From IndyCar to Funny Car and everything in between, Hurco Companies, Inc. is proud to play a part in some of the most successful race teams in the world. You'll find Hurco and Takumi (sister company) machines in team garages cutting precision parts and tools specifically designed to provide a winning edge. Humming CNC machines lead to roaring engines within some of the most high-performance vehicles in the world.
The month of May is a special time Indianapolis, where Hurco calls home. With the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" just days away, let's highlight the race teams Hurco is proud to call partners.
Ed Carpenter Racing - Hurco
Since it is May, let's start with the team that will be competing for an Indianapolis 500 victory. Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) is led by Ed Carpenter, the only individual who handles both the responsibility of driving the racecar and owning his own team. ECR is in their 13th season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition and fields two full-time entries, the Nos. 20 and 21. Carpenter, an Indianapolis native, races the No. 20 Chevrolet during the oval events, while reigning INDY NXT champion Christian Rasmussen competes in the road and street course events. Rinus VeeKay is the longest-tenured full-time driver in ECR's history and remains behind the wheel of the No. 21 for a fifth consecutive year. Carpenter, Rasmussen and VeeKay will all be entered in this month's Indianapolis 500 as the team expands to a three-car lineup.
Hurco recently equipped ECR with two new machines, a TM10Mi lathe with live tooling and a high-speed, 5-axis VMX42HSRTi mill. Additionally, Hurco provides ECR unparalleled support and service from its Indianapolis headquarters, located less than one mile from ECR's race shop.
The partnership between Hurco and ECR actually began with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, which had moved their headquarters to the heart of Speedway, Indiana, and decided to expand their machining capabilities. Carpenter joined the team in 2014, and in 2016, the team was renamed Ed Carpenter Racing when Sarah Fisher decided to devote all of her time to the karting facility/restaurant she and her husband built in Speedway.
The lead machinist at ECR had years of machining experience on manual machines but hadn't used CNC machines. The Hurco control's conversational programming made the transition easy because it uses machinist's language and steps the user through the process. Their lead machinist said the accuracy and surface finish have improved dramatically since the team started using Hurco CNC machines. While the overall interface and intuitive conversational programming is the most dramatic advantage to the Hurco machines, ECR's machinist noted the control's AdaptiPath feature is his favorite because it speeds up the entire process and significantly extends tool life.
ECR 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. Ed Carpenter is a three-time pole winner for the Indy 500 (2013, 2014 and 2018). More information on Ed Carpenter Racing may be found at http://www.edcarpenterracing.com/.
Dreyer and Reinbold Racing - Takumi
Another Indy 500 competitor, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (DRR) uses a Takumi 5-axis U600 mill and a 3-axis H10 mill to machine custom parts and tools. This year, Ryan Hunter-Reay will pilot the No. 23 Chevrolet, while Conor Daly will command the No. 24 Chevrolet in the 108th Running of the Indy 500.
DRR was founded in 1999 by Indianapolis car dealer Dennis Reinbold. The legacy of the Dreyer and Reinbold family dates back to the 1920s with Reinbold’s grandfather, the legendary Floyd “Pop” Dreyer, a former factory motorcycle racer. Dreyer served as a crewman and mechanic on the famed Duesenberg driven by Benny Shoaff and Babe Stapp in the 1927 Indy 500. Dreyer went on to build Indy 500 cars in the 1930s which many started on the front row. In addition, Dreyer constructed championship-winning sprint cars and midgets as well as quarter midgets called Dreyerettes.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing captured its first win in 2000 with driver Robbie Buhl at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla., and has fielded a variety of drivers including Buhl, Buddy Lazier, Sarah Fisher, Buddy Rice, Al Unser Jr., Sage Karam and J.R. Hildebrand. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has successfully qualified all 42 drivers for the Indy 500 in its history. DRR, who competed in Rallycross for the first time in 2015, captured the 2016 Lites rallycross championship. In 2021, the team campaigned Tanner Foust and Cabot Bigham in the Supercar division of Nitro Rallycross. Additionally, the team ran a selection of lites cars that included drivers such as Sage Karam, Conner Martell, and Lane Vacala.
John Force Racing - Hurco
A larger-than-life figure in the world of drag racing, John Force has a rockstar crew of drivers that includes himself, his daughter Brittany Force, Robert Hight and Austin Prock. John Force Racing (JFR) is one of America’s great sports dynasties with 22 championships, hundreds of wins and a huge fan following from around the world. JFR remains the sport’s undeniable “Home to Champions” as the winningest team in motorsports history.
