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Team UXC is a major force in GNCC racing

K&N-sponsored Team UXC competes in both the ATV and UTV classes of the GNCC. This year’s series offered a bit of a twist at the beginning of the schedule. The change created a staggered start for the ATV and UTV classes.

“To change things up a bit, Big Buck in South Carolina was our first destination, making the Hog Waller mud bog in Florida round 2,” Swift said. “It also meant our UTVs would not be making an appearance until Round 2.”

Here is a look at the first two round of the GNCC for Team UXC.

Team UXC owner and racer Michael Swift has assembled an impressive team for 2017

Michael Swift’s son, Tayton, started the day and the season off right with an impressive 3rd place in the 90 Limited 8-12 class.

After watching his son’s performance, Michael Swift was ready to board his Polaris Scrambler XP 1000 for the first full race since his wreck at Ironman. The Pro 4x4 racer did not feel up to full race fitness, but was ready to get back to competition.

Lining up alongside Swift, was teammate and fellow Pro 4x4 rider, Kevin Trantham. Trantham was fresh off of winter training and was excited to see what the 2017 machine would do on the varied terrain at Big Buck.

Jesi Stracham's is a story of inspiration and hard work

Trantham ran a fast and competitive race and brought his Polaris home in 3rd. He said the varied course of Big Buck lent itself well to the high maneuverability of the Scrambler. The motor was strong and the Teixeira-Tech chassis components were key contributors to this podium finish.

Team UXC 4x4 Senior Class racer, Graham Widdicombe, raced to a solid 5th place finish in the season opener. This is Widdicombe's second season with the team.

Round 2 ATV / Round 1 UTV – Wild Boar, Florida

Swift says the Wild Boar round presents some unique challenges in the GNCC series.

“It’s always hard to know what will happen in Florida as it’s a unique terrain compared to the rest of the tour,” Swift said. “However, the sand, pine trees, and bog combination always means a rough, often tight track. It presents a challenge to both the machine and the racer with sand sapping both power and energy.”

Kevin Trantham (left) on the GNCC podium in Wild Boar (Photo: Ken Hill)

“Many will know Jesi’s story, but for those who don’t, an unfortunate accident left this young lady paralyzed,” Swift said. “However, never one to let anything stand in her way, she has found that racing single seat UTVs has given her a great release. After finishing her first race in the Ace two years ago, she said it made her feel like she had legs again. We look forward to having her on the team and her continued success!”

In her UTV race, Stracham got a fantastic start but unfortunately caught a tree, which affected the steering on her machine and she had to pull out.

Another new racer joining the UXC UTV team is Matt Ashton. Running in the Amateur Limited class, Wild Boar would be Ashton's first GNCC race. Ashton brought his RZR across the finish line in 2nd place in the UTV Amateur Limited race.

Trantham is poised for a GNCC championship run

The big news in the Wild Boar stop of the GNCC for Team UXC was the performance of Swift and Trantham in the Pro ATV race. After lap one, Swift was in a solid position in 4th, but Trantham was down in 10th. By the end of lap 2, Swift was up to 3rd and Trantham had caught and passed the other six riders in their class to pull himself up to 4th. In the end, Trantham took a very well-earned 2nd place in class and the overall. Swift finished just off the podium with a strong 4th.

Other ATV results were very positive for Team UXC as well. Tayton Swift continued his charge on the 90 Limited 8-12 class with a 2nd place finish after leaving the starting line last. Graham Widdicombe pulled out a 2nd place in the Senior 4x4 race.

K&N is proud to support Team UXC in the 2017 GNCC racing season.

Lee Leighton restored this 1936 Ford F100 over a 30 year period and then passed it on to his son

Lee and Jerry wanted to keep the truck as close to stock as possible

When he wasn’t racing, he was in the garage building engines for his dragsters and others as well. Lee built record-setting VW engines and raced a red Volkswagen Bug, which was featured in Hot VW back in the 1960s. The car currently resides in Europe and is loved by many.

