Jamie Miller Tunes Two to Double Victories in Pro 275 and X275 at DXP Magic 8 Race at OSW

Wallingford, CT – JAMIE MILLER tuned two of multi-time NMRA champion Manny Buginga’s MJM Construction-backed cars to double victories over the weekend of June 23-25, 2020, while racing the prestigious DXP Magic 8 event at Orlando Speed World Dragway in Florida.

Miller, who operates out of his Miller Race Cars shop in Connecticut and is a world-renowned tuner with the Pro Line Racing team, was tasked with overseeing Buginga’s entries in both the Pro 275 and X275 categories at Magic 8. Although Buginga himself was unable to attend due to Covid-19 complications, he put his faith in Miller and the man did not disappoint.

Prior to the event, however, a test session to prepare “Magic Eyes” Eric Dillard and Buginga’s ProCharged Mustang produced a 3.780 at 196.42 mph pass. If it had been made in competition, the run would have undeniably reset the elapsed time world record for the class, and the 0.976-second 60-foot time showed exactly what the PLR Hemi engine and FuelTech FT600 system are capable of with Miller managing it all.

In Florida, the event kicked off on Thursday with another test session and Miller got to work dialing in both the Pro 275 entry driven by PLR’s Dillard as well as the turbocharged X275 Mustang known as “Big Red” driven by Blake Copson. The evening’s qualifying was cut short due to rain, but Miller was confident in his plans and didn’t let the setback phase him in the least.

Qualifying continued on Saturday evening and things picked up as Miller worked to dial in both combinations. After six sessions had been completed and the orders finalized, Copson topped the X275 list with a stout 4.268 at 165.68 mph pass while Dillard was poised to strike in second with his 3.842 at 194.30 mph hit in Pro 275.

With the Mustangs ready to do work, the Buginga group commemorated the occasion with a special photoshoot on Sunday prior to the official class photos for the event, then began eliminations promptly at 7 pm. Miller both planned and promised to put Buginga’s two cars into the winner’s circle, and that’s exactly what he did.

Elite 8-car fields were set for both classes, and Dillard defeated Marty Stinnett in round one going 3.840 at 193.24 mph. In round two, Dillard got the win once again, this time over James Miron with a 3.824 at 193.43 mph blast. Paired with the number five qualifier in the finals, Tommy Rainer, Dillard dominated from the start to the stripe with a 3.836 at 193.88 mph pass to turn the well-deserved win light on in his lane.

Meanwhile, in X275, Copson didn’t disappoint and expertly worked his way through the field. He ran unopposed in round one with a 4.413 at 164.05 mph round one and took down Dean Marinis with a 4.254 at 166.14 mph in round two. In the finals, Copson faced off against Charles Hull who had qualified second overall. Both men wanted the win, but Copson clinched it as his 4.259 a 164.83 mph time slip doubled up the successes for Buginga and Miller with a clean sweep of the weekend.

Thanks to Miller’s masterful guidance and expertise, both of Buginga’s Mustangs made it to the winner’s circle at the conclusion of the Magic 8 race with Dillard, Copson, and the rest of the crew enjoying their victories.

Contact: 
Jamie Miller| P: (203) 537-7836| E: millerracecars@gmail.com

Media Contact: 
Ainsley Jacobs| P: (267) 738-2134 | E: ainsley@PTENmarketing.com | W: www.PTENmarketing.com | P.TEN Marketing

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Philadelphia, PA – May 21, 2020 – PROTORQUE, leading manufacturer of performance torque converters for street and race cars, partnered with Boninfante Friction, the undisputed kings of high-horsepower clutch technology, in January of 2020. Now, production is quickly ramping up as both entities continue to collaborate under one roof.

While many businesses are currently challenged with shaky futures and economic uncertainty, ProTorque is ensuring growth for the company, its customers, and the racing industry – all while keeping manufacturing firmly based in the United States.

Moving ProTorque from its former home on Long Island in New York to Boninfante’s state-of-the-art facility in Pennsylvania took a significant amount of time and manpower. Government mandated regulations surrounding the Covid-19 outbreak and restrictions on operating procedures slowed the progress initially, but ProTorque’s founder Joe Rivera is keeping ProTorque moving forward while supporting American manufacturing. The global supply chain has also been affected by the pandemic, but both ProTorque and Boninfante are committed to finding unique, creative, and effective solutions to reduce delays.

Now, ProTorque’s operations are getting back to capacity. Rivera is hard at work hustling to get orders out the door while also focusing on research and development for new, innovative product lines.

Racers are encouraged to take advantage of the unexpected Coronavirus downtime and get their orders in as soon as possible so that they can be ready to go once racing resumes. To learn more, or to order, please visit ProTorque.com or call ProTorque directly at (631) 218-8700.  

