Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, leads Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 6, 2011 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 6, 2011 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 6, 2011 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

First we stopped off at the ROUSH Headquarters for a tour. It was really nice to see the collection  of vehicles housed there. On our tour, it was interesting to note what the ROUSH team was working on. Besides their usual automotive projects, this time they were rebuilding engines for a vintage P51 Mustang aircraft. They had completely overhauled the engine and were in the re-assembly phase when we were there.

Our second stop brought us back to the Henry Ford Museum and Proving Grounds in Dearborn Michigan. This place was so big we couldn’t see and experience it all the first time at the end of the 2011 Hot Rod Power Tour. This time we were treated to areas we didn’t experience on our first visit. We got to see more of the industrial equipment on display  as well as a few more historic vehicles.

We were also treated to a tour of Ford’s Dearborn Development Center, formerly Dearborn Proving Ground, which in turn was the former Ford Airport. We toured the site with a professional driver and then were taken on a one on one for a performance spin in Fords NEW BOSS 302 Mustang. It was a really great experience. Thanks to all who made the visit possible.

The Race at Road America was a great time! We really enjoyed running the cars here again. Great people, beautiful surroundings and a great track made for a wonderful weekend. One of our vintage cars, the #16 George Follmer Trans-Am Boss Mustang was a class winner in the Road & Track Concourse. The event was very well attended and the Edelbrock cars were a big hit. Enjoy the photos and video. Until next time… See you on the road.

Engineered for all out competition, Edelbrock’s ROX Pro-Port Raw cylinder head, #777669, offers a high quality casting that is ideal for extreme circle track and drag racing applications.

The all-new Victor ROX Pro-Port Raw cylinder head is designed for serious dirt track and drag racing competition applications. It has been cast with extra material in the intake ports, exhaust ports and combustion chambers to allow for application specific professional CNC or hand porting. It also features raised exhaust ports to improve flow efficiency and the deck includes extra material to allow fine tuning of the combustion chamber. This head is designed to accept GM SB2 style valve covers. The ROX Pro-Port Raw is the first cylinder head to market that is exclusively designed for engine blocks with 4.5″ bore spacing.

The Edelbrock Victor ROX Pro-Port Raw is treated to a Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) process to ensure the finest and most durable casting quality possible. HIP processing is a forming process that combines heat and pressure to consolidate the metal and press out any gaseous material. The end result is a dense casting, comparable to billet material. Resulting in minimal distortion when used in forced induction and extreme duty applications.

Features Include:
• Pro-Port Raw design with extra material in the casting for custom porting
• Raised exhaust ports for improved flow
• Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) process treated for the ultimate extreme duty casting
• Accepts GM SB2 style valve covers
• Features 4.5″ bore spacing
• Valve seats and guides included but not installed
• Part-No: #777669

For more information visit www.edelbrock.com

With record heat and a few rain delays, Milan proved to be quite a challenge for even the most seasoned racers. This race was particularly important for us to win because it would give us a good lead in points heading into Columbus, Ohio. With stiff competition this year, every round counts immensely. Thankfully, this was our 6th year racing in Milan, Michigan and with all our old data, we were able to use our experiences here to our advantage.
Friday saw a few rounds of test and tune with two rounds of qualifying before Mother Nature stepped in and ended our night early due to rain. We were lucky enough to be prepared for the track conditions we encountered and qualified #1 with a 7.21. But the rest of the field wasn’t too far behind with the #2 qualifier running a 7.26

Saturday was a busy and hectic day, especially because this race was expected to be a two-day race. With the impending rain on its way, 3rd round qualifying was up in the air, and was finally ran at noon. No one ran better, which only solidified our #1 spot. We were paired up first round with Phil Hines and ran a 7.21 to hand us our first round win. Unfortunately that was all of the racing we got to do on Saturday because the rain moved in and didn’t slow down for hours, cutting our day very short. After much debate about the finals and where the race should be finished, it was agreed upon that the racers would stay for Sunday and finish up the race with the knowledge that a local race will also be happening at the same time.

