E3 Spark Plugs News

Taddy Blazusiak lands his sixth win this season in the GEICO AMA EndroCross Series main event in Boise, Idaho this weekend. Photo via www.endurocross.com.

Taddy Blazusiak remains the man to beat in the 2011 EnduroCross season. Before a packed crowd at the Idaho Center in Boise Saturday, he took his sixth win of the season in the GEICO AMA EnduroCross Series presented by Lucas Oil. And young Taylor Robert continues his lead of the E3 Spark Plugs Jr. Championship within a Championship.

Blazusiak started the race with a bang, securing the lead out of the first turn and launching completely over the first pool on the first lap. Mike Brown trailed closely behind, knowing he had to finish third or better to have any chance at nabbing the championship from Blazusiak. He temporarily lost his second place position to Justin Soule, who passed him in the rock section – a tough section for even the toughest competitors. But Brown won it back when Soule and Cody Webb collided in the pond section. That collision allowed Geoff Aaron to take third place behind Blazusiak and Brown. Soule managed an impressive comeback sans visor or goggles to take fourth place and Gary Sutherlin finished fifth.

Blazusiak remains the series points leader with a perfect 180. Brown follows with 127, then Aaron with 118. Webb and Seoule tie with 103 points.

Taylor “The Threat” Robert continued his lead of the E3 Spark Plugs Junior Championship within a Championship for riders age 21 and younger. His 41 points are enough to beat Keith Sweeten’s 34 and Ryan Sandoval’s 30. Taylor competed in his first race at just four years old and got serious about a pro-racing future when he began racing in amateur nationals at age 10. After sitting out most of the 2010 racing season with a torn ACL, Robert is impressing competitors and fans in both EnduroCross and the WORCS series this year.

E3 Spark Plugs congratulates all the winners this weekend. Next up: the double main event EnduroCross season finale at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas November 19.

GEICO AMA EnduroCross, Presented by Lucas Oil – Boise, ID Expert Main Event Results

1. Taddy Blazusiak – KTM
2. Mike Brown – KTM
3. Geoff Aaron – Honda/Christini
4. Justin Soule – Kawasaki
5. Gary Sutherlin -Kawasaki
6. Bobby Prochnau – KTM
7. Keith Sweeten – KTM
8. Kyle Redmond – Honda
9. Cody Webb – Beta
10. Max Gerston – KTM
11. Eric Rhoten – Kawasaki

Taddy Blazusiak takes the Denver EnduroCross. Photo by Drew Ruiz.

E3 Spark Plugs racing fans were treated to a hotly contested race with the Denver round of the GEICO AMA EnduroCross presented by Lucas Oil. Taddy Blazusiak scored the win, but Geoff Aaron and Mike Brown made him earn it.

Blazusiak started the day fast and furious, setting the top time at during the Hot Laps, followed closely by Aaron and Colton Haaker. He led the first part of the main event at the final start, but not for long Aaron and Brown both got aggressive right out of the chute and quickly relegated Blazusiak to third place. But Blazusiak blasted past both of them on one of the difficult rock sections.

Brown thought he got his chance at the win when Blazusiak crashed in the Matrix, a tough section of closely spaced logs. Brown led for more than full lap before crashing in the Matrix himself. Blazusiak shot past him to the finish line and Aaron followed closely for second place. Brown quickly got back on track after his Matrix crash and managed to cross the finish line third. He had to battle it out with Beta’s Cody Webb, though. Webb had kept pace with Brown for several laps before falling back to fourth. GEICO Honda’s Kyle Redmond crossed next, followed by Monster Kawasaki’s Justin Soule, who had been slowed by a derailed chain. Kevin Rookstook, Colton Haaker, Bobby Prochnau, Kyle Calderini and Gary Sutherlin, respectively, rounded out the finish.

