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K&N's Kathy and Kevin Fisher Prepare for Big Season End Championship Race in Virgina

17 oct 2011

Fisher'a Fuels/K&N/Ohio Crankshaft/Amalie Boulton dragster

Year-round preparation for the husband and wife team of Kevin and Kathy Fisher, from Lima, Ohio, has brought them to their season end event just outside of Richmond, Virginia, and not just any event but the IHRA Tournament of Champions race at Virginia Motorsports Park. A race that will runoff those who qualified for it, in one way or another throughout the season, to determine the IHRA World Champions in all seven of the sanctioning bodies sportsman classes.

Drag Racers Kevin and Kathy Fisher

Kathy Fisher, who drives the team's 1998 Dragon Racing Fuels/K&N/Ohio Crankshaft/Amalie Boulton dragster in Quick Rod, qualified for the special event by her season end third place points finish in IHRA Division 3. Fisher utilizing only five of her available eight event claims on the IHRA Division schedule to make the special field and a shot at a 2011 Championship.

"We had a very tight schedule this season and did our best to run as many IHRA and NHRA events," explained Kathy. "To be able to finish third in the division with the amount of races that I ran is really great. We had a good showing when we did get to participate in those events and just one first round loss of any of my IHRA events this year, national or divisional."

"I guess, let me get out of first round and I seem to be able to make the most of the race," she added with a smile.

Before the Tournament of Champions race will commence, both Kathy and Kevin will first compete in the IHRA Sportsman Spectacular. A race that not only offers $5,000 and national event contingency to the winner's but the final berth for a driver from each class to move on to the "TOC".

"Kevin still has a shot to make it into the TOC in Top Dragster," she pointed out. "The car has become more consistent as of late and with the Sportsman Spectacular, we don't have to run it hard at all to be in the show, so to speak. One of the goals for the weekend is to have both team cars in for the TOC and we are already halfway there."

For Quick Rod, the 8.90 index class, Fisher is currently joined by twenty-five other qualifiers from all across the county and Canada. More notably, should the roster hold as is, Fisher is the only female to qualify in Quick Rod for the championship deciding race. "I hadn't really put any thought into that until here recently," she confessed. "I looked to see who all made it into the field and then realized that. There are a lot of great female competitors in my class and I guess if I get to be the only one to represent for our gender [laughs], I hope to do us proud."

While Kathy looks to add to her three final round appearances from earlier this year and Kevin is anxious to wrap up his season on a high note. "I have to say that I am looking forward to this weekend more than I have many of the other events from this season," he pointed out. "While the racing will be extremely intense, like every other event, there's just a different mindset going in. The track will be fantastic and we will have absolutely no worries with the weather. We are looking forward to putting a lot of passes on this Dragon Racing Fuels/Ohio Crankshaft Top Dragster before we put her away for the season. Some races you just have a good feeling about, and for me this is one of them."

"We couldn't have accomplished any of this without the folks who work with us," Kathy confessed of making the TOC. "All those rounds that I won, the finals I made it to this year come from using the best products that are available to us. I can't say it enough, consistency wins races. As long as the driver shows up, I have a very consistent, very dialable car, mainly thanks to everyone at K&N. We have always used K&N oil and air filters on all of our vehicles, from our all of our race cars to the vehicles we drive day-to-day. Like so many others, we don't have an unlimited budget and we cannot take any chances with the engines or anything else on our cars. With K&N products, we don't have to worry about them no being protected the best they possibly could."

K&N oil and air filters are not the only products from the company's lineup that the team is proud to take to the winner's circle with them. "We started using the K&N second generation composite dragster scoops at the beginning of last season," said Kevin, who is also crew chief for the team. "The design is simply remarkable and not only do they look great, it's like instant bolt-on horsepower. Kathy's car picked up an average of four mile-per-hour by just changing to the K&N scoop."

While the weekend's events at VMP might be the final 2011 race for Team Dragon Racing Fuels, some things this weekend will be a first. The team will be joined this weekend by their new Assistant Car Chief, Chelsea VanCleave. VanCleave hails from Nashville, Tennessee and is currently studying High Performance Automotive at UNOH in Lima, Ohio. A veteran racer in her own right, VanCleave competed very successfully in the Jr. Dragster ranks from the age of seven and currently holds her NHRA 4A competition license.

"It's cool to have Chelsea come on board with us, we are very excited for her to experience this event with us," Kathy said. "I'm also excited to have our newest race dog in training with us for her first event. Hey, our shelties are a really big part of our team. Losing Mandy back in August after fourteen years was, and still is, rough. Miyah will now be joined by Mekoh, who just turned fifteen weeks."

