K&K NEWSLETTER

January 3rd John, Tom, and Matt attended the Englishtown Raceway Park Awards Banquet, where Tom was awarded the 2003 Championship and Matt collected the 2nd place trophy. Bill earned 4th in season points but was unable to attend. Tom also ran a Piston Port kart at ERP in 2003, taking 4th in season points and 4th in the Bridgestone series. Tom's wife Robin also raced at ERP in the Piston Port class, taking 3rd in season points and 5th in the Bridgestone series.

January 2nd the K&K team tried something new as Tom brought a kart with spiked tires and powered by a K&K Modified motor to the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton for an ice race. John and Matt supplied crew support for the event. The ice racers were given no practice laps, and Tom took to the ice having never raced on ice before. In the heat race Tom lapped all but the second place kart in a dominating run, but since the kart was pushing the team added stagger. Unfortunately, the track conditions changed for the feature, and the kart became undrivably loose. Tom spun several times, and although he remained on the lead lap, he was unable to get back to the front.

Welcome to the December 2003 edition of the K&K Racing Newsletter. Read on to see how we wrapped up the season and how we finished.
    September 26th the K&K Team headed to Wall Township Speedway with Matt Vaillancourt in the #16 and Tom Ervin in the #99. Since the two team cars were well in the points lead at Wall, team owner John Kazmierski decided to use the night as a test of some experimental engines. The engine in the #99 failed the test and was replaced in time for the heat race. John and Matt tried different combinations on the motor in the #16 all night; making improvements but not reaching the hoped for performance level. With a regular motor in the #99 Tom won both his heat and the feature as Matt worked with the experimental motor to take third in each.
    October 3rd was another race at Wall for the K&K gang. On track testing continued for the team, but Tom and Matt managed to finish 1st and 3rd respectively.
    October 10th the K&K team ran the final Wall Township Speedway Modified Micro Stock race of the season. Tom won his 8th race of the season at Wall to claim the Championship by winning every race the team attended. Tom also won more feature events than anyone else in any Friday night division. Matt rounded out the Wall season with another second to wrap up second in Wall points for a one-two finish for the K&K team.
    October 11th the team returned to Englishtown for another Modified Outlaw Micro Stock race. In the heat race Tom brought the #99 from last to first while Matt struggled with carburetor troubles in the #16. In the feature Tom led eighteen laps before a being sidelined with a broken flywheel. Matt put on an early charge from the back to claim second for the first six laps before the engine began to falter again, and he withdrew the car to prevent further damage.
    Coming off of a DNF while leading the last week's race Tom returned
October 18th as a man on a mission. After leading every lap of his heat race, Tom went on to do the same in the feature event. Matt ran as high as second in the feature, finishing 3rd and earning enough points to move him into second in the M.O.M. series. Steve Harbat struggled with engine troubles in the #50, finishing 4th.
    October 25th Matt turned up the #16, coming from 3rd to take the lead on the first lap of his heat race and went on to lead every lap of the evening. Tom finished 4th in his heat, but adjusted on the #99 to run second in the feature. Steve had trouble with the #50 in the heat race, but came from the back to take 3rd as the 3 K&K drivers ran nose to tail and pulled away from the rest of the field for a dominating night. The nights finishes clinched the M.O.M. title for Tom and put Matt solidly into second with only one M.O.M. points race remaining.
    November 8th the K&K team made the last trip of the season to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park for the final event in the Advance Auto Parts Modified Outlaw Micro Stocks series. Upon arrival the team was greeted with the tracks newspaper, Raceway News, which featured the #99 and #16 on the front page. Cold conditions necessitated some chassis adjustments, but the cars responded well. Tom capitalized on a good starting position to lead every lap and run away for the win in the #99. Steve moved up to challenge for the lead early, but dropped to third at the finish in the #50. Matt made an early charge but dropped back with engine difficulties to finish 5th.
    That wrapped up another successful season for the K&K Race Team. At Wall Township Speedway, Tom went undefeated in the #99 to clinch the Championship with Matt close behind for second in points with the #16. At Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Tom won 3 feature events in the #99 and took the 2003 Modified Outlaw Micro Stock Championship. Despite his troubles in the last race of the season, Matt hung on fiercely to claim second in M.O.M. points with 2 feature wins in the #16. Steve made his presence known with 2 feature wins to take 4th in M.O.M. points with his own #50, and Bill racked up enough points to claim 7th in M.O.M. points driving the #90.
    Tom and his wife Robin finished up the karting season at Englishtown with Robin taking 3rd in Briggs Medium points and 4th her class in the Bridgestone series while Tom took 4th in both series driving in the Piston Port/Formula Y class.
    Thanks to our sponsors; K&K Industries, Smith Auto Service, and Paradigm Rock Shirts for their support this season, thanks to Wall Township Speedway and Old Bridge Township Raceway Park for providing fast and friendly places to race, thanks to all of our competitors for exciting competition, and thanks to all of our fans and friends for their continued support! The K&K team will undoubtedly make appearances at shows this winter, dates to be announced. Have a great winter, and we’ll see you at the races in 2004!


