News

Celebrating Warriors and Winners

  One April day, we got a call from Honduras.  A fellow named Aaron was interested in our Holley 4412 for his Pure Stock dirt track racer.  Okaaay, this is a first . . .   Please join us in welcoming Chief Warrant 2 Aaron Tugman from Crestview Florida to the VDL family! Aaron is currently stationed at Eglin AFB in Pensacola with the 7th Special Forces Group, and was on deployment to Honduras when he called.  He has served 16 years – with a deployment every year to many places around the world, training each local army, finding ways to assist citizens caught in the crossfire, bringing moments of safety to each troubled spot….and dreaming of his race car.   Last week, the Tugman Family stopped by the shop on their way to Christmas with family in Texas.  It was our honor to meet him and to receive the Special Forces crest that a Honduran craftsman had carved for us.   “Free the Oppressed” is their motto, Hoo-ah! No Greater Love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Thank you, CW2 Tugman, and may the New Year bring Victory to your mission , and your racing.   Here are just a few more of the VDL 2018 Victories….Thanks [...]

December 27, 2018 Read more...

The Reign of the IMCA National Champion

    How many times has Mike Nichols and the 63 IMCA Stock Car team of Harlan, Iowa won the IMCA National Championship? How many feature wins has Mike Nichols and Crew accrued over his racing career? What carburetor does this winning team use?           We are proud to introduce Mike Nichols as the 2018 IMCA Stock Car National Champion. This is his 3rd consecutive championship and his 3rd  4th  5th  6th  7th  8th National Crown!! Here are the numbers for this season: 58 starts with 45 wins                             5 second place                             3 third place                             1 fourth place                             1 fifth place                             1 sixth place                             2 DNF At Dawson County Raceway in Lexington, Nebraska on August 26, Mike took his 500th checkered flag, and now sits second in IMCA history to reach 500 wins in a single division.  Only 48 wins sit between Mike and the all-time wins record held by David Murray in the IMCA Modified division.  Can’t wait for the 2019 season! One piece to the success of this championship team is their VDL 4412 carburetor, and we say . . . Thanks for the ride, Mike!    

November 1, 2018 Read more...

Victory North of the Border

  Kade Thompson and Rob Janzen of Octane Motorsports in Saskatoon, Canada needed that final piece to the puzzle of building a winning race truck . . . so they called VDL.  We’ll let them tell the story . . . Hi VDL! I had you folks build me a 500 cfm 4412 Holley carb for my metric chassis Pro Truck that I race at Wyant Group Raceway in Saskatoon, Canada.  I’ve run a few practice sessions and two race meets on the new carb now, and I would like to pass on my positive customer satisfaction to you! Both Dan and Linda were so easy to work with and willing to talk to on the phone to come up with the best application for our built Dodge 340 engine.  I love the quality of work and attention to detail in your product.  I’ve noticed some good improvements in throttle response and clean power! Last night was the best night of racing I’ve ever had!  We qualified 2nd, finished 3rd in both heat races and went on to win our first feature race!! At the end of the night, our tech director asked us to remove the carburetor from the top 5 trucks for a [...]

June 5, 2018 Read more...

Making History

Greenville Pickens Speedway in Greenville SC was built in 1940 and is the second oldest racetrack in NASCAR history.  This year history was made again!  Taylor Nesbitt won the 2017 Limited Late Model Championship at this historic track, posting a top 5 finish in every single event on the 14-race schedule.  Martin, the proud dad, continues to say, “Taylor is the first female to win a track championship at Greenville.  Thanks for the awesome carbs! ”  VDL is proud, too, to be a part of the 92’s winning team!

October 9, 2017 Read more...

It’s Bristol, Baby!

The three worlds of CRA, SSS, and CARS racing collided at Bristol Motor Speedway for the first time ever on Sunday, May 21 – the inaugural running of the Short Track US Nationals!  Raphael Lessard and his RW engine with a VDL carburetor took the pole, and Chandler Smith qualified second with the same combination.  In fact, all top 10 qualifiers ran with VDL – Yeah!  When it was all done, RW Engines with a VDL carburetor were on top again with Bubba Wallace in victory lane.  Congratulations to Rob White of RW Engines in Seymour TN for a job well done.  (He’s the guy in the red shirt with a big smile!)

May 23, 2017 Read more...

The Woes of a Fuel Fitting

99.99% of carburetor leaks are from a poorly installed fuel inlet fitting.  May we repeat that?  99.99% of carburetor leaks are from a poorly installed fuel inlet fitting.  As fuel drips from a bad seal between bowl and fitting, it WILL look like the fuel is coming from under the accelerator pump diaphragm or from between the main body and the base plate.  Rest assured, those two gasketed areas are too secure to ever, ever leak in a VDL carburetor.  Let’s look at some things that can go wrong: 1 – Be sure that the gasket is seated well in the register of the inlet opening of the bowl.  If it is cocked up on an edge, you will never get it tight enough and it will leak.  We have found that some of the thicker aluminum gaskets are a tick wide in diameter and may be tricky to position correctly. 2 – The majority of inlet fittings are made with the hex nut on the end closest to the bowl, and you know how difficult it is to get a wrench on that without rounding off the edges.  Perhaps invest in a new fitting designed with the hex nut at [...]

May 22, 2017 Read more...

Chilly Willy and the Icebreakers!

Half of the country may be covered in snow; but you can load up the trailer and head south to some fast racetracks where the  2017 season has already begun!  And, VDL is in the winners circle again!  THANKS FOR THE RIDE, GUYS! Casey Roderick takes the pole and the win at the Zack Donatti 125 in New Smyrna FL. Erik Jones takes the pole at SpeedFest in Cordele GA. Harrison Burton takes the win at SpeedFest in Cordele GA. Casey Roderick takes the pole and the win at SpeedFest in Cordele GA with his PLM. Derek Thorn takes the pole and the win at the Winter Showdown in Bakersfield CA. Garret Evans takes the pole at the Chilly Willy 150 in Tucson AZ. Owen Riddle takes the win at the Chilly Willy 150 in Tucson AZ. Lee Pulliam takes the pole and the win at the Icebreaker in Myrtle Beach SC. Doug Coby takes the win at the Icebreaker in Myrtle Beach with his Modified. Brad May takes the pole at the Orange Blossom 100 in New Smyrna FL. Jeff Choquette takes the win at the Orange Blossom 100 in New Smyrna FL. Mike Bresnahan takes the pole and the win in the season opener at Citrus County FL.   LET US KEEP [...]

February 13, 2017 Read more...

California Racer Moving Up!

2013 – INEX Legends Champion at Kern County Raceway 2014 – Rookie of the Year in Late Models at Kern County Raceway 2015 – Open Late Model Champion at Madera Speedway 2016 – 10 wins in a row in NASCAR Late Models at Kern County Raceway . . . and counting! Buddy Shepherd is growing up fast, and it is not easy moving up in the ranks.  He has raced on dirt and asphalt, on 2 wheels and 4, and now leads the championship points in his family-owned #22 NASCAR Late Model at Kern County Raceway in Bakersfield, CA.  Championship night is October 15, and VDL says, “Thanks for the ride, guys!  Finish strong!”

September 27, 2016 Read more...

Historic Win in New Jersey!

TJ Lilly is a dirt racer at New Egypt Speedway in the Sportsman division.  He turned 16 this summer, and followed that up with a big win on August 20.  “Thanks for a great 4412!  Will be contacting you soon to build me a 4 barrel.  That win was pretty historic.  TJ just turned 16 a few weeks before that win making him the youngest ever winner in the state of NJ!”

September 27, 2016 Read more...