INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 29, 2024) – Hurco Companies, Inc. is proud to announce its newest racing partner, 2023 Professional Drag Racers Association Sportsman Rookie of the Year Victoria Beaner!
BRADENTON, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2024) – The stars of John Force Racing joined their toughest competition at the inaugural PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park. The event, an invitational match race aimed to promote drag racing in a new and fan-focused way, used social media and support from PRO (Pro Racer’s Owners Organization) to enhance fan experience both at track and watching on FloRacing. A private three-day testing session acted as a preview for the week. Each of the three JFR Chevrolet race teams led their respective leaderboards at different times during the time trials.
YORBA LINDA, Calif. (Jan. 16, 2023) – John Force Racing has announced Austin Prock will be taking over driving duties from Robert Hight for the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car to begin the 2024 season.
(Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery)
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 12, 2023) – Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California / Cornwell Tools / Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Camaro SS team ended the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season runner-up in the championship chase after a quarterfinal exit Sunday at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. John Force in the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro SS and Austin Prock in the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster had quarterfinal exits while Brittany Force in the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster had a first-round exit.
(Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery)
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 08, 2023) – Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California / Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS team are just 17 points out of the lead for their fourth Camping World NHRA Funny Car Championship as they head into this weekend’s In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
Hard work should be rewarded. That was the thought behind the Hurco Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Core Team's first order of business. Less than three months after the formation of the ESG Core Team — following the promotion of Hurco mainstay Maggie Smith to Senior Director of Marketing, Communications and ESG Initiatives — employees at the Indianapolis headquarters enjoyed a party in their own honor.
(Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery)
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 29, 2023) – Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS team picked up their fourth win of the season Sunday at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Top Fuel teammates, Brittany Force in the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy dragster and Austin Prock in the Montana Brand Rocky Mountain Twist dragster had quarterfinal exits while team namesake John Force in the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro had a first-round exit.
10th: RYAN HUNTER-REAY No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet
18th: RINUS VEEKAY No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet
NEXT RACE: 2024 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
(Photo Courtesy of Ed Carpenter Racing)
RACE RESULTS
11th: RINUS VEEKAY No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet
14th: RYAN HUNTER-REAY No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet
24th: ED CARPENTER No. 33 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet
NEXT RACE: BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland, September 3 (NBC, 3 p.m. ET)
(Photo Courtesy of Ed Carpenter Racing)
RYAN HUNTER-REAY, No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Finished 14th: “All in all, a good day for the points. Our pace in clear air was as fast as some of the leaders. I felt really good about the car in clean air, but in traffic we were just stuck all day. The guys did a great job in the pits cycling through that process, but most importantly we came away with some good points.”
OF NOTE:
• Ryan Hunter-Reay had one of his strongest races with ECR to date this afternoon, gaining nine positions over the course of today’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500.
• Hunter-Reay rolled off from the 23rd position after this morning’s qualifying. Through solid strategy and quick stops by the No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet crew, he moved up through the field.
• Once final pit stops had been completed, Hunter-Reay had settled into the 14th position. He was able to hold off competitors on fresher tires and keep the position through the checkered flag.
(Photo Courtesy of Ed Carpenter Racing)
RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Finished 14th: “Pretty good race! Really good strategy by the team. It was a long one. I struggled a little bit to make passes happen in the train of cars. I wish I could’ve moved a bit through traffic, I struggled a little bit with that. I sat back most of the time and we made the right calls in strategy! For myself and Ryan (Hunter-Reay) to finish P11 and P14, it’s pretty good. I did not think this would happen after qualifying. Thanks to the BITNILE.COM No. 21 crew for great stops and strategy. Two back-to-back P11’s, we’re pretty pleased with that. On to the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland!”
OF NOTE:
• For the second race in a row, Rinus VeeKay narrowly missed out on a Top 10 finish. He started 20th today, immediately moving up three positions before the first turn.
• When the early-race caution period ended, VeeKay gained two more positions on the ensuing restart. Once the pit cycles began, VeeKay continued to move forward. He stayed near the Top 10 for the rest of the event, cycling as high as 4th.
• VeeKay came into the pit lane for the final time on Lap 204. As the rest of the field made their last stops, VeeKay had slotted into 11th. He remained there for the remainder of the race, finishing 11th for the second time in two races.
(Photo Courtesy of Ed Carpenter Racing)
ED CARPENTER, No. 33 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Finished 24th: “Today got off to a rough start, I was trying to work my way to the outside and made contact with the 55 car. I feel bad that it happened and I will talk to Benjamin. I am bummed that we started the race off so many laps down. We had a better car than we have had in awhile here and I am proud of the team for continuing to fight.”
OF NOTE:
• Despite an early-race penalty, Ed Carpenter’s No. 33 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet was strong in today’s event at World Wide Technology Raceway.
• He was the first out to qualify this morning as the order is set in the reverse order of entrant points. Just after taking the green flag from the 27th position, the No. 33 made contact with the No. 55. Carpenter served a 30-second stop-and-hold penalty for avoidable contact which ultimately dropped him several laps behind the field.
• Even with the early setback, Carpenter was determined to finish his season strong and ran a steady race. He was credited with a 24th-place finish.
Photo provided by John Force Racing
BRITTANY FORCE NOMINATED FOR ESPYS BEST DRIVER AWARD
YORBA LINDA, Calif. (June 27, 2023) – Brittany Force, two-time and reigning NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world champion, has been nominated for the 2023 ESPYS Best Driver Award for her performance in the 2022 season. This is the second time Force has been nominated for the Best Driver Award, she had her first following her 2017 championship season when she became just the second woman to win an NHRA Top Fuel championship and the first in 35 years.
Ryan Hunter-Reay Joins Ed Carpenter Racing
Ed Carpenter replaces Conor Daly with 2014 Indianapolis 500 Winner Ryan Hunter-Reay
(INDIANAPOLIS) June 8, 2023 – Yesterday, Ed Carpenter, the only OWNER/DRIVER in the NTT IndyCar Series, announced that Conor Daly and ECR were ending their relationship. The announcement from Carpenter cited the need to elevate the team's competitiveness. (Scroll down for the full statement).
Today, Carpenter announced that Ryan Hunter-Reay has been named the driver of ECR's No. 20 Bitnile.com car. Hunter-Reay was the IndyCar Series Champion in 2012. He has amassed 18 IndyCar wins, including the crown jewel of IndyCar, the Indianapolis 500, in 2014. Most recently, he competed in the 2023 Indianapolis 500 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, leading eight laps in the closing stages of the race and ultimately finishing 11th.
Hunter-Reay's debut for ECR will be at next weekend’s Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America on June 18th.
Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery | Photo provided by John Force Racing
ROBERT HIGHT AND AUSTIN PROCK DOUBLE-UP AT NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS AT ZMAX DRAGWAY
CONCORD, N.C. (April 30,2023) – For the second time in their careers, Robert Hight and the Flav-R-Pac / Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team and Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster team swept the nitro categories picking up victories in their respective categories Sunday at the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. John Force and the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS had a semifinal finish while Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster had a quarterfinal exit.
14th: Conor Daly No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet
21st Rinus Veekay No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet
Next Race: PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway | April 2 (NBC, 12 p.m. ET)
CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE.COM CHEVROLET
Conor Daly, No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Finished 14th: “The race was playing out how we wanted. We got really lucky to avoid that first crash, which was one of the craziest things I have ever seen in my life. I felt strong, running with Rinus (VeeKay) and Josef (Newgarden). Then we just got taken out by Kyle Kirkwood. It was such a shame to get spun like that, but we hung on and kept fighting. The BITNILE.COM Chevrolet had good pace all day. On to the next one!" (Photo provided by ECR, courtesy of INDYCAR Photo)
(Photo provided by ECR)
Race Results:
Start: 24th
Finish: 14th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 99/100
Of Note:
Though improvements were made to the No. 20 BITNILE.COM across all three practice sessions, Conor Daly started 26th in today’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He deftly avoided a major accident in the opening corners of the race, gaining six positions as he cleared the scene. The race was red flagged while the track was cleared and as soon as the pits opened, Daly came in for a set of black Firestone Firehawks after starting on the new green tires.
Daly had just completed his second pit stop when he was struck by Kyle Kirkwood on Lap 37 and made contact in Turn 9. Once the car was re-fired, he brought it around the circuit and into he pit lane for repairs. With a front wing change and a set of fresh Firehawks, Daly rejoined the field.
Though he was a lap down, Daly persevered. His determination paid off and he continued to gain positions as other cars fell out of the race. By the checkered flag, he was up to 14th and finished 12 spots higher than where he started.
RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITNILE.COM CHEVROLET
Rinus Veekay, No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, Finished 21st: "It’s so tricky out there. I am okay and I just hope that Jack Harvey will be okay, too. Josef (Newgarden) was a little on the inside and I was an inch into the marbles and you just run out of grip. We want to finish the first race of the year to be able to carry the momentum. I am really bummed for the guys and for BITNILE.COM. We had the pace and were doing very well. Time to focus on Texas next." (Photo provided by ECR, courtesy of INDYCAR Photo)
(Photo provided by ECR)
Race Results:
Start: 24th
Finish: 21st
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 99/100
Of Note:
Rinus VeeKay was one of the fastest cars in the practice sessions leading up to qualifying, setting the 6th and 3rd fastest laps, respectively. During qualifications, his flying lap was interrupted by a slow-moving car and he had to settle for a 24th position on today’s starting grid.
VeeKay made it through a multi-car incident on Lap 1, gaining six positions. After the red flag was lifted, he made his first pit stop on Lap 3 to switch from alternate green Firestone Firehawks to primary black tires. He cycled into the Top 10 on Lap 30 and pitted from 5th on his second stop.
After his Lap 35 pit stop, he was running 14th. However, VeeKay became entangled in another multi-car accident on Lap 41. The No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet was moved behind the wall and VeeKay was retired from the event, scoring a 21st place finish.
About Ed Carpenter Racing
Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) first entered the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2012. The Indianapolis-based race team has proven its versatility by collecting eight wins across each type of track the series competes on – street and road courses, short ovals and speedways. ECR is led by IndyCar’s only team owner/driver, Ed Carpenter, three-time pole winner for the Indianapolis 500 (2013, 2014 and 2018). The 2023 season will see the team continue to compete with two full-time entries: the No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet with Conor Daly behind the wheel and the No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, driven by Rinus VeeKay. Carpenter will round out the team’s three-car effort on the ovals, campaigning the No. 33 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet. More information may be found at http://www.edcarpenterracing.com/.
Media Contact
Brie Rentz
Ed Carpenter Racing
brie.rentz@edcarpenterracing.com
765-210-2646
POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 17, 2022) – Starting his 47th year on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series tour, John Force, the 16-time champion and 154 event-winner, has...
Our co-founder, Gerald V. Roch, inventor, innovator, pioneer, husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, died at the end of 2020. Due to the pandemic, the ceremony commemorating his incredible life was delayed until late summer of 2021. Below are the video interviews with Mr. Roch that were conducted to commemorate the 45th Anniversary of Hurco in 2013. While Mr. Roch wasn’t directly involved with Hurco for years, his legacy of continuous innovation to make job shops more efficient and more profitable is the foundation of the company he started in 1968. All of us at Hurco are appreciative of the culture he built. I hope you enjoy these interviews.
Ed Carpenter Racing's Rinus VeeKay WINS GMR Grand Prix Race at IMS 
20-Year-Old Wins First NTT INDYCAR SERIES Race on the IMS Road Course
Team Victory Picture with their HURCO Hats.
(INDIANAPOLIS) May 14, 2021 – Rinus VeeKay is now a winner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, claiming the victory in today’s GMR Grand Prix. The 20-year-old earned his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES win on the IMS road course by almost a five-second margin. The Dutch driver became the sixth-youngest winner in INDYCAR history in only his 19th start. His victory is the first for Ed Carpenter Racing at IMS and the team’s first since the summer of 2016.
VeeKay was fast all weekend, finishing 3rd, 2nd and 1st in the three practice sessions before the race. However, he was slightly disappointed following yesterday’s qualifications where he only earned the 7th staring position for his No. 21 SONAX Chevrolet. VeeKay started the GMR Grand Prix on Firestone’s black Firehawk tires, allowing him to complete the race on the alternate red tires. He used the extra grip from his second set of reds to pass pole sitter Romain Grosjean on Lap 44, which would prove to be the decisive move of the race. VeeKay paced the field for 33 laps, taking the lead for good on Lap 65 of 85.
“I knew we had the car; we were so fast. I’m so happy for the ECR team, so thankful. I couldn’t have done it without them. A perfect day. It’s amazing!” exclaimed VeeKay. “Getting my first podium here last year and now winning, it’s a dream.”
Now home to his first victory, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was already the location of several of VeeKay’s career milestones. In just his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES start last July, VeeKay earned his first Top 5 finish in the GMR Grand Prix. When he returned to IMS in August, he recorded the best qualifying result by a teenager in Indianapolis 500 history (4th) and was the fastest rookie in the field. In October, he won his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole position, led the first laps of his Indy car career and earned his first podium finish on the IMS road course.
ECR owner Ed Carpenter is thrilled for his young driver and his team. “We’ve seen this win coming for a while with the way he’s driven over the last year and the start of this season,” stated Carpenter. “The team was great with strategy, but hats off to Rinus for doing everything he needed to do today. He didn’t put a wheel wrong and stayed cool under pressure when he got out front. It’s always nice to get that first win and I’m guessing he will see more of them before too long. Very happy – happy me!”
The race was caution-free after an opening lap incident that involved teammate Conor Daly. Daly’s No. 20 MannKind Chevrolet was damaged and pulled behind the Turn 7 wall. The crew quickly made repairs and Daly rejoined the race, taking the checkered flag in the 25th position.
