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AMA Amsoil Arenacross Series' Team Faith Grabs 2013 Amsoil Team of the Year Award

8 Jun 2013

Team Faith's impressive season earned them the 2013 Amsoil "Team of the Year" award.

Racing in the AMA Amsoil Arenacross Series, Team Faith has experienced a great success of performances during the 2013 season. Recently traveling to the Denver Coliseum, the crew was geared up and ready to embark upon their final event of the year.

"The team was feeling pretty good" explained the president of Team Faith Racing Ministry, Brian O'Rourke in reference to their confidence level. "Both Jeff Gibson and Kelly Smith had been riding great. But more importantly, our road pastor, Larry Dean, had been getting us spiritually prepared, and as a team, we were all pretty solid. We knew whatever happened would be okay."

Team Faith finished the season with mere points separating them from the Amsoil Arenacross championship.

Although prepared to accept whatever might come their way, anticipation was high, as Jeff Gibson was but a few points behind Team Babbitt's rider, Tyler Bowers. Of course, Bowers would have to falter, but Gibson was in the running for the series championship.

On the opening night, the Team Faith riders dazzled the spectators with incredible rides. In fact, at the night's end, Gibson and Smith earned the top two spots on the podium.

The team got the ball rolling in the right direction on the following night, as Kelly Smith earned a win in the first heat and Jeff Gibson took the third place position in heat number two.

Although Team Faith Rider, Jeff Gibson will be retired in the upcoming season, the crew is looking forward to continuing their string of success.

In reference to Smith's win, O'Rourke said, Kelly had been fast all season long and just had some bad stuff happen during the races that wasn't indicative of how well he was actually riding. We knew it was a matter of time before he would win one of them. He's a pretty cool cat actually," continued O'Rourke. "He doesn't seem to get too excited. But I know he was just relieved to have things finally go his way. I know he was really looking forward to using his talent to glorify God from the top of the box."

Eager to continue the winning streak Gibson took the hole shot in the first Main and Smith fell into the second-place position. Gibson never looked back and when the dust had settled, he had taken the checkered flag. Smith had an impressive run as well, crossing the finish line in fourth place.

Team Faith is eagerly anticipating success in the upcoming season.

All drivers were inverted in the second main event, leaving both riders on the back row prior to the waving of the green flag. But Smith and Gibson had no intentions of letting their misfortunes slow them down.

To take the championship title, Gibson had to finish six places in front of Bowers. That in mind, he focused on passing everyone standing between him and the finish line. When the race was over, Gibson had managed to take the checkered flag, earning the top spot on the podium. But as sweet as the victory might have been, the championship title was still up for grabs. If Bowers managed to finish less than six positions behind Gibson, he would hold on to the points lead. And if not, Gibson would hold the title.

As the riders started crossing the finish line, all questions were answered when Tyler Bowers finished in fifth place, allotting him the title of champion.

"Jeff did everything he could possibly do to win the championship," recalled O'Rourke. "But hats off to Bowers. He was super strong all year and did what he needed to to earn another title.

"Jeff had a lot of things to adapt to, with moving to our team," explained O'Rourke. "He had new bikes to get used to, by switching to KTM's new suspension. And a new team who, quite frankly, did not have a full-time designated mechanic for either guy at each event. So given all of those changes and a lack of consistent personnel at each event, Jeff adapted well. It just took a little time to get settled into the new format on Arenacross as well."

Although Gibson missed the series championship by mere points, the team was honored for their accomplishments. "Earning the "Team of the Year" award was great, ensured O'Rourke. It affirmed to the entire team that we indeed were successful at doing what we came to do on the Amsoil Arenacross Series. I think the folks at FELD and the participants of Arenacross noticed that we as a team aren't just there to compete against them. Rather we are there to try and meet their physical and spiritual needs as well. In the pits, we are always trying to help if someone needs a resource we happen to have. Also, if a rider gets injured, we are there for spiritual support for both the rider, his family and friends that may want that."

To meet their goals, Team Faith is acutely aware that they must pay close attention to maintenance. That in mind, they depend upon K&N products to keep the internal components of their engines contaminant free.

