wheels of thunder august 2014

Vol. 5 Issue 8AUGUST 2014

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Page 44Page 28

Find us on Facebook “Wheels of Thunder” August 2014

Special FeaturesPro Power Sports & Marine.....................4

Princeton Speedway .............................28

Mystik Terracross..................................42

BRRP......................................................9

Rally’s & ShowsLucky’s 13 Car Show ............................12

St. Francis Car Show.............................22

BIR ......................................................26

Anoka Classic Car Show .......................36

Reviews & TechCloverland Motors & Rental .................18

Metcalf Service Center .........................32

DepartmentsGarage Built.........................................10

ABATE of MN ......................................40

Game On! ...........................................50

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Page 12

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OWNERPRESIDENT – Scott [email protected]

612-730-3719

OFFICE STAFFAR/AP – Stacy Robinson

763-421-4400

SALES SUPPORT – Vince [email protected]

651-280-8658

JUNIOR BOSS – Zack Robinson763-421-4400

EDITORIAL STAFFEDITOR/CREATIVE [email protected]

763-421-4400

Photographers/WritersMYLIE LAVOLD TOM EDWARDS

BILLY BOYLE JENNA OSTERLUND

CEAJA PHILP STEVE CASPER

ADVERTISING STAFFSALES – Scott Robinson

[email protected]

SUBSCRIPTIONS$34.99 - PHONE: 763-421-4400

www.wheelsofthunder.net

All content published herein is owned exclu-sively by Midwest Wheels of Thunder Maga-zine. Reproduction or further disseminationof the content herein is strictly prohibitedwithout the express written authorization ofMidwest Wheels of Thunder Magazine.

www.WheelsofThunder.net August 2014


Pro Power Sports was established on Sept21, 2005 with the purchase and consoli-dation of two successful dealerships,

across the highway from one another – Anoka Ram-sey Sports Center (since 1961) & Pro SportingGoods (Since 1994). Pro Power is a family ownedand operated business, stocking a full line of ATV’s,Snowmobiles, Personal Water Crafts, Side X Sides& Motorcycles. Their suppliers include CAN-AM,SKI DOO, SEA DOO, SPYDER ROADSTER, PO-LARIS & SUZUKI. They are located just on northside of the cities, so make sure to stop in Ramsey,MN to check out their 20,000 square foot showroomand full selection of products and accessories.


On Feb 21, 2014 Pro Power Sports experi-enced a devastating blow when their roofcollapsed and forced them to close for al-most 5 months. (See links to news storiesbelow for additional information). Howdoes a business survive something likethis? “First you pray and give thanks thatthere were no personal injuries.” Said Todd

Amar, owner of Pro Power Sports. That is,as long as you don’t count Todd’s truck (Hispride and joy). His truck was ground zerofor the collapse and who knows how manytons of snow fell right on it. The last countwas 20 semi loads of snow and debris beingremoved from the area. So it is no wonderhis monster sized truck looked like a Tin-ker Toy that was stomped on!

Talking with Todd, he said “Everyone hasbeen so considerate and helpful during thiswhole process. Our manufacturers andsuppliers have extended deadlines and of-fered personal help in the display set upand re-merchandising of our showrooms.Our competitors have offered to loan usclean up equipment and our customershave really stuck with us and supported usthrough the muck and the junk and theclean-up. They have been so understand-ing and loyal during this whole process. Ifcustomers were in the market for a newmachines, they helped us uncover each onefrom its protective plastic covering andwalked over or around the piles of mer-chandise, business files, computers andceiling tiles and continued to offer us theirbusiness.”

After being closed for so long, Pro Power

YOUR 1-STOP SHOP FORFUN YEAR ROUND!

Pro PowerSports &

Marine, Inc.

A North MetroPremier Power Sports

Super Storeis the place to be.

With a Huge Selection- Great Location- Best Prices -

This is the stopfor you!


