Off Road Accessory Review

It is getting harder and harder for a stock car racer to progress up the NASCAR ladder system. With the likes of Ricky Carmichael, Danica Patrick and Travis Pastrana bringing their fans and sponsors to NASCAR, car owners are likely to choose a known star over potential. Jason Bowles is battling for his chance at stardom right now.

Jason Bowles is the 2009 K&N Pro Series West Champion who ran a number of races in 2010 in NASCAR’s Nationwide, and Truck Series. However, he has no permanent ride for 2011. Being without a ride for 2011 has not stopped Bowles from charging hard.

Bowles won the 2011 All Star Showdown at Irwindale in late January. The Showdown is the Superbowl of regional stock car racing. The Showdown is also the first place that Travis Pastrana set aside his motocross jersey and made his debut in his #99 Boost Mobile Toyota for Waltrip/Pastrana Racing and finished sixth.

Bowles also finished 5th in the ARCA race at Daytona on Saturday. Bowles drove a smart race to give himself a solid start to his 2011 season. Bowles will have to continue his good streak to earn a full time ride in 2011

Speed week is in full swing at the Daytona International Speedway. Even with all the action on the 2.5 mile super speedway there is still more going on in Florida.

Volusia Speedway is putting on a huge show during speed weeks that includes Dirt Modifieds, open wheel modifieds, World of Outlaw Sprint Cars, All Star Sprint Cars, and World of Outlaws Late Models. Everything fast on four wheels seems to be in Florida right now. Although you can’t find a motocross jersey in Florida right now, if you enjoy speed go to Florida.

The 2011 Formula One season is just around the corner. Most teams have unveiled their 2011 cars. This year’s cars have 3 major changes for this season.

First, all cars are required to run  K.E.R.S. The Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems will take energy from brake heat and convert it into boost for additional power through the race.

Second, the rear wings on the cars will be adjustable from the cockpit. This change is intended to help drivers over take other cars.

Third, Pirelli tire is the new tire supplier for the series.

All this adds up to a very exciting season. Which team will deal with the changes the best. Red Bull had the best car last year by far. Can they continue to dominant and hold on to the #1 on Vettel’s car. Will Ross Braun build the dominant car this year for Mercedes? The answers to these questions and many more will come in March. The motocross jerseys at the 2011 Supercross season has been amazing so far, but the F1 season maybe even better than that!

The NASCAR season is in full swing at the Daytona International Speedway. The Bud Shootout took place on Saturday Night and Pole Qualifying was Sunday afternoon. One of the biggest stories of the weekend has been speeds over 200 miles per hour in race conditions when cars hook up in two car trains!

The Bud Shootout gave the cars and drivers optimal conditions for top speeds. A cool track allowed some of the two car trains to reach 206 miles per hour during the race. Eventual winner Kurt Busch was being pushed by Jamie McMurray for many laps. Busch past leader Ryan Newman coming to the checkered flag. Denny Hamlin was DQed for trying to pass Newman below the yellow line. The race was filled with 2 car drafts that changed the way drivers run at Daytona.

Dale Earnhardt Jr took the pole on Sunday of the Daytona 500. The pole speed was just over 186 MPH. The pole speed is 20 MPH less than when 2 cars run together. Jeff Gordon is on the outside front row. All the remaining positions will be decided Thursday during the Gatorade Duels.

NASCAR is looking into rule changes to reduce the speeds and reduce the length of time in which 2 cars can stay hooked up in a train draft. NASCAR is looking to reduce engine cooling which would cause the second car in the 2 car train to over heat sooner. These changes would limit the amount of time one car could push another before over heating became and issue.

Past Motocross Champion Ricky Carmicheal has already had a top 5 this week by finishing 4th in the ARCA race on Saturday. No motocross boots in sight for Carmicheal but a strong start for his 2011 season.

This past weekend the Supercross season added a number of twists to its already dramatic season. A number of riders including James Stewart went down in the first corner of the Supercross main event. This allowed Kevin Windham to run away this the lead early.

Windham looked to be in control of the event with problems for many of the contenders at the start. Windham’s run at the top ended when he lost control of the bike and crashed hard. The bike landed on Windham and he did not complete the event.

Trey Canard took over the lead with Dungey reeling him in with laps winding down. Meanwhile Stewart would go down again! In the end Stewart ended up with a 15th place finish and losing the points lead to Villopoto who finished third.

Canard and Dungey battled through the last few laps of the event. At one point Dungey passed Canard but only for a short time. The Rookie Trey Canard beat Dungey to the line by less then a second for his first 450 Supercross event win.

