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360 Knoxville Nationals K&N Sponsored Sprint Car Racers Flood the Field at Iowa Raceway

19 Sept 2012

Missouri native, Brian Brown, is responsible for the number 21, 360 sprint car

Legacy is not a word that is thrown around too lightly, but in the instance of this year's Knoxville Nationals 360, it seems rather appropriate. Five top-tier K&N Filters-sponsored competitors gathered at the 111-year-old Knoxville, Iowa venue-only 45 minutes from the state capital of Des Moines. Knoxville Raceway is the third largest outdoor stadium in Iowa and famous for being the "Sprint Car Capital of the World." The group consisting of Jason Johnson, Jonathan Allard, Brian Brown, Shane Stewart and Kraig Kinser made the best out of deep-field starts, neck-and-neck competition and tough conditions to earn their places in the 22nd Annual 360 Knoxville Nationals.

Qualifying for the 360 Nationals was held on Thursday and Friday evening as the Arnold Motor Supply 360 Nationals championship finale was to begin Saturday night. Jason Johnson and the Stenhouse Jr. Racing/HM Racing/JJR team were ready to go against some of the best sprint car drivers in the nation.

Johnson's qualifying round didn't see much in the way of place advancement, but it did earn him a spot in the main event on Saturday. Johnson throttled his Roush Yates Ford-powered Maxim through a field of 52 cars to achieve two of the quickest time trial laps despite the dry, slowing track surface. Johnson defended his spot and jumped at any opportunity to move forward, landing him in the Top 10.

Shane Stewart pulled out his 4th victory in Knoxville driving the number 77, 360 Sprint car

Making it into Saturday's final, Johnson moved up nine spots, coming in with a solid 11th place finish, but not without earning it first. The Eunice, Louisiana native worked around the track hunting for open lanes to exploit, continuing past the competition occasionally using the high side when possible.

Jonathan Allard, the Chico, California native, had hoped for better this weekend. Opening with a rough start, Allard and the Williams Motorsports team fought off the 52 car field for 37th place. A 10th place finish in his heat and a following win landed him a deep spot in the B Main. Unfortunately, Allard was tangled up in an opening lap wreck that forced him into the pits.

Undaunted and repaired, Allard rejoined the field and marched his way into the 10th spot ending his qualifying night in the semi. Allard was able to grab the third spot in the Main, but lingering issues forced him out of the C Main. "We laid down a horrible qualifying lap and that pretty much dictated our night," Allard groaned. "I'm glad this weekend is over. I'm hoping we can put together a much better effort for the 410 Nationals."

Brian Brown faced troubles in qualifying, but came through in the end. The Grain Valley, Missouri driver started with the 35th fastest time in qualifying on Thursday. "We had high hopes going into Knoxville to qualify well," says Brian, who went home with a career-best seventh place finish at last year's Nationals. Brian improved over the weekend with a run from seventh to fourth in his preliminary heat. "It was a tough heat," he admitted. "We were able to get up to fourth, which was the key. We just needed to get in."

With eight cars to pass in 15 laps in Saturday's B main, Brown held on until the last lap to finally take fourth. "We got to sixth pretty quick. I felt like I was the same speed as those guys in front of me. Honestly, I didn't think I was going to make it, but I was able to run two of my best laps," he beamed.

Jonathan Allard drives the K&N sponsored 360 sprinter labeled number 0

In the A main, Brian passed 16 cars to finish eighth in the non-stop 25-lap championship event. "We kept plugging away and running it as hard as it would go," Brown recounted. "We were good. I think we passed as many cars as we could in the amount of time we had. To get all the way to eighth was pretty cool."

After getting through a tough heat that only took the top three finishers, Brian ended up seventh in the main event. "There was some stuff we wanted to try in the feature," he says. "It just didn't work out. The car wasn't where we needed to be. We were lucky to finish as well as we did really."

Unlike the aforementioned Allard, Kraig Kinser lived up to his own expectations as he finished fourth in the 50-lap finale. Of course, qualifying for the main event is often a victory in itself, as the Knoxville Nationals traditionally hosts the biggest field of the year. The former winner of sprint car racing's marquee event, Kinser is the first to push himself even harder with each event.

