KJ Motorsports Update #35 "Season Ends”

11/7/14

 

Well our 2014 season is officially over since Atomic was forced to cancel their last race due to Mother Nature. We raced 59 times this season, which is now our new record for number of races ran in a season. In 2003 we raced 57 times. We had an awesome season winning the track points championship at Legendary Hilltop Speedway, winning the Gibby’s Dirt Track Nation Modified Points Championship and winning the AMRA National points championship.

Here is a recap of our season: We raced at 11 different tracks and got our feature wins at 4 of them. We set fast time 8 times, with one of those being a new track record at Atomic Speedway. We won 38 heat races. We won 19 feature races and finished 2nd-10 times, 3rd-6 times, 4th-6 times, 6th-2 times, 7th-2 times, 9th-1 time, 14th-1 time, DNF’s-10 times, DNS-1 time & DNQ-1 time. We rolled twice (2 different cars) at Atomic Speedway. Had engine issues 3 times. Drove 4 different cars this season. Our 2013 Shaw car, Frankie Hall’s 2012 Shaw by Landers car, Mark Bailey’s 2014 Extreme Chassis & Dean Eckard’s 2014 Victory Chassis.

Tim, Danny and Chad have put in a lot of combined hours over the course of this season. I cannot thank them enough for all they do and want to make sure they are acknowledged as Champions. It’s just not the effort on the track that wins races, but also the work that is done in the pits and in the garage thru the week and they do a lot of that!

 

I need to thank all of my sponsors for their support this 2014 season. Along with the crew, sponsors are another important part of my racing. If there is any way possible, anyone reading this, please consider using our sponsors when you have a need for what they may provide and let them know you are supporting them because of us.

 

I want to give a shout out to Jenni Fussell Cook for producing a new look to our web site. Be sure and drop in at http://www.kjmotorsports.net/and leave a note on our guestbook and be sure and thank Jenni for designing a great looking site.

 

I want to thank Billy Lloyd for all of his support. Billy has been involved with my engines for many years, but has built/refreshed them since 2003. He has been an integral part of my racing and one of the reasons we are so consistent.

 

I also need to thank Frankie Hall of Hall’s Auto Repair. Frankie purchased a complete racecar at the end of the 2013 season and opted to have me drive it. He then had me decal it up like it was our own car and race it whenever we needed to. Well, I not only raced it, I destroyed it. Then late in the season when I had some engine issues, Frankie said, use the one that was in his car. He was a huge help to our championship season. A new chassis has been ordered and should be here by Thanksgiving and we’ll get started getting it back together.

 

I cannot forget the fans. I have some amazing fans that travel some distances to different tracks just to watch us race. I met some great people this year and have picked up some new fans. Fans are an important part of my racing, especially the young fans that need something to look forward to each and every weekend. Racing is a great sport and we need the younger generation to take interest to keep the sport growing!

Our immediate plan is to start preparing our car to get ready to display it at the PRI trade show (Performance Racing Industry) in Indianapolis, IN. This is where every manufacturer involved in motorsports displays their new products for the upcoming season and we will be right there promoting AMRA and sharing Gibby’s points and all of our sponsors with everyone that will be there. I plan to come out with a new announcement prior to the show in December. . .so stay tuned!

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros.,Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, BSB Mfg., Wilwood, Bilstein,OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC, Gibby’s Dirt Track Racing Nation and Weekley Electric.

KJ Motorsports Update #34 Race #59

10/30/14

We were at Atomic this past weekend, Thursday-Saturday for the Open Wheel Championship. We set 2nd fast time, but KC Burdette blew us out of the water with a lap time of ½ second faster. They inverted the top 4 in each heat race, which started us 4th in the 2nd heat. The fastest 10 cars that qualified thru their heat were guaranteed a spot in the dash. So I knew all we had to do was finish in the top 4 of our heat. Jess Hartman took the early lead from the outside front row and Tim Tribby moved up into 2nd and we followed in 3rd. The groove was strictly on the top and that is where Jess ran and Tim ran just high enough that we could not pass him on the outside. So I worked the middle and never was able to make a pass. About mid-way, Tim looped it in front of me and I had nowhere to go and hit him in the left rear. It tore up our front end up, but we were able to continue and Tim was as well. The caution was coming out for some other cars that had spun prior to Tim looping. So by us finishing 3rd, we were locked in the dash. As we assessed the damage, we found that we bent the right front frame horn down which had our steering in a bind. So Chad and I took the car to Nourse body shop, where good friend Sean Schobelock put it on the frame rack and we got it straightened out in no time. Sean also had a piece of aluminum and I was able to build a new nose. The dash was on Saturday and the starting order was determined by pill draw. New race fans Alexis and Allie Jenkins drew our pill for us and got us #5. We had made a set up change to try something and it didn’t work out and we finished 7th in the dash, starting us 7th in the feature. We made another set up change and I made a decision to run the bottom. It worked out well, for no one else was running there, LOL. We were able to pass our way to 4th and I took the opportunity to go to the high side and it seemed to overheat my right rear tire and we faded back to a 6th place finish. I was disappointed not to run better at Atomic, but I just didn’t have the car dialed in. A big thanks goes out to Sean, Stacy and Kalvin (aka George) for their hospitality and giving me a place to stay.

This week, I want to give a shout out to Michael Gibson of Gibby’s Dirt Track Racing Nation OH/WV and Sean Weekley of Weekley Electric. We were lucky enough to win the points title and were named the King of Gibby’s Dirt Track Racing Nation points. Sean Weekley puts up the point monies and Gibby does all the leg work and promoting. Also supporting the point fund is DJ Directional Services, Buckeye Custom Apparel, Lias Tire by Tye Twarog, Bryan Casey Racing, Tri County Overhead Door, DTR Updates, Tom and Pam Lemon, Zach Yost Racing Photography, C&S Racing Photo, Isner Racing Engines, Racers in Christ, Diamond Refinishing& Restoration, and McHugh Dealership. Also need to thank all of the tracks that participated as well. It was an honor for Gibby to come to the shop and present us with our awards. Also want to say thanks to Tom & Pam Lemon, Mike & Angie Haught, Bill & Karen Locke, Lisa & Maddy Cooper for coming out and joining us for the presentation. Also a BIG THANKS to Tim, Danny& Chad for all of their hard work this season. This Championship is theirs as well, cause if they are not there doing what they do, we couldn’t have won it.

Our next race will be at Atomic Speedway on Nov. 8th for the Dan Reno Memorial $2,222 to win. So we hope to see you there!

