Julian, North Carolina. | |
Kevin Rivenbark Wins at Big Dog Shootout
Galot Motorsports driver Kevin Rivenbark took home top honors and clinched the win at the Big Dog Shootout at Piedmont Dragway in Julian, North Carolina, June 20. Fresh off his X-DRL Pro Mod win at St. Louis the previous weekend, Rivenbark was the only Galot driver on the roster to compete at Piedmont. Rivenbark qualified second overall with his supercharged ’02 Pontiac Firebird with a 3.931 at 190.75 mph.
 Mike Ryan's Freightliner Cascadia Pikes Peak Special racing machine is ready for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, June 30. | |
The Freightliner Cascadia Pikes Peak Special racing machine of Mike Ryan (Santa Clara, California) is ready for the Pikes Peak Open division during the 91st edition of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, June 30. Ryan, a veteran driver, finished ninth (12:39.960) last year on the Peak in the division, but has his sights set on a higher finish this year. The winner was rookie French driver Romain Dumas, who briefly set the all-time course mark of 9:46.181, only to see it eclipsed moments later by Rhys Millen’s Time Attack triumph in 9:46.164.
The Freightliner competes in hill climb and drift competitions and currently holds records in both the Pikes Peak “Race To The Clouds” and the Mount Washington “Climb To The Clouds” events. The truck is equipped with a 14.0L Detroit Diesel 60 series engine with a compression ratio of 15:1 and a fuel redline of 2700 RPM. The body is constructed entirely of fiberglass and carbon fiber, weighing in at just over 5 tons.
At the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Ryan met Gale Banks, beginning their racing partnership of race car owner and engine specialist. The compound turbo system that the truck was equipped with was sufficient to compete in the truck's specific race categories, but it was slow to respond and allowed for too much wasted fuel resulting in heavy black smoke.
 Bret Voelkel, driving the RideTech 33 Ford, was the winner of the Optima Face Off at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, last weekend. | |
Bret Voelkel Wins at Optima Face Off
Bret Voelkel, driving the RideTech 33 Ford, was the winner of the Optima Face Off at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, this past weekend. Voelkel placed second in the autocross segment, first in the speedstop segment and fifth in the road course segment, culminating in the overall first-place finish over 70 other cars. In addition to being the driver of the RideTech 33 Ford, Voelkel is the founder and CEO of RideTech—a manufacturer of coil and air suspension components for the hotrod market. RideTech suspension components were used on 23 of the 70 cars competing at Road America last weekend.
 Dan Horan Jr. remains the top points earner in the Boise-Bakersfield Blitz in his "Patriot" ’66 Mustang, winning the $3,000 cash prize. | |
Horan Jr. Remains Top Points Earner in Boise-Bakersfield Blitz
Sixteen nitro funny cars participated in the second round of the Boise-Bakersfield Blitz, June 15, at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Pomona, California, and Dan Horan Jr. remains the top points earner in the series in his "Patriot" ’66 Mustang, winning the $3,000 cash prize.
The Boise-Bakersfield Blitz is a four-race points-earning series for AA/Funny Cars during the 2013 season. The first race took place April 26–28, during the NAPA Auto Parts Ignitor at Firebird Raceway in Eagle, Idaho. The third race will be held during the Famoso Raceway's Saturday Night Nitro Shows, July 13, in McFarland, California. The fourth and final race will be at the 42nd Pepsi Nightfire Nationals at Firebird Raceway, August 8–11.
When the evening of racing was over, it was Horan Jr.'s bracket-like 5.81 performances that put his funny car into the Famoso Raceway Winners Circle for the second consecutive time with a 5.812/253.09-mph charge. The runner-up was Robert Overholser, driving Don Nelson's "California Hustler" ’77 Firebird with a holeshot 5.815/243.28-mph charge over newcomer Devery Howard in the "Bays & Rupert" Camaro who ran 5.810/246.66 in his losing effort.
Horan Jr. continues to lead the series with 47 points, Overholser remains in second with 42 points, Roger Garten in third with 37 points and Dennis LaCharite has 33 points and stands in fourth place.
At the end of the Blitz, the top points earner will receive $1,500 of Prolong 70 Weight Nitro Racing Oil, a winner's jacket, a 55-gallon drum of nitromethane and $2,000 in cash and gift certificates. The runner-up will receive $600 in cash and gift certificates and a 55-gallon drum of nitromethane. For the participants, teams will have a special event for the top eight finishing cars, which will be part of the 2014 March Meet qualifying.