"I don't know what I'm more excited about, her first golf cart ride at a race or the shot at the championship," laughed Fisher. The IHRA Sportsman Spectacular and Tournament of Champions takes place this weekend, October 14-16.

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Jason Line Becoming NHRA Pro Stock Juggernaut in Record Style at Reading National

17 oct 2011

K&N Horsepower Challenge point leader Jason Line

Rolling through the type of season that dreams are made of, current 2012 K&N Horsepower Challenge point leader, Jason Line took advantage of the cool fall air in his Summit Pontiac to sail to the number one Pro Stock qualifying spot during the 27th annual Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pennsylvania. With the accomplishment, it would make an outstanding fifth consecutive pole sitting race day start for Line, who also sits number one in the NHRA Pro Stock Full Throttle standings.

Jason Line's Summit Pontiac GXP

With a weather forecast that called for cooling temperatures and a good chance of rain throughout the course of the event, Friday's weather, with temps in the low seventy's, was quite comfortable for spectators, but proved to be a little heavy in the humidity department for the naturally aspirated Pro Stock power plants.

Out of the box for the first qualifying session on Friday, it would be K&N's Mike Edwards catapulting his way to the top by laying down a 6.541 at 211.66. Just when you think the performance can't get any tighter in Pro Stock, Jason Line and teammate, Greg Anderson answered Edwards E.T., by also both posting 6.541 runs. After the chips fell, Edwards would hold on to the provisional number one spot based on his faster MPH. Anderson would fall in at number two based on his 211.43 MPH and Line wrapping up the top three with his 211.06 pass.

When the teams came back for second qualifying round action, Mother Nature still had not provided the tuners and crew chiefs with quite the record setting conditions most were looking forward to during this event. Edwards managed to make the quickest run of the session and was the only car to dip into the 6.54 range. Line, this time was second quickest, followed by Anderson and the top three would remain unchanged going into much different conditions the following day.

"It wasn't a great day, but it certainly wasn't a bad day," said Line, shortly following Friday's on track festivities. "We made a decent run with our Summit Racing Pontiac, matching Greg and Mike on E.T., but giving up a little on top speed, putting us third, which is a good starting spot, although we'd be on the same side of the ladder."

Saturday weather was a whole lot different and had every one of the Pro Stock teams looking to make some fantastic runs. With 62 degrees and an adjusted altitude of under sixteen hundred feet, the only thing that may hold the tuners from their wishes would be the still rather high humidity, which was sitting over sixty percent.

As the pairs went down the track, it started to become obvious that the 6.541 time was not going to hold at number one. Line and Anderson teammate, Ronnie Humphrey was the first to drop the number with his 6.525 and it wouldn't be long before Line answered that with a track record setting 6.513, to take the top position for the first time of the weekend.

The air conditions remained much the same for the fourth and final session on Saturday, which professional teams were able to complete just a short while before rain halted the day's schedule of events. Although not improving on his earlier round effort, Line still managed to run a 6.517, which nearly matched his prior run. The pass was also quite notable since it was a full three-hundredths of a second quicker than Edwards, who made the second quickest lap of the session. And in NHRA Pro Stock racing terms, three-hundredths of a second might as well be miles.

With his Maple Grove Raceway track setting E.T. of 6.513, Line secured his fifth consecutive number one qualifier, making it a total of seven during the 2011 season and the twenty-fourth of his career.

"It's pretty exciting for this Summit Racing team to qualify No. 1 five races in a row, and when you include Greg's No. 1 in Seattle, it's actually six," Line admitted Saturday after the final session. "I've never done that before, and am very proud of what everyone on this crew has done. Looking at the time sheets from the last few races you would think we have this car completed sorted out, and we do. It's just a great hot rod, and I'm lucky to be driving it."

"However, you might not think that if you listened to us analyzing the runs afterwards, because we're always picking it apart trying to make it better," he continued. "That's what makes this team so good, we approach things like we're the underdog, always looking to improve because we know that's the only way to stay ahead."

Remaining steady at the top, Line continues to widen the spread in the K&N Horsepower Challenge standings, where he now holds a fifty point lead over Greg Anderson at two, and a one-hundred thirty-five point lead over Mike Edwards. Allen Johnson and Erica Enders wrap up the top five.

After a rain-delayed event that would be finished on Monday, it should also be noted that not only did Jason Line go on to win his second consecutive event, sixth of the season, but just as he noted the week before, set the new NHRA Pro Stock National E.T. Record that he was hoping he could do. In round two, Line laid down a screaming 6.477 that completely smashed the 6.495 that Rodger Brogdon had set earlier this March during the GatorNationals in Florida.

