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2014 Race Recaps & Stories

Sour Motor Spoils Finale for DK-LOK Team

The DK-LOK Team rolled into the ARCA season finale at Kansas Speedway with their favorite Speedway car, Batman, ready to end the 2014 season on a high note.

The changes made back in Mobile during the off week paid dividends in the first practice session with Thomas “Moose” Praytor and the DK-LOK Ford timing in 8^th quickest.

“We had a completely different DK-LOK Ford on track in Kansas,” said Praytor. “Batman was turning in the corner and our Roush Yates power was pulling down the straight-aways.”

Rain would shorten the first practice to 10 minutes and end up cancelling qualifying to allow for an hours worth of practice in the afternoon.

“We had an issue on the right front tire of our DK-LOK Ford in the first practice we had to get fixed before we made went racing. Getting it right cost us some time on the clock but when you watched the guys hit the wall with blown right fronts it was worth it.”

The field was lined up by owner’s points and the DK-LOK Ford would roll of 12^th. With the drop of the green flag the Moose was Loose and Batman was enjoying the night air holding it’s own with the top 10.

“We didn’t make many laps and we started dropping rpms and the motor was losing power. The guys checked it out under caution but it really didn’t seem to help us.”

Back under green, the field started wrecking off of turn 4 and the Moose made a world class move missing the wreck that destroyed the car in front of him and the car behind him. Click link to see Fox Sports video.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_07U27YSHI

“It was really close, it just looked like the high side was going to be the only place and I think I had a coat of paint. I’m glad it was the last race of the year because I made need a new DK-LOK suit bottom.”

The cautions continued to fall extending the life on track of the DK-LOK Ford with a motor that was rapidly going south. The life finally left the motor with 10 to go and Praytor shut it off coming to pit road for the final time of the 2014 season.

“We continued to improve our Speedway program and have a lot more to work with looking forward to 2015. Not really sure what happened to our motor. That’s our first problem with a Roush-Yates Motor in 2 years of competition and over 4,000 miles. When we came to pit road Nick Ramey with Roush-Yates was the first guy under our hood. I know they’ll get it figured out in the off season and they’ll give us back a better piece than what we had.”

“Our guys have done a great job all year and I’m really proud of the progress we’ve made as a race team. Every week our DK-LOK machines were better and better prepared than the week before. We’ll have a lot more to talk about after ARCA releases the final standings next week.”

Picture: DK-LOK Ford racing with 8 time Daytona Champion Bobby Gerhardt during the Kansas Lottery 98.9 at Kansas Speedway.

Kansas Season Finale Friday Night for Praytor/DK-LOK Team

KANSAS LOTTERY 98.9-Kansas Speedway-The ARCA Series presented by Menards 2014 Season comes to a close Friday night at Kansas Speedway. For Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK Team it’s the end of a long journey started 9 months ago with testing at Daytona International Speedway. “It may be the last race of the year but you can’t tell it from the activity in our shop. We made real progress in Kentucky on our mile and half program and we’ve continued making changes to our DK-LOK Ford back in the shop,” said Praytor. The DK-LOK Team travels to Kansas solidly in the 7^th position in the ARCA Championship standings. “Really hard to believe we made all the races and are in the top 10 again. We couldn’t have done it without our guys and the folks at DK-LOK.”   

The Kansas Lottery 98.9 is a 2 day event with technical inspection on Thursday, with practice, Menards Pole qualifying and the race on Friday at 7:30 CDT with live race broadcast on Fox Sports 1 with timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 7^th

PRIMARY SPONSOR: DK-LOK USA

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS: G-Force, Nudraulix, REALTOR, APS Automotive Painters Supply, Dueitt’s Battery Supply, Airgas, John Thompson & Associates, Campbell, Duke & Campbell, Golden Flake, Ashley Rowe Photography, Ed’s Seafood Shed, Heroes Sports Bar & Grill, Walkers Frame & Body, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Mobile Lumber & Millwork, Praytor Realty

CAR: Roush Chassis RK 275, nickname “Batman”. Batman is the preferred Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing chassis at the Speedways and is powered by Roush-Yates horsepower. Batman is the same chassis the team utilized at Pocono, Michigan, Chicago and Kentucky.

Praytor & DK-LOK Ford Rumble to 13th in Fall Classic

The ARCA Federated Car Care Fall Classic presented by JayC Food Stores isn’t just a race in Indiana it is the race of the season at the freshly partially paved monster that is Salem Speedway.

Weeks of extra effort in the shop in Mobile to get Black Betty ready for the final short track race of the 2014 season showed from the first lap of practice. The freshly rehabbed Chassis #461 was ripping off lap times faster than when she was there in the Spring.

“A lot of effort from a lot of people went into getting Black Betty back to the track. Being able to turn the car around in Mobile and have it perform better than the Spring race was a big step forward in the evolution of our race team,” offered Thomas “Moose” Praytor. The DK-LOK Ford would start 19th.

For the first few laps of the Fall Classic, the DK-LOK Ford was hung up in heavy traffic. As the laps clicked off the field spread out and the Moose Was Loose picking off spots. “We felt like going in that the long runs would play in our favor and with each lap we got better while everyone else was slowing down,” Better in deed, in the first 135 laps Praytor charged from 19th up to as high as 7th.

“We started reeling in the leaders and somewhere close to the halfway mark we passed (Ken) Schrader and then the 5th place car. I was having a lot of fun in the car, Black Betty had come to life and all the hard work everyone had done in Mobile was paying off.”

Without a caution Praytor was slip sliding around the high banks of Salem Speedway and was called to pit road for a green flag stop at lap 135. Taking fuel and 2 tires the DK-LOK Ford was back on track quickly but lost multiple laps on pit road. Laps that would have been made back up when the leader pitted but the caution flag flew 2 laps after Praytor returned to the track, trapping the DK-LOK Ford multiple laps down.

Praytor had plenty of company trapped by pit strategy with only 1 car, Tom Hessert, having stayed out the entire race. Point’s leader Mason Mitchell had raced his way back on to the lead lap leaving just 2 cars on the lead lap. Hessert came to pit road and the Moose was the car in front of Mitchell. Staying out would give Praytor the wave around taking him a lap ahead of the guys that were trapped on his lap but would keep him from taking tires.

To pay off completely, Praytor needed another quick caution but the race went green to the end. The move to stay out put the DK-LOK Ford on another lap allowing the team to pick up a few spots and finish 13th.

“A little disappointed in the number we finished but really proud of our guys and their effort. It was a solid day for our DK-LOK team and a good way to bookend our 2014 short track season that started with a strong run in Mobile in March. I can’t thank everyone enough for making it happen.”

While most of the DK-LOK team has returned home a test group moved on to Kentucky for testing at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday preparing for the ZLOOP 150 on Friday. Tuesday’s testing times will be available on arcaracing.com

Picture: DK-LOK Ford “Black Betty” on track at Salem Speedway.

Salem’s Fall Classic Next For Praytor/DK-LOK Ford

FEDERATED CAR CARE ARCA FALL CLASSIC presented by JayC Food Stores-Salem Speedway: After a long off week of working on cars in the shop in Mobile the DK-LOK Race team heads north this weekend with a pair of DK-LOK Fords. “We’ve really had 3 shifts of guys working in Mobile, the guys that came in early before work, the guys that worked all day and the group that came in after work. Depending on the day, some of the guys could be classified in more than one group, maybe in all three!” offered Thomas “Moose” Praytor. The almost non-stop activity in Mobile evolves around 2 cars going north at the same time, Batman and Black Betty. Roush Chassis #461 nicknamed, Black Betty, is the team’s preferred short track chassis and was wrecked in Berlin. Instead of sending the car off to be fixed, the Mobile shop took on the rebuild in house to make sure it was ready for the final short track race of the season. “Black Betty is my favorite car and we really wanted her back for Salem. The rebuild in Mobile is the next step for our race team in being able to compete with teams across the country who are able to turn around cars quickly. We had a lot of great help in making it happen.” With the drop of the green flag of the Fall Classic, Salem will become the most raced track for Praytor on the ARCA Series Tour at 5 starts. Each start has produced better results than the one before and in the Spring Praytor wheeled the DK-LOK Ford up to 11th.

The second car, Roush Chassis 275, nicknamed Batman, is the teams preferred down force car or Speedway car is coming off a solid effort in Pocono hampered by a faulty transmission. The ZLOOP 150 at Kentucky Speedway is 6 days after Salem with a test slated for Tuesday. The DK-LOK team plans on making both without returning to Mobile. “It was a lot of work getting both of these cars ready to go before this weekend but testing is really critical for a solid race day performance. We were able to test at Pocono in the Spring and it really paid off, we’re hoping the test at Kentucky will do the same. For a small team like ours test dates are hard to come by, we have a completely different setup than anything we’ve run before for Tuesday’s test.”

The Federated Car Care ARCA Fall Classic presented by JayC Food Stores is a 1 day event with technical inspection, practice, Menards Pole qualifying and race on Saturday, September 13th at 6:15 CST with live radio race coverage, timing and scoring on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 7th

PRIMARY SPONSORS: DK-LOK USA

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS: G-Force, Nudraulix, REALTOR, APS Automotive Painters Supply, Dueitt’s Battery Supply, Airgas, Campbell & Campbell, Golden Flake, Ashley Rowe Photography, Ed’s Seafood Shed, Heroes Sports Bar & Grill, Walkers Frame & Body, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Mobile Lumber & Millwork, Praytor Realty

CAR: Roush Chassis #461, nickname “Black Betty”, as in the song. Black Betty is a new chassis to the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing stable in 2014, powered by Roush Yates horsepower. Praytor turned in his career best short track performance with Black Betty in her first outing at the ARCA Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway, then another 11th place finish at Salem followed by a wicked crash at Toledo into the Styrofoam barrier. The car has been completely rebuilt and makes it’s first start at LOR Friday night.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 7th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: DK-LOK Ford after contact with Michael Lire shortened up the back end at Berlin Speedway.

DK-LOK Pocono-Berlin Sponsor Report
Hollywood, Michigan Valve and a Big Crash

Pictures Top (L-R) Thomas Praytor and the DK-LOK Ford at the Tricky Triangle, Blake Rayne and Thomas Praytor, The Identical Movie Poster, Thomas Praytor and his DK-LOK team at Pocono. Bottom (L-R) DK-LOK Ford during practice at Berlin, DK-LOK’s Scott Shuttlesworth with The Moose, The #2 DK-LOK Ford at Berlin Raceway, Dave Maddox and Family with Michigan Valve& Fitting and Family enjoying Berlin Raceway.

DuQuoin CGS Hard Charger Awarded to Praytor/DK-LOK

For each race during the ARCA season the sanctioning body presents the CGS Hard Charger Award to the Driver/Team that advances the most positions during the race. During the Southern Illinois 100 on the dirt at the DuQuoin State Fair, Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK Team picked up 11 spots to come home with a 13th place finish.

“We had another solid weekend on the dirt, really proud of what our team has been able to accomplish this year,” said Praytor. “Our dirt effort is as good as it is because of Mr. Wayne’s (Hixson) years of experience on dirt. I still have a lot to learn but they sure are fun to run!”

The DuQuoin CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award is Praytor/DK-LOKs second of 2014. Praytor is currently 3rd overall in this category for the season behind 10 time Champion Frank Kimmel and long time ARCA competitor Tom Hessert.

The ARCA Series presented by Menards has the weekend off before returning to action at the freshly paved Salem Speedway on September 13th.

DK-LOK Chevy Slides to 13th at DuQuoin

A solid dirt appearance in Springfield a couple of weeks ago set the table for Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK team to return to the dirt at the DuQuoin State Fair Grounds for the Southern Illinois 100.

Springfield was career start #3 and Labor Days race at DuQuoin would be #4 for the Mobile, Alabama driver currently 7th in the ARCA Series Championship Standings.

“I really felt like I turned a corner as a driver at Springfield and Mr. Wayne’s (Hixson) years of experience on dirt really makes it easy for me behind the wheel to get up to speed at a new track,” Praytor said. After an hour of ARCA practice Praytor had improved his best time by over 2 seconds and was looking forward to Ansell Qualifying. Then things got interesting.

“I’ve qualified hundreds of times but never had my spotter tell me to stop, “JUST #%$&@$% STOP!” The Moose was the final person to qualify on Monday behind John Wes Townley. Normally qualifying is 2 laps but at DuQuoin it’s just 1. Townley took the green flag and after he got to the back straight they sent Thomas out for his 1 lap, everything good so far. Then Townley spun in turn 3, in a normal 2 lap qualifying effort he would have been able to go back to the start finish line in the opposite direction, build up speed and make a full 2nd lap. Just 2 problems, the 1st it was only 1 lap and the 2nd Praytor was now barreling down the back straight away towards his qualifying lap-, “JUST #%$&@$% STOP!” I never heard that before on the radio and it took a second to register then I looked up and Townley was headed right at me head on, I stopped” The ARCA officials had Praytor drive across the grass infield and back up to pit road to start his lap again. “I was pretty frustrated by the time I got to go back out again and I may have over drove it a little, OK a lot. Mr. Wayne told me at the back gate timing mark I was 7 tenths of a second faster than practice. In turns 3 and 4 I had the DK-LOK Chevy hung out, way out, I just couldn’t make it stick.” The DK-LOK Chevy would roll off 24th.

With the drop of the green flag for the Southern Illinois 100 the Moose was picking up spots and moving towards the front of the 30 plus car field. “We really had a solid DK-LOK Chevy and in the early portion of the race I was picking off the cars we should have qualified in front of and was having a lot of fun.”

By the midway point Praytor was now up against equal competition and passing was at a premium versus wholesale. A late caution brought the DK-LOK machine to pit road for 4 fresh Dirt Hoosiers. A problem with the front impact gun would cause Praytor to come back to pit road to tighten up loose lugnuts, the move would cost the team a lap as the field took the green flag.

On the track the Moose was able to scramble to get back a couple of spots lost on pit road and bring home a 13th place finish, a career best dirt performance.

“All in all our DK-LOK team had a good day, I thought we might have a shot at a top 10 which would have been huge for us on the dirt. We just have a lot of confidence in our cars going to the racetrack and we are working hard to close out the season strong.”

After a 7 consecutive weeks of racing the ARCA Series has the weekend off before the Federated Car Care Fall Classic at a newly paved Salem Speedway.

Picture-DK-LOK pitched sideways on the dirt in DuQuoin.

Back To Dirt on Labor Day for Praytor & DK-LOK Team

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 100 presented by Federated Car Care-DuQuoin State Fair, DuQuoin, Illinois-The ARCA Series presented by Menards makes it’s final stop of the 9 consecutive week string of races that’s had Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK Team criss-crossing the country logging nearly 2,000 miles per weekend. “We’ve gotten a lot more seat time in our DK-LOK hauler over the last 2 months than in the race car,” said Praytor. The Moose will make his 4th career dirt appearance coming off a solid performance in Springfield two weeks ago. “As a driver I really felt like I was able to put a lot of the pieces of the puzzle together in Springfield. Having the years of dirt experience with Mr. Wayne (Hixson) and teammate Ron Cox was a big help in making that happen. For the first time I can say we have expectations for a good race on dirt this weekend.”

The Southern Illinois 100 is a 1 day event with technical inspection, practice, Menards Pole qualifying and the race on Sunday at 1:30 CST with live radio race broadcast accompanied with timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 7th

PRIMARY SPONSOR: DK-LOK Fittings & Valves USA

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS: G-Force, Nudraulix, REALTOR, APS Automotive Painters Supply, Dueitt’s Battery Supply, Airgas, Campbell & Campbell, John Thompson & Associates, Golden Flake, Ashley Rowe Photography, Ed’s Seafood Shed, Heroes Sports Bar & Grill, Walkers Frame & Body, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Mobile Lumber & Millwork, Praytor Realty

CAR: Hixson Chassis #5, nickname “Pooh”, as in “Winnie the Pooh” is the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing most versatile chassis scoring top 10’s at Elko and a 9th at Winchester last season. Pooh has already run a short track, road course, speedway and a dirt track this season.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 7th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all-volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: DK-LOK Chevy on the dirt at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois earlier this year.

