E3 Spark Plugs News

Team E3 Racing winner Kevin Harter and his 13-year-old son, kart racer Kaden Harter.

Kevin Harter of Brunswick, Ohio has raced karts for as long as he can remember. Now, he’s a dad helping his son and other youth experience the thrill of racing. That’s why he’s the newest Team E3 Racing Tier 1 winner.

Harter’s racing experience includes competitions and wins in everything from karts to dirt bikes to gymkhana nationwide and in Japan. Today, he owns Championship Racing Performance, the only full service kart shop in the nation that specializes in 2-cycle sprint kart racing products designed specifically for young racers ages 5-12. He managed 2-cycle kart shops since 1988, before opening his own business in 2006. The shop offers new kart sales and service, engine building and blueprinting as well as trackside support and driver coaching.

Harter has a very personal stake in being the best in his business. His 13-year-old son, Kaden Harter, is already a veteran on the kid kart tracks, competing since age five. The teen is the 2010 Beaverun Motorsports Complex Yamaha Jr. Sportsman Track Champion and the former Barberton Speedway Kid Kart Track Champion.

Kevin Harter also is President of the Great Lakes Sprint Series, the nation’s largest World Karting Association divisional kart racing series. His and his family’s passion for motorsports is clear. So, from all of us here at E3 Spark Plugs, welcome to the team, Kevin!

Seven-year-old Aidan Hinds is the latest Team E3 Racing winner.

Little Aidan Hinds could grow up to become an accountant, an architect, an astronaut – anything he wants. But chances are he’ll become a famous auto racer. After all, he’s already got a big head start. That’s why he’s the latest Team E3 Racing winner.

Hinds has spent nearly every Saturday night of his seven years at the Dirt Late Model race tracks with his dad, Kenny, and spends his evenings in the garage, learning all about the mechanics of sleek, powerful racing machines. Plus, racing runs in the family. Grandfather Richard Proffitt also was a racer. So by age five, young Hinds was ready to hit the tracks himself.

In 2011, the Aidan Hinds Racing team was founded in Loveland, Ohio and Hinds’ competitive mojo revved up quickly. In just his seventh race weekend, he took the pole position and outclassed the field throughout the entire weekend at the Kid Kart Nationals Restricted race held in St. Louis, MO. Clearly possessing a natural talent, Aidan went on to rack up an impressive 23 wins in his rookie season.

In his sophomore season, Hinds raced in seven states, running the Great Lakes Sprint Series and competing in the Ohio Valley Karting Association. A nasty flip in Camden destroyed his kart and sidelined him for three races. Still, he managed to finish the season fifth in the final GLSS point standings.

Hinds, who drives both a Birel B25 Chassis and a 2010 Haase Chassis, starts the 2013 season with 51 wins and an eye on two championships. He’ll continue to race in the GLSS Kid Kart Division and run the Route 66 and OVKA Series. He also plans to run dirt ovals and is developing a dirt racing team.

From all of us here at E3 Spark Plugs, congratulations and welcome to the team, Aidan!

Team E3 Racing winner Daryl Barrett with “Wilma.”

In the summer of 1976, Daryl Barrett took in his very first race at Canandaigua Speedway in New York, which happens to be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. That night proved quite eventful, but not for what happened on the track. Shortly after the evening’s program began, the grandstands collapsed and the track subsequently closed for the better part of two years.

Anyone less enamored with the racing world might well have considered the drama a bad omen. But Barrett was hooked. Over the years since, he’s become a respected team owner, accomplished crew member and chief and a talented racer. And now, he’s a second-year Team E3 Racing winner.

Wilma sports the E3 Spark Plugs logo at all races, car shows and other promotional events.

Barrett has raced at the local and national level, landing more than 250 wins and nearly 20 track championships, including two national titles, in everything from microds to karts to micro sprints to street stocks to modifieds on both dirt and asphalt tracks and even a few road courses. Owner of Asylum Motorsports Group, he races in the Grand-Am and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) World Challenge series in DP, GT, GS and GTS classes, and runs the DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds series.

He’s been through quite a few over his three decades in professional racing. But his current race ride is an AMG/Bicknell chassis with a Roush Yates engine dubbed “Wilma.” She’s a beauty, most definitely – especially sporting the E3 Spark Plugs logo.

Congratulations, Daryl!

Jacob “Camokid” Putman is burning up the tracks. making a name for himself at just six years old.