 
K&K Race Team Sponsors
K&K Industries Ewing Twp. NJ 609-882-8927
Smith Auto Service Bristol, PA 215-788-2401
Paradigm Rock Shirts http://www.paradigmrockshirts.com

Welcome to the July 2003 edition of the K&K Racing Newsletter.
For the 2003 racing season the K&K team will be competing with M.O.M.
(Modified Outlaw Micro Stocks) at Englishtown Raceway Park in Old Bridge Township, NJ, with occasional side trips to Wall Twp, NJ. Matt Vaillancourt returns this season in the same K&K mount he drove for the team in 2002. Over the winter the car was rebuilt, and has been painted maroon and renumbered #16, just like Matt’s #16 asphalt modified.
Last season Matt ran top three in points at Englishtown, and is looking forward to a great season. Tom Ervin returns again this season in the same #99 K&K Express that has brought so much success to the team in the past. While Tom won the championship at Snydersville last year on the dirt, he had a tougher time on the asphalt at Englishtown: barely tying for the championship. Rejoining the team after missing several seasons is Bill Kriegner, replacing Eric Heisler in the #90. Bill’s past exploits with the team include 24 feature wins and a championship. As always, the driving force behind the K&K team will be team owner John Kazmierski, as he acts as chassis builder, engine builder, crew chief, and driver of the team hauler.
New this season with the K&K Team is Steve Harbat of Pennington, NJ.
Steve has run Micro Stocks since the mid ‘90s, and was the 1998 AMSRA Champion. Steve will be driving his own #50 K&K Ultimate, with a K&K Team engine under the hood.
April 5th was the second wash out of the season. In the mean time, Matt
Vaillancourt landed Smith Auto Service of Bristol Township, PA to join K&K Industries in backing Matt and the #16 this season. Smith Auto Service is a full service auto facility specializing in PA car & truck inspection & emissions, and 24-hour flatbed towing service.
While not a team sponsor, Advance Auto Parts of Ewing and Hamilton has
been named the primary sponsor of the Modified Outlaw Micro Stocks for the 2003 season. This deal was arranged by K&K’s own John Kazmierski.
April 19th persistence finally paid off and racing came to Englishtown.
All four team drivers were there in their regular cars, with K&K team owner John Kazmierski calling the shots. In the heat race Bill dropped back early with engine and handling troubles on the #90. Tom came from the final starting spot to challenge for the win, taking second with Steve taking 3rd in the #50 and Matt in the #16 taking 4th. In the feature Tom took the lead at the end of the first lap, but dropped back to2nd 3 laps later where he ran the rest of the race. Steve applied pressure for the win but came up 3rd,
while Matt made an experimental change to the handling of the #16 that
didn’t work. While he wasn’t as fast as he had been in the heat race, he did still bring the #16 home in 4th position. Bill continued to struggle with the #90, but managed to salvage a top 5 finish. Later inspection of the engine at the K&K shop found a broken piston ring in the engine of the #90.
April 26th was the final rain out of the month for the Micro Stocks at
Englishtown, but on April 27th K&K driver Tom Ervin and his wife Robin ran their karts on the Englishtown road course, as they will continue to do this season.
June 28th the rain finally let up, and the K&K Team returned to Englishtown for the 2nd M.O.M. race of the season with Matt in the #16, Steve in the #50, Tom in the #99, and John running the show. Bill was not there with the #90, because John sold it. Two new cars are being constructed at the K&K shop. Hopefully Bill will return in one of
them as the new #90. Heat race action saw Matt retire the #16 early with
a stuck throttle, as Tom ran as high as 2nd before dropping to 3rd with Steve on his rear bumper for 4th. In the feature Matt’s troubles continued as the #16 was damaged in a first lap altercation. Tom survived a lap 2 altercation to take the lead until the halfway point when Steve used his new K&K horsepower to take the lead and the win.

1/26/03 News Updates

The K&K Race Team will be appearing Saturday, 2/1/03 in Milltown, NJ at the Fillamon Bros. Race Show.

The K&K Race Team will be appearing Saturday & Sunday March 3/7-8/03 in the Ledgewood NJ Mall Race Car Show.

