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K&N's Steve Williams Tunes Up for Indy With Super Comp Final in Seattle

24 Aug 2012

NHRA sportsman racer Steve Williams prepares for the legendary quarter-mile at Washington's Pacific Raceways

Most of the NHRA sportsman racers, especially those who compete on the West Coast of the U.S., might find it quite odd that by this time in the season, K&N VP Steve Williams has not already racked up a good handful of victories. But with his latest final during the NHRA Div. 6 event in Kent, Washington when he took his K&N dragster to the Super Comp final where he met up with fellow K&N racer Aaron Kinard, Williams seems to be just warming up for what's yet to come in 2012.

Steve Williams and his Super Comp Dragster at NHRA Div. 6 event in Kent, Washington

"It was really hot during the national event up there and I lost a close race in the semis," he said. "So going into this weekend for the divisional, the bottom line is, everybody is racing the same race track for two weeks in a row, so the racing was really close. Like the really close race in Super Gas [9.90 Index Class], just by a couple thou and it was probably one that I should have won."

"In Super Comp, it was just crazy," he said of his car's consistency. "I just changed to a set of Weld's brand new wheel they just came out with and a new set of Hoosier tires and my sixty foot times only varied six thou all weekend. That car has never been that consistent and I feel that was the key to my success."

Williams sent home a slew of tough racers along the way, including a good round with Bob Woodruff where his .018 starting line advantage played right into his hand to force Woodruff under the index and in the process picked up the all-important bye into the final.

"When I got to the semifinals I had a bye and I had packed the box up, because I didn't want anybody to know what I was setting up on," he explained. "And I'm going down the track and all of a sudden about eight hundred feet the car starts popping and missing. When I get back, I know they aren't going to run the final without me, so I changed the ignition box, the distributor cap and rotor. I actually go into the final not knowing if it's going to miss again or if it's going to be clean."

"It ended up being the cap and rotor and the car ran perfectly clean," he continued. "But now, it's six hundredths faster than it was the round before. I went down there in the final and made it as close as I could. I mean, Aaron is a good racer and he did what he was supposed to do. I was set up on probably about a three or four thou stripe and you know he just dropped really hard. So I'm out, I'm 8.87 and he's 8.896. If I would have had a decent tune-up, it would have been a good final and I would have given him a good race."

"With the way my year has been going, you know I've been in five semifinals and now a runner-up," he pointed out. "I mean I'm getting close [to winning], I'm just not busting one out. My daughter said to me that the last five weeks dad, you've lost fourth round, fifth round and sixth round and it's time to win."

Both Williams Super Gas Corvette Roadster and his Super Comp Dragster are fully equipped with K&N Engineering products, including the K&N composite scoops and one of the latest offerings from K&N. "The motors for both cars are built here at K&N in our race shop and everything is Brodix," he noted. "We have the new 5" center Brodix along with Sunset Racecraft components. I'm running the new billet K&N washable/cleanable oil filter on both cars," he noted. "It's a lower pressure drop filter, so the standard spin on canister filter has what is called resin impregnated paper that the oil has to be forced through. This K&N filter is a surgical stainless steel screen that stops particles at about twenty microns. Because it flows oil easier, than the paper, it actually has less pressure drop across the filter and therefore it takes less horsepower to force the oil through the filter."

"That's not the only benefit," he added. "With a spin on filter, not all the oil is going through the filter, some of it actually is bypassing. With a K&N billet reusable filter, since it takes less force to push the oil through the filter, you filtering all the oil and you are keeping the bypass closed."

"When you are headed to Indy, you go right past Topeka, so it just makes sense to stop and take in that divisional event," noted the California resident. "I've missed a few division races out this way, so that will help me make one up. I'm really looking forward to racing at Topeka, since I have a lot of good friends who will be there like [Gary] Stinnett and Tommy Phillips, they are all buddies of mine. Plus the nice thing about this race is that it is a Friday-Saturday race so you can hit the road and get into Indy at a decent time. Then after Topeka division and Indy national, I'll still have Vegas divisional, national and Pomona national to finish out the season running in both Super Gas and Super Comp at each event."

While Williams was very pleased to make it to the Super Comp final at Pacific Raceways, especially after being away from the track for a while, he also points out what it means to him to be able to compete across the country at this level. "After Houston, I hadn't raced in two months so the last four weeks I have been out and it's always good to go rounds," he admitted. "I always want to thank K&N for the great opportunity for me to not only be able to work for a fantastic company that invests in racing and gives back to the racers , but also by allowing me the opportunity to get out there and help develop new products that helps keep K&N on the leading edge. So, I'm always very thankful."

