Gower Construction Racing

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2024 Casey Folks Vegas to Reno Race recap.

What a promotion! What a race! The organization, course layout, and ex*****on from Best in the Desert is something all promoters can learn from. Humble and to the point! Done almost seamlessly as the race travels 555 miles from point to point!
Bright and early on Thursday morning, Brian and Aaron pick me up and onto a flight we go. We land in Vegas mid morning and Uber right to tech and registration. We get our bands and transponders meanwhile the TWC Racing crew get the cars thru the tech line. We finish out the day, and head back to the hotel to rest up for the race.
Race day is upon us as we scramble to get all of the trucks, trailers and race cars out to the desert to stage for take off. Gavin Andreoni and I assess getting my foot into a race suit, and like any good fabricator, he cut chopped and fit until I was suited up and ready go! I could hardly wait in anticipation for remote pit 7, when I would get my opportunity to mingle with the desert!
Aaron and Brian took off at around 11:30 am and we were off in the chase truck to beat them to remote pit 1. They came in to rp 1 with overheating issues. It would run at 80 percent but would boil beyond that. We headed on to rp 2 and when they got there, the engine was cutting power down as they were overheated but still moving. We took the time, to get the car cooled down, but noticed that the radiator wasn’t quite as hot as it should have been, and we knew there was either an air bubble in the system or the head gasket had let go. Gary sacrificed his hand to pull the radiator cap, and the car took more than a gallon of water! We got them going again, and they reported back that the car was moving great at 💯 and everyone’s optimism was back up! We went to rp 3 and waited but there were no comms or cell reception, and after the pit closed, the safety team came and talked to us and were able to communicate to them with a cell phone booster and we were informed that the engine had let go at race mile 80. Disappointing? Absolutely! However,
Trent Roberts is still racing in the 4Runner so our focus shifts as Gavin falls back to recover the can am and we start to chase Trent. We get to rp 4 and hang out for about an hour before we hear that the 4Runner is out of the race! Double bummer!!
We figure out the extraction point and we head that way to go recover Trent. The 4 runner gets loaded up around midninght and we are on our way the 3 hours to Reno where the next hotel room is. Wiped out, Gavin and I make our way up to the room and can finally catch some much needed rest!
Although, the outcome wasn’t what anyone would have hoped for with this race, there was so much that was learned, so many new friends and connections made, and figuring out the logistics of a real race team! For the last week, I have been fixated on strategies and efficiencies to help improve an Offroad team moving forward! A race can be lost in so many different ways, and understanding that from the opposite perspective can help us figure out how not fail on something simple or easily overlooked.
Huge thanks to Trent and Kent Jones for giving me the opportunity! I’ll never forget Kent asking me twice with a straight face if I was completely insane, and me just smiling and saying yep, and then him nodding and saying well alright! That’s the confidence and inspiration that will live in my heart and fuel my passion.
Also huge thanks my friend Don and X Comp Tires!
They went out on a limb for me and I’m looking forward to helping to promote such an awesome all around tire. Even though we didn’t finish, the car had no flat tires and the sidewalls still look new. They will go on to be used at the next race!!
Huge thank you to my Dad, my wife, and my kiddo!
The support, the patience, the frustrations, the missed family functions. I love you guys!
Also huge thank you to everyone else who has made this season possible•

2024 Nor Cal Rock Racing Wild West Shoot Out Race weekend #1 recap:

Approximately 3 weeks ago Zach Williams convinced me to go race the can am against 2 of our mutual friends, and in the upcoming 2024 NorCal series. We picked up a used set of short shocks, some Facebook marketplace tires and then built a guard to catch mud before it clogged the factory radiator. A few last minute items, and we were loading up to go!

Friday morning, Jason Armstrong came over bright and early and grabbed the enclosed trailer and we headed to the track. The gloomy skies and prior nights rain had killed any optimism I had going for a positive outcome, being as I had a vulnerable front mounted radiator racing amongst a group of competitors with far better, rear mounted setups. Anyway, We get our pit set up and get the car and safety equipment thru the tech inspection and wait for the announcement for qualifying. About the time We go to last minute blast the car with decals, another wave of showers rolls thru and puts the idea of qualifying later that day to bed. The track had mud that was too deep to grade off but should permeate overnight with clear weather on the forecast. We hang out in the cold until dark and then I head home for a good nights sleep.

Race day:
Get to the track to learn that I am sitting dead last in a split class heat with 15 cars in front of me due to computer generated starting draw. Bummed, but”I can only move up from here,” I tell myself.

We go out for a sloppy 10 minute practice and at the last lap, the car gets hot and goes down to 1/2 power. I limp it in and Zach, Gavin, and Jason amongst others including my dad, wife, and kid, all jump in to wash, prep, check, and get it ready to go out for heat 1.