Also in the top five was Davi Millsaps and Andrew Short on his KTM. Ken Roczen made his first Supercross start and finished 7th  wearing the KTM colored motocross gear.

The 2011 Supercross season continues to excite it’s fans like never before. The competition level is at the highest level. All the top riders are healthy and even KTM seems highly competitive this season.

Travis Pastrana’s successful debut in a K&N Pro Series car has excited most Pastrana fans. However, it will be a while before we see Pastrana in a stock car again. Although Pastrana will run some K&N Pro Series West races this spring, he will not run the Nationwide Series until July of 2011.

Pastrana has many commitments this year including the X Games, Nitro Circus, and Rally. Pastrana will wait to run his 7 Nationwide races for Pastrana/Waltrip Racing in the second half of the NASCAR season. The action sports superstar will race with the Nationwide Series this summer the same weekend as the X Games. Pastrana will strap on his motocross boots on July 28 and 29 to compete in X Games best trick and other 2 wheel events, then fly to Indianapolis to qualify and race in the Nationwide Series event on the 30th, then fly back to California on July 31 to participate in X Games Rally events.

This schedule presents a number of challenges. First of all, with the freestyle motocross events occurring on July 28 & 29, if Pastrana is injured, it may bring an end to all the remaining weekend plans. Travel from LA to Indiana will also be challenging by toying with the star’s ability to focus after long plane rides.

On the other hand, this could be a historic weekend for Pastrana. He could capture multiple X Games medals, and win a NASCAR race in the same weekend. A feat that would not likely be repeated by anyone else but Pastrana. Stay tuned as Pastrana transitions from action sports hero to legitimate NASCAR contender. Look out Ricky Carmichael!

James Stewart matched Ryan Villopoto for season wins last Saturday taking the Oakland round. Villopoto looked strong early on but made a mistake and ended up fourth.

Chad Reed took a second place finish but was behind Stewart by 8 seconds. Reed who also owns the team he rides for showed that they can compete at the highest level in their first season. Sporting his own team colors on his motocross jersey may be just what Reed needed to rise to the occasion.

Ryan Dungey finished third and is yet to win this year. Dungey needs to keep pace with Stewart and Villopoto to legitamize his dominance in the 2010 Supercross and Motocross Championships. Dungey has rode very smooth all this year but is losing site of Stewart and Villopoto in the points.

Brett Metcalfe finished 5th and Trey Canard 6th. Canard’s poor start caused him to fight through the field early on. After the Oakland event James Stewart took over the point lead by 2 over Villopoto, with Dungey in third already 14 points out of the lead. The stars of the AMA Supercross head back to Anaheim for round 5 this weekend.

Sometimes picking the right motocross jersey is difficult. You struggle to choose between color, design, brand, and fit. Is it best to match your dirt bike helmet?

What about having your motocross jersey match your bike? What about copying your favorite motocross rider and his gear? Sometimes you just gotta pick what looks best on her.  Happy shopping!

Over 40 cars and drivers showed up the 2011 AllStar Showdown in the K&N Pro Series division. Champions from all over the world gave their best to impress the live television audience.

Five countries were represented in the main event. Mexico, Brasil, France, Canada, and the US had champions in the field. One of the biggest surprises from the international drivers was Lucas Lasserre. Lasserre is the champion of Europe’s version of NASCAR. The French driver was not able to test the car at all before qualifying on Friday, and he had never driven an oval before. Despite the odds against him, Lesserre was able to finsh 6th in the last chance qualifying race Friday, and then finish 15th in the main event on Saturday.

Mexican drivers German Qurioga and Daniel Suarez finished 11th and 12th. These two regularly participate in the NASCAR Mexico Series and were able to avoid trouble for a respectable finish.

Travis Pastrana action sports mega star shocked the NASCAR world by finishing 6th in the main event. Pastrana started 20th and worked his way through all the carnage to his first NASCAR top ten. This event was the first time Pastrana drove a stock car with other drivers on the track with him. All other outings for Pastrana were single car test sessions. Pastrana was visibly excited about his finish at the end of the 225 lap event. Pastrana was able to miss a number of on track incidents in front of him, ran 3 wide with other competitors, and even bounced the car off the wall en-route to a great first try at stock cars. No motocross helmets tonight, but plenty of excitement.

Overall it was Southern California driver Jason Bowles that won the event. Bowles is a past West Series Champion. Bowles has also run Camping World Trucks, and Nationwide events in 2010. Bowles does not have a permanent ride for 2011 so this win helps his cause. Saturday’s event was one of the most exciting AllStar Showdowns in the 8 year history of the event. Canadian Tire Series Champion DJ Kennigton was 2nd, and SRL Champion Jonathon Gomez was 3rd.