Lone Star Racing Delivers The Ultimate In Quality
Story By: Kyle Callen
Photos By: Brandon Bunch & Elizabeth Leal
In the era of Amazon, overnight shipping, and the “I want it now” mentality, we have seemingly put aside the need for quality products in exchange for cheap, convenient ones. Companies are learning that the consumer will instead buy two cheap items that will inevitably fail before purchasing a more expensive item that will last a lifetime, or at least can be fixed when it breaks. This modern mentality has shifted companies into delivering sub-par products. We see it in our everyday life, and it is now infiltrating the powersports industry. Although the powersports industry is relatively new, there are a lot of good ol’ boys running companies that refuse to adapt to the modern mentality of “I want it now.”
Based in Mesa, AZ, Lone Star Racing isn’t stuck in the Stone Age by any means but refuses to convert to the cheaper is better philosophy. Walking through the LSR facility, owner Dan Fisher and the team have done an amazing job working on efficiencies to keep parts flowing down the assembly line. Raw materials, from Chromoly steel, to billet aluminum, and pallets of sheet metal are all delivered to the back door, and not shipped in from overseas, but raw material produced right here in the good ol’ USA. It’s all inspected and cut into the correct lengths or shapes, and is then delivered to the fabrication or machining departments. Fabrication is where LSR truly is a cut above the rest. Each LSR part is hand-bent, notched, and TIG welded. As it goes from the bending stations to the notchers, then the welders, it is constantly inspected by a fresh set of eyes. It is once again inspected as it is being prepped by the in-house powder coaters and packaging department.
I cannot emphasize enough how thorough their inspection process is because this ensures that every part that comes out of the facility will meet or exceed the high standards LSR has set for themselves. When talking about quality control, the work is only as good as the hands doing it. LSR has many employees with 10+ years with the company. This dedicated crew takes pride in every joint and weld, once again ensuring the parts are up to the standards set forth. The company started off with ATV parts, but as UTVs gained prestige, LSR began production for that segment of the industry. For most, it was an easy transition. For Fisher, the transition was a great way to get behind the wheel and in the desert racing. After all, someone has to do R & D on the new parts.
Since Dan started racing, LSR has become the leader in chassis design, building, and prep for some of the top racers in the industry. Two full-time mechanics prep not only clients’ cars, but Dan’s car as well. Then you have the race shop fab guys that build custom UTV chassis, sometimes build fuel towers for chase trucks, and have helped make LSR as successful as it is. Adding to the great crew and management staff, the grounds are large enough to house clients’ chase trucks, trailers, and equipment, giving them an arrive and drive feel, but with their own equipment. Oh, did I neglect to mention the full machine shop with HAAS CNC machines? They have that too. While we were there having some parts installed on our 2020 Polaris RZR PRO XP 4, we noticed a few shock bushings were already blown out. The panic set in as none of the local dealerships had the part in stock. That panic was for nothing as the broken parts were walked to the machine shop, a drawing was made, and new, better parts were made right there on the spot. Truly impressive to see that in-house capability first hand!
What happens when you can’t find a vendor that upholds the same standard of quality and timelines that you do? Do it yourself. That’s right, LSR bought a complete powder coating set up and brought it all in-house giving them complete control of the process. They may not be Amazon fast, but steps like this make the efficiencies go through the roof, getting customers parts faster while maintaining the quality we have continued to see out of them.
I bring timelines and quality up a lot as I talk about LSR for very specific reasons. Dan, and key team members like Bobby Boyer, know that not a lot of people don’t want to wait 4-6 weeks for some parts, but they are unwilling to fall prey to the mass marketplaces of the world, throwing quality out the window just to be able to deliver a part sooner. I feel like more companies need to take this stance. LSR is building high-quality parts right here in the USA using American-made materials with American workers. It’s not the cheapest, they won’t deliver the fastest, and if you insist on those things from LSR, they will gladly point you in another direction.
