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Natalie made a statement that he's hungry for a championship and he has what it takes to win.
Ballance Moto-X in Oakland, Kentucky, is the home of nine-time GNCC Champion, Bill Ballance, making it a prestigious stop on the AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series schedule. And no team was anymore inspired than K&N supported Can-Am Motoworks' John Natalie and Chad Wienen, as they dominated round three of the ATV racing series by capturing first and second.
John Natalie and Chad Wienen battled in both motos, but Natalie the "Ironman" never gave in, holding the number one spot all the way to the checkered flag.
From the drop of the gate in the first moto Natalie was all business, going from his third place start, to pulling a lead in only five laps. Teammate Wienen hung with Natalie, pressuring him for several laps, but the Ironman never gave in and held the number one spot all the way to the checkered flag.
In moto two, Natalie once more looked to run away with the race, but Wienen again caught up to the number 13 Can-Am rider and the battled ensued. Despite Wienen's best efforts, Natalie managed to keep his lead and take the moto two win, giving him his first overall win of the season. A clear message had been sent, Natalie is hungry for a championship and he has what it takes to make that happen.
"I had a great race out there and I think we put on a good show for everyone," Natalie said. "It was great to hear everyone cheering us on. I have to thank everyone at Can-Am and Motoworks for helping us get to where we are."
Natalie and Wienen currently hold first and second in the AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series.
Wienen was looking for his third straight win, but for round three he would have to settle for the number two spot on the podium.
Wienen comments were, "John and I both did a good job out there and made it on the podium. I have to thank all of our fans. It was great hearing them all cheer as we went by, that really helped to keep the momentum going. I didn't get the starts I wanted, but I gave it everything I had and caught up to John, but he made it hard for me so I am happy to take second this time."
Casey Greek, Natalie's mechanic spoke to K&N Race News and told us, "Really the only thing he (Natalie) did different is get great starts both motos and get out front early on. John also won at Budds Creek (round four in Mechanicsville, Maryland) which was an awesome race to win! It was definitely one of the muddiest races I've seen in years. John pulled both hole-shots and checked out winning the second moto by 30 seconds."
Arguably the Motoworks' team has six of the fastest ATV riders on the planet. The ATV race team is currently sitting in first and second in the AMA ATV Motocross and the WORCS series, and they hold the number two spot in the NEATV series as well.
"So far the season is going great for our Race team," Greek says. "It looks like John and Chad are gonna battle it out for the AMA Championship and Josh Fredrick and Jeremie Warnia will battle it out for a championship in the WORCS series. As long as we keep a humble approach, and keep working hard, we really hope to come away this year with three championships. But, right now, it is still early in the season so it's just a race-to-race program. Our goals are set to give 100 percent at every race, and leave nothing on the table, and hope we get the big goal at the end of the season."
And if the ATV racing team wasn't dominate enough, this season Motoworks added 2010 AMA ATV Motocross Champion, Josh Creamer, to their roster.
"We are very excited about that," commented Greek, "He will be racing full-time in the NEATV series, and will make it to a few of the AMA ATV motocross races."
Team Can-Am Motoworks next race is May 21, at Steel City in Delmont, Pennsylvania. "We hope to see all the fans there," offers Greek. "Don't be shy, come by the Can- Am Motoworks factory rig and say Hi!"
The Ford Taurus is a full-size family sedan manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1986. For two decades, we have watched the Ford Taurus grow from a midsize car to a full-size sedan and adopt many features that accent its attractive design. The Taurus' massive interior spaciously seats five passengers and allows for plenty of room in the back for full-size adults. The Ford Taurus offers a comfortable ride in a particularly quite cabin and massive cargo space from its 20.1 cubic foot trunk.
K&N Air Intake System for 2010, 2011 and 2012 Ford Taurus 3.5L
K&N set out to increase the amount of power produced by the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Ford Taurus' standard 3.5 liter V6 engine with their 69-3528TS performance air intake system. In order to achieve more horsepower, K&N removed the Ford Taurus' restrictive factory airbox and replaced it with a
custom silver powder coated aluminum intake tube and a high performance air filter (RF-1048). The RF-1048 is
a washable, reusable air filter with low restriction that also provides excellent engine protection.
This filter can be used for up to 100,000 miles of driving before servicing
is needed, depending on your driving conditions, and it can be done with K&N's recharging kit.
Once air passes the RF-1048
high-flow air filter, it travels through the custom shaped intake tube that
smoothes and straightens airflow. This allows the air to enter your engine
with very little restriction. When you combine this technology with its integrated heat shield, the 69-3528TS allows a high flow of cool,
dense air into your engine that translates into more horsepower and acceleration for the road.
Installation of the 69-3528TS
air intake is typically done in 90 minutes or less with common hand tools. K&N provides detailed instructions that illustrate the steps needed to install
the intake into your 2010, 2011 or 2012 Ford Taurus with 3.5 liter engine. K&N's 69-3528TS was tested and produced an estimated boost of 11.68 horsepower at 4044 rpm.
It is also backed by K&N's million mile limited warranty.