Second round we ran against Kenjo Kelly and when the tree dropped, we dusted off a 7.28 giving us the win! But it would be a repeat of the final in Joliet, IL as we found ourselves paired against John Kolivas. This time, however, the roles would be reversed as we found ourselves on the winning side of the light with a 7.34 for the win!

With this race win under our belt,  we are in a great position!! We have the month of August off for our wedding with no racing until September in Columbus, Ohio but that doesn’t mean we’ll be resting! Continuing our hard work on the car will give us the best chance at the championship!

-John, Melissa & the Hellion Crew

Congratulations to John Urist for winning NMRA Ford Nationals while running Russell ProClassic plumbing, and Edelbrock SC1 heads prepped by Race Flow Development.

Click here for more information on John Urist.

Paul Menard (C), driver of the #27 NIBCO/Menards Chevrolet, his father John Menard Jr. (R) and team owner Richard Childress (L) pose with the trophy on the bricks after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 31, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Paul Menard, driver of the #27 NIBCO/Menards Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag as he crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 31, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo: Jason Smith/Getty Images

Edelbrock Manifolds also helped power wins this weekend for Nationwide Kroger 200 winner Brad Kesolowski/Penske Racing  (PN 2819 Intake) and AAA Insurance 200, Camping World Truck Series winner Timothy Peters/Triad Engine  (PN 2881 Intake). Way to go!

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #22 Discount Tire Dodge, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Kroger 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway on July 30, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo: Geoff Burke/Getty Images

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #22 Discount Tire Dodge, races Jeremy Clements, driver of the #51 Clements Racing Engines Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Kroger 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway on July 30, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo: Geoff Burke/Getty Images

Timothy Peters, driver of the #17 Gear Wrench/Red Horse Racing Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series AAA Insurance 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway on July 29, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo: Geoff Burke/Getty Images

Timothy Peters, driver of the #17 Red Horse Racing Toyota, performs a burn out after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series AAA Insurance 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway on July 29, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo: Jason Smith/Getty Images

The weekend was really special since some of the cars in our group had previously raced on this circuit in their heyday. It was great to bring them back and run again at this track. The facility and track was great and we really enjoyed chatting with the fans and making some new friends. We had a great weekend and hope to visit again soon. Enjoy some photos from the weekend below. See you on the road!

Photos courtesy of Jim Huston. For more photos go to  www.historictransam.com

The NMCA Flowmaster Muscle Car Nationals, the #1 all-domestic muscle car show in the U.S., rocked the mid-Atlantic region June 3-5 and featured the 3rd Annual shopHEMI.com Late-Model HEMI Shootout, the largest gathering of modern HEMI muscle cars of the year.  The 9th Annual NMCA Flowmaser Muscle Car Nationals at Maryland Int’l Raceway in Mechanicsville, Maryland, the weekend of June 3-5, 2011, saw strong fan attendance as well as very strong racer & show car participation despite a recent heat wave and rain on Sunday morning.  Also featured at this event was a large manufacturers’ midway and Elaine Larsen in her Miller Welders jet dragster shooting for 300+ mph passes!

NMCA Flowmaster Drag Racing:

All the cars and all the stars of NMCA were in attendance along with new faces in most classes including Mike Murillo pictured above, who won the M/T Super Street 10.5W class.  NMCA fans came to see all the wild heads-up and wheels-up classes and they weren’t disappointed!  Supercharged, nitrous assisted, turbocharged, and naturally aspirated…this NMCA event had it all.  The muscle  car movement is in full swing with classic muscle and modern muscle creating a great show for NMCA fans!

shopHEMI.com Late-Model HEMI Drag Racing:

The shopHEMI.com Late-Model HEMI Shootout featured the fastest modern HEMI race cars in the U.S. battling on the 1/4 mile for major bragging rights.  This special event featured the best in modern Challengers, Chargers, 300s, Magnums, trucks and SUVs all showcasing awesome 5.7 and 6.1 liter modern-HEMI power!