Attention will now turn to the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Three-time pole winner Carpenter will temporarily hand over his ownership responsibilities and focus on driving the No. 20 SONAX Chevrolet. As Carpenter steps into the No. 20, Daly will shift to the No. 47 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet. VeeKay’s car will switch to a brand-new orange and black Bitcoin scheme, which will be seen for the first time when IMS opens for “500” practice on Tuesday, May 18.
About Ed Carpenter Racing
Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) will be entering its 10th season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition in 2021. The Indianapolis-based race team has proven its versatility by collecting seven wins across each type of track the series competes on – street and road courses, short ovals and speedways. ECR is led by IndyCar’s only team owner/driver, Ed Carpenter, three-time pole winner for the Indianapolis 500 (2013, 2014 and 2018). In 2021, Indiana natives Carpenter and Conor Daly will share the No. 20 Chevrolet as Carpenter drives the oval races and Daly takes over for the road and street course events. Both will be entered in the Indianapolis 500 alongside 2020 Rookie of the Year Rinus VeeKay, full-time driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet. ECR made its eSports debut in the 2020 iRX World Championship with Jim Beaver eSports. More information may be found at http://www.edcarpenterracing.com/.
Media Contact
Brie Rentz
Ed Carpenter Racing
brie.rentz@edcarpenterracing.com
765-210-2646
VeeKay Qualifies 3rd for Next Sunday’s Race; ECR Team Owner Ed Carpenter Will Start 4th
INDIANAPOLIS (May 23, 2021) – Indianapolis 500 Fast Nine Qualifying Notes
– Rinus VeeKay cultivated another career milestone this afternoon as he has become the youngest front row qualifier in Indianapolis 500 history. The 20-year-old earned the 3rd starting spot for next Sunday’s race, placing an ECR car on the front row for the 7th time in nine years.
– A mere .0047 of a second separated VeeKay from team owner Ed Carpenter, who will start 4th in the 2021 Indianapolis 500. VeeKay’s four-lap average was 231.511 miles per hour, versus Carpenter’s speed of 231.504 mph. It will be the 6th time Carpenter has had a Top 10 start at Indianapolis in the past nine years.
– Ed Carpenter Racing’s first season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition was 2012, making the 2021 Indianapolis 500 the team’s 10th. For nine of those 10 years, ECR has had at least one car qualify in the first three rows. Excluding 2015, when the Firestone Fast Nine was cancelled due to weather, ECR has been in every Fast Nine since 2013. For the second year in a row, ECR was the only Chevrolet-powered team in the Fast Nine.
RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 Bitcoin Chevrolet, Qualified 3rd: “I had a big moment on the last lap, in the first corner. I never lifted, but when I think back, maybe I should have! That last lap was the sketchiest lap I’ve ever done, but I kept my foot on the gas. I wanted it to be as on the limit as possible, so I kept the power on, even with all the wiggling. I knew Turn 1 would be the trickiest so once I got through, I thought it would be fine. Honestly, I couldn’t have gone any faster. I was happy to make the Fast Nine yesterday and now to have Chevy power taking me to the front row! I’m very happy for the team and very grateful for all the sleepless nights and hard work. I love Indy, and with the No. 21 Bitcoin Chevrolet, it’s such a pleasure. I have a great car and a great team around me, so I think we can go for the win next Sunday. The win last week has changed the spirit within the team and we are all extremely motivated. The entire month of May has been amazing.”
– Rinus VeeKay made two qualifying runs yesterday, his second with a four-lap average of 231.483 mph. It vaulted him from 12th to 5th, where he stayed for the duration of the day. Positions 1-9 at the end of the day advanced to today’s Firestone Fast Nine. The cars were inverted, with yesterday’s fastest qualifier going out last today. VeeKay was the 4th car to go out on the track, putting up a four-lap average of 231.511 mph. It would be good enough for 3rd overall today, placing him on the outside of the front row for next Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.
– VeeKay is the most recent winner in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, claiming his first career victory last Saturday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. His sophomore season is off to a strong start, having scored four Top 10 finishes in five races. Those results have come on each type of track the NTT INDYCAR SERIES competes on, being a road course, a street course and an oval.
– ECR has partnered with Strike to fundraise on behalf of the Bitcoin community and support all necessary on-track activities for the Month of May. Strike will handle all payments and donations for the effort through its lighting network and payment application. The Bitcoin car is for the people and supported by the people. A unique QR code on each of ECR’s cars enables the world’s first peer-to-car contribution model allowing anyone in the world to donate. Bitcoin has a fixed supply at 21 million with no more to ever be made and ECR is honored to represent Bitcoin on the No. 21.
ED CARPENTER, No. 20 SONAX Chevrolet, Qualified 4th: “I’m happy we were in the hunt and we have a car on the front row! Both of our cars were extremely close and that small gap between the two cars is a testament to ECR and the quality of cars that they build. It’s tough competition, whether it’s Honda versus Chevy or the two of us going against Scott Dixon and Colton Herta. We had all the power we needed to fight for the pole, they were just a little better than us today. There are so many great drivers in the series, it’s awesome to compete against them and we love the challenge. At the end of the day, we’re happy with where we’re starting the Indy 500. Rinus is the real deal, I’m proud of him. He’s a resilient kid, he learns and keeps getting better. He’s going to be tough to beat next Sunday, I’m as worried about him as anyone. But we’ll be in a great spot for the race, with my teammate in front of me, so we’ll tune up the car today and Carb Day and be ready for next Sunday.”
– Ed Carpenter made sure he earned himself a position in today’s Fast Nine Shootout. His four-lap average yesterday was 231.616 mph, landing him solidly in the 4th position. He was the fifth car to go out today, right after VeeKay. As the No. 20 and 21 crews looked on, Carpenter put up a four-lap average of 231.504. It would be the equivalent of .007 mph less than VeeKay, giving Carpenter the 4th starting position for his 18th Indianapolis 500.
– Carpenter is one of the most experienced drivers in the field, now in his 19th season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition. He is the only individual who handles both the responsibility of driving and owning his own team. The Indianapolis native solidified his status as a hometown favorite by winning the pole position in 2013 and 2014; in 2018, he became just the 10th driver to collect three or more Indy 500 poles in the century-plus history of the race. Two of his strongest finishes have come in recent years, including a runner-up finish after leading the most laps in 2018.
– With the No. 21 competing as the Bitcoin Chevrolet in the Indianapolis 500, the SONAX USA scheme campaigned by VeeKay in the first five races of the seasons has transferred over to Carpenter’s No. 20. SONAX Car Care is an innovative manufacturer of premium car care products for optimum maintenance, protection and rejuvenation of vehicles. All products are developed and manufactured in Neuburg, Germany, where SONAX was founded over 50 years ago. Today, the brand is represented in 80 countries around the world and is available in the U.S. through car care superstore Autogeek.com.
CONOR DALY, No. 47 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet, Qualified 19th: “It was a good day for the team. Two cars in the Fast Nine, which is awesome for our teammates. After the discomfort that I had on Friday, we just missed it yesterday. I never lifted all day but we just didn’t have the team. That’s partially on me, but the team has given us a great car. It’s an incredible machine, really we have three incredible cars. Clearly we are the fastest Chevy team, so that feels good. We know we have a good racecar, so we will focus on that!”
– Conor Daly’s starting position was determined during yesterday’s qualifying session. The 29-year-old’s average speed over his first four laps was 230.427 mph, which had him 18th overall. A few hours later, he returned to the track in his No. 47 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet for a second attempt. Daly remained 18th, but was bumped down one position as drivers made runs in the final hours of the day. As positions 10-33 were locked in at the end of Saturday, he will start next Sunday’s 500-mile race from the 19th position.
– Daly is another hometown favorite as he was born and raised in nearby Noblesville, Ind. Daly is well-prepared for his 8th Indianapolis 500, having set Top 5 times while running in traffic in three of four practice sessions this week. In addition to stepping into ECR’s third entry for the Indianapolis 500, Daly drives ECR’s No. 20 in the road and street course events and raced Carlin’s No. 59 entry in the Texas Motor Speedway doubleheader earlier this month.
– Beginning as a one-off 2018 Indianapolis 500 entry, Daly and the U.S. Air Force have grown to be synonymous in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Daly and ECR work alongside the U.S. Air Force to inspire young adults, communicate the service’s mission and build awareness about career opportunities. Daly’s Indy 500 car design is inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen’s P-51 Mustang used during World War II. The iconic red tail and the red and yellow stripes on the nose of the aircraft are prominent on the cars. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps, a precursor of the U.S. Air Force.
Rinus VeeKay Will Drive No. 21 Bitcoin Chevrolet in the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500
“If you don’t believe it or don’t get it, I don’t have the time to try to convince you, sorry.”
Satoshi Nakamoto
(INDIANAPOLIS) May 12, 2021 – Ed Carpenter Racing announced today that the team will enter the No. 21 Bitcoin Chevrolet for Rinus VeeKay in this year's Indianapolis 500. ECR will also be the first NTT INDYCAR SERIES team to integrate Bitcoin as a payment option for all of its employees. The first decentralized sponsorship in the history of racing will empower not only ECR on the track but the Bitcoin community off. In addition to the No. 21’s black and orange scheme, Bitcoin will be present on ECR’s other Indianapolis 500 entries.
ECR is in its 10th season of competition in 2021 and is led by the only owner/driver in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Ed Carpenter. “I could not be more excited that this project is becoming a reality. To bring my personal interest and immersion in Bitcoin to our industry is historic,” stated Carpenter. “Just as Bitcoin is revolutionizing our financial system, I see it as an opportunity to transform how we operate within our own motorsport industry.”
Ed Carpenter Racing has partnered with Strike to fundraise on behalf of the Bitcoin community and support all necessary on-track activities for the Month of May. Strike will handle all payments and donations for the effort through its lighting network and payment application. The Bitcoin car is for the people and supported by the people. A unique QR code enables the world’s first peer-to-car contribution model allowing anyone in the world to donate. Bitcoin has a fixed supply at 21 million with no more to ever be made and ECR is honored to represent Bitcoin on the No. 21.
“Ed’s message is simple; he doesn’t want to race for potato chips or soft drinks at the Indy 500,” stated Jack Mallers, founder of Strike. “This year, Ed is racing for human freedom, financial literacy, financial inclusivity, and is using the platform he's earned throughout his career to promote the most powerful message possible in pushing humanity forward. We're tremendously proud to support his efforts.”
Born in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, Rinus van Kalmthout launched his U.S. career in 2017 driving as Rinus VeeKay. After a meteoric rise through the Road to Indy program, VeeKay joined ECR and earned the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year title. By starting 4th in his first Indianapolis 500 last August, he recorded the best qualifying result by a teenager in Indianapolis 500 history and was the fastest rookie in the field. Later in his debut season, he won his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole position, led the first laps of his Indy car career and earned his first podium finish on the IMS road course, where he will race this weekend in the GMR Grand Prix. Now 20 years old, VeeKay's second season has started off with 3 Top 10 finishes in three weekends, each coming on a different kind of track.
Carpenter continued, “With the power of the Bitcoin community backing ECR in our 10th season of competition, our team is more than ready to attack the Indy 500 and capture our first Borg Warner Trophy. We want to kiss the bricks, drink the milk, then watch Bitcoin race past $100k!”
With the No. 21 competing as the Bitcoin Chevrolet in the Indianapolis 500, the SONAX USA scheme campaigned by VeeKay in the first five races of the seasons will transfer over to Carpenter's No. 20. Carpenter, an Indianapolis native, is one of only 10 drivers in the 100-plus year history of the Indy 500 to win three or more pole positions. His best career finish of second came after starting from the coveted first spot in 2018 race. An ECR Chevrolet has qualified in the Top 9 every year since 2013, with at least one car starting from the front row for six of those years. The Indianapolis-based team's three-car lineup will be rounded out by another hometown favorite, Conor Daly, driving the No. 47 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet.
VeeKay will take his first laps in the No. 21 Bitcoin Chevrolet when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opens for Indy 500 practice on Tuesday, May 18. Practice will continue through Friday May 21, before the Field of 33 qualifies on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23. The 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday, May 30, 2021 with coverage beginning at 11 a.m. ET on NBC.
To contribute, you can visit Strike.me/racing, scan the QR code on the car with any bitcoin wallet, or email racing@strike.me if you’re interested in a larger contribution.
Ed Carpenter Racing will enter the No. 21 Bitcoin Chevrolet for Rinus VeeKay in this year's Indianapolis 500. ECR has partnered with Strike to fundraise on behalf of the Bitcoin community and support all necessary on-track activities for the Month of May. The 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday, May 30, 2021 with coverage beginning at 11 a.m. ET on NBC.
About Ed Carpenter Racing
Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) will be entering its 10th season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition in 2021. The Indianapolis-based race team has proven its versatility by collecting seven wins across each type of track the series competes on – street and road courses, short ovals and speedways. ECR is led by IndyCar’s only team owner/driver, Ed Carpenter, three-time pole winner for the Indianapolis 500 (2013, 2014 and 2018). In 2021, Indiana natives Carpenter and Conor Daly will share the No. 20 Chevrolet as Carpenter drives the oval races and Daly takes over for the road and street course events. Both will be entered in the Indianapolis 500 alongside 2020 Rookie of the Year Rinus VeeKay, full-time driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet. ECR made its eSports debut in the 2020 iRX World Championship with Jim Beaver eSports. More information may be found at http://www.edcarpenterracing.com/.