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.

Outstanding First NHRA National Event Near Double for K&N's Luke Bogacki

24 Aug 2012

Luke Bogacki made his first NHRA national event double final at Brainerd International Raceway

When one races as much as Luke Bogacki does, and as successfully as he has been over the years, it may be hard for some to fathom that he still has quite a few items to check off of his drag racing bucket list. But after his weekend competing in Brainerd, Minnesota for the 31st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, the Carterville, Illinois resident marked one more off that list when he put both of his K&N/ThisIsBracketRacing.com entries into their respective final rounds, winning Super Gas and taking the runner-up honors in Super Comp. Luke Bogacki made his first double final at a NHRA national event.

Super Gas Win for Luke Bogacki at 31at annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota

Super Gas Win for Luke Bogacki at 31st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota

"I got really lucky when I ran Jerry Hoss," he said of his first round of Super Comp. "He runs 8.90 at like 138 [MPH] and by the time I realized that I was going by him, it was really too late and I really got on the brakes and still got to the finish line first and ran an 8.902. So that was my lucky win there and doubly lucky because the 8.902 ended up being low qualifier and gave me a bye in the second round when we were all put on the ladder."

After his single in round two, Bogacki and his 2010 K&N American dragster would face Kevin Dyck, and Bogacki was looking for a better outcome than their last meeting on the track. "It was a round I was a little concerned about," he confessed of round three. "He beat me in the semi's there at the division race. He's a really good driver and has a great tune-up. I was fortunate that round when he missed the tree a little bit and was a little slow in his time."

Bogacki's .013 starting line advantage over Dyck allowed him to take the stripe for the holeshot win and make it look great for those watching the boards with his 8.934 to Dyck's 8.933. He would do it all over again in round four. After another consistent near perfect light, Bogacki sent his next competitor packing by grabbing just enough stripe to turn on his win light and a second holeshot victory, 8.929 to Steven Michaels' 8.924.

The next round of Super Comp was a chance to Bogacki to grab what doesn't happen very often in NHRA racing, a second scheduled bye, but first he would need to get past Steve Evans. "I know he has more mile-per-hour than I do and when I saw the time slip, he has a 1.34 60ft, when he's normally 1.60-something," he explained. "So, I didn't get a chance to talk to him later, but with his .032 red, he must have had some kind of mechanical problem, but I don't know what it was."

Evans' red light meant Bogacki was going to final in Super Comp by now earning his second bye of the race and this wasn't the only bye into the final that he now had earned. Bogacki has also been slaying the driver's in the other lane in the very similar Super Gas category. "In both classes, the opportunity to get the bye into the final was very cool and Super Comp was actually my second quarterfinal of the day, so when his red-light came on and I knew I was going to two finals and that was a heck of a feeling."

But to get that rare shot at doubling up at an NHRA national event, the K&N racer would not only have to do some tremendous driving, but have a few of those fortunate Super Gas rounds along the way in his '63 Corvette Roadster that he had also enjoyed in Super Comp.

It all started with his Super Gas round one match up when his opponent was leaking on the line and was shut off, allowing Bogacki a single run and a chance to tighten his tune-up that much more for the coming rounds and that would prove to be a lethal thing for the rest of the Super Gas drivers who would cross Bogacki's path over the remainder of eliminations.

Since this was only his third appearance to run the Brainerd national event, Bogacki points out that he isn't as familiar with the group of racers this event draws, as he may be at other venues. "No, I'm blind to most of these guys. I've been running division five this year, but Brainerd is so far removed from the rest of the division, a lot of the guys I just didn't have a lot of background information on at all."

And for "Cool Hand Luke", that didn't seem to be a problem. He continued his winning ways as he trailered Doug Legner, Chris Bishop and Troy Coughlin, Jr. in rounds two, three and four, each time taking a great starting line advantage that helped him tickle the win light on in his lane.

His next little bit of Super Gas luck came in the quarterfinals where he would have his first meeting of the day with Steve Mikus. Just like every round before, Bogacki still had the lead at the hit, but this time it was by the smallest margin of all his rounds [.005] and would make for some super tight top end racing where both seasoned drivers took their rides well under the 9.90 index, both trying extra hard to earn the bye into the Super Gas final. "I think what I had going for me in that round was that it was the first round of the day on Sunday," he noted. "Mikus is running that Nova wide-open when he runs it in Super Gas and he's not using a [throttle] stop. He's a very talented racer and the best time to run him if you have to, is the first run of the day. Obviously, we were both a lot faster than we thought we would be and I just came out on the right end of it."