Praytor DK-LOK Team Hang On for 13th at Madison

Sundays running of the Herr’s Live Life With Flavor 200 was Thomas “Moose” Praytor 3rd outing to Madison International Speedway and the DK-LOK team took it’s most aggressive setup looking to capitalize on Praytor’s experience at the high banked track in Wisconsin. Mother nature had other plans.

Bad weather cancelled all but 8 laps of practice on Saturday and forced qualifying to be rained out and the field lined up by owners points. For Praytor and his team with a brand new setup they were counting on all of the 2, 45 minute segments. “We really needed every lap of practice we could get but were only able to get 8 laps. We had a new package under the car and our first 8 laps were pitiful,” offered Praytor. “The direction we’re headed is where the fast guys already are and we need to get there. While we weren’t fast in our first 8 laps we’re committed to making it work, we made wholesale changes before the race but stayed with the aggressive package on our DK-LOK Chevy.”

The DK-LOK Chevy would roll off 12th but with a stout group of cars that had to start at the back it didn’t take long for Praytor to fall back to 20th. “We were still a little off to start the race but a lot better than our 8 laps on Saturday.” With an early caution Praytor came to pit road for adjustments to help the car turn in the center.

Back under green the car was turning better but now the brakes were starting to fade. In order to turn a short track car you need brakes to help get it slowed down so it will turn in the corner. Even without brakes the DK-LOK Chevy was coming to life and the free fall through the field started to go the other way.

With a caution on lap 65 the call was made for Praytor to stay out to receive the wave around putting him position for the lucky dog and a shot at getting back on the lead lap. The problem with the wave around is you’re looking for a caution very soon to get the tires you didn’t get in order to get the wave around. Praytor’s luck remained consistent when looking for a little help from the caution flag and the race proceeded to make a 100+ green flag laps. All the leaders with new tires and Praytor hung out on the tires he started the race with. “We were a little behind with the first segment and we started to get a handle on it by the 2nd segment.” Praytor turned his fastest lap of the day on lap 76 with the tires he started the race on.

On lap 161 the caution finally flew again and Praytor was able to come to pit road for 4 fresh Hoosiers. Back on track Praytor new immediately there was a problem and the team scrambled to put on another set of tires. Praytor came down pit road 3 times under green costing himself positions with each stop. After the 3rd stop Praytor left pit road and limped his ailing machine to a 13th place finish. In the calm of the post race, the team took the tires back off and found a lug nut lodged in between the rotor and the caliper grinding away the rotor assembly. “When the guys couldn’t find a flat I thought I might be going crazy with the vibration I had inside the car.”

“We came home 13th today and didn’t tear our dirt car up so it will be ready to go back to the dirt at DuQuoin on Labor Day. Obviously we were hoping for better with the new package but our DK-LOK Chevy responded to the changes we were making to it and I think we have something we can work on for the future.”

Praytor and the DK-LOK team will be back in action next weekend in the Southern Illinois 100 at the DuQuoin State Fair Grounds on Monday, Labor Day, September 1st.

Picture Praytor racing with points leaders Grant Enfinger and Mason Mitchell.

Race Day-Watch For DK-LOK Pit Road Reports with Dick Berggren

Its race day in Madison, Wisconsin and Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK team enter the day with more questions than answers. Rain washed out all but 8 laps of practice and qualifying yesterday. “We came to Madison with a new setup that needed a lot of work after 8 laps and we’re really behind the 8 ball for today’s race,” said Praytor. “We put our heads together and talked with a bunch of other crew chiefs and changed just about every corner of the car and more trying to make our DK-LOK Chevy turn in the center.” Today's forecast is clear, hot and humid-familiar territory for a driver from Mobile, Alabama.

The Herr’s Live Life With Flavor 200 will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network at 2:00 CST. A new feature in today’s broadcast will be the DK-LOK Pit Road Report with Dr. Dick Berggren. Berggren is the editor of Speedway Illustrated and was the lead pit road reporter for NASCAR on Fox until he retired in 2012. Berggren has been coaxed out of retirement to cover pit road for the ARCA Racing Series broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Cheese State Awaits Praytor DK-LOK Team-Madison WI Preview

HERRS LIVE LIFE WITH FLAVOR 200-Madision International Speedway, Wisconsin-After a successful dirt run last weekend in Springfield, Illinois for the DK-LOK team, Thomas “Moose” Praytor made the round trip back to Mobile, power washed the dirt off Pooh put in a Madison setup loaded Pooh back in the trailer and started the 20 hour trip to Madison, Wisconsin on Thursday. “We’ve been getting a lot of seat time in the hauler these last few weeks. Madison is a long haul but it sure is a fun place to race.” Offered Praytor. Praytor made his first start at Madison for Venturini Motorsports 2 years ago. “Madison lays out a lot like Mobile International Speedway and my first trip there was in a Venturini car with Mr. Bill as my crew chief, he and my Dad were my total crew. With Dad spotting that left me and Mr. Bill in the garage. We had a good time and I really learned a lot from Mr. Bill. You may not think he can still make it happen but I wouldn’t get in his way.”

Praytor is running a special Circle Bar Truck Corral Motel & RV Park sticker in honor of long time NASCAR Truck Series Owner Tom Mitchell. Mitchell’s 19 year relationship with Mobile, Alabama’s Rick Crawford offered a lot of people an opportunity to race at the next level from the Mobile area, including Thomas Praytor.

The Herr’s Live Life With Flavor 200 is a 2 day event with technical inspection, practice and Menards Pole qualifying on Saturday with the race on Sunday at 2:00 CST with live TV broadcast of the race on CBS Sports Network accompanied with timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race on ARCAracing.com. Watch for special DK-LOK Pit Road reports during the broadcast from Dr. Dick Berggren.

ARCA Championship Standings: 7th

PRIMARY SPONSOR: DK-LOK Fittings & Valves USA

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS: G-Force, Nudraulix, REALTOR, APS Automotive Painters Supply, Dueitt’s Battery Supply, Airgas, Campbell & Campbell, John Thompson & Associates, Golden Flake, Ashley Rowe Photography, Ed’s Seafood Shed, Heroes Sports Bar & Grill, Walkers Frame & Body, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Mobile Lumber & Millwork, Praytor Realty

CAR: Hixson Chassis #5, nickname “Pooh”, as in “Winnie the Pooh” is the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing most versatile chassis scoring top 10’s at Elko and a 9th at Winchester last season. Pooh has already run a short track, road course, speedway and the dirt race last weekend in Springfield.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 7th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: DK-LOK Chevy “Pooh” racing with Winchester winner Brandon Jones at Winchester earlier this year.

Praytor to Pay Tribute to Tom Mitchell

Thomas “Moose” Praytor will run a special Circle Bar Truck Corral emblem this weekend to pay tribute to long time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner, Tom Mitchell. After 14 years of fielding Ford F-150s for Mobile, Alabama’s Rick Crawford in the Truck Series Mitchell’s influence can be seen daily in every national touring series garage.

“There are literally hundreds of people who worked for Circle Bar that now populate shops all over the country. You don’t have to go far in the ARCA garage to see what Tom Mitchell’s legacy is to racing, it’s the people. From Rick Crawford to Jamie Jones to a couple of young guys from Mobile, Grant Enfinger, Thomas Praytor and I would include myself. We are all where we are today because Circle Bar helped us along the way,” said Tommy Praytor.

In 14 years of Truck Series competition Mitchell’s Ford F-150s competed in 404 races with 5 wins, 6 poles, 78 tops 5s and 168 top 10s, logging over 65,000 miles. In all the years and all the races Mitchell never saw a lap in person but his race teams made Ozona, a small town with a truck stop on the west plains of Texas a house hold name.

Mitchell’s 19 year relationship with the original Ironman of the Truck Series, Rick Crawford, put another town on the racing map, Mobile, Alabama. “Tom Mitchell was not only a great person to work for he was my friend,” said Crawford. “Mr. Mitchell was an icon in our sport but his interest were so much bigger than racing. He was a real life John Wayne, bigger than life.”

The Circle Bar emblem Praytor will run this weekend is a smaller version of the hood emblem run on the hood of Rick Crawford’s Circle Bar Ford F-150.

Complete Mitchell obituary:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/gosanangelo/obituary.aspx?n=tom-mitchell&pid=172160620&fhid=19393

Praytor DK-LOK Team Move Up to 7th in ARCA Championship Standings

The ARCA Racing Series presented Menards has updated the ARCA Championship Points standings after the SuperChevyStores.com 100 at Springfield, Illinois and Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK team have moved up to 7th. Praytor is now 210 points ahead of the sidelined John Wes Townley. “Really proud of all of our guys and their hard work that have kept us in the top 10 all year long. We couldn’t be here without the support we’ve gotten from DK-LOK and their distributors,” offered Praytor. Praytor moved passed Townley after the 15th race of the season when Townley was sidelined from an injury at Pocono. “I’m hoping Townley will be back this week in Madison, even if it cost us a spot in the Championship. I know how tough it is to not be in a race car because of an injury and watching when you want to be driving it’s not any fun. There are still 5 races left in the season and I’m sure we’ll bounce around a few more times in the Championship.”

Praytor and the DK-LOK team will be back in action this Sunday afternoon in the Herr’s Live Life With Flavor 200 at Madison International Speedway. Live TV coverage from CBS Sports Network at 2:00 CST.

DK-LOK Chevy Slip-Slides To 15th at Springfield

Of the 30 plus cars taking the green flag in the ChevySuperStore.com 100 at the Illinois State Fair on Sunday afternoon, the Moose, Thomas Praytor would be one of the most inexperienced dirt racers in the group making career dirt start #3. Add to the degree of difficulty a wet slippery track from a monsoon the night before and it looked like it was going to be a long day for the DK-LOK Team.

Off the trailer the DK-LOK Chevy was solid and Praytor gained speed with each time out on the mile long horse track converted for today’s race. “Mr. Wayne (Hixson) has a lot of experience on dirt and it really paid off for me today. Plus having a teammate like Ron Cox that has thousands of dirt laps really ramped up our progress.”

With an abbreviated schedule, due to the weather and the herculean effort by Bob Sargent and his crew to get the track in condition qualifying was cancelled and the field lined up by owners points.

Starting in the middle of the field with a lot of fast cars behind him Praytor took a conservative approach to the first half of the race. “We gave a lot with our DK-LOK Chevy in the opening laps, maybe a little too much but we knew there were some rocket ships behind us with some experienced dirt racers and we didn’t want to be the first caution.”

As the laps clicked off the DK-LOK Chevy kept getting faster and Praytor was up to 5th with 40 to go. “The track really came to us in the middle of the race and we made up some serious ground. We needed a good restart there with 40 or so to go and I think I spun the tires all the way to the flag stand costing us back to 10th.”

In the closing stages of the race the track conditions changed again as the sun came out and the cars had put a significant amount of laps on the former horse racing surface packing the dirt down. “Ás the track changed our car just got tighter and tighter. We ended up giving up a few spots at the end but it was a very competitive dirt effort for our team.”

Praytor and the DK-LOK Chevy finished 15th compared to last year when he finished 22nd, 8 laps down.

Another short week in Mobile for the DK-LOK team as they will be turning around Chassis 5 “Pooh” after the dirt race to get ready for the Herr’s Live Life With Flavor 200 in Madison, Wisconsin. Live coverage from CBS Sports Network on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 CST.

Picture: The Moose and teammate Ron Cox racing to the green flag during the ChevySuperStore.com 100.

Praytor DK-LOK Team Playing in the Dirt This Weekend

SUPERCHEVYSTORE.COM 100-Illinois State Fairgrounds Springfield, Illinois -Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK Team will make their 3rd career appearance on dirt this weekend at one of the most unique racing venues on the tour, the Illinois State Fairgrounds 1 mile Horse/Dirt track. You read that correctly, horses were racing on the same track on Thursday! “I got a little better last year in the second dirt race but I still have a long ways to go catch guys like Ken Schrader.” offered Praytor. “We do have my teammate Ron Cox racing this weekend. Ron’s turned a lot of laps on dirt and hopefully he can help me slide our DK-LOK Chevy through the corners. Racing on the dirt and road courses are a lot of fun, I’m not very good at it yet but it’s a lot of fun.”

The SuperChevyStore.com 100 is a 1 day event with technical inspection, practice, Menards Pole qualifying and the race on Sunday at 1:30 CST with live radio race broadcast accompanied with timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 8th

PRIMARY SPONSOR: DK-LOK Fittings & Valves USA

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS: G-Force, Nudraulix, REALTOR, APS Automotive Painters Supply, Dueitt’s Battery Supply, Airgas, Campbell & Campbell, John Thompson & Associates, Golden Flake, Ashley Rowe Photography, Ed’s Seafood Shed, Heroes Sports Bar & Grill, Walkers Frame & Body, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Mobile Lumber & Millwork, Praytor Realty

CAR: Hixson Chassis #5, nickname “Pooh”, as in “Winnie the Pooh” is the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing most versatile chassis scoring top 10’s at Elko and a 9th at Winchester last season. Pooh has already run a short track, road course and a Speedway this season this will be the first dirt start for Pooh.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 8th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: Praytor and race winner Brennan Poole racing down into turn 1 under the giant ferris-wheel of the Illinois State Fair in 2013.

Praytor/DK-LOK Exposure Keep Climbing
Chicago-Indy Sponsor Report

Short Night for Praytor & DK-LOK Ford at Berlin

The North/South ARCA Traveling Road show rolled into Marne, Michigan’s Berlin Speedway for a Saturday night short track throw down. With a big contingent on hand from Michigan Valve & Fittings, Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK team brought their best short track car, “Black Betty”.

In the 2013 running of the Federated Auto Parts 200 at Berlin, Praytor and the team struggled to get a handle on the 3/8th mile bull ring. For this year’s race the team had a different car with a completely different set up looking to improve on their 20th place finish.

Off the trailer the DK-LOK Ford was more than a second faster than last year’s entry and it appeared the team had turned a corner at Berlin. During the hour and half practice session the team threw multiple set ups under the car and with each lap the DK-LOK Ford got faster. “We always want more speed but we were very happy with the effort our guys put forward on our DK-LOK Ford,” said Praytor. “It was rewarding to spend the energy back in the shop and have it pay off on the race track.” Praytor qualified 16th in a stout field of cars with the top 20 being separated by less than half a second.

With the drop of the green flag Praytor soon found himself in a nose to tail battle with the 69 car of Michael Lira. The pair circled the 3/8th mile oval for 75 laps bumper to bumper passing cars and working traffic. Going in to turn 3 on the 76th lap Praytor tried to pass with the pair tangling and the DK-LOK Ford ending up in the fence. “I hate that we had a short night we really had a great DK-LOK Ford and I think we could have had a solid finish. Michael and I race with each other all the time and tonight was one of those racing deals.”

Praytor and the DK-LOK Ford would take home another 20th place finish. “We finished in the same spot but we really had a completely different kind of effort. Proud of my guys for their hard work and really appreciate the folks from Michigan Valve & Fitting coming out to the race track.”

It’s another short week in Mobile as the team prepares for the return to the dirt this weekend in the SuperChevyStores.com 100 at the Illinois State Fair Grounds.

Pictures: Top-Dave Maddox & Family pictured with DK-LOK Ford. Bottom-DK-LOK Ford with Michigan Valve & Fitting on track at Berlin.

Berlin Bull Ring Next For Praytor/DK-LOK Ford

FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 200-Berlin Raceway: The North-South travel yo-yo continues this week as the DK-LOK team heads North to Marne, Michigan for the Federated Auto Parts 200 at Berlin Raceway.. After back to back weeks of travel from Mobile to Indianapolis back to Mobile up to Pocono and back to Mobile the DK-LOK Ford is averaging over 200 miles in the hauler for every mile on the race track. The ARCA Series goes from one of the biggest tracks on the tour, the Tricky Triangle at Pocono, to one of the tightest and most challenging, Berlin Raceway. “As a Rookie Berlin really ate my lunch last year,” offered Thomas “Moose” Praytor. “We’ve worked really hard on getting the right setup under the car and we’re bringing a different car than we had last year, our new short track car Black Betty. This may be the smallest track on the tour but it is one of our biggest efforts with DK-LOK hosting Michigan Valve & Fitting Saturday night at the track. It should be a great show you’re always in traffic and there is always action!”