Media Contact
Brie Rentz
Ed Carpenter Racing
brie.rentz@edcarpenterracing.com
765-210-2646
STRONG FINISHES FOR RINUS VEEKAY AND ED CARPENTER IN RACE 2 OF THE TEXAS DOUBLEHEADER
VeeKay Earns 3rd Top 10 of the Season; Carpenter Finishes 11th in His Lead Up to the Indianapolis 500
(FORT WORTH, Texas) May 2, 2021 – Race 2 Notes
• After last night's disappointing race where both Ed Carpenter Racing drivers had the pace, but not the luck, today's XPEL 375 resulted in solid finishes for Rinus VeeKay and Ed Carpenter. VeeKay finished 9th, earning his third Top 10 in four races with each coming on a different kind of track. Ed Carpenter brought his car home in 11th in his lead up to his home race, the Indianapolis 500.
• A two-lap qualifying run was meant to set the starting field for last night's Genesys 300 and today's XPEL 375. Track drying efforts delayed yesterday's on-track activity by nearly three hours. As there was limited time before the race, qualifications were cancelled in lieu of a full practice session. Without qualifying, the starting field was set by the entrant points of each car. Today's grid was set by points following last night's race, meaning VeeKay would start 12th and Carpenter would be 19th.
• Moments after the green flag flew, seven cars were involved in a major accident. The contact occurred behind VeeKay but right in front of Carpenter. Carpenter dove into the grass, deftly missing everything. Though they were unaffected, both came into the pits when they opened for fresh tires and a top off on fuel.
• VeeKay was sent to the back of the line for an improper pit exit and restarted 16th, just behind Carpenter. The teammates battled for position briefly, but then settled in for the remainder of their stint. Because of their early stop, both cycled into the lead of the race. Carpenter led Lap 74 and when he stopped, he handed the lead to VeeKay. VeeKay led five laps in the No. 21 SONAX Chevrolet before stopping.
• After their stops, Carpenter remained in 14th and VeeKay in 15th. They stayed there until another caution on Lap 117 and then stopped under yellow with the rest of the field. Quick work by the No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet crew gained Carpenter three spots in the pit lane and VeeKay was up one to 14th with the retirement of another competitor.
• Conditions were tough to pass, but both managed to charge forward. Before their final stops, Carpenter was up to 10th and VeeKay was 12th. The last yellow flag flew on Lap 190 but unlike last night, both were firmly on the right side of the timing. Lap 197 saw the 248-lap race restarted and remain green until the end. Each picked up one more position in the closing laps and at the checkered flag, VeeKay was 9th and Carpenter was 11th.
• Ed Carpenter Racing will work out of their shop next week as they prepare to move into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. VeeKay's next race will be the GMR Grand Prix on the IMS road course on May 15. He will be joined by road and street course driver of the No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet, Conor Daly. The following week, practice will begin for the Indianapolis 500. Carpenter will step back into the No. 20 while Daly moves to the No. 47. Carpenter, Daly and VeeKay will make up ECR's three-car lineup for the Indianapolis 500.
Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto ImageryJOHN FORCE AND PEAK / BLUEDEF HAVE RUNNER-UP FINISH AT ATLANTA DRAGWAY FINAL EVENTCOMMERCE, Ga. (May 02, 2021) – John Force and...
Ed Carpenter Starts His 19th Season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES Competition; Rinus VeeKay Looking for Redemption After Last Year's Texas Debut(INDIANAPOLIS) April 28, 2021 –...
LAS VEGAS (April 14, 2021) – Following a runner-up finish at the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals, Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California...
Conor Daly and Rinus VeeKay Begin Their 2021 Campaigns This Weekend at Barber Motorsports Park(INDIANAPOLIS) April 14, 2021 – Preview Notes• For the tenth time, Ed...
Conor Daly’s No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet Revealed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Home of the B-2
Article from www.bikeexif.com: THERE’S NOTHING UNUSUAL about building a custom motorcycle with the primary purpose of taking it to a show. But what if the show in question has absolutely nothing to do with custom motorcycles? That’s a cool twist.
Daly Continues as Road and Street Course Driver of the No. 20 and the U.S. Air Force Indianapolis 500 Entry
(INDIANAPOLIS) December 18, 2020 – Ed Carpenter Racing announced today that the U.S. Air Force and Conor Daly will remain with the team for the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES
season.
Daly will continue to drive ECR's No. 20 Chevrolet for the road and street course events, 10 of which will carry the colors of the U.S. Air Force. Additionally, Daly will again race a U.S. Air Force Chevrolet for ECR in the Indianapolis 500. Daly and ECR continue to work alongside the U.S. Air Force to use the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to inspire young adults, communicate the service’s mission and build awareness about career opportunities.
The 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule consists of 13 road and street course events, all of which will feature Daly in ECR's No. 20. The 10 races where the No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet will be on track are set to be announced at a later date, as will the primary partner for Daly's three other races. For the four oval events, Daly will hand the No. 20 back over to team owner Ed Carpenter. Daly will also drive a U.S. Air Force Chevrolet in the Indianapolis 500, once again rounding out ECR's three-car lineup.
"It feels incredible to have another year together with the U.S. Air Force and Ed Carpenter Racing," stated Daly. "Continuity has always been helpful for me in my career; the fact that we are able to hit the ground running in 2021 already having experience together gives me a lot of confidence. Every day we learn more and develop a stronger relationship."
Daly continued, "This would not be possible without the support of the U.S. Air Force, who have been an incredibly supportive and loyal partner. I want nothing more than to win races and compete for the entrant championship for the Airmen, the guys at ECR and my boss Ed, who has become a true friend of mine. I can’t wait to get back to work!”
The success of U.S. Air Force recruiting relies on a multi-layered marketing campaign at the local, regional and national level. Involvement in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES reflects the U.S. Air Force’s core values and has a positive impact on generating public awareness about the organization, its people and mission. The strategic partnership enables the U.S. Air Force to leverage and establish STEM correlations with Indy car racing, including teamwork, speed, technology, engineering, math and excellence in competition. Daly and ECR support the U.S. Air Force in its mission to inspire the nation’s brightest, most competitive young men and women for service.
“This partnership draws a parallel with how we fly, fight and win,” said Maj. Jason Wyche, Chief, Air Force National Events Branch at Air Force Recruiting Service. “Both organizations rely on the principles of science, technology, engineering and math to accomplish the mission. The technology that goes into these cars is similar to what we rely on when flying our fighter jets. Also, teamwork is especially important with the Air Force just like at the Indy 500. Everything just ties in perfectly with how we accomplish our respective missions. That’s what makes this a great partnership!”
Daly, who turned 29 on Tuesday, is continuing a partnership with the U.S. Air Force that originated four years ago. Beginning as a one-off 2018 Indianapolis 500 entry, Daly and the U.S. Air Force have grown to be synonymous in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Daly competed in the full 2020 schedule, splitting his talent between two teams. While Carpenter raced the No. 20 on ovals, Daly stepped into Carlin's No. 59. In addition to four Top 10 finishes, Daly earned his first career pole position at Iowa Speedway. Over the past seven years, the Noblesville, Ind., native has competed in over 60 Indy car races. Known for a desire to sharpen his skills by racing in different disciplines, Daly made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut earlier this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Carpenter is thrilled with continuation of this year’s program. “It is a very exciting day to be able to announce the return of both the U.S. Air Force and Conor to Ed Carpenter Racing! We are looking forward to the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, having the same driver lineup to continue our progression back to a race-winning and championship-contending organization.” He continued, “We are very grateful for the support of U.S. Air Force and honored to represent everything that they stand for. We’re thankful for the opportunity to inspire and engage the next generation of men and women who join the U.S. Air Force!”
The 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will be Ed Carpenter Racing's 10th season of competition. ECR began as a single-car organization in 2012, expanding to two full-time entries in 2015. For the first time since having multiple entries, the team will enjoy the continuity of having the same driver lineup from the previous season. The No. 20 maintains its all-Hoosier lineup as both Carpenter and Daly are from Indiana. Carpenter, a three-time Indianapolis 500 pole winner, will be driving in his 19th season of Indy car competition. Rinus VeeKay, 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year, remains the team's full-time driver of the No. 21. The Dutchman’s debut season featured the best qualifying result by a teenager in Indianapolis 500 history, his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole position and three Top 5 finishes. Carpenter, Daly and VeeKay make up the team's three-car effort in the 2021 Indianapolis 500. The 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will open in the streets of St. Petersburg on March 7, 2021.
Conor Daly will continue to drive Ed Carpenter Racing's No. 20 Chevrolet for the road and street course events for the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, 10 of which will carry the colors of the U.S. Air Force. Additionally, Daly will again race a U.S. Air Force Chevrolet for ECR in the Indianapolis 500, rounding out the team's three-car lineup. (DREAM Digital/Alex Wong)
Conor Daly and the U.S. Air Force are continuing a partnership that originated four years ago. Beginning as a one-off 2018 Indianapolis 500 entry, Daly and the U.S. Air Force have grown to be synonymous in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Daly and Ed Carpenter Racing continue to work alongside the U.S. Air Force to inspire young adults, communicate the service’s mission and build awareness about career opportunities. (IMS Photo/Chris Owens)
About Ed Carpenter Racing
Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) first entered the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2012. The Indianapolis-based race team has proven its versatility by collecting seven wins across each type of track the series competes on – street and road courses, short ovals and speedways. ECR is led by IndyCar’s only team owner/driver, Ed Carpenter, three-time pole winner for the Indianapolis 500 (2013, 2014 and 2018). In 2021, Indiana natives Carpenter and Conor Daly will share the No. 20 Chevrolet as Carpenter drives the oval races and Daly takes over for the road and street course events. Both will be entered in the Indianapolis 500 alongside 2020 Rookie of the Year Rinus VeeKay, full-time driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet. ECR made its eSports debut in the iRX World Championship with Jim Beaver eSports. More information on Ed Carpenter Racing may be found at http://www.edcarpenterracing.com/.
About the U.S. Air Force
The mission of Air Force Recruiting Service is to inspire, engage and recruit the next generation of Airmen and Space professionals. We are looking for America’s best and brightest to fill nearly 30,000 opportunities in more than 200 Air Force specialties, as well as more than 300 space professionals in space-specific career fields in fiscal 2021. Additionally, our total force partners, the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard are collectively hiring more than 19,000 part-time Airmen. Our military recruits to retain, providing tough, highly technical training that gives our future servicemembers the right skills to sustain the combat capability of America’s Air Force and protect our nation’s interests in space. For more information about Air Force and U.S. Space Force benefits and opportunities, go to www.airforce.com.
We're doing our part to close the skills gap. Below is just a sampling of "Hurco kids" getting an early education about machining (and HURCO SWAG 😆😁)! Just wait 20 years, they might just be the stars of the NEXT "A Control for Every Generation Campaign!"
Thanks for checking out this INSIDE HURCO blog post with behind the scenes scoop and highlights of our "CONTROL for EVERY Generation" campaign. To watch each episode in its entirety, go to Hurco.com/MyGeneration
VeeKay Earns Ed Carpenter Racing's First Road Course Pole;
Conor Daly Starting From Row 7
RINUS VEEKAY TURNS BEST ROAD COURSE QUALIFYING INTO TOP 10 FINISH
Conor Daly Qualifies 4th at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Narrowly Misses Top 10 Result
(LEXINGTON, Ohio) September 12, 2020 – Race 1 Notes
• Ed Carpenter Racing faced the first round of another NTT INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader today at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Both Rinus VeeKay and Conor Daly earned their best starting positions at a road course race this season. VeeKay, locked in a battle for Rookie of the Year honors, parlayed his qualifying result into his third Top 10 finish in a row. Daly narrowly missed out on his own Top 10 as he had to coast home on the final lap, short on fuel. VeeKay finished 8th in Race 1 of the Honda 200 and Daly finished 13th.
• A 75-minute practice and a split-group qualifying session kicked off day one at Mid-Ohio. Daly finished the practice session 9th and VeeKay was 12th. The two were split into different groups for qualifying with VeeKay out first in Group 1. His best lap of 121.305 mph would land him 9th on the Race 1 starting grid, his career-best road course start. Daly followed in Group 2 and his lap of 121.550 mph placed him solidly in the 4th position. Like VeeKay, it was Daly’s best road course start of 2020 and matched ECR’s highest starting position this season.
• Daly selected Firestone’s red alternate Firehawks for the start of Race 1 while VeeKay rolled off on primary black tires. Daly swapped positions with Ryan Hunter-Reay in the opening laps, then settled into 4th for the duration of his first stint. VeeKay was forced into a brief off-track excursion, but quickly re-entered the racing surface with no further issues. However, it did cost him several positions and the No. 21 SONAX/Autogeek Chevrolet slid back to 13th.
• On the softer, faster red tire compound, Daly stayed out until Lap 20 when he made his first pit stop. As the cars that started on black tires cycled to the front, VeeKay moved up to 4th. The harder compound and longer-lasting black tires carried VeeKay seven laps more than Daly's reds and VeeKay made his stop on Lap 27. After the 23-car field had made their first stops, Daly was 10th and VeeKay was 12th.
• While Daly selected black tires for his second stint, VeeKay went with reds. VeeKay used the tires to his advantage, moving into the Top 10 with passes on Pato O'Ward and championship leader Scott Dixon. As the second and final round of pit stops began, Daly dove in on Lap 46. VeeKay stayed out for three more laps, ultimately cycling up to 2nd. Both selected sticker black Firehawks for their final stint.
• The teammates ended up on track next to each other with VeeKay running 9th and Daly in 10th. With two laps to go, the No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet unexpectedly began to run out of fuel. Daly backed off and was able to complete all 75 laps, but lost three positions at the end to finish 13th.
• VeeKay wasn't done moving forward in the closing laps. He gained another spot with a daring pass around the outside of Colton Herta, giving him the 8th position. VeeKay, who turned 20 yesterday, has finished in the Top 10 in the last three races. In addition to today's 8th place, he also finished 6th and 4th in the World Wide Technology Raceway doubleheader two weeks ago.