Since the ripe old age of four, Jacob “Camokid” Putman has been chasing a very grownup dream, leaving competitors with more age and experience in the dust. Now, at 7 years old, he’s back for his second year of Team E3 Racing sponsorship and ever closer to a future pro racing career.

The Kid Cart champ who turns seven next month made his racing debut in October of 2010 at just four years old at Old Dominion Speedway (ODS) in Manassas, VA. With a solid fourth-place finish, he convinced his parents, competitors and track officials that he was a natural behind the wheel. He started the next season in Kid Kart 1, but so put his competitors to shame that officials recommended his parents move him up to Kid Kart 2. Head-to-head against older boys with at least two years of experience, he again proved his mettle on the track, finishing the season second in points at King George Speedway and landing the season championship at ODS

That same year, he also finished 8th of 13 karts at the Annual Kid Kart Nationals in St. Louis, MO, joined the Excel Racing team for the 2012 season and formed his own team, J&D Outlaw Racing, with friend and competitor Donald Whorton. The 2012 season also proved a great one for Putman, who again scored the ODS season championship winning nine races in a row. He also scored his first win in the Great Lake Sprint Series. The youngest competitor on the track, he finished his rookie GLSS season sixth in points.

Not bad for a first grader.

Putman starts the 2013 racing season with back-to-back ODS series championships and has his sights set on a GLSS championship. We here at E3 Spark Plugs have no doubt he’ll finish strong. After all, this is a kid who eats, breathes and lives racing – literally and virtually, his parents say.

“If he not on the track, he is at home on X-Box, Play Station, Sims or I racing,” said dad, Vince Putman, also a racer.  He noted that this will be Putman’s last year in Kid Kart, as he’s moving up to the big leagues in 2014.

Meanwhile, “Jacob does a very good job giving away E3 shirts and hats and flashlights and spark plugs to his competitors and lets them know E3 Spark Plugs or part of his winning formula,” Vince Putman said.

For that, we thank Jacob and welcome him once again to Team E3 Racing.

Hey racers and racing crew! There’s still time to register for the 2013 class of Team E3 Racing Sponsorship Contest winners.

E3 Spark Plugs is looking for up-and-coming racing competitors and pit crew members who want to rev up their careers. And as long as it has an engine, it doesn’t matter what you race. Our inaugural class of Team E3 Racing members head for the finish line piloting everything from high-dollar speed boats to riding lawn mowers. Crew competitors have been racing team owners, pit crew managers and mechanics.

We want to hear from career hopefuls who understand not just the track side, but the business and promotions side of professional racing, too. If you’re chosen as a Team E3 Racing winner, you’ll get a publicity boost via the E3 Spark Plugs website blog and Facebook fan page. Plus, we’ll send you $500 in cash, 16 E3 Spark Plugs, and official E3 apparel and decals for you, your team and your ride.

But time is running out. To enter, make sure you’re a fan of the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page. Then, click the “Sponsorship Contest” tab, complete the form and click “Submit.” You’ve got until 11:59 p.m. on January 31 to enter (be sure to read all the rules and regs). We’ll announce the winners in February.

Good luck!

Check out those awesome shirts! Team E3 Racing winner Dan Bunting and his ExtremePowerboatRacing.com crew recently set the APBA world record for for quarter-mile speed. Check out other recent Team E3 accomplishments and get ready for your chance to win.

As we gear up for the next round, we’re catching up with a few winners from our inaugural Team E3 Racing class.

Team E3 Racing winner Cody Erdmann entered his #52 Ford Mustang in the Track Competition – Dwarf Class at the 50th Anniversary O’Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and drove away with the Outstanding in Class award. While there, he made a generous donation to the Pinstripe Legends Art Auction, helping to raise more than $54,000 for cancer research at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. On a fast track toward a pro racing career, Cody recently took second place in the Feature Race and the 2012 standings in the Slinger Super Speedway Championship series, winning the Top Qualifier of the Year honor.

A competitive speedboat racer since he was just 16, Stephen Kildahl and his Scott Free racing team recently snagged third place in the Super Boat International Key West World Championships, Superboat VEE Limited class. At 21, he’s the youngest full time driver on the circuit by at least 10 years and balances his time on the boat with his studies at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Fellow competitive boat racer and Team E3 Racing member Dan Bunting also made waves recently. His ExtremePowerboatRacing.com crew team established the quarter-mile speed world record at the American Power Boat Association (APBA) Records Run in New Martinsville, West Virginia.

