Joe Bacal is a motorsports champion, a cancer survivor and an inspirational story to anyone who has faced health issues.

“Joe Bacal refuses to let chaos bring him down. He thrives in the extreme world of off-road racing. And he waged war on cancer and won. Now, Joe’s on a mission to help others take control of the chaos in their lives.

A lifelong car enthusiast and professional test driver, Joe was on vacation with his family when he discovered a lump that seemed to randomly grow and shrink. Months later, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Throughout 2007, Joe endured surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Faced with his own mortality yet bolstered by the support of his family, friends and the experts at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Joe’s vision to start a professional driving business and compete in world-class off-road racing crystallized.

Beating cancer takes stamina, endurance and a supportive team – not so different from off-road racing. Joe crossed the Baja 500 finish line in June 2009 after 16 hours of continuous driving. And he took control again in the “granddaddy” of off-road racing at the perilous Baja 1000, driving more than 27 hours across desert terrain.

A true iron man, Joe wants other patients to know they are in the driver’s seat when it comes to fighting cancer.

“You can’t win the race if you don’t finish,” says Joe. “To finish, you need to be in control of what’s ahead of you and supported by a great team and family and friends who love you.”

Here is Joe Bacal in an ad he made for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

Drive

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Introducing, the Valanx:

About the Valanx

“The JLTV program, managed by the Army’s Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), challenged industry to bring forth a family of vehicles – with companion trailers – “capable of performing multiple mission roles that will be designed to provide protected, sustained, networked mobility for personnel and payloads across the full range of military operations.” The JLTV requirements include:

* Increasing protection and performance over the current fleet;
* Minimizing ownership costs by maximizing commonality, fuel efficiency and other means; and
* Maintaining effective competition throughout the lifecycle.

Up-armor

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Imagine the possibilities.

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Congratulations to Kyle Busch on his victory at the NASCAR NSE.

“Kyle Busch continued his domination of the NASCAR Nationwide Series with a victory in the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Saturday night.

Busch, who leads the Nationwide standings, won for the sixth time in 19 races this season and also earned the 27th victory of his career.”

Drive.

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There is something about racing through a swamp that appeals to me.

Having a vehicle that churns through three feet of water and mud comes in handy when I gotta flee a nagging wife, get to my favorite fishing hole or make a hippie cry.

Swamp buggy racing is a tradition that dates back decades in the Naples area of Florida.

Race on!

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My ideal hunting ATV would be something like this:

For clarity I will focus on side-by-side ATV offerings at the NRA Exhibits specifically designed for the sportsman that have a load-bearing roof and towing capacity for sporting gear and game.

Pros: Ducks Unlimited Edition is 4×4 with ‘Realtree’ camo, good towing capacity, 7.9-gallon fuel tank and assembled in the USA
Cons: 6 month warranty
Base Price: $11,649

Pros: Load capacity (1,330 lbs.), Towing capacity (1,200 lbs.), seats 4 passengers
Cons: boring appearance…too ‘golf cart’-ish
Base Price: $10,899

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