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K&N Sponsored Tyler Hughes Gets Fourth Win in Six INEX Legends Series Starts

21 Jun 2011

Hughes drives the No. 83 car, a 1934 Ford coupe, and teammate Mike Weddell drives the 1934 Ford sedan.

Tyler Hughes is a 14-year-old teenager living in Cordova, which is along the eastern shore of Maryland. Hughes recently finished up his freshman year of high school at Easton High, and after being rained-out for the past couple of weekends, he just notched his fourth INEX Legends Series win in only six starts.

The K&N sponsored driver has won four races in his last six starts.

"I've been involved in racing since the age of five when my dad bought me a Quarter Midget," said the K&N sponsored driver. "We raced dirt tracks in Maryland and Delaware from 2002 to 2004. In 2004 we also tried our hands at the asphalt tracks located in Wall, New Jersey and Honey Brook, Pennsylvania. During those times we also travelled to different tracks, in Florida, North Carolina, New York and Indy."

Clearly the young driver has been willing to do the work to amass the race experience needed to succeed. In 2007 his dad, Don, bought him a Modified-Lite, which basically looks like a dwarf Dirt Modified, only it runs a 600cc Suzuki GSXR motor in a junior class, and a 1000cc Suzuki GSXR in the Pro Stock class.

"I raced that, along with the Quarter Midgets until 2010, that's when I was finally able to race in the INEX Legends series," Hughes said.

INEX is the international sanctioning body of the Legends, Bandolero and Thunder Roadster Cars, and it was founded in 1995. INEX is the third largest short track sanctioning body behind NASCAR Weekly Racing and International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) with more than 3,500 members, sanctioning more than 2,000 races throughout the world.

Last year in his rookie year at Old Dominion Speedway located in Manassas, Virginia, Hughes finished the season with 17 starts, one win, 13 top-five finishes, 16 top-ten finishes.

Hughes told K&N Race News, "I hate being rained out of races, especially since we are running for points at one track, we only get to run about 16 races a year, and when running for points, if you get rained out, it makes it hard to catch up if you get behind.

Fortunately catching up isn't something Hughes currently needs to fret about, since his six race total of four wins, a fifth and seventh place finish have him leading the points chase by six.

The Tyler Hughes Motorsports team consists of crew chief dad, along with Mike Weddell and Frank Duncan, two good friends and sponsors.

"Mike drives a backup car that my dad bought a year after he bought my car. I drive a 1934 Ford coupe, and Mike drives a 1934 Ford Sedan," adds Hughes.

Hughes continues, "I would like to win the Points Championship at Old Dominion Speedway. So, I guess for the most part it is one race at a time for us. We have to focus every week on that particular race, how I qualify, and then keep concentrating on finishing in the best possible position. We are trying to look at the big picture which is the points championship, and that is our main goal for the year."

"Overall, I'd have to say this is probably the best season we've had in a while. We have been getting better overall finishes, we have more sponsors than we have had in the past, and the team has been doing an awesome job both on and off the track."

"We will continue to race at Old Dominion every Saturday that they race. We are also planning on racing at Southside Speedway outside the Richmond area. It is also always possible that we may get to Shenandoah Speedway or Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia when Old Dominion isn't running."

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.

2009 and 2010 Ford F-150 Pickups with 4.6L 3 Valve V8 Engine Get Power with K&N

21 Jun 2011

Dyno Chart for 2009 Ford F-150 4.6L

Ford's 2009 and 2010 F-150's come with numerous amenities that combine the comfort of a luxury sedan with truck functionality. Some of the accessories available from Ford that help to enhance the experience drivers enjoy include upgraded highly durable mats, tow accessories, Tonneau covers, alloy wheels, a remote starting system, bed liners and much more. In order to enhance the engine performance of this truck our engineering team has developed a 63 series Air Charger air intake system and given it the part number 57-2580. Our 57-2580 intake system is not designed to be used with 2 valve VIN W vehicles.