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC, Gibby’s Dirt Track Racing Nation and Weekley Electric

KJ Motorsports Update #33 Race #58

10/19/14

This past weekend was the Dirt Track World Championship at Portsmouth Raceway Park where they had 84 modifieds and 89 late models. Our weekend started off on Thursday night, where we were challenged with a rough race track due to rains on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. We set 4th fastest time in our group to start us on the outside pole of heat #4 beside Evan Taylor. Evan got the early lead and we fell to 4th. We passed our way back to 2nd and Evan got into a lap car and had to go pit side. We took over the lead and held on until the last lap. I caught a rut and it threw the car up the track and Joey Kramer was able to get by us. But this locked us into the show, starting us 10th. We were supposed to run our feature on Saturday night, but Mother Nature thought differently. So we had to race on Sunday afternoon in the day time. History has proven, that most day time races I don’t fare to well. I feel like this race proves that I have more work to do on daytime races. We started 10th and were passed by a few cars and we passed a few cars and we also had a few drop out. But in the end, we finished 7th and although I am pleased we survived and we didn’t tear anything up and we had some stiff competition, I’m not happy about not advancing further up than we did. But I don’t run Portsmouth Raceway Park but once a year and I just don’t seem to have a good handle on the set up I need there. But it is a really nice facility and a lot of good people running it.

This week, I want to give a shout out to Joe and Jeff Schilling for providing the camper for us to stay at the track. Tim Cooper and Danny Sweet for their efforts on working on the racecar. Also, Tom & Pam Lemon & the race teams of Seth Daniels, Mikey McPherson, John Burdette & Kevin Dulaney for providing a great time.

This weekend we will be at Atomic Speedway, Thursday thru Saturday for $5,000 to win. So we hope to see you there!

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!
K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #32 Race #57

10/12/14

No racing this past Friday! Saturday we were supposed to go to Atomic Speedway again, but Mother Nature made other plans and Atomic was forced to cancel. So again, since they cancelled, we stayed close to home and went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway, where they had 27 modifieds. We set fast time and started on the pole of heat one beside Tyler Evans and we picked up the win. This started us on the pole of the feature beside Jimmy Fordyce. We took the lead early and were running the high side. As the race went on the high side of turn two was slickening up, so I dropped down to the middle. Anthony Kinkade made his way to 2nd and was on the bottom. He was able to show his nose on entry and thru the middle, but we had the momentum off the corner. But he seemed to be getting better and better. So with less than 5 to go I went to the bottom and with 2 to go Anthony buzzed around the outside and passed me. Anthony picked up the win and we got our 10th 2nd place
finish of the year.

We also got to drive the 53C, Steve Curtis owned late model. They had 33 late models and we got 9th fastest time, which was respectable for the field of cars that was there. We went out and started 3rd in the first heat behind Steve Lucas and Tyler Carpenter. We finished 3rd in the heat race to start us 9th in the feature. We ran 9th, but I pulled off for the engine was going flat. The car drove super, just wasn’t putting out any power to get us off the corners. . . Appreciate Steve, Roger and Bruce giving me an opportunity. 

This week, I need to give a shout out to everyone at Poske’s Performance Parts for all of their support this year and hope next season is as good as or better than this year. Also please continue to keep John McDaniel’s family and friends in your prayers. R.I.P.

This weekend we will be at Portsmouth Raceway Park for the Dirt Track World Championship, Thursday thru Saturday. So we hope to see you there!

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!
K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #31 Race #56

10/5/14

No racing this past Friday! Saturday we were supposed to go to Atomic Speedway for the final points race to decide the track point’s championship. But Mother Nature made other plans and Atomic was forced to cancel. This gave the point’s title to Dave “Fireball” Pinkerton. Congrats to Dave and his team on the Championship! So since they cancelled, we stayed close to home and went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway, where they had 24 cars. We set fast time and started on the pole of heat one beside Darrin McDonald and we picked up the win. This started us on the pole of the feature beside Bill Pritchard Jr. We took the lead early and held on to pick up win #19 on the season. Car was flawless all night long. 

This week, I need to give a shout out to ALL OF MY SPONSORS for all of their support this year and hope next season is as good as or better than this year.

This weekend we will be at Atomic Speedway on Saturday driving the #88 of Mark Bailey’s. So we hope to see you there!

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!
K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

OVDTR — Covering Dirt Track Racing in Ohio & West VirginiaCovering Dirt Track Racing in Ohio & West Virginia

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KJ Motorsports Update #30 Race #54 & #55

09/28/14

Friday we went to Legendary Hilltop for their season championship. We set 2nd fast time to start us on the pole of the 2nd heat. We were able to get the heat race win to start us on the outside pole beside Nick Corbitt. We got the lead on the start, but a caution would bring us back to double file. This time, I bobbled in both corners and Nick was able to take the lead and get to the high side. So I started pitching it in there on the bottom and was working on a run and I got into Nick’s left rear with my right front and got a flat tire. Nick went on to get the win. Legendary Hilltop Speedway did announce that we did win the track points for the 2014 season.

Saturday we went to Atomic Speedway and again we set 2nd fast time. Started on the pole beside Kevin Morehouse and was able to get the heat win to start us on the outside pole beside Dave “Fireball” Pinkerton. We took the lead from the start and went on to get win #18 on the season. This drew us a little closer in track points to Fireball and this Saturday will decide the track championship. 

This week, I need to give a shout out to Mom and Dad for all of their support and introducing me to this legal drug called dirt track racing. I don’t think there is anything else I’d rather be doing!

This weekend we will be at Atomic Speedway on Saturday. So we hope to see you there!

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!
K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #29 Race #52 & #53

09/20/14

Friday we went to Legendary Hilltop for a 40 lap, $1,200 to win race. They had 30 cars and Joe Schilling of JS Enterprises put up $100 for fast time. Roy Roush got fast time and we got 2nd fast, missed it by just .1 . . . That started us on the pole of heat 2 beside KC Burdette. We got the heat win and that put us in the dash that was paying $200, winner takes all. Coop recommended a set up change to try for the dash. They let the kids with a certain ticket number draw for our starting spot in the dash. Lil Joe Lattea drew us a #4 (last) starting spot. But we were able to get the win to start us on the pole of the feature. From there, we were able to lead every lap and get win #16.

Saturday we went to Ohio Valley Speedway for the “Finale at the Valley”, paying $1,000 to win and they also had 30 cars. We again set 2nd fast time, this time to Chris Garnes driving the RC3. We started beside Nick Corbitt and went on to get the heat win to start us on the outside pole beside Chris Garnes. We took the lead off of turn 2 on all 3 starts. But each start had a caution before we got a lap in. So for the 4th start, we had to go single file, giving Chris the lead. We followed for a long time with KC Burdette showing his nose on the bottom. But with less than 5 to go, Chris broke and we had one given to us, for I’m not certain we could have passed Chris, but that wasn’t stopping me from driving the heck out of it. But we did pick up win #17 on the season.