• Ed Carpenter Racing will return to the 2.258-mile road course first thing in the morning to finalize preparations for Race 2. There will not be a practice session tomorrow, but Daly and VeeKay will have another split-group qualifying session. Tomorrow's 75-lap race will start at 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC.
CONOR DALY, No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet, Finished 13th: “We had a really good start, got up to 3rd, which was nice! We struggled with the balance a little bit, but once we settled into 4th we held our position. It was tough to nail the times we needed on the out laps. Running out of fuel, these things happen sometimes. It was a shame because we would have been in the Top 10. Hopefully, we can work on some race pace for tomorrow and thankfully we have another day.”
RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 SONAX/Autogeek Chevrolet, Finished 8th: “Good race! I struggled a little bit at the beginning to get around slower traffic. Once I figured it out, it was really enjoyable. It definitely wasn't a perfect race, but I'm happy with what we made of it and the speed we had. I think we can do even better in qualifying tomorrow, which will make the race easier!”
About Ed Carpenter Racing
Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) first entered the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2012. The Indianapolis-based race team has proven its versatility by collecting seven wins across each type of track the series competes on – street and road courses, short ovals and speedways. ECR is led by IndyCar’s only team owner/driver, Ed Carpenter, three-time pole winner for the Indianapolis 500 (2013, 2014 and 2018). The 2020 season will see Indiana natives Carpenter and Conor Daly in the No. 20 Chevrolet as Carpenter will drive the ovals and Daly will take over for the road and street course events. Both will be entered in the Indianapolis 500 alongside Dutch teenager Rinus VeeKay, who will compete for the Rookie of the Year title as he races the No. 21 Chevrolet for the full season. More information on Ed Carpenter Racing may be found at http://www.edcarpenterracing.com/.
RINUS VEEKAY QUALIFIES 4TH FOR THE 2020 INDIANAPOLIS 500
Dutch Teenager is the Fastest Rookie in the Field; Ed Carpenter and Conor Daly Will Start Next Sunday's 500-Mile Race From Row 6
INDIANAPOLIS (August 16, 2020) - Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Notes
• The youngest driver in the 2020 Indianapolis 500 is also the fastest rookie in the field as Ed Carpenter Racing's Rinus VeeKay has qualified 4th for next weekend's 500-mile classic. Teammates and hometown favorites Ed Carpenter and Conor Daly locked in their starting positions yesterday and will begin the race from the same row. Carpenter will be on the inside of Row 6 he qualified 16th and Daly will be on the outside in the 18th starting spot. The 2020 Indianapolis 500 will take place next Sunday, August 23. It will be shown live on NBC with coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
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Peter Zelinski from Modern Machine Shop magazine stopped by Hurco last week to check out the N95 mask project we started due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hurco customer, Innovative 3D Manufacturing, based out of Franklin, IN, specializes in metal additive manufacturing mostly with 3D metal printers for the aerospace, defense, and medical industries. Johnson Memorial Hospital uses Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR) to help their health care workers remain protected from COVID-19. These units use small connectors that are not easily replaceable with today's current supply chain.
At Hurco we know that not every machine shop has all the equipment that they really need to get by on a day to day basis. Some shops have rows upon rows of machines, while smaller shops may have one CNC mill, one CNC lathe and a couple bridgeports sitting in the corner. So we wanted to make life a little easier for our customers and machinists in genera.
Derek Korn of Modern Machine Shop recently wrote an article on Hurco's new feature 3D Solid Model Import, this feature allows a 3D solid model to be imported into the CNC control and the operator can perform conversational-type programming even for five sided machining applications.
Hurco continues to partner with companies like BMO Automation because we know that today's modern machine shop needs turn-key solutions to help fight the skills gap. Many of the protocols, technologies, industry standards, etc... that comprise modern manufacturing technology were quickly adopted and developed in Europe because they simply don’t have enough people to fill manufacturing positions. The same skills gap that prompted Europe to quickly develop and adopt these automation technologies is starting to appear in machine shops in the United States as well.
We would like to thank MTD CNC for allowing us to share this video they made recently at Bournemouth University of Arts. Bournemouth recently opened their doors to MTD CNC, having purchased new Hurco CNC machines, the investment was part of a program to support local manufacturing, as Paul found out. Hurco is proud to work with educational institutions to help provide the necessary training to a younger generation of CNC Machinists who will help today's modern CNC machine shop become more productive.
Last month, we gathered in the canteen to celebrate Nancy. Procrastination isn't the reason I'm a month late writing this post. I think maybe it's denial or maybe I didn't want to get fooled again!
ED CARPENTER, No. 20 SONAX Chevrolet, Finished 6th: “We needed a decent run. We DNF’ed at Iowa, which wasn’t good. I feel like we have been performing better this year, we just haven’t really been able to put it together. It was nice to be in the mix, racing with the guys you need to race with to be up there fighting for wins. I wish we could have seen out all 500 miles but Pocono always has its own craziness when it comes to the weather. Hopefully, all of the fans got to their cars before they got too wet. I thought it was a really good turnout today, it was a fun race while we were out there. It was unfortunate to see guys kind of lose their minds a bit there at the start, but all in all it was a fun day and nice to be moving forward.”
This past Wednesday team members from Hurco went down to Vincennes, Indiana, to visit with students from the Advanced CNC Machining and Programming at Vincennes University to shoot a new video discussing their time in the program and how the Hurco Control has helped them bridge the gap that many companies need with skilled workers (the video will be released later).
Students in this summer course are taught over a 14-week time period. Throughout the course they learn to program, machine, and inspect complex 2, 3, 4, and 5-axis parts. The class is designed to make use of high-speed machining, for companies specializing in die making, mold making, aerospace, medical, and other industries.
During our visit, we were able to talk to a few students and get their thoughts on the Hurco Control as well as see some of the parts they made during their time in the course.
Robert Hight and AA Northern New England Chevy Camaro SS Team Extend Points Lead to 13 Consecutive Races
Hurco is a proud sponsor of Jake Timm Racing! Watch the video to find out more about Jake Timm and other USMTS drivers.
Team Owner Leads Ed Carpenter Racing's Charge; Ed Jones Finishes 13th and Spencer Pigot in 14th
Indianapolis 500 Fast Nine Qualifying Notes
Each year, the employee who demonstrates the work ethic and values of the late E. Keith Moore is presented with the award named after him. Mr. Moore continues to have a positive influence on our culture at Hurco. Last Wednesday, Hurco was proud to recognize two employees with E. Keith Moore awards. Wayne Kline, Senior Manufacturing Engineer with Hurco since 2011 and Matthew Ponto, Software Support Engineer with Hurco since 2013 both received 2018 honors during the company’s annual employee meeting. Both Matt and Wayne exemplify the customer-centric attitude that Mr. Moore exhibited throughout his career at Hurco.
THANK YOU. Who's Who in our Latest Ad.
Above is our ad that is currently in manufacturing trade magazines throughout the US and Canada. After such an incredible year of well wishes and celebrations with so many people, both inside our industry and outside our industry, we felt the need to say a collective THANK YOU!
The students and instructors from the School of Automotive Machinists & Technology (SAM Tech) in Houston, Texas, stopped by last week to check out our international headquarters. Mike Cope, Hurco Technical Product Specialist, and Gerry Traicoff, Hurco Applications Manager gave them a plant tour and a training session.
SAM Tech was in town for the 2018 Performance Racing Industry Show and had the opportunity to stop by to learn about the future of manufacturing, Hurco's new 3D Import feature on the WinMax® control, and check out some of our new CNC machines. SAM Tech focuses on automotive CNC technology – teaching students how to machine cylinder heads, engine blocks and other vehicle components.
The students and instructors were particularly interested in learning about 5-axis machining and the machine build/assembly portion of the tour. SAM Tech students were familiar with Hurco before their visit since they have Takumi CNC machine in their classroom (Hurco Companies acquired Takumi a few years ago).
All of us at Hurco are passionate about education and the students who are the future of our industry. If you’re an instructor, feel free to contact us to schedule a tour for your students!
Originally posted June 8, 2018 | Updated October 4, 2018
The Back Story of Bottle Breacher
Eli Crane, who is a former U.S. Navy SEAL, turned his hobby of making bottle openers out of spent ammunition casings into a successful business. At first, he just made them by hand for his buddies. Eventually, he and his wife decided to make a business of it. As entrepreneurs, they watched a lot of Shark Tank and decided to apply. Not only did they get accepted, they got a deal from Mark Cuban and Mr. Wonderful.
The Bottle Breacher / Hurco Connection
After Shark Tank, sales went from $7,500/month to $22,500/month. Eli knew he needed to have control of manufacturing to keep up with demand and delivery deadlines to keep the business growing and profitable. He started researching CNC machines and evaluated many different brands. "But I noticed when guys talked about the Hurco, they always said they were solid, hardworking, workhorse machines that were easy to use."
Eli contacted our distributor in Arizona, D&R Machinery, and that's how Hurco and Bottle Breacher got connected. It was such a great story, we knew we had to make a trip to Arizona to feature Eli and his team for our next video case study.
Check out more Bottle Breacher videos and articles at the links below
Listed by Forbes as Top Veteran Owned Business
The Hurco 50th Anniversary Bottle Breacher Drawings
Here at Hurco, we've been planning for the 50th Anniversary for quite some time. For our standard giveaways (Hurco swag), we settled on a simple redesign of the hats, shirts, pens, etc., but for the VIP gift, we knew we wanted it to be a special. Even more important, we wanted the gift to be made on a Hurco by a Hurco customer. When we connected with Bottle Breacher, we knew we hit a home run.
We gave away 50 Hurco 50th Anniversary Bottle Breachers before IMTS in September and then gave away even more at the show. It was by far the most popular promotional item we have ever had! Click the following links to see the winners for the pre-IMTS drawings (the team here got creative finding different ways to announce each set of winners):
Second Drawing | the Video Reveal (Mike put the names in the Hurco control and machined them)
Third Pre-IMTS Bottle Breacher Drawing against backdrop of IMTS Prep Video at Hurco
Click here, for the winners from the IMTS drawing.
P.S.A Bottle Breacher is one of those special gifts that is both unique and useful. Check out their selection at www.bottlebreacher.com Not only is it a cool gift, it's made on a Hurco by a veteran-owned company.
GRATITUDE
We received so many appreciative emails from the winners, which was really fun for us! However, the most creative award goes to Matt at RPM Tool! Check out his photo submission here.
We are pleased to announce our final group of Bottle Breacher winners from IMTS! Thank you to all who visited our booth and registered for our drawing!
Hurco 50th Anniversary Bottle Breachers will be shipped to the following:
Panos Angelopoulos | RAMPF | Niskayuna, NY
Ben Anoskey | IUPUI | Monrovia, IN
Mike Atherton | ORNL | Oak Ridge, TN
Greg Baker | Denso Mfg. Mich. Inc. | Battle Creek, MI
Josh Barber | Chicago Magnesium | Hammond, IN
Andrew Bartel | The Master Lock Company | Franklin, WI
Jesse Benton | ENC | Youngsville, PA
Jonathan Bersch | A & L | Strausburg, CO
Lee Bingham | Bedford Reinforced Plastics | Bedford, PA
Kirk Blank | K & K Inc. | Elkhart, IN
Eric Bowman | E & M Machining | Frankton, IN
Denise Brauer | Cutting & Grinding Fluids Inc. | Rockford, IL
Chad Burton | American Micro | Batavia, OH
Daniel Caraveo | OSG USA | Irving, TX
Jason Castano | William Penn University | Oskaloosa, IA
Matthew Corn | Shamrock Engineering | Oakland City, IN
Joe Curtis | Perfecto Tool & Engineering | Anderson, IN
Chip Davis | Layke Tool & Manufacturing | Meadville, PA
Lisa Davis | Tinney Tool & Machine | Belleville, IL
Fritz Dowe | Eng. Resource Center | Post Washington, WI
David Dunn | Shamrock Engineering | Princeton, IN
Jesse Espinosa | American Machine Works Inc. | Omaha, NE
Jason Florian | QME Inc. | Baroda, MI
Aaron Fox | Mueller Refrigeration | Hartsville, TN
Ashley Frost | Conn-Selmer | Elkhart, IN
Julie Gallagher | Profile Machining | Elk River, MN
Jack Gaul | Urschel Lab | Chesterton, IN
Scott Giunta | System 22 | Barto, PA
David Goodman | 3M | Vadnais Heights, MN
Shad Grile | Perfecto Tool & Engineering | Anderson, IN
Joe Grove | FCA | Auburn Hills, MI
Caleb Guelich | FRC East | Havelock, NC
Roger Haarklau | Madison-Kipp Corporation | Madison, WI
John Habernal | Huhtamaki Inc. | Mission, KS
Dean Hagerman | Commonwealth Tool & Machine | Georgetown, KY
Clyde Hatfield | FCA | Auburn Hills, MI
Jake Hendershot | Moonlight Mold & Machine Shop | Kokomo, IN
Mark Jacobs | Clover Technologies Group | Ottawa, IL
Dhruv Jain | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL
Kyle Jeffery | GM | Lockport, NY
Steven Johnson | FN Smith Corporation | Polo, IL
Matt Kelley | Kelley Engineering | Piedmont, SC
Najeeb Khan | ACME Industries | Elk Grove, IL
Paulette Likwarz | Harley-Davidson Motor Co. | Menomonee Falls, WI
Daryl Linkous | Moog | Blacksburg, VA
Ed Madsen | Avanos Medical Inc. | Alpharetta, GA
Brian Miller | C. F. Martin Guitar | Nazareth, PA
Jeff Miranti | Intek Strength | Herrin, IL
Randy Mullins | DRT Manufacturing | Dayton, OH
Jim Pabst | Max Tech | Kansas City, MO
Maribel Perez | Dynatect | Highland, IN
Jeff Probst | HL Precision Mfg. | Champaign, IL
Kaili Richards | COTU Media | Long Beach, CA
TJ Roberts | GT Technologies | Millbury, OH
Donald Rockey | Machine and Components, Inc. | Louisville, KY
Tony Schwartz | Wilson Tool | Hugo, MN
Bruce Selman | Mistequay Group | Alger, MI
Richard Slade | Madison-Kipp Corporation | Madison, WI
Virgil Smith | Perfecto Tool & Engineering | Anderson, IN
Andy Stevens | NIBCO Inc. | Elkhart, IN
Ezgi Takmaz | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL
Jeffrey Ternes | Moraine Park Technical College | Cedar Grove, WI
Joe Thurin | Moraine Park Technical College | West Bend, WI
Alana Trejo | COTV Media | Long Beach, CA
Thank you to all who registered. To learn more about Bottle Breacher – click here!
