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Jeff
Hensley |
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Jeff grew up around all types of motorsports and remembers as a small boy running on the sand behind the pits, at Long Beach Marine Stadium, trying to keep up with the drag boats as they roared by. His family spent a lot of time camping in the desert, riding and driving anything with a throttle. They also spent time at the now long-gone Riverside, Ontario and Orange County speedways.
He discovered his mechanical talent at an early age when he began taking apart, and rebuilding neighborhood bikes, then moving on to cars when he got older. After he graduated high school, he honed his skills by working at a small, performance-oriented repair shop, and attending Cerritos College to study automotive technology to obtain ASE certification in several areas. He has always been involved one way or another with performance, show, or plain old beater vehicles of every type.
When away from his wrenches, he enjoys being outdoors: Camping, hunting, fishing, mountain biking, snowboarding and spending time with his girlfriend, Veronica Lopez, and their spoiled mutts.
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| Hometown: |
Inglewood, CA
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| Age: |
44
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Dustin
Ash |
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Racing since the age of 3 years old in BMX where he raced for 7 years racking up multiple local, state, and regional championships. At the age of 10 he started racing go-carts. He went undefeated winning his first motorsports championship. In 2002 Dustin started racing Legend Cars. By 2004 Dustin had won 44 out of 55 races and won 7 championships in that year alone. To top the season off, he was awarded the Bilstein Shocks Madonna Award. This is a prestigious award given out once a year to an individual who most exemplifies the spirit of racing.
Dustin has continued his hot steak throughout the years and topping it off with this years Bullring and Nevada State Championship in the NASCAR’s Whelen All-American Super Late Model Division.
Dustin is also very active in his community and charity events. Dustin visits local children’s hospitals, delivers food to senior citizens for MEALS ON WHEELS, visits local elementary schools with his race car and reads to the children, and has also held a Race-A-Thon fundraiser for Speedway’s Children’s Charities for the past 4 years.
Dustin is currently enrolled at CSN (College of Southern Nevada), where he plans to get a degree in engineering. His future goals are to have an opportunity to advance to the next level of his dream, West Series, East Series, and Hooters Cup.
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| Hometown: |
Las Vegas, NV
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| Age: |
19
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| Occupation: |
Student & Driving Instructor for Mario Andretti/Jeff Gordon Racing School
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Bob
Lewis |
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Bob enjoys all types of motorsports. When Bob isn’t working for Speed Wong Racing as mechanic, he spends his weekends with his wife Karen flagging races in Southern CA, AZ and NV, for groups such as VARA and HSR West with both groups racing historic cars, including Formula One, Ford Vees, IndyCars and '66 Vettes! He also works the grid for Porsche Club of America and Porsche Owners Club, time allowing. The rare occasion finds Bob and Karen as only "spectators" at a racing event! Other volunteering activities include the Long Beach Memorial Hospital and Hospice and the Red Cross, as well as an annual jaunt to Pasadena to work on a Rose Parade float.
During the week, Bob is kept very busy at his job as Manufacturing Manager for Metalore in El Segundo, CA (fabricating parts for F1 and Champ cars among others).
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Karen
Lewis |
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Karen enjoys all types of motorsports. When she is not working for SWR, as "minder", she spends her weekends with Bob, her husband flagging races in Southern CA, AZ and NV, for groups such as VARA and HSR West, with both groups racing historic cars, including Formula One, Ford Vees, IndyCars and '66 Vettes! She also works the grid for Porsche Club of America and Porsche Owners Club, time allowing. The rare occasion finds her and Bob as only "spectators" at a racing event! Other volunteering activities include the Long Beach Memorial Hospital and Hospice and the Red Cross, as well as an annual jaunt to Pasadena to work on a Rose Parade float.
During the week, Karen is a peddler (of precision metal stampings) for Micro Matrix Systems in Montclair, CA.
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Nick
Joanides |
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Nick is a multi-year experienced veteran in the NASCAR Grand National East and West Series, as well as, the now defunct NASCAR Elite Division; Nick began his racing career becoming a road course ace in the SCCA. He led the point standings in his first year before making the move to NASCAR racing. Nick has raced at tracks all across the country, posting 20 victories, 97 top five and 139 top ten finishes.
Most recently, Nick has been on a tear, posting 2 wins, 20 top five and 24 top ten finishes in his past 27 races
For complete driver profile go to his website at www.joanides.com
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Billy
Thomas |
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He was born a 3rd generation racer. He has followed motor sports his whole life. Started racing at 16 years old in go-karts. Billy won his first race after nine attempts in kart race. He was a crew member and the tire specialist for Speed Wong Racing for 2007.
In 2008, he plans on racing go-karts and will look for other opportunities to gain experience. He also plans to be a crew member for Speed Wong Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Series West, and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at Irwindale Speedway.