This week, I need to give a shout out to anybody that supports and cheers for us. It amazes me how big of a fan base we have. I really appreciate the support and cheers from everyone! But whether you cheer for me or not, I appreciate race fans in general, for if not for you we’d have no reason to race, nor would the promoters be able to have a racetrack. I know each of you give up a lot to attend the races every week and I want you to know, it’s appreciated!

This weekend we will be at Legendary Hilltop Speedway on Friday for their season championship race and on Saturday we will be back to Atomic Speedway to see if we can get the monkey off our back there. So we hope to see you there!

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!
K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC

KJ Motorsports Update #28 Race #50 & #51

09/14/14

We went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway Friday where they had 20 cars. We set fast time and started on the pole of heat one beside Tyler Evans. We went on to get the heat race win to start us on the pole of the feature. We were able to take the early lead and go on to lead every lap to pick up win #15 of the season. We had a long dry spell, since the beginning of July was our last win. But it sure felt good to get a win again!

Saturday we went to Atomic Speedway, where they had 16 modifieds. We set fast time and started on the pole of heat one beside JP Roberts. JP got the heat race win and we got 2nd. The pill redraw put us starting 6th in the feature. We jumped into 4th coming off of turn 2, but as we went into turn 3, I hit a hole and it broke our right rear shock mount on the birdcage, ending our night. Atomic started off really kind to us, but the past few months, we just can’t catch a break. 

This week, I need to give another shout out to Frankie Hall of Hall’s Auto Repair and Fleet Service. Frankie allowed us to put his engine in to keep us racing. Frankie not only helps with the racecar, but also my personal vehicles. If your vehicle is in need of being serviced or needs repaired, I urge you to call on Frankie.
I also want to give a shout out to Jenni Fussell Cook for rolling out our new web site. Please take a moment and visit us and sign the guestbook atwww.kjmotorsports.net 
Jenni and her nephew Austin came up for the weekend and went racing with us. Austin did a little pit crew work and he was also the one that drew us pill #6. . . Needless to say, he didn’t get fired. LOL

This weekend we will be at Legendary Hilltop Speedway on Friday for a 40 lap feature, paying $1,200 to win and on Saturday we will be at Ohio Valley Speedway for the Finale at the Valley. So we hope to see you there!

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

OVDTR — Covering Dirt Track Racing in Ohio & West VirginiaCovering Dirt Track Racing in Ohio & West Virginia

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KJ Motorsports Update #27 Race #48 & #49

09/07/14

We went to Skyline Speedway Friday night and we got one lap in on qualifying and the engine went flat so I pulled off. Although we were able to set 6th fast time we were done for the night, for we had broken a push rod on #1 intake valve, so our night was ended on our car. But we were also driving the 53C for Steve Curtis. We did not have a good qualifying run and started 6th in the heat race and finished 5th. Started 13th in the feature and finished 10th. Not a great run, but brought it home in one piece.

Saturday morning we swapped engines and headed back to Atomic Speedway. They did not qualify us, so we started 5th in our heat by pill draw. We got the heat win, then Maddy drew us pill #1 to start us on the pole of the feature. JP Roberts took the early lead and we followed in 2nd, but not too many laps in the engine went sour and I had to pull it in. Made for yet another horrible weekend.

This weekend we hope to be at Legendary Hilltop Speedway on Friday and Saturday we will go back to Atomic Speedway. So we hope to see you there!

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!
K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #26 Ready to Race!

09/01/14

Well, I took full advantage of the 3 day weekend to get the car back together. I want to thank Jason Canepari for coming to the rescue and repairing the chassis. Jason has bailed me out several times over the years and he does great work! Also want to thank Danny Sweet, Jimmy Simmons and Josh Tonkin for lending a hand. I’m hoping we can get back in the Winners Circle soon and shake off some of this bad luck. The 2nd half of the season has been a struggle thus far for sure. But we won’t give up yet. Still have 2 months of racing to do.

This week I want to give a shout out to Gibbys Dirt Track Racing Nation. Michael Gibson initiated a point’s series for drivers that race in the OH/WV area in 2013! In 2014 he obtained more sponsorship and backing. Go towww.gibbysdtrn.com or go to www.facebook.com/GibbysDirtTrackRacingNation and give it a like. We are currently leading the modified portion of this series and need just one more win to get the bonus. Thanks Gibby for all of your time and effort to support dirt track racing in our area!

This weekend we will be heading to Skyline Speedway on Friday and Saturday we will go to Atomic Speedway. So we hope to see you there!

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #25 Race #46 & #47

08/24/14

Friday we were at Legendary Hilltop Speedway and again set 4th fastest time to start us on the outside pole of heat #1 beside Jason Brookover. We got the heat win to start us on the pole of the feature. Robbie Evans took the early lead and we ran 2nd for a while, until on a restart, I opted to go high and Tyler Evans got under me. A little later on JP Roberts passed us to give us a 4th place finish. There was a couple of changes that may have bit us and another thing we didn’t change, that I wish we would have. But we can always make better decisions after the fact. . . . LOL

Saturday we went to Atomic Speedway, where we set fast time, started on the pole of heat #1 and won it, then started on the pole of the feature alongside Fireball Pinkerton. Fireball got the early lead and the preferred line. We followed closely making runs at him, but never able to make a pass. The track has some rough spots in it and we managed through it most of the night. Until. . . . 5 laps to go on a restart I caught a rut in turn 3 and that started me barrel rolling and I cleared the yuke tires and got up into the catch fence and tore it down and landed on my roof. I was trapped and could not get out. I’ll be honest here. . . I have never been a afraid of racing or wrecking in any way shape or form. But when I was trapped upside down and fuel was pouring out, I had fear for the first time ever. I tried not to panic, but I was very anxious for them to get me rolled over so I could get out. As soon as the rescue guys got there, I shared my concern and they got fire extinguishers ready just in case. But in the end, I got out fine and the rescue guys were prepared and the EMT’s were willing to check me out, but of course I opted out of that. . . LOL! But again, as unfortunate as it is, it’s part of racing and we’ll assess where we are and will be back out soon. I plan to take this weekend (Labor Day Weekend) off and work on the car to get us ready to race on 9/5/14. Appreciate all of the text, phone calls and e-mails checking on me. The racing family is a strong family!

