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There are just some tracks for drivers where no matter what, they can't seem to ever get out of first round and there are other tracks where the stars just seem to align no matter what, and one of those tracks for K&N Vice President of Research and Development, Steve Williams is Firebird Raceway in Boise, Idaho.
Steve Williams' 1963 Dennis Sarmento built Corvette Roadster
"Man, it was really-really cold up there," said the Loma Linda, California resident. "It was so cold that it rained on Friday, then all of the sudden it stopped and the sun came out and we started doing time runs and then about half-way into time runs, it started snowing. I don't think it got about forty or forty-one and the track temp couldn't have been more than fifty-five or sixty. But amazingly enough, the New family prepped the track and kept it sprayed and it was great how many cars got down that track without any trouble."
Unlike Super Gas racers who run on the east coast whose quarter-mile index stays a steady 9.90, folks in the west deal with many different indexes due to the huge changes in track altitude from one facility to the next. "I think we actually have four or five indexes out here," said Williams. "You have the regular 9.90, then Vegas at 10.05, Boise is 10.20, Fallon is 10.30. Then I believe Tucson is 10.18 You just adjust your throttle stop timer numbers and usually have to adjust your low stall (what rpm the engine goes to during time on throttle stop).
Williams wheeled his faithful 1963 Dennis Sarmento built Corvette Roadster, loaded up with a 565 BBC, through the Super Gas rounds and met up with Dairld Wurtz in the final. And where he didn't have the advantage on the tree, Williams' being the veteran that he is trusted his car and played the stripe to push Wurtz to .016 under the 10.20 index for the NHRA Division 6 Super Gas Wally.
"It was just one of those races where it was kinda hard because there were a lot of redlights and you didn't want to go red, so you kinda had to live with lights that were maybe a little bit slower than they normally would be," explained Williams. "To be honest, I probably didn't drive that well, but the car was just awesome."
"Over the last five years going to this event, I have had five finals. Four wins and one runner-up," he said. "I think Boise will stay on our schedule each year for now."
"The really cool part again about this whole trip was having my wife Janet and daughter Shelby there," he noted. "They get to go to some races with me, but not all of them and My wife's mom and dad live in Boise. So we always go up there for the division race and they get to visit and I get to race. Everyone was there for Sunday and anytime my wife and Shelby are with me when I win, it just makes it extra special."
Being the Vice President of Research and Development for K&N Engineering, and an avid drag racer, allows Williams to test numerous new products, on the very cars he competes with, along with working closely with many of the racers he encounters at each of the events he participates in.
"Three weeks ago, we made some additional pieces of carbon for our hood scoops, so we were testing that," he said of the product testing on his race cars. "We are always messing around with something including using a little bit of a different throttle stop that we are working on with [Number] One stop."
Although K&N offers over six thousand different air filters, when it comes to drag or any type of racing, there are still numerous one-of-a-kind combinations and Steve Williams is the first to step up during an event to help the racers get the K&N protection that they need for their special application.
"At many events, I'll go into R&D mode," he explained. "In a lot of cases for different guys it needs to be a little bit smaller top, or maybe slightly shorter, or else it needs to be oblong. So it allows me to get a firsthand view of what the challenge is that the racer is experiencing that wants an air filter. Then I can take those dimensions back to the guys at our R&D shop and we can make them a one-off K&N filter."
Williams is planning on running a heavier race schedule for 2011, one that started with a runner-up at the NHRA WinterNationals in Pomona and only a few events later, a win in Boise.
Because of the mutual respect Cody has with his cousin and teammate Jake, racing together is always enjoyable.
Cody Swanson, the 2010 USAC Western States Midgets Rookie of the Year, spent the last two Saturdays at Ventura Speedway in Ventura, California, competing in the Ventura Racing Association (VRA) Midget Series. And, although Swanson had some unforeseeable mishaps, the misfortunes were bracketed by illuminating glimmers of what's possible when Cody and his new car get to know each other a bit better. Despite the period of adjustment with his new ride, Swanson still managed two top-ten finishes (a tenth and seventh place). K&N Race News started the conversation with the lower radius rod that took him out of serious contention in the second round of the VRA series.
K&N sponsored Cody Swanson hopes to have all the bugs worked out of his new car in time for round four of the VRA series.
Why do you figure the front tire rubbed the lower radius rod during this race, did you just turn more than normal, or was it the track, and has that happened before?
