Champion Spark Plugs and Michalek Brothers Racing Renew Partnership for Fifth Consecutive Year

Courtesy of Michalek Brothers Racing

Michalek Brothers Racing (MBR) is excited to announce a continued partnership with Federal-Mogul Motorparts’ (NASDAQ: FDML) Champion® Spark Plugs brand for the 2016 race season. The upcoming season marks a significant milestone as MBR and Champion move into the fifth year of a successful partnership. 2016 will be MBR’s most ambitious season on track as the team prepares to debut its own NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster within the NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

“Champion has been there every step of the way as we have chased our racing dreams; we are humbled and thankful for all that Champion has done and continues to do for our racing careers,” said Kyle. “Developing our working relationship with Champion, Fel-Pro, Sealed Power, and Speed-Pro over the past 5 years has been a very rewarding experience and we are very proud to have the continued support of these great brands. 2016 is shaping up to be a big year for both MBR and the Federal Mogul motorparts brands, and we are very excited to represent each of these brands on and off the track as we take the next step in our racing careers as car owners. This progress would not possible without the ongoing support of the Federal Mogul Motorparts brands.”

The “Performance Driven” motto of Champion Spark Plugs continues to hold true both on and off the track as the brand leads the way with first-class digital initiatives for aspiring racers and everyday gear heads. Champion’s industry-leading Search for a Champion contest is back for its fifth straight year and is upping the ante with over $200,000 of cash prizes for racing sponsorships up for grabs. Champion is also excited to introduce the Parts Matter sweepstakes highlighting the shortcomings of inferior replacement parts. Getting involved is simple: submit photo or video of car-fails that didn’t have to happen on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr by using the hashtag #PartsMatter #Entry. Photo submissions will be entered for a chance to win one of three $100 weekly prizes or a $500 monthly grand prize. Fans can now also wear what the drivers wear by purchasing official Champion gear on the brand’s online store.

"As we continue to make progress each year towards reaching our ultimate goal, it's an honor to have consistent support from some of the most recognized and respected brands in the industry," said Corey. "We continually strive to perform as well off the track for our partners as we do on the track, and to extend this relationship for a fifth consecutive year speaks to how mutually beneficial this partnership has been since day one. I can't emphasize enough how fortunate we are to be partnered with Champion, Fel-Pro, Sealed Power, and Speed-Pro, but I can tell you that we will continue to go above and beyond to be the best brand ambassadors that we can be."

To learn more about Champion Spark Plugs and other “Performance Driven™” Champion products, visit championautoparts.com for more information. Federal-Mogul Motorparts is a leading global vehicle components manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of quality products, trusted brands and creative solutions to the automotive aftermarket.

For additional MBR information and updates, please “like” the Michalek Brothers Racing FACEBOOK page and follow @MichalekRacing on TWITTER and INSTAGRAM.

Michalek Brothers Racing & Champion Spark Plugs Renew Partnership for Fourth Consecutive Year

Courtesy of Michalek Brothers Racing
Photos courtesy of David Smith

Michalek Brothers Racing (MBR) is excited to announce a continued partnership with Federal-Mogul Motorparts’ (NASDAQ: FDML) Champion® Spark Plugs brand for the 2015 race season. Kyle and Corey Michalek won the brand’s inaugural “Search for a Champion” contest in 2012 and have since carried the iconic Champion bowtie branding across the country on the sides of a 270MPH A/fuel dragster. In 2015, MBR and four Federal-Mogul Motorparts brands will once again collaborate to compete within the NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

The “Performance Driven” motto of Champion Spark Plugs holds true both on and off the track as the brand continues to lead the way with first-class digital initiatives for aspiring racers and everyday gear heads. Champion’s industry-leading Search for a Champion contest is back for its fourth straight year to award $125,000 in racing sponsorships, and to add fifteen new members to an already stacked #TeamChampion roster. The King of the Road contest’s third edition kicks off in the Spring of 2015 and Champion will award $10,000 in prizes to the best street-legal rides across the country. Fans can now also wear what the drivers wear by purchasing official Champion gear on the brand’s all new online store.