Sports officially reopened July 18th, 2014.They have retained all their employees,and have been able to pay their wagesthrough the closure. Todd and the staffcontinued to work together to keep thisgreat business together and their cus-tomers happy. While all around them theconstruction crews completely rebuilt thestore from front to back. With a lot of helpand experienced people, they have man-aged to put it all back together again andmade it even better than before.

“With the store business at a dead stop, ouremployees had a chance to really get toknow each other and have formed a bondthat would be long coming had we notgone through this tragedy together. Be-cause of our team work, we are more or-ganized, more prepared and stronger as acompany than we have ever been. This isa happy place to visit and we look forwardto seeing you in our store!” said Todd.

Pro Power Sports is known industry widefor their excellent, platinum certified,Technical staff. All the Technicians pridethemselves on “fixed right -first time.”quality of service. “People come from allover for repair services because they knowwe get it done right. We get a lot of workthat other shops could not figure out. Ourservices range from oil changes, tirechanges and minor service while you wait,to extensive accident damage repairs. Wecan help you with any type of add-on ac-cessories including tracks and audio sys-tems. If you need a repair or don’t have thetime to put your machine away for the sea-son (Summarize, winterize) or need a placeto store your machine, we can help youout.” Said Todd.

The Parts staff is friendly and helpful. BrianLambres who heads this department beganhis career before the store acquisition andis the longest tenured employee, at 21+years. With over 70,000 parts in stock foryour machine and over $1 million worthof Parts, Garments & Accessories, ProPower Sports always tries their best to havethe part you want in stock and available topurchase. If they are out of the part youneed, they are able to help you find it andget it coming for you.

Pro Power Sports & Marine carries a largeselection of clothing and accessories fromthe major brands: Can Am, Polaris, SeaDoo, Ski Doo, Spyder and Suzuki. They

also carry Castle, HMK, FXR and muchmore!

Stop in and see Randy Blomlie and histeam of overachievers! “We know cus-tomers have many choices when it comesto Power Sport Vehicles, parts and service.The sales staff at Pro Power Sports & Ma-rine is continually training on the differentproduct lines in order to help our cus-tomers choose the best machine to fit theirneeds. Most of our business comes fromrepeat customers, as well as referrals fromfriends and family.” Said Todd, as wetalked.

Pro Power Sports wants your trade-ins: Ifyou are ready to trade your current ma-chine for a new or a great used machine,Pro Power Sports want your trades. Theywill pay cash for your machines or theywill also handle your consignment. Needhelp with financing? Full financing is alsoavailable for all your purchase needs. Makeit a 1-STOP shop for all your Power Sportneeds at Pro Power Sports & Marine!

Make sure to read the full story on the col-lapsed roof and remodel:

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/02/21/snow-causes-roof-collapse-at-ramsey-business/

http://kstp.com/article/stories/s3335382.shtml

Pro Power Sports & Marine, INCAvailable 24/7 - www.propoweronline.com6781 Hwy 10 NWRamsey, MN 55303763-576-1706 - Phone763-576-1710 – Fax800-309-1707 – Toll Free.

“There’s never been a better time to get outand play. We have a great selection of allthe top brands.”



