Drawer Catalog Update!

This week we rolled out an exciting update to our Drawer product catalog, so be sure to download the latest version! The newest Drawer catalog features these exciting additions:

• Standard selection of Tool Drawer Units pre-configured for Monroe Truck Equipment bodies.

• Standard selection of CTech Bolt Bins, as well as a ‘Request For Quote’ sheet for custom Bolt Bins.

• ‘Cat Yellow’ is now a standard powder coat option!

If you’re in need of any physical catalogs, for personal or business purposes, please get in touch with us. We will notify you when the newest version is ready for shipment!

Speed, Stars, and Sunshine at the CTech Manufacturing 180!

The one and only CTech Manufacturing 180 NASCAR Xfinity race at Road America was a huge success! The weather couldn’t have possibly been better, and the racing produced on Elkhart Lake’s legendary 4-mile road course kept us at the edge of our seat right up until the end. We were honored to have more than 250 guests attending the event; from employees, to dealers, customers, and more! It was incredible to see everyone in their blue CTech t-shirts all over the facility on race day.

From the first NASCAR practice session on Friday all the way through the end of the big race, everyone in attendance enjoyed nearly perfect 70-degree weather and plenty of sunshine at the track, breaking free from a particularly hot summer in much of the upper Midwest. The race day itself was a blur of activity, beginning with the ‘CTech Challenge’ go kart race at the CTech Manufacturing Motorplex. The world-class motorplex, which is open for public karting during major events, was reserved for the special race on Saturday and featured 11 pre-selected CTech employees as well as a very special guest driver; Matt Kenseth! Matt draws a crowd everywhere he goes, and the CTech Challenge race was no different. After a great battle during the race itself, our very own Motorsport Product Line Manager Nate Birkenmeier walked away as the victor!

After the CTech Challenge race, NASCAR Xfinity cars hit the track for qualifying. As a bonus, CTech guests also had a CTech-sponsored car to root for! Announced in a last-minute social media post; Kaulig Racing’s #10 Chevy Camaro, driven by AJ Allmendinger, wore a special CTech-laden livery to Road America. Candidly, we thought the #10 was the best-looking car in the paddock! And it was quick too; as A.J. put his CTech Camaro on pole position in Saturday morning’s qualifying session! Starting just behind AJ in the race would be Matt DiBenedetto, who’s been on a very good run lately and was also a favored driver to win. Last years 180-mile race winner Justin Allgaier would start the race in 8th position.

As the pre-race festivities started, Matt Kenseth was officially introduced as the race Grand Marshal and the crowd was treated to a very special U.S. Air Force flyover featuring the 55th Flying Wing’s beautiful RC-135V/W reconnaissance aircraft. Before long, our very own CTech Challenge race winner Nate B. was waving the green flag and the big race was underway! Luckily for the CTech fanbase; AJ’s qualifying speed continued well into the race, picking up a stage 1 victory and staying in contention to win, until he was unfortunately spun after a late-race restart. Meanwhile, Christopher Bell took full advantage of the late restarts and virtually cruised to his first road course victory. He received a congratulatory call from team owner Joe Gibbs while celebrating in pit late, shortly after our very own Mike Greenheck handed over the race trophy that he designed and fabricated in-house at CTech Manufacturing’s headquarters in Weston, Wisconsin. Congrats to Christopher and the Joe Gibbs Racing camp for picking up a hard-fought victory!

Off the racetrack, fans were eager to sign up to win a replica of the extremely unique CTech 180 Trophy Cart, which received plenty of praise and publicity from people in and outside of the NASCAR community. Complete with a beverage fridge inside, the Trophy Cart itself is a specially configured Caster Cart that represents the product quality and finish that every CTech Cart, Cabinet, and Drawer. In the coming days, one lucky fan will be announced as the winner of this unique piece of NASCAR victory lane history! We think the giveaway winner will be just as excited as Christopher Bell’s crew was in the winner’s circle when they found out that the beverage fridge in their new trophy was already fully stocked with Bud Lite!