The night’s other winners included Kurt Nichol, who won the Vet class; Eric Rhoten in the Amateur class; and Joey Hamilton, winner of the TrialsCross. Taylor Robert continues his run as the points leader for the E3 Spark Plugs EnduroX Jr. Championship, followed by Ryan Sandoval, Jacob Argubright, Keith Sweeten and Ricky Russell.

E3 Spark Plugs congratulates all the latest EnduroCross winners. Next stop: the Idaho Center in Boise October 22. In the meantime, here’s a vicarious look at EnduroCross racing via Argubright’s helmet cam.

E3 Spark Plugs congratulates Lucas Oil & MAVTV!

E3 Spark Plugs sends out a huge “congrats” to Lucas Oil Products on its purchase of the MAVTV cable network. Our longtime racing partner Lucas Oil already had been one of the network’s key shareholders and strategic partners since its original 2008 investment. But the company now owns full control of MAV TV and promises another major financial infusion.

Founded in 2002 and launched in 2004, MAVTV is billed as “TV created by men for men.” Developed by four former Showtime Networks executives, the network provides original content from a uniquely mail perspective: “Car crashes, fist fights, hair-raising sprints to the finish and breathtakingly beautiful women-all in fantastic HD detail,” its website says. “What more can a man ask for?”

“For MAVTV, we’re focusing on three main areas including significant programming buys from major studios, exclusive new programming and an aggressive marketing campaign to improve consumer awareness,” says Lucas Oil Products Executive Vice President Bob Patison.

The company’s Lucas Oil Studios division in Corona, CA already produces more than 350 hours of motorsports and lifestyle television programming each year. With a cutting-edge production facility and an extensive portfolio of marketing relationships, Lucas Oil plans local media buys and prominent brand positioning within Lucas Oil properties such as Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts). Grassroots marketing campaigns at more than 400 racing events nationwide including Lucas Oil’s Off Road Racing Series, Lucas Oil Drag Boat Series, Lucas Oil Pro Pulling events and multiple NHRA teams.

You’ll just have to stay tuned to see what Lucas Oil has in store for new MAVTV programming and infrastructure. Whatever it is they’ve got planned, we at E3 Spark Plugs are sure it’ll be well worth watching. We’re proud to be a partner and sponsor with so many amazing Lucas Oil events and projects and look forward to the next chapter in amazing motorsports programming.

Round 5 of the 2011 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series paid tribute to the late Jeff "Ox" Kargola.

Round 5 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series presented by Geico and co-sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs got underway Saturday at the Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California. Fans were loving the sunny springtime weather and the excitement got kicked up a notch with the presence of off-road legend and NASCAR star Robby Gordon competing in the weekend’s Pro 2 Unlimited field.

Before the engines revved, racers, staff and fans paid tribute to the late Jeff “Ox” Kargola, who passed away April 29 after sustaining a head injury on the second day of the Desert Assassins’ Rip to the Tip motocross event in Baja, CA. Kargola was among the rising stars of the series and is deeply missed.

In Saturday’s Pro 4, Rick Huseman was a marked man, having won the first four races. Sure enough, he bolted out front, followed closely by Adrian Cenni and all three LeDucs – Kyle, Todd and Curt. But, that didn’t last. Cenni ended up in the hot pits on lap six with an unknown issue. Todd LeDuc suffered a shredded left rear tire compliments of a determined Carl Renezeder.

When the green flag dropped after a competition yellow, Renezeder charged past Huseman. The on-track upset didn’t set well with Huseman, who over-jumped the tabletop into turn two of lap 14, planting his front bumper and nearly sidelining himself. The result was a broken shock that kept him from catching up with Renezeder, who gradually increased his lead all the way to the checkered flag. Huseman managed second place followed by Kent Brascho, Josh Merrell and Todd LeDuc.

