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Jack Derencin Racing's Super Comp Drag Racing Highlights

30 Jan 2012

What I appreciate about K&N is that the employees are racers making a product they would use themselves.

When Jack Derencin became a licensed driver in 1967 it was the beginning of the Muscle Car era, and he had a fascination with cars, rumble, noise, speed, and having what he calls a "girl getter." He began doing some street racing, and after drag racing his own car at Lions Drag Strip, that was it. He was hooked.

Jack said, "In the 40 plus years I've been involved in Motorsports, I have raced in the AHRA, the NHRA, and I currently own and race in the local Lucas Oil/Super Comp Association of Southern California that I formed in 1998. It is a venue for any and all racers who race in the Super Comp class to race in a club type environment. Some racers can't do an NHRA race, so I give the racers the same racers they would compete against at those events- very tough competition, and two races within one weekend. And most importantly, a very good payday should they go the rounds."

My son Jeff and I share the driving duties; Jeff won the Lucas Oil/Super Comp Association Top Qualifier Shoot-Out race in 2007.

When discussing his more memorable career highlights, Jack said, "There are so many memorable moments that may be little to some; I have never won an NHRA race, but have won a Super Comp Series race and was runner up twice, plus my car won 'Best Engineered' at the LODRS race in Bakersfield in 2006, which was a great honor, especially for a home built car. My son Jeff and I share the driving duties; Jeff won the Lucas Oil/Super Comp Association Top Qualifier Shoot-Out race in 2007. In that same year we also won the 'Best Appearing' car award from the Lucas Oil/Super Comp Association racers voting ballot for the season ending Awards Banquet."

We think all those competitors that are able to enjoy racing at Derencin's local Lucas Oil/Super Comp Association of Southern California would suggest that his concept of and ability to form the association should rank way up near the top of his accomplishments.

We also love his story about what led him to using K&N products. "I had a engine blow up a long time ago," Jack stated, "because I used an off the shelf oil filter from a name brand filter company and a name brand auto parts store, and the filter collapsed, causing the engine to starve from oil. I have known Steve Williams from K&N for a really long time and he said to me, 'If you use an oil filter made for racing, that won't happen,' and he gave me a K&N oil filter. I never buy anything off the shelf for drag racing anymore."

He went on to say, "What I appreciate about K&N is that the employees are racers making a product they would use themselves. They are not made outside of America, with cheap non-fitting parts, and if you have a question, or a simple installation problem you can call them and they will correct the problem or assist with it. I have never had any problems and I appreciate that fact. Along with K&N, I have been blessed with support from Lucas Oil, Gallio Motorsports, Good Year Tires and Westminster Racing Transmissions, and am deeply appreciative. Without them, I could not do what I love to 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.

Former NHRA Sport Compact Racer Lisa Kubo Continues Her Career in the Automotive Industry

30 Jan 2012

Lisa is a California native and started frequenting the two NHRA races that are held in Pomona, CA ever since she was 8 years old.

The professional ranks of NHRA Sport compact racing have come and gone but many of the incredible drivers this racing circuit produced are still going full speed ahead. One racer in particular stands out among the pack and continues to grace the track and industry with a phenomenal presence. I'm talking about Lisa Kubo, or as she is known in many circles, "LK." Lisa is an incredible competitor who inspired the youth of generation X across the nation while breaking records in a typically male dominated sport.

Lisa is a California native who grew up in Monterey Park and started frequenting the two NHRA races that are held in Pomona, California every year since she was 8 years old. Lisa's family has always been involved in racing, in fact her uncle Mike used to work for the famous team owner and driver Kenny Bernstein. One year while at the track Lisa had the opportunity to meet the legendary Shirley Muldowney. Ever since that brief encounter with the race legend, Lisa was inspired to race in a professional drag racing division. Lisa went on to obtain her goal of becoming a race car driver and has raced against some of the best drivers around winning awards all across the country.

Lisa begain working at K&N Engineering in 2011 as a Product Specialist- a position that still allows her to stay involved with drag racing.

Lisa is a highly decorated driver who has over 37 National wins and records. She started her racing career as the first "front wheel drive" female team owner and driver with a turbocharged 1992 Honda Civic hatchback which helped set the industry ablaze with national records, and 3 World Championships in the "Hot Rod Class" on that car alone. Her next step was into the premiere class known as Pro FWD with a 1200hp turbocharged Saturn Ion Quad coupe. While driving the Saturn she became the first driver in history to pilot a front wheel drive drag car into the 7 second territory, which slated Lisa in NHRA history books, along with grabbing her 4th championship. Lisa has a long resume of all her career achievements from 1999 through 2004 with many impressive notations including the fact that she is still the only female to walk away with not 1 but 4 championships from the pro levels of Sport Compact racing.