"When I made both of the bye runs, I was just really trying to get some incremental numbers in both cars and to be honest, just take it all in," he admitted. "I mean this was a great opportunity to be in two finals and I probably looked up in the stands a little more and actually took a deep breath and thought to myself, "This is pretty cool."

Now Bogacki found himself in two finals at a NHRA national event for the first time in his racing career. Being in two finals, whether it's your first time or tenth, can make things very tight jumping from one car to the next all while keeping up with the amount of time you are allowed to return to the staging lanes with the next car. NHRA officials ran Super Gas first and moved Super Comp to the end of the order, allowing Bogacki just enough time to switch cars.

In his first final, Bogacki sewed up the first half of a possible double when Mark McMasters just couldn't run the number. "I never got a chance to talk to him later, but he was about where he was supposed to be at about 1000' and then his car laid over," he reflected. "I'm assuming that he broke. My car was running really good and I liked my chances of winning it, but it was a tough break for him."

One NHRA national event Wally in hand and his second this year in Super Gas, Bogacki returned to the staging lanes in his dragster to face Steve Mikus one more time, but for Bogacki the tables would turn from their earlier match up. Mikus took just a slight .004 starting line advantage and with just a .007 margin at the stripe, denied Bogacki of his first NHRA national double, as they both went under the 8.90 index and Mikus closer to the number. "It was a heck of a race and obviously I was really disappointed not to see my win light come on and have the chance to double," he said. "But like I told [Alan] Reinhart on stage that you are not going to run someone the caliber of Mikus and beat him twice in one day."

Bogacki is always quick to credit the companies and the products that get him to his numerous final rounds and wins, including his latest accolade during the 31st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd and top of his list is K&N Engineering. "That's a lot of rounds to put together and you need to count on the cars being there and being consistent," he said. "The dragster is loaded with K&N products from the 1st Gen composite scoop, oil filter and miscellaneous K&N filters throughout the car. The Corvette has K&N's complete induction setup with the Pro Stock scoop, the sealer tray, the air filter insert to the oil filter. I probably sound like a broken record but K&N is the leading supplier in the filtration industry and their products just provide the highest peace of mind for us when we are out there doing what we do."

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 Dan Fletcher Adds to His Ever Growing NHRA National Event Win Tally at Brainerd

24 Aug 2012

Dan Fletcher's latest NHRA National event win made it number seventy-eight of his career and an even forty in Super Stock.

If you like spouting off statistics while hanging out at the water cooler, then Dan Fletcher's professional sportsman drag racing career will give you plenty to talk about and to keep up with from one race to the next. Fletcher's latest NHRA National event win, at Brainerd International Raceway for the 31st Annual Lucas Oil Nationals, made it number seventy-eight of his career and now an even forty in Super Stock. The numbers don't stop there for the K&N standout from the state of New York. The facility has been quite a producer for Fletcher over the years and his latest feat made it six wins and three of those in the Super Stock category.

How about more outstanding numbers? In addition to Super Stock, Fletcher competes in several different NHRA categories including Stock Eliminator, Competition Eliminator and sometimes you'll even see him behind the wheel of a long skinny car running in the 8.90 Super Comp index class. While he's had over a handful of victories this season, he's now notched another three NHRA National Event wins in Super Stock alone and in acquiring his most recent, there were a lot of numbers that stacked up nicely in Fletcher's column.

Drag Racing's Dan Fletcher wins Super Stock at Brainerd International Raceway in the 31st Annual Lucas Oil Nationals

When it came to Super Stock qualifying, Fletcher points out that while his ultimate position may have been good in the end, it wasn't really where he had tried to place himself. "I made one strategic error," he admitted. "I don't have a good motor in my car right now and it was supposed to be done this week so I could have it for Indy, but it won't be and therefore qualifying for Super Stock in Indy may be a chore. But the error I made in qualifying is that there was another â€˜I-automatic' [SS/IA] car there and had I known that, I could have been in a different class."

