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Michael Beard is preparing for the 2009 IHRA Racing season with his 1980 Plymouth Volare and his 1974 Duster.
Plymouth Volare is powered by a Mopar 350 Magnum Crate Motor
He wrapped the 2008 season with the $20,000 Footbrake Nationals at Piedmont Dragway near Greensboro, North Carolina. “I had not been in the Volare for over three weeks,” said Beard. “The whole first half of November was devoted to the celebration of my wedding.”
1980 Plymouth Volare at Piedmont Dragway near Greensboro, North Carolina
1974 Plymouth Duster piloted by bracket race winner Jacob Rutedge
At the track, Beard had problems in the third round with his tires. “I knew they were old, but thought they would get me through the weekend of racing,” he said. “I finished with my Volare recording an unreal 1.40 60’ time even with cords showing on the tires. They were really good to the bone."
Beard’s Plymouth is powered by a Mopar 360 Magnum crate motor and weighs about
3600 pounds. Beard uses K&N products on and off the track. “I use K&N’s air
intake system (57-1516) on my 2000 Dakota Quad Cab with a 4.7 liter engine,” he said. “We save gas and notice improved performance. We also use K&N air and oil filters on all our vehicles. You can’t beat K&N for reliability on and off the track.”
Beard’s friend and former $20,000 bracket race winner Jacob Rutedge piloted his
Plymouth Duster at Piedmont Dragway. “Jacob made it to the third round in one entry and the fourth round in another race,” said Beard. “He did well even though it was his first time driving the Duster.”
Beard’s 1974 Duster was on loan throughout the 2008 season and in competitions at Jefferson Pageland Dragstrip in Jefferson, South Carolina, Farmington Dragway in Mocksville, North Carolina and Mooresville Dragway near Mooresville, North Carolina.
“We had a good season and had a winning quality combination with K&N,” he said. “Our K&N products are well made and easy to install. We gain a lot of power with K&N.”
A 2009 Chevrolet Colorado with a V8 engine rolled off the production line and made its way to one of K&N’s dynamometer rooms in Riverside, California. GM has a small fleet of test vehicles in the Los Angeles area. Vehicles are available to journalists who write for various publications.
2009 Chevrolet Colorado with a V8 engine on the dyno at K&N
John Stewart is writing an article for pickuptrucks.com and wanted a road test, fast. He drove from Pasadena, California about sixty miles east to K&N’s facility in Riverside, California. “K&N has a long standing policy that if you have something new and want to get it tested, just bring it in,” said Stewart. “It’s a win-win situation because I get absolute horsepower and torque numbers and K&N gets a look under the hood.”
2009 is the first year GM has produced a Chevrolet Colorado with a V8 engine
2009 Chevrolet Colorado with a V8 engine was tested for absolute horsepower and torque numbers at K&N in Riverside, California
Chevy’s new Colorado has a 5.3 liter V8 engine which is available on extended and crew cab models. “This truck is different, it’s also the first year GM has offered a V8 in this model,” said Stewart. “It appeals to the family who wants a truck with comfort.” The Colorado can seat up to six, is quiet and has a lot of interior space.
“K&N is the premier testing facility in the Los Angeles area,” said Stewart. “The crew at K&N is knowledgeable and we can learn a lot about a vehicle in a short time. Also, the data we received on the Colorado is reliable.” K&N did a dyno run on the 2WD with the OE filter and then put on a washable, reusable lifetime K&N air filter.
“It’s interesting how much power you can gain with small changes on a stock intake system,” said Stewart. “In this case, simply by replacing the stock Chevrolet filter with a K&N air filter we noticed an 8 horsepower increase and a 9 ft. lbs increase. That’s a big deal.”
Other features new on the midsize pickup for 2009 include:
Improved brake system which features four channel ABS with yaw control for flatter, more controlled stopping during panic stops and improved control on slippery surfaces
StabiliTrak electronic stability control system, standard on all models
Fuel system control module for improved fuel economy
New ZQ8 sport suspension
Z71: higher stance, larger wheel/tire combination for improved appearance and off-road maneuverability
16-inch steel wheels replace 15-inch steel wheels on Work Truck models
New family of 16-inch, 17-inch and 18-inch wheels for LT models
Standard bedliner with Fleet Delete package
Exterior trim revisions
Two new exterior colors: Deep Navy and Aqua Blue Metallic
XM Satellite Radio standard on LT
Carpet and cloth seats now standard on Work Truck
1VL Value Package on extended and crew cabs
There are also a lot of revisions to the exterior including a ride height that is “slammed.”