The Federated Auto Care 200 is a 1 day event with technical inspection, practice, Menards Pole qualifying and race on Saturday, August 9th at 7:15 CST with live radio race coverage, timing and scoring on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 8th

PRIMARY SPONSORS: DK-LOK USA

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS: G-Force, Nudraulix, REALTOR, APS Automotive Painters Supply, Dueitt’s Battery Supply, Airgas, Campbell & Campbell, Golden Flake, Ashley Rowe Photography, Ed’s Seafood Shed, Heroes Sports Bar & Grill, Walkers Frame & Body, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Mobile Lumber & Millwork, Praytor Realty

CAR: Roush Chassis #461, nickname “Black Betty”, as in the song. Black Betty is a new chassis to the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing stable in 2014, powered by Roush Yates horsepower. Praytor turned in his career best short track performance with Black Betty in her first outing at the ARCA Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway, then another 11th place finish at Salem followed by a wicked crash at Toledo into the Styrofoam barrier. The car has been completely rebuilt and makes it’s first start at LOR Friday night.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 8th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: DK-LOK Ford at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. Picture courtesy of Ashley Rowe.

Dry Pit Strategy Bad Transmission Relegate Praytor to 16th at Pocono

Big races bring out the stars and with Pocono Speedway’s close proximity to Philadelphia and New York there isn’t a bigger racing weekend in the Northeast. Make it a triple-header weekend with the ARCA Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the Sprint Cup Series all in town together, Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK team were looking to capitalize on a solid effort during the Spring Pocono race.

Star of the Identical, Blake Rayne, was one of the stars on hand taking in all the racing action. “Blake has been to a couple of races and we had a little down time with the rain delay to hang out. Really a cool guy, very talented, looking forward to seeing the movie,” offered Praytor. The Identical co-stars Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta and Seth Green opens in theaters nationwide September, 5th.

Watch Identical Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVrOTMc0wIo

The DK-LOK team expected to unload a very solid Ford after testing and racing at Pocono in the Spring but got a car that just didn’t have any speed. “We were pretty frustrated after the first couple of runs, we had a good DK-LOK Ford in the Spring and we basically brought back the same car but it just didn’t want to go. The guys thrashed on it during the practice session and again after practice. From beginning to qualifying we picked up 4 full seconds on the stop watch, a huge improvement.”

Rain delayed the start of the ModSpace 125 with the radar and forecast showing rain surrounding the racetrack. What was supposed to be a 125 lap race now looked like it was going to be a race to halfway. Starting 15th the Moose was on the move with the drop of the green flag working his way up in to the top 10. A couple of early cautions gave the team an opportunity to pit and take gas that would take the DK-LOK Ford to the finish but few thought it would ever go the distance, the DK-LOK Ford opted to stay out keeping track position.

In addition to pit strategy, Praytor was dealing with a failing transmission. The transmission started missing 3rd gear and by the time the final caution flag flew was down to just 4th gear. “We went from working on getting our DK-LOK Ford into the top 10 to trying to finish the race.”

Getting up to speed on restarts and after a pit stop with just 4th gear cost Praytor and his DK-LOK Ford valuable time and track position. Even with the loss of 4th gear and having to make a green flag pit stop, the DK-LOK Ford rallied back to a 16th place finish.

“Our guys worked hard all weekend and our DK-LOK Ford kept getting faster, we were even faster during the race than we were in qualifying. We still have a ways to go on our mile and a half program but we are getting better.”

Another short week for the Mobile based DK-LOK team with the Federated Auto Parts 200 this weekend at Berlin Raceway in Berlin, Michigan on Saturday night.

Picture: Praytor and star of the Identical Blake Rayne. 

Praytor DK-LOK Ford 16th in ModSpace 125 Practice

Thomas "Moose" Praytor and his DK-LOK Ford in the 16th position during practice for the ModSpace 125 at Pocono Raceway. "The Tricky Triangle tricked us off the trailer and we were really struggling to find speed in our DK-LOK Ford," offered Praytor. The team left no stone unturned during the 2 hour practice working all the way to the red flag ending practice. "We gained a lot of speed during practice and we threw another set of changes at Batman after practice. If the weather holds out we're looking forward to the race!" Live timing and scoring on arcaracing.com TV on Fox Sports 1 at 6:00 CST.

Praytor/DK-LOK Ford to Long Pond PA-Pocono Preview

MODSPACE 125-Pocono Raceway-The ARCA smoking hot Summer Series comes to a full boil this week with the 3rd race in just 13 days. Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK Team had just over 48 hours in Mobile, Alabama before making the 1,200 mile trek to Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. “The last couple of weeks we’ve spent more time in the hauler than we have at home. We needed a little better DK-LOK Ford at Indy but we had a great time with the folks from FloSource,” offered Praytor. “Pocono is completely different than anything else we race on, part road course, part speedway with a mile long drag strip in the middle, it’s one of my favorite stops on the tour.” When the checkered flag falls the Moose will climb back into the DK-LOK hauler to take the 1,200 mile trip back to Mobile before turning North and the 1,000 mile trip to Berlin, Michigan.

The ModSpace 125 is a 2 day event with technical inspection and practice on Thursday with Menards Pole qualifying and the race on Friday at 6:00 CDT with race broadcast on Fox Sports 1 with timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 8th

PRIMARY SPONSOR: DK-LOK USA

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS: G-Force, Nudraulix, REALTOR, APS Automotive Painters Supply, Dueitt’s Battery Supply, Airgas, Campbell, Duke & Campbell, Golden Flake, Ashley Rowe Photography, Ed’s Seafood Shed, Heroes Sports Bar & Grill, Walkers Frame & Body, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Mobile Lumber & Millwork, Praytor Realty

CAR: Roush Chassis RK 275, nickname “Batman”. Batman is the preferred Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing chassis at the Speedways and is powered by Roush-Yates horsepower. Batman is the same chassis the team utilized at Pocono, Michigan. The Spring Pocono Race was the first outing for Batman in 2014.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 8th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: DK-LOK Ford during Spring Pocono Race.

Praytor DK-LOK Team Persevere for 16th at Indy

The ARCA Series returned to Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis for only the 5th time in its 62 year history for the Scott Get Geared Up 200 presented by Federated Car Care on Friday night. For Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK team their first Indy start was the culmination of a 2 week scramble preparing their favorite short track car “Black Betty” for return to racing.

“When we finally loaded the car in the trailer for Indy there wasn’t anyone left in Mobile that wasn’t whipped form working on our DK-LOK Ford,” said Praytor. What should have been 4 weeks to prepare was cut to 2 because the body company in North Carolina delivered the car 10 days late and half complete. “I was really proud of our team in Mobile and can’t thank all of our friends who pitched in over the last couple of weeks.”

Putting together a half completed car should have been an omen for the obstacles that lay ahead in Indy.

Off the trailer, Praytor was finding his way around a new track and quickly gained speed through the first practice. “Our car was really solid and all our components worked like clockwork thanks to our test in Mobile that caught a bad transmission. We struggled with drive off the corner but once the DK-LOK Ford got pointed straight our Roush Yates horsepower kicked in and we could run with anyone down the straightaway.”

After practice the team was preparing the DK-LOK Ford for qualifying and found a broken rear end cooler belt that led to a locked up oil pump. The team quickly pulled the entire rear end apart and put everything back together while in line for qualifying. Just about the time it was all back together Thomas’s Mom, who had been sweeping up the pit stall, handed the guys a piece of metal she had swept up. It was piece of the rear end pinion gear and the team was back in thrash mode taking out everything they had just put in. “We knew we were getting close to our qualifying time and I was out borrowing a gear, thanks to the guys at WinTron. Our guys got it put back together just as we went on the 5 minute clock.”

The 5 minute clock starts when it is your turn to qualify and you are not there to go. In this case the DK-LOK Ford had not even been through the tech line. The team hustled their Ford through tech and the driver was strapping in the car while the crew pushed the car down pit road. At the end of pit road the Moose fired up the DK-LOK Ford made 2 laps, picked up 2 tenths of a second from practice and would roll off 19th. ”Just getting in the race at that point seemed like a win. Our guys did a great job in a short period of time. Really appreciate WinTron loaning us a gear.”

With the car in the show and a suite full of employees and customers of FloSource, DK-LOKs Indiana Distributor, the Moose had a little time to relax during the running of the Jegs Late Model Race before the ARCA race.

“We spent Thursday night with the guys from FloSource in the suite and visited with them on Friday before the race. What a great group of people, had a lot of fun hanging out. Really appreciate them being on the car this weekend and supporting our race team.”

After watching Kyle Busch take home the Jegs CRA win in the opener of the double header at LOR the Moose climbed into his DK-LOK Ford and it was time to get down to business. With the drop of the green flag Praytor was fighting the same problem he had been all day. “Our DK-LOK Ford was sliding the nose off the corner causing the back end to step out keeping us from getting in the gas when we wanted to.” As the tires wore down the car got worse and the Moose was looking for a caution to make adjustments.

With a mid-race yellow Praytor came to pit road for the DK-LOK crew to make some major adjustments to free the car up off the corner. Unfortunately it was a short caution and the team had to make a choice, tires or adjustments. The call was made for adjustments, hoping for a quick caution so they could come back and get tires. As has been the case this year, there was no caution and a long green flag run ensued.

“Everyone got tires but us and we really got behind at the mid segment of the race. We finally got a caution and got some fresh Hoosiers and we were able to keep up but the long green flag run had us in a hole we couldn’t recover from.” The DK-LOK Ford rolled home to a 16th place finish.

“We didn’t get the finish we were looking for but there were a lot of positives coming out of Indy. Our crew had great stops and they did an awesome job getting the car in the race. We put our favorite short track car back in service and there isn’t a mark on it. Black Betty will be ready for Berlin in a couple of weeks. We had a great time with the folks from FloSource and look forward to going back to Indy.”

Another short week for the DK-LOK team with the Mod Space 125 at Pocono Raceway on Friday with coverage by Fox Sports 1 at 6:00 CST.

Picture: TOP-DK-LOK Ford racing with Ken Schrader during Great Scott 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway. BOTTOM-The Moose makes a suite visit with the folks from FloSource.

From Windy to Indy, Praytor LOR Preview

SCOTT GET GEARED UP 200 presented by FEDERATED CAR CARE-Lucas Oil Raceway: After a complete rebuild Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK race team are bringing ”Black Betty” back to the track for the first time after “Styrofoamaggedon” at Toledo Speedway. “This is a big race for our sponsor, DK-LOK and their Indiana based distributor FloSource. Our guys back in Mobile have been working overtime to rebuild our best piece after I shortened it up in Toledo. From the front windshield back it’s basically a new car. The guys at Hess Racing Chassis did an awesome job on rebuilding the back end of the chassis and we think it will be even better than before,” offered Praytor. The ARCA series has visited LOR just 4 times in its 60+ year history and the Moose was on hand in 2011 as a member of Grant Enfinger’s team. “I learned a lot from being here with Grant, plus “Black Betty” was here in 2012 and we have a complete set of notes from that race and we feel good about this weekend.”

The Scott Get Geared Up 200 presented by Federated Auto Care is a 1 day event with technical inspection, practice, Menards Pole qualifying and race are on Friday, July 25th at 8:00 CST with live race coverage on Fox Sports1. Live timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race will be on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 8th

PRIMARY SPONSORS: DK-LOK USA

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS: G-Force, Nudraulix, REALTOR, APS Automotive Painters Supply, Dueitt’s Battery Supply, Airgas, Campbell & Campbell, Golden Flake, Ashley Rowe Photography, Ed’s Seafood Shed, Heroes Sports Bar & Grill, Walkers Frame & Body, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Mobile Lumber & Millwork, Praytor Realty

CAR: Roush Chassis #461, nickname “Black Betty”, as in the song. Black Betty is a new chassis to the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing stable in 2014, powered by Roush Yates horsepower. Praytor turned in his career best short track performance with Black Betty in her first outing at the ARCA Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway, then another 11th place finish at Salem followed by a wicked crash at Toledo into the Styrofoam barrier. The car has been completely rebuilt and makes it’s first start at LOR Friday night.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 8th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: Black Betty destroying the Styrofoam barrier at Toledo.

DK-LOK Ford Tested and Ready for Indy

With the hours clicking down to the Scott Get Geared Up 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis on Friday night Thomas “Moose” Praytor tested his freshly rebuilt DK-LOK Ford on Tuesday at Mobile International Speedway. “Mobile is the perfect place for us to shake down a new car. There is no place like your home track to make sure the car is responding like you want it to,” said Praytor. “We had a good test, we answered a lot of questions about our DK-LOK Ford and all the work that’s been done to it. We found a few gremlins that would have been a real problem at Indy and we’ll get those fixed up before we head up to Indianapolis.”

The Scott Get Geared Up 200 presented by Federated Auto Care is a 1 day event with technical inspection, practice, Menards Pole qualifying and race are on Friday, July 25th at 8:00 CST with live race coverage on Fox Sports1. Live timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race will be on ARCAracing.com.

Praytor Hits 4,000 ARCA Miles

During the Ansell Armr 150 at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday, Thomas “Moose” Praytor eclipsed the 4,000 mile mark in ARCA competition in his DK-LOK Ford. “I never really thought I would make any miles as an ARCA driver, to say we passed 4,000 is pretty incredible,” said Praytor. Incredible is an understatement for a team that was slated for just 3 starts and an uncertain future, each mile has been sweet for the Mobile, Alabama native.

Since Praytor’s first ARCA lap only 3 other active drivers have logged as many miles as the Moose, Josh Williams, Tom Hessert and 10 time Champion Frank Kimmel. “4,000 miles is a really big milestone for me personally, but you need to add 60,000 miles to it to catch Kimmel. There are a lot of people who believed in me and gave me opportunities when no one else would even talk to me, Andy Belmont, the Venturini’s and of course Wayne Hixson. I wouldn’t be here without them giving me a chance and everyone in the ARCA garage helping us stay here every week.”

During the last 2 seasons Praytor’s Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing team have completed nearly 90% of every lap of ARCA competition one of the best averages in the Series. “While we are still working on being the fastest car at the track, we take a lot of pride in our cars and their ability to make every lap. Our all volunteer team in Mobile and our UNOH over the wall crew deserve the credit for solid race cars every week.”

For the Moose, that’s 4,000 down and just 60,000 more or so to go.

Picture: Thomas “Moose” Praytor in DK-Lok Ford next to 10 time Champion Frank Kimmel at Chicagoland Speedway.
 

Cut Tire Takes Air Out of Windy City for Praytor

After the 2013 edition of the Ansell ArMr 150 ended early, Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK team entered Chicago looking for a little redemption. Two days and 150 miles later they didn’t get the redemption they were looking for but they did leave with “Batman” in one piece.

After last year’s fast but unstable race car the team unloaded the DK-LOK Ford looking for a more balanced machine that could race 150 miles on the high banks of Chicagoland Speedway.

“We had a good practice session, coming back to these tracks for the second time we have a lot of variables set that we are not chasing, it really gives us more time to work on the handling of the car,” said Praytor. The 2 hour practice put Praytor 18th quick on the time sheet.

Picking up 6 tenths in qualifying the DK-LOK Ford would roll off 15th. “I felt like I left a lot on the table in qualifying but the track doesn’t have a lot of grip with new tires, sopme of the guys found that out the hard way.”

With the drop of the green flag Praytor slowly picked up spots working the DK-LOK up to as high as the 12th position. As the race moved on the DK-LOK Ford was in the back half of the lead lap pack, and with each caution Praytor brought the DK-LOK Ford to pit road to top of the tank. “We’ve had a lot of green flag runs this year and the strategy to keep taking gas meant we could go 20 laps farther than the top 10 if the race went green for a long period of time.” A strategy the team would never get to see come to fruition.

On one of the restarts before the halfway point the DK-LOK Ford became evil and the Moose knew he had a tire going down. “I knew I was in trouble, the car was trying to spin out going down the straight away.” The move to pit road during the green flag run was the beginning of the end of a good day. The DK-LOK Ford crept down pit road while the leaders were at full song, 160 MPH. “It felt like the left rear to me and the guys changed the left sides. As soon as I hit the track again I knew it wasn’t the left rear and I had to come back to them again for right sides.”

When a day goes bad it’s like swimming in quicksand and Saturday was no different for the DK-LOK team. Back on pit road for the second agonizing slow ride the team started to change the right side tires and the air hose to the front tire gun blew out. Now Praytor had 3 out of 4 tires replaced and a 4th that was way out of sync with the other tire pressures. Batman’s status had now been upgraded from evil to ill.

