Radford Racing School hosts performance driving sessions all year long in Arizona.Radford Racing School At Radford Racing School just outside of Phoenix, Arizona, every vehicle in the fleet of Dodge muscle cars must withstand not just high heat but incredible pressure. Students of all ages and experience levels take to the track nearly every day of the year, and these cars are workhorses that require smart maintenance to keep them running optimally. After all, every person at a racing school expects a thrilling experience devoid of mechanical problems.That’s where Radford fleet manager Jason Kutner comes in. Kutner makes sure that each vehicle comes back in great condition after running hard through the track exercises. Every Hellcat and Demon is meticulously maintained by a crew of a dozen full-time staff, including Kutner.Sponsors and supporters include Dodge, Pennzoil, Goodyear, Coca-Cola, Powerstop brake systems, Sunbelt Rentals, Mecum Auctions, Petersen Museum, the Gary Sinise Foundation, Mothers car cleaning products, Stanadyne, Borla, and Forgeline. Having these products and parts on hand means the school has everything it needs to ensure every student has a great experience.The Pennzoil Dodge Demon at Radford Racing SchoolRadford Racing School Keeping Every Engine In Tip-Top ShapeIf there’s one person who understands just how much punishment a car can take, it’s Radford General Manager Chuck Sundstrom. Raised in a family of drag racers, Sundstrom started competing when he was just 16 years old. After two decades of hard-core racing, Sunstrom took over as the leader of Radford Racing School in 2023.“Our shop actually tracks quite a bit,” says Chuck Sundstrom, Radford’s director of business development. "There are a lot of things that we track when the cars come in for lunch and when the cars are returned at the end of the day. Those cars are so well maintained and tracked so we know exactly what's going on with every car.”AdvertisementAdvertisementRadford partners with Pennzoil, which supplies the school with liters upon liters of top-quality Ultra Platinum Full Synthetic motor oil to keep everything going.“We’re proud to say that we have not lost an engine due to oil-related circumstances,” says Mark Valentino, Radford’s director of business development.Knowing not a single engine has failed since Radford started using this Pennzoil formulation is saying something. Especially considering they run the 1,000-horsepower Dodge Demon 170 through quarter-mile drag strip runs on a regular schedule.Jason Kutner, fleet manager at Radford Racing SchoolRadford Racing School Meet The Man Behind The FleetKutner has been with Radford for six years, and he remembers his start date exactly: Monday, February 3, 2020. A New York native, Kutner graduated from the University of Maryland with a four-year degree in accounting and went on to become a private client banker for a major firm in Manhattan.AdvertisementAdvertisementLate in 2018, Kutner reevaluated his career choices and decided to pursue what he loved: cars. He attended tuner school and tried his hand as a contract pit crew member on the racing side before reaching out to Radford Racing School.“I sent in my resume and said I’d welcome the opportunity to speak to anyone over the phone at length to see if there was any way where I can add value,” Kutner remembers.Radford offered him an opportunity at the bottom floor as a fleet technician, a far cry from the banking world where he used to wear suits and deal with large sums of money. Since then, he has steadily worked his way up the ladder, applying his passion and knowledge to the organization. Today, he calls his job a “dreamscape” and enthuses about the school and its partners.Jason Kutner, fleet manager at Radford Racing School.Radford Racing SchoolKutner and his team say that maintenance (including oil changes) are proactive for obvious reasons.AdvertisementAdvertisement“We’re wringing these things out all day every day,” he says. “We go generally with every 1,500 miles, which may sound like a fast service interval but you know we’re going hard all the time.”MORE FROM FORBESHow The Team Penske And Pennzoil Partnership Extends Beyond The TrackHow True Brvnd And Pennzoil Built A Streetwear CollaborationJeep, Dodge And Chrysler Pump Up Dealers With New High-Energy ProgramThis article was originally published on Forbes.com