2014 RACING SCHEDULEBRRP Series includes: IMCA Modifieds & Northern Sportsmods, Legends,

Pure Stocks, Hornets, Wissota Mod 4Sunday May 11th Season Opener - Regular ClassesSunday May 18th Regular ClassesSunday May 25th NOSA Sprint Cars & Regular classes (no Mod class)Sunday June 1st Regular ClassesSunday June 8th Regular ClassesSaturday June 14th Tuff Trucks, Train Races, Roll Over ContestSunday June 15th NLRA Late Models & Regular classes (no Mod class)Saturday June 21st Regular Classes - Fan Appreciation NightSunday June 22nd Regular ClassesSunday June 29th Regular ClassesSunday July 6th Regular ClassesSunday July 13th Regular ClassesSunday July 20th Regular ClassesSaturday July 26th NOSA Sprint & Regular classes (no Mods or Mod-4 class)Sunday July 27th Regular ClassesSunday Aug. 3rd Regular Classes but no Mod-4'sSunday Aug. 10th Regular ClassesSaturday Aug 16th Tuff Trucks, Train Races, Roll Over ContestSunday Aug. 17th Regular ClassesThursday Aug. 21st Rally AmericaSunday Aug. 24th Regular ClassesSunday Aug. 31st Season Championship - Regular ClassesSaturday Sept. 6th Corn Cob NationalSunday Sept. 7th Corn Cob NationalSaturday Sept. 13th IMCA SpecialSunday Sept. 14th IMCA SpecialFriday Dec. 12th ISOC National SnocrossSaturday Dec. 13th ISOC National SnocrossSunday Dec 14th ISOC Regional Snocross

Regular Classes include: Modifieds, Northern Sport Mods, Mod-4's, Legends, Pure Stocks, Hornets

Stock OriginalThis is where it all started!Stock Original

This is where it all started!

Sound Familiar?Do you have a story of your custom ride? [email protected] and you could be

featured with your ride in the next issue!

1934 2-Door Sedan

Car Owner/Enthusiast:Randy Evers

“Without my wonderful wife Kay,my children Jeremy, Jason, and

Kristina, my dream would not havecome true, and I would like to give

them a special Thank You!”


Randy Evers of Brooklyn Park, Min-nesota bought his 1934 2 door sedan‘shell’ in the fall of 1991. It was a bareshell with no chassis underneath andin rough shape, but a long time dreamof Randy’s. Well, a car trailer and twopick up loads of parts later it arrivedat the house. It was the night beforethe big Halloween Blizzard of 1991when they decided it should be put inthe garage. Only one factor…with nochassis it proved to be a little moredifficult of a job than they thought.With the help of family and friends(along with a few choice words), itmade its way inside. It was a goodthing, because the next morning theywoke up to a foot of snow coveringthe ground.

Randy bought a 1973 Valiant andused the chassis, motor, and trans-mission for the 1934 project, and thesteering column came from a 1989Dodge Shadow. Randy’s dream was tohave it running in time for the Min-nesota Street Rod Association’s(MSRA) ‘Back to the 50s’ show inJune, held at the fairgrounds in SaintPaul. With many long nights and tons

of work, it was drivable by the timethe show came. Only in primer, withtwo bucket seats bolted in, but hereached his dream of taking it toshow! That following winter he fin-ished this beautiful family car withcompleting the touches on a 360Mopar engine, auto 727 tranny, selfmade interior, and heat and air forcomfort on their travels. It sports abright metallic red paint with blackcherry accents and ghost flames onthe front fenders.

He says their kids ‘grew up’ in theback seat of the car as it took them onmany family vacations and campingtrips. They are happy to have made somany friends from all over the UnitedStates while traveling to differentevents. Now they are having a blastdoing the same thing with theirgrandchildren, Blake, Logan,Gavin….and another little one on theway, traveling in the back seat ofGrandpa and Grandma’s Garage BuiltBeauty…but it looks like ‘Papa’ willhave to start another project soon tobe able to take all the Grandkids!


Written by Mylie Lougheed


For more than 16 years, Cloverland Mo-torsports has been equipping outdoor en-thusiasts with snowmobiles, ATV’s, UTV’sand personal watercraft. The dealership isMSD Gold Certified and offers a full Polarislineup, including accessories, parts andservice. Current inventory offers a varietyof ATV’s including recreational and utilitySportsman models, big bore and perform-ance Scambler and Sportsman models, aswell as 2-ups and machines for youth. UTVofferings include Ranger full size andmulti-passenger options. Need a trailer tohaul your toys? They have those too!Whether you are looking to buy new orpre-owned, Cloverland’s inventory hassomething for everyone.

