E3 Spark Plugs News

Kari Roben,and husband Richard Chandler are headed to Utah for a three-day off-roading adventure complements of E3 Spark Plugs.

They say the family that off-roads together stays together – or something like that. In any case, it’s true for the family of Kari Roben. She’s the winner of a trip for two to the 2012 E3 Spark Plugs Utah Off Road Nationals Presented by Toyota at Miller Motorsports Park.

“The best winning experience of our life,” said Roben when we broke the news. The Thousand Oaks, California resident says she entered in hopes of winning a much deserved vacation for husband Richard Chandler, Jr. “He’s the hardest working, most honest businessman I know.”

After nearly two decades in the construction industry, Chandler founded RC Drilling, Inc. in 2006. For over a year, he continued working his full-time job while building his business and studying for his contractor’s license.

“He will help people even if it means not getting the job,” says Roben. “He wants to be known for his hard work and honesty and it’s paying off. To be able to reward him with something like this is a dream come true.”

Among the highlights of the couple’s upcoming trip:

• Two tickets to the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing event at Miller Motorsports;
• A two-hour Mustang Experience, putting you behind the wheel of a Ford Racing Mustang GT;
• A Wide Open Utah ultimate high-performance off-road Baja-style driving experience;
• A ride in the E3 Spark Plugs Daugherty Off-Road Truck;
• A ride in the Lucas Oil Helicopter;
• Two tickets to one of the top Kart road courses in America.

“I love the outdoors,” says Chandler when asked what it is about off-road trucking that keeps his family so lovingly on-track. “Going places most people can’t get to. Exploring, camping and the tougher the terrain the better, I’m always up for a good challenge.

“It’s the thrill of getting into situations you might not make it out of,” adds Roben.

Kids Richard Chandler, III (23) and Jessica Chandler (16) say they’re fortunate to have grown up in a family of off-roading enthusiasts.

“I love being on the edge while maintaining control,” says Chandler, III.

“It’s a great time to spend with my dad and it helps me get things off my mind. I just love it,” adds Jessica.

From all of us here at E3 Spark Plugs, congratulations, Kari and Richard!

Kid KJ made history two years ago as the world's youngest Monster Truck driver at just six years old.

If you’ve made any of the stops on the Monster Truck Nationals Tour featuring the E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot, you might literally have seen the next generation of monster trucking. A few years ago, Kaid Jaret Olson-Weston, a.k.a. Kid KJ, made his historic debut as the world’s youngest Monster Truck Driver, driving his pint-sized Monster Bear truck and wowing the crowds with his seasoned moves despite being just six years old at the time.

Today, at the ripe old age of eight, Olson-Weston leads his own team of drivers dubbed Lil’ Mighty Monsters and made of up of his brother Jake Royce Olson-Weston, 7, driving Sir Crush A Lot, and friend Cassie Berry, 14, driving Demolition Diva. Together, they travel the show circuit performing crowd-pleasing aggressive freestyles over jumps, around tight turns and through obstacles.

Kaid Jaret Olson-Weston has always been a bit of a daredevil, skateboarding at a year old, snow skiing and driving ATVs at two, snowmobiling and dirt biking since three, jet skiing and go karting since four, according to his booker, Uncle Tod Motorsports. But mom Nancy and dad Tod, who also is the team’s manager and crew chief, have always made sure their wild-child brood was safe. Before suiting up and climbing behind the wheel, the three Lil’ Monsters underwent specialized training to learn the driving skills and mechanics for their half-scale monster trucks. The kids wear fire suits and safety helmets and communicate with adults via a driver-to-crew radio system installed in their trucks.

“They’re driving in a controlled environment,” says said Emily Boden, marketing manager for Family Events, the producer of Monster Truck Nationals. “They understand the ins and outs of a truck better than you or I would. They’re very knowledgeable and they do it every weekend, so they get a lot of practice.”

E3 Spark Plugs congratulates Kid KJ and his Lil’ Monsters team and looks forward to watching them take over the Monster Truck scene in the coming years.

Want to take a spin of your own in a racing truck? Enter to win a three-day driving adventure at the E3 Spark Plugs-sponsored Utah Off Road Nationals Presented by Toyota. Among the prizes are rides in racer Jerry Daugherty’s E3 Spark Plugs off-road truck, a Ford Racing GT Mustang and a Baja Challenge car. Enter by visiting the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page and clicking the Off Road Contest tab. Good luck!