Out of contention and virtually locked into his finishing position, Praytor and the DK-LOK team never quit turning the back half of the race into a 75 lap test session. “Our guys never gave up and we all kept digging looking for ways to make our DK-LOK Ford better. Today didn’t turn out like what we wanted but I know we’ll use some of what we learned later this year.” The last 5 laps of the race were Praytor’s fastest of the race.

Short week: after the 1,000 mile trek to Chicago, Praytor has a short week, testing “Black Betty” for Indy at Mobile International Speedway on Tuesday then back in the hauler on Wednesday to Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Indianapolis for the Scott Get Geared Up 200 presented by Federated Car Care on Friday night.

Picture: DK-LOK Ford on track at Chicagoland Speedway.

Windy City Up Next for Praytor & DK-LOK Ford

ANSELL ACTIV/ARMR 150-Chicagoland Speedway-After a week off the ARCA Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway for the ANSELL Activ/Armr 150. While the Series had the weekend off Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK team have been working overtime in the Mobile shop. “We’ve had Batman (Chicago Car) ready for weeks and have been waiting on our short track car to come back. The body guys really screwed us on the short track car, it was 10 days late, half finished just really pitiful the way they treated us, really makes you appreciate the people who understand what you are trying to accomplish. One of the cool things about are race team is when the chips are down we have a lot of people in Mobile that come to help out, we’ve even had a former Indy winner in the shop helping over the last 2 weeks!” said Praytor. “We had a really good DK-LOK Ford at Chicago last year until I shortened the back end up about 5 feet. I’m looking forward to going back this weekend, the place is fast, the faster the better.”

The Ansell Active/Armr 150 is a 2 day event with technical inspection and practice on Friday with Menards Pole qualifying and the race on Saturday at 5:00 CDT with live race broadcast on Fox Sports 2 with timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 8th

PRIMARY SPONSOR: DK-LOK Fittings & Valves USA

CAR: Roush Chassis RK 275, nickname “Batman”. Batman is the preferred Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing chassis at the Speedways and is powered by Roush-Yates horsepower. Batman is the same chassis the team utilized at Pocono and Michigan. Batman earned its first top 10 at Michigan in 2013 and was turned in to a hatchback at Chicagoland. Pocono was the first outing for Batman in 2014.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 8th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: “Batman” DK-LOK Ford on track.

Elko Sponsor Report:
DK-LOK Chevy Continues Solid Media Numbers

ARCA’s Northern swing game to an end with the Akona 250 at Elko Speedway the last of a 4 race stretch. The most versatile driving series in the world, raced in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Minnesota in just 21 days. Praytor and his DK-LOK machine posted solid finishes and media numbers at every stop during the 21 day stretch including Elko Speedway.

Praytor-DK-LOK Named Winchester Hard Charger-Up To 8th In Points

The ARCA Racing Series announced the race awards from the Herr’s Chase the Taste 200 at Winchester Speedway Tuesday with Thomas “Moose” Praytor earning the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award while moving up to 8th in the Championship points standings.

The CGS Imaging Hard Charger is awarded to the driver who improves his position the most over the course of the race. This past weekend Praytor and his DK-LOK Chevy started 18th and finished 12th. Praytor ranks 2nd in this category for the year, second only to 10 time ARCA Champion Frank Kimmel.

In addition to race awards, the ARCA Championship points were tallied after the race in Winchester, Praytor moved up 1 spot to the 8th position.

“Winning the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award and moving up a notch in the points is good medicine after a disappointing weekend. It’s a long road to Kansas and I’m sure we’ll slide up and down the points a spot or 2 between now and then. Glad to see the other Mobile International Speedway driver (Grant Enfinger) kept the points lead. It would be really cool for us both to finish in the top 10,” said Praytor.

Picture-DK-LOK Chevy at Winchester Speedway.

Praytor Hangs on to DK-LOK Chevy for 12th

Winchester Speedway celebrated it’s 100th year with a special 4th of July Celebration that culminated with the Herr’s Chase the Taste 200 presented by Federated Car Care in front of a live TV audience on CBS Sports Network. “You can just feel the history of racing when you come in the gate at Winchester. All the great open wheel guys raced there in the 60s, 70s and 80’s and a bunch were on hand this weekend. It was really cool to be part of the celebration,” said Thomas Praytor.

While the party was on at Winchester Speedway Thomas “Moose” Praytor had hauled his DK-LOK Chevy 17 hours from Mobile looking to improve on his 9th place finish from 2013.

Of the trailer the DK-LOK Chevy was improved from last year but still had a ways to go to catch the front runners. “Our guys worked really hard all weekend, we just never were able to get any speed out of our car this weekend.”

The stop watch had the Moose 3 tenths of a second faster than 2013 but he needed a second. Qualifying 18th the DK-LOK team knew they had a long day ahead of them but not as long as it turned out.

As has become the norm in 2014, a few early cautions led to a long green flag run to just past the half way mark. “While were slow our DK-LOK Chevy was well balanced and we could race where we wanted to. We put on 4 tires at the midway caution and our car turned evil. It started tight than it had no grip and just got worse, by lap 150 I was just hanging on. That’s twice this year we’ve been bit with a bad set of tires on the second set and we’ll have to keep working to improve our late race set ups. Ours guys had a good weekend and we had a good finish I just wish we had been more competitive. Congratulations to Mr. Turner and Brandon on their first win.”

A week off, then Chicagoland Speedway for the Ansell ActivArmr 150 live on Fox Sports 1.

Picture: DK-LOK Chevy racing with eventual race winner Brandon Jones at Winchester Speedway during the 2014 Herrs Chase the Taste 200.

Moose Will Roll Off 18th In Winchester

Thomas "Moose" Praytor and the DK-LOK Chevy will roll off 18th for Herrs Chase the Taste 200 at Winchester Speedway. Live coverage on CBS Sport Network at 1:00 CST Sunday.

Winchester Preview-Praytor Returns To Best ARCA Finish

HERR’S CHASE THE TASTE 200 presented BY FEDERATED CAR CARE-Winchester Speedway, Indiana: After a week of not racing Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK Team are ready to get back in action on July 4th weekend. Praytor recorded his best ARCA finish at Winchester last year and is looking forward to returning to one of the country’s toughest short tracks. “This has become a huge racing weekend in Indiana, It’s 3 days of racing that starts with the Winged Sprints on July 4th and ends with the ARCA Series on Sunday with just about everything racing in between,” said Praytor. “We were really unhappy with our results in Elko and we’ve put a lot effort in to our DK-LOK Chevy back at the shop these past 2 weeks. There were a lot of fireworks last year at Winchester on the track and we want to stay away from those and have another good finish.”

The Herr’s Chase the Taste 200 presented by Federated Car Care is a 2 day event with technical inspection, practice, Menards Pole qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday at 1:00 CST with live race broadcast on CBS Sports Network with timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 9th

PRIMARY SPONSOR: DK-LOK Fittings & Valves USA

CAR: Hixson Chassis #5, nickname “Pooh”, as in “Winnie the Pooh” is the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing most versatile chassis scoring top 10’s at Elko and a 9th at Winchester last season, in addition to running the road course, Pooh has also seen action at the Speedways.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 9th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: DK-LOK Chevy on track at Elko Speedway last weekend.

Off Week? Praytor-DK-LOK Team Wide Open

While the ARCA Series presented by Menards has the weekend off, Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK Team are wide open preparing cars for a busy month of July.

July begins with a bang during the July 4th weekend at Winchester Speedway with the Herr’s Chase the Taste 200 on Sunday July 6th, live television coverage on CBS Sports Network. The Mobile shop is turning around Hixson Chassis #5, “Pooh” that ran Elko last weekend and the same car the Moose finished 9th at Winchester in last season.

Indiana is followed by Illinois, as the ARCA series moves to the lightning fast Chicagoland Speedway on July 19th for the Ansell ActivArmr 150, live television on Fox Sports 2. Praytor will utilize Roush Chassis RK275, “Batman”. The Mobile shop has been preparing Batman since Michigan and just about has the Dark Knight ready to ride again.

The ARCA Series bounces back to the Hoosier state to close out July with the Scott Get Geared Up 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, live television coverage will be provided by Fox Sports 1. It’s been a few years since the ARCA Series was at LOR and they return as the opening act for the Brickyard 400 down the street at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This will be a new track for Praytor and the DK-LOK team is pulling out all the stops to get their favorite short track car, Roush Chassis 476, “Black Betty” back in action. The wreck at Toledo crushed Black Betty and she needed a new rear clip at Hess Racing (see pic above) before being taken to PVW to have a new body installed from the front windshield back. The team will be scrambling with the car back in Mobile next week to get her finished up for Indy.

Praytor DK-LOK Chevy Settle for Disappointing 15th in Elko

Since wrapping up his first ARCA top 10 a year ago Thomas "Moose" Praytor has been waiting to return to the 3/8ths mile bull ring in Elko Minnesota. Years of competing at 5 Flags Speedway was the perfect training for the flat, slick surface that is Elko Speedway.

Off the trailer the Moose's DK-LOK Chevy was faster than last year’s car and the team was looking forward to another good night in the Akona 250 presented by Menards with Praytor starting in the 16th position.

With the CBS Sports Network cameras rolling for the networks first ever live broadcast of a stock car race, Mobile's Grant Enfinger jumped to an early lead. The caution flags flew early and often over the first 75 laps and Praytor in his DK-LOK machine worked their way up to the 12th spot.

"The first few laps at Elko you’re driving more defensively than anything else, you can't have a good night if you get tangled up in the first few cautions," said Praytor. "Our car was good but we knew we were better on the long runs as the tires fell off so we were biding our time."

With frequent early cautions out of the way the race took on a green flag look and the race remained green for over 100 laps.

The torrid pace being set by Enfinger put all but 7 cars a lap or more down. With the caution out the DK-LOK team gambled and stayed on track to get a lap back while the rest of the field pitted for fresh tires and fuel. The move put Praytor back in position to have a top 10 finish, but the team needed a quick caution in order for the gamble to pay off.

It could not have gone worse for the DK-LOK team as the race went green until the finish. Not only did Praytor not get a quick caution for fresh Hoosiers and fuel he didn't get a caution at all as the race went green to the finish. On top of not being able to keep up on old tires ARCA rules mandate you must make at least one pit stop before 10 laps to go, to keep from being penalized 5 laps Praytor had to bring his DK-LOK Chevy to pit road under green costing him 3 laps and ending up with a 15th place finish.

"Congratulations to Grant (Enfinger), Kelly (Kovski), Howard (Bixman) and everybody at Team BCR, they had a great car all day and just really whipped everybody tonight. We were really disappointed with our effort tonight, we thought Elko was a place we could put our DK-LOK Chevy back in the top 10. We were actually faster here than we were last year but the competition is getting faster too. Winchester is up next, we had a top 10 finish there last year and we'll keep digging back at the shop and see if we can't get our DK-LOK Chevy a little better."

Picture: Praytor racing with 10 time Champ Frank Kimmel at Elko Speedway.
 

Praytor & DK-LOK Chevy at Apple Valley Menards

Thomas “Moose Praytor and his DK-LOK Chevy will be at the Apple Valley Menards store Friday afternoon from 4-7PM. The Moose will be on hand to sign autographs and interact with the fans in Minnesota ahead of the Akona 250 at Elko Speedway.

The Akona 250 presented by Menards is a 1 day event with technical inspection, practice, Menards Pole qualifying and the race on Saturday at 8:00 CST. The race will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network with timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race on ARCAracing.com.

Apple Valley Menards is located at 14960 Florence Trail, Apple Valley, MN 55124

Elko Preview-Praytor Fan Guide Driver

AKONA 250 PRESENTED BY FEDERATED CARE CARE-ELKO SPEEDWAY, MINNESOTA: Thomas “Moose” Praytor had one of his best races in 2013 in the Akona 250 at Elko Speedway in Minnesota. This week’s ARCA fan guide features the Moose with his thoughts on racing at Elko. From the fan guide: “Elko Speedway is as far away from Mobile, Alabama as you can get on the ARCA Schedule. It’s a driver’s track. You’re driving a supercharged 3,400 pound tank with 800 horsepower under the hood, lots of room to make moves but its flat, slick easy to overdrive and hard to hook up coming off the corners, I love it. New tires help for 10 laps and then everyone is sliding around bouncing off of each other grabbing all the spots you can get for 250 laps! Elko may be 1,200-miles from home but it is one of my favorites. I can’t wait to go back!”

The Akona 250 presented by Menards is a 1 day event with technical inspection, practice, Menards Pole qualifying and the race on Saturday at 8:00 CST with live race broadcast on CBS Sports Network with timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 9th

PRIMARY SPONSOR: DK-LOK Fittings & Valves USA

CAR: Hixson Chassis #5, nickname “Pooh”, as in “Winnie the Pooh” was the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing remains the team’s most versatile chassis scoring top 10’s at Elko and Winchester last season, along with running the road course in New Jersey in 2014 and just last week Ron Cox finished 15th with Pooh at Michigan.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 9th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: ARCA Series presented by Menards 2014 Fan Guide, Elko Speedway.

Motor City Produces 14th for Praytor In DK-LOK Ford

The 2 mile oval in the Irish Hills of Michigan sits in the shadows of the American Car Manufacturers in Detroit, if it’s made in America it’s all about horsepower and there is no track on the ARCA Series Tour that demands more horses than Michigan International Speedway.

For Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK team it would be his second trip to the other MIS (Mobile International Speedway being the first). The first trip in 2013 produced a 10th place finish. “Coming off of Pocono we felt really good about our car and our chances at Michigan. We had a solid test day on Thursday and backed that up with a solid qualifying effort. I know I’m using the word solid a lot with our Speedway car we call Batman but we have really made this car very good and really stable to drive. We’re still getting more speed out of it every week.”

The DK-LOK Ford timed in 15th position for the Corrigan Oil 200. Michigan is known for long green flag runs and with an early caution the Moose came down pit road on lap 10 to top off with Sunoco fuel. As is customary on a fuel only stop, the guys who are normally changing tires check the tires for any problems. Front tire changer Keith Showalter found a tire rub on the right front that had cut a grove in the tire and within laps would have worn through the tire putting the DK-LOK Ford in the fence. In order to stay on the lead lap Praytor left pit road and came back for a new right front tire.

“Catching the right front was big. Last year there were several right fronts that blew in the corners and a couple of the guys hit hard enough to have concussions.”

Back under green the race stayed green for 65 laps. On lap 54 under green Praytor brought the DK-LOK Ford to pit road and Gasman Kyle Snodgrass dumped 2 full cans of Sunoco fuel for the Roush-Yates Ford power plant.

With a caution on lap 76 Praytor brought the DK-LOK Ford to pit road for 4 fresh Hoosiers and topped off with Sunoco fuel for the final 20 laps to the checkered.

Back under green the solid DK-LOK ford turned wicked on the Moose. “The new tires were like driving on ice, the car was just wicked loose.” Fortunately for Praytor he had put the 15th place 5 laps down so there was plenty of cushion to nurse home a 14th place finish.

“All in all another solid weekend for our team and our DK-LOK Ford. We’re still chasing the guys up front but we’re gaining on them every week. Looking forward to the short track this weekend at Elko. Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads.”

Next up, the Akona 250 presented by Federated Car Care from Elko Speedway, Minnesota at 8:00 CST with live race coverage on CBS Sports Network and live timing and scoring on arcaracing.com.

Pictures:

Top-DK-LOK Ford battling for position with Tom Hessert at Michigan International Speedway.

Bottom: Keith Showalter checking the right front while the DK-LOK Fusion gets a load of Sunoco fuel.

Praytor Times In DK-LOK Ford in 15th at Michigan

Qualifying for the Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway is complete with Thomas "Moose" Praytor qualifying the DK-LOK Ford in the 15th position. "Our DK-LOK Ford has been really solid all week and our team is carrying forward the momentum from Pocono. Last week we got tight in the later stages of the race and we'll be working to stay ahead of the this week."

The race is live on Fox Sports 1 at 4:15 CST.

Picture: DK-LOK Ford at the stripe during qualifying.

