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Tommy Phillips Wins NHRA Super Gas Final at Motorplex Silver Anniversary Event

8 Nov 2010

Earlier this season Phillips won the Super Gas Wally in front of his hometown crowd at the NHRA National in Dallas.

Although it helps, you don't need to have the fastest car in order to win a drag race - but you absolutely do need skill. Forney, Texas, driver Tommy Phillips, of TNT Super Cars fame proved that to be a fact. Phillips engaged his superior starting-line talent to cut a quick .005 light in his 1958 Corvette Roadster, racing to a 9.909 on the 9.90 Super Gas index. This was third national event trophy at the Ennis, Texas Motorplex for the K&N sponsored racer. The other two victories at his home track were in Super Comp, and came decade apart, in 1995 and again 2005.

Phillips said this 1958 Corvette Roadster did exactly what it was supposed to do in every run at the Motorplex.

By all gauges used to measure NHRA events the final rounds of the Lucas Oil Series contested at the now 25-year-old facility was an utterly enthralling success. The event always attracts the-best-of-the-best, and the silver anniversary celebration bumped it up even a few more notches.

"I had several close races throughout the event, and the final was definitely one of them," stated Phillips. After this win Phillips now sits in second place in the Super Gas national standings.

Phillips says there's nothing like winning in front of his biggest fans, his family and team.

"I had a bit of an advantage when we left the starting line and was out in front the whole way, so I slowly started letting out of the throttle, and touching the brake to keep from breaking out," explained Phillips.

The K&N sponsored driver used his superior starting-line skill to bring it home at the Texas Motorplex.

"His car (Charlie Stewart) was a tick faster than mine, so he was gaining pretty quickly, and right at the end, he hit the brakes too. To use a baseball term, it was a 'bang-bang' finish, and I got there first while running right on the index. The track was great, and even with the crazy wind and drastic weather conditions, my Corvette did exactly what it was supposed to every run."

Phillips has been around long enough to understand that you have diversify your portfolio, so like many other successful sportsman racers, Phillips competes in several classes during the year.

"My season has been uncharacteristically inconsistent to tell you the truth," said Phillips. "I have had great race cars, and driven flawlessly at times, while at other times I've looked as though I just learned how to race the day before."

"I have two NHRA national event wins, a national runner-up, one NHRA LODRS race win, a NHRA LODRS runner-up, an IHRA Summit Pro-Am win, and an IHRA Summit Pro-Am runner- up, so it's been a productive year."

"That was my 10th national event win in Super Gas, but my 21st overall," said Phillips. When asked if one win sticks out from all the other he says, "I'd have to say the first one was the most memorable simply because it was a milestone in my racing career."

"This one in 2010 was the most satisfying though, because my entire family was able to be there to see it. My wife, daughter, mom, dad, step mom, sisters, grandfather, niece, nephew and very best friends, they were all there to celebrate with me, and that made it maybe the best ever!"

The way things are stacking up for Phillips he will once again finish the season in the top-five in the Super Gas national standings for the third year in a row. In addition, he is in a very realistic position to win his sixth division championship as well.

"All-in-all, it has been a decent year, and I cannot complain, but I set extremely high goals for myself, so it will fall short in my eyes."

Phillips adds that he's very appreciative of K&N, and all his sponsors, for their continuing support and encouragement.

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 Sponsors Swedish Team - Bryntesson MotorSport in Camaro Cup 2010 Effort

8 Nov 2010

Tony Bryntesson says his team uses K&N filters on everything requiring a filter for one simple reason, they are the best.

Tony Bryntesson is the CEO and team owner of the Swedish company Bryntesson MotorSport Engineering AB; we recently spoke with him regarding their new Camaro Gen. 5 2010 and the Camaro Cup series that they compete in. This is a series that has been running in Sweden for 22 years, with rules implemented to strictly control costs, and as the namesake implies, it is a series in which only one type of car is welcome - the Camaro.

The Camaro Cup Series has been in existence in Sweden for 22 years, and it growing each year.

