Bare Bones Racing

Photos of from the Lucky Dog Racing League Season Championship at Thunderhill Raceway

Day 2 of the 14-Hour Lucky Dog Racing League Season Championship Race did not go to plan. At the 1:30 mark, we lost 3rd Gear in the Transmission. But we never give up, so the decision was made to swap in our spare transmission and try and finish the race merely for honor.

The Team, led by our Chief Mechanic, Kyle, snapped into action. Tools were flowing, instructions were called out, and components were removed bit by bit. When it was all said and done, we had a new transmission and our driver back in the car in a little over 1 hour; a record time for a Transmission Swap for our team!

The rest of the race was for pride and our Driver radioed back that Half Pint felt great! We had a lot of work to do to chip away at the field in our Class. Half Pint was rapid on-track and her cornering speed left other competitors wondering if our drivers were even using the brakes! She got lighter throughout the end of her final stint as she burned off her fuel load. She matched her fastest Hot Lap of the weekend by notching another 3:22 lap and was the fastest Mazda-powered Miata in the field.

We finished the 2-Day, 14-Hour, Season Championship Race, in 13th Place in Class, 41st Overall out of a 87 car field, and had turned 178 laps and traveled over 890 miles on-track. 13 turned out to NOT be an unlucky number either...

Unbeknownst to us, a Cash Award for each team finishing 13th Place in their Class is given. So we added $500 to the race budget for next year and can hold our heads high that our Team has successfully completed our 10th Year of Endurance Racing!

When she's on the Alignment Rack at Trackside Motorsports, you know it's time to race!

Garth got dialed-in for our Season Championship Race at Thunderhill Raceway with Lucky Dog Racing League this weekend. Let's GO!

Our 10th Year of Racing continued with notching her Fastest Lap EVER around Portland International Raceway this past weekend breaking the sub 1:30 barrier with a Hot Lap of 1:29!

This is an amazing accomplishment and milestone for the entire team who has painstakingly refined and evolved this naturally aspirated Factory Mazda 4-Cylinder into one of the quickest cars on-track.

It was a fun and exciting weekend with Lucky Dog Racing League as we competed in 15 Hours of Endurance Racing. We assembled the fastest Driver Corps in our team's 10-year history with Max, Britain, Ara, and David all delivering rapid pace. The real heroes are our Crew who keep the wheels turning during pit stops and in pressure packed situations when things break. Special thanks to Kyle, Jared, Bill, and returning long-time teammate, Nate, who's addictive enthusiasm has been sorely missed on this team.

Even though trophy hardware didn't materialize for us this past race weekend, due to a blown fuse on Saturday and punctured brake hose on Sunday, the Crew did a great job to minimize down time in the Pits and got Half Pint back out on-track. We finished the weekend 8th in Class and 22nd Overall out of a 66-car field and just possibly may have been the fastest 4-cylinder out there!

One of our greatest supporters, a friend, a cheerleader, and most importantly a father, has left these earthly bounds for calmer seas. Ted Merrill was the pulse of enthusiasm that each of us loved to experience. Always offering to help, supporting his son, Craig, without hesitation, and sharing his joy for what this race team meant to him. To know Ted, you would not be surprised by the sentence in his obituary which truly represented this kind and caring Man.

"Ted was a man of great integrity, generosity, and everything he did, he did with excellence."

We will be dedicating our upcoming Race at Portland International Raceway with Lucky Dog Racing League to Ted Merrill and we wish the entire Merrill Family a special Thank You for sharing Ted with us on so many occasions. Fair Winds and Following Seas Ted!

Obituary information for Theodore Thomas Merrill View Theodore Thomas Merrill's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

Scenes from 's most recent Test Day at Oregon Raceway Park. Our Team is ready for the next endurance race weekend with Lucky Dog Racing League on July 19 & 20 for our Home Race at Portland International Raceway. Come out to the Track & join us!

Great Test & Tune at Oregon Raceway Park. New fastest lap for at ORP with a 2:00 on old tires which destroyed our previous best of 2:05.

Looking forward to our 10th season of endurance racing this year!

Many of you do not know the story of our Engine Builder. Well, the Man behind it all was Arnie Loyning, and this morning he passed away after a richly-lived life.

Bare Bones Racing will honor Arnie by bringing our best each time we roll Half Pint onto the track. Arnie and his team built (2) race engines for us and the last one still beats with ferocity inside Half Pint today. Arnie was a great and generous Builder, Racer, and Man. He personally Dyno Tested our engine to ensure it was perfect. With 2025 being our 10th Anniversary Season, we look forward to paying tribute to our friend and Heavenly Racer, Arnie Loyning.

Sadly, the great racer Arnie Loyning passed away this morning. Jess Heitman was fortunate to have the opportunity to race and win in Arnie's award-winning Lotus for a couple of years. Arnie started racing at Pacific Raceways, had an extensive racing history. He also was an accomplished sailor, originally from Norway. Now Jess and Arnie are swapping racing stories together up above.