Classic car enthusiasts, take note! The Ab Jenkins Memorial Duesenberg Exhibition of Speed & Stinson Fly-in presented by Interstate Batteries is scheduled for this Friday, Sept. 3. Organizers have taken big steps to make the 55th annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg Reunion in Auburn, Ind., historic. For the first time, Duesenbergs will race side-by-side.

The only place suited for such an event? Kendallville Airport, just down the road from Auburn.

ACD National Meet Chairman John Baeke appeared on Sunday’s edition of “Speed Freaks,” a national radio show, to discuss the event and the sponsorship from Interstate Batteries. Give it a listen!

MITCHELL, S.D.— When it comes to land speed records on a motorcycle, Team Klock Werks leads the way. When it comes to outrageous battery dependability for those bikes, Interstate Batteries is champion. America’s No. 1 replacement battery company is the newest major corporate partner for Team Klock Werks.

Interstate Batteries provides battery power for all Team Klock Werks bikes and increases the team support with this new sponsorship of the motorcycle team long known for establishing land speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Both companies are faith-based with a strong Christian mission statement of encouraging teamwork for success in racing.

“We are so excited to bring Interstate Batteries on board as our race team sponsor,” said team owners Brian and Laura Klock. “We have enjoyed visiting the company’s Dallas headquarters, meeting Norm Miller (Interstate chairman), and even modeling some of our own business practices after Interstate. It’s already been more than just a sponsorship. We hope to make them very proud this year!”

Team Klock Werks took five riders to the Bonneville Salt Flats for the 2009 Bub Speed Trials event and came back with new records, new personal bests and hundreds of pictures that will continue to tell the stories. The plans for 2010 are just as exciting. Laura Klock will ride her personal Victory Vision with an upgraded motor and new look. Erika Cobb, age 19, will once again pilot the 2008 Buell XB9 Firebolt in the P-PP 1000 class.  In 2009, she destroyed the existing record of 109 mph and set a new record of 126.383.  Karlee Cobb, age 16, rode the 500 cc Buell Blast in the MPS-PG 500 class in 2009 and reached a new personal best in 2009. This year, she will ride a Harley-Davidson Dyna, named DYNAMITE, with plans to push her personal best up further and secure a record in her class. Michelle Mielke will ride the 2002 Yamaha Warrior that she rode last year. She reached a personal best of 144 mph, and secured a record in the M-P-2000 class of 143.154 mph.  Her daughter, Tiadra, age 13, joins the Team this year and will be riding a Kawasaki Ninja. Laura, Erika and Karlee are the first mother, daughter, daughter trio in Bonneville Land Speed Racing History to hold records at the same time. If Michelle and Tiadra secure records, they will be the second mother-daughter team to do so. Team Klock Werks is proud to have both sets of history-making families on their team! Also riding this year for Team Klock Werks will be Service Manager Chris Degen. Chris is normally in the pits working on the bikes, tuning the engines and getting as much out of each bike as possible – but this year, he will go after his own Land Speed record!          

Team Klock Werks joins S&S and ProCharger as sponsors of the WFB (World’s Fastest Bagger) Traveling Cup Award, hoping to inspire others to come to the Salt Flats.  In 2009, Chris Rivas took the cup with a one way pass of 166.645 mph.  Rivas was riding a 1999 FLTR with a 135 cubic inch motor that was built and tuned at Chris Rivas V-Twin.

Team Klock Werks held the title of “World’s Fastest Bagger” for three years running with Laura Klock as the pilot. Her bagger (touring bike with saddlebags) was built for the Discovery Channel’s Biker Build Off TV series in 2006. That is the year the team secured a National Land Speed Record in the first two passes on the salt.

Klock Werks’ FLARE Windshield design was born from a need to add down force and stability to the bike during runs at the Salt Flats. The patented FLARE windshield is now the company’s number one selling part and has been honored with awards such as V-Twin Accessory of the Year in 2009. With the FLARE windshield installed, Laura was able to achieve higher records each year in the 2007 and 2008 seasons on that same bike. In 2009, the team decided to sponsor the award to inspire and invite other riders of that type of motorcycle to come to the salt. Team Klock Werks has led the charge in the “custom bagger” craze, and the Klock Werks racing and innovative parts line has perpetuated that.

