Tuner Evolution Revolution

AMSOIL has joined forces with Fox Marketing in an effort to spread the AMSOIL word (even more than it already is) in the tuner world. On Saturday, August 15 at the Toyota Arena in York, PA hundreds of tuners are expected to turn out for Tuner Evolution 2009 and compete for various titles. AMSOIL has been keeping close tabs on the tuner industry where the excitement is rampant and there is always something new and fresh. This year the AMSOIL presence is even bigger, and is always gaining momentum due to its reputation of quality and superiority over other products. Tuner owners won’t use just any old lubricants in their expensive engines… hence our strong affiliation with this industry.

This year AMSOIL is installed in what are sure to be some of the hottest tuners in the entire arena. First up is S-Max Intercoolers, a Race Prepped Nissan 240 built by Dave Hary to be featured in the AMSOIL booth. Dave has an established track record within the industry, and we have had the pleasure of sponsoring other vehicles of his in past events including SEMA. His vehicles are always a hit both on the street and on display, and AMSOIL is pleased to once again be associated with this talented builder.

Over in the Fox Marketing booth, be sure to look for a couple more sweet rides with AMSOIL 0W-30 under the hoods: A 2009 Twin Turbo 625hp wide body Lexus IS F, a 2008 Focus Coupe, and the debut of the 2010 Lexus IS350C. With awards ranging from the usual ‘Best in Show’ and ‘Best in Class’, to the unusual such as ‘Outstanding Female Ride’ and ‘Outstanding Old School Ride’, the Tuner Evolution show is sure to make your jaw drop. Come see for yourself why the tuner movement is growing, with no signs of stopping.

Photo Caption: Billboard (top right) for the upcoming Tuner Evolution features an AMSOIL lubed Lexus by Brian Fox of Fox Marketing. Dave Hary's builds (S-Max at left) always generate heart-pounding excitement.

AMSOIL on Board as a Sponsor of Hot Rod Drag Week 2009

It’s one of the most popular events in rodding. More than a hundred cars and sometimes even 200 cars and drivers compete in Hot Rod magazine’s toughest assignment: how fast can you go and still be street legal?

In a challenge truly designed as a test the survival of the fittest, Hot Rod’s Drag Week is an event unlike any other. In a week-long tour of race tracks throughout the Midwest, a caravan of street legal dragsters travels from track to track, races hard, then moves on to the next stop to do it all over again. The driver who collects the total fastest time wins. Except… it’s not that easy. These cars need to make it to all race tracks without the help of a support crew following behind, with only the tools they have on board, and a dragster capable of completing such a task. Not just for full-on race cars, Drag Week offers several different classes from Unlimited modified cars to Daily Drivers.

The rules are fairly simple: Secret checkpoints along the way are determined in which each driver must stop and take a photo to prove they are staying on track and not taking any illegal shortcuts... or being towed. Breakdowns result in lost time and unless tools and supplies are on board already, they could mean the end for some. Of course, drivers are allowed to help each other out with tools or manpower if they wish, but it is a race against time and each other. Once at the tracks, drivers are required to make an allocated amount of successful passes on the drag strip to remain in the competition and before getting the maps to the next track.

The winner of this event with the lowest overall Elapsed Time (ET) will be declared ‘Fastest Street Rod in America’ with a trophy, bragging rights and hero worship in the magazine to prove it. In the words of Hot Rod Magazine, “Drag Week is all about road tripping with your new best friends, helping each other out, then trying to beat them on the drag strip.” If you are in any of the areas, come and watch friendly mayhem ensue as these drivers battle it out for the title. It’s free to watch, and there is still time to register at Hotrod.com if you want to submit your dragster to see if it has what it takes.

