#07 & #44 at Parlett Laboratories

Its rare for both the #44 Global Time Attack Infiniti G35 and the #07 Pirelli World Challenge Nissan Nismo 370Z to be in the same place at the same time, so when both are in the shop at Parlett Labs I cant help but walk around working on them with a shit eating grin on my face.

Fresh from its successful race weekend at Mid Ohio I am addressing a small fuel pump issue on the #07 along with installing some new SPL Parts components before it is shipped off to its last race of the PWC season at Sonoma Raceway next week.

The G35 is also getting some special attention this week with a full array of SPL Parts suspension components being installed in the rear along with new springs, cross balance and alignment. Be on the lookout for a detailed post on the #44 modifications in the coming weeks!

Video of #44 and #07 Idling at Parlett Labs

Team Nissan Gives Back to Baltimore Youth

After wrapping up our Pirelli World Challenge Mid Ohio race weekend we stopped by St. Francis Neighborhood Center today in Baltimore City and had a great time talking to the kids, signing poster and giving one special birthday boy the opportunity to fire up the #07 and make some noise. Please check them out and throw whatever support you can their way - good people doing good work for the community! For more info visit their facebook.

#44 Camaro Hits the Drag Strip

Back to Elementary School: Career Day

Racing can be one of the most satisfying experiences in the world and sometimes it can be one of the most frustrating experiences. It just comes with motorsports, no matter what form that may be. But there is always one thing that all of us who race understand; what we do is for fun and we love to do it. So being able to share what I love with hundreds of kids at the elementary school I went to as a child for career day was just about one of the most satisfying days i've had with the #44 G35.

My niece goes to school there and asked my brother and I to come in and explain racing and motorsport electronics (my brother owns and runs Computech) to her classmates. After about a dozen classes, lots of great questions from the kids, pictures of them in the seat and few nice and loud turbo VQ revs everyone ended up leaving with a smile, especially me. Thanks to Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary School for the great hospitality and I look forward to coming back and doing it again next year!

World Challenge Mid-Season Update

Where to even begin, ill try to make it short but we know how that goes. My life seems absolutely crazy these days. Between my political consultant job in MD to trying to race the #44 G35 enough to keep sponsors happy and also crew for the #07 Nissan World Challenge 370Z Nismo every other weekend somewhere around America I barely have time to breathe let alone write this article but here I am. It has been an awesome journey so far that has had its ups, lotttts of downs (ill get to that) but mostly great moments on and off track with a great team and group of guys that I am now very good friends with 6 races into the season.

They say you have to learn how to lose before you can know how to win... I personally think thats a load of bullshit but the racing gods certainly have a different idea and have tainted our luck as if trying to teach us a very cruel lesson from the start. Race teams are almost all superstitious but there aren't enough gummy bear sacrifices or post race traditional fireball shots (50% Tabasco, 50% Tequila... don't ask) in the world enough to please the Nissan gods for the first half of our season. Our first race at the Streets of St. Petersburg was going great until a blown motor left us pulling an engine in the middle of a hurricane. Then the Streets of Long Beach proved to be disappointing with the 07 car having a serious electrical gremlin causing a DNS and the 51 car wrecking on the last lap giving him a DNF. It was a rough start and it wasn't about to get better anytime soon.

After a poor start to the season the crew of both cars stopped in Atlanta, GA at Z1 Motorsports to fix the cars from the first two races and prep the cars for the next race just a few days and miles away in Birmingham, AL at Barber Motorsports Park. After a long week of wrenching on both cars we made it to the race only to have another electrical issue with the Motec system on the 07 car making for an even longer weekend of long hour days trying to do everything humanly possible. Unfortunately again the car did not cooperate and after a few laps in the race decided to shut down on the back stretch.

With two DNF's and one DNS we weren't about to risk it for the next race in Detroit and we ripped every ECU and sensor wire out of the car, again at Z1 Motorsports (I seem to live there these days) and re-wired the entire system thanks to Kevin down in FL and Kyle at Z1. Even after finishing last minute and me trailering the car from Atlanta to Detroit just in time for the race we unfortunately ran into bad luck again. During qualifying an oil pump failed in the engine and blew up our back up motor causing yet another DNF. This season was turning into one of those out of control train wrecks where even though you do absolutely everything right everything still goes wrong. But through it all we held our heads high and kept working and taking whatever the racing gods threw at us, albeit with a few libations after painful track days. Its been a frustrating year but it is all beginning to pay off now.

The car went back to Z1 after Detroit and received a new engine, tune, test day and a new livery as well to compliment the new equipment and hopefully remove the curse that was obviously on the 07. Sure enough we went to Road America in Wisconsin a few weeks ago and finally had a good race weekend! I guess the 7th time is the charm huh? Either way we had a good finish in race 7 on Friday starting 24th due to rained out qualifying and finished 11th winning the Hard Charger Award and Best Standing Start Award in the process. Race 8 on Saturday didn't go as well with most of the race under caution but it was still a successful weekend with zero issues on the car and our best and only finish of the season.

Our next race for the #07 World Challenge Nissan 370Z Nismo driven by Brian Kleeman is at Mid Ohio in early August followed by Sonoma two weeks later. Be sure to follow ScreaminKleeman07 on social media for live updates during the race weekends and watch NBC Sports on Sundays for race recaps and World-ChallengeTV.com for live streaming of each race. Also side note, each race link on this article is linked to a Facebook photo album from the event for easy viewing. Wish us luck the rest of the season, hopefully we don't need it any more but it can never hurt!

What Happens at ZDayz...

... stays on the Tail of The Dragon if your lucky enough not to get photographed. I was lucky this year, or at leaf compared to previous years. Except for the S#Selfie video but we won't talk about that haha.

This years 11th Annual ZDayz once again took over the hundred of cabins nestled in the gorgeous and always hospitable Fontana Village Resort in the Smoky Mountains on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina with 700+ consistently crazy, drunk, and often idiotic Nissan and Infiniti enthusiasts. I say that with all the love and respect in the world though, these people are truly family and every year we all gather at the base of the greatest road in America; the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap. This 11 mile stretch of road is famous for its amazing views, elevation changes and of course its absolutely absurd 318 undulating and switchbacking blind death turns! Obviously with the Nissan community being who they are we decide to come to this daunting road every year and drink our faces off (after the driving of course).

If you aren't familiar ZDayz is in its 11th year now and is all done by a great group of volunteers headed by my good friends Bryan Settle and Graham Hobbs. Along with the partying and driving for the weekend there is also a great car show, exhaust competition, military benefit run, beer olympics, deck party, vendor row and even this year featuring the world wide unveiling of the new 2015 Nissan 370Z Nismo thanks to Nissan North America. 

But most of all its about the people. I look forward to seeing all 700+ enthusiasts from all over the country every year. And everyone will tell you the same thing; they came all that way not only for the cars but really for the great people and the party that ensues when you get that many like minded craZies together. There really is no proper way to describe ZDayz other than the best event on my calendar all year. You really must experience it to understand what makes it so great. 

This year I had the pleasure to attend with some of my Nissan World Challenge team and also have the #44 G35 in the Z1 Motorsports vendor booth. We all had a great time from what pieces we each remember and stitch together... something about moonshine that I think I'm still mentally blocking but oh well haha. If you haven't been then make sure you come next year and experience it for yourself, the newbie hazing process isn't thaaaat bad. Thats about as far as my description of ZDayz goes for fear of incriminating fellow enthusiasts or myself haha. See you next year!