Author - vdl

Chilly Willy and the Icebreakers!

Half of the country may be covered in snow; but you can load up the trailer and head south to some fast racetracks where the  2017 season has already begun!  And, VDL is in the winners circle again!  THANKS FOR THE RIDE, GUYS! Casey Roderick takes the pole and the win at the Zack Donatti 125 in New Smyrna FL. Erik Jones takes the pole at SpeedFest in Cordele GA. Harrison Burton takes the win at SpeedFest in Cordele GA. Casey Roderick takes the pole and the win at SpeedFest in Cordele GA with his PLM. Derek Thorn takes the pole and the win at the Winter Showdown in Bakersfield CA. Garret Evans takes the pole at the Chilly Willy 150 in Tucson AZ. Owen Riddle takes the win at the Chilly Willy 150 in Tucson AZ. Lee Pulliam takes the pole and the win at the Icebreaker in Myrtle Beach SC. Doug Coby takes the win at the Icebreaker in Myrtle Beach with his Modified. Brad May takes the pole at the Orange Blossom 100 in New Smyrna FL. Jeff Choquette takes the win at the Orange Blossom 100 in New Smyrna FL. Mike Bresnahan takes the pole and the win in the season opener at Citrus County FL.   LET US KEEP [...]

February 13, 2017 Read more...

California Racer Moving Up!

2013 – INEX Legends Champion at Kern County Raceway 2014 – Rookie of the Year in Late Models at Kern County Raceway 2015 – Open Late Model Champion at Madera Speedway 2016 – 10 wins in a row in NASCAR Late Models at Kern County Raceway . . . and counting! Buddy Shepherd is growing up fast, and it is not easy moving up in the ranks.  He has raced on dirt and asphalt, on 2 wheels and 4, and now leads the championship points in his family-owned #22 NASCAR Late Model at Kern County Raceway in Bakersfield, CA.  Championship night is October 15, and VDL says, “Thanks for the ride, guys!  Finish strong!”

September 27, 2016 Read more...

Historic Win in New Jersey!

TJ Lilly is a dirt racer at New Egypt Speedway in the Sportsman division.  He turned 16 this summer, and followed that up with a big win on August 20.  “Thanks for a great 4412!  Will be contacting you soon to build me a 4 barrel.  That win was pretty historic.  TJ just turned 16 a few weeks before that win making him the youngest ever winner in the state of NJ!”

September 27, 2016 Read more...

VDL Dominates Oxford 250 with . . .

“Growing up as a kid in this area, the 250 is THE big race.  I’d be up there to watch and always dream of someday running it.  For us to actually pull one off, I still don’t believe it.”  THE race was the 43rd H.P.  Hood Oxford 250; the track was Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine; and that dreamer is Wayne Helliwell Jr.  Bruce Bernhardt, car owner and crew chief, of Bernhardt Automotive in Pelham, NH has been a competitor at Oxford since before Wayne was born; and these two have been together now for almost a decade.  August 28 was the day that all their hopes and dreams collided with a better pit strategy, longer tire management, and smarter driving.  Wayne took the lead with 6 laps to go after a long side by side battle with Travis Benjamin who was looking for his 3rd victory in this prestigious event.  Bruce says, “Several people asked me what our next race is after this.  I said, “There is no next race.  You think about the 250 all year.  Our partners, like VDL, have been working with us all year to get to this point, and having Dan on [...]

September 21, 2016 Read more...

Frisbie is Fast!

Cottage Grove Speedway is a fast 1/4 mile dirt track just south of Eugene, Oregon.  Chris Frisbie and crew are from Vancouver, Washington and showed up on June 11 for the Wallbanger Cup.  How perfectly named!  The IMCA Sport Mod feature was a caution plagued affair; and, despite having to deal with several restarts through the course of the race, the Frisbie Motorsports/ Clark Printing/ Discount Race Car Parts/ Harbor Rail Services Company #17 was the car to beat.  Chris blazed the trail for every single lap to win his first career race at Cottage Grove Speedway!  Maybe it was the VDL graphics on the hood; but, it was definitely the VDL 650 HP carburetor under the hood.  Thanks for the ride, Chris!        