We are pleased to announce our final group of 20 winners of our VIP 50th Anniversary Bottle Breacher drawing!
Hurco 50th Anniversary Bottle Breachers will be shipped to the following:
Todd Joy | TnT Machining | Colorado Springs, CO
Robert Simmons | Suncast Corp. | Batavia, IL
Travis Karstetter | Keystone Friction Hinge | Williamsport, PA
Clint Hammerle | Muskegon, MI
Peter Clark | Phoenix, AZ
Terry Scott | Wacom Quartz | Phoenix, AZ
Joseph Palazzolo | M.C. Molds | Williamston, MI
Gary Farniok | Zirc Dental Products, Inc. | Buffalo, MN
Brad Patraw | Medtronic | Fridley, MN
Mario Salgado | Hartwell Corp. | Anaheim, CA
Jason Davis | Wayne Wire Cloth Products | Hillman, MI
Steven Groves | Vicaul Precision | Mansfield, OH
Mark Nordby | MGS Mfg. | Germantown, WI
Stephen Mines | Studio Wood Products | Grant, MI
Jesse Smith | Med Associates, Inc. | Swanton, VT
Aaron Fresh | Freshisbest, Inc. | Lake Havasu, AZ
Greg Sikonia | Roberts Automatic Products | Chanhassen, MN
Bill Tait | Deluxe Stitcher Co. | Northlake, IL
Mark Kingston | Boltswitch, Inc. | Crystal Lake, IL
Robert Thomson | Moeller Aerospace | Harbor Springs, MI
Thank you to all who registered. To learn more about Bottle Breacher – click here!
We are pleased to announce our third group of 10 winners of our VIP 50th Anniversary Bottle Breacher drawing!
Hurco 50th Anniversary Bottle Breachers will be shipped to the following:
Robert McElroy | McElroy Farm & Ranch | Amarillo, TX
Mark Hiszem | Seco Machine | North Canton, OH
Matt Walker | Monahan Filaments | Arcola, IL
John Russell | Eaton Corp | Galesburg, MI
Tim Manuele | Dynex/Rivett, Inc. | Pewaukee, WI
Fred Schenker | Premac, Inc. | Rahway, NJ
Robert Lee | Mistequay Group, LTD. | Saginaw, MI
James Serafin | QMC Technologies, Inc. | Hamburg, NY
Tony Cole | ColeTrain Designs | West Chester, OH
Deb Bennett | Kyocera SGS Precision Tools | Columbia City, IN
To learn more about Bottle Breacher and for a chance to win – click here!
IMTS is big — and exhilarating with 1.3 million SF of manufacturing technology on display! Not sure where to start? Begin at one of these can’t-miss exhibits to make the most of your IMTS visit!
We are pleased to announce our second group of 10 winners of our VIP 50th Anniversary Bottle Breacher drawing!
Hurco 50th Anniversary Bottle Breachers will be shipped to the following:
Antonio Lassandro | Siemens Industry | Norwood, OH
Bobby Aufdengarten | IU Medical | Austin, TX
Dana Dunlap | Centroid Corp. | Howard, PA
William Locher | Bill's Machine | Pace, FL
John Anttila | Anchor Coupling | Ingalls, MI
David Johnson | Hogan Mfg. | Escalon, CA
Scott Maxwell | NSA Industries | Lyndonville, VT
Gary Jorgensen | Zeon Corporation | Louisville, CO
Jesse Niesen | Straub Design Co. | New Hope, MN
John Honey | Precision Machining Co. | Sioux Falls, SD
To learn more about Bottle Breacher and for a chance to win – click here!
SONOMA, Calif. (July 29, 2018) — Robert Hight and the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team raced their way to victory Sunday at the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals in front of a sold-out crowd. Hight led the John Force Racing effort with John Force having a semifinal finish, Brittany Force making a second-round exit and Courtney Force having an early race day with a first round exit.
A special thanks to Matt at RPM Tool (Princeton, Indiana) for submitting this great photo of their Hurco 50th Anniversary Bottle Breacher!
Happy Birthday America! Pledge to read The Declaration of Independence today.
We are pleased to announce the first 10 winners of our VIP 50th Anniversary Bottle Breacher drawing!
Hurco 50th Anniversary Bottle Breachers will be shipped to the following:
John Routh | Delaware Dynamics | Muncie, IN
Kent Jorgensen | Engineered Production Equipment, Inc. | Omaha, NE
Peter Heang | Howell Laboratories, Inc. | Bridgton, ME
Andy VandeBoom | MGS Mfg. Group | Germantown, WI
Thomas Pelzer | Minnesota Tool and Die Works, Inc. | Anoka, MN
Dirk Anderson | Navy Island Inc. | West St. Paul, MN
Bob Prater | Omni Manufacturing, Inc. | St. Marys, OH
Curtis Hervi | Rotschy, Inc. | Vancouver, WA
Matthew Robbins | RPM Tool | Princeton, IN
John Lieberth | Winsert, Inc. | Marinette, WI
To learn more about Bottle Breacher and for a chance to win – click here!
Plasticert is on the move. I got an email from our distributor in Minnesota, Stone Machinery, who shared the news release Plasticert Injection Molding Solutions sent them about their company's newest addition.
YORBA LINDA, CA (June 20, 2018) — Brittany Force, 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world champion, has been nominated for the 2017 ESPYS Best Driver Award, it was announced by ESPN.
Hurco (ticker symbol: HURC) to Ring the Nasdaq Closing Bell Wednesday JUNE 13, 2018
We're celebrating our 50th Anniversary with another road trip. This time, we're heading to the Nasdaq stock exchange in NYC to ring the closing bell. Hurco first went public in 1971 when Mr. Roch, our co-founder, took a class to sell stocks. However, it was 1980 when Hurco was listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange.
The closing bell ceremony starts at 3:45 PM EDT and we ring* the Closing Bell at 4:00 PM.
Below are several ways Nasdaq has set up to share the celebration.
Watch Live:
https://new.livestream.com/nasdaq/live
http://www.youtube.com/nasdaq/live
http://www.facebook.com/NASDAQ.
Access Pictures & Tweets
*Fun fact: there is no "bell" to ring for the closing bell (we sign a screen and push a button), but we're not complaining. We went ahead and made our own bell to commemorate the occasion.
Thanks for checking out the Inside Hurco Blog.
To learn more about the history of Hurco, go to www.hurco.com/50
To see interviews with our co-founder Mr. Roch, check out the 3-Part Series at the links below:
The History of Hurco: Part 1 | Interview with Gerald Roch
The HIstory of Hurco Part 2 | Interview with Gerald Roch
The History of Hurco Part 3 | Interview with Gerald Roch
JOLIET, Ill. (June 3, 2018) — Robert Hight powered his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car to victory at the JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals Sunday at Route 66 Raceway. John Force took his PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS to a semifinal finish, Courtney Force and the Advance Auto Parts team powered to a second-round finish and Brittany Force and her Advance Auto Parts Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster were upset the first round.
Reigning and two-time Funny Car world champion Robert Hight earned his 42nd career win, first of the season and first at Route 66 Raceway today. Hight defeated 2016 Funny Car world champion Ron Capps in the finals with a 4.073-second pass at 310.63 mph. It is the 14th consecutive year that Hight has won at least one race making him the only professional racer to win an event every year of his career. It also marks the 21st different event where he has celebrated a victory.
“I always thought Chicago might have my number because this is my fourteenth time racing here and I have never won this race. I have been in a couple finals and John Force has kicked my ass a couple times. I finally got it done today in Chicago. That is big because as a driver you want to win at every venue you go to. There is not a better place than Chicago. I can’t believe this place is 20 years old. I remember rolling in here as a crew guy and thinking look at how amazing this stadium is. This is one of the top spots in the country.”
At the opening of the day, Hight was qualified 12th after a tricky two days of qualifying.
“Qualifying didn’t go that well. I don’t even think I pulled the parachutes before first round. We just weren’t making it down the track,” Hight commented.
Hight’s line-up of opponents was stacked in a Funny Car class that is more competitive than ever. He had the task of defeating Cruz Pedregon in round one. Both spun the tires but Hight crossed the finish line first. Round two was a rematch of the Topeka final where Hight fell to teammate Courtney Force. This weekend, it was Hight who had the advantage laying down a 4.064 pass at 316.97 to advance to the semifinals. Hight took out rival Bob Tasca III with another 4.0 run of 4.076 at 315.12 en route to his final round match up against Capps.
“In the first round we spun and we dodged a bullet. Cruz didn’t make it down the track and I had to pedal it. We got by first round and after that we were able to get it and make clean passes,” Hight explained. “We had lane choice in the semis but then Capps ran better so we were back in the right lane in the final. That is what you are going to get every time you win a race. You are going to go up against a tough line up. There are no easy wins. You saw a lot of upsets first round. There are no easy ones in this class. I qualified 14th in Topeka and raced to the final and lost to Courtney. I was 12th here and it just shows you how tough it is out here. When you win one of these you definitely earned it. There is a lot of pride with a win.”
Last season, Hight picked up his first win late in the summer at the Denver event, winning this early in the season has Hight, only a third of the way in, excited for what the year could bring.
“It’s a great weekend for this Auto Club team in our fourth final of the year. Last year I won the championship and I didn’t win my first race until Denver so I am way ahead of last year, this could get really good,” Hight said.
The victory lands Hight solidly third in points behind only Courtney Force and Jack Beckman and ahead of event No. 1 qualifier Matt Hagan.
Coming into Sunday, three-time JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals winner John Force was optimistic and motivated to come out and win for the 149th time in his career. As the No. 6 qualifier Force had lane choice in the first round over Tim Wilkerson but he was also in a back-up PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro. His primary race car was destroyed in an on-track incident during the final qualifying session. The winningest driver was banged up but focused on going rounds on Sunday.
“It was tough physically, but I had a goal,” said Force. “I want to turn this PEAK car around here in their hometown of Chicago. I was really excited. I was qualified sixth. And then I got in trouble last night and I totaled the car, but we bounced back today. I thought I could win this race but we didn’t get it done. I went a couple rounds but my car ran good every round. Even though it’s just one race, I’m moved it back in the Top 10. We’ve still got nine races to go and my car is starting to act like a race car.”
The first round win over Tim Wilkerson moved Force up to 11th in the point standings and also showed he had the mental and physical toughness to compete. In the second round, Force took advantage of lane choice over veteran Jack Beckman and picked up another win that moved him into the Top Ten for the first time this season. His luck ran out in the semifinals against long-time friend and rival Ron Capps. Force made no excuses and took pride in the fact that he faced down a tough situation and came out on the positive side even if that didn’t mean standing in the winner’s circle.
“When I crashed I hurt myself. I got bummed up in the shoulders,” said Force. “I hit the wall really hard like three times. You have to love what you do. There’s a saying, some famous basketball player, it’s either LeBron James or Michael Jordan, they asked what made them so great and they said it’s because I’m not afraid of losing. They take that shot. I made some mistakes but I wasn’t afraid of losing. I think I can race with them now.”
Force moving into the Top Ten ends the second longest streak of his career outside the Top Ten – eight races. He was outside the Top Ten for 11 straight races in 2007 before finishing No. 7 even though he missed four races including the final three that season.
Coming into the race after a tough start to the season that include multiple engine explosions and a handful of first round exits, Force found his mojo watching his grandkids start their careers as junior dragster racers.
“When I came here from watching my granddaughter Autumn and grandson Jacob down there in Barona, Calif., last weekend, I came out of there with a different heart,” explained Force. “I saw myself younger, dreaming the dream. I drove the truck down and back and I was part of that. I just had something a little different on my mind.”
The impact of Force racing today also made an impression on race winner and John Force Racing president Hight. In his pressroom interview Hight proudly talked about what a great leader Force was today to the entire organization.
“How about my boss John Force,” asked the assembled media. “You look at all he went through this weekend and to race to the semifinals. That was pretty impressive. You are not going to keep a guy like that down. There is a reason why he has won 16 championships. You can see how badly he wants this and how much he loves what he does. He was racing in front of his sponsor Old World Industries and PEAK here in Chicago. He was going to race no matter what. Things went his way and he drove well. I am really proud of that team.”
Funny Car points leader Courtney Force had a second-round exit to Hight. It was her first loss in nine rounds, she was coming off back to back wins at the Southern Nationals outside of Atlanta and the Heartland Nationals in Topeka, Kan., where Force beat Hight in the finals for the victory. Force defeated Jim Campbell in the first round after qualifying No. 4 off her 3.966 pass at 327.66 during the first session on Friday.