"We started with a Camaro Gen.1 and then Gen.2, and so on, until this year when we implemented the new Camaro Gen.5 2010. The biggest difference in the car through the years is that before this car, we always took street cars and stripped them down and made race cars of them. The Gen. 5 car however is a complete racecar with a steel-tube chassis and fiberglass body. The only thing stock is the outside mirrors," explains Bryntesson.

This year kicking off the Camaro Cup 2010, 35 cars stood on the starting grid, with a fairly even mix of Gen.4 and 5 cars. Next year it's expected that there will be at least 40 cars in the running, and most of them will be Gen. 5 cars.

Bryntesson MotorSport Engineering AB is currently building a new bigger shop so that the growing business can house everything in one location.

"We are running together with Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC) and currently we are running six race weekends, with two races each weekend," says Bryntesson.

first started using K&N filters back in 1981 when he was still a drag racer.

"For 2011 the schedule is not yet ready. But I think it will be at the following race tracks: Mantorp Park (two races), Karlskoga (one race), Knutstorp (one race), Falkenberg (one race) and Jyllandsringen in Denmark (one race)."

During the 2010 season the Camaro Cup saw over 75,500 spectators at those six races. There was also an unprecedented amount of exclusive TV programming devoted to the series.

"We've been racing our Gen.4 cars for almost nine years and our series needed a change. When GM started producing the Gen.5 Camaro back in 2007, the members in our drivers association decided that we should try to get this car," says Bryntesson.

"I and a friend, Hans Emerén, earned our associations trust, and we were given the responsibility to run this project. First we looked at possibilities to produce this car in Sweden, but we soon found out that the cost would be too dramatically high. So we decided to use our experience from our old backgrounds. Emerén was classic car restorer, and I was a European Top Fuel driver. Between us we had several old contacts in the U.S. that we used, and in short time we were pointed towards a racecar producer up in Michigan called Howe Racing Enterprises. We contacted Howe and he was interested to produce those cars for us. We made up our guidelines together, and then we contacted GM Performance parts division and asked them about a body in white to make moulds from."

"This was early in 2007, but GM believed in us and offered to help us produce the racing chassis. Then around September of 2008 the car was ready to run, but we still did not have a body. Our friends at GM were contacted again, and in the beginning of 2009, we were the first one to get our body in white - wow what happiness that was."

"Moulds were made and body panels were put in place by Howe racing enterprises. But as always in big projects like this, time was flying by, and our presentation at one of the biggest car shows in Sweden in April 2009 was running out of time. We decided then that we needed to get the cars tested at race tracks in the U.S."

"We did some testing outside Chicago with driver Nic Jonsson (races ALMS prototype cars for Khron racing). Then, when testing and developing was finished, we put our car on a Cargo flight to Sweden, and made the first presentation ever at Grande Finale at Mantorp Park, at end of September 2009."

Bryntesson says his team has been involved with the Camaro Cup since 2003. As an old Top Fuel driver he says he just loves V8 engines, even the smaller ones. His racing career started in 1981, first racing Super Stock, then stepping up to Top Methanol dragsters in 1988.

"We set a few top speed records in Europe and finished second two times in the European Championship. In 1995 we won Swedish Championship, and after that we canceled our successful drag racing career."

"After that I moved over to touring cars and was driving a couple of Mercedes DTM cars in a Swedish series. But then I wanted to get back to V8 cars, and that was how I got involved in Camaro Cup," outlines Bryntesson.

"I continued as a driver in the Camaro for four years, but after things started growing, I decided to put all my efforts towards improving my racing business, and the racing team, so I stepped down from driving and bought more cars."

This year Bryntesson employed four drivers on his team. Bryntesson uses the information he gathers on the track to build racing engines, rear-ends, transmissions, and other racing related products for others through his company. "We are a total of five people, and we are starting to build a bigger shop so we can have everything in one place," he adds.

Bryntesson first got involved with K&N when he was still a drag racer, he used K&N oil filters because he wanted the best he says.

"Now I have a business relationship with G Partners (Kjell-Åke Gunarsson) that is my contact to K&N. We use K&N filters for oil, air, water ventilation, and also for our crank case ventilation. We see when we dyno test our engines that the horsepower and torque increase when we use air filters from K&N - there is no doubt about that. K&N oil filters we also love, because they flow really well, and they take care of all the small parts that other oil filters don't do. We also get really good support from K&N - we just think that their stuff is the best out there - period."