K&N Air Intake System for 2009 and 2010 Ford F-150 4.6L 3/valve V8

Through our tried and tested methods of engineering, that have been fine tuned over the 42 years K&N has been in business, we've been able to achieve an estimated increase of 16.14HP at 4650 rpm with this intake. This high flow air intake achieves these exceptional and realistic numbers by eliminating restrictive points in the stock air intake system. We eliminate the factory air box, stock air filter, resonator chambers and the stock intake tube. We replace these air restrictive components with K&N's high flow intake tube, open element round tapered air filter and heat shield. Our high flow intake tube streamlines air flow by allowing it to flow through the intake tube and throttle body in a highly efficient way. When this is coupled with our high flow open element air filter number RC-5173 we achieve overall better performance. Our 57-2580 Air Charger system will increase horsepower, torque and throttle response. Obviously this tends to result in a more rewarding driving experience.

The replacement air filter part for this intake system is RC-5173. It can go for up to 100,000 miles before servicing is necessary depending on driving conditions. This filter also has a K&N Drycharger® wrap option available to give your truck an even longer service interval. K&N filter wraps are great when a lot of your driving is in dusty environments. Our RC-5173DK air filter wrap is water resistant and made from a silicone treated polyester material and can be cleaned using a soapy water solution.

Our 57-2580 Air Charger intake system takes about 90 minutes or less to install with common hand tools. It uses stock mounting points, incorporates your vehicle's factory electronic components into the system, requires no drilling and it is covered by the K&N Million Mile Limited Warranty®.

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 Major Payne Pulling Experiences Success

20 Jun 2011

Major Payne Pulling's 2005 Ford Ranger

Jonathon Payne, and team Major Payne Pulling, are gearing up for the remainder of the season with anticipation that they continue experiencing success. With 28 more races scheduled before the season ends in late September, Jonathon and his team are leading the points race in the Battle of the Bluegrass Pulling Series.

Jonathon is quick to give his team credit and say that they play an important role in his success.

Jonathon earned a first place spot on June 3rd at Danville Kentucky.

Competing at the same venue on the following night, Jonathon and his 2005 Ford Ranger, equipped with a 485 cubic-inch big block ended the night in third place. The week prior, his team traveled to Georgetown, where Jonathon finished in 8th place.

"At Danville, I won by a fraction of a foot," stated Jonathon. It is common to have from six to ten trucks within feet of each other.

Interestingly, of the mix, he is the only driver using a Ford. "I pull the only ford, so at times I have as many as twenty Chevys to pull against," he said. "These trucks give all they got every time they go down the track."

Jonathon and his team are leading the points race in the Battle of the Bluegrass Pulling Series.

When asked how his truck had been performing this season, he continued, "My Major Payne Ford is doing what I need it to."

According to Payne, there are many variables which can lend to one's success. "On June 8th, the track was very loose," shared Payne. "June 4th, I had a little too high of gear." When asked the determining factors for his success on the night of June third, Jonathon said, "The track was sticky, and I had the right gear in." As do all drivers, Jonathon Payne and his team have their favorite tracks. According to him, The Danville track is consistently well maintained and holds up to the rigors of racing.

Aware that his truck must be mechanically sound to carry him and the sled to the finish line, Jonathon trusts and uses K&N Filters. "When asked why he depends on these filters, he explained, "K&N Filters provide the highest quality oil filters and air filters. Pulling tracks are dusty, with chunks of dirt flying everywhere. Air and oil filters are extremely important. My pulling truck needs a very high volume of air and oil to keep it running strong, and K&N products have performed great for years. According to Payne, he also uses K&N Filters on his tow vehicle as well.

Jonathon was quick to give his team credit and say that they play an important role in his success. Working together since 1998, one would suspect that each member is well acquainted with Jonathon and their fellow members. Jonathon stressed that they are always there when it comes time to prepare for and load up after pulls.

Competing in pulls for the past 12 years, Jonathon Payne understands just what it takes to pull off a successful season. He has an acute understanding that without choosing the right gear, one's success will be slim to none. That said, he is confident that the key to finishing strong during 2011, he must be prepared for an array of problems that might arise and choose the proper gears.

Since racing in Danville Kentucky, Jonathon Payne and his team traveled to Brandenburg Kentucky on June 11, where he completed the pull in first place. Judging from his most recent race, Jonathon is still experiencing success. "I plan on committing my team to the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League,"

Jonathon stated during a recent interview. "I would like to thank our fans and hope we put on an exciting show. Without the fans, there would be no pulls."

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.