Back on land, winner Terry Panciera and his Powered by the Complex lawn mower racing team took the checkered flag in the last race of the season and clinched the New England Lawn Mower Racing Association (NELMRA) points championship. And Team E3 Racing’s littlest winner, Jacob “Camokid” Putman won seven races in a row, including the season finale race at Manassas, Virginia’s Old Dominion Speedway, securing the Kid Kart 3 Class 2012 championship.

Are you an up-and-coming racer? Now is your chance to rev up your career! The Team E3 Racing 2013 Sponsorship Contest kicks off this Saturday, December 1. Enter to win $500 in cash, 16 E3 Spark Plugs, official apparel and decals for you and your team. You must be a fan of the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page to win. Like us now, then check the E3 Spark Plugs blog for contest details on Saturday. We’ll pick 12 lucky winners.

Good luck!

Have you bought your tickets yet? Better hurry! Ticket sales for the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas Oct. 30-Nov. 2 are going gangbusters and E3 Spark Plugs will be there.

The trade association formally known as the Specialty Equipment Market Association is made up of dozens of automotive manufacturers, distributors, retailers, publishing companies, restorers, street-rod builders, re-stylers, clubs, teams, etc. And its annual show is the one that those in the specialty and vintage automotive industries look forward to.

Last year, more than 60,000 domestic and international buyers attended the show, perusing displays featuring upwards of 1,500 newly introduced parts, tools and components and taking in educational seminars and product demonstrations. This year, E3 Spark Plugs will be among them, hosting a booth in the dedicated Power Sports & Utility Vehicles section. We’ll show off our powersport, automotive and lawn and garden spark plugs, along with our new line of premium glow plugs. And we’re looking forward to hobnobbing with a few automotive celebrities including GearZ TV host Stacey David, three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya, six-time women’s Motocross champion Jessica Patterson, Overhaulin‘s Chip Foose and “Master of the Fine Line” Von Hot Rod.

We’re proud to be a member of SEMA, a 46-year-old organization dedicated to assisting companies developing and selling specialty parts and accessories designed to make vehicles faster, safer and more stylish. SEMA also works to protect consumers’ rights by keeping close tabs on state and federal legislators, supporting those who push legislation that supports the industry, and putting up white-knuckle fights against pending laws that would infringe upon our rights. SEMA also stands up for consumers, who sometimes get hassled by car dealers that wrongfully charge for repairs on modified vehicles with the bogus claim that specialty accessories void warranties.

If you plan to be at the 2012 SEMA Show, stop by the E3 Spark Plugs  booth for a chat. Meanwhile, take a look at our booth from the 2010 show…

Team E3 Racing winner Jeff Byer worked three jobs to buy his first race car at ate 17.

When Jeff Byer saw his first stockcar race at eight years old, he knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up. And while he did lots of practice hot laps around the tracks at Jacksonville, Florida’s 103rd Street Sports Complex in a go-kart his father bought him, it would be nearly a decade before he raced his first event.

“It wasn’t until I was 17 and after saving enough money by working three jobs that I was able to buy a stock car and the necessary equipment to start racing,” he explains, noting his family’s financial strains and his concern about getting a late start. “Growing up I was a Jeff Gordon fan because he started out as the underdog. It took him awhile to be accepted in racing community, and I knew that that would be me someday because I didn’t come from a racing family and started later then most drivers.”

It is, in part, that dogged determination to overcome all sorts of odds that makes Byer the perfect choice as a Team E3 Racing winner.

After purchasing his first racecar, Byer landed several sponsorships and founded his Rolling Thunder MotorSports team. He raced two seasons at Florida’s Citrus County Speedway, where he was first runner up for Rookie of the Year in 2011. For 2012, he’s racing a 1981 Pontiac Firebird at the Bronson Speedway in Archer, Florida and has yet to finish outside of the top ten this season. He’s also testing late models at New Smyrna Speedway.

Though he’s racking up some impressive real-world experience, Byer also is immersed in studies that will help rev up his professional racing career.

“Owning my race team has given me hands on experience that cannot be taught in a class room,” he says. Still, he’s studying business and administration at Ava Maria University in Naples, Florida – a move that trips up many a would-be pro racer. Byer understands that a successful career is about much more than talent on the tracks – it’s about the business side of the industry, too.

