As Quarter Master products continue to find residence in victory lanes nationwide, several new customers are joining the winning team with USMTS standout Al Hejna being the latest addition.

Hejna is 48 years old and hails from Clear Lake, Iowa. For racing fans throughout the North and Midwest, his name has long been synonymous with victory. For racers, he is equally known as a hard-nosed competitor who is a threat to win each and every time that he unloads.However, up until four months ago he wasn't as well known across the country as he should have been. That all changed with the debut of the hit television show, Dirt Knights, which began airing on cable channels in January 2011. The show followed the day-to-day activities of Hejna and a handful of other drivers as they competed on the grueling, Casey's General USMTS Open Wheel Modified circuit. The show was an instant success, and for Hejna, it gave him the nationwide publicity that he has long deserved.

Hejna has been racing for 27 years, but has been around racing his entire life. In 1964, when Al was just one year old, his Dad bought a race car. For the next eight years Hejna would spend every weekend at the track with his Dad, and the hook was instantaneous.

"I remember watching my Dad, and thinking I've got to do this some day," commented Hejna.

Hejna's dreams of racing would come true in 1984 when he bought an old car to race in an Enduro event at a local Iowa racetrack. As if his desire to race wasn't already strong enough from just spectating, once he got behind the wheel he was really addicted to racing, and for him there was no looking back. For the next eight years he would methodically work his way up the rungs of the ladder of motorsports as he competed in Hobby Stocks and Limited Late Models before settling into the Modified division in 1992. Once in the Modified class, Hejna knew that he was where he was the most comfortable and where he belonged.

"The Modified just felt right," he said. "I liked the challenge that the car presented to me to drive because it was definitely one of the harder cars I've ever tried to race. I also just liked the competition and how even the cars were."

Once he gained seat time in the Modified, Hejna began to make noise quickly as he claimed several track championships and the wins began to accumulate. In 18 years of competition in the division, he has amassed over 100 feature wins including 23 wins on the coveted USMTS Casey's General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy. Looking back over his career to date, Hejna is quick to mention that his 23 feature wins with the USMTS are his proudest accomplishments.

"When you look at the talent on that tour, it's just incredible. To know that I've won races over guys like Kelly Shryock, Jason Hughes, Tommy Myer, Corey Dripps and all of the other guys, it really means a lot to me. Those are toughest guys in the nation, and to just be competitive with them is big, but to actually beat them – well that's something special right there."

Hejna quickly notes that while the USMTS has always been full of tough competitors, the modern day version of it is by far the toughest.

"There are so many top notch veterans on the tour now that it's really amazing, and then you add in all these young guys who are only 20 years old or so, but have been racing go-karts since they were four years old. They have just unbelievable car control and are really a force."

Hejna then takes a pause, laughs and says, "Ya know, I've beaten most of these guys at least once, but that Ryan Gustin kid is one that I've never won a race against. That's something that I really want to get done this year. Right now he's definitely on top of his game, but I want to show him that us old guys can still teach him a thing or two!"

In addition to the ever-increasing competition, Hejna also makes note of how much the technology has changed over the years, and how formidable a challenge it is just to keep touch with the latest and greatest.

"When I started racing Modifieds they were simple two link cars with a lift arm. Now here we are several years later and several technology changes later, and they are four link cars with a lift arm. It just boggles the mind to keep up with it all. It's hard to imagine what we will be doing with setups in another ten years."

Al also is quick to note how much the Modified division as a whole has changed since he first starting driving one in 1992.

"In the beginning we were nothing more than a support, beginner class. Over the past several years things have changed considerably, and now at a lot of tracks we are the headlining division. It's really impressive how the class has grown."

In addition to being a full-time racer, Hejna has another business that occupies a great deal of his time as he and his brother, Mike, own Rookies Rockin' Sports Bar & Restaurant in Clear Lake. Hejna spends countless hours when he's at home tending to the business. Sometimes for him the toughest part of racing is just getting away from the restaurant business to go racing.

"I'm so busy and focused with Rookies that just getting on the road seems to be the toughest part of the racing business. I don't want to sell either venture short, and until I'm in the hauler rolling down the highway I can't completely focus on racing. I've found a happy balance between the two, but at times it can still keep me stretched pretty thin."

Publicity is always a good thing, and Hejna is quick to give special thanks to what the television show, Dirt Knights, has done for him.

"A year ago most people outside my region had no clue who Al Hejna was. Now when I call parts suppliers, they know who I am. Even on Facebook I initially had like 200 friends, and now I have thousands. It's just incredible how the show has helped me."

While the Dirt Knights producers are currently working out the details for the 2011 tapings, Hejna has already been asked to be a part of the show again, and it's something to which he looks forward.

"Having Corey Dripps and Mike Spaulding ask me to be a part of the Dirt Knights again is something really cool. I really enjoyed doing it last year, although this year maybe I'll have to think a little more before I say some stuff [pauses to laugh]. I can't wait to do it again."

With still several years of drive left in front of him Al sees no point of slowing up in the near future, but he does indicate that he could see himself someday as a crew chief or even a team owner. Even more interestingly, he mentions that he has a desire to one day possibly be a promoter.

"Ya know, I'm like a lot of racers in that I've said a hundred times that I would do this or not do that if I was promoting a race. I would like to actually take a stab at it one day to see how I could do. In a sense I kind of already promote, because I promote my restaurant every day. Of course at the restaurant, I don't have to worry about a hundred angry racers trying to get their hands on me!"

As he prepares for the 2011 season, there have been several changes for his racing operation. First, he has joined forces with Corey Dripps to be a teammate to Dripps and pilot one of the BC Chassis, which Dripps founded and has manufactured since 2004. The duo traveled in the same hauler together in 2010, but each driver utilized a different chassis. As a result, as the team prepares to travel together again in 2011, it will make it more efficient to not have to take spare parts for two totally different cars.

In addition, Hejna is proud to announce that for the 2011 season he will be utilizing Quarter Master technology on his race car for the first time.

"I've heard so many good things about Quarter Master products over the years, and I know that guys like Kelly (Shryock) who have used them over the years swear by them due to the dependability and performance of the parts. As much as I race, it means a lot to know that you don't have to worry about a starter failure or other issue. I've made a lot of changes to improve my program for this year, and this is definitely one that I'm excited about."

Quarter Master continues to push the envelope for producing unmatched, high performance products for circle track racers as well as continuing to prepare for a big return to the drag racing world in the near future. With new customers like Hejna coming on board daily, it’s clear to see that if you want to make sure you are getting winning performance from your driveline products that you need to join the Quarter Masterteam today!