1/1/03 News Updates

The K&K Race Team will be competing again this season with the Modified Outlaw Micro Stocks (M.O.M.). At this time M.O.M. will be running the complete asphalt oval schedule at Englishtown Raceway Park.

Tom Ervin buys out Red Bank Racing.
At the end of the 2002 racing season Tom bought out all of the remaining karting equipment from his former Red Bank Racing team mates. The two DAP Sprint Kart chassis will be piloted by Tom Ervin and Robin Wayne on a limited schedule this season. Robin drove the #2 kart in the final race of the season at Englishtown powered by a K&K Briggs & Stratton engine to a 6th place finish.

K&K at Daytona
In a last minute decision Tom resurrected his enduro kart and joined K&K Team Owner John Kazmierski for a trip to Daytona during the 2002 Christmas Break. For an outdated and barely prepared entry the Yamaha powered Zip Chassis performed surprisingly well as Tom moved up from his 33rd starting position to a 12th place finish.

Welcome to the December 2002 edition of the K&K Racing Newsletter.
October 12th the K&K team was scheduled to run the final Modified Outlaw Micro Stock race of the season at Englishtown Raceway Park to decide the M.O.M. Asphalt Championship, but the event was rained out.
October 18th the K&K Race Team ran their final race of the season at Snydersville Raceway. Matt Vaillancourt drove the #18 and Tom Ervin drove the #99 as usual, but Brian Russell filled in as the driver for the #90. In the heat race Tom, Matt, and Brian started 3rd, 4th and 5th. Brian ran in 5th while Tom wasted no time moving the #99 to the front with Matt close on his heels. Poor visibility caused problems for all the drivers, dropping Tom and Matt to 3rd and 4th by the middle of the heat. The two K&K drivers rebounded in this exciting heat race, moving back into the top two spots until Matt dropped to 3rd on the last lap. In the Feature Matt moved the #18 past the #99 in the first turn, but Tom retook the spot in the third turn with Matt dropping to 3rd. While attempting to retake 2nd position, Matt made contact with the wall, dropping the #18 from competition. Tom cruised to victory while Brian moved the #90 up to 4th, having made minor adjustments.
So how did we do this season? Tom had a phenomenal year in the #99, with a win average of 64% of every start, or 78% of every finish. The #99 car took the M.O.M. Dirt Championship, tied for the M.O.M. Asphalt Championship, and took 2nd in points at Mahoning Valley. Matt had a better season than the stats indicate as he took heat race wins and came close to victory lane several times. DNFs kept the #18 car down to 5 top 5 finishes with a season best of 2 2nd place finishes. Despite these troubles Matt tied for 4th in the M.O.M. Dirt points title and took 3rd in M.O.M. Asphalt points. He also took 3rd in season points at Mahoning Valley Speedway. Eric had a rough season in the #90, with a season best finish of 3rd and a truckload of DNFs. He finished 4th in M.O.M. Asphalt points and 7th in M.O.M. Dirt points.
Tom never got to Summit Point with his enduro kart in 2002, but did purchase the old Red Bank Racing kart team equipment from his former teammates. Tom and racing reporter Robin Wayne will be running the karts on a limited schedule in 2003 in addition to Tom's commitment to the K&K team. Team owner John Kazmierski is currently reviewing the team's options for 2003.
Have a great winter, and we'll see you at the races in 2003!