The Pro 2 Unlimited provided some serious fireworks – literally. The race began with Renezeder and Robby Gordon starting side by side. Renezeder quickly took the lead with Gordon charging hard behind in the first lap, but pulled off the track and out of the race before completing the second lap. The race continued with two red flags for fires onboard Robby Woods’ and John Gaston’s machines. Robbie Pierce’s rollover in turn three brought full course caution. Flat tires for Brian Deegan and Rob Naughton, plus a scary-looking crash that involved Rodrigo Ampudia over-jumping into turn five and landing on Naughton’s side added to the suspense. When the dust and smoke cleared, it was Renezeder who held on for a clean sweep of the two big truck classes. Rob McCachren took second followed by Deegan, Ampudia and Naughton.

E3  Spark Plugs racing fans, be sure to check our next blog for Pro 4 and Pro 2 highlights from Round 6 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.

Jim Mardis, winner of this weekend's Geico 75 of the Lucas Oil Modified racing series.

Doug Hamm was sure he had this weekend’s Lucas Oil Modified Geico 75 race co-sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs in the bag. After all, he dominated the track at the Las Vegas Bullring for much of the first 70 laps before the race was red-flagged so drivers could conserve fuel after a crash. But when the race restarted, Hamm’s car wouldn’t.

Who knows if that passage in Ecclesiastes crossed Hamm’s mind as he sat in the pits watching his competitors fight it out for the remaining five laps: “The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong… but time and chance happeneth to them all.”

For Hamm, time and chance delivered a sucker punch in the form of a low gear mechanical failure that he called a “heart break.” He had hoped for a second-straight series win after claiming victory in the CANIDAE All Natural Pet Food 75 in April. Instead, he finished 15th, but managed to keep a smile on his face. After all, a layoff from his job late last year meant he hadn’t planned to compete this season until Sonny Beckman offered him a job that included driving his new No. 42 Modified in the regional Lucas Oil series.

“Sonny’s letting me live my dream,” Hamm told reporters.

When the race got underway again, it was Jim Mardis who took the lead. Mardis and Hamm had run neck-and-neck for several laps before the crash. Shelby Stroebel and Tim Morse rounded out the top three. Next up for the series is the June 4 Magnaflow Exhaust Products 50 at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in Irwindale, CA.

Scott Bloomquist claimed his fourth straight win in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series April 30. He's also in fifth place for the E3 Spark Plugs Challenge.

Scott Bloomquist had a busy – and profitable – month firmly establishing himself as the man to beat in the E3 Spark Plugs co-sponsored Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. He swept the April races, taking his fourth straight win at the Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex in Markleysburg, PA Saturday night.

Bloomquist took the lead on lap four from Chris Wall and went unchallenged through the end of the race. This latest victory marks his 31st career series win. Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL finished second, followed by Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN; Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN; and Jared Hawkins of Fairmont, WV.

“Usually we get on a late season win streak, but here early on, everything is just clicking,” Bloomquist said in a post-race interview Saturday night. “The series is tougher than ever before and to beat these guys it takes a lot of hard work.”

Bloomquist leads the series point standings with 1210 points, followed by O’Neal (1110), Owens (1090), Pearson (980) and Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, GA (925).

Tim McCreadie is in the lead for the 2011 series’ E3 Spark Plugs Challenge, which rewards drivers for perfect attendance and promotion of the E3 brand throughout the series. Rounding out the top five in the challenge are Brad Neat, O’Neal, Owens and Bloomquist.

Next stop for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, KY, Saturday May 7th. See you in the stands.

Hey, E3 Spark Plugs racing fans – Lookout for Mitchum Motorsports‘ new Chevrolet Camaro. After a great 2010 season and a successful test at The Roar Before the 24 in Daytona, the team decided it was time to add a second GS class Camaro to its Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge program for the 2011 season.

Mitchum Motorsports' #6.2 Chevrolet Camaro. Photo by Above the Fold Communications, courtesty of Mitchum Motorsports.

“We have come a long way in the 12 months since we returned to GRAND-AM competition just prior to the Homestead race last year,” says team principal Chris Mitchum. “The addition of the second Camaro speaks volumes to the team’s commitment and level of effort everyone has shown. We developed the Camaro last year and it is now poised to run at the front, so adding a second car to the program makes a lot of sense. [Having] two cars, with four top notch drivers gives us the best chance at winning races and competing for the championship.”