About ProTorque: 
Since its inception in the ‘80s, ProTorque has focused on quality and quality has been the reason for its phenomenal growth and customer loyalty. In 2020, Joe Rivera from ProTorque moved into Boninfante Friction’s state of the art facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where all resources are devoted to motorsports and the development of high-performance products. For more information, visit online at www.ProTorque.com, “like” ProTorque on Facebook at facebook.com/ProTorque and follow ProTorque on Instagram at @ProTorque. Tag #TeamProTorque to be featured.

Contact: 
Joe Rivera | P: (631) 218-8700| E: sales@protorque.com | W: www.protorque.com

Media Contact: 
Ainsley Jacobs| P: (267) 738-2134 | E: ainsley@PTENmarketing.com | W: www.PTENmarketing.com | P.TEN Marketing

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Long Island, NY – July 3, 2020 – THE NORTHEAST OUTLAW PRO MOD ASSOCIATION (NEOPMA), the longest-running Pro Modified drag racing association in the United States, will resume its 2020 racing season on July 10-12 at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, after a temporary hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

When the racing season came to an unexpected halt in early 2020, racers and sanctioning bodies alike were concerned about the ramifications and impacts to planned schedules including cancellations and postponements. John Mazzorana, Director of the NEOPMA, however, has been working relentlessly to ensure things got back on track as quickly as possible and that the excitement picked up right where it left off.

Prior to the pandemic, the NEOPMA kicked off its 2020 drag racing season with an eighth-mile format event at Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Maryland, with 19 cars in the Pro Mod class and numerous entries running in the 3.6- to 3.8-second elapsed time range. Now, the NEOPMA is ready to resume racing at Maple Grove Raceway over the weekend of July 10-12 with a live feed of the action being broadcasted worldwide, and its racers are just as eager to get back to the track as 28 cars have already been pre-registered for the event.

Drivers such as Mike Achenbach, Joe Albrecht, Jim Bersani, Tom Blincoe, Ed Burnley, John Camp, John Cozzalli, Gary Courtier, John Decerbo, Matt Deitsch, Derrick Ford, Tyler Hard, Larry Higgenbotham, Andy Jensen, Alan Juhasz, Michael Lubuneski, Bill Marks, Dean Marinis/Harry Pappas, Kevin McCurdy, David Monday, Fifi Montrond, Tony Morrell, Dave Norris, George Papalexandrou, Fred Scriba, Casey Stemper, Chuck Ulsch, Derek Ward, and Wally Zalak have all already committed to being at the race, and it’s expected that even more will register within the coming weeks.

“After so much time off, we’re really looking forward to this upcoming race. The Coronavirus, its financial impacts, and recent protests have hurt New York as well as the rest of the country, and not having spectators at the track impacts both the bottom line and overall morale” shared Mazzorana candidly. “However, even with these unprecedented circumstances, we have 28 pre-registered attendees for Maple Grove and expect to also have a good number of cars testing on both Thursday and Friday. We can’t wait to get back at it!”

The NEOPMA group recently switched to an eighth-mile racing format and has seen a surge in newly registered racers as a result. The rejuvenated organization has garnered more interest than the former quarter-mile distance, with NEOPMA membership increasing from 34 to 46, while projections show an expectation to exceed 55+ Pro Mod racers. In 2019, the organization’s racers broke eight Pro Modified world records.

Parity amongst the Pro Mod power adder combinations is essential to the NEOPMA’s popularity as a sanctioning body. With rules blended from both the PDRA and NMCA, as well as a few small adjustments, the organization’s racers enjoy a level playing field while fans love seeing nitrous injected, supercharged, turbocharged, and ProCharged entries all competing side-by-side.

The NEOPMA 2020 drag racing season will continue after its stop at Maple Grove with additional events at Cecil County Dragway (July 31-August 1), Maryland International Raceway (August 21-22), a to-be-determined facility depending on Covid-19 availability (September 26-27), and again at Maryland International Raceway (October 9-10) to finish out the year.

About Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA):

Established in 1992, the Northeast Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) was originally known as the Northeast Pro Shootout Association. It was formed to provide local Pro-Mod racers the opportunity to provide entertainment for spectators, increase sponsor promotions and advertisement, and help tracks drive more spectator business. 20+ years later, our continued success is proven by its longevity and ongoing performance in this arena. Recently we expanded the Pro-Shootout to include outlaw cars, including turbo and naturally aspirated cars to provide a broader array of competition and fun for all. We now have a perfect blend of different types of cars, drivers and engine types to appeal to a broad diversity of racing fans. For more information, visit online at www.neoutlawpromods.com, “like” NEOPMA on Facebook at facebook.com/NEOPMA/ and follow the NEOPMA on Instagram at @neopma. Tag #NEOPMA to be featured.