This week I want to give a shout out to the Greg Schilling Memorial Fund. This past Saturday was the Greg Schilling Memorial golf outing. It was a huge turn out and was a huge success at raising money. The Schilling Family has utilized this memorial fund to provide scholarships to both Fort Frye and Waterford high schools each year and have also handed out money to families in need. To date, they have handed out over $39,000. That is a huge tribute to Greg, whom I miss dearly! Love ya Brother!

This weekend we will be at the garage, busy, very busy. So we hope to see you there! LOL

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

OVDTR — Covering Dirt Track Racing in Ohio & West VirginiaCovering Dirt Track Racing in Ohio & West Virginia

KJ Motorsports Update #24 Race #44 & #45

08/17/14

Friday we went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway and set 4th fastest time to start us on the outside pole of heat #2 beside Roy Roush. Roy took the lead on lap one, but we came back under him and passed him off of turn 4 and we went on the get the heat win. This started us beside Tyler Evans and we were able to get the jump on him off of turn 4 and we led the first 8 laps. But Tyler was strong on the bottom and passed us and I went to the high side and for several laps maintained with Tyler and was within striking distance if he were to bobble. But Tyler never bobbled and he went on to get the win and we finished 2nd. Respectable run for us and the car showed signs of improvement.

Saturday we went to Skyline Speedway where there were 22 modifieds. We again set 4th fastest time and this started us beside fast qualifier Kyle Bond. At Skyline they swap the front row, so Kyle started the high side and he took the lead. We came back on Kyle and made a race out of it, but he got the heat win and we finished 2nd. This started us 4th in the feature. The track was good and slick and we made some set up changes before the feature. We jumped into 3rd running middle to high and was working on a good run until a caution came out. At Skyline they do what they call a Delaware restart, where the leader is out by himself, then 2nd place chooses high or low and 3rd goes to the opposite side. JP Roberts was running 2nd and he chose high, which forced us low. I did not think the low line would work for us, but we passed for 2nd and was not pressured the remainder of the race and we finished another 2nd, our 9th one of the year. I wanted to go back up
 top and see if I could catch Roy, but thought better of it, not knowing how close 3rd place was to me. All in all, pretty pleased with the weekend, but still lacking win #15. . . We’ll keep at it and try again next weekend!

This week I want to give a shout out to Steve Balderson of Balderson Construction. Steve is a concrete contractor and has been a supporter of KJ Motorsports for many years. I want to thank Steve and Candace for being the fans that they are and all of the support they provide!

This weekend we will be going to Legendary Hilltop Speedway & Atomic Speedway. So we hope to see you there!

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros.,Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #23 Race #42 & #43

8/10/14

Friday we went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway where 26 cars signed in. We set 2nd fast time, which put us on the pole of heat #2 beside Roy Roush. Roy got the lead with the outside line and we wound up finishing 2nd to start us 6th in the feature. I really did think we still had a good enough car to compete for the win. We passed our way to 3rd, only to lose some ground and were passed by Tanner Wilson. I was just hanging on at the end and was able to get 4th. Found that our right rear tire had given up on us. Track got kind of dusty and gritty and tore our tire up.

Saturday we went to Ohio Valley Speedway where there were 32 modifieds. We struggled in qualifying and wound up 10th fastest. Made a change to try and improve it for the heat. Got a bad start and fell to 5th pretty quick, but fought our way back to a 2nd place finish to start us 6th in the feature. We wound up finishing yet another 4th. Im not sure what we have lost, but we have lost something in our car. We plan to go thru it this week front to back and top to bottom and see if we can find something out of whack. I do intend to make some drastic set up changes this week and see if we can get back to some wins.

This week I want to give a shout out to Tim, Chad and Danny for their dedicated effort and support. They put in all kinds of work and when I don’t win I feel like I let them down. I know I can’t win them all, but when I am not even competing for the win it aggravates me a little. . . LOL!

This weekend we will be going to Legendary Hilltop Speedway & Skyline Speedway. So we hope to see you there! 

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #22 Race #39, #40 & #41

8/04/14

Friday we went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway where were to have 2 complete races in one night. The first was an AMRA show where 26 cars signed in. They had watered the track and tried to get it run in and sent the mods out to qualify. I was in the first group and the greasiness just did not provide us a good qualifying lap. We wound up 12th fast and started 3rd in the heat race and went on to finish 3rd. The car was just not producing the way it had been. So now we were starting 12th in the feature and we finished a disappointing 9th. Now we had to get things ready for the 2nd show which was a Renegades of Dirt show where 34 cars signed in. They broke us up into 2 groups and we were 7th fastest in our group. Started 4th in our heat race and had a good race and a near photo finish for 2nd place. But we finished 3rd to start us 11th in the feature. We made several changes to try and get the car to advance. We came from 11th to 5th by running the bottom,
but near the end of the race, Jason Brookover found a way to make the middle work and he passed his way to 4th, knocking us back to 6th. Although I wasn’t happy with 6th, I was pleased that we advanced in the right direction. We were also acknowledged Friday night by Mike Gibson of Gibby’s Dirt Track Racing. Gibby with the help of Weekly Electric and many other sponsors have teamed up to have a point fund for late models and modifieds. We are currently leading and won the mid-season points. We received a 4’ trophy and a banner. I’m anxious to see how all of this plays out. But thanks to all that are on board with Gibby to put this together.

Saturday found us staying home, for both Atomic and Ohio Valley cancelled due to Mother Nature! Sunday we headed to Midway Speedway to drive for Dean Ecker and his new Victory Chassis. Jeff Vatow normally pilots this ride, but I was asked to give my input on the set up and how it drove. They had 22 mods and we set 7th fastest time to start us 3rd in the heat race. We finished 3rd and this would start us 7th in the feature. I asked them to make some changes before the feature and it helped. We finished 3rd and all in all I was pleased with the way the night went.

This week I want to give a shout out to Jeff Schilling of Schilling Truss. Jeff is not only a sponsor, but he’s a friend and treats me like a family member. Schilling Truss has more than just trusses, they have just about anything to meet your construction needs. Give Jeff a call at 740-984-2396 and tell him we sent ya!

This weekend we will be going to Legendary Hilltop Speedway & Ohio Valley Speedway. So we hope to see you there! 