“It was not the race day we wanted. We got past first round but we dropped a cylinder over in the left lane. We tried to get it fixed up for the second round by unfortunately it did the same thing. I just tried to stay in the throttle and get down there. Robert got around me for the win. It was a great effort by my Advance Auto Parts team. We had a solid run and I think we will keep learning about running on these hot race tracks. We will take that info into the next three races now that we are going into the summer. We are going to see these conditions again. Robert got me a little out of the gate but we were still ahead of him past the 330 ft. mark. Once we dropped that cylinder his Auto Club Camaro just drove around me at the top end. We are going to focus on Richmond and the fact we held onto the points lead.”
Reigning Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force was consistent throughout qualifying in her Advance Auto Parts Monster Energy dragster. Tire smoke in Q1 led to adjustments and a slew of 3.7 runs for the eight-time event winner. She started race day from the No. 2 position off her impressive 3.721 pass at 329.34 from Friday night under the lights.
“We had a consistent car in qualifying. We made three out of four runs that were really outstanding. Sometimes you only get one good run in qualifying and then have to go into race day. The fact that we have had a consistent race car will just give us some confidence going to Richmond to see what we can do.”
In round one, Force faced off against a new opponent, Kyle Wurtzel, and was unable to make a clean pass down track coasting to a 4.292 pass at 239.06 mph.
“It was a tough first round for us. We were going back and forth about which lane to run about three times. We picked the right lane and it got a little out of the groove and went up in tire smoke. I tried to pedal it but there really wasn’t a lot I could do. Wurtzel was on a clean run and beat us to the finish line. The good news is we go straight to the next race and we don’t have time to think about this race.”
John Force Racing will continue on the NHRA Mello Drag Racing Series tour with a stop in Richmond, Va., for the NHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park June 8-10.
ED CARPENTER FINISHES CAREER-BEST 2nd IN THE INDIANAPOLIS 500; LEADS MOST LAPS
We are so thankful that so many editors from the industry were able to attend the official launch of "50 Years of Hurco"
Eli just published his article on the Modern Machine Shop blog with plenty of pictures. Click here to check it out!
National Sponsorship from Hurco helps power Machinist-Owned Jake Timm Racing
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Visiting customers is always fun, but when they're right next door to Hurco AND they're in the beer dispensing business...it's even more fun (especially on a Friday)!
Yesterday and today, we were at the TOP SHOPS conference right here in our backyard...Indianapolis (which has been the hometown of Hurco since the company was founded in 1968). The Hurco crew decided this conference that celebrates the excellence found in job shops across North America would be the perfect venue to launch Mike Cope's book,"The Power of FIVE: The Definitive Guide to 5-Axis Machining"
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Congratulations to Graphic Tool in Itasca, Illinois. They won the Leadtime Leader Award sponsored by Moldmaking Technology. The Leadtime Leader Award was established in 2003 by Gardner Media, the parent company of Moldmaking Technology magazine, and goes to the company that performs beyond the status quo using any and all resources available to it, whether that means teamwork between skilled employees and well-managed scheduling or having the latest machinery and equipment, automation, etc. – or both.
"It’s about optimizing what you have to build the best molds for customers while keeping costs fair and meeting deliveries. It’s not about being the biggest, most fancy shop. It’s about working smarter and with a passion for what you do," according to Christina Fuges, Editorial Director for Moldmaking Technology magazine.
Companies must apply for the award and a panel of judges uses specific criteria to determine the winner in addition to those companies that are worthy of an honorable mention. Graphic Tool was recognized as a Leadtime Leader honorable mention in 2003, but won the title this year.
According to Fuges, Graphic Tool goes above and beyond when it comes to running its shop like a business—streamlining operations, developing employees, doing the right thing even if no one is watching, carrying a winning attitude, embracing change, and communicating openly and professionally.
About Graphic Tool:
If you’ve used products such as aerosol sprays, cosmetics or medications, you’ve probably used products packaged in containers for which Graphic Tool Corp. built the molds. Such molds are extremely precise, often holding tolerances of 0.0001 inch, and the team at Graphic Tool is proud of having won the trust of customers who are among the largest OEMs in the world. Click here to read the article that illustrates why the judges selected Graphic Tool as the 2017 Leadtime Leader Winner.
To see the video highlighting Graphic Tool's “pursuit of perfection,” visit short.moldmakingtechnology.com/2017lla.
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(SPEEDWAY, Ind.) May 28, 2017 – Race Notes
This is the billboard on I-465 between between the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hurco Companies International Headquarters.
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Historic Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach A Season Highlight for ECR Drivers Hildebrand and Pigot
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| LAS VEGAS (April 2) – After an upset loss in the first round of the NHRA Nationals on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Courtney Force huddled with her Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS team to figure out a plan of attack moving forward. Force, the No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car, stumbled in the first round against veteran Gary Densham, losing after a slowing pass of 5.118 seconds at 153.39 mph. “It’s a bummer,” Force said. “Our Advance Auto Parts team has had some great runs, and we know the car is capable of running some stellar numbers. We’re having a hard time finding some consistency with it, especially being able to run it in the heat. “So we’ll be back out here tomorrow testing all day in the heat to see if we can get the right tuneup going into the next race.” Immediately after her run, Force and her team began working on a plan to make the Advance Auto Parts Camaro more consistent. “When I got back to the pit, it was straight to the computer to figure out the problem with the car, what’s going on, how we can fix it and how we can move forward going into the next few races and what we’re going to try out for testing tomorrow,” Force said. “Then I headed out to the ropes to sign for the fans. They definitely help lift your spirits up after a rough day. I’ll be out there cheering on the rest of my teammates.” Force and her team, led by crew chief Daniel Hood and Ronnie Thompson, will test here Monday. Force, who has qualified in the top four in all four NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races in 2017, knows her team can dig itself out of the current rut. “These guys do an amazing job, and I’m sticking by them,” Force said. “I know we can get this thing figured out. I’d rather get the bad luck out of the way now than when we’re in the Countdown.” The Countdown to the Championship includes the final six races of the season and settles title battles in each of the four NHRA pro classes. Points are reset before the Countdown, meaning each of the top 10 drivers who reach NHRA’s playoffs have a shot at the championship. Force will maintain her spot inside the top 10 of the Funny Car points standings after Vegas. The next race is the NHRA Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, just outside Houston.LAS VEGAS (April 2) – After an upset loss in the first round of the NHRA Nationals on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Courtney Force huddled with her Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS team to figure out a plan of attack moving forward. Force, the No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car, stumbled in the first round against veteran Gary Densham, losing after a slowing pass of 5.118 seconds at 153.39 mph. “It’s a bummer,” Force said. “Our Advance Auto Parts team has had some great runs, and we know the car is capable of running some stellar numbers. We’re having a hard time finding some consistency with it, especially being able to run it in the heat. “So we’ll be back out here tomorrow testing all day in the heat to see if we can get the right tuneup going into the next race.” Immediately after her run, Force and her team began working on a plan to make the Advance Auto Parts Camaro more consistent. “When I got back to the pit, it was straight to the computer to figure out the problem with the car, what’s going on, how we can fix it and how we can move forward going into the next few races and what we’re going to try out for testing tomorrow,” Force said. “Then I headed out to the ropes to sign for the fans. They definitely help lift your spirits up after a rough day. I’ll be out there cheering on the rest of my teammates.” Force and her team, led by crew chief Daniel Hood and Ronnie Thompson, will test here Monday. Force, who has qualified in the top four in all four NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races in 2017, knows her team can dig itself out of the current rut. “These guys do an amazing job, and I’m sticking by them,” Force said. “I know we can get this thing figured out. I’d rather get the bad luck out of the way now than when we’re in the Countdown.” The Countdown to the Championship includes the final six races of the season and settles title battles in each of the four NHRA pro classes. Points are reset before the Countdown, meaning each of the top 10 drivers who reach NHRA’s playoffs have a shot at the championship. Force will maintain her spot inside the top 10 of the Funny Car points standings after Vegas. The next race is the NHRA Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, just outside Houston. |
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COURTNEY FORCE ANNOUNCES SPONSORSHIP RELATIONSHIP WITH ADVANCE AUTO PARTS STARTING IN 2017
The chase for the 17th NHRA Funny Car championship may have come up short for John Force, but the 147-time winner won four races, made a run at sweeping the Western Swing and was in half of the final rounds of the Countdown to the Championship. The winningest driver in NHRA history wrapped up the season in 4th place in the Mello Yello Funny Car point standings. Force’s teammate and JFR president Robert Hight powered the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS team to his third win at the Gatornationals and his third consecutive Traxxas Shootout Final round during the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals before racing to a Top Ten finish. Hight continued his streak of winning at least one race, qualifying No. 1 and setting Top Speed every year of his professional career with his 2016 performance.
We have many employees and customers who are veterans and we are so thankful for their service.
ENNIS, TX --- The AAA Texas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team and driver Robert Hight qualified No. 1 and continued a dominant day at the 31st annual AAA Texas NHRA Fallnationals racing to the semifinals before falling to eventual winner Matt Hagan. Hight made six consecutive 3.8 second runs including the quickest runs of the first two rounds of eliminations today. No driver has started a race with six consecutive elapsed times in the 3.8 range and his qualifying time was the third quickest Funny Car time in NHRA history.
CHAMPIONSHIP WITHIN REACH FOR BRITTANY FORCE AND MONSTER ENERGY
READING, PA --- For the second time in three years Brittany Force raced to the final round at the Dodge NHRA Nationals. Today she was facing the two-time world champion Antron Brown in a rematch of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. It was one of the closest final rounds so far in the Countdown as both dragsters ran identical elapsed times of 3.721 seconds. Force came up .003 of a second short to Brown after both drivers had nearly equal reaction times with Brown slightly edging Force, a three-time winner this season at the stripe.
MILWAUKEE, WI (September 27, 2016) --- The entire contingent of John Force Racing drivers as well as the crew of the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team spent the day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, participating in two rewarding and exciting events in conjunction with Old World Industries, the parent company of team sponsors PEAK and Blue Def. The team, led by 16-time Funny Car champion John Force, were the featured speakers at the Al Hurvis/ADAMM Education Foundation, Inc. luncheon and then in the afternoon Force fired up his 10,000 horsepower Funny Car for over 100 students at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC).
HIGHT EAGER TO ARRIVE AT RECORD SETTING MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY
Rob Schonegg is a machinist for Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical company based here in Indianapolis (home of Hurco, too). As part of our sponsorship with the Indianapolis Colts, we have great seats to the game that we like to share with our customers. Rob was the winner of the drawing and stopped by today to pick up the tickets to the game and passes to the VIP Colts Tailgate party that's before the game.
He's been running Hurcos at Lilly for more than 20 years. He told me this is the second time he's won a prize from Hurco. The first time was when he attended an open house on a Friday evening back in 1997 when Lilly just had a Hurco KMB1 (they still have it and it still makes chips, but they've added a VM30 and a VMX30i to the Hurco collection) . He and his wife were leaving the event and he saw that Hurco was giving away calculators. "Even back then, you didn't need a calculator when you were running the Hurco, but I decided to get one anyway," said Rob. He filled out a form to get the calculator, but was shocked when he was notified that he had won a trip to Disney World. "I didn't even know there was a drawing for a trip," Rob told me.
At the Lilly machine shop, he makes a lot of prototype parts, lab equipment, and parts for plants around the world.
Congratulations Rob! Hopefully, you'll bring some good luck to the Colts on Sunday.
ROBERT HIGHT LOOKING TO ST. LOUIS FOR CHAMPIONSHIP BUMP
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CHARLOTTE, NC --- John Force made the most the first Countdown race of 2016 picking up his 146th career win and moving from the No. 8 to No. 3 position in the Mello Yello point standings. Force outran Dave Richards, Tim Wilkerson, Ron Capps and then Tommy Johnson Jr to pick up his first win at the Carolina NHRA Nationals. From the winner’s circle stage Force dedicated the victory to his sponsors and announced he would be sending the Wally trophy to Advance Auto Parts who were emblazoned across the side of his Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car along with primary sponsor PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant.
Newgarden Earns 2nd Place At Watkins Glen International Following Accident on Saturday; Pigot Finishes 15th
INDIANAPOLIS --- For just the third time in eleven years John Force Racing did not advance a Funny Car to the final round of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Robert Hight and Courtney Force were defeated in the quarterfinals today stopping their efforts to win their fourth or first U.S. Nationals title, respectively. All three JFR Camaro SS Funny Cars qualified in the top half of a very tough Funny Car field. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster were also unsuccessful in their second round race today.
John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car
Electrical Failure Sidelines Ed Carpenter A Quarter of the Way Into Today's 500-Mile Race
BRAINERD, MN --- Brittany Force made the most of her return to the final round at the 35th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. Last year Force came up a little short to No. 1 qualifier Richie Crampton but today against two-time world champion Antron Brown Force took the win in a wild, fireball spewing final run. Force and her Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster had just enough power to outrun a tire-smoking Brown, who she beat last year in Brainerd in the semifinals.
BRAINERD, MN (August 21, 2016) --- The winningest driver in NHRA history has enjoyed unrivalled support from his legions of fans for nearly four decades. When John Force was starting his now historic career fans encouraged him, cheered him and in many cases fed his low budget team. This year Force will rely on his fans one more time in his bid to race in the 2016 edition of the Traxxas Nitro Funny Car Shootout. He has two wins in 2016 but the surging Force in his PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS was not one of the first seven Funny Car drivers to win this season and will vie for the 8th and final spot through the fan vote and lottery process. Fans can vote for John Force by clicking this link http://bit.ly/Traxxas2016 which will take them to the fan vote on NHRA’s Facebook page. Voting is open now and will remain open until 9 a.m. (ET) on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The August issue of Performance Racing Industry magazine arrived today. The magazine's editorial team selected Hurco to represent the Machinery Row Issue. Of course, we think the Hurco MAX5 is worthy of covergirl status. The Machinery Row Preview article has a wealth of information to get teams ready for the PRI show that is held right in our back yard in December. Click here to read the article.