I asked Lisa what she loves about racing and she responded, "What's not to love?" Obviously, we're dealing with a true competitor.

In 2011, L.K. began working at K&N Engineering as a Product Specialist. Lisa is enjoying a position that, in addition to numerous other responsibilities, allows her to stay close to the track, attending race events to interact with numerous K&N sponsored racers and answer questions regarding product for K&N filter users. I'm sure many great things are yet to come from Lisa and we look forward to seeing what the future brings.

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.

Bryan Clauson in the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Toyota Speedway Grabs 2011 NMDOTY Championship

30 Jan 2012

Bryan Clauson earned his third career NMDOTY championship title during the 2011 season.

Coming into the season's final event, the 71st Annual Turkey Night Grand Prix at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California, Midget driver Bryan Clauson had experience and confidence in his corner. Having already earned the prestigious National Midget Driver of the Year (NMDOTY) championship title twice in his career, the driver was no stranger to what it takes to finish a season with a lead in the points race. "I had a lot of confidence going into the race this year." Clauson recalled, "Irwindale is a place where I've always run well, and after practice, I felt like we had a very strong race car."

"Anytime you show up at Irwindale, the competition is really tough," he continued. "Turkey Night is one of the marquee races of the year for us, and it brings cars from all over the country at the season's end." In order to proclaim the NMDOTY title, Clauson had to finish in the top 7 spots.

When asked the key to meeting his goals, the driver said, "The key to winning the race was a well-balanced car that stays good over a long run. Turkey Night is ninety-eight laps, which is a long run for us, so you have to make sure you have tire left to race with at the end."

The key to winning the race was a well-balanced car that stays good over a long run. Turkey Night is ninety-eight laps, which is a long run for us, so you have to make sure you have tire left to race with at the end.

As he had suspected the race proved to be exciting. In fact the battle between the top eight cars shuffled the standings several times. Although he didn't take the checkered flag, Clauson did manage to finish high enough in the field of drivers to capture the title over two-time NMDOTY Champion Brad Kuhn by three points, deeming him the first three-time winner in the thirteen year history of the award.

When asked what separates him from other drivers, Bryan Clauson explained, "I'd say the people I've surrounded myself with and the partners that we have on our race team, from car owners all the way down to our product sponsors. I've been very fortunate to build this team and surround myself with great people. We've got a great group of guys that build and repair great race cars. They make my job of going out and winning races a heck of a lot easier. They all allow and contribute to our success on the race track," he continued, "I've personally been able to gain a lot of experience in a lot of different race cars at a young age, and I'm able to draw from that experience to be successful in whatever I strap into."

Bryan Clauson and his team are looking forward to an exciting 2012 season, as they will be competing in both USAC and Indy races.

"The key to our success during the 2011 season has been resilience," shared Clauson. "We've had some mechanical issues throughout the year and some bugs we needed to get worked out, but we're always able to come up with wins and finishes when it mattered most."

Along with his team, Bryan Clauson considers maintenance as a key element to success in the racing world. That said they depend upon K&N products to keep the internal components of their engines well-lubed and contaminant-free. "Proper maintenance is huge," explained the driver, "especially when you are competing for a year-long title. The midget title came down to fifteen points, which is five positions over twenty three races; one more mechanical failure and we lose the championship. K&N products have played a big role in our race team," continued Clauson, "The products we use have always performed flawlessly and have allowed us to maintain a championship caliber race team. We use K&N air filters, oil filters, cleaner and degreaser. We've been using them since 2004."

Referring to 2012, Bryan Clauson said, "Next season is an exciting year for me, with everything we have going on in the Indy side of things. But I will still be racing USAC pretty much full-time, when it doesn't conflict with my Indy car races."

When asked what he enjoys most about the sport of racing, Bryan continued, "I enjoy the travel, and the family atmosphere the sport provides. At the end of the day, we're all one big racing family." In closing Bryan Clauson said, "I'd like to say thank you to all of my sponsors and fans. Without them we wouldn't be able to do what we love to do- 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.

Shane Stewart Fights Through and Takes His Second Lucas Oil ASCS National Championship

30 Jan 2012

Shane Stewart's experience and drive to finish every race of the season strong lent to a 2011 championship in spite of a crash during the final Lucas Oil event of the season.