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #21 Race #37 & #38

KJ Motorsports Update #21 Race #37 & #38

07/28/14

Friday we headed to Atomic Speedway for 2 nights of racing. They had a Sprint Car special on Friday along with running modifieds and Street Stocks and Sport Mods. On Saturday was a Late Model special. We took Frankie Hall’s car for the weekend as ours had gotten some new skin and was waiting on the engine to get back. Last year we raced Frankie’s car and set the track record at Atomic. Well last weekend that track record was broken by Kenny Wallace and it just wasn’t broken, it was shattered by 2 tenths. But we can now say we own the track record again after Friday night. Unofficially, I believe we have it with a 15.033. We started on the pole of the heat beside Travis Dickson and Travis got the win and we finished 2nd. Danny did the pill redraw to start us 4th in the feature. Tanner took the early lead and we moved into 2nd. We were following Tanner and stayed within striking distance. . .until. . . I dropped my right rear off the track entering turn 3 and I could not bring it back. I hit the yuke tires with quite a bit of force and came down on my top. 
I need to thank many people, first off Frankie Hall for allowing me to race his car. It is totaled, but I survived the crash and Shaw Chassis did its job. Second, I need to thank the track crew and the EMT folks that were on the scene. They were there immediately and were tending to me, although I don’t make for a very good patient after a wreck, they were doing their job and I appreciate them being there. Gotta thank Tim and Danny for making sure I was ok and not letting me out of there sight. I also want to thank all of the fans and friends that were concerned and either came back and checked on me or were texting or calling me. I apologize if I did not get back to all of you, but I appreciate the concern. I decided to stay at Sean Schobelock’s instead of driving home. The next morning Sean and Stacey fixed breakfast and after that Danny and I decided to head home. We got within 30 minutes of home and I got a text from Mark Bailey #88 asking if I wanted to drive his car. Immediately I felt 100% better! LOL. I rushed home and ran up to see Steve Eddy (my chiropractor) and he x-rayed me head to toe and worked on my back and sent me on my way. Me, Danny and Coop ran back over to Atomic and jumped in Mark’s car. We set 4th fastest time and won the first heat. Mark’s wife drew pill #1 to start us on the pole beside Dan Ebert. Dan took the early lead and checked out on all of us, while we ran 2nd. We had 2nd until 3 to go and Greggie Oliver passed us. But we had a left rear tire going down and it went clear flat at the checkered and as we pulled in the pits, the right rear went flat too. But I was pleased to finish 3rd in a car we hadn’t been in before. I need to thank Mark and his wife for allowing me to drive their car. Especially since they saw what I did the night before.

Please know, that there are dangers in racing and as drivers, we are all aware of them. Every track has their unsafe conditions and none of them are intentional so to speak. I am aware that the yuke tires are there at Atomic and have flirted with them numerous times. Brad or Atomic is in no way responsible for this wreck, it’s all on me. Brad and his crew were as concerned as anybody and Brad spoke to me on Saturday morning and shared some future plans. But like most plans, this cost money and it’s never cheap. He does hope to rectify the issue as finances allow for it. So please don’t be too critical on Brad or any other promoter for that matter. They are all concerned for safety and they definitely don’t want anyone to get hurt. I just need to start running the bottom and it will be all right. . . NOT! LOL

This week I want to give a shout out to Frankie Hall of Hall’s Auto Repair. Not just for allowing me to race his modified, but for all of the service work he provides for me on my vehicles. If any of you need your vehicle serviced, stop in and see Frankie and his guys and tell them I sent ya! I also need to include Steve Eddy of Eddy Chiropractic Clinic. Steve was on vacation when I wrecked, yet still text me to check on me Friday night and Saturday morning. Then came back from vacation on Saturday and mad it a point to make time to see me and check me out. If anyone needs their back or neck worked on or even needs physical therapy, Eddy Chiropractic Clinic is the place to go! Can’t forget to thank Sean, Stacey and George (Kalvin) for their hospitality and feeding us. Great friends and supporters of KJ Motorsports!

This weekend we will be going to Legendary Hilltop Speedway for an AMRA and Renegade of Dirt show. Saturday we will go back to Atomic for $1,500 to win and Sunday we will go to Tyler County Speedway for the Dickson Classic. So we hope to see you there! 

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #20 Race #35 & #36

KJ Motorsports Update #20 Race #35 & #36

07/19/14

Our weekend started on Wednesday by going to Atomic to run the UMP Summer Nationals Hell tour, where they had 28 modified’s. We were broken up into 3 groups and we were 3rd fastest in our group. We started 3rd and passed our way to 2nd behind UPM Points Leader Jacob Poel. We were trying to catch up to Jacob and we were balls to walls off of turn 2 and he was able to see a wreck up ahead of him and he checked up for it was a red flag. I on the other hand was not able to get stopped as fast and I turned hard right and slammed his rearend with the left side of my car. It did some extensive body damage to our car, but unfortunately it gave Jacob a right rear flat. We restarted the race in the lead and went on to get the heat win. Each heat winner drew a pill for the feature and of course I drew the #3 starting spot. We ran third for a bit until Dan Ebert passed us, but shortly after that the leader, Jackie Boggs got caught up in a wreck and he exited to
the pits. That gave the lead to Devin Gilpin with Dan Ebert in 2nd and we were in 3rd and that’s how we finished. Not a bad run, but we wasn’t quite on our game.

Thursday we took Frankie Hall’s modified to Brushcreek Motorsports Complex and yet again were we 3rd fast time in our group, but this time we finished 3rd in our heat and was set to start 6th in the feature, but 4th place started Devin Gilpin was unable to make the call, so that moved us up to 4th. We again finished 3rd and just wasn’t quite as fast as we needed to be to be able to run with the top 2. Gonna have to find some speed to run up front at some of these bigger shows.

Friday we went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway and we set 4th fastest time to start us on the outside pole of heat #2. But Mother Nature would win out and they had to cancel and Mother Nature decided to stick around thru Saturday as well. So we didn’t get to race either night.

This week I want to give a shout out to Tom and Pam Lemon. They traveled with us and towed Frankie’s car for us and also gave us a place to stay and fed us. Then even with doing all of that Tom and Layne jumped in and helped us get the car repaired after I ran into Jacob Poel. So thanks to the Lemon family for all that they do for KJ Motorsports!

This weekend we will be going to Atomic for Friday and Saturday where they will have 2 complete shows. So we hope to see you there! 

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #19 Race #33 & #34

KJ Motorsports Update #19 Race #33 & #34

07/13/14

Friday we went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway, where we set fast time and won the first heat. This started us on the pole of the feature beside Roy Roush. Roy took the early lead and we ran 2nd. The track had changed slightly and I could tell our car was not performing the way it needed to, to be able to run with Roy. But I almost spun out in turns 3 and 4 and that allowed Jeremy Blake to get by and we wound up finishing 3rd. Not a horrible run, but disappointing.
Not disappointing, was that we also got to run a late model. We were asked to drive the ‪#‎53C‬ by Steve Curtis. This of course has already been a proven winner by Andy Bond this season. We set 3rd fastest time and started on the pole of the 3rd heat beside Steve Weigle. Steve took the early lead, but we stayed right with him until we got in lapped traffic and that played into our benefit as we were able to pass for the win at the line. This started us 3rd in the feature behind veteran and legend Bob Adams Jr. and up and coming youngster Jason Gillian. Bob took the early lead and we moved into 2nd. We raced Bob for several laps and were finally able to make the pass and we were able to go on and get the win! I want to thank Steve Curtis and Roger and Bruce for giving me the opportunity in their late model. It is an awesome ride and I hope to have an opportunity to do it again sometime.