"The right front tire rubbing the radius rod is a problem that has just come up this year. We built a new car this season with Jeff Wahl at Edmunds Autoresearch, and we used some components off of last year's Ellis Race car. The Wheels were among those components. The Edmunds Chassis is significantly wider than our old Ellis and so as a result the tires come closer to the suspension components when crossed up in a corner."
"On that restart that I referred to, I did get in the corner harder than normal. The field was bunched together and I saw this as a good opportunity to pass some of the guys in front of me, so I drove the car into the corner a little harder and when that happened the tire rubbed the radius rod and it actually rubbed so much that it locked up the tire. I was able to save it and keep it running by driving it up into the infield, but as you can imagine, I lost a whole lot of spots."
"During the week in between races we were able to come up with a quick fix to get us by for the next race. It will be a very easy fix though, all we need to do is buy a different offset right front wheel and the problem will be gone. It was just one little thing we overlooked while building the new car that came back to bite us. The reason why it didn't affect us at all until just now is because our two races before these were on a track surface that had much more traction."
You mention having a lot of fun moving up through the pack with your cousin and Swanson Motorsports teammate Jake Swanson, Tell us a bit about Jake, how long has he been with the team?
"This is Jakes third season running in the Midget series. We have a lot of fun whenever we are around each other mainly because we know we can trust each other out on the track. Some racers you really have to be carefully about passing, there's some dirty racing that takes place, but with Jake, I know that I can race him close and hard, because there's that mutual respect, and that's when racing is the most fun."
Round three of the VRA series went even better, including a win in the B-Main over Kory Kruseman on his home track how did that feel?
"That B main was a blast! We had a great set-up in the car and I knew it was going to be tough. Josh Ford, Josh Lakatos, Chris Ennis, and Kruseman are a few of the names that were in that race. All of them finished in the top 5 in the previous race. I knew It was gonna be tough. I got the jump on the start and got out to an early lead but I knew Cory would be coming fast. I believe he started fourth. He was charging hard, but only really caught me in the last three laps when I caught up in lapped traffic, but I was able to hold him off and took the win."
Talk about your round three move in the A-Main in turns one and two, why do you believe that move didn't work as planned?
"I didn't adjust the car as much as I needed to under the caution. We have adjustable shocks all the way around on the car, so I am able to do quick adjustments as needed on the track."
"Turn one and two was a lot drier than three and four at the end of the race, so in order to be fast on the top, I needed to free up the front shocks to get the weight back to the rear end. This tightens the car up and would give me more forward drive. Problem was I only went about half as much as I needed."
"It is a fine line because it is easy to adjust too far, and that would just make things worse, so I tried to play it safe. Next time I'll know better, especially at the point in the race."
Cody Swanson Motorsports returns to Ventura Speedway May, 14 for round four of the VRA series.
After winning as many BITD races as Doc Glass has, taking second in Silver State 300 after having the lead, becomes a bitter pill to swallow. Photo By: eventphotodigital.com
Since the Las Vegas Mint Hotel first sponsored the Mint 400, AKA "The Great American Desert Race" back in 1968, it has been a "must" event for off-road racers. This year's General Tire Mint 400 race took place 30 miles north of Las Vegas in Moapa, Nevada, a small town that on any other weekend has a population of 950 residents. The course this year consisted of four, 100-mile, rock encrusted laps.
Macrae Glass and his team won the legendary Mint 400 in their first ever attempt. Photo By: eventphotodigital.com
"I drove the first 250 miles with Kevin Davis navigating, Macrae Glass told K&N Race News. "This was our first turn at the legendary Mint 400 course. We expected tough, and that's what we got. We started first on the road and cruised conservatively for the first half of the race. 70 miles in, the alternator quit charging and we lost 20 minutes or so with repairs. We motored on trouble free for the rest of the run after that."
With 150 miles remaining the team of Curt LeDuc and Anson Worley took over for "Doc Glass" and Davis.
"I had asked them to take it easy since we were headed to the Silver State 300 in four weeks," continued the K&N sponsored Glass. "They lost the front brakes, resulting from a broken front brake hose, but otherwise motored on trouble free, and to our class win. I paced the main pit like a worried parent, and boy was I relieved to see our big yellow Ford cross the finish line."
Glass says that the Mint was the roughest race he's experienced in a long while, and that in the end the toll on his truck reflected that.
"We were stoked though to get the class win for General Tire, and at their biggest event of the year. Thanks to the crew and to all my sponsors," added Glass."
The KC Hilites backed team did manage to get the truck back in racing shape in time for the Silver State 300, which was contested just north-east of Las Vegas. This was the second race in a five race Best in the Desert (BITD) Series (in 2009 Glass won the BITD Championship by winning all five races in the series). KC Hilites kingpin, Michael DeHaas rode shotgun with Glass.