To the Irish Hills, Praytor-Michigan Preview

CORRIGAN OIL 200-MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY: The ARCA northern swing continues with Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Friday. Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK team are coming off a solid performance at Pocono Raceway with a 13th place finish. “We had a top 10 at Michigan last year and we feel like we’re bringing a much improved DK-LOK Ford to Michigan this year,” said Praytor. DK-LOK will be the primary sponsor for the second time in 2014. “Michigan is a strong market for DK-LOK and we want to put on a good show. We spent the week tweaking, cleaning and preparing Batman for this weekend.”

The Michigan ARCA 200 is a 2 day event with technical inspection and practice on Thursday with Menards Pole qualifying and the race on Friday at 4:15 CST with live race broadcast on Fox Sports 1 with timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 9th

PRIMARY SPONSOR: DK-LOK Fittings & Valves USA

CAR: Roush Chassis RK 275, nickname “Batman”. Batman is the preferred Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing chassis at the Speedways and is powered by Roush-Yates horsepower. Batman is the same car the team finished 13th with at Pocono last weekend. Batman earned its first top 10 at Michigan in 2013 and was turned in to a hatchback at Chicagoland. Pocono was the first outing for Batman in 2014.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 9th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: DK-LOK Ford crossing the stripe at Pocono.

May Sponsor Report:
Huge Numbers for Praytor & Marketing Partners

There was only one race in the month of May, the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway, the home of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. The race was live on Fox Sports 1 and for Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his REALTOR/DK-LOK team it was a big event with a big crash that fueled big exposure numbers on and off the track for the month of May. The Toledo race catapulted the Alabama native’s marketing numbers higher in every category. With less than a third of the season completed (Report ends May 30^th) Praytor is on track for a record breaking media exposure year.  

Praytor Wheels DK-LOK Ford to 13th at the Tricky Triangle

A day of testing followed by a day of practice and qualifying had Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his DK-LOK team as well prepared to race since the short track opener at Mobile International Speedway. “A lot of effort has gone into our mile and half car we call Batman. We took the car completely apart in the off season and put it back together, then added some fresh Roush Yates horses under the hood. The guys in Mobile really worked their tail off getting this car prepared for this weekend and it showed on the track,” said Praytor.

The DK-LOK machine timed in the 16th position for the Spring running of the ARCA Pocono 200 a full seconds faster than last years time and just in front of 8 time Daytona Champion and Lebanon, Pennsylvania’s Bobby Gerhardt. With the drop of the green flag Gerhardt, Praytor and ARCA regulars Josh Williams and Spencer Gallagher formed a 4 car conga line circling the 2.5 mile 3 turn oval. “It was really cool to run with Mr. Bobby (Gerhardt) at Pocono. The man has like 100,000 laps around the place and I learned a lot from racing with him.”

An early caution brought the DK-LOK Ford to pit road for a fuel only stop positioning the team for a longer fuel run that could pay dividends later in the race. As has been a common theme this year the race took on a green flag look and made 50 plus more laps before the next caution.

A full fuel load will only take you about 35 laps and the Moose had to bring his DK-LOK Ford to pit road for a green flag fuel only stop.

With everyone coming down for gas under green flag conditions cars were racing in all 3 corners of the speedway. Again Praytor and Gerhardt would find themselves battling for position. The crafty veteran used a lap car to get the position on Praytor but the Moose would come rumbling back to reclaim the spot a few laps later. “The kid did a good job all day. We raced each other clean and it was a good time,” offered Gerhardt in a post-race interview.

A late caution allowed Praytor to bring his tight and getting tighter DK-LOK Ford to pit road for 4 tires, fuel and an adjustment. “Our DK-LOK Ford was really well balanced until about halfway and we started to get tight and with each lap it got tighter. We made an adjustment on the stop but it just didn’t take the tight out of it."

Late race restarts are normally chaotic, at Pocono they are insane. With a mile long front stretch before the first corner cars were 4 and 5 wide before funneling into the hard left hander that is turn 1 and as usual everyone didn't make it. "We went down the front stretch and you could just see it wasn't going to work out. I gave the group in front of me a little room so we wouldn't be I involved in their mess." The DK-LOK machine cleared the ensuing carnage without a scratch.

On the next restart everyone minded their manners a little better and the race went green until the finish with the DK-LOK team recording a 13th place finish.

"We've used the word solid a lot this weekend and that's the kind of race we had, our DK-LOK Ford, our Roush-Yates power plant, our crew all solid all weekend. Having an opportunity to test was important and we appreciate Pocono and ARCA making that happen. We'll get Batman turned around this week and ready for Michigan on Friday."

The ARCA Michigan 200 from Michigan International Speedway is Friday at 4:15 CST with live race coverage on Fox Sports 1 and live timing and scoring on arcaracing.com.

Pictures:

Top-DK-LOK Ford coming off of turn 3 at Pocono Raceway. Pocono only has 3 turns unlike most tracks that have 4.

Middle: DK-LOK Fusion getting 4 fresh Hoosiers and Sunoco fuel.

Praytor DK-LOK Ford Qualify 16th at Pocono-Live on Fox Sports 1

The day started early in the Pocono Mountains with the ARCA Series garage opening at 5:30 AM. Thomas "Moose" Praytor and his Max Force Racing/Hixson Motorsports group were one of 32 teams attempting to tackle the Tricky Triangle in practice and qualifying. As usual, the unique track with just 3 turns over the 2.5 mile racing surface took its toll on those who tried to get too much, too fast but after a full day of testing on Wednesday the DK-LOK Ford was just rock solid all practice long. "After thrashing on our DK-LOK machine all day Wednesday we fined tuned this morning on old tires and when we put on new tires Batman came to life," said Praytor. “We still have a ways to go to catch the Sprint Cup development teams in the ARCA garage but our guys are working hard and we keep getting better every week.” Praytor’s qualifying effort today was over 2 seconds faster than his last time in Pocono a year ago.

The Pocono ARCA 200 is live on Fox Sports 1 tomorrow at Noon CST.

Picture: DK-LOK Ford on pit road at the Tricky Triangle.

Tricky Triangle Up Next For Praytor-Pocono Preview

POCONO ARCA 200-POCONO RACEWAY: With primary sponsorship from DK-LOK Fittings and Valves USA Thomas “Moose” Praytor returns to one of the Moose’s favorite tracks on the tour, Pocono Raceway. “My first start at Pocono was wild, practice and qualifying were rained out and my first lap was when they dropped the green flag!” said Praytor. The ARCA Rookie finished 16th. “Pocono is the first time DK-LOK USA will be the primary sponsor on our car and we’ve put a lot effort in to Batman for this weekend. With fresh Roush-Yates power under the hood we learned a lot at the test on Wednesday and I’m looking forward to this weekend.”

The Pocono ARCA 200 is a 2 day event with technical inspection, practice and Menards Pole qualifying on Friday. The race is on Saturday at Noon CST with live race broadcast on Fox Sports 1 with timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 9th

POCONO ARCA 200 PRIMARY SPONSOR: DK-LOK Fittings & Valves USA

CAR: Roush Chassis RK 275, nickname “Batman”. Batman is the preferred Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing chassis at the Speedways and is powered by Roush-Yates horsepower. Batman earned a top 10 at Michigan in 2013 and was turned in to a hatchback at Chicagoland. Pocono is the first outing for Batman in 2014.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 9th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: Batman with sponsorship from US Olympic Boxing on track during the 2013 spring race at Pocono Raceway.

Praytor Shakes Down DK-LOK Ford at Pocono

From the road Course in New Jersey to the Tricky Triangle at Pocono in less than a week the ARCA Series is earning its reputation as the most versatile driving series in the world. Thomas “Moose” Praytor rolled out a fresh new sponsor, DK-LOK USA with a fresh Roush-Yates Engine in a rejuvenated “Batman” for testing today in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

“Pocono is one of the most unique tracks on the tour, it only has 3 turns and they are all completely different,” offered Praytor. “With so many new pieces on our DK-LOK Ford we took it easy this morning and really went after it in the afternoon.”

Over the course of the day long test the DK-LOK Ford improved over 3 seconds from the first lap and 2 seconds faster than the team’s best lap time at Pocono in 2013.

“This is the first time we’ve ever had a chance to test a mile and half or down force car and it really paid dividends for us. We learned a lot about our DK-LOK machine that will pay off for us all year long. We still have a ways to go to catch the leaders but it was a good day for our team.”

The Pocono ARCA 200 is a 2 day event with technical inspection, practice and Menards Pole qualifying on Friday. The race is on Saturday at Noon CST with live race broadcast on Fox Sports 1, timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race is on ARCAracing.com.

DK-LOK Primary Sponsor Pocono & Michigan for Praytor

DK-LOK Fittings and Valves will be the primary sponsor for Thomas “Moose” Praytor’s Ford Fusion at Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway, both ARCA Series races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports1.

“We’ve been involved with Thomas all season and our sponsorship of his team along with our involvement with the ARCA Series has already produced positive results for our brand,” offered Bob Slaughter, President of DK-LOK USA. “Pocono and Michigan offer a couple of great opportunities for our company. Pennsylvania is a newer market for us while Michigan is an established expanding market. Both are on national TV and we’re looking forward to turning the Moose loose!”

The Pocono ARCA 200 rolls off Saturday June 7th at Noon CST and the Michigan ARCA 200 will take the green flag at 4:15 CST both races will have live flag to flag coverage on Fox Sports 1 with timing and scoring on arcaracing.com.

“It’s a tremendous honor for me to carry the DK-LOK banner on this northern swing through Pocono and Michigan. These big tracks are the northern version of Talladega and the fan base at both is incredible,” said Praytor. “The “Tricky Triangle” at Pocono is one of the most unique tracks we go to with only 3 turns and is one my favorite on the tour. We had one of our best superspeedway races at Michigan last year finishing in the top 10.We’re looking forward to an exciting couple of weeks.”

About DK-LOK USA: Founded in 1986, DK-LOK Fittings and Valves supply industrial applications from analytical and process instrumentation, gas, power generation, petrochemical processing, ship building to semiconductor manufacturing. DK-LOK tube fittings, instrument pipe & weld fittings, and valves are manufactured to stringent industry standards. With the use of only the highest grade raw material and 1/1000" tolerance control on each and every part, DK-LOK assures a leak-tight seal in all process, power, and instrumentation applications. DK-LOK USA is a Mobile, Alabama based firm operating nationally and internationally.

Pit Strategy Relegates Praytor to 15th in New Jersey

Road courses are not a normal happening in the world of stock cars and today's Great Railing 150 at New Jersey Motorsports Park was only Thomas "Moose" Praytor's 3rd in ARCA Series competition. With "Veteran" status Praytor was able to finish 15th after a gambling fuel strategy forced the Realtor/DK-LOK to pit road for a green flag stop.

"Starting 19th allowed us to come in and top of the tank on our Realtor/DK-LOK Chevy during the early cautions while the leaders were stuck staying out. We got an extra 15 laps on the leaders but it just wasn't enough, the race went 60 green flag laps to the end," said Praytor. The long green flag run to the finish put the Realtor/DK-LOK on pit road at 35 miles per hour while the rest of the field was at full speed. "Today's gamble didn't work out the way we were hoping but we didn't leave anything on the table, we'll always press the envelope as hard as we can trying to make something happen."

It's a short week for the Max Force/Hixson Motorsports Team with testing slated for the "Tricky Triangle" Pocono Speedway on Wednesday with the Pocono ARCA 200 live on Fox Sport 1 on Saturday.

Picture: Realtor/DK-LOK Ford on the Front Stretch at New Jersey Motorpsorts during the Great Railing 150.

Praytor New Jersey Preview Rights & Lefts

GREAT RAILING 150 PRESENTED BY BARBERA’S AUTOLAND-NEW JERSEY MOTORSPORTS PARK: The Great Railing 150 at New Jersey Motorsports Park is the beginning of ARCA’s northern spring tour with 4 races in 20 days rambling from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Michigan to Minnesota. After completing both road course events in 2013 Praytor comes to New Jersey with “Veteran” status. “The road courses are fun and New Jersey is a first class facility but just because I finished both last year I don’t think of myself as a veteran, more of a survivor!” said Praytor. Like racing on dirt, the road course is a new acumen to the Mobile, Alabama native but with the challenge comes the fun. “I’m looking forward to slinging our REALTOR/DK-LOK Chevy around the road course. You’re always busy inside the car setting up each corner, shifting, braking then back up through the gear box. I learned last year at Road America you can’t be real aggressive or you’ll end up stuck in the kitty litter.”

The Great Railing 150 presented by Barbera’s Autoland is a 2 day event with technical inspection, practice and Menards Pole qualifying on Saturday. The race is on Sunday at 2:00 CST with live race Radio coverage, timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 9th

GREAT RAILING 150 PRESENTED BY BARBERA’S AUTOLAND SPONSORS: REALTOR, DK-LOK.

CAR: Hixson Chassis #5, nickname “Pooh”, as in “Winnie the Pooh” was the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing work horse chassis last season scoring top 10’s at Elko and Winchester. Pooh was also used on the road courses and was a stand in at the Speedways when “Batman” was out for repairs after Chicago. The road course will be its first outing in 2014.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 9th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: REALTOR Chevy twisting through the corkscrew at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2013.

Sponsor Report: Daytona/Mobile/Salem/Talladega
Praytor Garners Big Media Numbers In First 4 Races

Thomas "Moose" Praytor is off to a strong start on and off the track in 2014. Currently 9^th in points in his 2^nd full season of ARCA competition, Praytor and his REALTOR/DK-LOK team is garnering media attention at every stop on the tour. A move for the lead in Daytona increased Praytor's TV numbers for the Fox Sports 1 broadcast while solid performances on the short tracks have broadened Praytor's media exposure among all platforms, broadcast TV & radio, electronic and social media. The season may be young but Praytor's marketing appeal is up on every front!

Pictures Top (L-R) Taking the lead in Datyona, Car & Driver appearance at Nudraulix, being interviewed by Randy Patrick-WKRG 5 CBS affiliate.

Bottom (L-R) Praytor on the air with Thunder 92 in Talladega, REALTOR/Nudraulix Ford racing Venturini's Cody Coughlin at Salem, being interviewed by Mark Inabinett from Mobile Press Register/al.com.

Good Day Gone Bad for Praytor REALTOR/DK-LOK Ford

A solid weekend for Thomas “Moose” Praytor and the DK-Lok Ford went bad very quickly, with the Moose clobbering the safer barrier during the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway.

Use this link for Fox Sports 1/SPEED Video: http://youtu.be/KgA7CiOaDVY

The Max Force/Hixson Motorsports team unloaded their REALTOR/DK-LOK Ford at Toledo with a lot of confidence coming off the first 2 short track races of the 2014 season. The weekend went to plan during practice with the car being just a little too free for qualifying. Praytor would start 18th but in good company starting behind 10 time Champion Frank Kimmel, who was celebrating the 20th anniversary of his first ARCA win that came at Toledo Speedway and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver John Wes Townley.

With the drop of the green flag Praytor simply glued his front bumper to the pair in front and started making laps and picking off cars. “Any time you get to follow Frank Kimmel you learn a lot,” said Praytor. As the laps ticked off the leaders came down pit road for tires at lap 55. Thinking it was too soon, the REALTOR/DK-LOK Ford stayed on track.

Another caution quickly after the first and Praytor came to pit road to free up what was now a tight race car. Back under green the Mobile, Alabama native, who was sporting a special #10 whodey sticker for his old teammate and newest Cincinnati Bengal AJ McCarron was on the move. “The adjustment really brought our REALTOR/DK/LOK Ford to life and it was the best ARCA car I’ve ever been in.” Not for long.

On lap 104 coming off turn 2 something in the front end broke sending the Moose head first towards the backstretch wall. “It felt like the front end just dropped, I thought I was going to hit the wall at the cross over gate but in keeping it off the gate it whipped around and I was just along for the ride.” Screaming backwards down the straight away Praytor eventually found the outside retaining wall really fast and really hard, turning the DK-LOK Fusion in to a hatchback.

“Really just not the kind of day we were looking for, our guys put together a solid effort all weekend and we continue to improve, the cars we were racing with finished 8th and 9th. We have a couple of weeks to heal up and then we’ll be making rights and left on the road course in New Jersey.”