Saturday we went to Ohio Valley Speedway and they had 21 cars and we set 3rd fast time. Fast time setter KC Burdette drew a #2 which started us outside pole of the 3rd heat beside Booger Garnes. Booger won the heat and we got 2nd to start us 6th in the feature. We jumped into 3rd on the first lap and was running 3rd until we got a right rear flat tire very early in the race. So that gave us our 5th DNF for the year. Disappointing, but it has still been a great season thus far. 

This week I want to give a shout out to all of our race fans out there. I appreciate all of your dedicated support and you are some of the very best fans out there! Your cheers and support do not go unnoticed.

This weekend we will be starting on Wednesday night at Atomic running the UMP Hell Tour. We plan to stay all night, thanks to Tom Lemon, then head on over to Brushcreek Speedway on Thursday for another UMP race. Friday we will be coming back to Legendary Hilltop Speedway & then heading back over to Atomic Speedway on Saturday. So we hope to see you there! 

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #18 Race #30, #31 & #32

KJ Motorsports Update #18 Race #30, #31 & #32

07/06/14

Thursday we went to Atomic Speedway for “The Night The Stars Comes Out” event. They had 22 mods and we set 4th fastest time to start us on the outside pole of heat #1 beside fast time qualifier, Fireball Pinkerton. We got the heat win, but the pill redraw would start us 6th in the feature. I didn’t even have to tell Coop he was fired; he came back and said he quit! We made a significant change for the feature and our night got cut short by a spinning car. We just barely got clipped on the left front, but that took our tie rod end, spindle, wheel and tire and gave us our 4th DNF on the year. 

Friday we headed to I-77 Speedway for our first visit of the year. They had 24 cars and we set 6th fastest time to start us outside of Booger Garnes in the 3rd heat. We got the heat win to start us 3rd in the feature. The track got real slick and we ran 3rd for most of the race, but was unable to pressure for 2nd. Near the end of the race, I glazed over our tires and was simply hanging on to 3rd, but Bill Pritchard was able to get by on the bottom and I watched him go on to pass for 2nd and then go on and get the win! It was a good race to watch at the end! Of course, I’d rather not have seen it from the 4th position, but as Danny said on the way home, 4th is better than a DNF.
We were also asked to drive Ken Patrick’s late model, which we drove twice last year. It is a 1991 Swartz Late Model. It’s a vintage late model, but Ken has done several updates to it. We set 13th fast time and started 7th in our heat and finished 4th. Started 13th in the feature and was up to 10th on the bottom, but. . . got impatient and went high and got freight trained back to 15th or so. Got back on the bottom and came back to finish 12th I believe. Appreciate Ken asking me to drive it.

Saturday we went to Ohio Valley Speedway and they had 24 cars and we set fast time. At the Valley, they have the fast qualifier come and draw a pill to determine how many gets inverted for the heat races. Yep, I’m fired for I drew pill #6. So we started 6th in our heat race and got the win to start us on the pole of the feature. We went on to lead every lap and pick up win #14. 

Being that this was Independence weekend, I want to give a shout out to all the military service men and women! Shawn Blair is in the USAF and is stationed in Germany and Lexi Howell was in on leave from the USMC and is stationed in San Diego and is scheduled to be deployed soon. Thanks to them and everyone that has and does serve our country!

This weekend we will be at Legendary Hilltop Speedway on Friday & Saturday we will be going back to Ohio Valley Speedway. So we hope to see you there! 

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #17 Race #27, #28 & #29

KJ Motorsports Update #17 Race #27, #28 & #29

06/29/14

We started our week off early by going to Atomic Speedway on Wednesday night. They had their turn at hosting the sprint cars for Ohio Sprint Speedweek and they had 62 sprint cars and 27 modified’s. We started on pill draw and started 4th in the 2nd heat race. We raced KC Burdette for the heat race win. They pill drew the top 2 in each heat and chad drew us pill number 1! Now, to go back to the heat race, I did have oil pressure issues at the end of the heat. We changed oil pumps and changed the oil and filter and that appeared to fix the oil pressure. But on the first lap of the feature, #7 & #8 rod broke taking us out of the race. This will be no easy or cheap fix. But, I also know, we have been extremely lucky over the years and a failure like this happens to everyone. These engines are put to the test every time we’re out there. Or I know mine is. . . LOL

We put our spare engine in and went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway on Friday. We set 4th fastest time to start us on the outside pole of heat #2 and we went on to win the heat race. Then we started on the outside pole of the feature and were able to go on and get win #13 of the year. Car performed really well.

Saturday we headed to Skyline Speedway for the Greg Schilling Memorial. 28 cars on hand and we set 6th fastest time. We started outside pole of heat #2 beside Tanner Wilson. We got the heat race win and then went on to the dash where we finished 2nd to Corey Conley. This started us on the outside pole of the feature. Corey took the early lead and we ran 2nd for almost the entire race. At one point Roy Roush got a pass on us, but just as he did, he spun off of turn 2. We continued to run 2nd, but got some heavy pressure from Kyle Bond late in the race. As the laps wound down, we came up on lap traffic and on the last lap I forced it into turn 3 pretty hard to try and get into the turn before Kyle and not be pinned in by the lap car. But I got in too hard and lost the handle and essentially spun out. But Kyle did not panic and he came right on thru and his right side caught my left front and straightened me right out and we were able to go on and finish 3rd. First thing I did was thank Kyle for saving me! 

This week I want to give a shout out to the Schilling Family. What an amazing family and a great thing they have done to honor Greg Schilling by setting up a memorial fund to help others in need in the Beverly-Waterford area and also setting up scholarships at both high schools. Greg was a great friend who I miss terribly. He lost his life to cancer, but not without a fight. I feel like Greg is with me often, riding along cheering me on. I’m not a big fan of finishing 2nd, but I’d give anything to finish 2nd to Greg Schilling! Love ya buddy!

This week’s racing kicks off at Atomic Speedway on Thursday night. Friday we will be playing it by ear and Coop will be letting everyone know on Facebook where we plan to go. Saturday, we will be going to Ohio Valley Speedway. 

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #16 Race #26

KJ Motorsports Update #16 Race #26

06/22/14

Friday we had plans to go to Legendary Hilltop Speedway, but Mother Nature made other plans. So we had a night off instead.