When he is not at the race track, he enjoys snowboarding, wakeboarding, playing sports, and spending time with his family and friends
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| Hometown: |
Costa Mesa, CA
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| School: |
Calvary Chapel High School
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| Age: |
16
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Kirk
Swanson |
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Kirk has worked in the automotive field since the age of 16, starting as a mechanics helper, and working his way to his current position. After working in automotive dealerships, he decided to try restoring classic cars and building hotrods. Kirk and his son Cody are building a 1968 Nova, as Cody's first car.
Motorsports have been a part of Kirk’s life, ever since he could remember. He attended races with his parents as a small child. During the 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s he and his brothers raced motocross and desert on motorcycles.
He dabbled in drag racing by being a part of his high school’s drag racing team, racing at the legendary and now gone “Orange County International Raceway” (OCIR).
Kirk has been a race team crew member on several different teams, racing in several different venues that include: NASCAR, SCORE OFFROAD, IKF, USAC, plus many smaller series. As a crew member he’s had the opportunity to travel to race tracks from the Mexican desert to tracks in California, Nevada, and Arizona.
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| Hometown: |
Norco, CA
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| Age: |
43
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| Occupation: |
Technical Development Supervisor of Performance Kits, K&N Engineering, Inc.
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Dan
Nagy |
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Dan started racing at the age of six when he started racing Quarter Midgets, he then moved on to CMC Motorcross, IHBA and NJBA drag boats, and NHRA bracket drag racing.
He attended Edgewood High School, in West Covina, CA, graduated Class of 1977. He went on to Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, CA, then to Cal State Fullerton.
His experience includes:
• NHRA: Pomona Raceway, Race Control/Safety Crew (25 years)
• NASCAR: California Speedway/Dragway, Race Official (6 years)
He hopes to retire in 5 years to spend more time with his lovely wife, Mary and their 2 boys, Christopher 13, and Kyle 10. Dan’s sons have their own race team Nagy Brothers, and they field 2 Junior Dragsters.
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| Hometown: |
Covina, CA
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| Age: |
50
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| Nickname: |
"NAG"
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Tim
Crawford |
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Tim was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1959. As a child his first love was baseball. At the age of 13 he started to get involved with drag racing because he was able to work with his brother Chuck and fellow racers who taught him all about cars. At 18 he took a job with BR Goodrich, and was able to be involved in their off-road racing program.
He became a father at age 19, and has 2 sons, Mike and Matt, and one daughter Misty. During that time he worked in the construction industry.
In the 80s to mid 90s he worked with Ivan Stewart and Toyota running a water truck at their practice sites. He took a couple of years off in the late 90s.
In October 1997, he became a grandfather, and now he has 10 grandchildren, Joseph, Carson, Andrew, Tyler, Eli, Kristina, Sarah, Taylor, Chrissy, and Gabby who are the joy of his life.
In the last 10 years he has become a huge fan of NASCAR, and now Tim hopes to continue doing what he loves for years to come.
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Brian
Wong |
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Brian graduated in 2007 from Newport Harbor High School. He is currently a freshman at Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts).
After only 5 years in organized racing, Brian is entering his inaugural years in both the NASCAR Camping World West Series (formally grand National West) and the International Motor Sports Association Series (Porsche GT3 Cup cars). He is looking forward to a limited schedule, working around his college semesters in Boston.
Brian started in motorsports almost since birth. His parents have a photo of him on a quad at Pismo at age 3 months. He got involved with organized racing at age 14, driving Legends cars. Since then he has moved to Super Trucks, Late Models and Super Late Models, in NASCAR weekly series, home track is Irwindale, California. He is also racing Porsche GT3 Cup factory race cars, at various road course tracks, throughout America, such as Road America, Infineon and Laguna Seca. In the past 3 years he has pre-run the Baja 500 in a specialty built Wide Open Baja car.
Looking into 2008, Brian will be racing a combination of both NASCAR and the IMSA GT Challenge races. The NASCAR series will be a portion of the West schedule, together with some short track racing at the Team home track at Irwindale. The Porsches will run at tracks from California to Utah, from Atlanta to Canada. The GT3 Cup cars will also race some series, such as Yokohama Drivers Cup and the Porsche Owners Club.
Aside from driving on asphalt, Brian looks forward to relaxing with friends off roading on the sands of Pismo, Glamis, and Dumont Dunes.
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| Hometown: |
Newport Beach, CA
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| School: |
Northeastern University (Boston, MA)
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| Age: |
19
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| Racing Series: |
NASCAR and IMSA
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| Years Racing: |
5
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| Hobbies: |
2 wheel, 4 wheel off-road vehicles, traveling with siblings: Kevin and Jennifer, and hockey
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