Picture: Courtesy of Fox Sports 1

Praytor Toledo Preview #10whodey

MENARDS 200 PRESENTED BY FEDERATED CAR CARE-TOLEDO SPEEDWAY: As fate would have it, the ARCA Series presented by Menards is returning to Ohio the weekend after Thomas “Moose” Praytor’s former teammate AJ McCarron was selected to be the newest Cincinnati Bengal in the NFL Draft. “Really proud of AJ and all that he has accomplished, he’s going to be a great NFL Quarterback,” said Praytor. During the Menards 200 weekend Praytor will carry a special Orange & Black #10WhoDey sticker on his REALTOR/DK-Lok Ford. All team tweets for the weekend will carry #10whodey. “We’ve worked hard on our short track program and it’s paid dividends already this season. We’ve had some good runs but we’re looking to crack into the top 10 in Toledo.”

The Menards 200 presented by Federated Auto Care is a 2 day event with technical inspection, practice and Menards Pole qualifying on Saturday. The race is on Sunday at 1:00 CST with live race coverage on Fox Sports1. Live timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race will be on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 8th

MENARDS 200 PRESENTED BY FEDERATED CAR CARE SPONSORS: REALTORS, DK-Lok.

CAR: Roush Chassis #461, nickname “Black Betty”, as in the song. Black Betty is a new chassis to the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing stable in 2014 and is powered by Roush Yates horsepower. Praytor turned in his career best short track performance with Black Betty in her first outing at the ARCA Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway and followed it up with an 11th place finish at Salem.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 8th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore, to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: Black Betty racing teammate Karl Weber during ARCA Mobile 200. Picture courtesy of Ashley Rowe.

AIDB Race Fever Huge Success

While the race results for Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his REALTOR/Nudraulix Chevy weren’t exactly a home run, the Alabama Institute for the Deaf & Blind’s (AIDB) Annual Race Fever did hit it out of the park!

“This year we sold every ticket but 1. Going in we knew it was going to be a great year,” offered Jessica Parker, AIDB Assistant Director of Development. “With the help of a lot of great drivers, fans and volunteers we raised $110,000 at Race Fever 2014.”

“Race Fever is just an incredible event and we’re happy to be a small part of their success,” said Praytor. “The fans are incredible and the kids are awesome.”

The night is all fun and games until it’s time to race the ice chest, the Moose was looking for a little redemption after being schooled by former Auburn kicker Al De Greco in 2013. This year Praytor would face Richard Petty’s Dakota Armstrong, new face, new ice chest, same results, lost. “In my defense, the guy before me wrecked the heck out of the ice chest. The front wheel was just about gone.” Ashley Rowe’s pic does give Praytor some cover but he will have to wait until next year for another shot. Ice Chest 2-Praytor-0.

With a little help from NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip, Praytor’s McCarron helmet went for $1,600. “We couldn’t do the helmet without the G-Force donating the helmet and AJ signing it. I’m happy that it went for more money than last year and really proud of being able to contribute to AIDB.”

Praytor and his Max Force/Hixson Motorsports race team have the weekend off before heading to Toledo Speedway for the Federated Car Care 200 on Sunday May 18th, live on Fox Sports 1.

Pictures: Courtesy of Ashley Rowe

Top: Praytor signing autograph for one of the AIDB students.

Middle: (L) MRN’s Steve Post talking with Fame Recording Artist Holli Mosley. (R) The Moose trying to drive the motorized ice chest.

Bottom: Darrell Waltrip and Praytor auctioning off the McCarron/Praytor Helmet.

Praytor Brings Home Unscathed Realtor/Nudraulix Chevy At Talladega

Thomas “Moose” Praytor took the REALTOR/Nudraulix Chevy wire to wire without a scratch for a 22nd place finish in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200.

The goal for this year’s ARCA Series race at Talladega was to finish. Last year’s race ended in a destroyed race car and Praytor didn’t finish with mechanical issues in Daytona.

Just making the race seemed to be in question when in the new group qualifying the Moose pulled on the track with the pack and the clutch pedal went to the floor. With the pack disappearing in the front windshield. A few quick diagnostic moves inside the car and Praytor determined he could still get 4th and kept rolling.

With the pack gone Praytor had to slowly creep around the race track waiting for the group to come back so he could get in their draft and get a fast time. The touchy part is to go fast enough to be up to speed and slow enough for them to catch him.

With half the group session gone the pack finally caught the Moose and he was able to get a few laps at speed timing in the 28th position. The team stayed late to fix the car but the repairs would send the REALTOR/Nudraulix machine to the tail end of the field.

Starting at the tail end makes a for long day at Talladega, the tail end in a race that goes almost the entire race without a caution makes for a really long day! The 2014 installment of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega was almost flawless including green flag pit stops. Without the help of some cautions to gain track position Praytor was able to make up a few spots for a 22nd place finish.

“We really didn’t get the finish we were looking for today but the last few weeks we’ve learned a lot about drafting and restrictor plate racing. Being in the spot we were in today it gave me an opportunity to try a lot of different drafting moves. Our REALTOR/Nudraulix Chevy was solid all day we just needed a little help to get close to the lead pack and mix it up with the leaders. Really appreciate all the fan support in Alabama, just incredible our fans in Alabama really love racing. Congratulations to Tom Hessert on his first win at Talladega.”

Next up for Praytor and his Max Force/Hixson Motorsports Team, the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway on May 18th.

Picture Top: Couple of Mobile International Speedway drivers racing at Talladega Superspeedway, Grant Enfinger in the 90 and Praytor in the 2. Picture courtesy of Ashley Rowe.

Picture Bottom: Mobile’s FAME Recording artist Holli Mosley new single You Don’t Know Me on trunk deck at Talladega. Picture courtesy of Ashley Rowe.

Thomas “Moose” Praytor Talladega Preview

INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORTS HALL OF FAME 200-TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY: Thomas “Moose” Praytor has taken to restrictor plate racing running as high as 2nd in ARCA’s last 3 plate outings. “With the new group Menards Pole Qualifying for the first time this weekend we spent a lot of time working on our draft package and getting our REALTOR/Nudraulix Chevy to suck up in the draft,” offered Praytor. “We tried to draft with as many different types of cars and people we could during the test a couple of weeks ago. We drafted so much we blasted the paint off the nose. Our car seems to like the middle or out front it doesn’t like being the last one in the line.”

The International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 is part of Aarons Dream Weekend and is a 3 day event with technical inspection on Thursday, practice and “GROUP” Menards Pole Qualifying on Friday. The race on Saturday is part of a historic triple header at Talladega Superspeedway with live race coverage on Fox Sports1, Thunder 92.7 and arcaracing.com at 10:00 AM CST. Live timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race will be on ARCAracing.com.

ARCA Championship Standings: 7th

TALLADEGA SPONSORS: REALTORS, Nudraulix and Holli Mosley, “You Don’t Know Me”.

CAR: Hixson Chassis #4, nickname “Tigger”. Tigger was brand new in Daytona and broke a transmission taking the lead. The Moose and Tigger were the last car on the track during the ARCA Talladega test in April.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Currently 7th in the ARCA Championship standings, Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have only been 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks . In 2012, Praytor made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. Away from the track, Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. For the 2nd time the duo have teamed up, donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Picture: Praytor racing with Bobby Gerhart during the 2013 International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250.

FAME Studio’s Holli Mosley Teams with Praytor for Talladega

FAME Recording artist Holli Mosley will team up with Thomas “Moose” Praytor for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 at Talladega Superspeedway to promote her latest single “You Don’t Know Me”. The all Alabama collaboration of FAME, Mosley, and Praytor will be sweet music at racing’s biggest and most competitive track.

“Singing the National Anthem on Sunday in front of a packed house of race fans at Talladega was exhilarating. Having my face and my new single spinning around the track at 190 MPH is awesome!” said Mosley. “ Talladega and the Moose are a perfect way to start promoting my new single.” Mosley’s single, “You Don’t Know Me” is due out later this year.

Muscle Shoals, Alabama’s, FAME list of performers that have recorded songs published by Fame or recorded at Fame are legendary including artists such as Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Otis Redding, the Osmonds, Jerry Reed, Alabama, Mac Davis, the Gatlin Brothers, Bobbie Gentry, Tina Turner, Gary Allan, the Beatles, Jet, Elton John, Sara Evans, Ronnie Milsap, BB King, Tim McGraw, the Dixie Chicks, All 4 One, Earl Thomas Conley, Leann Rimes, Huey Lewis, Travis Tritt and now Holli Mosley. FAME's artists have sold over 350 million records worldwide.

“FAME is legendary not only in Alabama but around the world. Having their latest creation with Holli on the car is really cool for a driver from Alabama ,” offered Praytor. “Our Talladega effort is all about Alabama . The Alabama Realtors are on the hood, Mobile ’s Nudraulix on the Quarter Panels, and now Holli’s “You don’t Know Me” on the trunk deck. Always proud to be from Alabama , but racing at Talladega doesn’t get any bigger for an Alabama driver.”

ABOUT HOLLI MOSLEY: Holli is a Country singer from Mobile , Alabama , currently signed to FAME Studios. At 13, Holli was chosen to represent the State of Alabama in the National Singing Championship in Nashville , Tennessee , and in the same year was the youngest person to advance to the Regional Colgate Country Showdown. Holli has performed the National Anthem at the NASCAR Race in Talladega , Senior Bowl, Godaddy Bowl, and the ARCA Mobile 200. Holli has opened for Country Superstars Travis Tritt, Clay Walker, Rhett Aikens, and most recently Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean and Colt Ford. In 2010, Holli competed with over 1,500 people at The Wind Creek Casino’s “Sing Your Way To $100k” making her way to the finale as one of the top 2 finalists. FAME Studio, in Muscle Shoals, Alabama , plans to release her, self titled EP in 2014. The first single, “You Don’t Know Me,” will be released to radio this year.

PICTURE: Holli Mosley’s new album cover.

Praytor 11th in Wild Salem Shootout

Coming in to the Federated Auto Parts 200 presented by Crunch ‘N Nutter, Thomas “Moose” Praytor new his love/hate relationship would be put to the test, What Praytor and his REALTOR/Nudraulix team didn’t know, was how many times he was going to have to take the test.

Praytor’s three previous outings at Salem ended in wreck, wreck and no brakes, not exactly confidence builders. But the Moose has a fondness for old wore out racetracks and persistence pays off.

ARCA’s 95th installment at Salem Speedway will go down as one of the tightest fields in ARCA history at Salem Speedway with the first 20 cars being separated by less than half a second in Menards Pole Qualifying. Praytor would roll off 17th.

“Practice went well, we had a solid car off the trailer and we made a lot of changes that really brought “Black Betty” to life,” said Praytor. “This is only our second race with this car and we’re still learning what she likes. We were 5 tenths of a second faster than last year so we are headed in the right direction.”

With a solid car and a stout field the Max Force/Hixson Motorsports Team approached the race as a 15 round heavyweight slugfest and nothing would matter but the final bell.

“Our race plan was to use a lot of patience early on avoid the wrecks and try and set ourselves for the final 20 laps with a tire strategy that was different than the leaders. The race laid out just like we needed accept for the final 50 laps.”

When the leaders made their final stop taking their last 2 tires at lap 152, Praytor stayed out saving his last 2 tires hoping for a caution with about 20 to go. The race then proceeded to go green almost to the end when the final caution would setup a green white checkered finish. Praytor came to pit road for his final 2 tires.

“I knew the end was going to be wild and we were going to be digging for every spot. We went in to turn one and Schrader cut a tire and went into the wall. I eased up thinking there would be a caution but he was still rolling. I jumped back in the throttle and picked off Kyle Benjamin at the line but I wished we had a few more laps.” Praytor finished a Salem best of 11th.

“Our guys really worked hard all weekend we had great stops and they kept our REALTOR/Nudraulix Ford in contention. We’re a young team with a lot of young guys and everyone is getting better every week. Congratulations to Grant Enfinger and Team BCR on making it 3 in a row.”

It’s a short week for the REALTOR/Nudraulix team with ARCA teams checking in to Talladega Superspeedway for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 on Thursday. Saturday’s race will be part of a historic Triple Header Saturday with live coverage on Fox Sports 1.

It’s not just a race it’s TALLADEGA!

Picture: Praytor racing with Venturini Motorsports Cody Coughlin at Salem Speedway.

Praytor Part of Driver Ed Road-E-O

Every year the Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS) brings together the best student drivers from each high school to compete in the annual Driver Road-E-O. The event is designed to showcase each drivers skills learned during their driver education training with the student competing an obstacle course laid out at Ladd-Peebles Stadium with the best score taking home the top prize. Along with the best students, media members were invited from NBC 15, CBS 5, Fox 10 and a racecar driver, the Moose, Thomas Praytor. The students were meticulous, the media was cautious and the race car driver, well. “They said go and I floored it. I had a blast!” said Praytor. Needless to say the Moose didn’t win the technical competition but he did record the fastest time by about 2 minutes. “The course was really challenging, I don’t understand why my score was so low I didn’t hit any cones but I did have a little problem backing up. I tried to explain to my ride along instructor that when we go backwards in a race car it’s normally not good and I have my eyes closed. Congratulations to Kembreya Nickles from Davidson High School on winning this year’s Road-E-O.” After completing the obstacle course Praytor loaded his Realtor/Nudraulix Ford into the Max Force/Hixson Motorsports Hauler and started the trek to Salem, Indiana for the Federated Auto parts 200 presented by Crunch ‘N Nutter at Salem Speedway.

Federated Auto Parts 200 presented by Crunch 'N Nutter SCHEDULE & RACE COVERAGE: Practice and Menards Pole Qualifying are on Saturday April 26th with the Federated Auto Parts 200 Presented by Crunch ‘N Nutter rolling off at 1:15 CST on Sunday. Live timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race will be on ARCAracing.com along with the Radio broadcast.

Picture: The Moose in the MCPSS Driver Ed car during the Road-E-O.

Praytor/Salem Love/Hate Repeat

Federated Auto Parts 200 presented by Crunch 'N Nutter: Thomas “Moose” Praytor and Salem Speedway’s Love/Hate relationship continues this weekend. “I absolutely love racing at Salem but there are times I think it hates me,” offered Praytor. Sunday’s federated Auto Parts 200 presented by Crunch ‘N Nutter will be the Mobile, Alabama drivers 4th trip to the high banks of Salem, the first 3 trips had less than spectacular results, crash, crash and 33 laps down. “Things are looking up, we finished the last time we were here.” Tenacity defines racing at Salem. “Growing up on a rough old race track like Pensacola’s 5 Flags Speedway is the perfect proving ground to race at Salem. Throw in a patch bigger than your car, magnify the degree of difficulty by about 5 and you’re ready to race at Salem. I can’t wait for our Realtor/Nudraulix Ford to get back on track.”

SALEM SCHEDULE & RACE COVERAGE: Practice and Menards Pole Qualifying are on Saturday April 26th with the Federated Auto Parts 200 Presented by Crunch ‘N Butter rolling off at 1:15 CST on Sunday. Live timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race will be on ARCAracing.com along with the Radio broadcast.

Federated Auto Parts 200 presented by Crunch 'N Nutter Sponsors: REALTORS and Nudraulixs www.nudraulix.com

CURRENT ARCA SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS: 8th

CAR: Roush Chassis #461, nickname “Black Betty”, as in the song. Black Betty, is another new chassis to the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing stable in 2014 and is powered by Roush Yates horsepower. Praytor turned in his career best short track performance with Black Betty in her first outing at the ARCA Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway in March.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have been only 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. In 2012, Moose made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks. Away from the track Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. In 2013 the duo teamed up donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. It was such a a popular auction item they are doing it again in 2014. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

Picture: Praytor in Max Force Racing/Hixson Motorsports Chevy on track during last years Federated Auto Parts 200 at Salem Speedway.

Praytor REALTOR/Nudraulix Chevy Wrap Talladega Testing

The REALOR/Nudraulix Chevrolet was the last car to leave the racing surface at Talladega Superspeedway to end 2 days of testing for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200. “A lot of teams went home early but our Max Force/Hixson Motorsports team used every minute to learn all we could about our Talladega car. This isn’t just a race for us it’s TALLADEGA!” said Thomas “Moose” Praytor. “Tigger (Hixson Chassis #4) was new at Daytona and we are continuing to learn about our new speedway car. We feel like we still have a ways to go but we are gaining on our drafting package. I really appreciate Austin Wayne Self and the guys at Cunningham hanging around for us to have a drafting partner late Thursday afternoon. I’m looking forward to having our REALTOR/Nudraulix Chevy in a 30 car pack and see how well she drafts.” After 2 days of testing Praytor was next in line behind 10 time ARCA Series Champion, Frank Kimmel, on the speed chart.