Dates for 2009
Sun Sep 13~Test 'n Tune -Muncie Dragway, Albany, IN
Mon Sep 14~Racing Day 1 -Muncie Dragway, Albany, IN
Tue Sep 15~Day 2 -US 131 Motorsports Park, Martin, MI
Wed Sep 16~Day 3 -Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH
Thu Sep 17~Day 4 -National Trail Raceway, Hebron, OH
Fri Sep 18~Finals -Muncie Dragway, Albany, IN

Louisville Prepares for 40th Annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals

For those of you keeping up with the AMSOIL Promotions Blog or the NSRA's Street Scene Magazine, you are no doubt familiar with the NSRA Nationals events happening across the country each year. For those of you who aren’t, the NSRA is an organization of street rod enthusiasts who gather in various locations to display their vintage restored hot rods at large local gatherings across the nation. Their next stop is Louisville, KY for the 40th Annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals. The granddaddy of them all, event promoters and expecting upwards of 11,000+ street rods to be on display. These beautifully restored vehicles must be driven in, and range in value from $20,000 to $150,000. In all, the total value of all vehicles on display reaches well over $3 million so there is plenty to see and explore up close and personal.

In addition to the thousands of street rods, there is a lot to see and do for the entire family. As with all NSRA Nationals events, the Women’s World with arts and crafts will be there, as well as several games designed especially for children. A swap meet runs the entire weekend, and hundreds of companies are hand to display products and services pertaining to this market.
Louisville also has some extra special attractions that are not usual staples at NSRA events. First up, a ‘Builders Showcase’ area with cars built by the top professionals in the industry will be on display. An appearance will be made at the Mothers polish booth on Friday and Saturday by ‘Overhaulin’ TV host Chip Foose, an established car builder and TV personality. Norm Grabowski will on hand as well showing off his ‘Kookie Clone 09’ replica, made famous by the 70’s series ‘Sunset Strip’ as well as his ‘Kookie II’ Magazine car. Live entertainment, from a Rolling Stones tribute to an Elvis tribute, will ensure that there's never a dull moment. And if you're within a ten state radius, be sure to stop by one of the AMSOIL booths.

What: 40th Annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals

Where: Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville KY

August 6 8:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.

August 7 8:00 A.M.-6:00 P.M.

August 8 7:00 A.M.-7:00 P.M.

August 9 8:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M.

Cost

Adult: $14

Child 6-12: $5.00

5 & Under: Free with paid adult

2009 AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge Announced

For the third consecutive year, AMSOIL is preparing for the 2009 AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge as title sponsor. This year the competition pits 8 engine builders against one another to see who can design and deliver the best engine performance at the best cost. This is not just your everyday gearhead throwing together an engine that works, but serious builders committed to finding the right formula that outperforms the rest. These guys know their stuff, and put that knowledge to good use in this event.

In August, the builders will put their engines on display at the Mopar Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. From there the engines will be shipped to Comp Cams in Memphis, TN for three days of supervised dyno-testing in early September.

With a strict set of rules to follow, the engines are given an overall rating based on peak horsepower and peak torque divided by the retail cost of listed parts. AMSOIL 10W-40 Synthetic Oil is the only oil permitted for use in each B-Block based engine from the start, and this has contributed tremendously to the winners’ outcomes in past years. Testing is done with a 900 rpm-per-second acceleration test, and testing data will be gathered between the 3,000-7,000 rpm range. Over the course of 45 minutes, each engine is required to make at least three scored pulls and the one with the highest combined horsepower and torque number will be used for the final score. Tuning is only allowed before the 45 minute test phase during the setting of timing and idle. After that it all boils down to which engine has what it takes in terms of horsepower, torque and operating temperatures. In previous years some engines couldn’t take the heat and were disqualified.

The main purpose of this challenge is to give engine builders well-deserved exposure to a market that has a need for them. Full coverage of the event and all participating engines is given in Mopar Muscle Magazine, where ultimately the winners are given a platform to showcase their talent. AMSOIL will be on top of any new developments, so watch this space for updates and outcomes of one of the most anticipated events in the Mopar market.