An awesome race report from the first quarter of the year from the Scranton Boys!
March 16, 2015. Lake Elsinore, Ca:
Hi, you might know us as the Scranton Boys, so here’s is a little insight to what we have been up to this year. It looks long, but I think once you start reading you will get into and enjoy the read. This year has brought us some big challenges, new adventures, and constantly taking BIG risks. My brother Tommy drives and I help out in every other way from prep to fab to media. We both love racing and we have always raced to win… “we’re here to put on a show at every race we enter. 2nd isn’t good enough, and we won’t stop until we’re on the top. We have the same car, with even bigger goals.”
Now last year, being our last year with Pro Armor and ending the race season with a dominating win at the Elsinore GP we knew we had a lot to take on for the new year, just to live up to that. With a new and exciting business venture leaving Pro Armor R&D and joining IMG Motorsports for both of us, we knew it made for a VERY busy off season. We were not as ready as we would have liked to be for the new 2015 season, but we were not afraid to take it head on. Tommy was in an incident in one of the shake down races in another series where he went for an insane mid-air pass and the driver tried to break check him on a table top jump, but what the other driver didn’t know was that Tommy doesn’t lift. That resulted in an almost totaled race car that would now get a full rebuild for the Lucas series which followed very quickly.
With long hard hours put into the car to get it ready, we still had to take a few days off for King of the Hammers before we were completely finished. Tommy and I love racing and he was honored to be the co-driver for the new Polaris 900s driven by UTVguide’s Jon Crowley, but definitely nervous to race something we have never even gone to see for ourselves, and only heard about and seen videos on youtube. With Jon’s KOH experience and Tommy’s driving skills, mechanical skills and athletic ability, we were all confident they could complete this race. There was only 3 UTV’s to even finish this grueling race, Jon and Tommy managed to grab that 3rd spot. We now have a new respect for the guys that have raced the KOH race, being so tough on car, driver, and especially co-driver. Even with all this excitement we had to remember our priority and pack up right after the race was over to get back to work and getting his IMG Motorsports race car rebuilt for the Lucas Series coming quick.
Round 1 of the Lucas series came up very fast, and before we knew it we were on our way to the first round of qualifying for the very stacked Production 1000 race in Glen Helen, with almost 35 cars signed up. We worked our way through qualifying not getting as fast of times as we hoped, but 6th was good enough for a front pack start. The green flagged dropped for the main and Tommy aka @fabrycated_lyfe, was off and keeping pace with the front group. We radioed each other to remind us of our plan of attack and with a couple laps left he put it in high gear and made those GBC tires and Hiper Wheel combo grip and rip, carrying him into the top spot and taking home the win in the opening round of Lucas Oil Regional Series of 2015!
With a huge race the following weekend we had another busy week getting prepped for the UTV World Championships in Laughlin, NV. Tommy was signed up to race the short course race and we were excited to be in a fun city like Laughlin for an exciting race. There were all kinds of hurdles just getting to the race, and even our team had to drop off a team member, Jason Ellis’s car off for display at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas on their way to the races. Tommy and I met them Friday in Laughlin for tech. and we were all ready for the race the following morning. Of course after a long night of partying in the Casinos and then wrapping it up at the tables we figured we should get to bed before the sunrise hits us…. Race day was here and we felt a little bit of last night hanging on us but there is no day like race day no matter how you feel! We had planned for a short course race but for some reason the race layout was changed to 1 ½ hours long, not very short after all, but we were ready! Tommy started in the 3rd row and the green flagged waved. Leaving turn 1 he was about 6th in his row and about 25 places back. He only had one flat which was changed out in the pits by Team IMG’s own James Hill, in a blistering time and Tommy was back on the track. He was passing every car on the field and some even more than once. He was 4th in on the checkered flag but due to a transponder failing and bad mounting it did not get all the lap times counted and was left with official scoring to do nothing but dock him one lap. We were bummed but knew he killed it. Now in this spot most people would get depressed, but instead we packed up immediately after and headed to Vegas for Ellis Mania, since we got VIP tickets from our team mate Jason Ellis. We couldn’t miss that… let me just say that was a long night of partying!
Only 2 weeks separated these races and that was very little time to even catch our breaths. Lucas Oil Series decided to stack one weekend with rounds 2 &3, which made it exciting and also very nerve wracking planning out 2 days of intense racing. We had to make sure the car would be strong for both races, so in round 2 we would not be as hard on the car as round 3. Qualifying just out of the top 5 again was not the plan but we managed it. In the main he would make a hard push for the lead but lose 4 wheel drive and Tommy would drive the rest of the race playing it safe and coming out with a hard fought and well deserved 4th place. We asked our friend at 4 Wheel Dirt if we could borrow a front differential for the race on Sunday and he said no problem. Tommy removed it from our friend’s car that night after the race and we installed it on Sunday before qualifying. We were happy that fixed that issue and he qualified 4th for the main. This would set him in the 2nd row for the start and got him in a good position to choose his passes wisely. He had his way with a few drivers and got around them, but not with enough time to make any ground on the leader who already had an open track to pull their lines and gap the rest of the pack slightly. We needed a caution or a miracle but we didn’t see that, and instead hung back to preserve the car for a finish and take home the 2nd place in round 3. After a solid weekend that would still leave Tommy in the Lucas Oil Regional Series running the #1 overall spot in points, it’s still very tight points with some great drivers right on him. We are already getting ready and testing new ideas for the next round, as soon as we get back from the Mint 400 in Vegas the following weekend….