"I kinda screwed up my scouting report, if you will," he continued. "So going into the last session, I'm sitting there with my iPad on my lap and a qualifying sheet and all my numbers I have written down from everyone and at that point I was quite sure that I wanted to hold it wide open, so it should put me on the opposite side of the ladder from this other same class car, but if I was wrong by one car, then I would have had him first round. I lost my guts at the last second and hit the brakes, because I knew whether I was right or wrong by a few spots that I would at least be away from him for several rounds."

A meeting with the same class car would have turned into a heads-up run for Fletcher and not something he was comfortable doing with the current motor he had in his 1969 K&N Chevy Camaro.

All a numbers game, Fletcher confessed that he could have "got greedy" to try to get exactly where he had hoped to on the sheet for race day, but that it all worked out well in the end. "That other same class car went out early, so then I had clear sailing in a bracket race style event. I drove okay and the car ran well."

Fletcher easily first sent home Douglas Baumgardner and his SS/DA '69 Camaro with a much better light and set up for a round two pairing with David Goldie, who made Fletcher work for it at the stripe after getting a .018 starting line advantage. By now the multi-time champion was on a roll and next lined his brightly painted K&N Camaro up to take on Brent Mandery in round three. This time Fletcher took a large chunk at the tree and turned it into a win light to earn the scheduled bye in the quarter finals.

Where he made not have been super pleased with his qualifying position at the start of eliminations, things were really starting to fall into place for Fletcher and in the semifinal round his competition, A. J. Covert seemed to have a major malfunction in the other lane and went .140 red, allowing Fletcher to take a free lap down the quarter into the Super Stock championship round.

Ron Roddel would be waiting to take on Fletcher for the Super Stock Wally and in a good example of the "first or worst" rule, Fletcher would come out on the winning side all thanks to being the quicker dialed car and getting to leave the line second. Roddel with his '02 Grand Am was dialed a 10.79 and would get the handicap start to Fletcher's 10.43 dial. Both driver's kicked on the red-light by the slightest of margins, but since Roddel left first, only his red-light [-.003] would show on the tree and the win light on in Fletcher's lane.

"I got tremendously lucky in the final with my opponent three thou red and I'm two thou red right behind him," said Fletcher. "Even though I knew I won I wasn't sure if they had given away the Perfectly Strange award yet [for running right on your dial], so I went ahead and drive it on through and then when I got down there tried to drop my three hundredths at the stripe to see if I could run dead-on [laughs]."

"For whatever reason that I can't really put my finger on, I have been very successful at that facility and Brainerd has treated me very well," he added. "Last year it was my Stock Eliminator car that I did very well with during the year. This year it seems to be the Super Stock car, since I picked up three National wins, so far."

With many events yet to go for the 2012 season, the K&N racer hopes to reach the next milestone on his list before the year closes out and that would be to reach eighty career NHRA National Event wins. His next chance to add to his total will be the U.S. Nationals just outside of Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend.

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.

Understanding the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and How it Affects You

24 Aug 2012

Did you know it's illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage simply because you had routine maintenance or repairs performed by someone else, or installed aftermarket parts deemed acceptable by your state's particular legislation?

Let's see a show of hands from anyone that's ever shopped diligently to get the best possible deal on a car, only to discover that the dealer-only "routine maintenance" plan would be more than your car payments, and easily double what it would cost to have it done somewhere else.

After investing bucket loads of your hard earned chips on that new dream ride you absolutely want to pamper it by keeping up with routine maintenance and repairs. Or, perhaps you installed a K&N air intake on your car because it simply makes your new car run even better. But, can a dealer refuse to honor the warranty that came with your new car if someone else does the routine maintenance, repairs or installations?

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act requires manufacturers and sellers of consumer products to provide consumers with detailed information about warranty coverage.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), our nation's consumer protection agency, says no. In fact, it's illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage simply because you had routine maintenance or repairs performed by someone else, or installed aftermarket parts deemed acceptable by your state's particular legislation. Now let's see a show of hands for everyone that's been paying full-pop for an oil change and tire rotation because they didn't know that.

You have rights, feel free to exercise them. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act was sponsored by Senator Warren G. Magnuson and U.S. Representative, John E. Moss and Senator Frank Moss. Enacted in 1975, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is the federal law that governs consumer product warranties. The Act requires manufacturers and sellers of consumer products to provide consumers with detailed information about warranty coverage. In addition, it affects both the rights of consumers and the obligations of warrantor's underwritten warranties.