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.

Huntley Nash Honors Mom and Rocks Barber Motorsports Park With Another Win

29 Oct 2010

LTD Racing's Nash rode a pink bike in order to raise awareness for breast cancer research.

"I wanted to win this race for mom," remarked LTD Racing's Huntley Nash after winning his third AMA Pro SuperSport race of the year. With his bike painted pink, Nash passed Joey Pascarella on the final lap of the scenic 2.38-mile track just outside of Birmingham, and held on for the win in the AMA Young Gun division for younger riders ages 16-21.

K&N's Huntley Nash won his third AMA Pro SuperSport race of the year at Barber Motorsports Park and dedicated the victory to his mom.

The Young Gun class of 2010 in AMA Pro SuperSport produced some incredibly exciting, memorable, and historic results in only its second year. With six different riders posting wins during the season, the class was exceptionally competitive, from the drop of the first green flag back in March at Daytona, to its finish on an even higher note at what Road and Track referred to as one of the most beautiful race tracks in all of North America.

Nash and Pascarella put on a thrilling show for the fans, dicing back-and-forth for most of the race.

Nash raced a pink bike to raise awareness for breast cancer, which has been a season long campaign for the Marietta, Georgia native. Nash donated a portion of his purse to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, and he encourages race fans to research the prevention of breast cancer. Huntley's mother passed away in 2006 when he was 14-years-old.

Spectators at Barber Motorsports Park got every pennies worth of their entertainment dollar as Nash and Pascarella waged a brilliantly engaging battle. The K&N sponsored rider emerged triumphant in the first of the two races that will determine this year's National Champion in the class for up-and-coming young talent.

LTD Racing held two podium spots, with Tomas Puerta, Huntley Nash, and ex-LTD racer, Joey Pascarella (left to right).

Nash grabbed the holeshot but relinquished the lead momentarily until another rider crashed in the opening laps. Nash showed his aggressiveness and drive, holding onto the lead through the middle portions of the race.

Former LTD Racing rider Joey Pascarella made it a fight as he and Nash traded the lead at the end. Pascarella maneuvered around Nash on the 15th of 17 laps, but couldn't hold the lead. On the final lap, Nash was able to re-pass Pascarella in turn five going hard on the brakes, then managed to hold the west's points champ off, to win and earn LTD Racing's sixth SuperSport victory this season.

"That was a good race for me. I'm really happy. It was an awesome race between Joey and me and it means a lot because it's the last round of the year and it's battling for the National Championship," said the three-time 2010 race winner.

"The boys did a great job as we show up to win and get on the podium," said LTD Racing's Gary Medley. "Huntley rode exactly how he's supposed to ride and he was super out there."

"We just went in to moto one and won it to put ourselves in a good position for tomorrow, added Nash. "I'm hoping that I'll be able to put it up here again tomorrow and take home a Number One plate. We had a good battle out there and it was a lot of fun racing Joey, a good friend. I think this is the best of my three wins this year and it meant a lot for me to do it on the special pink bike. I dedicate this win to my mother."

Note: Sunday's race saw both early challengers for the title, Nash and Pascarella, along with many others, crash out as a result of the extremely wet conditions. A very disappointed LTD Racing's Tomas Puerta finished third on Saturday and Sunday.

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.

Michael Jordan Motorsports Finishes 2010 in AMA Superbike Championship in Third

28 Oct 2010

2008 AMA Formula Xtreme Champion Jake Zemke.

It makes no difference whether you're in an ice hotel in the Antarctic, or on a peak in Patagonia, say the name Michael Jordan and smiles appear. The basketball star has been among the most recognizable figures in our universe for a long time. But, until recently, few people knew anything about his passion for motorcycle racing.

Four-time AMA National Champion Aaron Yates.

In 2004 the sports legend turned his attention to motorcycle racing in the United States, and his infatuation manifested into Michael Jordan Motorsports. Jordan insists his mission continues to be focused on bringing a new level of distinction and manner to the motorcycle racing industry. And who in their right mind would bet against him, after all that is precisely what he did with basketball, raising the bar to a level yet to be wholly matched.