For a guaranteed power gain and a lifetime of performance, K&N's 69-3528TS is available for 2010 through 2012 Ford Taurus
models with 3.5 liter engines. 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.
The 19-year-old Red Bull rookie says he would like to take some of the momentum from Dover along with him to Charlotte this weekend.
Enough already about Cole Whitt's hair color and his diminutive, youthful appearance, so what if he barely meets the height requirement at Disney's Autopia ride. Continuing to do so is a little like pointing out Beethoven's lazy left eye instead of focusing on his music. The 19-year-old Red Bull rookie is a phenom - deal with it - and because now anything less just seems like a thinly-veiled attempt to smush this huge driving talent into earthly dimensions we can more easily relate with.
Now that the young K&N sponsored racer has had a glimpse of the checkered it's, it's safe to assume he'll be kicking it up a few notches.
Think back to what you were doing at that age on Friday the 13th, and pretending not to be superstitious in front of your friends probably comes to play - going toe-to-toe with Kyle Busch late in the Lucas Oil 200 probably doesn't. The driver of the No. 60, Turn One Racing Red Bull Chevrolet, didn't win the Camping World Truck Series race at Dover International Speedway, but he did get a real good peek at the checkered flag. In what may prove to be a career defining moment in his young NASCAR career, Whitt finished second, his best to date.
Whitt told K&N Race News, "I think our team performed really well, and obviously finishing second place to Kyle Bush is like a win for us. I would have liked to been one spot further up, but we'll take second and keep trying for a win."
Kyle Busch and Cole Whitt went fender to fender during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 200 at Dover International Speedway (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Under the guidance of Red Bull Racing Team, Whitt is competing in his rookie season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and now that he's had a sample of what winning in this series might taste like, every indication points to him being a glutton for more.
"It's a big learning curve. A huge learning curve," Whitt said after the best finish of his seven-race Truck Series career. "Kyle's just fast. He and I had the field covered, and it was going to come down to the two of us. We had a better long-run truck. He had a better short-run truck. He's good on restarts... no question."
And that's precisely what the final 17 laps of the 200-lap race came down to - restarts. Whitt admitted after the race that he learned more than a truckload about restarts from Kyle in those last rounds.
"It just seemed like he (Busch) could get though the initial crack on the throttle. That's where he would get me," Whitt said. "We weren't bad in the second- and third- gear shift. He just seemed to get the throttle down so much better. We got it better at the end, just not good enough."
"I think for the most part we did everything we could," continued the K&N sponsored driver. "We had a fast truck and we were there at the end to contend for a win. I got to go to school a little bit and work on my restarts, and at the end we were there with Kyle Busch, and he's the best in the business when it comes to restarts. But, I think I'm getting better, and my restarts got better. Not spinning the tires is key."
Whitt confessed that Dover Speedway fits his driving style ideally, what with its high banking and high speeds. He says it's the kind of track he really enjoys racing on, adding "I like tracks that you have to get up on the wheel and really drive. We had a really good truck on the long runs and when we had clean air."
Kyle Busch may have picked up a thing or two regarding Whitt and the level of opposition he no doubt will be facing in races to come. Showing his future adversary a healthy dose of respect Busch said, "Cole Whitt did a really nice job, I think he's got something going on over there. The guys do a really nice job, and he's fast. He's quick week in and week out, and this is the first one he's really contended for - that I've been in, anyway."
With his second place finish Whitt climbed to third place in the driver standings, shaving off more than half his deficit on the top spot. He's now a mere seven points behind series leader Matt Crafton entering the May 20 race at Charlotte.
Said Whitt, "Hopefully we will take a little bit of momentum with us, but it's like any race, we start over from square one, and try to be fast, and be up front."
After a slow start to the 2011 season for Mike Edwards, the former NHRA Pro Stock Champion and his Penhall/K&N/Interstate Batteries Pontiac team rolled into the most recent NHRA National Event at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia poised to get back to their class leader ways. Although the team picked up the Pro Stock Wally just two events ago, things had not quite fallen their way since.
Mike Edwards and his Penhall/K&N/Interstate Batteries Pontiac
"The last two races have not unfolded as we had hoped coming off the win in Las Vegas," admitted Edwards. "We were fast during the four-wide racing in Charlotte, but it did not translate into a win. Then in Houston, we were close to where we needed to be, but came up short in the semifinals."
As most teams know, it all starts in qualifying and although he qualified very well over the last two events, sitting at number three for race day for both, he had not grabbed a pole since the Las Vegas event.
One thing teams can count on for the Atlanta event each season is that they cannot count on the weather staying consistent. With many of the drivers in Pro Stock also being the tuners and crew chiefs for their team, it can put a lot one one's shoulders.
"Seems like we always have weather issues at this event and somehow or another we get the race in," he noted.
During the first session on Friday, it was a rather warm one. With a temperature of 88 degrees, and an adjusted altitude 3,678 feet Edwards managed to post a 6.641 @ 207.56 and right to the top of the heap.