The teams now head out west for the final three events of the 2011 season, starting in Phoenix, then on Las Vegas before heading to the World Finals in Pomona, California next month.

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Monumental Season for K&N's Slate Cummings Continues with Stock Final Round Appearance at Dallas

17 oct 2011

As the end of the 2011 season draws near, Slate Cummings of Hammond, Louisiana continued to find his way to another NHRA final round, this time it was again in his 1999 B/SA Firebird as he took runner-up honors during the 26th annual AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, just outside of Dallas, Texas.

NHRA Stock car driver Slate Cummings

With already a NHRA National event win earlier this season for Cummings in his Stock car, one that came for him at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois back in July, add in his most recent accomplishment in Stock and he now sits number nine in the 2011 NHRA Lucas Oil National Championship standings. Cummings remains very strong on the divisional level as well, where he is currently number two in NHRA Division 4 Stock.

While Cummings may not have had the success on the National stage in his Super Stock entry so far for 2011 that he has enjoyed in his Stock car, he has had a very strong year on the divisional scene. With several good outings, including a win right off the bat during the NHRA Division 4 opener back in March at Houston, Cummings currently sits atop the NHRA Division 4 standings and just outside the prestigious top ten on the national level.

Cummings most recent Stock Eliminator final round came for him over a weekend of rather large weather swings, occurring from qualifying days to Sunday's final eliminations. Starting a number fifteen on a ladder of forty-seven, Cummings first round opponent would be Jackie Hibbard of Humble, Texas. Cummings may have been a whole three hundredths behind on the line, but feverously outdrove Hibbard at the stripe to take a six thousandth of a second finish line for his first Stock round victory of the weekend.

That would set him up next to pair up with Kyle Ratcliff. Cummings still the quicker of the two cars was able to watch Ratcliff leave and knew they're reaction times were close. Using a dead on the dial elapsed time, he used a .026 package to send Ratcliff to the trailer with his .038 package in round two.

Cummings used a better light in round three to shutdown Jody Simoneaux and another narrow five thousandths of a second margin at the stripe in round four, to take the win over Brent Bratsen. With a scorching track temp over one-hundred thirty degrees and air that made the engines feel like they were in nearly forty-two hundred feet of altitude, Cummings had his car much closer to the dial on the window and took a squeaker of a win in the semi-final round. Having his opponent Tracy Pedigo more than doubled up on the tree, Cummings kept it almost a little too tight at the stripe when he made the margin just two thousandths of a second, or nearly ten inches.

The feat would send Cummings and his K&N Firebird into his second NHRA Stock Eliminator National Event final of the 2011 season to meet up with Gary Emmons.

Although track temps were now soaring to near one hundred and forty degrees, most seasoned competitors on the national level know that for the final rounds at a NHRA National Event, the track will be in its best shape of the weekend and this race was no exception, no matter what the temp. Cummings gave himself a little breathing room by dialing his car down a hundredth from the round before to a 10.50. Emmons was just coming off his bye in the semis and had a very good idea exactly where he was.

With a 4-3 record in final rounds, Cummings had been runner-up during this event two previous times with one of those coming back in 2008 when he lost to Jerry Emmons. After a gallant attempt to overcome Gary Emmons' .021 starting line advantage, Cummings would run farther under his dial and come out on the wrong side of a double breakout time slip.

Slate Cummings' attributes his latest Stock Eliminator runner-up in his Cummings Motorsports, a.k.a. 'The Bayou Boyz', 1999 Firebird during the 26th annual AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, to many hours of hard work, attention to detail and more importantly the products he and his family have chosen to use on their entire stable of race cars for many years.

"We've worked with K&N as long as I can remember," said Cummings. "My dad and our family of cars have always used K&N oil filters and air filters on everything that we race and we wouldn't have it any other way."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

K&N's Don Gatlin Wins Famoso Super Pro Championship for the 2nd Year in a Row

14 oct 2011

After over 400 racing passes using K&N oil and air filters, Gatlin says that his engine was in unbelievable condition, and only required a simple freshen up.

When last we caught up with Bakersfield, California driver, Don Gatlin he had just won a huge confidence boosting race in the Famoso Summit Series. After a rocky start to the 2011 season, and then claiming victory at his home track, Famoso Raceway, he once again started to believe that he indeed had a real shot at defending his 2010 Super Pro Championship. We're happy to report that Gatlin and his 2001 K&N sponsored Undercover 4-link dragster got it done.

Gatlin said that willing the 2011 Famoso Super Pro Championship was tougher than last year as the competition was even fiercer this year.