"We use several K&N products," explained O'Rourke. We use their air filters and air filter adapters in both watercraft and bikes, where applicable. We use K&N oil filters on the bikes. We use the K&N cleaning products too!

They're simply the best," he continued. "I cant think of another manufacturer we'd want to go with. The K&N brand speaks for itself."

With the 2013 season behind them, Team Faith is already looking forward to the future. When asked what fans can expect from the crew in the upcoming season, O'Rourke said, "We have some great, new things developing with our relationship with KTM that we are really excited about. Unfortunately, Jeff Gibson is retired, so he won't be making another run at the championship. But we are looking at a couple of guys to be teammates with Kelly Smith next year. And it should be good."

Related K&N News Articles about Team Faith: Team Faith Rider Kelly Smith Fourth in AMA Amsoil Arenacross Series Points Race; Team Faith Wins Second Grand National Cross Country UTV Lites Championship; Yamaha 700 Rhino Powers Team Faith Through Deep Mud for its First UTV Championship

Delayed NHRA National More Than Worth the Wait for K&N’s Mike Edwards

8 Jun 2013

Pro Stock Wally for Mike Edwards at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals

Returning to his familiar spot atop the NHRA Pro Stock ladder, K&N's Mike Edwards snagged both the number one qualifying spot and the Pro Stock Wally during the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Georgia. It was Edwards' sixth number one qualifier and second victory of the 2013 season.

Interstate Batteries/K&N Chevy Camaro ran 210.57 to fully stamp his mark on the top qualifying spot

After NHRA's first attempt to compete the event during its originally schedule weekend, Mother Nature forced officials to scrap those plans and return the following week, and because of Mother's Day do so with a shortened qualifying schedule.

Edwards used that format fully to his advantage and went straight to the top in his opening lap by posting a 6.590 at 210.57. During the second and final session of qualifying, Jeg Coughlin, the only other driver to qualify number one this year, did his best to threaten Edwards' pole position. But his equally quick 6.590 would only land him at number two, due to his tie-breaking mile-per-hour being a tick slower than Edwards. Even so, Edwards had yet to run this final session and in his Interstate Batteries/K&N Chevy Camaro, he bettered his earlier run with a 6.583 at 210.57 to fully stamp his mark on the top qualifying spot.

"We definitely stumbled there in Houston, but we came out and made two good runs. We were being conservative," Edwards said, noting his concern for the shortened qualifying schedule. "You've got to get down the racetrack to get qualified."

Mike Edwards strengthens his lead in the 2014 K&N Horsepower Challenge Standings

"You pretty much know what to do," he continued. "But you just never know. When you get two runs, you don't want to go over the edge. And it's so easy to do. It's nerve-wracking, I can tell you that. It leaves no room for error. No matter how fast you think you can run, you've still got to qualify and get your name above that line." With qualifying behind him, and now acquiring his sixth top spot of the season during the first seven events, the Coweta, Oklahoma driver strengthened his lead in the 2014 K&N Horsepower Challenge Standings. With every NHRA Pro Stock number one, drivers earn the maximum 175 bonus points and the nice $3,000 K&N Low Qualifier bonus check.

"We did good. The Interstate Batteries/K&N Camaro is running flawlessly," he said, taking a moment following qualifying to enjoy his team's hard work. "Step one is complete, to make sure we qualified. You do not know how nerve-wracking this situation is where you only have two chances to qualify."

Edwards went on to add that he and his team "feel real good about how we ran. We feel like we can run a little bit better. So that makes us feel even better. If we run like we know we can, we hope to help strengthen that lead and give us the nice boost we need before the summer months."

The 2009 NHRA Pro Stock champ would face Warren Johnson in the opening round where he would start the race with a hundredth in the bank and easily carry that to the finish line with change to spare for the win. Edwards posted a 6.612, the quickest lap of the round, to Johnson's losing 6.706.

After another short rain delay, Edwards returned for round two to face V. Gaines. Again Edwards had the starting line advantage and never looked back. Gaines had trouble early in the run and was forced to click it off although it would have been tough to gain any ground on Edwards with his 6.601 effort, turning on the win light for his 400th NHRA Pro Stock round win.