Race engines were Lee’s specialty, and he utilized his skills to beef up his 1936 Ford. Since it was used to tow dragsters, Lee thought it best to stick a 1950s Mopar 292ci Hemi in place of the original inline 6. Lee machined the heads and tuned the truck with his son Jerry Leighton, who now owns and regularly drives the truck.

Lee went with a K&N custom filter assembly to help the Mopar 292 Hemi breathe

The 1936 Ford F100 is equipped with beautiful oak bed wood with stainless runners

The most obvious non-OEM modification is the graphic featured on the roof of the truck. The graphic contains a bald eagle with an American flag wrapped in the background and a banner with “USA” clutched in the eagle’s claws. This definitely pays tribute to the hundreds of Americans that made this truck a reality, including Lee and Jerry.

The truck features a custom graphic on the roof honoring America

Whenever possible, Lee used OEM Factory Ford parts in his restoration project

K&N makes performance parts for the Dodge Dart, like this 2015 Dodge Dart 2.0L turbo

In 2009, the Chrysler Corporation was about to shut its doors forever. Mercedes-Benz had bought the company back in 1998 for $57 billion. But they couldn't make it work, and eventually sold out for just $9 billion in 2007. The lucky buyer was a venture capital outfit called Cerberus Capital Management, and the bankruptcy court eventually decided that they couldn't make it work either. Then a blunt speaking French-Canadian named Sergio Marchionne decided to have a go at saving the storied American automaker. However, Mr. Marchionne wasn't just some starry eyed investor that insisted on wearing a fuzzy black sweater every single day. He was the CEO of a massive Italian car company called Fiat, and the merger would give them access to a huge U.S. dealer network. It also gave Chrysler access to a huge portfolio of ready-made engines and car platforms, which meant they could start creating new models almost immediately. The first of these new Italian-American collaborative cars was a compact sedan called the Dodge Dart. It rode on a modified Alfa Romeo Giulietta platform, and had an aggressive look that would come to embody the Dodge brand.

Behind the distinctive crosshair grille were a selection of new engines that were codeveloped by Fiat and Chrysler engineers. The base 2013-2016 Dodge Dart 2.0L Tigershark 4cyl used advanced engine tech like dual-variable valve timing to make 160-hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. The 2013-2016 Dodge Dart Turbo is powered by the 1.4T FIRE 4cyl (aka 1.4L MultiAir Turbo). Designed by Fiat, this Fully Integrated Robotised Engine (i.e FIRE) uses an intercooled turbo, along with their MultiAir electro-hydraulic variable valve timing system, which improves the power and fuel efficiency by constantly adjusting the amount of air going into the motor. All of this results in a Dodge Dart 1.4T that makes 160-hp, and an impressive 184 lb-ft of torque at just 2500 rpm. And finally, the top-spec 2013-2016 Dodge Dart 2.4L Tigershark uses the more advanced MultiAir 2 VVT system to make 184-hp and 174 lb-ft. This motor provides the sport-flavored Dodge Dart GT enough power to backup its sinister looks. But if you want to get more performance from any of these engines, then checkout these K&N Dodge Dart performance parts.

K&N Replacement Air Filter

Get excellent engine protection on the 2013-2016 Dodge Dart with a K&N air filter

Engineered for these variations of the 2013-2016 Dodge Dart:

• 2013-2016 Dodge Dart 2.0L Tigershark
• 2013-2016 Dodge Dart 1.4L MultiAir Turbo
• 2013-2016 Dodge Dart 2.4L Tigershark

The MultiAir system in your 2013-2016 Dodge Dart engine is able to instantly adjust the engine airflow to provide better fuel economy when you're just puttering around, and more power when you really step on it. To maximize the efficiency of this highly advanced variable valve timing system, the K&N 33-2491 replacement air filter uses a low restriction cotton gauze filter media. Plus it's reusable, and your factory warranty won't be affected.