This kind of fun can make a good dent inthe wallet so of course financing is avail-able. Customers can take advantage of spe-cial Polaris factory authorized clearancesale now through the end of August withrebates up to $1,000 and financing as lowas 2.99%.

Cloverland also offers rentals of new Po-laris and Ski-Doo snowmobiles and PolarisATV's and side-by-sides. Snowmobile and

ATV rentals are all current year models. Forthose that want some summertime waterfun, they rent 3-person Personal Water-craft. Whether you live in the area or arejust vacationing, these machines offer great

ways to explore and enjoy the “Wild’s ofMichigan”, the Upper Peninsula, or hookup to Wisconsin's largest ATV trail system.All machines are stickered for both Wis-consin and Michigan.

Ironwood, Michigan might be in

small town (population 5,387)

but its location in the Western

UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan,

just 15 miles south of Lake Superior

and opposite the Montreal River

from Hurley, Wisconsin, makes it a

prime location for owner/operator

Gary Kuklinski and the team at

Cloverland Motorsports to keep

shop.


Cloverland takes pride in providing out-standing customer service in all areas, fromsales to service and anything in between.The dealership has 11 employees on staff,including 5 technicians to fix and fine tuneyour machine. By operating under the teamconcept and expecting everyone to step upto the plate, Cloverland has earned satis-fied and loyal customers over the years.Here is what some of those people had tosay.

"Great place to buy from. Gary andstaff make it a pleasurable experience.Service was exceptional! Wouldn't goanywhere else to buy from. Greatprices, great service and friendly. Mypersonal rating AAAAAAAAAAAAA+++++++++++."

~ Richard, Hartford, WI

“This is by far the best dealer I haveever been to. The service was out-standing...”

~ William, Melrose Park, IL.

“I rented a sled from these guys andhad a great experience.”

~ Mike, Clinton, TN

Speaking of sleds, we all know winter inupper Midwest can be a downer, but notfor Cloverland. Being located in the heartof big snow country means big business.Here, snow is just another reason to get out

there and play. 2014 and 15 sleds are instock now. Stop by and check out the se-lection of Rush, Switchback, RMK, INDY,IQ, and Snowcheck models.

Cloverland Motorsports is located at 300 ECloverland Dr/US 2 and is open 8 am to 5pm, 7 days a week. To contact the dealer-ship directly, call 1-800-932-1202 or sendemail to [email protected]. Tokeep up with what is happening, followthem on Facebook (Cloverland Motor-sports) and visit the website with live we-bcam at www.cloverlandmotors.com .

Cloverland Motorsports; a small townbusiness that’s big on fun!


St. Francis Car Show – August 2014


The Princeton Speedway had another fan-tastic month of action including a KidsNight, a Mod Four Special, fireworks

show and a visit from the Advantage RV ModifiedTouring Series. There’s always a fun event goingon at the fastest quarter-mile in Minnesota!


The Advantage RV Modified Touring Seriesstopped by the Princeton Speedway June20 for a night of their Minnesota Melee.The WISSOTA Modifieds took the trackand the field was stacked with talent. MattGilbertson and Scot Danzeisen led them tothe green and Gilbertson took first. DaveMass and Don Eischens moved asideDanzeisen for second but Danzeisen pulledaway. Mass took third and Jesse Glenzmoved next to Eischens. The top driversbegan to separate themselves from thepack as Mass worked Danzeisen. AgainDanzeisen drove away and caught Gilbert-son. Mods covered the full quarter mileand leaders prepared to lap. Danzeisenkept pressuring Gilbertson, but Gilberston

continued to pull away. Mass was back andnext to Danzeisen as Danzeisen began tofall back. Mass took second and Glenz andEischens passed Danzeisen. The 40 lapmain event went flag to flag, caution free,and Gilbertson rolled his #23 into the Ad-vantage RV Modified Touring Series victorylane.