"We were treated to windy, cold and dusty conditions, perfect for off-road desert racing. We started fifth in a class of seven trucks. There were several young drivers in the class and they all charged early. We worked our way through the field and were third on the road by mile 100. We stopped for fuel and Kevin Davis climbed in to navigate."
The Silver State course has lots of wicked high-speed runs, amongst trees and along snaking canyon cliffs. Glass and Davis continued to pick off other racers before noticing a growing problem with setting the truck to turn.
Said Glass, "Apparently a rear brake line had started leaking around mile 185, and the rear brakes became nearly useless. We stopped at mile 200 for new rear tires, and a look at the brake line, and the crew snugged the line and added fluid for the final run. At this point, we had three-and-half minutes on second place. We motored on toward the finish, and then 15 miles from the finish I nailed a rock with the front right tire - and bam - a blowout. I knew what this meant. As we worked to change the flat, second place cruised on by, and on to the win."
"I have won a handful of races by minutes, and it was a bitter pill to come up second this time around. This particular course is challenging, as most any truck can charge on the smaller bumps, and it's tough to gain much of a lead. We won here two years ago by three minutes. Anyhow, we'll gather it all back up and head to the "Vegas To Reno" race in August."
Ronnie Humphrey Claims First Career Pole at Royal Purple Raceway
A Look Back - Humphrey Claims First Career Pole at Royal Purple Raceway
Although racers were back in their conventional two-wide format at this past weekend's O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston, TX, the task of qualifying was far from easy. Over the course of two days, the "factory hot rods" had to deal with steadily rising temperatures and increasing humidity, conditions which robbed their naturally-aspirated engines of power, requiring teams to take advantage of Friday's cooler conditions to secure a top spot for Sunday's field.
Ronnie Humphrey and his Summit/Genuine Hotrod Hardware Pontiac
In a testament to the highly competitive nature of the Pro Stock category, for the second time this season, qualifying ended with multiple racers posting the low elapsed time, with Ronnie Humphrey and Rodger Brogdon each recording a 6.571-second clocking on their opening attempts. In accordance with NHRA regulations, Humphrey was awarded the No. 1 position as his Summit/Genuine Hotrod Hardware Pontiac's 211.16 top speed bested his opponent's 210.93 Mph mark. This was the first No. 1 qualifying position of Humphrey's career. Even so, with only four races left to qualify for the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge, the second-generation racer from Jacksonville, NC will need help from the fans in order to make the eight-car field.
"My Summit/Genuine Hotrod Hardware Pontiac was awesome all weekend, and I have a lot of people to thank for helping me achieve this dream, starting with K&N for sponsoring the No. 1 qualifiers," said Humphrey. "K&N's participation means so much to the racers and this Troy Humphrey Motorsports team is proud to represent them as the No. 1 qualifiers for the O'Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston. Although we'd be thrilled to be a part of this year's K&N Horsepower Challenge in Norwalk, and certainly have a car capable of winning, the limited schedule we ran in 2010 means we will have to rely on the fans to get into the field. Who knows, maybe this performance will gain us a few votes."
A Look Ahead - With the competition heating up, competitors look to lock in to the HPC in Atlanta
As the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series prepares to head to Atlanta for the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals, a look at the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge standings reveals close competition throughout the field, starting at the top where Jason Line and Allen Johnson are tied with 2380 points, with Mike Edwards trailing by a scant 80 markers. At the same time, defending HPC champion Greg Anderson is locked in a tight battle with Ron Krisher for the fourth spot, holding a slight 50-point edge over the veteran Ohio runner.
Naturally, the fight of greatest importance is the one for the seventh and final guaranteed position, with three racers separated by only 55 points. Veteran V. Gaines qualified on his fourth and final attempt in Houston to hold on to the seventh position, with sophomore racer Shane Gray gaining five points to trail Gaines by only 25. However, the biggest mover remains ninth-place Greg Stanfield, who has narrowed his deficit to the seventh spot by a whopping 115 points in the last two races, a trend he looks to continue at Atlanta Dragway.
With the number of races in which to score points towards this year's HPC dwindling, the field is starting to take shape, with three drivers potentially securing one of the seven guaranteed spots in Atlanta. While current co-points leaders Jason Line and Allen Johnson will simply need to maintain their current 550-point advantage over the eighth position to secure their spot, Mike Edwards will need to bolster his 470-point lead by 55 in order to lock in to his eighth HPC.
