Blog Archives
Ron Sledge
Ron Sledge, Performance & Technical Manager at King Engine Bearings, is a veteran of the automotive aftermarket.
He has over 30 years experience in engine bearings and has held key positions with major aftermarket companies including Affinia Group, Dana Corp, Federal Mogul, Clevite Engine Parts and DAB Industries.
Sledge earned a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from Middle Tennessee State University.
Mark Cronquist
Mark Cronquist joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 1996 as an Assistant Engine builder. By 1998, Mark was promoted to Chief Engine Builder.
In 14 race seasons under Mark’s leadership, he and his department built engines that won 88 Sprint Cup races, 74 Nationwide races, 3 Sprint Cup Championships, 1 Nationwide Championship and 3 Nationwide Owners Championships.
Mark began his career in 1981 where he learned machining and engine building skills while working at Nevada Machine & Supply in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In 1985 he joined Bahari Racing (Dick Bahre Racing). It was here that Mark took advantage of learning everything he could about building race engines—teardown, machining parts and assembling the engine.
Mark spent 10 years honing his skills and in 1995, he was hired at Hendrick Motorsports as an engine tuner. During that time, Joe Gibbs Racing leased Hendrick engines and Mark served as the engine tuner for the Joe Gibbs Racing #18 car which won the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 race, as well as sweeping both Michigan races.
In 1996 Joe Gibbs Racing developed their own engine program and asked Mark to join the team. Mark and his engine department have built engines that have won some of NASCAR’s most challenging races . One such race, the infamous Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in which Joe Gibbs Racing captured the checkered flag in 2000, 2005 and 2007.
Mark has also been honored with the Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award 3 times for the Sprint Cup Series and an additional 3 times for the Nationwide Series.
In 2012 Joe Gibbs Racing merged resources with Toyota Racing Development for the Cup engine program.
In addition to working in a collaborative effort with TRD on the Cup side, Mark is currently building engines for the JGR Nationwide teams which have won 7 races to date in the current 2012 season and is leading the Owners points with Mark holding the top position in the run for the Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award.
Mark and his department also build engines for a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team which won the season opening Daytona race, as well as an ARCA team which has also found its way to Victory Lane.
Mark is a native of Eagle River, Alaska and currently resides in Huntersville, North Carolina with his two children, Megan and Samuel.
Billy Godbold
Growing up on a small farm in rural north Mississippi, Billy Godbold had two real passions: science and making cars go fast. So it’s only natural to assume that he would end up building a career in a science-related field while settling into a role as an automotive hobbyist on the side. But that’s not exactly how it all worked out.
While receiving his B. S. in Physics at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, Billy made the decision (much debated by family and friends) to use his engineering and science talent for the power of evil… or at least for making hot rods and race cars go faster.
Soon thereafter, Billy was awarded a Ph.D. tract graduate fellowship at the Florida State University in 1993, all the while knowing that he wanted to apply his education to making automotive engines perform more efficiently.
After receiving his M.S. in Physics from FSU while working with the Nuclear Physics Group, Billy finally found the right opportunity to combine his two passions in a career and he moved back to Memphis to work for Competition Cams.
Since joining COMP in 1995, Billy’s math and physics skills have led him through positions in Technical Sales to Camshaft Profile Design to his current role as Valve Train Engineering Group Leader.
In that time COMP Cams’ library of designs has grown from a few hundred masters to over 16,000 unique designs and over 40,000 different lobe profile variations.
Throughout his tenure, COMP Cams has been heavily involved in an extremely diverse range of valve train design and development projects including variable valve timing applications, the Xtreme Energy, Thumpr, and XFI camshaft lines, and work for racing series including everything from NHRA, NASCAR, SCCA, GRAND-AM and IndyCar to sportsman and hobbyist ranks.
Billy and COMP also often serve as consultants for OEMs and a variety industrial engine developers.
Today, Billy oversees a team of 20 talented engineers. In addition to serving as an extremely valuable member of the COMP Cams staff, his many years of experience and natural talent for understanding complex valve train scenarios have made him a trusted source of information for race teams, manufacturers and engine builders alike.
Brad Green
At a young age, Brad was first exposed to performance and racing through the exploits of his father who campaigned a B Gas dragster in NHRA. Continual exposure to hot rods and race cars throughout his formative years left a lasting impression.
From his first car in high school (1957 Chevy Handyman Wagon) to the Jeep CJ-8 with a small block Chevy engine that he drove during and after his college years, he was bound and determined to be a part of the automotive industry.
