University of Kentucky Allows Josh McGuire to Follow Family Tradition of Racing

Josh McGuire began racing Late Models full time in 2005
Josh McGuire began racing Late Models full time in 2005
Josh McGuire says racing has always been part of his family, and that his uncle Wayne McGuire, who raced in the 1950's and 1960's was one of the best there ever was. "He greatly influenced my career; from the #41 I run (which was his number), to my mechanical knowledge. I have big shoes to fill to even be half the driver that he was."
Josh McGuire's childhood interest in racing pays off at the winners circle.
Josh McGuire's childhood interest in racing pays off at the winners circle.


His whole life, Josh had told his parents all he wanted to do was to be a racecar driver. His grades weren't the best in the world, but it was because his interest was in racing...so they made him a deal...If he'd promise to finish college, they would help buy him his first car. And so during his sophomore year in college at the University of Kentucky, he began his racing career with a Bomber (1978 Firebird). After a successful first year in the Bomber class, they started venturing into Late Models (although not full time until 2005).

The beginning of this year (2009) Josh ran with the Lucas Oil Series, but dropped off half way in hopes to run for the Rookie of the Year title in 2010. They then began jumping between series anywhere from Lucas Oil, World of Outlaws, Battle of the Bluegrass, Mid Atlantic Championship Series and others. Josh has had wins with the following series: Lucas Oil, Battle of the Bluegrass, MACS, NASRA and IRS.

"To date, winning my first $10,000 Lucas Oil Series Event at one of my home tracks (Portsmouth Raceway Park) was one of the most memorable ever, " says Josh. "We were able to celebrate this victory with my friends, family, sponsors and fans who have supported me and cheered me on throughout my entire career--there is not much more rewarding than getting to celebrate your accomplishments with those who have helped you get there. It still seems like a surreal experience".

With continuing racing success, Josh realized that having sponsors to help mitigate costs of broadening his reach to more and more venues would be a great help. He approached K&N since he had always used their product and is convinced they are the premier filters in the dirt racing industry. "While at the Performance and Racing Industry show in Orlando, Florida., they accepted my offer. I now not only represent their company, but promote their products during all of our racing ventures."

"I would use their product whether they sponsored me or not," says Josh. "K&N filters flow more air into the engine while maintaining their ability to stop more dirt and dust than a paper air filter. This is very important in the dirt late model world because our motors are state of the art technology and must be able to run for long periods of time without failure. We must remove as many variables as possible and dirt in the engine/oil is a constant concern. K&N filters can remove that variable to a point that we know there will not be a problem."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.