"It was a very good Nationals for us," said Kinser. "The car felt good the whole time we were there, and I felt pretty comfortable as well. We moved forward just about every time we went on the track, and you have to be happy with that. It was a fun week over there."

The 2005 Knoxville Nationals winner maneuvered through his heats and around two-time and defending World of Outlaws champion Jason Meyers to take on Stevie Smith for the fourth spot, the two trading positions back-and-forth. After a quick fuel stop, Kinser found himself in fifth. The third-generation driver fell back a few more spots to seventh with 20 laps remaining.

The pair continued to battle for the next five laps, negotiating heavy traffic. On his last lap, Kinser took the fourth spot clinching his second career Top-Five and third Top-10 finish in the main event at the Knoxville Nationals. "I'm very happy with how our cars are feeling right now and really looking forward to the next stretch of races," he said. "We'll work on a few little things to pick some speed up where we can. All in all we have a good program right now."

Shane Stewart is all smiles today. Stewart's domination at the 360 Nationals bordered on epic. Behind the wheel of his Kick-It/Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation/A.R.T.#57, Stewart took home his third consecutive 360 Nationals crown, his fourth in the last six years. The Silva Motorsports machine was unmatched from the get-go, setting the quick time, running third in his heat race, and landing the fourth row of the feature event.

Through the event, Stewart worked the technical track, moving from the eighth spot to seventh, setting him in the front row of Saturday night's feature event. Stewart jumped out of the gate, found the sweet spot, planted his right-rear tire in the Knoxville Raceway cushion, and walked away from the rest of the crowd lap after lap.

Swooping through the lapped traffic with ease, Stewart made winning a very impressive third straight 360 Nationals crown look insultingly easy, winning with over a four second lead. "I can't say enough about this team, and this car," said Stewart. "To win with Kick-It and the Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation on this car is pretty special."

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Formula Vee Driver, Kim Madrid, Leads the Points Race in VARA

19 Sept 2012

Kim Madrid began racing Formula Vee in the VARA, Vintage Auto Racing Association, in 2004 and still runs in the series today

When the desert is mentioned, a lot of folks automatically think of an environment that although beautiful, it is plagued with cactuses, intense heat, a lack of water and venomous critters. Kim Madrid, on the other hand, fell in love with the desert at a very young age, as she likened the landscape due to the perfect habitat for dirt bike, ATV and quad riders to thrive. In fact, her passion for riding these machines in the desert eventually lent to her decision to embark upon a venture in racing competitively.

Beginning her racing career in 1997, Madrid jumped on board with the Vintage Auto Racing Association (VARA) in 2004, where she would begin a stint racing in the Formula Vee cars. To date, the driver is still running in the same class, and has performed well, to say the least. In fact, she is leading the points race thus far in the 2012 season.

"This year has been very close races," recalled Madrid. "Wins by like .019 of a second ahead of Bob Hale." When asked if there was one race this season in particular that she found of utmost importance the driver continued, "I finally won the 'Victory Lane Formula Vee Challenge' race. I have always gotten second place, but this year, I drove like a crazy woman and pulled it off. It was for over-all in the vintage class, and first in my class."

Kim Madrid is hard to miss on the track, as she drives a hot-pink car and dons a pink Mohawk

"There are four classes," she continued. FV, FV1, FV2, and FV3. I run in the largest group, FV1. Our class is a spec class, so all of the Vees (cars) are pretty much the same. My Vee is a 1972 Caldwell D-13. We all run a 1200 cubic-inch VW engine with the stock manifold, along with the original 28 PCI carburetor. The Vees may not be the fastest race cars out there, but we always put on the best show; especially my competition, Bob Hatie and my son, Chris Quinteros."

When asked what separated her from her competitors, Madrid said, "Number one is that I am a woman, and I am very competitive. I am usually a front-runner, unless something mechanical happens. Also, my Vee is Hot pink, and I wear a pink Mohawk."

Speaking of mechanical issues, not only has Kim Madrid made a name for herself in the Formula Vee world, but she also is a pretty good hand at turning wrenches. "I do most of my own mechanical work," shared Madrid. "My engine builder is Quixote-Dietmar Bauerle. He is the best. He kind of took me under his wing and taught me a lot."