June 27 featured a great race in the WIS-SOTA Midwest Modified class. GinoFontecchio and Travis Schulte led the driv-ers to the green and Schulte took the lead.Jason Hall moved into second and AshelyMehrwerth slid into third. The yellowwaved a couple times keeping the driversat bay. Schulte still remained in the leadwith Mehrwerth and Shane Sabraski intow. Sabraski took second and Bud Martinimoved into third. Martini moved next toSabraski and battled for second as the driveshaft of Denis Czech laid in turn three. Theyellow waved and drivers realigned.Schulte was alone on the restart withSabraski and Martini on his rear. Schultesped away but Martini kept close. As thewhite flew, Martini and Schulte were doorto door. It was a shootout to the finish andMartini had the lead as the checkers flew.Martini took the win with Schulte in aclose second.

Also that night, Robideau took the leadwhile Dan Gullikson took second in theWISSOTA Super Stock feature. Gulliksonwent low and grabbed first while ChrisWark slid into second. Shane Sabraskichallenged Robideau for third as the yel-low flew. Gullikson was first on the restart

Written by Tami Jo Kuehn

Photography byJacy Norgaard

and Bailey Sens


with Wark and Robideau in tow. Robideau,Wark and Tim Johnson ran three wide forsecond with Johnson pulling away. John-son closed in on Gullikson as the yellowwaved again. Gullikson was still in first butJohnson was on his rear. Gullikson andJohnson pulled away from the pack andWark took third as the green reappeared.Gullikson's lead was strong and he took thecheckers with his French Lake Auto #00x.

The 4th of July Holiday fell on a Friday, andthe Princeton Speedway held their firstever Mid-Summer Mod 444. The WISSOTAMod Four class raced for a payout of$444.00 and that brought many competi-tors to the track. The drivers took the claywith Bryce Bjerken and Keith Thell on thefront row. Bjerken took the lead and Thellgot second while Shayne Laske and ChadFunt battled for third. Matt Halls kept closeto them while Bjerken stretched his leadout. Funt moved into third and Halls andBrandon Linquist battled for fourth asBjerken began to lap. Halls and Linquistwere side by side as the yellow flew anddrivers were sorted. Bjerken was alone onthe restart with Thell and Funt in tow.Halls and Linquist kept close to Funt forthird but Funt held them back. Linquistsettled into fourth and began to work onFunt. Funt however closed in on Thellwith two laps to go. Bjerken had a lead offive seconds over his competition and tookthe win in his #6j.

The WISSOTA Street Stock feature was alsoexciting on July 4 with Amanda Milbrandtand Kris Peterson on the front row. As thegreen flew, Justin Pogones moved up andthey went three wide for first. Petersonbroke away in the lead while Ryan Kostrebamoved to Pogones’ door for second. Theyboth grabbed Peterson’s doors and the bat-

tle for first was three wide again. Thisround, Pogones took the point. AaronJohnson moved his #442 into second andnext to Pogones. Johnson kept the pressureon Pogones but Pogones kept him back.Kostreba moved in and challenged Johnsonfor second. After a multi lap battle,

Kostreba took the point. Pogones hadstretched out his lead when Kostreba foundhis groove and closed in. The white flagraised and Kostreba was at Pogones’bumper as they entered turn three. They

came out of turn four with the pedals downand side by side. As the checkers flew andofficials checked the transponder timing,Pogones was determined the winner by.041 seconds over Kostreba.

The Annual Fireworks Show in Princetonoccurred after the races that Friday night.Stands were packed and people filled theparking lot to honor and celebrate ourgreat country. It was a great night to be atthe racetrack and in the town of Princeton.

Week after week, the Princeton Speedwayputs on a great show, and on August 22, theUMSS Sprint Cars will stop by Princetonfor their second time this season. Sprintcars always put on a good show with heats,challenge races and Main event. Earlier thisseason, Sprints ran flag to flag in a greatrace and this visit will be just as great.