“We are very proud to continue our relationship with Champion, Fel-Pro, Speed-Pro, and Sealed Power as we head into year four of our successful partnership,” said Kyle. “Knowing we have the backing and support of Federal Mogul and #TeamChampion both on and off the track gives us a lot of confidence.”

The 2014 racing season was “Performance Driven” from start to finish with MBR spreading the word about the brand’s Search for a Champion and King of the Road initiatives in front of crowds exceeding 45,000 fans per day at two NHRA Mello Yello Series national events and the premiere Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series race in the country. The team also raced the Champion Spark Plugs dragster to an event win in front of a national audience on ESPN2 at the 5th Annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“It was so gratifying to be able to take the Champion Spark Plugs paint scheme all the way to the winner’s circle in Charlotte,” said Corey. “The victory marked one of the biggest milestones in our continuously prospering relationship with the brand. It was so great being able to promote the Champion, Fel-Pro, Speed-Pro, and Sealed Power brands and to recognize all the support they have given us over the past 3 years on a national stage.”

With the 2014 season in the rearview mirror, Michalek Brothers Racing and Champion Spark Plugs have their sights set on another strong campaign in 2015. MBR is currently finalizing plans for events in both the NHRA Mello Yello Series and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series tours. MBR and Champion will continue to capitalize on the success of the duo’s social media engagements and at-track promotions.

To learn more about Champion Spark Plugs and other “Performance Driven™” Champion products, visit CHAMPIONSPARKPLUGS.COM for more information. Federal-Mogul Motorparts is a leading global vehicle components manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of quality products, trusted brands and creative solutions to the automotive aftermarket.

For additional MBR information and updates, please “like” the Michalek Brothers Racing FACEBOOK page and follow @MichalekRacing on TWITTER and INSTAGRAM.

Michalek Brothers Racing and Champion Spark Plugs Brand to Continue Partnership for Third Year

Courtesy of Michalek Brothers Racing

Vehicle Component Manufacturers Fel-Pro, Sealed Power, and Speed-Pro Brands also continue their relationship with MBR

Michalek Brothers Racing (MBR) is excited to once again announce a continued partnership with Federal-Mogul Corporation’s (NASDAQ: FDML) Champion® Spark Plugs brand. The Champion brand will be a prominent associate sponsor on MBR’s NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series A/fuel dragster entry with additional Federal-Mogul brand support coming from the company’s Fel-Pro® Gaskets and Sealed Power® and Speed-Pro® engine components brands.
 

Winner's of Champion's first ever "Search for a Champion" contest, Kyle and Corey Michalek have built a relationship with the brand that has prospered and continued to evolve each year. The partnership began with MBR's Super Comp dragster in 2012 and was followed with the team's inaugural year of competition in the NHRA's premier semi-professional class, Top Alcohol Dragster, in 2013. This coming season will mark the third consecutive year that MBR and Champion have teamed up.
 

Looking back on 2013, MBR and Champion entered into Top Alcohol Dragster competition hitting on all cylinders. Both drivers, Kyle and Corey Michalek, successfully licensed to compete in the class and Kyle Michalek shined on track at the regional event in Norwalk, Ohio reaching the final round during his first race. MBR spread the word about the brand's Search for a Champion and King of the Road initiatives in front of crowds exceeding 45,000 fans per day and put the Champion Spark Plugs dragster on display in front of a national audience on ESPN2. Kyle looks forward to continuing to advocate for Champion on and off the track again in the upcoming season.
 

"We had a lot of fun interacting with fans at the track last season while proudly promoting the Champion, Fel-Pro, Sealed Power, and Speed-Pro brands," said Kyle. "We are looking forward to doing more of the same in 2014 while growing MBR's influence within the Top Alcohol Dragster class."

 

 

Looking ahead to 2014, Michalek Brothers Racing and Champion eagerly anticipate the partnership's most eventful year to date. MBR is tentatively planning to compete at 5 events on the 2014 NHRA tour. MBR and Champion's marketing team will also continue to collaborate in social media engagements and at-track promotions. Sharing the driving duties, Kyle Michalek will make his return to the cockpit to follow-up on his highly successful 2013 appearances, and rookie driver Corey Michalek will make his competition debut behind the wheel of an A/fuel dragster.
 