With a good understanding of the mechanics of combustible engines, Kim Madrid is aware of the importance of keeping her race car perfectly maintained. That in mind, she is a strong advocate of using K&N products to keep her engine free of debris. "Maintenance is the key to having 2 DNF's in the past five years," she explained. "I am always making sure that my car is fully prepped to my ability. I use the K&N air and oil filters, along with the breather filters," continued Madrid. "K&N products are awesome; especially their air filters. One time I was racing out at Chuckwalla Raceway, and the sand was blowing so bad that you could not see twenty feet in front of you. When I removed my air filter, there was no sand or dirt in my carburetor at all."

Referring to her satisfaction with the outcome of the 2012 season thus far, Kim Madrid said, "I seem to better my times at each track, when I thought I was already at the max I could go." Looking ahead she continued, "In April, 2013, my son and I are going to be participating in the 50th birthday Party of Formula Vee. This event will be at Roebling Road in Georgia. We are going as a mother/son team (the only mother/son team scheduled to attend the event). This is a SCCA sanctioned event, and there will be over one-hundred-fifty formula Vees. Dietmar, our engine builder is going also. My son, Chris, and I will be towing the Vees back there. I am thrilled that we were even asked to participate in this event."

Kim Madrid is looking forward to participating in the upcoming 50th birthday celebration for Formula Vee

When asked what else is in store for 2013, Kim Madrid explained, "Next year I will be running with VARA as much as possible. But I will also be running a lot of featured races, being that it is the 50th anniversary of Vee."

When asked what draws her back to racing year after year, the driver said, "I love the rush! Each race is thirty-minutes or more, and it is like nothing else exists except for winning that race. It is my escape from reality! I think that since I have now earned the respect of all drivers on the track that makes me feel real good also."

In closing Kim Madrid said, "My team is my family, and if I did not have them backing me one-hundred-percent, I would never be where I am today. My husband knows how important racing is to me, and never puts restrictions on me. My fans can expect me to keep racing as long as possible and winning, or at least putting on a great show of wheel-to-wheel racing."

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Tim Allison Experiences a Full and Productive Weekend in NRA 360 Sprint Car Class

19 Sept 2012

Tim Allison anticipates finishing in the top five in the points race during the 2012 season

Tim Allison and his crew recently embarked upon an action packed weekend of racing and fun. They showed up at Lima, Ohio the first night, eager to embark upon a battle in the NRA 360 Sprint Car class at the Lima Land Motorsports Park. Finishing fourth in his heat, the driver missed out on the redraw, and in turn, started sixteenth in the feature. Although a far cry from the front of the pack at the waving of the green flag, Allison, didn't let his starting position get in his way. In fact, by the time the dust had settled, the driver had managed to muscle his way to the sixth position at the race's end.

"In our level of racing, you normally have to finish in the top three to four to transfer. After starting last and moving forward, we had great confidence upon transferring to the feature," he recalled. "When asked if he was satisfied with a sixth place finish in the feature, Allison continued, "I would say I was happy to a certain point, but it's not like winning. In today's racing, it's very hard to come from way in the back and win. Coming from as far back, as we did, and passing a lot of good cars was like a victory for the team, and we were ready to move on to the next night."

Rolling into the Waynesfield Raceway, at Waynesfield, Ohio on the following day, Allison was eager to match skills against forty other drivers. The driver didn't waste any time getting the shoe on the right foot at this particular event. In fact, Allison walked away victorious from the first heat, cinching a spot in the feature. After the inversion, Tim Allison Racing started third on the 25 lap feature. As fans had hoped for the battle was heated. The top three drivers lapped their competitors like there was no tomorrow. Allison made a run for the lead and fell back to the second position twice and crossed the finish line in third place at the end of the race, earning a spot on the podium.

Tim Allison and his crew recently earned a podium spot at the Waynesfield Raceway, at Waynesfield, Ohio

Our confidence level was great going into Waynesfield Raceway," explained, the driver. "We always run very well, and have won the track championship there before. This is one of my favorite places to race, because it is a small, quarter-mile track and is a very racy place with a lot of passing and action." When asked the key to success at this particular venue, he continued, "Car, chassis set-up and being patient. You try to put yourself in good position for the end, and hope to come away with a win."