At the same time, numerous drivers are looking to the fans for their ticket into the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge, including Houston race winner Vincent Nobile, four-time HPC winner Kurt Johnson and his father, 2010 Fan Vote winner Warren Johnson, with several, including Erica Enders and rookie Buddy Perkinson, using social media outlets to stump for votes.
There's Still Time to Enter and Win!
The K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes returns with eight finalists winning a trip to this year's SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, where they will be randomly paired with one of the drivers in this year's contest. The lucky finalist whose driver wins the K&N Horsepower Challenge will be awarded the all new 2011 Explorer courtesy of Ford.
K&N Horsepower Challenge Standings
(After 16 of 20 races)
1. Allen Johnson - 2380
2. Jason Line - 2380
3. Mike Edwards - 2300
4. Greg Anderson - 2140
5. Ron Krisher - 2090
6. Rodger Brogdon - 1950
7. V. Gaines - 1855
8. Shane Gray - 1830
9. Greg Stanfield - 1800
10. Kurt Johnson - 1720
11. Warren Johnson - 1615
12. Larry Morgan - 1485
13. Jeg Coughlin - 1440
14. Ronnie Humphrey - 1365
15. Johnny Gray - 1275
Pitt's second priority for the year is to win the Missouri OXC Series for the first time.
Epic Racing's John Pitts and Bryan Hulsey have been bumping elbows since round one of the Missouri State OXC Series. Hulsey took first in that one and Pitts was right behind with second. The two act like a speed-muse for each other, constantly pushing and nudging to pick up the pace. One makes the other faster and it doesn't matter if it's the Missouri Off-Road Cross-country (OXC) Series, or the Off-Road Motorcycle and ATV (OMA) Nationals, the odds are when the dust settles, one or both will be in front.
John Pitts says his first goal this year is to win the OMA National Championship once again.
The third round of the Missouri OXC Series went pretty much according to the Washington, Missouri based Epic Racing script, with Pitts taking the win this time and Hulsey recovering from being pinned to a tree by another rider, and still taking third on the podium. It was an ideal day for racing, not too much mud, and not too much dust, with the temperature topping out at 65 degrees.
"The Missouri OXC races are very tough, rough, and rocky with lots of elevation changes, said the K&N backed racer. "OXC races also put lots of physical demand on your body and machine, it's tough to stay together for the entire two hour race. Also, you need to pay very close attention to your surroundings and be careful not to hit anything, or you'll risk tearing up your bike. But with the OXC Series, even if there is tons of rain before a race, the tracks hold up very well cause of all the rock."
This is the view most competitors have had of Epic Racing's Bryan Hulsey in 2011.
"Hulsey and I race each other hard," Pitts continues. "We are both there for one thing - to win. But we do realize if we take each other out neither of us can win. We always have good battles, from beating on each other in the first turn, to hitting each other going for every pass, or just a bump in a corner, as if to say hey pick it up I'm still right behind you."
"I have to say it is a blast to ride with Hulsey, he is very fast and a very good rider who has taught me a lot, and he has won many races and championships of his own. We are good friends on and off the track. And we both know we can race hard and not worry about being getting taken out by each other."
Pitts says he primarily races the Missouri OXC Series and the OMA Nationals, along with hitting some races close to home, such as the Illinois District 17 Series. So Sunday after getting the win in the OXC Series, Pitts drove to Taylorville, Illinois for the District 17 cross-country race, which he won by a ridiculous ten minute margin ahead of second place.
"The District 17 races are less demanding on body and machine," Pitts remarked. "With most the tracks being dirt, and very few rocks that cause flats. Also, without too many rocks, tracks tend to be either very dusty or really muddy. The OMA races are a wide range of all different types of terrain, from dense woods, to wide open field runs, to mud and creeks and sand tracks, and even some motocross mixed in with them. They are a lot of fun, but they require a little more traveling, with races being in ten different states throughout the season."
Pitts says his number one goal this year is to win the OMA National Championship again. His second goal is to win the OXC Series for the first time, something he's wanted to do "really bad."
Says Pitts, "But It takes good finishes every weekend, so I just race for a win every race and hope at the end of the year it puts me on top. I am currently leading the OXC Series, and I'm in close second behind Hulsey in the OMA Nationals. We would like to thank K&N and all our sponsors for stepping up to help us out this year. We hope to go one and two in both series this year."
Epic Racing's John Pitts and Bryan Hulsey next OMA race is May 7, and their next OXC race is the following weekend of May 14.