“MBR made a monumental leap last year licensing and competing in an A/fuel dragster, and Champion was the primary reason that we were able to do so,” said Corey. “Having their backing not only helps us sufficiently fund our operation, it also further adds legitimacy to our team as we continue to try and establish ourselves at the highest levels of the sport. We take a lot of pride wearing the Champion colors and we can't wait to further spread the word about their marketing efforts and all of the performance driven products and promotional opportunities they have to offer other racers.”
 

To learn more about Champion Spark Plugs and other “Performance Driven™” Champion products, visit AlwaysaChampion.com for more information. Federal-Mogul is a leading global vehicle components manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of quality products, trusted brands and creative solutions to the automotive aftermarket.

For additional MBR information and updates, “like” the Michalek Brothers Racing Facebook page and follow @MichalekRacing on Twitter.

 

 

Rookie Michalek Drives Champion A/Fueler to Norwalk Final Round

Courtesy of Michalek Brothers Racing
Photos courtesy of Steve Fuhrman

KYLE MICHALEK RACES THE CHAMPION SPARK PLUGS DRAGSTER TO RUNNER-UP FINISH IN NHRA A/FUEL DRAGSTER DEBUT

Rookie driver Kyle Michalek and the Dreher Motorsports team wasted no time in setting the pace for a break out debut weekend. Kyle went to the top of the class on Friday night during Q1 with a time of 5.398 seconds @ 259.86 MPH which was good enough to put him in the #2 qualifying position. This strong performance was indicative of what was to come for the remainder of the race weekend.

Qualifying resumed Saturday afternoon and Kyle was able to make a solid run in the heat of the day with a 5.469 second pass that would provide valuable tune up information for race day conditions. Heading into the final qualifying session, Kyle was safely qualified in the #2 position and the team had the privilege of running in the last pair of Top Alcohol Dragsters.

"The Summit Motorsports Park experience never disappoints and this was no exception," said Kyle. "As the team pushed the car up to the starting line for Q3 on Saturday night I looked up and saw a standing room only crowd of close to 45,000 people, a single day track attendance record. That was a really special feeling knowing that many people care about the sport that we are so passionate about and it really got me pumped up to showcase the Champion Spark Plugs A/fuel dragster in front of such a large audience."

Since the team had nothing to lose, they chose to go after the #1 qualifying position but overpowered the track in the process, resulting in tire smoke at the hit of the throttle. The team was still able to hold on to the #2 qualifying position and they were positioned to contend for the Wally on Sunday during eliminations.

The old adage stating, "it is better to be lucky than good" held true during the first round of eliminations. Jeff Veale experienced mechanical problems during Kyle's first round matchup giving Kyle a solo pass into the second round. Jeff's bad luck turned out to be Kyle's good luck as Kyle's dragster immediately went into tire smoke at the hit of the throttle forcing Kyle to abort the run.

The team went to work back in the pits between rounds and made the necessary tune up adjustments to take on seasoned veteran Robin Samsel in the semi-finals. Kyle was first off the starting line and never looked back as he got the win on a holeshot beating Samsel's quicker, but losing, 5.47 to Kyle's 5.48. Just three weeks prior, Samsel and his crewmember Dave Hill signed Kyle's Top Alcohol Dragster competition license upgrade at the NHRA division 3 regional event at Indianapolis. Going into the finals at his first race, Kyle was matched up against the three-time NHRA North Central region champion, Marty Thacker. The team gave a great effort but came up just a little bit short as Thacker ran low elapsed of eliminations with a 5.40 to Kyle's 5.45 second pass.

"Going into eliminations I had some pre-race jitters but they quickly disappeared once I was strapped into the race car. I knew that I had to concentrate on running my own race and not worry about the guy in the other lane. As we advanced through each round my confidence continued to grow. All-in-all, this was a dream weekend during my first race in the Top Alcohol Dragster class. My expectations were far exceeded and I really appreciate the support that has been offered to me by other competitors from within the sport. Congratulations to Marty Thacker and his team on a great effort in the final round and also to Chris Foster, who we used to race with in the IHRA Alcohol Funny Car ranks when we worked on Mark Thomas's pit crew. Chris and his team have developed a strong program and it is great to see them be successful," said Kyle.