The career milestone would move Edwards on to the semifinals and a match up with multi-time K&N Horsepower Challenge champ, Greg Anderson. While Anderson may hold the win-loss record of the pair, it was not going to be added to on his side of the count for this event. In one of the closest stripes of Pro Stock eliminations, Edwards used a better light and a slightly better 6.707 to edge out Anderson and his 6.709 for a .009 margin at the finish line and the win.

Edwards saved his best E.T of the day for the final and he would need it for his pairing with Shane Gray. When the pair left the line, Gray was ahead by .027 thanks to his too-close-to-a-red-light, .001 reaction time. But with the killer tune-up Edwards and his team put on the Interstate Batteries/K&N Camaro, Edwards had it and then some, made up by the 330' mark. It was Edwards and his best lap of the day for the win, 6.595 at 209.14 to Gray's 6.643 at 208.17.

"The competition is amazing. Pro Stock is just a great class and it's just fun to be part of. It's tough and those guys are so good. They just pull up and pop those double-.00s on you, but, man, we made a nice run in the finals. I was a little nervous, but it was a sweet run," Edwards explained.

The Pro Stock win during the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway marked Edwards second of the season and the thirty-sixth of career. Now winning two of the last three events by taking some of his dominate performance in qualifying and carrying it into race day, Edwards also builds on his NHRA Championship points lead.

When asked to describe how he's been able to turn qualifying successes into wins, he pointed out how being consistent was very important.

"And knowing if I can do a halfway decent job, I have a chance to win," Edwards noted. "When I pull in, I just have to concentrate on what I have to do. It's tough, but you have to clear everything out and do your job. Hopefully I can keep it up. We're getting stronger and we're getting better, and anytime you can win it's good."

Edwards actually joked that he wasn't sure how many near-perfect reaction times he had left in him and that he just may not need them at this point.

"I just thank God for a fast car. Shane was on today. He did a phenomenal job and they're definitely catching fire and running good. We just have to keep digging and keep getting better, and hopefully we can keep it up," Edwards said after the final.

With a very strong program going for him and his 2013 Interstate Batteries/K&N Camaro, he was glad the effort was paying off with enough to stay on top throughout eliminations no matter what was thrown at him from the other lane.

"We made some good runs, but it seemed like we couldn't make any great runs. We tried all day, we just couldn't make it go any faster. But it feels good to come out with a win. We've been here a couple weeks now, but it's a great win for my guys," Edwards pointed out.

Related K&N News Articles about Mike Edwards: K&N's Mike Edwards Sweeps NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Pro Stock - From Record to Win; NHRA Pro Stock Champ Mike Edwards Sports K&N Colors at Last Two Western Swing Races; K&N's Mike Edwards Holeshots His Way to NHRA GatorNational Pro Stock Wally; The Battle Continues - Mike Edwards Grabs Top Spot at Phoenix;

Show Cars Inc. Features Ren Jenson's Custom 1955 Bel Air at SEMA 2012

8 Jun 2013

Ren Jenson's 1955 Chevy Bel Air

When it comes to customizing, Ren Jenson is no rookie. He has built the following cars in his 30 year build history. Ranging from a 1968 rs/ss Camaro, a 1965 El Camino that was placed in the GM Museum, several 1955-1957 Bel Air's and a 1941 Willys and several have won major trophies or have set High Sales records at auction. So with this being said…what's the next "Ultimate" Build? Ren then decided he wanted to build the ultimate and his choice was a 1955 Chevy Bel Air Convertible.

Custom 1955 Chevy Bel Air by Ren Jenson

When building his "Ultimate" Build Ren knows there are no holds barred. Starting out he knew that he wanted Horsepower, Handling and enough shine to make any car enthusiasts jaw to drop.

When it comes to Running gear, Ren chose to mate the modern power of a corvette with the body and styling of the 1955 Bel Air. Once the suspension and motor from the corvette were in place and the beautiful Black and White paint were in place, "Ebony and Ivory" still didn't have the look that was desired... So what did Ren do? He stripped the entire under carriage and sent it out to be either chrome plated or powder coated. Once complete, the under carriage had close to $52,000 in chrome plating and powder coating, now the car was seriously coming together but the interior still needed to be done…What style would complete this build? Well Ren chose to keep it simple and stay within the era of the 55 but he chose Ivory as his choice in leather.

