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To those of you who know who Michael Beard is, you should know that he has been announced IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year for 2010. To those of you who don't know who he is, I suggest you check out the amazing year he has been having for the Duct Tape Race Team.
2010 IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year Michael Beard
Now that the infamous Volare is out of commission for the season, Beard is driving a 1974 Plymouth Duster as a backup. Beard has driven behind the wheel of a few different cars this season including Jeff Ross' Dodge Avenger to the winners circle at the Summit Racing All-stars event at the IHRA World Finals.
Over the Halloween weekend, Beard drove the Duster to a, "career-best 1/8th mile time of 7.09 @ 96 mph on Saturday." Not bad considering he, "was among the last nine cars left standing on Sunday." Many plans still lie ahead for Beard for the few remaining events of 2010. Beard mentioned, "The Duck Tape Turismo will do battle at Coastal Plains Raceway in Jacksonville, NC on Saturday with two separate $5,000-to-win races on the line in the Fall Footbrake Frenzy II.
Sunday will be an "off" day, as Michael and Jill Beard celebrate their upcoming 2nd Anniversary (a day early)." Beard gave a special thanks to his sponsors including K&N filters in an interview after receiving recognition as the Sportsman Driver of the Year. Congratulations to the Duct Tape Team and Michael Beard for such amazing talent.
The 24-year-old from Franklin, Massachusetts says that 2010 is clearly one of his best years in racing yet.
"I enjoy long distance races, and a lot of cautions seem to be a part of that. I just try to stay focused, and concentrate on the next restart," remarked a low-key Bobby Santos, referring to his win of the CARQUEST Fall Final at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut.
The K&N sponsored Santos won the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship in his very first fulltime season of competing in the division.
Santos was able to get around first place Ryan Preece on the final restart with only six laps remaining in the 150 lap race.
Santos came into the race with a slim seven-point lead in the points standings. He endured the caution-filled final 50 laps to pick up his fourth win of the season, and his first since back in June at Martinsville Speedway. The final one-third of the race saw six cautions, including one red flag after a multi-car accident on Lap 140 forced the track to make repairs to the guardrail.
It was Santos huge victory at Stafford Motor Speedway that all but locked up the title for his team Mystic Missile Racing and owner Bob Garbarino.
After the race at Stafford only one race remained on the schedule. Santos and his team Mystic Missile Racing now carried a 37-point lead into the season ending race at International Speedway in Thompson, Connecticut, for the Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing. Santos won the season opener at Thompson in April.
"After Stafford I felt very confident with our lead going into the last race," said Santos. "Knowing that we run well at Thompson throughout the year and that we just needed to do our job to finish it off, and it turns out it was in our own fate."
Santos finished the race at International Speedway in sixth place, which was all he needed in order to lock up his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship. The Whelen Modified Tour title came in Santos' first fulltime season competing in the division.
"The season started really well," said Santos, "Then mid-summer we fell off a little, but we came back strong at Stafford to end the year, which was a huge win for our team in the end. That's what got us the comfortable lead which allowed us to wrap it up at Thompson."
In winning the Whelen Modified Tour Championship, the K&N sponsored driver gave car owner Bob Garbarino his third championship in four years. Garbarino has been owner in the division since 1961, and has now won titles in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Another busy weekend flies by for the Duct Tape Team with loads of frustration and excitement. Tensions are high as the season comes to a close. As the IHRA race event was under way, Michael Beard took to the track for the World Finals Nitro Jam at Virginia Motorsports Park and during the second qualifying session, the Duct Tape Volare had issues with a broken rear-end.
Michael Beard took to the track for the World Finals Nitro Jam and during the second qualifying session had issues with a broken rear-end.
The weekend seemed to come to a dim close for Beard but, to his surprise he was given the opportunity to get back behind the wheel and head toward victory lane.
"Thanks to the generosity Jeff and Zac Ross (who I purchased the Volare from back in 2005), I was still able to compete in the two major shootout races, driving Zac Ross's Dodge Avenger."
Beard took on the challenge and ended up racing in the Summit Racing Stock Allstar showdown. Call it luck or call it skill but, Beard ended up winning the Summit Stock final in the Ross racing Dodge Avenger. This race win brought much reward for Beard and his race team.
The Duck Tape Volare will be down for the rest of 2010 as they replace the rear end and transmission with beefier components.
"As the Summit All Stars Stock Champion, I received $5,000, a special Summit All Stars trophy, a Gold Card for entry into National/Divisional events next year, and a qualifying spot in both the 2011 Summit All Stars and the 2011 Tournament of Champions!"
Duct Tape Racing's Michael Beard
Not to mention, "Competition Plus Magazine bestowed upon me the Mike Aiello Award," referred to by the media as "The Spirit of Drag Racing Award," which honors determination and the spirit to persevere and remain positive in spite of obstacles. ", and for overcoming the challenges of Bell's Palsy." To have a weekend go from a broken rear-end to the victory circle is something that no racer would expect but, would proudly boast.
This victory may be one of many this season as, "The Duck Tape Volare will be down for the rest of the 2010 season as we take the time to replace the rear end and transmission with beefier components that will sustain the massive number of runs made. The Duck Tape Turismo will pick up the slack as we head for Montgomery Motorsports Park this weekend, Oct. 22-24, 2010 for the 4th Annual Footbrake Classic, consisting of three $5,000-to-win races and one $20,000-to-win race."
