3/15/2021
Midwest Drag Racing Series
UEM Pistons Joins MWDRS as Official Series Piston
TULSA, OK (Mar. 15, 2021)
One of the oldest continuously operating high-performance equipment manufacturers in the world, UEM Pistons, has joined the Summit Racing Mid-West Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service as its official piston representative.
"We were founded by my great-grandfather, Deuta Sulprizio, in 1922. He was an Italian immigrant and a racer, and he just decided that he wanted to make his own pistons for his race car," explained Chris Sulprizio, vice-president of the Carson City, NV-based company. "So we'll be celebrating a hundred years in business next year and pretty much all we've done the whole time is manufacturing pistons."
Backing the MWDRS is the company's first venture into directly supporting a motorsports series.
"We don't take on a lot of racers, but my big thing has always been really supporting the racers that we do have. But then my director of engineering, he and his dad are drag racers, and he brought the Mid-West Drag Racing Series to my attention," Sulprizio said.
"He said to me, 'Look at how many classes these guys do, from Pro Mod and all the way down through Sportsman stuff.' So I was really impressed by the diversity and I wanted to get involved because I really feel like we have something for every one of those classes.
"And actually last year we were going to do something with Keith (Haney, MWDRS founder and promoter), and we were working with him, but then the wheels came off the world and all that kind of backed up," Sulprizio added. "But Keith called me again this year and I jumped on it because I was just excited to be part of something so cool. I was honored that he remembered and asked me."
Sulprizio also said he hopes to attend one or two MWDRS events this year to personally support the UEM Pistons-backed ride of Joe Chrisman.
"One of my big things is I always kind of like to put my money where my mouth is, so I told my guys to go out, let's get a guy who races, let's get some pistons in the series and actually run, actually have something so it's not just a pay-to-play deal. I want us to actually have something on the line out there."
Additionally, Sulprizio emphasized that UEM not only makes pistons for practically every racing application in the Mid-West Series, it also has a large diesel presence and can provide pistons for big rigs, toy haulers and pick-ups, as well as most agricultural engines.
Haney welcomed UEM Pistons to the MWDRS series by pointing out how important it is to introduce new sponsors to the series and the sport.
"It's always exciting to bring on a new marketing partner, especially one with such a rich history as UEM Pistons enjoys," Haney declared. "But maybe even more importantly, it's great to know Chris and UEM have faith in the Mid-West Series specifically and drag racing in general to help grow their business."
The 2021 schedule for the Summit Racing Mid-West Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service opens Mar. 19-20, at Xtreme Raceway Park in Ferris, TX. Additional stops at Belle Rose, LA; Tulsa, OK (twice); Houston, TX; Great Bend, KS; and Martin, MI, will follow, with a return to Ferris in October for the 2021 season finale.
ABOUT THE SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT MID-WEST DRAG RACING SERIES:
The Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Drag Racing Series is an all-eighth-mile, no-profit organization funded entirely through marketing partnerships and passed along to benefit MWDRS host tracks (typically about $10,000). The Mid-West Drag Racing Series also provides trackside sponsor banners to be displayed at each event, on-site PA sponsor announcements, and links to each company on the MWDRS website (www.MidWestDragRacingSeries.com), plus an extensive social-media presence, texts and e-mail blasts, and commercials during all events. Complete class rules are posted on the MWDRS website.
