American Racing: AR And JR Team Up
By Clifton Brown
The big news out at California Speedway in Fontana, CA, host to one of the races for the Nextel Cup chase, was that wheel maker American Racing was partnering with a top NASCAR driver on a new series of wheels. The Dale Earnhardt Jr. signature series will include performance wheels for trucks, sport utility vehicles and late-model muscle cars and performance passenger cars. Field marketing manager for AR, Michael Green, commented that "[the new rims] will surprise a lot of people with the style that Dale Jr. likes." In addition, American Racing is now the official wheel sponsor of the California Speedway.
Featuring special signature series badging and a lifetime structural warranty, the new line from American Racing currently offers two truck and SUV styles. You can snag 17", 20", 22" or 24" rims in glossy black, chrome or black chrome finishes. For mud and rock lovers, a lifted truck style, with backspacing for off-road suspensions, will accommodate larger all-terrain and mud-terrain tires. Two additional styles for late model muscle cars will feature a variety of widths and offsets to meet the performance fitments. Lastly, a stylish chrome-plated passenger car design will offer special custom features. "The Dale Earnhardt Jr. wheel line will be cool," said Dale Jr., "and later we'll release some 3-piece designs along with some billet, hot rod stuff. I've been running American Racing Wheels for years on my own cars, and with this program I enjoyed having a chance to exchange ideas with American Racing's design team."
Strum-By-Numbers
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High Rolling
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Some T-shirts have become like bumper stickers - wear certain ones and people will automatically start making judgments about everything from your political stance to your passions. In the case of AEM and turn3's new line ($24, shirts; $18, hats), everyone will realize your automotive leanings right off the bat. |
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Keep Going...
Tired of running out of power while traveling? Plug your laptop, game player or mobile phone into Xantrex's XPower PowerSource Mobile 100 battery charger ($130) to extend the life of your essential portable devices. Get a couple of hours worth of juice, depending on what you plug into it. Considering its small size and the extra power you get, it's worth the trouble of carrying it around. |