The American Dream. It's what our country was built on. And for one Australian, the American Dream came through in 2010. Lynton Jeffrey, an Australian sprint car driver and parts manufacturer, completed a dream season by capturing two championships in the last month. Jeffrey and his Vortex Racing Products team captured both the Husets Speedway Championship and the Heartland Racing Association Championship to conclude the best season of his career. Jeffrey also finished 6th in the Knoxville Championship Cup at one of the most prestigious tracks in the world.
Lynton Jeffrey captured 10 total podiums including 3 victories this season.
"Honestly, I never really thought I would win one (championship)," said the 36-year-old. "At the outset of the season, we set our goal for top five's and maybe a top three."
Jeffrey blew the doors off of those goals, capturing 10 total podiums, including 3 victories this season. He finished in the top 5 in half of the races his team entered, and failed to finish just twice all year. Then, Jeffrey gained national attention when his privateer team qualified for the 24 car A Main at the Knoxville Nationals, the Indy 500 of sprint car racing. Jeffrey said it defined his racing career.
Vortex Racing Products Team Crew Chief Glen Saville
"The Nationals was a career moment for myself and Glen (Saville, team crew chief). The Outlaws (World of Outlaws) have budgets in the millions. We don't have ten percent of that. It was my first A Main at the Nationals, and to do it in the 50th running of the event made it even more special. It was truly a 'David' versus 'Goliath' moment, and we succeeded. It was a time we will never forget."
Jeffrey hopes his teams success in 2010 will lead to more funding from companies other than his own. Vortex is a leading supplier of wings for sprint cars throughout the world. With engines that were down on power, Jeffrey struggled to qualify well during his weekly races this season. Knoxville's high speeds and the demand for greater horsepower took a toll on Jeffrey's team, and they were disappointed with their points finish at the track.
"We've decided to make some pretty expensive upgrades to the motors for next season. We think it will give us the advantage needed to compete consistently at tracks like Knoxvile. Hopefully some of our supporters from this season will come on as partners for next season, and we can take this team to the next level."
The one consistent thing about Vortex Racing's season was the lack of engine failures. The team never experienced engine problems, and Jeffrey was quick to credit the support given by K&N Filters for that.
"We love K&N's product. The clean oil and lack of wear on the engines really helps a team working on the budget we do. We probably owe K&N more than we know once you look back at our season. Two championships and an A Main at the Knoxville Nationals could never have been achieved without their help. Thank you to everyone at K&N and Vortex for supporting us this season."
Denmyer locked up the championship by winning both the heat and feature race in the last race of the season at Hunterstown.
"This is my seventh championship, and it still feels like the first - AWSOME!" remarked Joppa, Maryland, racer Kyle Denmyer. It has been two years since I have been on the top, and what a wonderful feeling."
Kyle Denmyer's favorite racetrack has long been Hunterstown Speedway in Hunterstown, Pennsylvania, and now he holds the tracks 340 Briggs and Stratton Championship.
Two years must seem like forever when you're a nine year race veteran at the measly age of fourteen. This was Denmyer's first full year running in the adult classes, which consisted of 47 events. And, by all measures, it was a very successful inaugural year, as he is the 2010 Hunterstown Speedway Briggs and Stratton 340 Champion. Denmyer also successfully competed in the Burris Tire Series, running with many of the most talented racers from the East Coast.
"Since I've moved up to non-restricted classes it has been tough," said Denmyer. "I had a lot of help to get where I am though. First thanks to K&N filters, they help to keep my Dart Power engine clean and running at its peak performance. Second, to my engine builder Mike Daugherty, and of course all our other sponsors.
At only 14-years-old, Denmyer already has the steely determination and focus to continue winning championships for a long time to come.
And third , I'd like to thank Missy Ford for her help with the chassis, both on and off the track. I'm gonna cherish this for a few months, because a championship is hard to come by with all the great competition in these classes."
In total for 2010 Kyle accumulated 16 feature wins, six second place finishes, six third place finishes, three fourth place finishes, three fifth place finishes, and 10 top-ten finishes .
"I raced in two points divisions this year, the first one being Hunterstown Speedway (every Saturday night from March-October), and the second was The Burris Money Series (a five race series)," explains Denmyer.
"At the last points race at Hunterstown Speedway I went out with a bang! I won both the heat and the feature, and that's how I won the championship. In the Burris Money Series I finished seventh in both heat and the feature in the last points race. And considering I was racing against the best on the East Coast, finishing ninth overall in points out of 42 racers is not too bad."
"After racing a total of 47 races this year I need a little break," said Denmyer. "I am going to take a short break for the holidays, then I am planning to race a few indoor races. But I never stop thinking about racing, I will be on my simulator and in the garage getting ready for next season."
Even away from the track Denmyer continually works on sharpening his driving skills by pitting himself against Vaughn Gittin "JR" on his driving simulator. Referred to simply as JR, Gittin's hometown also happens to be Joppa, Maryland. When he's not doing that he's out tooling around on his four-wheeler, or checking out what the freestyle motocross team, Metal Mulisha Crew is up to.
Denmyer, already a well versed sponsorship veteran adds, "We would like to thank all those who made this possible - our sponsors, our friends, our family, and of course our fans. Thank you for a great year, and we look forward to 2011."