Ren Jenson Built Bel Air at SEMA 2012

Once the interior was finished the only thing left was a set of wheels that would not only fit the body of the 55 but also mate up with the corvette under carriage, this was no easy task. Asanti Wheels was called upon for their precise build specs and soon the choice was made and the Asanti wheels bolted up with no problem.

Show Cars Inc. featured Ren Jenson's Bel Air at SEMA

Unfortunately Ren Jenson Passed away towards the end of the build and his family decided the best way to celebrate his life would be to have his last build on Display at SEMA 2012, that is when they contacted Show Cars Inc. to get the vehicle placed. Within days the vehicle was placed and Ren's final build was to debut at SEMA 2012.

When we asked Ren's family why he chose K&N as his filter of choice, they explained that "Ren chose only the best and when it comes to Filters K&N was the only choice" in his opinion.

Since Ren's passing the car has won many awards and in July 2013 the car will be published in the Publisher Choice Ad in the Dupont Registry Magazine and will be the featured vehicle in their booth at Barret-Jackson Reno Auction.

RIP Ren Jenson you and your building Skills will be missed!

SEMA featured 1955 Chevy Bel Air	Ren Jenson's SEMA Bel Air	Custom Chevy Bel Air at 2012 SEMA
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Air Filter	Custom wheels on Jenson's Chevy Bel Air	Ren Jenson's Bel Air with K&N Air Filter

Related K&N News Articles about the Chevy Bel Air: K&N's 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air at K&N on Car Collector Appreciation Day; Divine1Customs Featured 1956 Chevy Bel Air and 1967 Lincoln Continental at the 2010 SEMA Show

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Racer Ben Kennedy Wins NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 at Bowman Gray Stadium

7 Jun 2013

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East racer Ben Kennedy wins NASCAR Hall of Fame 150

The driver with one of the longest NASCAR lineages won at one of the tracks with the longest NASCAR history in the K&N Pro Series East.

Ben Kennedy, the great grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., won the NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 at Bowman Gray Stadium, a track with more than 60 years of NASCAR history.

Ben Kennedy gets the inside position on a late restart in NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 K&N Pro Series East race

"This is phenomenal," the 21-year-old Kennedy said. "To get our first win the other week in Pensacola then to come here to Bowman Gray Stadium and win in front of 17,000 fans, you couldn't ask for anything more."

Kennedy won his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race of the season and of his career at Bowman Gray Stadium. He won the K&N Pro Series East race at Five Flags Speedway in Florida in April. He also won a Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series race in France in 2012.

"Man, this is just awesome," Kennedy said. "I've got to thank BK Racing and absolutely everyone that made this possible to win here at Bowman Gray Stadium. I'm speechless over that."

Kennedy took the lead from pole winner Brett Moffitt on lap 124. Moffitt, the leader in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings, needed a battery change in the last half of the race and it cost him the lead. He pitted to replace his car's battery and returned to the race to finish in 13th place.

Dylan Kwasniewski finished in second place to record his second top five of the season. He won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season opener at Bristol Motor Speedway, but has finished outside the top 10 in two of the past four races.

Ben Kennedy taking it easy at Bowman Gray Stadium

"I definitely think we were in contention for that win, but Ben did a great job," Kwasniewski said. "I wanted to race him clean. On this track it's really hard to pass somebody clean. I wanted to keep it clean, make sure he had a good race at the end."

Brandon Gdovic finished third at Bowman Gray Stadium, his third top five in five NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races. He is in second place in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings, four points behind Moffitt.

"Ended up third. I wanted to come out of here with a top five," Gdovic said. "That was the best-case scenario. Brett finished behind us. Ryan (Gifford) finished behind us. We are right there in points. It was a perfect night."

Kenzie Ruston was fourth followed by Jesse Little in fifth. Mackena Bell came in sixth. Ruston and Bell became the first two women drivers to finish in the top 10 in a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race.