Contact: 
John Mazzorana | P: (516) 857-3120| E: jfmazz@optonline.com | W: www.neoutlawpromods.com

Media Contact: 
Ainsley Jacobs| P: (267) 738-2134 | E: ainsley@PTENmarketing.com | W: www.PTENmarketing.com | P.TEN Marketing

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Philadelphia, PA – February 3, 2020 – PROTORQUE’s Joe Rivera has partnered with the “King of Clutches” and high-horsepower technology, Boninfante Friction, to up the ante on the market-leading line of ProTorque converters. This ensures growth and a bigger, better, badassier future for the company, its customers, and the racing industry.

Putting two of the performance industry’s premier minds of the “bellhousing” together in one place makes just as much sense as peanut butter and jelly, and the result is just as enticing. Honing their skills since adolescence and with similar backgrounds from having grown up in the industry, Rivera and Boninfante’s namesake, Rob Boninfante, each brings a lifetime of experience and proven performance as experts of their respective fields and crafts.

The decision was certainly an easy one to make for ProTorque’s Rivera, as he knew it was in the best interest of the company and of its racers to join forces with Boninfante to provide increased performance and technology.

Boninfante Friction, the world leader in friction clutch manufacturing for the motorsports market, has been involved in drag racing since 1988. Since then, the company has grown to support every single Top Fuel and Funny Car team in NHRA competition and has won every NHRA pro class championship since ’98. Boninfante’s recent move to making parts for automatic transmission racecars has been a natural progression over the last several years, and this union adds even more clout with Rivera providing the finest driveline parts in the world.

Boninfante is, unquestionably, the most trusted name when it comes to high-horsepower applications and handles nearly all of its machining and manufacturing completely in-house for a truly unparalleled quality control environment. From its contracts with top-tier aerospace entities to the United States government, Boninfante has proven time and time again to be at the absolute top of the game when it comes to performance and manufacturing.

By having access to Boninfante’s state of the art, world-class machining technology, ProTorque will be able to develop more innovative products, produce them more quickly, help racers win more races, and set bigger records.

“Boninfante handles more horsepower than anyone else, and it is a true honor to be working with a company of this caliber,” said Rivera. “The team at Boninfante is absolutely brilliant and we’re excited to start rolling. Get ready for an all new level of performance with ProTorque and expect to see many new products from this collaboration that will be born from Top Fuel technology. This is going to be epic!”

The collaboration between ProTorque’s Rivera and Boninfante is nothing new, as the two men have been working in support of one another for over 10 years. This new era for this brain trust of power transfer will become the epicenter of fluid dynamics development to carry automatic performance racing through the future with dominance. Already in effect as of January, 2020, more details will be forthcoming as the transition progresses.

To learn more, or to order, please visit www.ProTorque.com or call ProTorque directly at (631) 218-8700.

About ProTorque: 
Since its inception in the ‘80s, ProTorque has focused on quality and quality has been the reason for its phenomenal growth and customer loyalty. In 2020, Joe Rivera from ProTorque moved into Boninfante Friction’s state of the art facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where all resources are devoted to motorsports and the development of high-performance products. For more information, visit online at www.ProTorque.com, “like” ProTorque on Facebook at facebook.com/ProTorque and follow ProTorque on Instagram at @ProTorque. Tag #TeamProTorque to be featured.

Contact: 
Joe Rivera | P: (631) 218-8700| E: sales@protorque.com | W: www.protorque.com

Media Contact: 
Ainsley Jacobs| P: (267) 738-2134 | E: ainsley@PTENmarketing.com | W: www.PTENmarketing.com | P.TEN Marketing

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Napa Valley, CA – December 15, 2019 – HQ AUTOSPORT RACING, in collaboration with Shift Up Now, put in a valiant effort to finish fourth in the E2 class and tenth overall at the grueling 2019 NASA United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance extreme endurance race over the weekend of December 7-8, 2019 in Willows, California.

The HQ Racing team, having already secured the National Auto Sport Association’s Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC) E2 points championship for the second year in a row, partnered with Shift Up Now, a collective of female racers using motorsports to inspire confidence and courage, for the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill event.

Together, the five drivers including multi-time class winner Travis Weltzien, BMW CCA HPDE instructor Peter Engels, Loni Unser of the legendary IndyCar Unser family, three-time road racing champion Michele Abbate, and Global MX-5 Cup competitor Sarah Montgomery, made team owners Rob Henretta (crew chief) and Paul Quattrocchi (team manager) proud with their impressive performances and perseverance as the group expertly piloted HQ Autosport’s 2008 BMW 128i through 591 laps and 1,667.8 miles over the 25-hour race period.