If a lifetime of round ball taught Jordan anything it's that to win championships you need the right team, which is exactly what he's done, from his choice of riders to his

2009 Canadian Superbike and 600 Sport Bike class second place finisher Brett McCormick.

Technical Manager for Michael Jordan Motorsports/National Guard Jordan Suzuki Hudson Valley Motorcycles, Inc., Richie Alexander.

"2010 was Michael Jordan Motorsports seventh season," commented Alexander. "In 2008 we won the AMA Superstock Championship with Aaron Yates, and this year we finished third in the AMA Superbike championship, with Jake Zemke kicking off the season properly by winning the opening two rounds in Daytona."

For the MJM team, 2008 was indeed their ground-breaking season. The team won its first AMA Championship with Aaron Yates taking the AMA Superstock title after a mere five years in existence. What's more, the fledgling team achieved this feat by defeating manufacturer-based teams with unlimited budgets.

For 2010, four-time AMA National Champion Yates returned to race in the AMA Superbike class for the team. He was joined once again by new teammate Jake Zemke riding the National Guard Jordan Suzuki. Like Yates, Zemke boasts a title from the 2008 season - the AMA Formula Xtreme Championship. And as mentioned, Zemke is also a winner of the prestigious Daytona 200 race.

Also joining the team this year was Brett McCormick. McCormick is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, he finished a very strong second place in the 2009 Canadian Superbike and 600 Sport Bike classes. By measure of his good results in the first two rounds of the championship, plus his experience racing for Suzuki Canada, McCormick became the logical choice to substitute for the injured Aaron Yates early in the season.

"Aaron is healing at his home in Georgia, he had a little set-back and needed another surgery. Everything went well and he should be able to ride mid-winter," explained Alexander.

In regards to McCormick's contribution to the team this year Alexander added "He has made forward progress in each event, finishing in the top-five a few times at the end of the season, not to bad for an 18-year-old newbie."

Regarding the team's clever and very popular choice of number plates for their bikes Alexander says, "In the AMA series the team owns the number that the rider uses, we thought it would be fitting to have Yates ride with the number 23 to represent Michael Jordan Motorsports, and the number 54 for Zemke representing the Guard."

For years the MJM team has continually confirmed their commitment to K&N, saying that K&N Filters are a part of their performance program, which helps them reach the podium with such consistency.

"Our K&N products are all great, we found good power on the dyno and track with the K&N race air filter. And easy bolt on power, you can't top that," remarked Alexander. "The K&N oil filter worked out really well too, the engine guys were real happy after engine tear downs."

In the final round of the 2010 AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike Championship held at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, National Guard Jordan Suzuki's Zemke rallied to a fifth place finish on Sunday, after a mechanical issue resulted in a DNF on Saturday. McCormick raced to a tenth place finish on Saturday and crashed out on lap eleven of Sunday's race.

The MJM team says they look forward to the first event of the 2011 series at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on March 10-12.

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 Luke Bogacki Seals Up 2010 NHRA Div 2 Super Comp Championship With Latest Victory

28 Oct 2010

Luke Bogacki Super Comp Dragster

Known well in the big money bracket event circuit, Carterville, Illinois resident Luke Bogacki hasn't seemed to have found a car or a series that he hasn't been able to conquer.

Luke Bogacki Stock Class 1969 Nova

For 2010, Bogacki made the commitment to diligently concentrate his efforts on chasing NHRA championships in both Stock and Super Comp for the first time in addition to numerous high dollar bracket races.

"The Super Comp car that I have was purposely built to run just Super Comp," explained Bogacki of his decision. "And with the Stock car, it was just a natural thing to wonder how well I would do racing against those guys. Not that they are necessarily any better or any worse than the bracket crowd I run with, it's just different."

NHRA Super Comp and Stock Class Racer Luke Bogacki

"And when you run over there [NHRA], it's just on a bigger stage," he added.

