Russell Performance has always been synonymous with racing. Founder Dave Russell was a loan officer/racer, which may sound like a strange dichotomy, but was a winning combination for an automotive enthusiast who wished to start his own automotive performance business. This conglomeration of business sense, market knowledge, and desire to win carried Dave Russell through the tough times of finding proper distribution for his fledgling product line. Russell Performance eventually hit it big, and in 2001 Edelbrock acquired the brand, making Russell even more of a powerhouse in the automotive aftermarket and bringing it into a new era of racing performance.