We have a TON of people to thank for making this weekend possible. The staff at Road America did everything they could to help us get the most out of this incredible opportunity, from the moment we came on as the event title sponsor to the end of the big race and beyond. Our relationship with Road America has been very prosperous through the years, and we appreciate everything they do to help boost our brand. Another special thank you goes out to our Grand Marshal Matt Kenseth, who took time out of his busy schedule to serve as GM; participate in the CTech Challenge race, and mingle with fans all day. Last but not least, we must thank the incredible fans who came to support the race and visit us in either of our displays in the paddock. The 180-mile NASCAR race at Road America is the pinnacle of stock car racing in Wisconsin, and we’re very glad to have the opportunity to support it!   

Jim is a Wally Winner at Lucas Oil Nationals!

Jim Greenheck picked up his first national event win of the year this past weekend at Brainerd International Raceway! After cruising through three rounds of elimination he faced a tough competitor; Shaun Vincent, in the final round. After a flawless run in the previous round, Shaun got slightly caught out at the line and Jim made a great pass to earn himself a Wally!

The crowd in Minnesota was fantastic! As you can see from the photos, plenty of fans were on hand to watch Jim and his CTech Camaro bring home the big WIN on a national stage! Congratulations to Jim and Wife Debby, Crew Chief/Engineer Brandon Frank, and the rest of the CTech team!

Matt Kenseth Announced as CTech 180 Grand Marshal

We’re ecstatic to welcome Cambridge, Wisconsin native and championship-winning stock car racer Matt Kenseth to Road America next weekend for the CTech Manufacturing 180 NASCAR Xfinity race! Matt will be heading up responsibilities as Grand Marshal; which he says “…is a big honor to be the Grand Marshal of such a big race. It is also close to my home. It is very nice to be honored with this and I am glad CTECH Manufacturing selected me for this year's event, this means a tremendous amount to me."

Kenseth has enjoyed a storied 21-year NASCAR career; earning the final Winston Cup Series Championship in 2003, winning the Daytona 500 twice, and becoming IROC Champion. The bulk of his achievements were earned primarily while driving for Roush/Fenway racing. After driving part-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 and again for Roush/Fenway in 2018, Matt has since returned to his roots in short-track racing. As we type this update, he’s getting ready to drive in the Howie Lettow 100 at Madison International Speedway, behind the wheel of an ARCA racecar. Just last month, Kenseth also earned his 8th Slinger National title at Slinger Speedway; another local short-track where his roots in stock car racing preside.

Matt will have a very busy schedule at the CTech 180; beginning with a special go-kart race held at the CTech Manufacturing Motorplex located on the infield of Road America’s 4-mile road racing track. The ‘CTech Challenge’, as it will be called, will see wheel-to-wheel karting action between Matt and a few select CTech employees. Bragging rights are very much on the line in this early-morning event before the days’ festivities. Fans will also have the opportunity to meet Matt face-to-face and get his autograph at CTech’s main booth on race day, which will be located near Victory Lane.

Matt Kenseth Autograph Session: 11AM-12PM | Race Day | CTech Main Booth (Near Victory Lane)

Hool Brothers Score Breakthrough WIN In Topeka!

Both CTech-sponsored Chevy Camaros made it to the final round last weekend at Heartland Motorsports Park, and the Hool Brothers came through with their first win of the season in Top Alcohol Funny Car!

The breakthrough win came after a long but consistent weekend in Topeka, Kansas. The weather was manageable from start to finish and the entire TAFC field was very aggressive at the line, as evident by the ‘lopsided’ Round 1 results (See button below). According to the team’s weekend recap, the Hool Brothers chose a more conservative setup in the later stages, paying dividends as their competition smoked the tires looking for an advantage. Kevin Hool had this to say about the weekend:

“We had made good decisions, Kris drove very well, the car responded to every change we made, and we got the win.” -Kevin Hool

Defending Division V Champion Jim Greenheck made a valiant effort in Competition Eliminator, as current Division V points leader Matt Harris ended up taking the win in the final round after an extremely close run to the line. Jim continues a very consistent effort this year, going deep into eliminations once again and coming out of the event in a tidy 2nd place in the standings.

Next on the schedule for the CTech-sponsored duo is Brainerd Intl. Speedway in Minnesota, August 10-11. We’re hoping that both teams keep up the consistent performance as we charge through the second half of the season!