Welcome to the September 2002 edition of the K&K Racing Newsletter.
In August, the management at Snydersville Raceway decided to move their racing program from the published Saturday night dates to Friday nights. This was a problem for the K&K team and many others from the Modified Outlaw Micro Stocks, so it was decided to race elsewhere for the remainder of the season.
July 6th the K&K team traveled to Snydersville Raceway after a lengthy lay off due to weekend weather. Matt Vaillancourt was on hand to drive the #18, Eric Heisler returned in the #90, and as always, Tom Ervin was at the wheel of the #99. Rounding out the team, Owner John Kazmierski drove the hauler and ran the starters for all three team entries. In the heat race Tom and Matt charged to the front early. Tom ended up taking the win while Matt, who had run as high as 2nd, got caught up in a late race incident and fell to 5th. Eric continues to mature as a driver, and was able to capitalize on the incident to take 4th. In the feature Tom led from start to finish, while Matt fell to 6th in the very competitive extended length event. Eric experienced overheating troubles in the #90 and retired the car while running 7th.
July 19th the K&K team returned to Snydersville for another M.O.M. race. Tom uncharacteristically drew the pole position and went on to win the heat and the feature in the #99. Matt moved up from the rear in the action filled heat race to finish 4th, but dropped to 5th in the feature with a damaged front end. Eric had a rotten outing in the #90 as he was unable to get the engine fired for the heat race and dropped out on the first lap of the feature.
July 27th the K&K team traveled to Englishtown Raceway Park in Old Bridge NJ for the first ever M.O.M. race on the new asphalt oval. Heat race action saw Tom take the #99 from last to first before overheating troubles dropped the #99 to 2nd. Eric drove the #90 to third while Matt dropped out with driveline troubles in the #18. In the feature Tom took the early lead but dropped out on lap 2 with driveline troubles. Matt made his way back to the front in the #18 for a 2nd place finish while Eric continued his consistent run from the heat for another 3rd place finish.
August 4th the K&K team journeyed to Mahoning Valley Speedway for the first time in a couple of years. Unfortunately, the track promoter cancelled the races for the day because of conflicts with other events affecting his regular crowd. He did allow everyone who showed up to run a brief practice. Straight off the trailer Matt's #18 was fast with handling and engine readings just where car owner John wanted them. Tom's #99 was fast, but running hot and not turning enough engine RPM, and Eric's #90 had trouble with the exhaust system and the clutch. Second round practice Matt decreased the gearing but ran hot. Tom increased the gearing, which helped the RPM and engine temperature, and Eric fixed the woes on the #90, running fast.

August 11th the K&K gang had better luck at Mahoning Valley with Tom in the #99, Matt in the #18, and John driving the team hauler and running the electric starters. In the heat race, the K&K team mates moved up from to take the top two spots on the first lap. Tom went on to win in the #99 with Matt in close pursuit. Continuing the momentum into the feature, Tom stretched out a lead in the feature from Matt, who drove away from the rest of the field.
August 24th the K&K team returned to Englishtown for another race in the M.O.M. series. Eric was in the #90 and Tom in the #99, But Matt was out of town, so go-kart racer Scott Ferris filled in as the substitute driver in the #18. Heat race action saw the pack running closely together as Tom moved the #99 from 3rd to 1st in the early going, taking the lead from Scotty who spent the rest of the race trying to retake the lead. In the feature Tom checked out in the #99 as Scotty dropped to 4th in the early going. Eric moved the #90 up to 3rd before dropping out with exhaust trouble. Scotty moved back up to 2nd and was closing on Tom when the #18 suffered driveline failure. When Tom took the checkered flag for the win he was about to lap the 2nd place car!
The K&K team had planned another trip to Mahoning Valley on September 1st, but rain forced the cancellation of the event.
September 7th M.O.M. held another race at Englishtown, and the full K&K team was there. Heat race action saw Tom take an early lead in the #99 while Matt moved up to 3rd in the #18. Eric dropped out with chain troubles on the #90. In the feature Matt continued his climb to the front, passing Tom by the end of the first lap. Eric charged up to 3rd position, and the 3 K&K cars led the field until Eric dropped out with wheel trouble on the #90. Matt led until lap 20 when he struck debris on the track handing the lead back to Tom, who joined his team mates on the side lines at lap 25 when the #99 experienced drive line problems. Despite all three cars dropping out with unusual problems, the K&K team was fast and put on a very exciting race for the fans.

Welcome to the July 2002 edition of the K&K Racing Newsletter. The K&K race team has been running a limited schedule this season. Despite this the team has met with the level of success expected from the K&K team. The team chose to run this season with the Modified Outlaw Micro Stocks (M.O.M.) on the Dirt at Snydersville Raceway in Pennsylvania. This is a bit of a change for the team, since they had been on asphalt for the past several seasons.
April 6th K&K team owner John Kazmierski took team members Tom Ervin in the #99, Eric Heisler in the #90, and Matt Vaillancourt in the #18 to Snydersville Raceway for the season opener. Tom had won the track championship there many years ago but had not driven dirt in several years. Matt now has one season experience in the #18, but this was his first time on dirt, and everything was new to rookie team driver Eric in his first outing in a micro stock. In the daylight practice sessions the team worked to get the cars to handle on the dusty loose track surface. Prior to the feature track officials watered the track, catching the K&K team off guard on the setup. Despite this, Tom held on for a 2nd place finish in the #99. Matt moved up to 3rd early but dropped out by mid race with a sticking throttle. Eric soldiered on in the #90 to finish 3rd in his first outing.
April 20th the K&K race team suffered itÕs first rain out of the season.
May 4th the M.O.M. points season started, and the K&K Race Team was there. Heat race action saw Tom take the #99 from 3rd to 1st on the first lap while Matt and Eric held on for top ten finishes. In the feature Tom led every lap unchallenged while Matt and Eric fought a race long battle for 6th. After trading the position several times with Matt, Eric finally laid claim to the 6th position with Matt close behind as all 3 team cars finished in good running order.
May 18th the Modified Micro Stocks outran the weather for another race at Snydersville. The #18 broke a valve in practice, so Matt and the gang changed the engine. The #90 also had troubles in warm-ups, so Eric parked the car. The heat race had everyone in the stands talking as every car on the track took a shot at the lead. Matt started on the pole and slipped to last in the initial laps while Tom started last in the #99 and moved up to take the lead with 2 to go. A late race altercation dropped Tom to 3rd while Matt regrouped to win his first heat race of the season. In the feature Matt led the first lap before being passed by Tom. Tom went on to win while Matt held on for 3rd, putting 2 of the K&K team cars in money spots.
June 1st the K&K Race Team was back in full force with Matt in the #18, Eric in the #90, and Tom in the #99. In the heat race Matt was caught up in a multi car accident that dropped the #18 from the field. During the caution, Tom pulled the #99 off the track with ignition troubles. Eric dodged the wreck and went on to take 4th. In the feature Tom used a back up engine in the #99 to come from last to 4th. Matt moved up early in the #18 but slipped to 7th in the late stages of the race, while Eric fought carburetion trouble in the #90 to finish 8th.
June 15th the K&K team traveled to Snydersville only to find that the races had been cancelled due to persistent showers earlier in the day.