Referring to the importance of early success, Tim Allison explained, "Winning the heat is everything, as you get a bonus of six points which can mean the difference from winning or losing a championship at the season's end. It also ensures you are in the redraw for the feature starting spots, which means you will have a shot at starting up toward the front. It's all about getting those valuable six points. If you don't have a good finish in the feature, then those six points you earned in the heat race can really mean a lot."

With two races already under his belt, Tim Allison and his crew were geared up and ready to complete the weekend at the Eldora Speedway, at Rossburg, Ohio. "The energy level was still great, as we had two good runs behind us," stated Allison. "But going to Eldora was a little different, as we use to dominate the place. Ever since Earl Baltice sold the track to Tony Stewart, they have changed the surface and we, along with a lot of the top teams, have been off since then. But we still thought we could get the job done."

Although qualifying in the top ten, the transponder failed to record all of the driver's times. That said, he and a portion of his fellow competitors had to return to a track that was quickly drying out, and in turn lent to slower times. After running fourth in his heat, Allison started thirteenth in the feature and eventually ended the race in the same spot.

Tim Allison recently experienced an action-packed weekend in the NRA 360 Sprint Car class, beginning his outing at the Lima Land Motorsports Park

"That really hurts us," recalled the driver. We were in the first qualifying section and that means everything at Eldora, as they always invert six for the feature. That hurts your chances if you are not in the top six or eight cars to qualify, and we were there. But for some reason, they didn't get our time," he continued. "So they put us back in the last session to re-qualify and after the track has slowed down to at least a half-second slower. We ended up about thirteenth quick, and that was not what we were looking for."

Although the final race of the weekend turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment for Tim Allison and his team, the driver did manage to earn a spot on the podium and chocked up some points that could prove essential at the season's end. With more races to come, the driver and his crew are still anticipating more successful runs. That in mind, Allison is acutely aware of the importance of keeping his rig in tip-top running condition, and will depend upon K&N products to keep the internal components of his engine contaminant free.

"Maintenance is the most important part of winning any race and being competitive," he explained. "Ninety-percent of a race is won before you even leave the garage. We've been using K&N products since 1982. I use the air filters, filter oil and filter cleaner," he explained. "I have won one-hundred feature wins and over twenty championships along the way, all while using K&N products. K&N makes the best air and oil filters on the market today! They keep the dirt and debris from going into the engine. If you want to be in the winner's circle, you best be using K&N products."

In closing the driver said, "Our fans can count on us never giving up and running as great as we can. As the season winds down, we're hoping to finish in the top five in points, and maybe take another win or two along the 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 Presents 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week™ in Vegas Sweepstakes

19 Sept 2012

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week^™

Good things are said to come in threes. The "rule of three" suggests that things that come in a trio are intrinsically more effective and satisfying. The basis of that adage is the Latin phrase "omne trium perfectum," which means that everything that comes in threes is perfect. A clear case in point is illustrated by K&N, NASCAR and Vegas. Can we hear you say party?

In 2009, three years ago, NASCAR^® moved its year-ending premier series awards show to Las Vegas, Nev. After holding the extravaganza in New York City from 1981 through 2008, since moving west, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week^™ event has grown not just in prestige, but has become the hottest ticket of the season for any true NASCAR aficionado.

The Grand Prize Winner and their guest will receive a coveted trip to Las Vegas during the week of November 28th through December 1st to be a part of the ultimate NASCAR bash of the year. As the guests of K&N, the #1 filter in NASCAR^®, the two lucky party-goers will be attending the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards^™ ceremony, the NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon^™, a special meet-and-greet with a NASCAR personality, and they'll have access to NASCAR Victory Lap^™ and NASCAR After the Lap^™ attractions.

Las Vegas immediately clicked as the perfect venue for NASCAR Champion's Week^™, which is why NASCAR and the city of Las Vegas have forged an agreement that will keep the premier series' season-closing celebration in Sin City for the next three years. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards will take place at Wynn Las Vegas on Friday, November 30, concluding a week-long celebration for the 2012 series champion and NASCAR's legion of fans.