Anatomy Of A Race Hauler

In nearly every form of racing, competitors have to find a way to transport all of their necessary equipment to the track. Depending on the sport, this can be quite the logistical challenge. Some folks simply load up the bed of a pickup truck and are on their way. Although they may be considered the “lucky ones”, they don’t reap the benefits of having a sort of ‘garage on wheels’ that any enclosed trailer can provide with the right equipment. With the right systems in place, a racing trailer can provide workstations, test stands, hospitality of all different kinds, and a host of high-tech systems. A trailer’s job isn’t over after it’s parked, in fact, it just begins!

For the larger teams that have to coordinate a multi-trailer caravan to the track, the logistical challenge becomes critical. Without having to mention the fact that large trailers have to meet a legal maximum weight while travelling down the road, let’s take a look at some of the basic functions of a fully-loaded race hauler. One that you might find near or at the top levels of motorsport.

As you can see, this isn’t your average trailer. This particular rig was configured for a larger oval racing team, hosting many team members and plenty of VIPs every race weekend. The cars are usually relegated to storage on the upper level during transport, leaving the entire lower level of the transporter open for configuration. Every team operates slightly differently, thus the lower level must be tailored exclusively to each team. At CTech, we work hand-in-hand with the teams to ensure that literally every piece of equipment and individual part has it’s place in a cabinet or drawer. In many cases, the number of items accounted for is in the tens of thousands. When you’re working in logistics, being this methodical is the only way to ensure that the system will work as a whole. From the racer’s perspective, the less they have to worry about organizing and finding ways to make due, the more effort can be put to the task at hand; winning!

Starting with the basics, lightweight aluminum cabinets and drawer units make up the bulk of the trailer’s interior at the lower level. Cutting weight here is essential. We use exclusively 5052 aluminum panels and extrusions to construct our cabinets, making them roughly 50% lighter than traditional steel counterparts. This brings up a great issue when it comes to mobile storage; the trade-off between cutting weight and not sacrificing strength, longevity, or durability.

As you can imagine, the road can be a very rough place, and travelling down the highway with, potentially, millions of dollars worth of equipment is not the best time to have a drawer or cabinet failure. That’s why we construct our 5052 aluminum storage components with fasteners. Fastener construction allows the storage unit’s frame to ‘flex’ under increased load moments, bumps, and uneven terrain. Where welded components might bend and break, fastened components keep on flexing. As an added bonus, in case of an accident, components that are fastened together are much more easily replaced. This saves money, time, and effort in the bigger picture.

The next biggest hurdle to overcome in a race hauler is customization and technology integration. This is where it’s essential for us to work hand-in-hand with the client and/or trailer manufacturer to ensure that the storage systems and amenities are integrated seamlessly. Without the unmatched level of cabinet system configurability developed by our engineers, creating a fluid and dynamic storage system just for this complex space would be next to impossible.

The culmination of all this engineering and innovation is a multi-functional, mobile headquarters capable of hosting everything from an engine swap to a business meeting. Cabinets of various configurations host component test stands, multiple workstations and worktop areas, appliance integration, electronic/data hosting racks, various wireless technologies, and hospitality services. After all, after a hard day of work at the track, the team needs to eat as well.

Case Study: Ed Carpenter Racing (IndyCar)

When Bret Schmitt (Chief Mechanic at Ed Carpenter Racing) sees an opportunity to optimize, whether it be on the racecar or in the race hauler, he takes it. That’s why he chose to outfit their primary IndyCar race hauler with CTech storage. In the process, he cut rolling weight on the rig an increased storage space simultaneously.

“The biggest thing for us choosing CTech was saving weight in the trailer and being able to customize the cabinets to the exact size we want, which increased our storage area almost 20% over a stock Lista cabinet. That was huge for us because it’s all about maximizing your storage space in the trailer. That space, along with weight savings, was a big bonus for us with CTech. It’s a great product, and a great finish. We really like the handles! Everything is just very user friendly for what we’re doing.”

-Bret Schmitt, Chief Mechanic | Ed Carpenter Racing

Each NASCAR, IndyCar, Pirelli World Challenge, TORC off-road team, you name it, needs to get the most out of their equipment so that they can get the most out of their vehicles. The more capabilities they can carry with them to the track, the better. A dependable, customized storage system makes that possible. Each build is an engineering exercise in organization and space optimization. I’m sure if Formula 1 teams could bring a wind tunnel on the road with them, they would. Hmmm, maybe that’s an idea for the HAAS F1 team to ponder!?