TREMEC NMCA Car Show:

This TREMEC NMCA Car Show Series event showcased some of the finest hot rods and muscle cars in the U.S. with participants traveling from all over in attendance.  It was the Late-Model HEMI cars, however, that stole the show with over 100 bright orange, red, green, black and white modern Chrysler and Dodge muscle cars showing off for NMCA’s fans!  shopHEMI.com once again provided the NMCA’s awesome awards pavilion for the car show participants.

Manufacturers’ Midway & Swap Meet:

NMCA participants and fans have come to expect a strong manufacturers midway at all events and this event did not disappoint.  Great companies were on hand including Flowmaster, shopHEMI.com, DiabloSport, JPC Racing, Petty’s Garage, Harland Sharp, ATI Performance, Mickey Thompson, Roush Performance, TRZ, TREMEC, Miller Welders, All Out Automotive, and many more!  Racers and fans could find the parts, collectibles and apparel they desired.

This post event report is being provided to all NMCA series sponsors.  We appreciate your support and recognize that it significantly contributes to the NMCA’s success as the #1 muscle car show in the U.S.  Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions or need anything at all.

John Urist

Per team Hellion

A summary of our short weekend at the NMRA Ford Nationals in Atco, New Jersey.

Going into Atco, we decided not to change the car much as it had ran a 7.17 at 200mph in Atlanta. We felt that with the way the car was running, we had a great chance at winning this race without any major changes. Because of impending rain heading our way, we had two rounds of qualifying to finish on Friday night and possibly one round of eliminations. In our second round of qualifying, we ran our personal best of 7.12, at 203mph. This is a new class record for mph and we are striving to achieve the ET class record. After this stellar pass, the impending rain rolled into Atco and unfortunately the rest of the weekend did not look much better.
We came to the track early Saturday morning in hopes of there being a break in the rain but to our disappointment, it did not happen. Early Sunday morning they called the race and it is to be finished in Joliet, IL, our 4th race of the season.
-John, Melissa & the Hellion Team

“Where They Raced” is a documentary film currently in production about the history of auto racing here in Los Angeles. What made this interview special was that it was being conducted at the same location my father and his team used to race, The old Gilmore Stadium. Well, Gilmore Stadium is no longer there. CBS, The Grove shopping center, and the old LA Farmers Market currently occupy the location. And even today, like back then, it’s still a hub of Los Angeles Activity.

It was a pleasure for us to take my Fathers restored #27 Kurtis-Kraft V8-60 Midget back to the Gilmore location. You see, back in those days, Gilmore was a Blue AAA Circuit Offenhauser only track. V8-60s had never won against the more powerful “Offys.” My Father wanted to beat those cars so he worked hard at modifying his V8-60 powered car. He reworked the engine and started playing around with fuel mixtures and additives such as Nitromethane. It all paid off and history was made. My fathers #27 was the first and only V8-60 car to beat the “Offys” at Gilmore as well as one of the first vehicles in the country to use nitro as a fuel. It really was an exciting time.

It was also a pleasure to meet up with Hank Hilty, grandson of the late Earl Gilmore whose family also had such an impact in early racing here in California. Here are a few pictures from the day. Look forward to a future post when the documentary is finished!

Please take the time to view some of the pictures below…

Take Care,
Vic~

Will you be in or around the greater Chicago, IL area this weekend? If so, shake the cabin fever and come out to Pheasant Run resort and take in two days of the latest racing and performance parts from the automotive industry’s leading manufacturers. See more than 250 performance manufacturers! Edelbrock will be there with a large array of products on display and experts to answer your questions.

While your there be sure to check out the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Build Challenge. Area high schools compete in a head-to-head engine building competition against the clock.  The team with fastest time and fewest mistakes will punch their ticket to the “Showdown at SEMA” for the national title.

Drive in for the day or reserve a room now for that perfect weekend getaway!

Where: St. Charles, IL @ Pheasant Run Resort

When: Saturday, Feb 26 (8am-5pm) and Sunday, Feb 27 (9am-4pm)

Cost: $10.00 (adults), children 12 & under are Free

Why you need to be there: Hot rods, race cars, cool parts and industry experts. And did we mention that Pheasant Run has a full service spa to keep the significant other occupied?

Click here for complete details, including location, hours and show information.