The creation of the Force American Made (FAM) machine shop at JFR is a story about turning tragedy into triumph. (Read full story here)
FAM employs roughly a quarter out of JFR’s approximately 100 employees. The machine shop employees operate the team’s 11 Hurco CNC machines:
- Qty 1: VM30i
- Qty 1: VMX6030
- Qty 1: VMX30i
- Qty 1: HMX630i
- Qty 1: VMX30Ui
- Qty 2: VMX42SRTi
- Qty 2: TMM8i
- Qty 2: TMX10MYSi
FAM manufactures tens of thousands of parts per year that range from small consumable parts to super chargers, engine blocks and cylinder heads. Approximately 90% are 7075 and 7050 aluminum and the other 10% are Titanium Grade 9 (6AL4V).
Jake Timm Racing - Hurco
Hurco has been a proud sponsor of Jake Timm Racing since 2018. Jake Timm is the driver of the No. 49 USRA/USMTS Rage Chassis Dirt Modified & Longhorn Chassis Super Dirt Late car. Timm competes in the United States Modified Touring Series dirt track circuit.
Timm is a machinist. His father owns Oakridge Fabrication, which has 23 Hurco machines and three ProCobots machine-tending robots. Many folks that race, attend and have a passion for the national dirt track scene are skilled workers that have a relationship to the sponsor that goes beyond logos and tag lines.
“As I travel from track to track, I meet fans and other racers, and they are mechanics, engineers, CNC and other skilled trades people. I know Hurco, and I know I can engage fans on their brand, quality and product. It’s like the perfect sponsorship for JTR,” said Timm.
Innovators West - Hurco
Hurco is proud to sponsor Innovators West, the Salina, Kansas, race team that brought home two IHRA Pro Stock wins in 2014. The first 2014 win was at the IHRA Spring Nationals where Innovator’s West owner and driver Brad Waddle defeated Kevin Bealko in the final with a 6.412@220.66 to Bealko's 6.440@212.93. The team’s best time for the weekend was 6.365@222.33, a new career best 1/4 mile time. The Memphis International Raceway was the location of Innovators West second Pro Stock win at the IHRA World Finals where Brad’s best time for the weekend was a new career best: 6.303@222.36.
Innovator’s West manufactures high-quality SFI 18.1 certified harmonic dampers for street and race vehicles on their Hurco CNC machines: two TM12 lathes; two VM10 mills, one VMX64 mill, and TMX8MYS mill turn lathe.
The mill turn lathe has significantly improved productivity, according to Brad Waddle. “In one operation we went from a 7.5 inch x 1.5 inch piece of 6061T6 aluminum bar,” said Waddle. “This multiaxis machine with live tooling is able to perform the same processes that previously took three lathe operations and one mill operation - plus we are now able to engrave the numbers in the OD of the case. This new Hurco machine has allowed us to go from raw material to a finished part without the need for multiple machines and multiple operators. The operator can load the material, hit ‘go,’ and go back to running another machine. The machine runs nearly unattended for 8+ hours a day.”
Victoria Beaner Racing - Hurco
Hurco's newest racing partner is 2023 Professional Drag Racers Association Sportsman Rookie of the Year Victoria Beaner! The partnership was forged in 2024, and Hurco supplied Beaner with a VM15Di mill.
At just 12 years of age, Beaner is quickly establishing herself as a name to know in racing. The Southwest Florida native has more than 1,200 passes down the track with numerous round wins. She has claimed several finals and multiple track championships in her newer Mike Bos Junior Dragster and Nic Woods Engine — last being runner-up for the Top Junior Dragster 2023 PDRA season.
For 2024, Beaner plans to run the PDRA season in her Dragster, as well as with Two Brothers racing in her new Legend’s car named “Renegade."
"Victoria’s short racing journey started at the age of 7 when her dad took two older junior dragsters and made one," wrote the Beaners. "Coming from a metal fabrication background, this was a simple thing to do. After receiving her track license at a local track, she claimed a final victory her very first race. It didn’t take long before she knew she’d like to be a full-time professional racer someday."
Victoria will visit IMTS in Chicago this year. Stop by the Hurco booth (338319) to say hello!
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