"Experience tells us that Las Vegas creates the perfect backdrop for our sport and our fans to join us in celebrating a NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship," commented Steve Phelps, Chief Marketing Officer for NASCAR. "Returning Champion's Week and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards to Vegas for the next three years will help our loyal fans crystallize their plans to join us in putting the finishing touches on the season that was with a series of intriguing events across the city."

As in the first three years, NASCAR devotees can once again expect another star-studded and entertainment-packed week. Last year, as 2011 Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart received his championship trophy, Sprint announced its renewed commitment to the sport through 2016. Multimedia superstar Reba McEntire hosted the festivities with award-winning musician Kid Rock performing for members of the NASCAR industry and its fans. Brooks and Dunn, David Gray, Rascal Flatts, Colbie Caillat, Martina McBride, the Jersey Boys, Cirque Elvis and Frank Caliendo, have also lent their talents to the affair in the past. A full lineup of activity and entertainers for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week will be announced at a later date.

You can enter "K&N's 2012 NASCAR Champion's Week^™ in Vegas Sweepstakes" today and find the Official Rules listed at https://www.knfilters.com/KN_NASCAR_CW_SRules.htm This Sweepstakes is Over.

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.

Team Retaks Racing's Ryan Tuerck Takes 2nd in Formula Drift Round 5 at Evergreen

14 Sept 2012

Ryan Tuerck won back-to-back championships in 2005 and 2006 and he's clearly on the path to inking more.

Few places on earth appreciate the perfume of race gas and smoldering rubber, mixed with little chunks of flying tires, anymore than the Formula Drift fans at Monroe, Washington's Evergreen Speedway. The Pacific Northwest fans are some of the most zealous drift fans found anywhere, and the exhilarating round 5 action gave their heart that shot of adrenaline needed to see them through the rest of the season.

Two K&N sponsored drivers, Ryan Tuerck and points leader Vaughn Gitten Jr. went toe-to-toe in the final dual at Evergreen Speedway.

Team Retaks' Ryan Tuerck battled his way through Jeremy Lowe in top-16, then Ryan Kado into the Great-8, and after a OMT win against Ken Gushi in the top -4, Tuerck headed into the top-2 - the Final Battle against current points leader Vaughn Gitten.

After an uncharacteristic 2012 podium draught, the K&N sponsored driver was no doubt thrilled to be in the final battle of the night, fighting for the crown at this event. Both drivers left everything out on the track, producing some of the sickest entry speeds into the banking corner seen all day. No one in the house envied the judges for having to determine a winner in this one. By the slightest of margins though, Gitten got the nod, which left Tuerck covering the second tier of the podium.

"Well I knew going into the battle that Vaughn was E-braking on the entry and I was clutch kicking, so I had a shot at staying really close to him on the bank, as clutch kicking is a faster entry than E-braking," explained Tuerck. "I knew I had to stay close to him on the bank or I would get lost in his smoke around the rest of the track."

Team Retaks Racing's Ryan Tuerck currently holds fifth overall in the Formula Drift points championship after his second place finish in round 5.

More than 15,000 frenzied fans attended the Monroe event to watch Tuerck move into 5th overall in championship points for the season out of a total of 60 competitors. After Round 5 Tuerck was only 62.5 points away from the number 1 spot.

"As a team we don't need to do anything different. We have all been working extremely hard and it has started to pay off," commented team owner David Meikle when asked what he'd need to do differently to close the gap. "If we can keep it up and remain consistent then I think we could really do some serious damage in the next two rounds."

With a future as bright as Tuerck's a little shade is a welcome thing.

"The team is feeling great (heading into round 6 in Vegas). We are carrying the momentum from the last round into this round with high hopes. This is the team's hometown track, so I am looking to put on a great show for friends, family, fans, and sponsors."

Team Retaks Racing started back in 2005 simply as Retaks, which is skater spelled backwards. "With me and my two sons Troy and Dylan making backpacks that we could actually use," said Meikle. "The boys were always skating and bmx racing etc. Troy first introduced me to drifting with a video. As soon as I saw it I knew we had to somehow be involved. So here we are. From a couple bag drawings on a airplane barf bag to the official bags for the X Games. And from Troy looking for a parking lot to drift in, to owning and operating a Formula Drift car with one of the best drivers out there, Ryan Tuerck. Life is good!"

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