Also, the regular race season will wrap upAugust 29, and so it’s time to look forwardto the 2nd Annual P-Town Showdown. TheShowdown will be on September 19 and 20with two complete nights of race action.Last year’s showdown was a big success,and this year should be too. It’s your finalchance to catch live WISSOTA Amsoil DirtTrack Racing Series action Princeton thisseason, so mark your calendar to be at allthese fun events!

For all the current track and racing infor-mation, check out www.princetonspeed-way.com or search for the PrincetonSpeedway on facebook. We look forward toseeing you on Friday for a Friday Night CarFight.


Since 1989 when owner Steve Metcalfopened the doors to Metcalf ServiceCenter, his goal has always been to

provide the very best service to each person whocomes through the door. “We concentrate on tryingto be the ‘small town’ guy. When many people walk inhere, we know them by first name and they knowthey aren’t just a number to us.”


The shop is truly a full service center,working on pretty much everything fromRVs and trailers to diesel pushers, cars,trucks, snowmobiles, ATV's and UTV's.They specialize in diesel truck perform-

ance: Bully Dog, Edge, H&S Performancetuners, cold air intake and exhaust sys-tems. They are dedicated to snowmobilerepair and maintenance from vintage tofull out mods, offering turbo kits, big borekits, and stock enhancements to yoursleds.

Need a custom furnace installed on yourtoy hauler? Metcalf does that too, alongwith updates to trailers and any other serv-ice you need to make sure you can get yourtoys to your destination. “We do sell a lotof parts and accessories. But the biggestportion of our business is service.”

Regardless of what they are servicing, Met-calf is focused on making sure it is doneright and that customers want to comeback. “Repeat business is the only way wecan stay in business. We fix what needs tobe fixed and that’s it. If we see somethingwrong, we will bring it to your attention.”

This time of year Metcalf says he and histeam are busy servicing recreational vehi-cles, including service and repair on en-gines, electrical systems, awnings,

Metcalf Service Center:Service isn’t just their

middle name.Written By Mylie Lougheed


appliances, heat/AC, roof repairs/replace-ment, to name a few of the services theyprovide. They also sell recreational vehi-cles on consignment. Pre-owned conver-sion vans, class As and Cs, toy haulers, tobig diesel pushers, have found new ownersfrom their great location. Many retailstores and restaurants are their close neigh-bors right off of Hwy 35 in Forest Lake,MN.

As busy as summer is at the shop, Metcalfdoes find time for some fun by participat-

ing in the Princeton Grass Drags (Prince-ton, MN) and National Hay Days (NorthBranch, MN). Held annually, these grassdrag events draw people from all over andoffer a good time for racers, swappers, ven-dors and race fans alike. Princeton takesplace August 22-24 and Hay Days on Sep-tember 6 and 7.

As we inch closer to fall, business shiftsmore to ATV’s, UTV’s and getting snowmo-biles ready for the season. High perform-ance snowmobiles are a passion for both

Metcalf and his son, Tyler, who shares hisfather’s desire to provide quality service totheir customers. They strive to make thefastest race and trail friendly sleds possible.They offer cylinder re-plating, along withtraction products needed to get that extrapower to the ground.

Spring, summer, fall or winter; car, truck,RV, ATV, snowmobile or other; if you arelooking for quality service, head to MetcalfService Center and let them show you whyservice isn’t just their middle name.

Metcalf Service Center is located at 10812th St. SW, Forest Lake, MN (30 miles NEof Minneapolis). Business hours are 8:00 –5:00 Monday through Friday. Contact themat 651-464-6925.


Today, I sit in amazement at our ABATE ofMinnesota volunteers. In April I issued acall to action to our folks to get active.With the economy in a seven year funkmany Minnesota bikers simply quit partic-ipating and funding the things that willkeep them riding free. While we still havea lot of work to do, our efforts are showinga promising trend. The chapter fundraisersand membership activity from Aprilthrough July are on the upswing. We havealso had three outstanding events that pro-vided great exposure for ABATE. of Min-nesota.