In the driver’s seats this year will be Joey Atterbury and Lawson Aschenbach in the #6.2 car, and Jeff Bucknum and Robert Stout in the #6 car. Atterbury is fresh off a strong rookie season that landed him three top-ten finishes. Bucknum and Aschenbach are both GM factory drivers with lots of experience in GRAND-AM racing. And Robert Stout joins the team straight off his World Challenge championship season, wherein he racked up five victories and nine podiums in just 12 race starts.

E3 Spark Plugs is excited to be among Mitchum Motorsports sponsors, along with Sunoco fuels, GM, Lucas Oil and Rockstar Energy Drinks.

“These are all great products and we are excited to be associated with them,” Mitchum said. “To have them come on board both cars in 2011 is an honor for us and we plan to represent them to the best of our abilities… Without supporters like these we couldn’t be as competitive as we are.”

If you’re at the tracks or watching the races on TV, keep a look out for the new Camaro. The #6.2 will sport the same flat black and gloss yellow livery that it did for the 2010 season. The #6 car will debut with an inverse design featuring a white body with black stripes. And if you’re looking to get your own car in racing shape, or simply give it a little boost on the roadways, be sure to pick up a set of E3 performance spark plugs.

E3 Spark Plugs will be “livin’ on Tulsa time” next week, as the song lyric goes. We’re co-sponsoring the 25th Anniversary Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals (a.k.a. the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals), held at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds’ Tulsa Expo Raceway January 11-15. Known as the world’s premier indoor dirt track racing extravaganza since 1987, the Chili Bowl Nationals this year features nearly 270 competitor representing 29 states plus New Zealand and Australia.

Racer Derek Morgan during the 2008 Chili Bowl Nationals.

This year’s event carries some very familiar names. All but two of the 25 drivers who battled it out in the 2010 event’s 50-lap finale are back for another shot at the championship title. Missing from the tracks this year are Kasey Kahne, who is recovering from a recent knee surgery, and Darren Hagen, who is home recovering from injuries he sustained in a late season crash.

The event includes four nights of qualifying races sponsored by Warren CAT, Vacuworx International and River Spirit Casino, culminating in the Lucas Oil Championship and other feature events. Be sure to stop by the trade show, open to the public each day throughout the week (Tuesday-Saturday) and free of charge. More than 100 vendors covering 20,000 square feet will show off a range of racing products, apparel and more. Look for the E3 Spark Plugs booth!

Tickets and pit passes for the Chili Bowl Nationals nightly events are available by calling 918-838-3777. A few tickets may be available at the gate, but the stands fill up quickly and producers expect a bigger-than-ever draw for the 25th anniversary run. So we recommend getting your tickets and pit passes early. Can’t make it to the tracks? Listen to live audio coverage on www.racinboys.com or see the tape-delayed broadcast on Speed TV.

E3 Spark Plugs is proud to be a co-sponsor this year and wishes all the racers the best of luck!

E3 Spark Plugs sends a big “congratulations” to all the winning racers in this year’s Lucas Oil Modified Racing Series presented by Rockstar Energy Drink. The 2010 series winners will, indeed, party like rock stars come January 15th when the Blue Water Resort and Casino in Parker, Arizona hosts the series’ gala awards banquet. This year, post-season awards and bonuses topping $16,000 will go to the top 15 teams in the final points standings.

Racer Jim Mardis is the 2010 Lucas Oil Modified Racing Series champion. Photo courtesy of www.mardisracing.com.

The biggest rock star among them all will be the newly crowned series champion Jim Mardis, the Moreno Valley, CA driver who won two of the 75 lap features on the series schedule and made seven top-five finishes. Mardis will go home this year with $2,500 from the Hoosier tire West points fund, $1,000 in Lucas Oil products and $1,091 in contingency awards. A guy can buy a lot of spark plugs with that kind of money.