Byer’s ability to intensely focus on and aggressively pursue a goal comes in part by way of his years-long participation in the Boy Scouts. To help land his Eagle Scout designation, he built a $15,000 meditation garden at age 16.

“It took a year and half to complete and hundreds of hours of work. I had to acquire both the funds and the labor force to complete this,” he says. “The skills I learned here definitely helped me in acquiring sponsorships for my race team.”

Over the next few years, Byer plans to graduate to late models and continue developing his race team. Eventually, he aims to become a NASCAR owner/driver.

“I know my eventual goal will be difficult to reach, but I am up for the challenge,” says Byer, who clearly has a drive and determination far beyond that of most 20-year-olds. “I know where I want to go in life.”

And we here at E3 Spark Plugs are confident he’ll get there. Congratulations, Jeff!

Team E3 Racing winner Brady Goble conquered competitive karting and this year is changing gears, switching to full-time drifting.

First, he conquered karting, revving up his competitive go-kart racing career in 2005, traveling the country and hard-driving his way up the North America ranks to the Stars of Karting National Series by the end of the 2007 season. Now, our latest Team E3 Racing winner Brady Goble has his sights set on taking over the pro drifting scene.

“Unlike some drifters, I come from a grip background,” says Goble, Canadian-born and currently based in Blaine, Washington. “I fell in love with drifting and originally began sliding cars/go-karts to learn better car control for traditional grip racing.”

In 2008, upon wining a scholarship test with BMW North America, Goble found himself in a brand new Formula BMW open wheel car. At about the same time, he bought a Nissan s13 240sx.

“We did some events just for fun and I found myself feeling very natural drifting the car in just our first event out,” he recalls. “We showed up with a box stock RB20 with a huge top mount turbo hanging off it and a good tune, long story short we managed to place 3rd out of 18 drivers in my first drift event ever. After that, I was hooked.”

He took a break from racing for the 2009-2010 season to focus on his studies and training. He completed CACC Driver Training School, landing his FIA Racing license, and earned his business management diploma at Kwantlen University, graduating with a 3.2GPA. Then, it was back to the tracks full force. Over the course of the 2011 season, he landed his SCCA Regional and National Race license, won his first ever SCCA Spec Miata race and scored a national runoff invitation. He finished the season as the CACC Canada Sports Car Rookie of the Year and was chosen as a 2012 member of the ASD (Autosport Dynamics) Mob Program – one of just 10 from more than 250 applications.

As part of the ASD Mob, Goble is officially making the switch to full-time drifting for 2012. His team will focus efforts on the rapidly growing Pacific Northwest drift scene in Washington and Oregon, and attending Pro Formula Drift events in Seattle, Las Vegas and Irwindale.

Keep up with Goble’s promising and ever-intensifying career by visiting his website and the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.

Jacob "Camokid" Putman is Team E3 Racing's youngest winner.

Team E3 Racing’s littlest winner yet clearly has a big future ahead of him in professional racing. Jacob “Camokid” Putman of Centreville, VA is a two-year veteran in kid kart racing – and he’s only six.

Putman first hit the competitive tracks running the Kid Kart race at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia at the tender age of four. His performance in that very first race proved a told-ya-so moment for Putman, putting to rest any skepticism about the boy’s commitment to and talent for racing. Track officials were so impressed that they encouraged Putman’s parents to immediately move him up to Kid Kart 2, affording their son the opportunity for a tougher challenge and better learning experience. The move meant that Putman would be racing against boys who all had at least two years of experience on him. And boy, were those older competitors shocked when Putman landed a second-place class finish for the season.

That same season, Putman also finished second in points at nearby King George Speedway, and the kudos kept on coming over the next year. Putman’s latest racing accomplishments include finishing the 2011 season as Old Dominion Speedway’s Track Champion. He also finished second in points in the King George Speedway series and took 7th place in the annual Kid Kart Nationals, as well as the inaugural Indy Karting Classic at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Not bad for a five-year-old.

Today, Putman is part of two racing teams including J&D Outlaw Racing, founded with his friend Donald Whorton – another young upstart burning up the tracks. And he starts the 2012 Kid Kart 2 season as a member of the Excel Racing team.

“I am really good at what I do,” says a very confident Putman, adding that E3 racing spark plugs have helped boost his racing cart’s speed. “My dad says I’m a natural and that I should win a few races this year. I am going to try and win them all.”

We here at E3 Spark Plugs have no doubt he’ll do just that.