In late June we were offered a booth at the2014 Minnesota HOG Rally in Brainerd.ABATE’s good friend Kathryn from Cra-gun’s Resort took care of the details andSmoker and Jean lined up volunteers and

supplies to operate the membership boothfor the weekend. Thanks to all who helped.ABATE. is looking into forming a chapterin the Brainerd lakes area and this eventprovided a great way to generate interest.We signed up a bunch of members andhanded out a lot of information. In addi-tion, the ABATE of Minnesota quarterlyBoard of Directors meeting will be held atCragun’s in October. Stop by for the meet-ing and meet the locals. They are great peo-ple!

Over the Fourth of July weekend ABATE.of Minnesota had great exposure at theAlgona Freedom Rally. Tom Buffingtonagain did an awesome job of organizing themembership tables, schedules and work-ers. Not an easy task in the middle of abiker party. We are very fortunate to have

him working for us. When you see Tom tellhim thanks! And our volunteers were pre-cise and social. But all this would not hap-pen without the great partnership that wehave with ABATE. of Iowa. Phil Mc-Cormick, the ABATE. of Iowa Directorsand all of their members are a pleasure towork with. Some of these folks will be atour Rally in August. Introduce yourself –they are great people!

I am writing this on the eve of the annualMinnesota Vikings Childrens Run. JonStutelberg, Metro Chapter, has promotedABATE. of Minnesota at this ride for manyyears. This event features Vikings playersand cheerleaders plus music, lots of greatprizes, attracts thousands of bikers andABATE. gets a lot of memberships and ex-posure with riders who may not know howhard we work to make Minnesota a greatplace to ride. John never asks for much,just a few people to help him promoteABATE. of Minnesota. When you see Johnand Donna and their volunteers at variousevents tell them thanks - they are greatpeople!

Lastly, I want everyone reading this toknow that all of ABATE of Minnesota’s ef-forts are geared towards maintaining or im-proving the rights of motorcyclists on astate and federal level and finding commonsense ways to increase the safety for allstreet motorcyclists. Ask your friends andfamily members who ride to join and sup-port ABATE of Minnesota. Introduce themto our hard working freedom fighters - theyare great people!

Yours in freedom,

Mack

ABATE OF MINNESOTA


The 1950’s was an era that saw the establishment of hot rodclubs from coast to coast. The post-war generation hadfound a common bond and street rods and drag racing

brought them together. By the following decade, many of those clubshad “run their last lap” and hot rodding and its associated clubs beganto decline in popularity. Many long time fans were concerned that itwas becoming something the 60’s generation didn’t follow and the fu-ture of street rods was, at best, cloudy. In the summer of 1967, TheSummer of Love for you rock ‘n roll fans, hot rodders in the Hartford,Connecticut area got together for a picnic and rod rally to celebratetheir shared interest in cars. Later that year 11 hot rods gathered for arun to nearby Hammonassett State Park. Although that event is notlisted as the official start of the Connecticut Street Rod Association, clubmembers consider it the catalyst that got the group up and running.


As noted in the About Us section of theC.S.R.A. website “We have organized manyevents over the years and served our com-munities making donations to our favoritecharities. One of the club’s proudestachievements was building a T-bucket forthe North Branford D.A.R.E. program. It isour dream that the Connecticut Street RodAssociation not only continue its traditionwith our children but with our children’schildren. It is our passion for the Street Rodthat joins us. We worked hard together andhave fun together. Rodding is more than asport to the members of the ConnecticutStreet Rod Association. It is a way of life”.

Having enjoyed street rods and drag racingsince the 1960’s, that is a passion I under-stand. Although the track closed for com-

petitive drag racing in 1984, many C.S.R.A.members have fond memories of Connecti-cut Dragway and in 2005 they held theirfirst reunion for that Nutmeg State racetrack. It quickly became a popular event.The ’05 get together was held at FalconField in Meriden, Connecticut. That siteproved to be too small and the reunion wasrelocated to PNA Field in Wallingford,Connecticut. You guessed it, that site alsoproved to be inadequate for the number ofcars entered and the Mountain Ridge Re-sort, also in Wallingford became the currentgathering location. Given the number ofcars at the 2014 reunion, a larger area maybe needed in the near future. For hot rodand drag racing fans, that’s great news.