The ARCA Series presented by Menards goes from testing at the biggest track on the tour to one of its most challenging on April 27th for the Federated Auto Parts 200 presented by Crunch ‘N Nutter at Salem Speedway fueled by the Hoosier Lottery.

Picture: Jessica Parker from the Alabama Institute of Deaf and Blind (AIDB) with Praytor holding the McCarron Racing replica helmet signed by Praytor & McCarron. The helmet will be auctioned off as part of AIDBs Race Fever Auction Friday night before the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200.

First Day of Drafting Tight For Praytor At Talladega

A full day of testing at Talladega Superspeedway put Thomas "Moose" Praytor and his Realtor/DK-LOK Chevy 13th on the speed chart at just over 180 miles per hour. "We really put a lot of effort in to our Realtor/DK-LOK Chevy getting it to "suck up" in the draft. As you can see from the picture we were able to get really tight to the cars in front of us and we blasted all the paint off the front of the car," offered Praytor. We quit a little early today to make some serious changes in the drive train for tomorrow." ARCA Series testing for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 continues tomorrow at Talladega Superpseedway.

Picture: Nose of Realtor/DK-LOK Chevy after a day of drafting at Talladega. The nose started the day blue and has been sandblasted off by close drafting behind other cars.

Praytor Testing at Talladega

Mobile, Alabama’s Thomas “Moose” Praytor will take part in the ARCA Series presented by Menards test at Talladega Superspeedway, Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 slated for Saturday May, 3rd. Praytor has run as high as 2nd in his last 3 restrictor plates outings and is looking forward to Aarons Dream Weekend at Talladega. “Talladega is so much fun, the track is so smooth, you’re wide open and 3 wide most of the day,” offered Praytor. “The draft at Talladega is crazy, bouncing off of each and getting slammed in the back by another guy trying to give you a shove. It’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on!” Praytor will be testing Hixson Chassis 4, nickname Tigger, the same car the Max Force Hixson Motorsports Team raced at Daytona.

As part of the weekend’s activities Praytor and former teammate AJ McCarron have autographed a McCarron replica racing helmet, Praytor wore during the ARCA Mobile 200 and the Talladega test that will be donated to the Alabama Institute of the Deaf and Blind Race Fever Charity Auction on Friday night at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. “With the race on Saturday we can enjoy Race Fever on Friday night. The kids are tremendous and the fans are off the hook, I really enjoy being able to be part of the festivities.”

The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is part of Aarons Dream Weekend at racing’s most competitive track on May 3rd 4th and 5th with the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200, Saturday May 3rd. The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 and WTDR Thunder 92.7 with streaming of radio, live timing and scoring on arcaracing.com.

Pictures: Josh Williams and Praytor drafting 3 wide, the duo were as high as 1-2.

Praytor and McCarron with McCarron racing replica racing helmet at ARCA Mobile 200.

Picture courtesy of Ashley Rowe.

It’s Dega Time! Ride With the Moose.
It’s not just a race it’s Talladega!

Thanks to our tire sponsors in Daytona the Moose rumbled up to the front and proved our Mobile based team could run with the big boys. This time we’re in Alabama, this time it’s Talladega! It’s time to ride with the Moose at Talladega for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 by becoming a tire sponsor. At $2,000.00 for a set of 4 tires, Superspeedway tires are the most expensive tires on the tour. The Moose needs 2 sets for Talladega and we’re looking for 8 sponsors at $500/tire! Each tire sponsor will receive a Max Force Racing Work Shirt and their 4x6 sticker by the rear tire well on both sides of the car. If you rumbled with the Moose in Daytona it’s time to Tango at Talladega. If you haven’t danced yet, what are you waiting for?

It’s live on Fox Sports 1 on May 3rd!

Help turn the Moose Loose!

Name___________________________________________________________

Street Address_________________________City_______State_____Zip_____

I would like to sponsor: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 tires at Talladega or __________

What I want on my sticker:




You can either mail a check or we can put it on your Mastercard or Visa

CC#______________________________Exp Date_______CVV code_____

Mail a check to Max Force Racing, 4742 Airport Blvd, Mobile, AL 36608

Praytor/McCarron Helmet Part of Mobile Exhibit in Oklahoma

The AJ McCarron racing helmet Thomas “Moose” Praytor wore during the ARCA Mobile 200 that will end up on the auction block at the Alabama Institute of the Deaf and Blind Race Fever Charity Auction during Aarons Dream Weekend at Talladega Superspeedway has taken a detour to Oklahoma City as part of the National Association of Sports Commissions Symposium.

The Mobile Sports Authority in conjunction with the Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau are hosting The Event Owner Locker Room and have taken a few slices of Mobile out to Oklahoma including Praytor’s Helmet and the iconic ARCA Mobile 200 Jukebox as part of their display.

“It’s an honor they asked for my helmet to help promote Mobile. The Sports Authority and the Convention and Visitors Bureau are doing a heck of a job in selling Mobile as a sports destination city,” offered Praytor. “In just the last few years they have been instrumental in bringing the ARCA Series to Mobile, Olympic Boxing, The Great Race, Biggest Loser the list just goes on and on. Really proud to be part of their team.”

After back to back racing weekends Praytor and his Max Force/Hixson Motorsports Team are enjoying a weekend off of competition but not from the race shop. The team is working on the Realtor/DK LOK Chevy, Hixson Chassis #4 “Tigger” preparing for the Talladega test slated for April 15 & 16 and prepping a bruised up “Black Betty” from the ARCA Mobile 200 for the Federated Auto Parts 200 presented by Crunch’N Nutter at The Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery.

Praytor Passes Cars & Kidney Stone Posting 2 Top 10s

What was supposed to be a fun Saturday night in front of the home town fans in the 95 KSJ 95 for Thomas “Moose” Praytor turned into an excruciating day of pain and a top 10, then into another day of racing at Pensacola’s 5 Flags Speedway and another top 10 in the Allen Turner Hyundai 100.

95 KSJ 95 Mobile International Speedway Saturday

The weekend started out normal enough with testing on Thursday night and our Max Force/Hixson Motorsports team prepping the Mobile Lumber/G Force Ford for Saturday nights 95 KSJ 95 at Mobile International Speedway. Friday night’s race in Pensacola was rained out and postponed to Sunday pushing a huge field of cars to Mobile for Saturday night.

Weather wasn’t the only problem the team would face on Saturday, Praytor started the day doubled over in pain with a kidney stone and his status was in question. While the Moose stayed at home the team finished the car, loaded the trailer and headed to the track not knowing if he would make it. “Thomas was really sick and I didn’t think he was going to make it. Fortunately for us, Adam Crawford has been helping in the shop the last few weeks and I knew Adam could fill in for whatever Thomas couldn’t do, practice, qualifying and even race,” said Tommy Praytor.

The Moose made it to the track in time for practice and was able to get through the hour long practice session. Praytor worked through the pain and qualified the car in the field at 14th. Between qualifying and the race the kidney stone finally passed and while not 100% Praytor was ready for 95 laps.

The Mobile Lumber/G Force Ford was solid from the drop of the green flag but developed a motor issue 10 laps in. “The motor had a flutter in it under power and we just couldn’t keep pace with the leaders,” offered Praytor. By the midway point Praytor was a lap down looking for a caution so the team could diagnose the motor problem. “We finally got a caution and the guys narrowed it down to an electrical or fuel issue. They threw what they could at it under caution and it helped some but we were still struggling.” back under green the Moose worked his way back into the free pass position to get his lap back under the next caution.

Praytor was soon back on the lead lap but the motor still wasn’t fully cooperating. The good news was since he hadn’t been running wide open Praytor had a lot of tire left while everyone elses was going away. With better rubber Moose rumbled up to 6th with 3 to go and there was a caution.

“Before the caution I thought I had finally used up me right rear, I was slipping and sliding around pretty good. When we went green again I realized the right rear wasn’t used up it was flat.”

As the field bailed off in to turn 1 Praytor went spinning across and off the racetrack not before being tagged in the passenger door. The team replaced the right rear and back under green Praytor was able to pass all the way back up to 8th.

“Really a disappointing finish, it looked like we had a top 5 in our sights and it just went away. Great job by the guys, there is no better medicine than a racecar!”

The right side of the car had been crushed during the flat tire spin and was just one of the laundry list of problems with the car at the end of the race. The group worked well into the morning hours to finish out an unplanned double at Pensacola on Sunday.

Allen Turner Hyundai 100 5 Flags Speedway Sunday

Friday night’s rainout was rescheduled for a 2:00 start on Sunday at Pensacola’s 5 Flags Speedway which meant an early check in for a group that had worked well into the night/morning.

“We had only planned on Saturday night at Mobile but I was feeling better and the team was pumped up for 5 Flags. The first couple of laps on the old worn out track I knew we had a good car.”

The Mobile Lumber/G Force Fusion was solid on the track but not as fast on the stop watch as the team was looking for. Working on used tires form the night before, the Moose searched for the right feel on the track and ignored the stopwatch. “The clock said we were slow but my butt told me were good.”

Sunday was opening day for the Allen Turner Snowflake Series that builds to the Snowball Derby weekend. The field of cars resembled the field that would be back the first weekend in December, stout! Praytor timed in the 19th position.

The race started with a long green flag run to the halfway point and the Moose had picked his way up to 14th. “Our Mobile Lumber/G Force Ford was just solid I could put it anywhere it needed to be and it never moved. At 5 Flags the surface is about rough as you can get, it just chews tires up and you need to conserve as much as you can.”

The first 50 laps were green but the last 50 had it share of cautions but as the race went on Praytor got faster. After saving his tire for the first half of the race Praytor picked up the pace and by the end of the race was running 3 tenths of a second faster than the first half picking off cars as the laps wound down.

“We got up to Johanna (Long Nationwide driver) and Harrison (Burton NASCAR driver Jeff Burtons son) and that’s just all we had.” Praytor finished 9th.

“We had a really fun weekend, the guys worked their butts off all week long to make it happen and we had a good time. A couple of top 10s and a whole race car is always a good double header weekend on the coast.”

Next up: From short tracks to Superspeedway, testing at Talladega April 16 &17th.

Picture: Praytor working traffic during the Allen Turner Hyundai 100 at Pensacola 5 Flags Speedway on Sunday. Picture courtesy of Ashley Rowe.

Moose Tested & Ready to Go for 95 KSJ 95

With nearly 3 years since Thomas “Moose” Praytor last Midwest Cooling Towers Pro-late model start, the team used Thursday nights practice to knock the rust off the Moose and his Mobile Lumber Late Model.

“We’ve had a lot of fun in the shop this week putting the Pro car back together. It’s actually our Super car with the Pro motor in it. The Pro car is still in pieces from the 2011 Snowball,” said Praytor. “I’m really glad we practiced, I made a few laps and felt pretty good inside the car that we were fast, I hit my marks and the car felt good. Then my Dad keyed his mic and asked what was wrong. I was driving it like my ARCA car and without the horsepower the ARCA car had I had to get up on the wheel.”

Practice was shortened by rain but gave the Moose and his Max Force/Hixson Motorsports team a chance to shake down the car. “We had a lot to work through with basically a new car. Thanks to the guys at Professional Engine for going through the motor for us this week, it was as strong as ever.”

Even with a shortened practice, the 2008 US Army Pro Late Model Rookie of the Year quickly returned to late model form and was clipping off laps around Mobile International Speedway. “I had a lot of fun, the guys gave me a nice Mobile Lumber machine and I’m really looking forward to Saturday.”

Racing starts at 7:00PM on Saturday night with fans getting $5 off grandstand admission if they bring their ARCA ticket stub.

Praytor Files Entry for 95 KSJ 95

Thomas “Moose” Praytor will join a stout field of Midwest Cooling Towers Late Models this weekend at Mobile International Speedway for the 95 KSJ 95 on Saturday night.

Currently 8th in the ARCA Series Championship standings and coming off a solid ARCA Mobile 200 Praytor has the weekend off from ARCA competition and is looking forward to Late Model racing at his home track.

“I got my first Late Model start in the inaugural 95 KSJ 95, I’ll never forget it. I started right behind Ronnie Sanders, the man is a racing legend. All my Dad told me before the race was follow him,” said Praytor. “I’m not really sure how good a car we’re going to have. It’s been a while since we ran any of our late model gear. We our piecing together 2 cars to make 1 but I love racing at Mobile, the fans are incredible.”

Racing starts at 7:00 on Saturday night and adults that bring their ARCA Mobile 200 ticket will get $5.00 off their grandstand admission.

Praytor Turns in Best Short Track Performance at Mobile

Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his Max Force Racing/Hixson Motorsports team have had the ARCA Mobile 200 circled on their calendar since the close of the 2013 season at Kansas Speedway.

During the off season the team acquired a special short track Roush Chassis 461, nicknamed Black Betty, and a fresh Roush Yates Motor just to improve their chances at Mobile International Speedway.

“Daytona and Talladega are big races but there isn’t a bigger race for our race team than the ARCA Mobile 200,” offered Praytor. “We want to put on a good show in front of our home town fans, so we put a lot of effort in to our Mobile car.”

The first short track race of the year is a lot like Daytona, teams have been working on their cars for months and everyone brings their best piece to Mobile.

Twenty different drivers had tested at the Speedway in preparation for the ARCA Mobile 200 including Praytor. Two days of testing produced a solid balance for the Realtor/Nudraulix Ford and the Mobile/Soddy Daisy team entered race weekend with high expectations.

“Black Betty was a little tight off the hauler and we worked on freeing it up. We went a little too far for qualifying and we made some changes to our Realtor/Nudraulix Ford to start the race.”

Starting 17th Praytor was on the move with the drop of the green flag. Mobile’s Grant Enfinger dominated the race on his way to winning back to back Juke Boxes. While 2nd through 20th raced hard to see who would be the runner up.

Praytor held his own just outside the top 10 during the early portion of the race and a bad set of tires would put the Moose a lap down during the middle portion of the 200 lap event. With fresh rubber for the last segment of the race, Praytor was on the move getting his lap back and picking up spots on the race track. In a wild green white checkered finish the Moose drove his Realtor/Nudraulix Ford up to 11th finishing on the lead lap.

“We had a tough time getting grip with our Realtor/Nudraulix Ford all day. Our guys worked hard, they never gave up, we kept making changes and with 50 to go Black Betty came to life and we had a really good car. We were better on the long runs, the short restarts and cautions at the end kept us from gaining more spots. Traffic was wild and the racing was insane I hope the fans enjoyed a great show. All in all it was great weekend for our race team, we wanted to move our program up a notch and it showed with our first short track lead lap finish. The fans were incredible this weekend, there is no place like home. Congratulations to Mobile’s Grant Enfinger and Team BCR, those guys are on fire!”

Picture: Praytor Racing with teammate Karl Weber. Picture courtesy of Ashley Rowe, the official photographer of the ARCA Mobile 200.

Praytor Rolls Off 17th for ARCA Mobile 200

Weeks of work in the shop followed by days of testing paid off for Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing team as Praytor timed in the 17th starting position. “Our test really paid dividends and while it didn’t really show on the speed chart we have a nice Realtor/Nudraulix Ford for the race,” said Praytor. Praytor is one of only 9 drivers to have competed in every ARCA Mobile 200 followed and one of 3 Mobile International Speedway regulars in today’s race. “We made all the races last year and traveled all over the country but there is nothing like coming home and racing in front of the home town fans!”

Today’s prerace show is highlighted by American Idols Megan Miller and Praytor’s former teammate AJ McCarron will give the command to start todays running of the ARCA Mobile 200. The field is set to roll off this afternoon at 2:00PM.

Picture: Reealtor/Nudraulix Ford during practice for the ARCA Mobile 200

Praytor Flying Realtor/Nudraulix Colors for Mobile

ARCA Mobile 200: Thomas “Moose” Praytor made his first ARCA start at the inaugural ARCA Mobile 200 in 2012 and with his start in 2014 will be one of only 9 drivers that have competed in every ARCA race at Mobile International Speedway. “Every ARCA start is an honor but it’s extra special to be in front of the home town fans that have supported me since I was 8,” said Praytor. For the second year Praytor will wear an AJ McCarron style race helmet that he and his old team mate will autograph and donate to the Alabama Institute of Deaf and Blind Race Fever Auction during Aarons Dream weekend at Talladega. “Every year we’ve improved our equipment for the ARCA Mobile 200 and this year we have a new car that we spent 2 days testing to get dialed in. This weekend is a big effort for our team and we have high expectations.”