We take off of the line in heat 1 and I’m being the dodgy back of the pack guy looking for an opening as well as trying to dip away from the barrage of mud being blasted at me from the car ahead. 1/2 lap in and we dip into a watery mud hole and my vision goes brown. I go to pull a tear off and I miss it , full well knowing that there is a bottle neck of cars just beyond the pit. I pulled my visor up and took what I had coming to me which was not pretty, but fortunately I had sunglasses on and although, they were now caked, I could look down the bridge of my nose out the top of them and squint just enough to overcome the mud continuously being flung at me. It thru me off of my game for a couple laps as I just fell in behind a driver and followed until the last lap, when I guess I decided I wanted to race again. The engine was on the brink of overheating again, but didn’t and we were able to finish mid pack for the first heat. The crew and I went to work, getting the car clean and checked and we got ready for heat 2.
As we went to take off for heat 2, p3 driver crashes into the back of p1 driver causing me to crash into p3 driver and then p9 driver crashes into the back of me.
Needless to say I’ve got a little bit of road rage rolling now and the track is feeling just right so after loosing probably 10-15 seconds getting untangled, I’m off and on a mission. I was pushing pretty hard and came around at the top of the hill and a caution had drivers ahead braking and I kept my momentum and was able to make a pass on the jump just ahead of the caution. It was the final lap we made it across the finish. I came in and the crew came back and said I was sitting in second going into the main.
We did the rinse and repeat on the car and we were planning our “MDK” for the main. I roll in to stage to find that they moved me to the back of everyone that finished heat 2 for a passing under caution penalty. Ok, new plan! New “MDK”!
I’m sitting p7 as we head off and I hear Jeremy’s voice saying “trust the car”, and from then on, the car is on rails! The people I’m passing are “players” at this point and I feel like I know what I got to do. I got the pass in for p3 right before the white flag and I was pushing to try to get it. I could tell I was gaining on p2 driver but there was not enough track left!
We watched the other races while waiting for our race results to post and when they did, I was left with yet another shock. They had me sitting p4. I kindly walked up and asked the official about it, and she asked if I lost my transponder in heat 2. Oh man! $350 transponder, out in the track somewhere, as well as no tracking on my car. The official was aware of it and was watching the race as close as possible to score correctly. She made the adjustment on the results and I was on my way to look for a transponder.
Jason, Matt Matt, all of came down to help look. Mathew Bacsi got his truck and we drove the track looking for it without luck. We headed back up and we started getting loaded up and I got a call that Matt Matt found it!! Amazing, needle in a haystack! Thank you my brother!!! Another victory when the odds were against us!!! Awesome team and awesome race family!!! Dennis Richardson rolled up in the dark and helped load up canopies and tie the car down so we could get on our way!
Thank you to Kurt Mitchell for the help with the radios as well as Dalton Carter and Matt Hall for the pit support.
Thank you as always to our amazing sponsors!
RuffStuff Specialties

Scott's Designs in Placerville CA
Method Race Wheels






Gower Construction Racing

Hey everyone,
On Saturday April 6th, we will be out at Prairie City Ohv Park, just outside of Folsom Ca competing in the Wild West Shoot Out. Come on out for good family friendly entertainment. Pack an ice chest, chair, and umbrella and come enjoy a great day of racing!

Huge thanks to Zach for the help so far getting the car prepped and ready for short course, as well as Jeremy for the push to just go race something! Also, huge thanks to RuffStuff Specialties for their continued support, as well as all of my friends and family for believing in my dream with me! Thanks to Brian Tilton for the shocks and the knowledge!









Ruffstuff Racing
Gower Construction Racing

It’s with extremely heavy hearts that we share that Zandy passed away last night after a crash during the Crandon race.

Words really can’t describe our shock and pain, but we are beyond thankful to everyone who has showered our team and family with prayers since last night. We see and hear them all and are so grateful for them.

Once more information becomes available about services we will let everyone know. Please know that if he had to pick a way to go, it was doing something he loved. Racing. Ultra4 asked us if we wanted the race to go on. Of course we do and tonight’s race will be for Zandy.

Rufus Racing family 💚

Race prep day with Josh Robin!

Josh Robin and I airing it out at the NorCal rock racing Wild West Motorsports shootout. Thank you Lona Scott from for being out there to capture some remarkable photos!

Sunday evening goodies just showed up from fed ex.

Thank you to for the hookup on these hardcore beadlocks wheels!!!
Clean wheels-dirty race car!

Gower Construction Racing had are share ups and downs with our first race this season at the put on by . We started out with a some practice laps on Friday and everything seemed pretty solid. Once we got into the pits, we noticed that a recently installed sway bar was binding at the heim joints upon impact due to the flat landings at the bottoms of the jumps. Our practice run at Prairie City last week did not allow us to foresee this as there were no big jumps on the track and although we successfully cycled it on a forklift, it was still binding and had bent the heim joints. We straighten them out, and then cut, bent, and welded the tabs at a different angle and wrapped the heim joints with some spare driveline straps to reinforce them for the first race because we would not be able to get any new ones before the first race the next day.
We went out for our first heat race on Saturday morning and co-driver Josh Robin was hit in the helmet by a head sized rock on the first or second lap. He was injured slightly but was good to continue as we kept our pace . We got passed by a couple cars and were able to make a couple passes ourselves. The track was prepped well and was freshly watered. We were hitting the jumps, whoops, and rocks smoothly and on the 2nd to last lap, we landed a jump and heard something break. We thought it may have been a driveline, so we slowed but kept progression and limped around the final lap to a checkered flag, finishing 9th of 11th in our first rock race.
As we came back in the pits, to our disbelief, it was not a rear driveshaft that had failed but our Atlas transfer case had grenaded. No one could have predicted that happening, and there was not much we could do without a spare transfer case to put in before the next race so we brushed ourselves off and finished out the day watching all of the other races and getting loaded up for the drive back to California.
All said and done, it was a success in that we got our first race in, our housings, drive shafts, products, and handled the abuse that we put the car through. We were not able to get any good videos of this race and I have reached out to the media at the race to purchase some footage. Hopefully we will have some good shots to upload soon! A huge thanks to Jeremy Brown for being an awesome crew chief, and providing us with accommodations in his toy hauler so we were able to be rested for the race. Also a shout out to for helping us get our communications dialed in on friday. I would also like to thank my dad, my wife, my daughter, my team, Zach Williams, Josh Robin, as well as Jeff Moore, and Jack Robin for getting us parts on race day. I would also like to thank all of our great sponsors! We would not be able to do what we do without your support!