The Team Klock Werks race season is not possible without our sponsors and the entire team including the krew on the salt, team at the shop, family and friends.  The Team thanks Interstate Batteries, Alpine Star, Z1R, S&S, Baker Drivetrain, Shogun Energy Drink, and Pingel. 

Team Klock Werks is blogging its experience at the Salt Flats. Follow along here. And don’t miss this interview with Laura Klock from a few days ago:

Cindy tells us that her favorite shooting range is a proud customer of Interstate Batteries:

“These are pictures from Joshua Creek. It’s outside of San Antonio (northwest) by 30-45 minutes or so. They had your batteries charging every station (there were 12 that we saw). I thought of you and knew you’d appreciate seeing these.”

We do appreciate it, Cindy! Thanks for sharing.

Does your business depend on Interstate Batteries? We’d love to hear from you! Tell us in the comments below.

NASCAR.com’s Larry McReynolds talks with No. 18 tire changer Nick O’Dell about his lighted helmet for night races. Powered by Interstate Batteries, of course!

Nick showed us the battery pack he uses:

Many boat owners don’t know that proper battery maintenance can save them lots of headaches – and keep your boat from being dead in the water. Interstate Batteries resident expert Gale Kimbrough was interviewed in a piece for Boats.com about how to maintain your batteries. He says many people don’t know that you should use a special marine cranking battery instead of an automobile starting battery to get your outboard motor running.

From the article:

“All batteries are designed for a specific application,” Kimbrough says. “A marine starting battery has thicker plates and more robust internal construction than an automobile battery so that it can withstand the vibration and pounding of the marine environment and take a much deeper discharge.”

Both an automobile and a marine starting battery will deliver the spike of power required to operate a starter motor. But in a boat, that battery also often powers accessories like aerators and fish locators when the engine, and thus the charging system, are turned off. Frequent deep discharge activity will greatly shorten the life of an automobile battery. Because it has thicker plates, the marine battery can take the discharge and bounce back.

Read more at Boats.com.

Found this neat: An old ESPN SportsCenter commercial with the former driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries car, Bobby Labonte.

Interstate Batteries has received an exciting amount of news coverage in the last week, relating to initiatives such as recycling, heat tips and grand openings. All over North America, the Interstate Batteries brand has popped up in local newspapers and on news websites.
Here are some of the ways we’ve been spotlighted in the media:

Distributor Accomplishments

Jeff Deshamais surpasses one million batteries sold

Tom and Vern Allen surpass four million batteries sold

Recycling Event

Kelowna All Battery Center sponsors first community recycling effort

New Franchise Opening

Avon, Indiana All Battery Center celebrates opening with food, prizes and giveaways

Des Moines All Battery Bowl

Battery Bowl Champions

Brand Awareness

Star-Telegram educates consumers about the effects of hot weather on car batteries

Interstate also sponsored a battery testing event for members of the Dallas-area media on Aug. 3, welcoming reporters to bring their personal cars to local All Battery Centers for a free battery test. News coverage of the event was aired six different times on three local news stations!

Last Friday, Interstate Batteries team members in Des Moines celebrated with good food, good music and a little friendly competition at the sixth annual All Battery Bowl. The All Battery Bowl is a barbecue where team members compete in an array of games in the parking lot of the Des Moines offices. This year, 12 teams battled it out in eight events, including the hula hoop toss, water balloon volleyball, Trivial Pursuit challenge, ladder golf and fruit bocce (a twist on the Italian game Bocce Ball).

Teams were drafted by 12 team captains. Vice President Scott Miller was the number one draft choice, picked by team captain Jeremy Whelchel. Jeremy’s team was victorious this year, winning the All Battery Bowl championship by edging out Mark Miller’s team in the egg toss. The winning team members, Kerrie Williams, Linda Krier, Larry Smith, Tyler Schochenmaier, Scott Miller, Cody Case and Jeremy Whelchel, not only won bragging rights, but also received individual trophies and a spot for their names on the All Battery Bowl trophy. A big thanks to Mike Harris who created and provided the trophies this year.