"I am truly humbled by the success that we experienced this weekend and could not have done it without the support of family and friends, Champion Spark plugs and the associated Federal Mogul brands, and the Dreher Family."

"The Drehers immediately accepted us into their racing family. They made us feel welcomed and they provided the support that enabled me to improve each pass as a new A/fuel dragster driver. Make no mistake about it, this is Jared's car and it was a privilege to have the opportunity to drive it. The team has a wealth of experience and racing knowledge and they come to the racetrack to win, but once racing is over for the day they are a genuinely nice group of individuals who are great to spend time with."

  

Michalek Brothers Racing looks to build upon the momentum gained from this past weekend's successful outing and plans to be back on the track again in the near future. Details concerning the team's next event will be announced in the coming weeks once plans are finalized.

For additional MBR information and updates, please visit MichalekBrothersRacing.com, “like” the Michalek Brothers Racing Facebook page, and follow @MichalekRacing on Twitter.

Michalek Brothers Renew Sponsorship with Federal-Mogul's Champion Spark Plugs Brand

Courtesy of Michalek Brothers Racing

Vehicle Components Manufacturer's Fel-Pro, Sealed Power, and Speed-Pro Brands to also Sponsor Team

Michalek Brothers Racing (MBR) is excited to announce a continued sponsorship with Federal-Mogul Corporation’s (NASDAQ: FDML) Champion® Spark Plugs brand for the 2013 race season. Kyle and Corey Michalek won the brand’s inaugural “Search for a Champion” contest in 2012 and carried the iconic Champion bowtie branding on their Super Comp dragster this past season. In 2013 MBR and Federal-Mogul will collaborate to compete in an A/fuel dragster within the NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

“As Michalek Brothers Racing continues to grow by moving up to an A/fuel dragster, it is important to have support from partners like Federal-Mogul who understand the long-term goals of MBR,” stated Kyle Michalek. “The partnership between MBR and the Champion brand has mutual benefits and we look forward to continuing our successful working relationship during the 2013 race season.”

The Champion brand will be an associate sponsor on MBR’s NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series A/fuel dragster with additional Federal-Mogul brand support coming from the company’s Fel-Pro® Gaskets and Sealed Power® and Speed-Pro® engine components brands. MBR and Federal-Mogul’s Champion marketing team will continue to collaborate in social media engagements and at-track promotions.

“Michalek Brothers Racing embodies everything we look for in a race team. Their character on and off the track combined with hard work, dedication and knowledge of their sport and mechanics of their dragster made it an easy decision to continue to support their program,” said Federal-Mogul Brand Strategy Manager Jessica Wynn.

MBR is currently scheduled to compete in two events this season at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. The team will race at the NHRA Division 3 LODRS North Central Regional Cavalcade of Stars, May 17-19, and the Summit Racing NHRA Nationals, July 5-7. Humbled by the opportunity to extend MBR’s partnership with Federal-Mogul outside of the “Search for a Champion” contest, Corey looks forward to an exciting year.

“It’s incredibly exciting to extend our relationship,” said Corey Michalek. “Federal-Mogul and Champion have continuously associated themselves with best teams in the NHRA, including John Force Racing and Kalitta Racing to name a few, and it’s a huge honor to join that group. We want to be on that same level in the future and racing a 270mph A/fuel dragster this year is a great step in the right direction. Without their help, none of this would be possible; we’re extremely grateful for their continued support.”

To learn more about Champion Spark Plugs and other “Performance Driven” Champion products, visit www.alwaysachampion.com for more information. Federal-Mogul is a leading global vehicle components manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of quality products, trusted brands and creative solutions to the automotive aftermarket.

For additional MBR information and updates, visit www.MichalekBrothersRacing.com, “like” the Michalek Brothers Racing Facebook page, and follow @MichalekRacing on Twitter.