Welcome to the April 2002 edition of the K&K Racing Newsletter. Team owner John Kazmierski has purchased a second hand car from New England which has been updated at the K&K shop and numbered #90. Driving the third team car this season will be Eric Heisler of Hamilton Twp., NJ. Heisler is a 16 year old rookie to Micro Stock racing, but is a past Champion in Quarter Midget racing with many feature wins. Tom Ervin has driven the #99 K&K Express since 1989, and in 2001 drove the K&K #99 to his 13th Modified Micro Stock Championship, running with AMSRA at Flemington Speedway. Ervin also drove an Enduro Kart to third in season points at Summit Point, WV. Ervin is a former Owner/Driver of full sized Modifieds at Flemington Speedway and other tracks in the area, and will be back at the wheel of the #99 for the 2002 season. Matt Vaillancourt will return this season in the #18 K&K Modified. Vaillancourt made his first trip to victory lane last season driving the K&K #18, and took 3rd in season points at Flemington. Vaillancourt is an Asphalt Modified Owner/Driver, and has had extensive Enduro Stock Car experience, as well as racing 3-wheelers.

The three K&K drivers will be joined at the track by K&K team owner John Kazmierski. The K&K team will be competing in the Modified Micro Stock division at Snydersville Speedway this season, with sponsorship from K&K Industries.

The Modified Micro Stocks will be competing as a new organization this season known as M.O.M. (Modified Outlaw Micro Stocks). Team owner John Kazmierski and Modified Owner/Driver Carl Scheier will honcho the new group.

November 17th Tom appeared as a guest speaker for the monthly meeting of the Abiding Presence Lutheran Church Breakfast Club. Tom spoke on auto racing in NJ and his involvement, past and present. The group was very attentive and asked lots of questions.

The evening of the 17th Matt Vaillancourt, Tom Ervin, and K&K Race Team owner John Kazmierski ventured to the Flemington Elks Club for the 2001 Flemington / AMSRA Awards Banquet. Tom was awarded the AMSRA Modified Championship, and Matt took the third place trophy. John also had a third car finish in the top 5 in season points as the #98 car took fifth place in season points, largely due to several fine runs put
in early in the season by Howard Conk. This turned out to be the swan song for the #98 car as John sold that car to a competitor who plans to run Snydersville Speedway during the 2002 season.

January 18-28 Tom was invited by columnist Robin Wayne to attend the Eastern Motorsports Press Association awards program as the AMSRA Modified Champion. The event not only honored motorsports writers and photographers , but also served as a press conference for local tracks and organizations as well as national players such as NASCAR, ARCA, CART, and NHRA.

February 2nd John, Tom, and Eric appeared with the #90 and #99 at the Fillamon Brothers' Race Car Show and Movie Party in Milltown NJ.

March 2nd and 3rd John, Tom and Matt appeared at the Ledgewood Mall Racing Extravaganza with the #99 in Ledgewood, NJ. Tom took free Polaroid pictures of race fans posing with the #99, and handed out driver cards and K&K literature.

K&K Race Team Sponsor
K&K Industries Ewing Twp. NJ 609-882-8927

2001 AMSRA Champions

Last modified on Sunday, January 04, 2004