Consumer Reports magazine purchased theConnecticut Dragway site and uses the 327acre facility as their National Auto TestCenter. The drag strip is still in its originallocation and is used as a straightway for themagazine’s handling and other tests. Thestrip has been extended and a number ofother courses and buildings have beenadded. One original building, the controltower, still stands and is now used primarilyfor storage. It has affectionately beendubbed “the historic district”. Matt Fieldsof Consumer Reports provided this linkwww.consumerreports.org/cro/about-u s / w h a t s - b e h i n d - t h e -ratings/testing/index.htm for informationabout how cars are tested at a track whereso many drag racing fans enjoyed their ear-liest races. Matt; thanks for the informationabout the current use of Connecticut Drag-way and the great aerial photo of a trackthat for a lot of people brings back somewonderful memories.

Written by Tom Edwards

H ello Wheels of Thunder Fans! GameON!hopes this finds you well! Here's hopingyour summer is going great. GameON! TV

is enjoy the dog days of August and preparing for a fan-tastic fall season....and spending it outdoors. This issueof Wheels of Thunder is once again great, and as always,featuring unique stories, pictures and sponsor informa-tion that underscores the excitement around motor-sports! Just like Wheels of Thunder, GameON! TVcontinues to grow & reach so many of you with oursports programming. We broadcast in the Twin Cities onFOX's MY29 and in the Dakota's and western Minnesotavia MidCo Sports Network. GameON! loves sports, fromthe variety of professional, college & high school sportsto all the outdoor events that dot our regional landscape.GameON's partnership with Wheels of Thunder is strongand just like you, we also enjoy the most comprehensiverace magazine and website to be found! Wheels ofThunder magazine gets it and gets you the latest infor-mation, amazing pictures and all those terrific stories tothe most passionate motorsports fans in the country!

GameON! does what no other TV sports interview showdoes. We offer the region a diverse and entertaining halfhour of TV as we bring you the most visible and popu-lar Minnesota sports figures. From the new look NFLVikings, to the MLB Twins and the now Kevin Love-lessNBA Timberwolves to the NHL Wild, we also visit withthe Lacrosse Swarm and Soccer United FC. There'sNASCAR and we're on top of your favorite drivers too.Each and every week GameON! comes to you in crystalclear full High Definition and our first APP (it's free tofor Apple & Android phones) is available for your use!GameON! TV is now offering a weekly PODCAST avail-able @ our show website www.GameOnTvMN.com. It'sfull of bits and pieces of sports from the region andwhat's ahead on our weekly TV show.

This show is interactive so we'd love to hear from you!Please visit our Facebook site (friend us @ GameON onfacebook), our website @ www.gameontvmn.com and24/7on twitter #gameontvmn. We'll soon announce a

new home base for GameON! show tapings and eachweek, we'll continue to list guests and updates on theGameON! website as well as our Facebook site. Get up-close and personal with us!!

Furthermore, GameON! Host Rod Simons has baseballon his work schedule as each and every Sunday he'sjoined by 4-time World Series & Twins pitching greatJack Morris for This Is Twins Territory @ 10AM on theradio home for your Minnesota Twins @ KTWIN 96.3.So, please join us for all that sports offers us here in ourgreat neck of the woods, via Wheels of Thunder,GameON! and KTWIN radio! And get your Vikings fixwith our partner in one of the largest Vikings fan web-sites in the world, www.PurplePride.org.

Hey Wheelies, it's time to get off the couch and get yourGameON! Be a part of the exciting effort we're puttingon! Here's to the summer that's here! Keep yourGameON!!


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