In a nutshell, by passing the Act, Congress wanted to ensure that consumers would be able to get complete information regarding warranty terms and conditions up front. By providing consumers with a way of understanding what warranty coverage is offered on a product before they make a purchase, the Act gives us a way to know what to expect if something goes amuck. Which when you think about it, only helps to increase overall customer satisfaction. By its very definition then the Act also promotes healthy, productive competition.

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act also reinforces existing incentives for dealerships and companies to perform their warranty obligations in a timely and thorough manner and to resolve any disputes with a minimum of shenanigans and expense to consumers. As a result, the Act makes it easier for consumers to pursue a remedy for breach of warranty in the courts, while also creating a framework for companies to set up procedures for resolving said disputes inexpensively and informally, and without the need to even go to court. For more on the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act visit the Federal Trade Commission website.

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.

Lydden Hill Race Circuit Hosts Round 4 of the Maxxis British Drift Championship

24 Aug 2012

Overcooking your line at Lydden Hill put cars smack in the gravel pits.

Family sedans unhurriedly journeying along the rolling bucolic British coastline, tracing the scenery heavy, iconic White Cliffs of Dover is an everyday occurrence. The cliffs spread east and west from the town of Dover in the county of Kent. The unnerving scream of tires belligerently rejecting traction and the roar of 10,000 united horsepower demanding attention at the same time - not so much a regular thing around these parts.

The practice sessions are always a fan favorite as drivers work out where they will take their lines, sometimes overcooking it.

Kent is home to Lydden Hill Race Circuit, and at exactly one mile (1.6 km) around it claims the title of shortest road racing circuit in the UK, making it ideally suited for Round 4 of the British Drift Championship. The BDC did not race at Lydden in 2011, so this time expectations were extra high, and once again no one was left dissatisfied.

With each passing round the exhilaration has been ratcheted ever higher for emotionally invested spectators, while the pressure for the drivers is reaching the boiling point. After a year's break from Lydden Hill on the BDC event calendar, all the Maxxis British Drift Championship staff and K&N supported drivers were eager to revisit the challenging Kent circuit. It's a tricky, take no prisoners course, featuring cavernous gravel traps waiting to swallow up those who dare to stray off the line. Drivers only solace is to remain totally focused, not just in the moment, but in the exacting split second. Spectators soak up all the action from the hill. For a lucky few it was a local event, while others journeyed from all over Europe to attend this must-see event.

A drifters-eye view of the action.

The two day event started with practice sessions on Saturday August 1, followed by qualification which is always the real make or break affair, as it trims the field down from 32 to 16 in each class. Round 4 also saw an influx of European talent which proved to be an instant hit with the spectators, and added even more incentive for the all drivers to dial it up yet one more notch.

Racing will go down to the final round before a clear champion in any of the three classes is decided.

Following all the thrills and spills of qualifying it became clear that many drivers had markedly improved throughout this season. Right across the board in every class competitors are separated by only few points, leaving the Championship wide open for anyone to grab. Which only further proves just how intense the competition and the depth of skill within each class of the Maxxis British Drift Championship have truly become. Every single point needs to be earned because nobody is giving up anything.

Sunday was the finals for those who qualified, and once again the sun was shining on the hill as the drivers lined up in their quest for glory. Drivers had been briefed on what was expected and they delivered on all counts! Some of the most committed entries anyone has see this year were witnessed on the first corner at huge pace, it made for a spectacle that was acknowledged by the crowd with a symphony of air-horns.

Team Japspeed won the Constructor's Cup at Lydden Hill.

Lydden Hill offered up some more surprise results from some of the strong, name brand, contenders as they bowed out of the contest early. While it also proved to kick-start the season for some others, as they gained their best result of 2012. Unpredictability and sheer racing fickleness continue to propel the BDC forward as more frantic fans become obsessed to see what happens next.

After an exhilarating day of twin drifting the judges had worked through the pack and picked their winners for the customary champagne spraying on the podium. The weekend's Hard Charger award was presented to Bradley Wallbank. The Constructor's Cup was collected by Team Japspeed. The breakdown for the top-three in each class is as follows.

Semi Professional:
1st - Jay White
2nd - Lewis Cracknell
3rd - Lee Barry

Professional:
1st - Kevins Corsius
2nd - Paul Cheshire
3rd - James Fuller

Super Professional:
1st - Paul Smith
2nd - Shane Lynch
3rd - Barry Leonard

There's everything to drive for as the Maxxis British Drift Championship continues onwards to Round 5 at Silverstone for Trax on September 5th, in front of an anticipated crowd of over 16,000 spectators.

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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