NORWALK, OH (August 11, 2016) --- On Saturday night, August 13th, history will be made at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. In addition to legendary NHRA 16-time Funny Car world champion John Force and 2009 NHRA Funny Car champion Robert Hight once again thrilling fans with their 10,000 hp Nitro Funny Cars, the great Bob Motz will make his last pass in his iconic jet truck.
SEATTLE, WA --- Robert Hight raced to the quarter-finals at the 29th annual Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals and dropped a very close race to No. 1 qualifier and national elapsed time record holder Del Worsham. The final round of nitro eliminations were postponed due to persistent rain showers and will be concluded in two weeks at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. Hight and the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car took a starting line advantage and led Worsham well past half-track before Worsham narrowly moved around Hight by three thousandths of a second. At the finish line it was Worsham with a 3.883 to Hight’s 3.894 as both drivers ran faster 320 mph.
COURTNEY FORCE ESCAPES SERIOUS INJURY FROM SEATTLE INCIDENT
RENTON, WA (August 7, 2016) --- NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series racer Courtney Force escaped serious injury after a racing incident in the first round of Sunday’s eliminations at Pacific Raceways. Force’s Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car made contact with the left guard wall. Force exited the vehicle on her own power and was checked by NHRA emergency services personnel before heading to Valley Medical Center in Renton, Wash., where she was evaluated for head, neck, knee, elbow and shoulder injuries.
“I am beat up pretty good. My arm, my shoulder, and my right knee are banged up. I am really thankful that the second I got out of the race car there was already a Safety Safari person right there to help me get down. I couldn’t put any weight on my right knee. I want to say thanks to everyone that was at the track who helped me. I got right to the ER and the doctor checked me out. I am extremely relieved nothing is broken,” said Force.
Doctors released Force from the hospital this evening but expect her to be very sore tomorrow. X-rays of her right knee, left elbow and left shoulder along with a CT scan of her head and cervical spine were negative. The tendon on the knee was intact but there was a contusion from contact with the steering wheel. Force will see a sports orthopedist in Lake Tahoe, Nev., where the family has a summer home for continued evaluation and to make sure there is not a partial tendon tear in the knee.
Heading into the final race of the 2016 NHRA Western Swing, the 29th annual ProtectTheHarvest.com NHRA Northwest Nationals, John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, answered a few questions about his chances of sweeping the swing for a second time and also how his season has turned around. Photos courtesy of Gary Nastase Photography for media use only.
SONOMA, CA --- John Force is the only Funny Car driver who has won the historic NHRA Western Swing races of Denver, Sonoma and Seattle consecutively. Today with his 8th Funny Car win at the 29th annual Toyota Sonoma Nationals Force is in position to become the only driver to ever sweep the Western Swing twice. In a final round for the ages Force outran Funny Car point leader Ron Capps 3.948 to 3.960 to capture his 145th career Funny Car win and his 1,251st round win.
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JOHN FORCE IN THE RUNNING FOR SECOND WESTERN SWING SWEEP
DENVER, CO (July 19, 2016) --- John Force might be hard to see at the Mopar Mile High NHRA Nationals but the 16-time Funny Car champion wants to continue to make a lot of noise on the mountain top. Force, the six-time Mile High NHRA Nationals winner, will be driving a new look Realtree PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant camouflage Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car this weekend. The one race partnership will highlight Force’s All-American roots and his passion for building business relationships beyond the race track.
TORONTO (July 17, 2016) Post Race Notes
SPENCER PIGOT, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA CHEVROLET, FINISHED 19TH: We just struggled to get the tires up to temperature. I locked up on the second to last restart and flat spotted the tires so we had to come in and pit. We just didn’t really have the pace today to compete towards the Top 10. I also had a broken front wing which definitely did not help. I just want to thank Ed Carpenter Racing and Rising Star Racing for this opportunity and I can’t wait to get back in the Fuzzy’s Vodka car in Mid-Ohio."
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 21 PREFERRED FREEZER SERVICES CHEVROLET, FINISHED 22ND: “It was an error on my part. I hate to blame it on an injury, but I hit the curb to hard and lost the wheel. I couldn't hang on to the wheel, I didn't have the strength. I feel terrible for our guys, we had a good race going. We were fighting back after we got put back for an incident that I don't think was our fault. We could have had a good finish there. This was my mistake and I feel bad because we are going to lose some points here."
| JOSEF NEWGARDEN CLINCHES DOMINATING VICTORY AT IOWA SPEEDWAY |
HIGHT MOVES UP IN POINTS WITH CHICAGO SEMI-FINAL FINISH
Since PDQ's inception, Hurco has been a part of the company's success story. While PDQ has many different CNC machines in the shop, the PDQ team realized that Hurco CNC machines solved a problem all shops lament: the shortage of skilled labor.
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HOMETOWN PEAK RACE HAS JOHN FORCE EXCITED FOR WIN
CHICAGO, IL (July 5, 2016) --- John Force does not need extra motivation to get excited about coming to a race track. The 143-time Funny Car national event winner and record holder of almost every NHRA record just wants to entertain and put on a show for the fans. This weekend in Chicago, home of his primary sponsor PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant’s parent company Old World Industries, Force will be looking to being home one more trophy.
“This is a big race for me and for my PEAK team. We are in Chicago and that is where Old World Industries and PEAK have their headquarters. Bryan Emrich, the chief marketing officer and my boss, will be at the track with his people and we want to put on a good show for them. I’ll be ready in this PEAK Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car and I am excited,” exclaimed Force.
John Force has raced to six final rounds at Rt 66 Raceway and picked up three wins. In 2013 he lost a close final round to Matt Hagan but Force went on to win his 16th Funny Car championship that season. His last win in Chicago was 2006 when he took out teammate Robert Hight in the final.
“I love racing is Chicago. There is a lot of history here and my former crew chief the great Austin Coil raced the Chi-Town Hustler Funny Car. We have a lot of fans in Chicago and this is a great facility. So far this season my team has been doing OK but I don’t want to just be OK I want to keep going after those championships. I have the fire and I have a young team that keeps me motivated,” said Force.
Force’s PEAK Funny Car team is led by crew chief Jon Schaffer who is entering his second year at the helm of the winningest driver in NHRA’s history Funny Car. Schaffer was the ace assistant to Mike Neff for a number of seasons and took over the lead position for Force last year leading him to win in Las Vegas and Epping and a Top Ten finish. The youth surrounding Force has continued to keep Force focused on performance and entertainment.
“When I put on my firesuit I feel like I am 20 years old again. I see how all these young guys are working so hard on my race car and I want to make sure I perform. I am on my practice tree all the time. I am working out and watching what I eat. We got these new Camaros and they are awesome. I still love what I do and I will do it as long as I can,” said Force.
CHICAGO SUCCESS TOP PRIORITY FOR ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB CAMARA
CHICAGO, IL (July 5, 2016) --- Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team are taking the positive momentum from a semi-final finish at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals two weeks ago and focusing on winning for the second time in 2016. The 2009 Funny Car champion started 2016 with two semi-final finishes and a win at the historic Gatornationals. This weekend at the Rt 66 NHRA Nationals Hight will be looking for his second win of the season and 38th of his career.
“We had a good testing session and brought that momentum with us into the first part of the season. We were going rounds and picked up the win at the Gatornationals but we knew we were going to need more performance for the end of the season,” said Hight. “Mike Neff and this team went to work on a number of areas we thought we could improve. It has taken some time but we are seeing the progress.”
The progress Hight is referring to is performance numbers that are career defining for Hight. In Topeka Hight ran a career quickest elapsed time and speed and then he lowered his best elapsed time at each of the previous two races running 3.897 seconds and 3.886 seconds in Bristol and Norwalk respectively. Both of those races saw Hight qualify No. 3 and go rounds.
“Our performance numbers have been steadily getting better. Now we are working on consistency. This class is really competitive and all three of these John Force Racing Camaros are working together in qualifying. I am glad Courtney will get her 2016 Camaro this weekend in Chicago because then we will all have the same body and that will help across the board,” added Hight.
Hight got his 2016 Camaro in Epping and since then the former crew member turned Funny Car world champion has had nothing but positive comments. After eighteen months of design and fabrication from Chevrolet engineers and the John Force Racing fab shop team the finished product has delivered a great new look.
“So much time went into these new bodies that it will take some time to get the most out of them at the track. They are lighter and you can see out of the windshield so much better. I just want to start seeing more win lights and I know my team can start making that happen,” said Hight who has 57 career final round appearances. “I have been to the a couple final rounds in Chicago and I would love to get the first win in the new Camaro at Rt 66 Raceway.”
The Auto Club Funny Car reached the final round in 2006 and 2010. Hight also has two No. 1 qualifying efforts at Rt 66 Raceway, earning the top spot in 2005 and 2010. Over Hight’s career in Chicago he only has two first round loses and while he sits No. 8 in the Mello Yello point standings Hight knows how quickly a positive move can be made.
“We are 40 points out of fourth place right now and I think by the end of the summer we could be in the top three with good races. We just came off of four races in a row and after Chicago we’ll get the Western Swing. I am looking forward to this next month of racing. We have to stay focused on Chicgao first since this is the home of PEAK John’s primary sponsor and we want to perform well for them and of course Auto Club,” summed up Hight.
BRITTANY FORCE READY TO MAKE MOVE IN WINDY CITY
CHICAGO, IL (July 5, 2016) --- The Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster and driver Brittany Force have been making steady progress the past month and now heading into Chicago for the Rt 66 NHRA Nationals the two-time winning team is focused on getting another victory. In two of the past three races Force has recorded a semi-final finish and the 2013 Rookie of the Year knows this kind of consistency will be key later in the season.
“We have had two strong finishes in the past three races. We made it to the semi-finals in Englishtown and then two weeks ago in Norwalk. We closed the gap on third place in the points and I am excited with how well this team has been working together,” said Force.
The fourth tear pro won for the first time in her career at the historic Gatornationals. It was her 75th professional start and then two races later at the unique Four-Wide NHRA National Force picked up her second win. It was a wild experience for the second youngest daughter of legendary Funny Car racer John Force.
“When I won in Gainesville it was my 75th race and my dad won his first race at his 75th race. That was cool. We also doubled up in Gainesville since Robert (Hight) won in Funny Car so it was just the best da,” recounted Force. “My whole family was there plus a lot of family friends. It was perfect.”
Since those two wins Force has been on a meteoric rise both in performance and popularity. At the Kansas Nationals Force set the national elapsed time record running 3.676 seconds. The record added Force’s name to a family legacy that has seen every Force racer hold a national elapsed time or speed record at least once in their racing career.
“Getting that national record in Topeka was unbelievable. First just saying you ran 3.676 second doesn’t sound right. We ran in the 3.60s once in testing but to officially run that quick and to get the national record is just so cool. I have to thank my team led by crew chief Brian Husen and consultant Alan Johnson,” said Force.
The addition of Husen and Johnson to the Monster Energy team in the off-season has been a big boost to the John Force Racing Top Fuel program. JFR has a technical alliance with Steve Torrence Racing which Alan Johnson who Johnson also acts as a team consultant so both teams reap the benefits of Johnson’s expertise and the data from an additional dragster during the races.
“I am so proud to be working with Alan Johnson and Brian Husen. They have won world championships and that is what we want to do with this Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster team,” added Force. “I am working to get better as a driver and this whole team is focused on getting the best performance every weekend.”
It was two years ago that Force narrowly missed her first Top Fuel victory losing in the final round to Antron Brown at Rt 66 Raceway. Force had qualified No.4 and defeated Terry McMillen, Shawn Langdon and JR Todd before pulling up beside Brown in the final. It was a dramatic conclusion to the race on live TV that saw Force roll up late to the starting line already strapped into her dragster. It was a close race at the finish line but Brown got the win light. Force is hoping for one more win light this weekend.
NEW CAMARO WITH NEW PAINT SCHEME HIGHLIGHTS FOR COURTNEY FORCE IN CHICAGO
CHICAGO, IL (July 5, 2016) --- Courtney Force and her Traxxas team will not only debut their new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car this weekend at the 19th Annual K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals, but they will also unveil a new, wild and exciting paint scheme from The Fastest Name in Radio Control for one race only. The 28-year-old driver is the third and final John Force Racing pilot to race the 2016 Camaro SS Funny Car after her teammates John Force and Robert Hight made their first passes down the race track in the sporty design earlier this season.
“I can't wait to unveil the new Camaro SS Funny Car body with the new Traxxas paint scheme this weekend in Chicago. If the fans loved my last paint scheme they are sure to love this one too! I'm a little nervous going to something so different, but also very excited to get there and try it out. I can’t wait to see what our team can do with it this weekend.
“My dad and Robert have been driving their new Camaros for the past few races and it's finally our turn. Chevrolet has done a phenomenal job with the design of the new body and I'm eager to have that clear visual out the front, from the driver’s perspective. Dan Hood and Ronnie Thompson are so excited for us to run the new body and they have set the bar high for themselves with what we could possibly do. We can't wait for this weekend and although it may take some time to get it all figured out, I know this will be huge for our Traxxas Chevy Camaro team for the rest of the season,” said Force.
As we advance through the second half of the season, race fans and the media are in for a few surprises along the way. Leading up to the Countdown, the Traxxas Funny Car driven by the 2012 Rookie of the Year will feature several new paint schemes. Be sure to stay tuned to see what her Funny Car will look like at the next race.
“Traxxas has designed a brand new paint scheme that is full of color and expected to catch the eye of our fans when on the track, just like our last paint scheme. With all of the positive feedback from last years’ design I can't wait for the fans to see this one. This will be very special for the fans in Chicago this weekend because they will be the first to see the paint scheme on our new Chevy Camaro SS body, and on top of it, this will be the only race we run these colors before we switch it up again with Traxxas, The Fastest Name in Radio Control,” said Force.