"Winning the championship was harder this year than last. We had some really tough competition and it came down to the last race of the season to get the points lead and secure the championship," Gatlin told K&N Race News. "It is very satisfying to win back-to-back championships at Famoso. We won back-to-back championships in SCEDA (Southern California Drag Racing Association) in 2009 and 2010 and due to the noise problems at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, the series was not run in 2011, and we could not defend that championship, so it was important to the team to win the Famoso Raceway championship."

The Gatlin Motorsports team made it to three finals out of the eight race series, winning two of the three final rounds. "We also had a couple of first round losses that kept us from moving into the lead until the last race of the season," adds Gatlin. "Mid-season we had a break in the action that was long enough to get our Sunset Racecraft engine freshened. After over 400 racing passes using K&N oil and air filters, the engine was in unbelievable condition, only needing a simple freshen up. I think that is a testament to the quality of filtration that K&N gives us to protect our investments."

The Gatlin Motorsports crew from left to right: Greg Tremain (fellow racer and crew), Don Gatlin, Dora Gatlin (Wife and crew chief), Christie Chambless (daughter), and the little guy is Samuel Chambless (Grandson).

Gatlin said that he also installed a heavy duty K&N filter on his motorhome halfway through the season, and that he instantly noticed an increase in fuel economy. "And now I no longer have to buy the nearly $200 throw away air filters," says Gatlin. "That was a great addition to the rig, because it saves both fuel and filter expense, while helping the performance of the motorhome. I am really happy that K&N developed the new heavy duty line of filters!"

Next up for Gatlin and his team is the 16th Annual Million Dollar Drag Race being held at Montgomery Motorsports Park on October 19th through the 23rd. Gatlin will be campaigning both his K&N backed Undercover and the K&N backed Mullis. After that he's headed to South Georgia Motorsports Park to race in the four day Super Buck race.

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Dutch Speedtec Racing Team Wins Supercar Challenge at Spa-Francorchamps

14 oct 2011

Speedtec's BMW experienced some unfortunate race luck is sits in sixth place for the championship.

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, located in Spa, Belgium is best known for the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hour endurance race, last weekend however it was the venue for the Dutch Supercar Challenge. The Supercar Challenge features four classes, ranging from the Dodge Viper GT3, Corvette C6R and other large displacement GT cars, down to more "normal" street cars like the BMW 1. The classes are divided by a system of horsepower over weight ratio.

The Dodge Viper GT3, driven by Diederik Sijthoff, won both it's races at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

Going into the weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, the K&N backed Dutch Speedtec Racing Team's Dodge Viper was only four points behind the series leader, an ex-works Corvett C5R.

"We had a good start in free practices and qualified P1, two seconds quicker than the number two car. Which is quite a big margin," Speedtec Team Manager, Robert Bleijenberg told K&N Race News. "But there was a lot of traffic, as there was a field of 65 cars."

In race one on Saturday the Speedtec Viper started on the pole, they set the fastest lap, "And after the mandatory pitstop, we had a comfortable lead and took home the victory," said Bleijenberg. "And to be honest, Sunday basically the same thing happened as we won again. So we had a good weekend, taking home all the points that were available, and we are once again leading the championship by four points."

The team Speedtec Racing Viper holds a four point lead going into the last race at the Assen circuit.

The owner of the Speedtec team is successful industrialist, Henk van Vliet, who's Etec Grondverzetmachines company supports their racing efforts. Loosely translated Grondverzetmachines, are earth moving equipment, the extra large type equipment used for highrise buildings. The team currently run two cars in the Supercar Challenge, the Dodge Viper GT3, which has been heavily upgraded to a 680 horsepower engine and a lot of very custom aerodynamics, is driven by Diederik Sijthoff. The second team car is a BMW E46, which is driven by the team owners sons, Nico and Peter van Vliet.

"With the BMW we had a good start on Friday to take fourth place in class during qualifying, using our new K&N air intake," explained Bleijenberg. In the race we were challenging for third place when the engine died on us. It seems that the crankshaft broke so we had to stop racing."

"Our season started at Hockenheim on the 10th of April and the last race will be at Assen circuit on the 23rd of October, added Bleijenberg. "So now with the Viper we are currently in first place for the championship, with our four point lead and with one weekend to go. Each weekend you can get 44 points so it's very tight." As a result of some "bad luck" the BMW currently sits in sixth place overall for the championship.

"We use the K&N air filters because they are the best in the market," Bleijenberg continues. "When Marcel (Blom) came to our workshop a few months ago we also saw a good opportunity to make our air inlets a bit better again and gain some performance through that side. We currently are looking into using K&N oil filters as well."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

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