Throughout the 2011 race season, Shane Stewart was focused. And as the season wound down he had a 137 point lead over the second place driver, Johnny Herrera, in the Lucas Oil ASCS Series. After a couple of top ten finishes in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Stewart and his crew rolled into the USA Raceway, at Tucson, Arizona with a seventy-one point lead and were geared up to compete in the Western World Championship.

Of course he had dealt with the expected highs and lows of the sport to this point in the season, but Stewart had experienced his fair share of good fortune as well. All of his luck went south though at the drop of a hat on the preliminary night of the season finale when he was involved in a scary crash heading into turn one after the initial waving of the green flag. Fortunately, Stewart came into the race with a substantial lead and after his mishap, still managed to hold on to a 21 point lead.

After the dust had settled Stewart managed to hold onto the points race by one point, earning him his second career Lucas Oil ASCS National Championship.

Heading into the final night, in spite of a foot injury he sustained during his crash, Stewart made it through the C and charged through the B. Although narrowly missing out on a transfer spot, the driver utilized a provisional and started the 30-lap feature race in the rear of the field, as his closest competitor, Herrera, was lined up in the second row.

The 2011 finale race was passing before the fans' eyes at a fast pace, as there were no stoppages from the time the green flag waved until the winning driver took the checkered flag. Working the bottom of the track, Stewart muscled his way through the field and by turn four of the white flag was situated in the fifteenth position. Upon the waving of the checkered flag, Shane had managed to work his way forward one more spot, eight drivers behind Herrera, who finished in sixth. After the dust had settled Stewart managed to hold onto the points race by one point, earning him his second career Lucas Oil ASCS National Championship.

I would just like to thank all of the fans and sponsors for their continued support. Without the fans and sponsors, it wouldn't be possible to do what we love to do.

Referring to his confidence level going into the final feature of the 2011 season, Stewart said, "I was a little sore, but we had been strong all year, and I had confidence in our team for getting me a strong car in the main. The key was to drive smart and focus on not making any mistakes that would ultimately knock us out of the race and blow any shot we had to win the title. I knew where we had to be, based on where Herrera finished," explained the driver. "At the time, I had no idea where he was, and really wasn't sure where we were."

Although enjoying a comfortable lead during the greater portion of the season, Stewart was acutely aware of the importance of finishing strong during each and every race. "It's part of racing," he explained. "We had a really good year, but the funny thing about the sport is, you never know when bad luck will find you. It just goes to show how important each night is. Winning by just one point ultimately means that we could have lost it by finishing one spot worse than we did on any given night throughout the season. It shows the importance of giving it your all night in and night out."

Shane Stewart recently earned his second career Lucas Oil ASCS Natinal Championship.

Recapping 2011, Stewart continued, "The high point of our season was the Knoxville Nationals. For whatever reason, we seem to do really well there, and this season was no different. We came in hot, and were able to defend our 360 Nationals crown and really had a great showing in the 410 nationals," he continued, "I messed up qualifying on Wednesday, and really put us behind the eight ball. We didn't make it out of our heat, and luckily I was able to make a pass late in the B to put us in the show. From that point on, it felt like all we did was go forward. We charged from 24th to 4th during our preliminary and ultimately finished second at the biggest race of the year. It was unforgettable and without a doubt our high point in front of the best teams in the world."

As one might suspect, Shane Stewart and his team are strong advocates of maintenance. That said, they depend upon K&N oil and air filters to keep the internal components of their engines well lubed and contaminant free. Referring to K&N products, Shane Stewart said, "We love all of the products that we use and recommend them to everyone else."

In closing, Shane Stewart shared a message with his supporters- "I would just like to thank all of the fans and sponsors for their continued support. Without the fans and sponsors, it wouldn't be possible to do what we love to 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.

Video - Professional Drifter Chasing RC Car through K&N Factory with Crushing End

30 Jan 2012

K&N VIDEO RELEASED - K&N has just released a new video featuring 2010 Formula Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. in his 2011 Ford Mustang drift car chasing an RC drift car replica through the K&N factory. Make sure to watch the outtakes where several cars get crushed. If you like the video please pass it on or embed it on your site! It is located on K&N Air Filters YouTube Page.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. chasing RC car through K&N's factory

You might win one of five Limited Edition Monster Energy Falken Tire 2011 Ford Mustang GT RTR E10 HPI RC Drift cars by entering the Limited Edition Vaughn Gittin Jr. RC Drift Car Sweepstakes. To enter go to the K&N Facebook Page.

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.