News & Updates

AEROMOTIVE TEAMS UP WITH HARTLEY RACING FOR THE 2009 NHRA O’REILLY SUMMER NATIONALS

Thursday May 28, 2009
by AEROMOTIVE INC. – Serious Fuel Systems

Lenexa, KS – May 2009 – Aeromotive has teamed up with Joe Hartley and Hartley Racing for a 1 race sponsorship of the Top Fuel Dragster team. Aeromotive will be the title sponsor for driver Joe Hartley at the 2009 NHRA O’Reilly Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kansas May 29–31

"We’ve known the Hartley crew for several years now and we couldn’t be any more excited to be getting involved with them. We wanted to show them our full support on their first full season, especially at our home track in Topeka, Kansas.” said Steve Matusek, Aeromotive President.

Driver, Joe Hartley is coming off of several good performances at the start of the season and returning to the same track where just last year, he qualified No. 1. In addition to Hartley’s recent success and attention, Aeromotive is celebrating their 15th Year Anniversary and doing so in a big way at this year’s NHRA Summer Nationals with a huge bash for some of their loyal supporters and the debut of their new Ford powered Cobra Jet Dragster that will raced in Super Comp by Aeromotive President, Steve Matusek.

“When you have similar people and similar philosophies, it’s a recipe for success. We are looking to support Hartley in his campaign and use his name and reputation to help promote our company and our success,” said Matusek. “They represent a lot of the same values that we take very serious in our relentless pursuit to make the best Fuel System components possible. Plus...their car just looks cool!” Look for Hartley’s Top Fuel Dragster to be decorated in Aeromotive with particular attention to the 15th Anniversary banner, a common theme this year in Topeka at the O’Reilly Summer Nationals. In addition to Aeromotive, Hartley racing has received additional support for this race from Reser Foods and Super 8 at Forbe's Landing.

Aeromotive Inc. is a true high performance aftermarket manufacturer specializing in fuel delivery and fuel delivery components. Utilizing aerospace tolerances and procedures, 3 generations of track experience and a meticulous approach to engineering, Aeromotive Fuel Systems have become the absolute pinnacle of performance fuel delivery.

For more information on Aeromotive’s extensive line of components and the advantages they can provide, go to www.aeromotiveinc.com, or to speak with one of the highly qualified technicians, call (913) 647–7300.

Hartleys making the most of their first full season

Saturday, May 09, 2009
by Steve Waldron, National DRAGSTER

After competing part time for the last nine seasons, Top Fuel racer Joe Hartley is seven races into his first full season. The 32-year-old second-generation racer plans to compete at all 24 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events this year, and so far he’s holding his own. But with no sponsor and limited resources, how far he gets will depend a lot on how well he does.

"We’re not putting down the big e.t.s like some of the other teams, though I think we’re capable of doing that, but we’re getting down the track, and I feel like we’ve done a pretty good job," said Hartley, who has qualified for all seven events and gone rounds at the last four, highlighted by a semifinal finish in Houston. "Looking at the performance of some of the other cars, we’re not too far off."

A former Top Alcohol Dragster racer, Hartley made his Top Fuel debut in 2000. In their first seven seasons, he and his father Allen, the team’s crew chief and principal backer, had qualified for 23 of 64 races and won just four rounds. In 2007, he qualified for six of 11 events, won a career-high five rounds, and reached the final in Houston. He also qualified No. 1 in Topeka that year and finished 17th in points, his best finish since 2000. Hartley ran just three races last season, but he qualified for all three and won a round.

"In our nine seasons of racing in the Top Fuel category, one thing that we’ve learned is that it’s difficult to race part time and expect to perform consistently against the fully budgeted teams," said Hartley. "In 2007, we ran 11 races and we were able to get more of that consistency, and that’s kind of what drove us to do [this]."

Running only three races last season helped the Hartleys put together the budget to run the full schedule this season, but with no back-up car and few spare parts, the team can’t afford to push too hard.

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