Tommy was asked to ride in the 1988 Polaris with driver Wes Miller backed by a ton of great companies including Coldcock Whiskey, Rockstar, Pro Armor, Rotation Motorsports and many more. Of course he couldn’t say “yes” before he was packing for the race, and heading out for Vegas. Tommy is literally one of, if not, the fastest SXS mechanic out there, especially on the XP1000 platform. That wrapped with his top notch driving skills, he was a perfect fit for their team. After changing some axles and a few other parts on Friday he hit “the town that never sleeps” for a fun Friday night, well deserved. This great off road race would set out at 6am sharp and these guys were as ready as can be. The cars took off 2 at a time with groups separated by only seconds. The class would be the largest and most competitive class of the weekend, with huge growths over the last 3 years. They took off and sure enough got a flat within the first 80 miles, but held strong with their Tire Blocks and then a blown belt within the first 100 miles. Tommy changed the belt in minutes and got them to the next pit where they popped on a new tire to get them back up to top speed. They were picking guys off in their class left and right and not slowing for anything. As I watched on the live tracking at home I was in constant contact with their team letting them know every detail I see. This was their first desert race and they started 52nd but managed to work up to 19th at mile marker 122. With 2 more blown belts which got changed out on the track in killer time they managed to not only finish the race but met their goal of getting in the top 10. In fact, they placed an exciting 6th place and now they’re more excited than ever for the upcoming season…
With such a busy race schedule this year, we couldn’t be happier with the turn out-
- Quad X Series 4th Place
- 1st Place, 2nd Place, & 4th Place finishes in LOORS
- 1st Place Overall Standings in LOORS
- 3rd Place finish with Jon Crowley at King of the Hammers
- 6th Place Mint 400 finish with Wes Miller
6 races, 1 win, 3 podiums, and all were top 6 finishes and it’s only ¼ of the way through the season!
Huge thank you to the people and companies that believe in our program: Scranton Boys Racing, IMG Motorsports, Coldcock Whiskey, Rockstar Energy, Rotation Motorsports, Hiper Wheels, GBC Tires, The Vinyl Shop, Walker Evans Racing, Pro Armor, 4 Wheel Dirt, UTV Guide, UTVyou.
March 16, 2015. Lake Elsinore, Ca:
Hi, you might know us as the Scranton Boys, so here’s is a little insight to what we have been up to this year. It looks long, but I think once you start reading you will get into and enjoy the read. This year has brought us some big challenges, new adventures, and constantly taking BIG risks. My brother Tommy drives and I help out in every other way from prep to fab to media. We both love racing and we have always raced to win… “we’re here to put on a show at every race we enter. 2nd isn’t good enough, and we won’t stop until we’re on the top. We have the same car, with even bigger goals.”
Now last year, being our last year with Pro Armor and ending the race season with a dominating win at the Elsinore GP we knew we had a lot to take on for the new year, just to live up to that. With a new and exciting business venture leaving Pro Armor R&D and joining IMG Motorsports for both of us, we knew it made for a VERY busy off season. We were not as ready as we would have liked to be for the new 2015 season, but we were not afraid to take it head on. Tommy was in an incident in one of the shake down races in another series where he went for an insane mid-air pass and the driver tried to break check him on a table top jump, but what the other driver didn’t know was that Tommy doesn’t lift. That resulted in an almost totaled race car that would now get a full rebuild for the Lucas series which followed very quickly.
With long hard hours put into the car to get it ready, we still had to take a few days off for King of the Hammers before we were completely finished. Tommy and I love racing and he was honored to be the co-driver for the new Polaris 900s driven by UTVguide’s Jon Crowley, but definitely nervous to race something we have never even gone to see for ourselves, and only heard about and seen videos on youtube. With Jon’s KOH experience and Tommy’s driving skills, mechanical skills and athletic ability, we were all confident they could complete this race. There was only 3 UTV’s to even finish this grueling race, Jon and Tommy managed to grab that 3rd spot. We now have a new respect for the guys that have raced the KOH race, being so tough on car, driver, and especially co-driver. Even with all this excitement we had to remember our priority and pack up right after the race was over to get back to work and getting his IMG Motorsports race car rebuilt for the Lucas Series coming quick.
Round 1 of the Lucas series came up very fast, and before we knew it we were on our way to the first round of qualifying for the very stacked Production 1000 race in Glen Helen, with almost 35 cars signed up. We worked our way through qualifying not getting as fast of times as we hoped, but 6th was good enough for a front pack start. The green flagged dropped for the main and Tommy aka @fabrycated_lyfe, was off and keeping pace with the front group. We radioed each other to remind us of our plan of attack and with a couple laps left he put it in high gear and made those GBC tires and Hiper Wheel combo grip and rip, carrying him into the top spot and taking home the win in the opening round of Lucas Oil Regional Series of 2015!