Before the games, all team members chowed down on delicious hamburgers and hot dogs provided by Hy-Vee grocery and listened to the musical stylings of DJ Leon Weber. Team members had the option to participate, volunteer for set up or referee one of the games.

This event has always been about fun, friendly competition and encouraging teamwork across the All Battery team. “I can’t tell you how many times I looked up and saw team members from the warehouse high-fiving a team member from sales, or a procurement team member encouraging on their teammate from Finance” said Brian Weber, Director of Sales.

Thanks to everyone who made this year’s All Battery Bowl a success, and congratulations to Jeremy’s team!

According to USA Today, July may go down as the hottest month in U.S. history. From an article in this weekend’s edition:

“New York, Washington and Las Vegas are on track to set record average temperatures for any month. Philadelphia, Phoenix and Raleigh, N.C., are on pace for their second-warmest month.”

The forecast for this week doesn’t look any cooler. The Southern U.S. is expected to continue enduring a dangerous heat wave. In Interstate Batteries’ hometown of Dallas, temperatures are expected to be in the triple-digits all week.

Hot weather in July and August isn’t surprising. But you may be surprised to learn that not only is it hard on your body, it’s also hard on your car.

Most people think winter is the cruelest season for your car’s battery. But summer is really the rougher season — more automobile batteries fail in July than in January. And if you think it’s hot outside your car, imagine what it’s like under the hood.

“Battery Temperatures under the hood of a car can reach 175 to 200 degrees in extreme heat conditions,” says Interstate Batteries Technical Services Manager Gale Kimbrough. ”This is why it is very important for motorists to take the necessary precautions of having their vehicle battery checked on a regular basis.”

Getting your battery checked is fast and free at Interstate All Battery Center. A battery expert will use the ED-18 Electrical System Analyzer to measure your battery’s state of health. More than just telling you whether your battery is charged, the ED-18 will identify “marginal” batteries—those that may start your vehicle under normal conditions but, because their performance has begun to decline, may fail under extreme heat or cold. And it performs this test in just 30 seconds.

A free battery check can save you frustration in these hot summer months. To find an Interstate All Battery Center near you, visit our store locations page.

By the way: Many of our Interstate dealers also use the ED-18 analyzer and can perform your battery check, too! Find a dealer near you with our dealer locator.

Did you know that more automobile batteries fail in July than in January?  Summer heat is actually harder on a battery than winter cold.  With record heat sweeping across the country, Interstate Batteries encourages motorists to protect and care for that part of the vehicle a driver depends on the most every day.

"The corrosion factor within a battery is accelerated by extreme temperatures, especially heat," said Interstate Batteries Technical Service Manager Gale Kimbrough.  "Battery Temperatures under the hood of a car can reach 175 to 200 degrees in extreme heat conditions.  This is why it is very important for motorists to take the necessary precautions of having their vehicle battery checked on a regular basis."

Interstate Batteries has some helpful guidelines to follow when caring for your automobile battery:

1. When working with your battery, always wear protective eyewear, remove all jewelry and wear long sleeves to protect your arms from an explosion of battery acid.
2. Do a visual inspection to see if the battery case is showing signs of extreme bulging, cracked or leaking. If it is, it’s time to replace it.
3. Clean up the connections by removing any corrosion, lead oxidation, paint or rust from the top of the battery with a scouring pad or brass brush. Be sure to brush the corrosion away from you.
4. If your battery has removable filler caps, open the caps and check the water level in each cell.
5. Make sure the plates are at least half covered. This prevents sulfation and reduces the possibility of an internal battery explosion.
6. If the water level is low, add distilled water (avoid tap water) until the plates are covered.
7. Avoid overfilling, especially in hot weather, because the heat can cause the solution inside to expand and overflow.
8. Have your battery and electrical system professionally tested every three to six months and especially prior to heading out on a trip. 

In just 30 seconds, Interstate All Battery Center locations can provide motorists with a free printout analysis of their vehicle battery condition.

For information about Interstate All Battery Center, go to www.allbatteryfranchise.com.