July 7, 2016 Read more...

The First One is Always the Best!

Here are the numbers: 8 – the number of race nights scheduled at Sharon Speedway in Hartford  OH 7 – the number of race nights rained out at Sharon Speedway 600 – the number of BB Modified races run at Sharon Speedway 87 – the number of different winners of the BB Modified feature at Sharon Speedway 6 – the number of years that Chris Haines of Sandy Lake PA has competed in BB Modifieds 4 – the day in June that Chris Haines won his first career BB Modified feature race!   It was a fast track; Chris rode the cushion, and held off some of the region’s best Modified racers that Saturday night in early June for his first career win in the division.  The 45 year old driver from Sandy Lake PA led the final 16 laps of the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply feature for the win, and VDL was there!  Chris had purchased a Holley 850 HP for his Big Block before the season started, and it paid off. Congratulations, Chris.  The first one is always the best.

June 8, 2016 Read more...

5 Time IMCA Stock Car National Champion

Here are the numbers for the 2015 season: 57 starts 39 wins 8 2nd place 50 top 5 5 DNF 3 track championships   Who is that man with the big smile? Let us introduce Mike Nichols, the all-time win leader in IMCA Stock Car and 5-time National Champion!  Racing has always been a family affair, and he started out in go-karts with mom and dad as the crew.  The next step was an outlaw Hobby Stock; and then he took a big leap up to IMCA and won his first national championship in 2002.  Today he holds 24 career IMCA track titles, 374 lifetime wins, and 4 more National Championships.  This year, he missed the National trophy by only 4 points! This humble giant always says:  “I know you’ve heard me say this before.  If you surround yourself with the best people, you will achieve the best results.”  His VDL 4412 carburetor is definitely the best!

November 20, 2015 Read more...

McCoy Wins All

Billy McCoy of Belvidere IL purchased a VDL 4412 this past summer; and his driver, Brett McCoy, started winning races.  Rockford Speedway is a high-banked quarter mile oval in the middle of America and a member of NASCAR All-American Weekly Racing Series.  Brett is now the Rockford Speedway 2015 Sportsman Champion, and he also scooped up the All-American Sportsman Dash Points.

November 18, 2015 Read more...

Fastest on Dirt

‘Smooth as silk and violent as a volcano’ is the only way to describe a Modified on the dirt.  Will Thomas kept it smooth all season to win the 2015 Modified Track Championship at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.  His engine builder, Jason Ore of 955 Automotive in Erie PA, is a firm believer in VDL; and his carburetor of choice for Will was our Holley 80528-1.450.  This carburetor has the smooth throttle response of a 750, and yet offers the ground-shaking power of a 950. Congratulations, Team 9!

November 18, 2015 Read more...

You Guys Rock!

First night out with new carb, hit rev limiter in hot laps, we had never done that before!  Then wins his heat race.  Starts inside 2nd row in the 20 lap feature, leads the race for a few laps, gets passed and beats the bumper off the leader until 2 laps to go, takes the lead back and gets passed on the last lap in the last corner for a 2nd place finish.  Very happy with the new carb.  My boy had a new stock car chassis built for this year and it has been working very well, hoping this new carb is that little bit we have been missing.  Looks like it might be! Thank you from Harlan Pundt, my boy Jeremy, and our 52J racing fans! IMCA Stock Car, Iowa ————————————————————————————————————————— Thanks VDL.  This is my second carb from you guys.  The first was a 2 barrel a few years ago.  It has been awesome and still on my open motor.  Looking forward to this one on the Crate.  You guys rock! Thanks, Chris Frisbie #17 Modified Sunset Speedway Park, Oregon ————————————————————————————————————————— Hi, my name is JR Flores.  I recently purchased a 650 HP from VDL because of last minute tinkering on racer.  I stripped the squirter [...]

November 18, 2015 Read more...