While Bogacki had a very successful season in his AA/SA 1969 Chevy Nova, finishing at least number two in Div 2 and a potentially strong top 10 finish nationally, it was his Super Comp Dragster where he continuously shined throughout the 2010 season.

"The division score ended up just being phenomenal," he said of his season in NHRA Super Comp. "My five claims ended up being three wins, a runner-up and a semi finish."

"We started off the very first of the year with a win at Bradenton with the division race there back in February," he reflected. "That just kind of started things going and the car has been awesome all year. From there, we went to the Gainesville divisional the very next weekend, where I ended up going out in the final in a very close race with Troy Williams, Jr. But that one race, was probably the best job I did all year, as I think I was double-oh every round but one, on the tree."

Bogacki would go on to a semi-final finish at his next NHRA division claim in Commerce before taking a small break to pursue some other series prior to his return to the division points battle.

"I had all those bad nationals over the summer, so I didn't really have much confidence going into Bowling Green for my next divisional in August," he said. "That's just one of those facilities, for whatever reason, I have done really well there, bracket racing. If there's one place I could have a little confidence, that would be it. And that win at Bowling Green was definitely my turning point in Super Comp."

Bogacki would head into his final two division claims of the season as a national championship contender in both Super Comp and Stock Eliminator all while holding on to lead in the Division 2 standings in both categories.

"Knowing coming in to Reynolds [Georgia Division Event] and Noble [Oklahoma Division Event] that it was kind of a long shot for the [National] championship, but knowing that if Ray [Miller III] could get beat first or second round and I could win one of the races, that we would be tied. I had already researched it and I would win the tiebreaker."

"So I went into the Reynolds race thinking, 'cool, I've got a shot', and then he goes out and with every round [win], that dream is becoming more and more realistic. Then you start thinking about it and there's a lot of pressure." Bogacki would go on to be the Super Comp event champion at the Reynolds, Georgia race.

"I don't remember ever having been that nervous, for say the last two or three rounds of that race," he said of his Super Comp win. "But I've never been so excited to see a win light come on as I was in that final, knowing the implications."

"Now, if it [points] holds up or not, and I end up as the [national] champion or not, they won't take that day away from me," he continued. "That was big deal and something I will always remember. As many races as I have won and as much success as I have had bracket racing, I would have never thought winning a thirty-five hundred dollar, or whatever it is, division race would rank up there. With all that was at stake, it was awesome."

In contrast, Bogacki's luck didn't follow him to the National event scene where he was unable to make it past third round.

"My National events were horrid," confessed Bogacki. "Had I been able to do better, the national championship not so close, but as it is, we are going to come down to the wire."

For 2011, Bogacki plans to take his stable of K&N equipped cars and once again concentrate more on the high dollar bracket race circuit.

"There's more of a profit margin for me in bracket racing," he confided. "Part of the reason for chasing NHRA this year was that I kinda just wanted to put all of my eggs in one basket and go do it once, just to see where I stack up and to say that I've done it. If I hadn't had the success, there might have been the urge to go try it again. But win or lose [National Championship], I feel like have a good year and done what I set out to do."

The newly crowned 2010 NHRA Div. 2 Super Comp Champion has always, very carefully, aligned himself with nothing but the top manufacturers in each of the product lines he uses on all of the cars he competes in and one of those being K&N Engineering.

"I am just tickled to death with all of K&N's products," said Bogacki. "Of course on the dragster we have one of their carbon fiber scoops, air filter and oil filter and just a few weeks ago I changed out the air filter on my truck to K&N. One has to know, that if K&N's products will stand up to all the abuse we put them through on the race track, then obviously they are more than good enough to use on our everyday vehicles and get me to and from the tracks."

Racing for 2010 is far from over for Bogacki as he has plans to compete in several winter bracket series in Florida, all while keeping a very close eye on how the final two events in NHRA Super Comp unfold and his chances at his very first NHRA National Super Comp Championship.

To learn more about Luke Bogacki, his Super Comp Dragster, Stock Class 1969 Nova and the K&N products he proudly uses on each, visit the K&N Video Page or watch K&N's NHRA Sportsman Divers David Rampy, Kathy Fisher, Shawn Langdon and Luke Bogacki Video.

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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