With his second place finish, Kwasniewski moved up to third in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings. He is seven points behind Moffitt. v "I'm always looking for the win and I'm always ashamed to not go out there with the win," Kwasniewski said. "Second's great. It was a good points day for us. We lost a lot of points these last couple of races. We bounced back good. Unfortunately we didn't get the win. It was a great race and I'm glad the 96 team did a great job."

Kennedy is in fourth place in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings, eight points behind Moffitt.

The next race is the Casey's General Stores 150 at Iowa Speedway for drivers and teams from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West on June 7.

Related K&N News Articles about Ben Kennedy and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Driver Ryan Gifford Wins Blue Ox 100 at Richmond International Raceway; Ben Kennedy Wins First NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race of His Career at Five Flags Speedway; Cameron Hayley Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race in UNOH Battle of the Beach at Daytona International; Cale Conley Wins First NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race at Columbus Motor Speedway in Ohio

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West's Michael Self Wins NAPA Know How 125 at Brainerd International Raceway

7 Jun 2013

K&N Pro Series West racer Michael Self wins at Brainerd International Raceway in NAPA Know How 125

Michael Self won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota for the second year in a row on a day when the contenders ran into tire troubles and fell back.

Self's car cut a tire on the last lap of the race. He stayed out on the 2.5-mile road course and maneuvered his car to his fourth career K&N Pro Series West win.

Michael Self and Derek Thorn at the NAPA Know How 125 at Brainerd International Raceway

"Those last 17 laps, it just went like crazy and I never looked back," Self said. "Coming down the backstretch, that last lap, that tire went and that had to be the most nerve racking thing in my entire life. I couldn't believe it."

Self started on the outside of the second row and passed Cameron Hayley for the lead on lap 35 of the NAPA Know How 125. Self was out front for the final 16 laps of the race.

He has won four of the past 13 K&N Pro Series West races starting with the race at Brainerd in 2012. He was the top finishing driver from the West Series at the K&N Pro Series race at Iowa Speedway and won the 2012 season finale at Phoenix International Raceway.

Self's win at Brainerd on May 25 was his first of the 2013 season. His experience at the track was beneficial in repeating as the race winner.

Derek Thorn took 2nd after leading the most laps in the NAPA Know How 125

"You got to be smooth. You got to conserve your equipment," Self said. "That's what kept us there at the end, being smooth, not missing shifts. Whatever happened to the tire happens. We made it long enough to make it happen."

Andrew Ranger won the pole and was challenging Self for the lead on the last lap. But Ranger cut a tire and spun out. He finished in 10th place.

Derek Thorn started on the front row with Ranger. He led a race-high 24 laps, taking the lead from Ranger on the first lap and holding it for 16 laps before giving way to Hayley. Thorn and Hayley battled for the lead during the middle of the race while Self waited patiently to make his move.

Thorn tried to chase down Self on the final lap, but crossed the finish line 0.952 seconds behind Self.

"We were pretty steady. We started off at a really slow pace and kind of kept it there," Self said. "There were a couple times that 24 car (Hayley) got way out front. He looked like he was gone. These races, anything can happen. Fifteen laps here is a ton. You got plenty of time."

Celebration begins for Michael Self after winning the K&N Pro Series race at Brainerd International

Thorn remains the leader in the K&N Pro Series West standings after three races. He is eight points ahead of Halyey.

Greg Pursley, who finished third at Brainerd, is third in the K&N Pro Series West standings, nine points behind Thorn.

Self moved up to fourth place in the K&N Pro Series West standings and is 15 points out of first place. He has two top-five finishes, including the win at Brainerd, in the three K&N Pro Series West races.

"The last lap was definitely the nerve-racking one," Self said. "It was like life flashing before my eyes."

Rookie Dylan Lupton was fourth in the race at Brainerd followed by Hayley in fifth.

The next race is the Casey's General Store 150 at Iowa Speedway on June 7. It is the first of two combination races for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and East.

Related K&N News Articles about Michael Self and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West: Michael Self Wins the K&N Pro Series West Race at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota; Greg Pursley Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Season Opener at Phoenix International Raceway; Cameron Hayley Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race in UNOH Battle of the Beach at Daytona International; K&N NASCAR Pro Series West Season Comes to a Close with Dylan Kwasniewski on Top