Saturday we made plans to go to Ohio Valley Speedway and I believe several other drivers made plans to be there as well since Mother Nature forced all the other area tracks to cancel. They had 30 late models and 34 modifieds. We set 6th fastest time and the fast qualifier drew pill #6, which inverted the top 6 in each heat to start us 5th in the 2nd heat. We were able to get the heat race win to start us on the outside pole of the feature beside KC Burdette. We jumped into the early lead and was occasionally getting pressured by KC Burdette and then late in the race, was getting some heavy pressure from DJ Cline. At the checkered, we beat DJ by just about ¾ of a car length. It made for an awesome and exciting race and also gave us win #12 of the year!

This week we will be at Atomic Speedway on Wednesday as part of the All Star Sprint Speedweeks. Then on Friday at Legendary Hilltop Speedway and Saturday we will be at Skyline Speedway for the 6th Annual Greg Schilling Memorial race.

I want to give a shout out this week to my crew, Tim Cooper, Danny Sweet and Chad Nelson. These guys are as good as they come. They each have their own thing they do, but can each do it all. I am very thankful to have such a dedicated crew. 

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #15 Race #24 & #25

KJ Motorsports Update #15 Race #24 & #25

06/15/14

Friday we went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway and they had 18 cars. We set 5th fastest time to start us on the outside pole of heat #2 beside Tyler Evans. We went on to get the heat win and that started us on the outside pole of the feature, beside fast time setter KC Burdette. We were able to get the lead from the start and held on to get win #10 of the season.

Saturday we went to Atomic Speedway where they had 20 cars and we set fast time to start us on the pole of heat 1. We got the win, but a redraw would determine where we would start the feature. Coop drew a #6 and that gave us some concerns. The track had a cushion and had a lane above the cushion. I had a plan for the start and it worked. I drove in above the cushion in turn one on the start and that took us to 3rd off of turn 2 and I did the same thing going into 3 and that put us in 2nd behind pole setter, Jess Hartman. Jess ran the high line as well and like me, sometimes could hit it just right and gain a lot of speed and other times hit it just wrong and not know where we would end up. We followed the entire race until about 5 to go and we found a line that worked for us a little better and we were able to pass Jess and go on to get the win, to make it win #11 on the year.

This week we will be at Legendary Hilltop Speedway on Friday and Saturday we will be back to Ohio Valley Speedway.

I want to give a shout out this week to Steve Eddy of Eddy Chiropractic Clinic. I had a little incident weekend before last that required Steve’s help. Steve fixed me right up as he does everyone. Steve has not only been a sponsor of ours at one time, he’s been a great friend and has helped me out on more than one occasion. One night, he even had to work on me at the track. We went on to get the win that night and I give him a lot of the credit! So if you ever need to visit a chiropractor or need physical therapy, call on Dr. Steve Eddy at 304-375-6000.

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

OVDTR — Covering Dirt Track Racing in Ohio & West VirginiaCovering Dirt Track Racing in Ohio & West Virginia

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KJ Motorsports Update #14 Race #22 & #23

KJ Motorsports Update #14 Race #22 & #23

06/08/14

Friday we went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway & we set 3rd fastest time, which started us on the pole of heat #1 beside Jason Brookover, whom set fat time. We got the heat win to start us on the pole of the feature, beside Andy Bond. Yet again, Andy took the early lead and we put all kinds of pressure on him and was actually a better race than last week’s race. We could run the middle better and was applying more pressure, but he was not fazed by the pressure. But under a caution, Andy pulled off the track and we went on to get win #9. I hated that Andy dropped out, for if I win, I want to earn it, but it’s all part of racing. As it turns out, Andy lost the belts on his engine and it was overheating.

Saturday we went to Ohio Valley Speedway for the first time this year. It was the Evans Construction 30 and they were paying $1,000 to win. They had 24 cars and we set 3rd fastest time to start us on the pole of heat #3. We got the win and started 3rd in the feature. We took the lead on lap 2 or 3 and stretched the lead out during a long green flag run. A caution bunched us back up and for several laps we were getting pressured on corner entry, but could pull away on the exit of the corner. As we kept going the pressure was being applied more and more by Corey Conley and I was overheating my right rear tire and my brakes were getting hot as well. Corey was able to maintain with us on corner exit, but we still had the lead. I drove it in pretty hard in turn one, hoping to make use of the cushion to gain some bite, but I hit the cushion in such a way that it threw my front end into the wall and that took us out of the race. It was my fault for trying too hard, instead of settling down a bit and giving the tire a break and making a run closer to the end. We have some work to do this week, for it did some damage, but we’ll be ready to go come Friday night.

This week we will be at Legendary Hilltop Speedway on Friday and Saturday we will be at Atomic Speedway.

I want to give a shout out this week to everyone that came to the races either on Friday or Saturday from my workplace. Thanks for taking the time to come and watch me race, I sure do appreciate it.

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros.,Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ Motorsports Update #13 Race #20 & #21

KJ Motorsports Update #13 Race #20 & #21

06/01/14

Friday we went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway & we set 2nd fast time behind Tyler Evans. This started us on the pole of heat #2 beside Andy Bond. Andy had the momentum off of turn 2 and we had to settle for 2nd, to start us 4th in the feature. Andy jumped to the early lead and we followed in to 2nd off of turn 2. We pressured Andy practically every single lap, but he never bobbled and we never had the speed to get him off of the corner. It made for a great race to watch, but one of these days I’m gonna find a way to get around Andy! LOL

Saturday we went to Atomic Speedway where they had 20 modifieds and we set 3rd fastest time to start us on the pole of heat 3. We went on to get the win, but the pill draw would start us 5th in the feature. Things fell our way and the cars just kind of went one direction and I went the opposite and by lap 2 we were passing for 2nd and on lap 4 we took the lead and never looked back. This now gives us 8 wins and seven 2nds out of 21 races. Very pleased with everything at the moment and hope we can continue to have great finishes.

This week we will be at Legendary Hilltop Speedway on Friday and Saturday we will be back home at Ohio Valley Speedway & looking forward to it.

I want to give a shout out this week to Phantom Racing Gear. Our new T-shirts should be shipped this week. For those that pre-ordered, I’ll be contacting you to let you know where we will be so you can get your shirts! For those that didn’t pre-order, if I don’t have extras, I’ll be taking your contact info. and will be placing a 2nd order. Go to www.phantomracinggear.com and visit their site. Rob and Brent are great to work with and let them know you heard about them from us.

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us!