By the time the teams rolled to the line for the second session, both the air and track conditions were much improved, allowing teams to give it a little more where it counted and Edwards' team was right on the money.
Not only did Edwards and his Penhall/K&N Pontiac improve, they continued to outrun the field with a 6.605 @ 208.55, just enough to hold off Jason Line who was just three-thousandths behind.
"If we get the cooler weather tomorrow, this run won't hold," Edwards said that Friday after session two. "If it cools off tomorrow just look how it changed between sessions. We ran a 6.64 and then stepped up to a 6.60. We only picked up 400 or 500 feet. If we come out here in the morning and the air is 1000 feet better we will run a lot faster."
While weather conditions never got any worse for the two qualifying sessions on Saturday, they didn't necessarily improve. Edwards managed to make the third quickest pass of session three and second quickest of the final session. What was most important was the fact that he continued to earn a few precious championship bonus points during qualifying, which help him make up for the DNQ at Pomona and that he held on tight to the pole position for race day. With just a small handful of events remaining to garner qualifying points for the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge, Edwards was pleased to gain some ground in the standings and the $3,000 #1 qualifier bonus from K&N Engineering.
"It's all about points right now," he confessed after holding on to number one. "We're looking to get all we can get. I think we got the most out of the last two days; we haven't been doing that. That is a step in the right direction.
"You have to get in the Countdown to play the Countdown," he added.
"You never want to make a mistake, but [being qualified at the top] gives you the opportunity to try some things, not off the wall or out of the box things. You don't want to try something to far off because there are three points to gain."
Mike Edwards and his Penhall/K&N Pontiac have made it a little tighter in the top three of the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge, just seventy points out of first. There are just three remaining events, Topeka, Englishtown and Bristol before the $50,000 shootout unfolds in Norwalk, Ohio in mid-June.
As the biggest single payday in all of NHRA Pro Stock, the K&N Horsepower Challenge pits the top seven qualified teams along with one fan voted favorite for the coveted crown and bragging rights.
For more information on placing you vote and a chance to win in the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes visit. Time is running out! Deadline for entry is May 27, 2011.
Teddy Hodgdon won the 2010 Hoosier Tire Challenge Series championship at Twin State Speedway in New Hampshire.
The first time Teddy Hodgdon saw Travis Kvapil's truck in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, he wanted one just like it.
Kvapil's truck was sponsored by K&N and had an orange and black paint scheme.
The first time Teddy Hodgdon saw Travis Kvapil's truck in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, he wanted one just like it.
"I was a little kid and I thought that his car was really cool," the 10-year-old Hodgdon said. "It had the K&N sponsor on it. I thought, hey, I like that car. I want to be sponsored by K&N too. I'm proud of K&N for doing this. I'd like to thank them very much too."
With the K&N colors, Hodgdon won the 2010 Hoosier Tire Challenge Series championship at Twin State Speedway in New Hampshire. He is back at Twin State Speedway racing a Tiger Sprint car and wants to win another championship at the track.
He plans on racing at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut as well.
"My goal was for the points championship at Twin State and the points championship at Stafford too," said Hodgdon, a fourth-grader from Danbury, Conn. "I have a good chance of getting that."
He's off to a good start. He won the season opener at Twin State and finished third in his second race. He crashed in the second lap, but recovered for a podium finish.
"I feel pretty good about these races even though I had the crash," Hodgdon said. "I feel pretty confident from coming back from that crash."
Ted Hodgdon, Teddy's dad, has seen his son mature as a driver since winning the Hoosier Tire Challenge Series championship a year ago.
"He's really advanced from last year to this year," Ted Hodgdon said. "He's a lot more in tune with the racing this year and that happened over the winter. He wanted to start helping work on the car in the garage. During disassembling and rebuild, he was involved in most of that process and more hands on. I really think he was thinking about it all winter long, whereas before, the last couple of year, I would just work on the car and he would hop in and drive. When he got out of the car, he was off playing."
Ted Hodgdon said his son has become a more aggressive driver. Working on the race car has given Teddy a better grasp of how the car works and what it needs to improve the performance of the car.
"The age for that division of karting he's in is 7 to 11 years old," Ted Hodgdon said. "Being 10 years old, he's now in the upper half of that age group. He's a little older now. I can see that already in that first race, being a year older, he was more aggressive with the car. Not taking unnecessary chances, but when there was an opportunity, he would stick his nose in there. He would take advantage of the situation. When he was younger, sometimes he would hesitate some. This year, when he sees an opening, he's going for it."
As for winning two track championships, Ted Hodgdon said his son will have the opportunity to accomplish that goal. He is off to a good start at Twin State. Rain washed out the first race at Stafford. But winning races and championships is not the focus of his son's racing.
"We're going to run the two tracks weekly," Ted Hodgdon said. "He's in good position at both of the tracks. He's one of the frontrunners and he has a good opportunity if things go right. Our main goal is to have fun and be there as a family. My wife and my daughter are always there. My wife's very involved. That's the number one thing. If we can win some and happen to win a championship, that would be icing on the cake."