Allen Johnson Wraps Up Qualifying for '11 K&N Horsepower Challenge on High Note in Bristol

20 Jun 2011

K&N Horsepower Challenge Champion Allen Johnson

It was quite a lot of shuffling at the top during the four sessions of Pro Stock qualifying during the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway and the final chance for drivers to secure their position in the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge.

Allen Johnson's Mopar Dodge Avenger

The teams were just coming off very good air conditions, especially for the naturally aspirated cars at the last NHRA event in Englishtown, but for Bristol they were going to have to dig into their data and go back to some higher altitude settings. During the first session on Friday, Rodger Brogdon sailed to the top of the heap, posting a 6.696 and managed to be the only team to make it into the sixties during the hot late afternoon session, where the adjusted altitude was well over four thousand feet.

Brogdon would only enjoy his position for a few short hours because when the teams hit the track for session two, many teams were able to take advantage of late evening conditions, where the track had cooled nearly thirty degrees and there was just a little more 'air' for the tuners to work with. K&N's Mike Edwards was able to capitalize the most during the session to move past Brodgon when he posted a 6.679 and took over the number one spot.

Edwards would hold on to the number one spot through the heat of the third session on Saturday. A rain delay postponed the fourth and final session until much later in the day and also brought in cooler, although still quite moist, conditions.

Sitting almost like a tiger in the shadows ready to pounce, local favorite and former K&N Horsepower Challenge Champion, Allen Johnson had been steadily making runs "A to B" and sitting at number three, seemed poised to take over the top spot, should conditions come his way.

"We pretty much just hoped it would quit raining," said Johnson, when asked his thoughts about the last qualifying session. "We were hoping the sun would hang in there and it all worked right toward us. So we got after it a little bit and [laughs] showed off a little."

During the final session, Johnson and Edwards made the final pair of Pro Stock an exciting one. While Edwards bettered his earlier effort, it was all for not when Johnson stole away his thunder, along with the number one spot for Sunday's eliminations, by a whole hundredth of a second. And in NHRA Pro Stock, a hundredth is more like a mile.

Johnson's 6.668 pass also earned him another one hundred seventy five points for the final qualifier of the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge, plus the $3,000 event qualifier bonus and solidified his number two spot for the $50,000 shootout to take place in Norwalk in a matter of days.

While the competition is quite fierce among the Pro Stock competitors, many of them enjoy the chance to get in a little razzing and Mike Edwards did so just after the drivers exited the cars at the top end.

"He said 'You stole my K&N money'," Johnson explained the friendly top end ribbing between he and Edwards. "You know I did that at the end of the year last year about four times in a row, so I told him to look forward to more of that."

Johnson is quite proud of the K&N Horsepower Challenge Championship ring he wears earned and continues to tease other drivers such as Jason Line and Greg Anderson, "I always walk up to the both of them and lay my hand over their shoulder [the hand with ring], but I would really like to have another one of those. K&N is great for doing this Horsepower Challenge and they are great for doing the extra qualifying money. You just can't beat them."

Jason Line held onto the number one seed position, by the skin of his teeth and the smallest margin possible a mere five points over Allen Johnson.

"This year it's really tightened up lately," Johnson said of his fellow competitors and qualifiers in the Horsepower Challenge. "You know just here lately, any one of six, eight, ten cars that could win the race."

Johnson stresses how much he is looking forward to the shootout to be held at Summit Racing Motorsports Park in less than a week, "You are just really going to have to be on your game. I just really take it all as a challenge. You are racing against the best of the best and I'm one of them, you know and I try to step my game up there and really get serious about it."

"I just thank K&N for all of this, they are just the best," added Johnson.

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 - K&N Air Intake Install for 2005-2007 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500 6.6L Diesel

17 Jun 2011

Air Intake Installation for 2005-2007 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500 6.6L Diesel Models with Round Air Filter
K&N has designed a performance air intake system 57-3057 for the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500HD and 3500 6.6L diesel models equipped with a round air filter. K&N dynamometer tests show an estimated 22.09 horsepower gain at 2860 RPM with use of this K&N air intake modification. K&N tests multiple vehicles for each air intake system it makes to ensure a consistent horsepower and torque gain. This video demonstrates the steps needed to install a power gaining K&N air intake into 2005 through 2007 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500 6.6L diesel models equipped with a round air filter.