With a huge race the following weekend we had another busy week getting prepped for the UTV World Championships in Laughlin, NV. Tommy was signed up to race the short course race and we were excited to be in a fun city like Laughlin for an exciting race. There were all kinds of hurdles just getting to the race, and even our team had to drop off a team member, Jason Ellis’s car off for display at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas on their way to the races. Tommy and I met them Friday in Laughlin for tech. and we were all ready for the race the following morning. Of course after a long night of partying in the Casinos and then wrapping it up at the tables we figured we should get to bed before the sunrise hits us…. Race day was here and we felt a little bit of last night hanging on us but there is no day like race day no matter how you feel! We had planned for a short course race but for some reason the race layout was changed to 1 ½ hours long, not very short after all, but we were ready! Tommy started in the 3rd row and the green flagged waved. Leaving turn 1 he was about 6th in his row and about 25 places back. He only had one flat which was changed out in the pits by Team IMG’s own James Hill, in a blistering time and Tommy was back on the track. He was passing every car on the field and some even more than once. He was 4th in on the checkered flag but due to a transponder failing and bad mounting it did not get all the lap times counted and was left with official scoring to do nothing but dock him one lap. We were bummed but knew he killed it. Now in this spot most people would get depressed, but instead we packed up immediately after and headed to Vegas for Ellis Mania, since we got VIP tickets from our team mate Jason Ellis. We couldn’t miss that… let me just say that was a long night of partying!
Only 2 weeks separated these races and that was very little time to even catch our breaths. Lucas Oil Series decided to stack one weekend with rounds 2 &3, which made it exciting and also very nerve wracking planning out 2 days of intense racing. We had to make sure the car would be strong for both races, so in round 2 we would not be as hard on the car as round 3. Qualifying just out of the top 5 again was not the plan but we managed it. In the main he would make a hard push for the lead but lose 4 wheel drive and Tommy would drive the rest of the race playing it safe and coming out with a hard fought and well deserved 4th place. We asked our friend at 4 Wheel Dirt if we could borrow a front differential for the race on Sunday and he said no problem. Tommy removed it from our friend’s car that night after the race and we installed it on Sunday before qualifying. We were happy that fixed that issue and he qualified 4th for the main. This would set him in the 2nd row for the start and got him in a good position to choose his passes wisely. He had his way with a few drivers and got around them, but not with enough time to make any ground on the leader who already had an open track to pull their lines and gap the rest of the pack slightly. We needed a caution or a miracle but we didn’t see that, and instead hung back to preserve the car for a finish and take home the 2nd place in round 3. After a solid weekend that would still leave Tommy in the Lucas Oil Regional Series running the #1 overall spot in points, it’s still very tight points with some great drivers right on him. We are already getting ready and testing new ideas for the next round, as soon as we get back from the Mint 400 in Vegas the following weekend….
Tommy was asked to ride in the 1988 Polaris with driver Wes Miller backed by a ton of great companies including Coldcock Whiskey, Rockstar, Pro Armor, Rotation Motorsports and many more. Of course he couldn’t say “yes” before he was packing for the race, and heading out for Vegas. Tommy is literally one of, if not, the fastest SXS mechanic out there, especially on the XP1000 platform. That wrapped with his top notch driving skills, he was a perfect fit for their team. After changing some axles and a few other parts on Friday he hit “the town that never sleeps” for a fun Friday night, well deserved. This great off road race would set out at 6am sharp and these guys were as ready as can be. The cars took off 2 at a time with groups separated by only seconds. The class would be the largest and most competitive class of the weekend, with huge growths over the last 3 years. They took off and sure enough got a flat within the first 80 miles, but held strong with their Tire Blocks and then a blown belt within the first 100 miles. Tommy changed the belt in minutes and got them to the next pit where they popped on a new tire to get them back up to top speed. They were picking guys off in their class left and right and not slowing for anything. As I watched on the live tracking at home I was in constant contact with their team letting them know every detail I see. This was their first desert race and they started 52nd but managed to work up to 19th at mile marker 122. With 2 more blown belts which got changed out on the track in killer time they managed to not only finish the race but met their goal of getting in the top 10. In fact, they placed an exciting 6th place and now they’re more excited than ever for the upcoming season…
With such a busy race schedule this year, we couldn’t be happier with the turn out-
- Quad X Series 4th Place
- 1st Place, 2nd Place, & 4th Place finishes in LOORS
- 1st Place Overall Standings in LOORS
- 3rd Place finish with Jon Crowley at King of the Hammers
- 6th Place Mint 400 finish with Wes Miller
6 races, 1 win, 3 podiums, and all were top 6 finishes and it’s only ¼ of the way through the season!
Huge thank you to the people and companies that believe in our program: Scranton Boys Racing, IMG Motorsports, Coldcock Whiskey, Rockstar Energy, Rotation Motorsports, Hiper Wheels, GBC Tires, The Vinyl Shop, Walker Evans Racing, Pro Armor, 4 Wheel Dirt, UTV Guide, UTVyou.