Why Buy American Or Local?

Following up on one of our favorite holidays; Independence Day. Taking pride in our American-made product is just the beginning; there's a wide array of benefits for our customers, local communities, and beyond!

We've compiled 16 of the top benefits associated with buying American from CTech, flip through them all right here! Buying local is one of the most important things you can do on a daily basis to support your community. It may not always be the cheapest option, but the benefits associated with it often transcend the sale!

MotionLatch™ Tool Drawer Ordering & Installation Walk-Through

Upgrading tool storage seems like a massive undertaking, but in reality it’s never been easier! If you’re looking to begin the process of upgrading to MotionLatch tool drawer storage, we’ve put together this comprehensive walkthrough video to help show you what’s in store! From measuring and ordering, to installation, preview the upgrade process right here!

At CTech, we’re here to provide the best product and service to our customers. If there’s anything else you need from us, don’t hesitate to get in touch! Let’s review some of the steps covered in this video:

Measuring + Ordering

1. Download our RFQ Form.

2. Start by measuring your basic compartment/opening dimensions (LxWxH).

3. Adjust your basic measurements by taking obstructions/clearances/modifications into account for each compartment/opening.

4. Consider which mounting options are available for your available dimensions (don’t forget about the minimum width requirement for telescoping tops).

5. Decide how many drawers you need and at what size(s).

6. Complete the RFQ Form with the rest of your necessary information, and submit to your local CTech Tool Drawer Dealer! (Go Here To Find Your Nearest Dealer)

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Installation

1. Begin by clearing and cleaning your compartments/openings destined for installation.

2. Remove the drawers from your new Tool Drawer Unit (TDU) and place the frame into your compartment/opening.

   1. NOTE: If you’re able to leave in the middle section of drawers in the unit at this time, that will ensure the unit is square and the drawers will operate freely. Your alternative option is to test fit the drawers before tightening all the fasteners

3. Ensure that the unit fits as desired and no obstructions will impede the drawers once re-installed. (if you have a service body, make sure that the door will close and latch without issue)

4. With the unit positioned exactly where you want it mounted, mark the locations to drill holes for the installation hardware.

5. Remove the TDU and drill out the mounting holes.

6. Place the TDU back in place and hard-mount the unit using hardware (not provided by CTech).

7. Re-Install drawers, and once again make sure that no obstructions are present.

8. Enjoy the fruits of superior storage! Snap a picture of your new unit and tag CTech on social media!

Announcing The 'CTech Manufacturing 180'

Everyone here at CTech Manufacturing is thrilled to announce the CTech Manufacturing 180 NASCAR Xfinity Series race to be held at Road America on August 22-24, 2019! Set in the scenic hills of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the 180-mile road race is a spectacle, and driver favorite, on the NASCAR calendar. Joining the weekend festivities once again will be the fan-favorite Stadium Super Truck series, as well as the SCCA Trans Am and Formula 3 series.

As the official Cart, Cabinet, and Drawer supplier for Road America and title sponsor of the world-class motorplex located on-site, CTech has enjoyed a prosperous relationship with Road America, also known as ‘America’s National Park of Speed’. Those who have had the chance to explore the 640+ acres of park-like land on the Road America grounds will uphold its world-class reputation, and for good measure, considering the phenomenal amenities, food, and activities available for both racers and fans alike.

Previously coined the ‘Johnsonville 180’, this special race has a knack for attracting top-tier road racers. In 2018, popular British endurance racer Katherine Legge joined Johnny Davis Racing, while IndyCar driver Conor Daly joined Rousch Fenway Racing, among others. Hall-Of-Fame NASCAR driver Bill Elliot also came out of retirement to suit up for the 2018 race, creating plenty of buzz around the NASCAR paddock. One thing’s for sure when it comes to this challenging 180-mile race, you never know who is going to come out to play, or who’s going to end up in the winner’s circle!

Being a Wisconsin-based company, we’re extremely excited to welcome the NASCAR world back to beautiful Road America. We would like to invite you to come enjoy the best that stock car racing has to offer in August as we get set to wave the green flag for the first ever CTech Manufacturing 180! Stay tuned for exciting details regarding the race weekend!