The ARCA Mobile 200 is the culmination of the Fastest Week in Alabama. Teams wills be at the USS Alabama on Thursday night with the Causeway Seafood Jubilee followed by the Home Mortgage America Green Flag Party at Grand Central on Dauphin Street. Friday its time to get down to business with practice and qualifying for the ARCA cars with the local divisions racing on Friday night. Saturday is an hour long autograph session with the drivers and the green flag flying at 2:00 PM CST for the ARCA Mobile 200. Live timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race will be on ARCAracing.com with live radio coverage on WNTM 701 and arcaracing.com.

MOBILE PRIMARY SPONSORS: Realtors and Nudraulixs www.nudraulix.com .

CAR: Roush Chassis #461, nickname “Black Betty”, as in the song. Black Betty is another new chassis to the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing stable. The Moose spent 2 days testing Black Betty at Mobile International Speedway and is powered by Roush Yates horsepower.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have been only 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. In 2012, Moose made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks. Away from the track Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. In 2013 the duo teamed up donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore at Daytona and Talladega to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

Picture: Praytor and AJ McCarron with 2013 replica helmet.

Praytor Ready to Get Back to Sweet Home Alabama

After two days of testing at Mobile International Speedway Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his Max Force/Hixson Motorsports team enter race week for the ARCA Mobile 200 ready to get down to business. “Having an opportunity to test is rare for our race team but it is Mobile!” said Praytor. “We’re bringing a new car, new motor and the best of everything we have to our home track.”

Roush Chassis 461(former Carl Edwards car), nickname Black Betty, powered by a fresh Roush Yates Motor was put through its paces Friday and Saturday at Mobile International Speedway prepping for the ARCA Mobile 200. “The ARCA Mobile 200 is an old fashioned throw down, bring all you got and hope you brought enough! I don’t know if we have enough but our team is bringing all we got. Our guys have worked really hard on getting this car ready for Mobile and I watched 2 old guys throw every trick they knew at it for 2 days, even Frank Kimmel came over and helped.” Kimmel would make 3.

The Fastest Week in Alabama is filled with activities, Tuesday is testing for the local teams, followed by the 95 KSJ St. Judes Putt Putt Tournament on Wednesday night. Thursday starts at the USS Alabama before heading to the Causeway for the Seafood Jubilee and the Home Mortgage of America Green flag Party at Grand Central. Friday is all on track with The Mosquito Patch Pole Night and the ARCA Mobile 200 on Saturday.

Picture: Black Betty diving in to turn 1 during testing for the ARCA Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. Picture courtesy of Ashley Rowe the Official Photographer of the ARCA Mobile 200.

Praytor To Run McCarron Race Helmet then Donate
To Alabama Institute Deaf and Blind Race Fever Charity Auction

AJ McCarron has been named the Grand Marshall of the ARCA Mobile 200 and Thomas “Moose” Praytor will race a McCarron helmet at Mobile International Speedway and then donate it to the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blinds (AIDB) Race Fever at the SPEED Channel Dome at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega Superspeedway.

This is the second year for Praytor and McCarron to team up for AIDB but it’s not the first time they were teammates. The duo played together at St. Paul’s High School in Mobile, Alabama winning a State Title in 2007.

“The Moose and his helmet were a big hit last year and we’re looking forward to having them back,” said Jessica Parker, Assistant Director of Development AIDB. “Football is big in Alabama and we are known for unique auction items it doesn’t get any better than this.”

"Race Fever is one of the coolest events during Aarons Dream Weekend at Talladega. The fans are incredible, the kids are awesome and I’m looking for an Ice Chest rematch with Al Del Greco!” offered Praytor. The Moose lost a head to head motorized ice chest race with Del Greco last year. “Friday nights Race Fever is not just the place to be at Talladega it’s a great way to give back.”

AIDB Race Fever is Friday May 2nd with the doors opening at 5:00 PM, tickets are available at www.racefever.org.

The International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 is part of a triple header Saturday of Dream Weekend at Talladega Superspeedway May 3rd & 4th. The race will be broadcast live on Speed TV and hosted on radio by Thunder 92.7 at 10:00 AM CST. The radio broadcast along with timing and scoring will be streamed live on www.arcaracing.com.

AIDB-The Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind is the nation’s most comprehensive education, rehabilitation and employment system serving children and adults who are deaf, blind and multidisabled with a myriad of programs designed just for them. For more than a century and a half, AIDB has been investing in the lives of thousands of infants, toddlers, children, adults and seniors who are challenged by hearing and vision loss. With five campuses and eight regional centers throughout Alabama, AIDB’s business is personal.
 

Pictures:

Top: AJ McCarron and Praytor at 2013 ARCA Mobile 200 with McCarron Helmet.
Middle: NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip and Praytor auctioning off McCarron Helmet at last year’s AIDB Race Fever.
Bottom: Al Del Greco and Praytor racing ice chest at the Speed Dome in 2013.
All pictures courtesy of Ashley Rowe

Daytona In Rear View-Praytor Full Speed Ahead for Mobile

Thomas “Moose” Praytor leaves a bittersweet ARCA season opener in Daytona having broken a transmission at the front of the pack during the Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real. “Really would like to have seen what we could do in the lead but I guess it will have to wait until Talladega,” offered Praytor. “Mobile is up next and we’re excited about the car we’re bringing to our home track.” Praytor’s Max Force/Hixson Motorsports team is preparing Chassis RK-461for the ARCA Mobile 200 on March 22nd. RK-461 is a former Roush, Carl Edwards car designed especially for short track action and will have a fresh Roush Yates Engine under the hood. “We are not quite on 24/7 status yet but we are getting close to being there at our shop in Mobile. Our team has made a major jump forward with our new short track car and I’m looking forward to getting it on the track.” The open test for the ARCA Mobile 200 is slated for March 15th and is open to the public free of charge.

Praytor and his DK-LOK Chevy that he drove at Daytona will be at Nudraulix at 9:00 AM on Friday February 28th for a special autograph session with DK-LOK Distributors from around the United States.

Daytona Heartbreak-Praytor Breaks Taking Lead

Thomas “Moose” Praytor wheeled the ARCA Mobile 200/DK-LOK Chevy from 34th to 2nd in the Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real at Daytona International Speedway. Praytor took the lead on a restart until the transmission broke sending him tumbling back through the field relegating the Max Force/Hixson Motorsports team to a 31st place finish.

Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway got off to a slow start for Thomas “Moose” Praytor and his Max Force/Hixson Motorsports team with the ARCA Mobile 200/DK-LOK Chevy looking for speed on the speed chart from the first practice session. “We were really disappointed during practice, we had a lot more speed in our ARCA Mobile 200/DK-LOK Chevy during the test,” said Praytor. “Our guys never let up and we kept working. We got some of the speed back for qualifying but had to use happy hour on Saturday morning to keep looking for speed in the draft.”

Starting 34th with 5 top 10 cars that were disqualified after qualifying behind you, there are several strategy options, go with that group on the start or wait until after the first big wreck and then go. As luck would have it Maryeve Dufault’s spotter, former ARCA driver and current Cup spotter, Rick Carelli and the Moose’s spotter are longtime friends and the pair struck a deal to hang out drafting together until after the first big wreck. “Maryeve did a great job drafting and we tried it several different ways, her pushing or me in the back to find out which way was fastest when it was time to go.”

The race laid out to plan and the big wreck happened letting Praytor and Dufault leap frog from 20th to the front row using pit strategy. “We ended up on the front row and I felt really good about our chances, we knew we could draft with Mary Eve if I got hung out but I was looking for a big push from Dylan (Kwasniewski) and Grant (Enfinger) who were lined up behind me in my lane.” The new double file ARCA restart format allows the outside row to go when the leader fires allowing the outside lane to pass before the start finish line leaving Praytor in a typical Mobile International Speedway shootout position and the short track racer took advantage. “I heard her hit the gas and I was already rolling pretty good and I felt like I had her cleared when I shifted to 4th and our race was over.” The transmission broke and while the shifter would go in 4th gear it wouldn’t engage ending the Moose’s day. “Just a sick feeling, the guys behind me did a really good job getting around me without causing a huge wreck.”

“Congratulations to Grant Enfinger, Howard (Bixman car owner) and the entire Team BCR Team, those guys really had a great weekend. Proud of our team, we have some new guys and everybody worked their butts off, they never gave up. Can’t thank everyone enough that came on board to help with tires. Really appreciate DK-LOK stepping up to take up a big role in our Daytona effort.”

Praytor has now run 2nd in the last 3 restrictor plate races. Next up for the Max Force/Hixson Motorsports team is the ARCA Mobile 200 on March 22nd.

Picture: Moose taking the lead at Daytona International Speedway. Courtesy of Ashley Rowe official photographer of the ARCA Mobile 200.

Praytor Squeaks ARCA Mobile 200/DK-LOK

Chevy into Daytona Field

In an almost instant replay of the 2013 Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real, Thomas “Moose” Praytor qualified for the 2014 version in the exact spot, 32nd and with almost the exact time as 2013. “The results may look the same but the effort by our Max Force/Hixson Motorsports team to get our ARCA Mobile 200/DK-LOK in the race has been incredible,” offered Praytor. “Since the last practice we changed everything in the drive train but the motor. Carburetor, transmission and the gear were all changed this morning before qualifying. We have a small window for drafting practice in the morning then good or bad we’ll line up and race tomorrow afternoon.”

The Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real, ARCA’s 51st race at Daytona is Saturday, February 15th at 3:00 CST. Live timing and scoring will be available on ARCAracing.com with live television coverage from Fox Sports 1.

Picture: ARCA Mobile 200/DK-LOK Chevy on track at Daytona International Speedway. Photo courtesy of Ashley Rowe, the official photographer of the ARCA Mobile 200.

ARCA Mobile 200/DK-LOK Fuel Praytor For Daytona

LUCAS OIL 200 presented by MAVTV AMERICAN REAL-DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY: After qualifying 32nd last year, Thomas “Moose” Praytor rumbled through the field up to as high as 2nd, spending the majority of the race battling with the leaders. Lacking 2 gallons of gas to finish Praytor had to make a late pit stop relegating the ARCA Rookie to a 22nd finishing position. “Last year was almost surreal. We were here for the first time, it was our car from our shop in Mobile, Alabama, our goal was to just make the race and the next thing you know I’m 2nd behind 8 time winner Bobby Gerhardt!” said Praytor. “What a day! Racing with Gerhardt and John Wes Townley was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about the draft from some real veterans.” The Moose returns to Daytona with a new car, a full years worth of ARCA experience and a fresh set of goals. “Last year we were just trying to get in the race, this year we’ve raised the bar a little higher. We had a solid test with our new chassis putting it in the top 10 on the speed chart in December. Hopefully we can get our ARCA Mobile 200/DK-LOK Chevy in the top 10 in the race!

The Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real is a 4 day event with technical inspection on Wednesday, practice-Thursday, Menards Pole Qualifying is Friday and ARCA’s 51st race at Daytona on Saturday, February 15th at 3:00 CST. Live timing and scoring for practice, qualifying and the race will be on ARCAracing.com with live television coverage from Fox Sports 1.

DAYTONA SPONSORS: ARCA Mobile 200, www.arcamobile200.com and DK-LOK Fittings & Valves www.dklokusa.com.

CAR: Hixson Chassis #4, nickname “Tigger”. Tigger is a brand new Chevy to the Hixson Motorsports/Max Force Racing stable. The Moose put Tigger through its paces during the test in December. The new ride posted the 3rd fastest time on Sunday and the 10th fastest time of 77 drivers during the 3 day test.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have been only 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. In 2012, Moose made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks. Away from the track Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. In 2013 the duo teamed up donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore at Daytona and Talladega to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

Picture: Praytor battling with 2013 Daytona winner John Wes Townley.

DK-Lok Fittings & Valves Connect With Praytor for Daytona

DK-LOK USA joins Thomas “Moose” Praytor as a major associate sponsor for the Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real at Daytona International Speedway. The distinctive DK-LOK logo will adorn the Mobile, Alabama natives quarter panels for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season opener on February 15th.

“We’re excited to be a part of turning the Moose loose at Daytona. This is a great opportunity to expose DK-LOK Fittings and Valves to a national TV audience,” said Bob Slaughter, President of DK-LOK USA. “Who better to do carry our DK-LOK colors than Mobile’s own, Thomas Praytor. Last year he went from 34th to 2nd and he is fun to watch on the racetrack.”

The Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real at Daytona International Speedway will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 at 3:00 CST on February 15th.

“Daytona is a special place and to get the support of one our homegrown companies for the biggest race of the year is incredible,” offered Thomas “Moose” Praytor. “DK-LOK has grown from a small Mobile based firm to shipping fittings internationally. Hopefully we can fit our ARCA Mobile 200/DK-LOK Chevy close to the front.”

About DK-LOK USA: Founded in 1986, DK-LOK Fittings and Valves supply industrial applications from analytical and process instrumentation, gas, power generation, petrochemical processing, ship building to semiconductor manufacturing. DK-LOK tube fittings, instrument pipe & weld fittings, and valves are manufactured to stringent industry standards. With the use of only the highest grade raw material and 1/1000" tolerance control on each and every part, DK-LOK assures a leak-tight seal in all process, power, and instrumentation applications. DK-LOK USA is a Mobile, Alabama based firm operating nationally and internationally.

THOMAS “MOOSE” PRAYTOR: Praytor is coming off a stellar Rookie season that should have been only 3 races but under the watchful eye of veteran ARCA car owner Wayne Hixson turned into a full season. The Moose finished 9th in the Championship standings and collected the AG Adcox Sportsmanship Award in 2013. Along the way the all volunteer team collected 3 top 10s, was the 2nd driver in the Fast Track Driver Challenge, 3rd in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, 4th in the S & S Volvo Laps Completed Award and 4th in the Scotts Rookie Challenge. In 2012, Moose made his first ARCA start in the inaugural ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway. He also raced in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega with Andy Belmont Racing and rounded out the season with a couple of starts for Venturini Motorsports. The Moose started cutting his racing teeth at 8 years old on short tracks across the Southeast, racking up local and state titles along the way. The Moose and his Max Force Racing Team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast in 2011 for competing in every Late Model (Pro & Super) Race at Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finishing in the top 10 in the Championship standings at both tracks. Away from the track Praytor was one of AJ McCarron’s centers through grade school and high school winning a state title in 2007. In 2013 the duo teamed up donating a specially prepared McCarron replica racing helmet that Praytor wore at Daytona and Talladega to the Alabama Institute of Deaf & Blind for their annual Race Fever auction. For more on the Moose- www.maxforceracing.com.

HIXSON MOTORSPORTS/MAX FORCE RACING: Max Force Racing is based out of Mobile, Alabama and is fielding cars in its 17th season of competition. Max Force teamed with another home grown operation, Hixson Motorsports with 4 decades of experience in the ARCA Series from Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is the second year of the combined effort.

Daytona Car Taking Shape In Paint Booth

After 3 days of testing at Daytona International Speedway, the latest addition to the Max Force Racing/Hixson Motorsports racing stable (Chassis #4 “Tigger”) was back in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee for some body work and a paint job. “We spent most of Sunday morning in the tech line at the test with the ARCA officials going over every template to make sure we got all we could get on the body. As you can see from the picture there were a few spots we had some “issues” on,” said Thomas “Moose” Praytor. Former ARCA Series rookie of the year Ron Cox has been leading the body work in Tennessee. “Having Ron massaging the body is a huge plus, you know it’s going to be slick. While Ron’s been doing the body work, we pulled the motor out and Wayne tweaked it on the dyno, we’re not leaving any stone unturned for Daytona.” After a fresh coat of paint, the motor will be reinstalled and Tigger will come to the Mobile shop for final race prep and sponsor stickers.

The Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real is slated for Saturday, February 15th with the green flag flying at 3:00 PM CST. The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 with live timing and scoring during practice and the race at ARCAracing.com.