In 2012 during Force’s rookie season she advanced to her first ever final and ended the weekend runner up of the event from the No. 12 spot. The last three years she has qualified in the top half of the field and started race day with lane choice over her opponent.
“I love coming back to Chicago because I think back to my rookie year where we almost took home the win. We have done well at this track in the past while qualifying in the top half nearly every year. This will be an intense weekend for our Traxxas team and so exciting with the new body and paint scheme so we are hoping to get into that winners circle before this paint scheme is retired.
“I will be at HobbyTown USA Thursday in Chicago to kick off the race weekend signing autographs and taking pictures from 6-7pm! I hope all the fans come out and check out HobbyTown USA and all of their Traxxas products. Pick up a Traxxas radio control car, truck, boat, etc. and I will sign it on the spot. Hope to see everyone there!” added Force.
THE FORCE IS FOREVER STRONG AT BRISTOL
JOHN FORCE CONTINUES LEGENDARY CAREER THIS WEEKEND IN BRISTOL
BRISTOL, TN (June 14, 2016) --- John Force made his mark at Bristol Dragway when he drove the iconic Superman Funny Car to the winner’s circle as the winner of the Top Fuel vs. Funny Car Winston Showdown in 1999. That win coupled with Force’s four victories at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals contributed to Force being selected for induction to the Legends of Thunder Valley this weekend at Bristol Dragway.
“Bristol Dragway is a Bruton Smith track and I always want to do my best at any of Bruton’s tracks. I love racing at Thunder Valley and we have had some success there. It was big for me personally to beat the Top Fuel dragsters in that race and Bob Vandergriff Jr. is one of the best out there so I was proud of that,” said Force.
Over the years at Bristol Dragway Force has raced his Funny Car to the final round on five occasions picking up four wins most recently in 2013 when the 143-time Funny Car winner outran Cruz Pedregon. Surprisingly for all of Force’s race day success he only has one No. 1 qualifier which was last year with then rookie crew chief Jon Schaffer at the helm. In fifteen seasons Force has never started the Thunder Valley Nationals from the bottom half of the field and only four occasions was he even No. 7 or lower.
“Jon Schaffer and these PEAK crew guys have been giving me a good racecar. We have the new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car and I love it. A lot of work went into getting it just right and I am excited to be driving this hot rod. Robert got his 2016 Camaro a couple races ago and Courtney should get hers in Chicago. All my teams have been doing well this season and we are up there in the points,” said Force.
This season Force has raced to one final round dropping a tough race to Tim Wilkerson in Phoenix and he has been to the semifinals at three other races. The winningest driver in NHRA history knows that seeing four win lights on Sunday is one of the toughest things to do in the Funny Car class these days. That challenge does not take away the enthusiasm the 16-time Funny Car champion has for getting into his racecar.
“When I put on my firesuit I feel like I am 20 years old again. I have all these young crew guys working on this PEAK Camaro and I can’t let them down. They give me energy and I hope I team them something about being champions. Last race I got them all together and we talked about what this team means to me and how much I love every one of those kids. You have to have a team to win out here and I think I have a pretty good team. I got my money back with PEAK, Auto Club, Traxxas, Monster Energy, Mac Tools and Lucas Oil so we’ll be alright,” said Force.
HIGHT READY TO GET BACK ON TRACK IN BRISTOL
BRISTOL, TN (June 14, 2016) --- Robert Hight knows that history can be made at any track. With performance numbers dropping from race to race these days in the NHRA Funny Car class the right conditions can lead to record setting times on any run. The Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS is ready to get into the performance battle and the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals is a prime target for the 2011 Thunder Valley Nationals winner.
“We tried a lot of new things on this Auto Club Camaro last weekend in Englishtown and I was really excited to see the performance numbers. We are making progress and even though we had a short day on Sunday that doesn’t take away from my confidence. My crew chief Mike Neff is a smart guy and my crew guys are some of the best guys out here,” said Hight from his pit in Englishtown.
Hight qualified No. 3 at the SummerNationals with a 3.915 second elapsed time but was upset by Jeff Diehl in the first round when Hight’s 10,000 hp racecar smoked the tires. Diehl would race all the way to the semifinals but the first round loss stuck with Hight.
“We have been making good runs in qualifying since we got the new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car body but there is an adjustment period for sure. Plus we are trying a couple other things and getting everything to work together is a process. I am excited to be getting back to Bristol. I love the fans there and the track is awesome. I’ll be doing some trap shooting with the media on Thursday and that always gets your competitive juices flowing,” said Hight.
This season Hight has had some early success winning the historic Gatornationals for the third time and also posting semifinal finishes at the Winternationals and the Arizona Nationals in Phoenix. Since that strong three race start to the season Hight has not been able to get to the semifinals. In two of the last for races Hight’s biggest obstacle has been his teammate Courtney Force who was the Funny Car points leader.
In Atlanta and Epping Hight matched up with Force in the second round and first round, respectively and he came up the losing side of both of those races. The only positive for Hight has been that for most of the season the Funny Car points leader has either been him or his Traxxas-backed teammate.
“This is a long season and where you start doesn’t have a lot of impact on where you will end up some times. It is nice to have the points lead and to get some race wins. Courtney and I are locked into the Traxxas Shootout at Indy and winning that $100,000 prize would be huge. The real deal is you want to try and be consistent and we are in the middle of four races in a row. My goal is to have a success race in Bristol and then go to the next race and do well there,” summed up Hight.
COURTNEY FORCE WOULD LIKE EARLY BIRTHDAY PRESENT WITH WIN IN BRISTOL
BRISTOL, TN (June 14, 2016) --- Courtney Force is preparing for the third stop along a four-race swing with her Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS team. The 16th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway is the 10th of 24 races in the NHRA Mello Yello Series and also Force’s birthday weekend. She will be turning 28 years old on Monday.
“Not only is Bristol one of my favorite tracks on the NHRA circuit because of the beautiful scenery and dedicated fans, but it will also be a race that I hope to win as a birthday gift to myself! My birthday is the Monday after the race so I'm really hoping for a successful weekend.
“I can't wait to be in my race car and wouldn't want to spend it anywhere else. I get to be with my family, friends and team and get to celebrate Father's Day with my dad within the same weekend! I definitely hope there is a JFR car in the Winner’s Circle and hope it's The Fastest Name in Radio Control,” said Force.
This will be the first time in the last four race events that Force has not sat atop the Funny Car points. The 27-year-old driver suffered an upset in the first round of eliminations last week at the NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park beside her father and 16-time Funny Car Champion John Force, which ultimately led to Force being bumped to the No. 3 spot in points.
“Our team has had a consistently strong performance so far this season, but lost our rhythm this past weekend. I'm excited to get right back at it, and I know my entire Traxxas team is as well,” said Force.
The first round exit was Force’s first opening round loss of the 2016 season a streak of nine consecutive races.
Last year at the Thunder Valley Nationals, Force qualified in the No. 7 position and went into race day with lane choice over Cruz Pedregon, but lost in a race day upset. It was the very next weekend in Norwalk that Force went to her 14th final round and was runner-up of the event.
“My Traxxas team is thrilled to get to Thunder Valley and thankful for the race being back to back so we can quickly put Englishtown behind us after an early first round exit. We are hoping for a better weekend in Bristol and will take what we gathered from this past weekend and hopefully get this car qualified better this weekend. We missed opportunities of gathering bonus points during qualifying and have lost our points lead but looking forward to hopefully making a comeback this weekend,” said Force.
BRITTANY FORCE BUILDING MOMENTUM HEADED TO THUNDER VALLEY
BRISTOL, TN (June 14, 2016) --- So far this season Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team have been checking items off of their racing bucket list at almost every event it seems. Force won for the first time in 75 races at the historic Gatornationals and then followed that up with a win at the Four-Wide Nationals. In Topeka at the Kansas Nationals the fourth year pro set the national elapsed time record of 3.676 seconds and etched her name in the history books as the quickest Top Fuel driver ever. With the historic Thunder Valley Nationals coming up this weekend Force is looking to continue to have success behind the wheel of her 10,000 hp racecar.
“Bristol is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit and I would love to bring home a win there,” said Force, who is currently fourth in the Top Fuel standings. “It would be pretty awesome to double-up on Father’s Day and end up in the winner’s circle with the Monster Energy team and the PEAK team with my dad.”
Force’s father, John Force, will be inducted into Bristol Dragway’s Legends of Thunder Valley on Sunday morning. The second youngest Force racing daughter has grown up watching her dad win, crash and talk across the country. Now she is seeing up close the competitive side of her 16-time championship father and she is using his wisdom to enhance her own racing career.
“On Sunday I was struggling with my reaction times and I was really starting to get down on myself. I went to my dad and he gave me a good pep talk. He said you have to race from the heart and just let everything else go. You have to love it. I really listened to that and it made a difference. In the semifinals I left first on the starting line and even though we didn’t get the win against Torrence I feel like I did a much better job driving,” explained Force.
The Monster Energy Top Fuel team was overhauled in the off-season with the addition of Top Fuel consultant Alan Johnson and crew chief Brian Husen. That combination along with Force’s continued experience behind the wheel has made the JFR Top Fuel dragster one of the most consistent on tour this season.
“I can’t say enough about Alan and Brian,” Force said. “They have been so great to work with and this whole Monster Energy team has really come together. This whole team works really well together and they are a great group of guys. I am proud of every one of them, and we all work so hard to try and get the win every race.”
This season the Monster Energy dragster has only lost in the first round three times and as advanced to at least the semifinals four times including last week at the SummerNationals. Force held the Top Fuel points lead for four races and now is comfortably in the No. 4 spot. Force continues to develop as a driver and knows that there is room for improvement at every race.
“It definitely feels good to be going rounds,” Force said. “It was a tough weekend for us (in Englishtown). We struggled a little bit in qualifying. As a driver, I was really struggling on the tree. I just couldn’t seem to find it so it felt good on that third round to finally have a decent tree. We didn’t get the win, but it feels good to leave on that note and overcome the struggle I was having this weekend.”
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It's finally official! We are thrilled to partner with the legendary NHRA team of John Force Racing (JFR), whose facility happens to be just down the road from Hurco's international headquarters here in Indianapolis. Below, is the official press release.
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Chris Bohn didn't intend to be a Hurco model. It was a total stroke of luck...for Hurco anyway. Chris has been a CNC programmer for 15 years and ran Hurco machines at Hallmark Tool and Gage in Michigan for five years (hence, the Hurco shirt he is wearing for the jump).
Throughout North America, Hurco partners with distributors to sell and service our CNC machines. We are proud these family-owned businesses have chosen to represent our products. Since Hurco is located in the heartland (Indianapolis, Indiana), our sales team travels a great deal to make sure all distributors have the information and tools they need to represent Hurco. We are so appreciative of our distributor in Colorado (Foothills Machinery) for hosting us and the Hurco distributors from the western United States this week. It was great to break bread with these professionals who do such a great job educating shops of all sizes in their respective territories about the benefits of Hurco CNC machines and explaining how Hurco CNC technology makes shops more productive and profitable.
Since the international headquarters of Hurco has been right here in Indianapolis since Gerald Roch and E.L. Humston started Hurco in 1968, we decided to officially cheer for our home team by being an official sponsor! Each home game, we send an email to people in our Indiana region to enter a drawing for tickets to the Colts game.
We held our drawing for Sunday's Colts game against Tampa Bay. The winner was Don Dumoulin of Precise Mold in Columbus, Indiana. As a side note: we realized the southern part of the state has won every drawing so far for Colts tickets. We presumed it was because more people from that region entered. After reviewing the lists, it appears they are just luckier than the northern part of the state since entries from northern Indiana outnumber those from southern Indiana 3 to 1. Something to ponder.
Since Hurco is an Indiana company, founded in Indianapolis in 1968, we decided to support the hometown team this year and share the excitement with other hoosiers by conducting a drawing for the tickets to the game and the official VIP Pregame Tailgate party.
Based in Indianapolis since 1968, this year Hurco decided to partner with our hometown football team: The Indianapolis Colts. We have signs, ads, etc., but the best part of the sponsorship is the fun fan experience we can share with machinists and shop owners throughout Indiana.
Background
You Made Our Day Webster Students!
The students at L.C. Webster school in St. Paul, Minnesota, certainly brightened our day. They sent us thank you notes and hand-made posters. It would have made us smile any day, but it was an especially wonderful way to start the morning on this cloudy, cold, dreary day.
The class went on a field trip to a machine shop and their teacher thought they would get more out of the experience if they had some understanding of CNC machines before they went. We sent them Hurco catalogs (and some pens and stickers).
In addition to the artwork, we received handwritten thank you notes. Morgan said she uses her Hurco pen each day to do her homework when she's riding the bus home. She thanked us for taking time out of our work day to send the class brochures, stickers, and pens. Leah said she liked getting to see all of the machines on the field trip and the parts the people make on the machines--especially the aluminum part shaped like their state that had a panda on it!
Hats off to the entire L.C. Webster school, but especially to their teacher for sharing the world of manufacturing with these young students!
Camera crew covers Hurco engineers.
There was some excitement at Hurco this week as two of our engineers stepped into the spotlight to promote careers in engineering. The crew from Richmarc Productions was at our international headquarters here in Indianapolis to interview Pete Baechle and Paul Widener.
When we embarked upon the venture we named "The Hurco Chipmaker Challenge," we knew we wanted to get some publicity for manufacturing entrepreneurs. We knew we wanted to add some excitement to IMTS without resorting to gimmicks (that's another post for another time). We also wanted to engage younger people.