K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Phantom Racing Gear, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

KJ 
www.kjmotorsports.net

KJ Motorsports Update #12 Race #17, #18 & #19

KJ Motorsports Update #12 Race #17, #18 & #19

05/26/14

Friday we went to Legendary Hilltop Speedway, where they had 15 modifieds. We set 3rd fastest time to start us on the outside pole of heat #1 beside Roy Roush. We went on to get the win and that started us on the pole of the feature beside Jeremy Blake. Jeremy jumped to the early lead, but on a restart he broke just as we were about to take the green. Andy Bond in 3rd was able to pass me and get to the high side and we followed and pressure him the rest of the race, but we came up short and got our sixth 2nd of the year. I love racing Andy and we always race hard and regardless who comes out on top we have a good time!

Saturday and Sunday we headed to Tyler County for the Let it Ride 55 weekend. On Saturday they had 47 modifieds and we were broken up into two groups for two separate features. We were 13th fastest in our group to start us 5th in the heat race. We were struggling to get any speed out of the car. Made a change and went out in the heat race, where they were taking the top 4 to the feature. We just did finish 4th and that would start us 10th in the feature. This feature would set the stage for the big show on Sunday. They were taking the top 6 and they would be locked in to the big show. Well, we made some more changes to the car, because we needed more speed. We came from 10th to 4th running the high side. The car was running good and it reminded me of the old days up there. But, I made a huge mistake in lap traffic. As I came up on a lap car, I misjudged and wound up getting into him and flattened our right front tire with just about 5 or 6 laps to go. Tim and Danny got it changed and went back out and finished 14th. This put us in the “C” main, where they were taking the top 6 to transfer into the “B” main. We got the “C” main win and this started us 12th in the “B” main. The car had spewed a little water out after the “C” and I tried to put some water in it, but they were calling for the “B” main and we had to get on the track. We started 12th and passed a couple of cars, but the engine was overheating and I just had to pull it in and we missed the big show. Unfortunately we did not show how competitive our car has been this year at this big show, but hopefully we will have other opportunities to do so.

I want to give a shout out this week to Tom and Pam Lemon. Tom and Pam have been avid race fans of KJ Motorsports since the fall of 2006. They go above and beyond to support us in many ways and this weekend to show their support, they did just that. They were on vacation at the beach and once they learned that we were being inducted into the Dirt Modified Hall of Fame, they cut their vacation short to come join us and celebrate this honorable achievement. I appreciate all that they do and appreciate their friendship!

I can’t forget to give a shout out to a future up and coming racer, Zack Carr. Zack runs the mini wedge division and he wins often. But Sunday night, I got to see one of the best mini wedge features I’ve ever seen. Zack was running 3rd most of the race and was right there in the hunt and passed for 2nd once and got passed back. He lost his momentum one time and had to chase down the leaders. With one to go, the two leaders battled one another and was running up the track in turns one and two and Zack stayed right after it and took the shortest distance on the low side. As they exited turn 2 they were 3 wide with Zack on the inside, as they entered turn 3, the inside line was the one to have and Zack got the win. Watch out for that name in the years to come, for he’ll be a tough one!

Remember, to make this work, support those that support us! K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Hypercoils, Tom & Pam Lemon, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

Kenny Johnson is one of Fifteen Inaugural Members Selected to Represent the Class of 2014 and be Inducted into the Dirt Modified Hall of Fame

Below you will see an e-mail I received from Cody Watson, the founder of DMHoF (Dirt Modified Hall of Fame). Something that was established this year in an effort to recognize and honor those who have contributed to modified racing in some fashion. I am honored to say, that I am one of the inductees in the inaugural class of 2014. Now in saying that, I believe that I did not get this on my own and wish there was a way that I could share this honor with others that have helped to put me where I am at the moment. So I want to take this time and acknowledge those that have impacted my success during my 15 years in modified racing and I hope not to leave anyone out.

Dad & Mom, Tommy & Regina Powell, Tom & Vickie Powell, Shane Thomas, Shirley Paul Keffer, Gene & Ann Casto, Tim Cooper, Chad Nelson, Jason Canepari, Keith Emrick, Steve Balderson, Billy Lloyd, Kevin & Kenny Rogers and John Carvillano with Throw'n Dirt Racecars, Tod Buckhalter, Jerry Haseleu & Rick Strickler with Hassy Chassis, Larry Shaw Racecars, Jr. Nolan with 2 Brothers Motorsports, Steve Davis, Dustin Jarrett, Brian and Chris Ferrell of Flash Productions, Mike & Ralph Whited, Tom Willoughby, Bill Shortridge, Randy Rapp of Rapp's Chevron, AMRA, Bill and Pam Hayes, Tom and Pam Lemon, The Crew at Poske's Performance Parts along with all of my current sponsors: K-Graphics, Hall’s Auto Repair, Schilling Truss, JS Enterprises, Zemba Bros., Coughlincars.com, Steve Balderson Construction, Sheet Metal Local 33, Octane Race Products, Poske’s Performance Parts, Out-Pace Race Products, Racers Edge Supplements, Hypercoils, Carr Auto Glass, OVDTR.com, Billy Joe & Wanda Hammett, Bill & Patty Welch (RIP), Keyser Mfg., Shaw Race Cars, TSM Enhanced, Bazell Race Fuels, Hoosier, Aero Wheels, Wrisco Aluminum, Lubeck Community Baptist Church, Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh, Willy’s Carburetor’s, KSE Pumps, KRC.

Of course I can't leave out the FANS that have supported me in many ways from cheering me on to offering to help when needed. Being inducted into the DMHoF is not just for me, but for each and every one of you and I want to say thank you for being a part of it!

Dirt Modified's are one of the most popular racing divisions across America with more memberships than any other division nationwide. The individuals who achieved greatness in this division deserve and need a Hall of Fame to recognize them for their honor and hard work. Thus, in 2014 the DMHoF was born and fifteen original members are set to be honored this season on May 24th & 25th. We look to annually induct another six racers.

So without further ado, CONGRATS, you were one of just fifteen inaugural members that were selected to represent the Class of 2014 and be inducted into the Dirt Modified Hall of Fame. The presentation and induction will be on May 24th at the Tyler County Speedway as part of the "LET IT RIDE 55" Weekend, the Renegades of Dirt's biggest touring event of the season.

As part of the Hall of Fame; you will be honored on Saturday afternoon from 1pm to 3pm with a special gathering for you & family as well as any other sponsors or affiliates. We will also be getting some group photos for future use and marketing purposes. Furthermore, as part of the this Kenny will receive a commemorative plaque for his memories and marks left on the division and the sport. The presentation is open to anyone in the general public. You will also be brought out on the front stretch on Sunday night during the opening ceremonies and will be recognized in front of the large crowd on hand.