Keynote speaker this year is Harold Nicks, proprietor of Parker Pumper, a nationally renowned maker of air distribution systems including systems including cooling systems for brakes and drivers’ helmets; and Racing Plus, Inc., a Mira Loma-based facility that serves race teams with high performance parts, brake systems, drive lines, tools and equipment, plus safety gear including fire suits, gloves, driving shoes and hans devices.

E3 Spark Plugs is proud to be part of “Team Lucas,” a highly potent racing marketing concept that also includes Lucas Oil Products, Magnaflow Exhaust Products, General Tire, K&N Performance Filters, GEICO Powersports, CANIDAE All Natural Pet Food, MAV TV, Dart Machiners and Rockstar Energy Drink. And we hope to see you at this year’s Lucas Oil Modified Racing Series awards gala. Social hour begins at 6 p.m., and dinner at 7 p.m. (Central time zone). And the Blue Water Resort and Casino is offering special $79.95 room rates (888-243-3360). Book now. See ya there.

Tickets for the 2011 E3 Spark Plugs Monster Truck Nationals‘ January – April events, presented by Lucas Oil, are on sale now. This year’s lineup includes 14 events at stadiums, arenas and coliseums in nine different states and promises to deliver mud-flinging, jaw-dropping, heart-thumping and awe-inspiring action that the whole family will enjoy.

The 2011 E3 Spark Plugs Monster Truck Nationals presented by Lucas Oil hits 13 venues next year. Tickets are on sale now.

Each venue will rumble with the nation’s most competitive Monster Trucks, including the ever popular E3 Spark Plugs-sponsored Bigfoot, which celebrated its 35th anniversary with the 2010 season. Originally used as the work truck and occasional promotional piece for Monster Truck Nationals founder Bob Chandler’s 4×4 parts and service company, Bigfoot is the iconic image of monster truck racing. It all started in 1981 when Chandler decided to roll Bigfoot over a couple of junk cars and see how audiences reacted. Three and a half decades later, Monster Truck Nationals shows are an annual entertainment staple for tens of thousands of big truck enthusiasts.

Regular Monster Truck Nationals event-goers already are itching to see the “high jumping, ground pounding, car crashing, axle wrenching giants race in side-by-side drags, wheelie shootout, and then go completely bananas with amazing freestyle action.” Fans who show up early can see their favorite trucks up close and meet the drivers at the pre-event Autograph Pit Parties on the floor of each venue. Ironman, the Lucas Oil Stabilizer, PureFlow Airdog Diesel RX, plus two new interactive trucks, Star Marshal and Chalkboard Chuck make appearances at each show.

Visit the Monster Truck Nationals website to buy your tickets (see the January-April schedule below),  and check the E3 Spark Plugs blog for updates, and join Truck Show Nation to connect with other monster truck fanatics. And to keep your truck in top competitive form, pick up a set of E3 truck spark plugs or E3 performance spark plugs.

2011 E3 Monster Truck Nationals presented by Lucas Oil
January – April Schedule

Jan. 07 – Jan. 08, Big Sandy Arena, Huntington, WV
Jan. 21 – Jan. 22, Bank of Kentucky Center, Highland Heights, KY
Jan. 28 – Jan. 30, Alliant Energy Center Memorial Coliseum, Madison, WI
Feb. 04 – Feb. 05, The Arena, Corbin, KY
Feb. 05, Assembly Hall, Champaign, IL
Feb. 11 – Feb. 12, US Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
Feb. 18 – Feb. 20, Tyson Events Center, Sioux City, IA
Feb. 25 – Feb. 26, Southern Illinois Center, DuQuoin, IL
Mar. 12 – Mar. 13, The Sears Centre, Hoffman Estates, IL
Mar. 26, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Apr. 01 – Apr. 02, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA
Apr. 09, Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
Apr. 22 – Apr. 23, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA
Apr. 29 – Apr. 30, Tullio Arena, Erie, PA