Pre-race prep ensured that the NASA E2 2008 BMW 128i was ready to run and its 3.0-liter N52B28 inline 6-cylinder engine, tuned by EPIC Motorsports, and BMW 6-speed manual transmission were ready to take some abuse. Montgomery took the wheel during qualifying and earned the team the P3 spot to start.

The race kicked off on Saturday in tough conditions as relentless rain, strong winds, and biting cold combined for an incredibly tricky racing surface with limited traction and tons of slick spots. In the first stint and on track with everything from prototypes to Miatas, an unexpected slip due to the treacherous conditions put the car deep into the grass and the team had to hustle to make up ground as a result.

By mid-day, though, the rain let up and the sun attempted to break through the clouds. There were a few incidents of mild contact, but HQ’s drivers kept at it and the car was no worse for the wear. As the sun set and evening loomed, the team was fourth in class and hurriedly working to close the gap.

Rain came back as the dark settled in, and the excitement picked with limited visibility and exhaustion setting in. Unsurprisingly, HQ’s drivers rallied and worked through the night. By Sunday morning, with the sun rising over the picturesque hills of California, the team had moved into third for the E2 class but the lead slipped away when a cracked rim forced an unscheduled pit stop and the course degraded into what resembled a mud rally.

The clock was ticking, and the “Mt. Everest of Motorsports” race was nearing its grand conclusion. Pushing hard for the final few stints, the HQ Autosport and Shift Up Now drivers put in monumental performances to bring the team back into the podium chase. With one hour to go, driver Engels pushed into third and fought hard to widen the gap and build a buffer while still chasing the next car ahead. The clocked ticked down, and the car in second was pushed off track, opening the door for Engels to advance into its spot but it was a real nail biter to see if he could get it done. Ten minutes remained, but a necessary splash-and-go fuel stop had put Engels back.

As the checkered flag fell on the final lap after an exhausting yet exciting event, Engels closed out the race and Henretta and Quattrocchi’s team went into the books having finished fourth in E2 and impressively tenth overall of the forty-one total entries – no team in the entire field climbed more positions than the HQ/SUN team did.

“Despite all the preparation, we were faced with unexpected problems, but each was resolved quickly and on the first try. From sound levels to horsepower to track conditions and tires, the drivers and crew stepped up, solved problems, and moved the team ahead,” said Henretta proudly of how his E2 team performed with zero penalties incurred throughout the entire race. “We beat all of the E0 and E1 cars, and all but one each of the ES and GT challenge.”

Congratulations to the entire HQ Autosport Racing team, also including Lynn Kehoe – Shift Up Now Founder & CEO, Karen Salvaggio – Shift Up Now President, Abel Robredo – HQ Autosport lead master technician, Matthew Kogan – HQ Autosport data analyst & spotter, Mandy McGee – Shift Up Now spotter, Narisa Masermsin – HQ Autosport team photographer, Ainsley Jacobs – Motorsports Marketing Strategist, Mitchell Pinnix – Shift Up Now pit crew, Jeremy Bligh – Shift Up Now pit crew, Anthony Philleo – Shift Up Now pit crew, Matt Weltzien – HQ Autosport pit crew, Carson Kolozsvari – HQ Autosport pit crew, and Eric Mott – HQ Autosport pit crew, on their fantastic finish at the 2019 NASA United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance. To learn more about HQ Autosport, please visit facebook.com/HQautosport. 

About HQ Autosport:
HQ Autosport is an amateur racing team focused on BMW endurance road racing. Owned by Rob Henretta and Paul Quattrocchi, two longtime friends with careers in IT/marketing who decided to turn their passion for road racing into a legitimate effort, the team competes in the National Auto Sport Association’s Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC) series with their 2008 BMW 128i and secured the 2019 championship title with drivers Travis Weltzien and Peter Engels. Next, HQ Autosport will compete at the legendary NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill extreme endurance road racing event on December 7-8, 2019. Current team sponsors include Toyo Tires, Shift Up Now, Solely Bimmer, Bimmerworld, Blackbird Fabrication, Sampson Racing Communications (SRC), Autosport Labs, Motion Control Suspension (MCS), and Vorshlag Motorsports. For more information, visit and “like” HQ Autosport Racing on Facebook at facebook.com/HQautosport and follow HQ Autosport on Instagram at @HQautosport.

Contact: 
Rob Henretta | P: (949) 510-3089 | E: rob@hqautosport.com | W: www.HQautosport.com | HQ Autosport
Paul Quattrocchi | P: (619) 384-2265| E: paul@hqautosport.com | W: www.HQautosport.com | HQ Autosport

Media Contact: 
Ainsley Jacobs| P: (267) 738-2134 | E: ainsley@PTENmarketing.com | W: www.PTENmarketing.com | P.TEN Marketing

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