K&N Cold Air Intake Systems

K&N 69-2547TS Typhoon Performance Intake System

A K&N 69-2547TS Typhoon Intake will give your Dodge Dart 2.0L Tigershark a lot more 'bite'

K&N 69-2548TS Typhoon Performance Intake System

The K&N 69-2548TS Typhoon Intake will give your 2013-2016 Dodge Dart Turbo a serious boost in power

K&N Oil Filters

Get exceptional engine protection on your 2013-2016 Dodge Dart with a K&N PS-1017 Oil Filter

Engineered for these variations of the 2013-2016 Dodge Dart:

• 2013-2016 Dodge Dart 2.0L Tigershark
• 2013-2016 Dodge Dart 1.4L MultiAir Turbo
• 2013-2016 Dodge Dart 2.4L Tigershark

K&N PS-1017 Performance Silver Oil Filter

It doesn't matter if your Dodge Dart has the 2.0L Tigershark, the 2.4L Tigershark, or the 1.4L MultiAir Turbo, a K&N PS-1017 Performance Silver Oil Filter can provide exceptional protection against dirt, sludge, and other harmful oil contaminates. It has the same high-flow and high filtration that K&N air filters are known for, because the low restriction filter media allows more oil to flow through. The increased oil flow rate means that more oil gets cleaned, faster. Plus the heavy duty canister is designed to handle the increased oil pressure that occurs during spirited driving.

A K&N Wrench Off Oil Filter protects your Dodge Dart engine during a race or the drive to work

Designed to endure extreme punishment on a racetrack, the K&N HP-1017 Wrench-off Oil Filter can protect your Dodge Dart engine, no matter where you drive it. It uses a unique resin-impregnated cellulose filter media that can remove 99% of the oil contaminants, while significantly increasing the oil flow rate for excellent engine protection at high RPMs. The heavy duty steel canister can withstand higher oil pressure, and damage from road debris. There's also a 1 inch hex nut welded to the top of the canister for easy wrench off removal. And if you need to pass inspection at a racetrack, you can attach a safety wire through the pre-drilled hole in the hex nut.

Jarett Andretti made the most of a difficult opening weekend in USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Series

“Ocala is always a blow-off-the-cobwebs kind of race for us,” said John Andretti of Andretti Short Track. “A lot of [AMSOIL Series] competitors run sprint cars and midgets over the winter. We aren’t set up to do that.”

Nevertheless, Jarett ran fourth-quickest in the opening practice, but the green racetrack from recent Florida storms changed rapidly throughout Friday’s qualifying. Running in the middle of the qualifying field, the track went away from their setup and Jarett qualified 11th. After transferring to the Feature from his heat race, Jarett worked forward but had to back out from getting collected in two other competitors’ fight. That dropped him back several spots, forcing him to work his way back to P11 despite a minor driveline issue.

Jarett Andretti is following the Andretti tradition of USAC racing in the AMSOIL Sprint Series

“USAC just makes us better,” John said. “They’re gonna race us hard and that raises up our level. Winning a USAC race is as tough as an IndyCar or NASCAR Cup race because the talent is so deep.”

The rest of 2017 will find Jarett running 70 to 80 sprint-car races. That will include USAC races as well as a variety of events that fit into the schedule. Next up will be the opening round of Mansfield Motor Speedway’s Triple Crown Spring Series on March 25. That race reopens Mansfield, a former paved oval that was converted back to a dirt 0.4-mile oval, for the 2017 season.

In just his second year of sprint-car racing, Jarett will run 70 to 80 races in 2017

“Right now, Jarett is learning the guys [in the series] and what he needs to do to race around them,” John said.

Andretti Short Track will be running their DRC Chassis all year with the J&D Performance-built engines putting down big horsepower. Those engines get their air and oil through K&N filters, as does the engine on the team’s tow rig.

(Photos: Rick Lane Motorsports Photography]