After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, he began working for Bosch as a manufacturing engineer. After 2 years, he began as Aftermarket Engineer for MAHLE. Shortly thereafter, MAHLE was approached by an OE customer and another Aftermarket customer to begin supplying pistons to the NASCAR market place.
Brad jumped at the chance to be a part of this opportunity. 15 years later, he continues to work with the MAHLE Motorsports team of engineers to develop and refine pistons that are utilized in some of the most high performance machines running on the race tracks and on the streets today.
Chris Brown
Chris has been with Automotive Racing Products for over 20 years, with a focus on passing on what he has learned about fasteners, their strengths, limits and durability.
Prior to joining ARP, Chris worked with a variety of racing teams, over a decade, both in the UK and the US, getting his start out of college, as a gopher at Eddie Jordan Racing based in the UK.
He continued through the UK and European racing network gaining experience and responsibilities with other teams including the F3 series as a mechanic and in the Production Shop at March Engineering.
He came stateside, initially with March Engineering and later joined Agapiou Racing in the Indy Lights series, as Chief Mechanic, then Dick Simon Racing as an Indy Car Mechanic and PIG Racing as Chief Mechanic for one of their Indy Lights cars.
Once settled at ARP, Chris has been able to remain involved in racing, though with a focus on fastener technology and its application. Being involved in racing presented him with a unique perspective on how mechanics and teams use and rely on different fasteners, as well as the importance of delivering fastener solutions on time, within a tight schedule.
Chris received his ONC in mechanical engineering while in the UK from Wolverton College, and has studied under ARP’s advanced engineering department with Russell Sherman P.E. and Dr. Ken Foster Ph.D.to hone an in depth understanding of fastener engineering and its use in racing applications.
Justin Callies
Justin Callies has a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University. He is currently working towards concurrent Masters of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Automotive Engineering at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Engineering.
He has worked previously on methods for testing and implementing new diesel injector designs. His current research focus is on the simulation and optimization of internal combustion engines on both the component and system levels for high performance and racing applications.
Dr. Robert Prucka
Dr. Robert Prucka is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University. His research interests include topics related to the performance, control, simulation, and emissions of advanced internal combustion engines.
Robert is active in motorsports research and is the faculty advisor for Clemson’s Formula and Baja SAE student teams. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2008. There he investigated the development of model-based control strategies for high degree of freedom spark-ignition engines.
In addition to this work, he developed several experimental methods to quantify residual gas fraction and turbulence intensity within a firing engine. Dr. Prucka received his M.S.E. (2004) and B.S.E. (2000) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He has also worked for the Ford Motor Company.
Scott Diehl
Scott was born in Michigan, and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Following high school, Scott attended Ferris State University, and studied Automotive and Heavy Equipment Technology.
After graduation he went to work as a mechanic in the truck leasing business. Scott attended many races watching his uncle race stock cars, so it was natural that he started helping friends work on their race cars at night and on the weekends.
This turned into a real passion, and that sent Scott south to work in NASCAR.
He worked for Tim Fedewa for 2 years fielding cars in the old Busch series. In 1996, Scott went to work for Roush Racing, and worked on the 99 car with Jeff Burton.
At the end of 1998, Scott left Roush Racing to join Joe Gibbs Racing where he served as the car chief for Greg Zipadelli and Tony Stewart with the 20 car.
Under Scott’s tenure on the 20 car, the team won 2 NASCAR Cup Series Championships.
While working at Joe Gibbs Racing, Scott witnessed many 5 gallon buckets of oil come into the shop to be used in the engines and drive train. Scott saw first hand the impact of chemistry on performance, and this sparked his interest in the chemistry of lubrication.
In 2006 Scott left the competition side of Joe Gibbs Racing, to work with the lubrication business at Joe Gibbs Racing. Currently, Scott is studying towards certification as a Certified Lubrication Specialist.
Tim Anderson
Following my mechanical engineering studies, I spent 10 years in a decidedly non-automotive office career, while racing and maintaining a motorsports related part time business.
This business eventually led to a career change and seven year position in the engineering department at the #4 Morgan McClure Kodak NASCAR team, primarily responsible for data acquisition along with chassis and component design.
In 2003, I began my employment at Racepak Data Systems, primarily handling the closed course data system market for Racepak, responsible for product development, sales / marketing and technical support.
That position eventually progressed to handling all sales and marketing for Racepak, along with assisting with continued product development and technical support for closed course, drag racing, off shore boat, tractor pulling and motorcycle racing. In 2011, I was promoted to General Manager at Racepak, responsible for the day to day operations of the company, along with managing a staff of 25 employees.