That means the pickups can ride on unique 18 X 8 inch aluminum wheels and low-profile sport tires. As a result the handling and maneuverability are crisper.
Mike Lavallee is an airbrush artist who started custom painting vehicles after someone asked him if he could paint fire on a car. He said yes, and the rest is history. Now, he has a studio named Killer Paint in Snohomish, Washington.
2002 Ford F-150 Lightning shows of flames, skulls and skeleton designs of Killer Paint Airbrush Artist Mike Lavallee
K&N air filter is on supercharged 5.4 liter Ford F-150 engine
“I don’t have a job,” said Lavalle. “But I do go to work every day wanting to go, not having to go. There is a big difference.”
Mike Lavallee demonstrates air brush art in the House of Kolor Booth at the 2008 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada
Hemi-powered 357 Dodge Magnum painted by Mike Lavallee for SEMA Show is equipped with K&N air filter
Lavallee was demonstrating how to airbrush designs for vehicles at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) in Las Vegas, Nevada. He worked in the House of Kolor booth right next to its tattoo artists. People came to watch his demonstrations and to get tattoos in the House of Kolor
booth. The lines were so long for a free tattoo at the Las Vegas Convention Center the artists were booked for the entire show.
Some of Lavallee’s favorite works of art were on a 2002 Ford F-150 Lightning and a Dodge 357 Magnum. “I put K&N products on these cars,” said Lavallee. “I also use K&N every day on my personal vehicles. I like the guaranteed power and filtration from K&N.”
The Ford was a showcase vehicle for his custom paint shop. They mixed House of Kolor Orange with Euro Red to get the right
base color. Once that was applied, Lavallee took out his airbrush gun. He filled
it with Tangelo Pearl, Sunset Pearl and Sunrise Pearl to make his air
brush designs pop off the base colors. “I put flames, skulls and a skeleton,” said Lavallee. “There is also a mural of my girlfriend Nicole.” Killer Paint provided the looks
and Exile Audio provided the sound. The F-150 sits low over the Foose Nitrous 20-inch wheels. The
Ford F-150 also has Baer rotors and of course a K&N air filter.
Lavallee pays close attention to details. “My father was a taxidermist and I learned to paint by watching him,” he said. “I love taking something from its base and turning it into a piece of art.”
For more watch K&N's
video on
Mike Lavallee and Killer Paint.
The Monster Jam Circuit witnessed some of its wildest action in Hampton, Virginia in front of a sold-out crowd.
Black Stallion piloted by Michael Vaters on the Monster Jam Circuit
Michael Vaters piloted the Black Stallion to wins in both Friday night’s Racing contest and Saturday nights Wheelie Contest. Vaters teammate Trey Myers won in Friday night’s Wheelie Contest.
Iron Warrior driven by Trey Myers is also equipped with K&N products on the Monster Jam Circuit
Grave Digger, El Toro Loco, Backdraft and Stone Crusher were also in the middle of the track action. It started right away with Trey Myers in the Iron Warrior rolling over on the way to taking the Wheelie Contest win. Vaters then went through the field of competition to finally pair up against Stone Crusher.
Both trucks went flying across the line but Vaters hole-shot gave an advantage to the Black Stallion for the win. In addition, Vaters jumped the large ramp on the floor in reverse and landed out in the middle of the floor. It was one of the highest and longest reverse jumps in a long time at the Hampton Coliseum.
Vaters is preparing for the 2009 Monster Jam season. He uses K&N air and oil filters on his Monster Trucks. “Over my many years in this business I’ve used a lot of products, but K&N is the one that can handle the dirty and dusty environment during Monster Jam competitions,” said Vaters. “We are known nationwide for our wild and crazy driving and the ability to push our engines to the limit. We’re hard on our motors and K&N gives us the protection we need for competition.”
Kathy and Kevin Fisher Enjoy Reaching the Final Round at the IHRA President's Cup Nationals in Budds Creek, Maryland
Kathy Fisher's First Time in a Top Alcohol Dragster ad First Warm Up at Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School in Gainesville, Florida
Kevin Fisher as Crew Chief as he waits for his New 2009 Dragster
2009 Cannister Top Dragster to be Finished and Equipped with an Ohio Crankshaft 615 BBC Plus Fully Loaded with K&N Products
Kathy Fisher Successfully Completed Her First Pass in a Top Alcohol Dragster at Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School
Racers Kathy and Kevin Fisher Attended the NHRA SportsNationals in Columbus, Ohio
Kathy and Kevin Fisher got to know each other because of drag racing. They married and had their wedding reception at a race track in Ohio. “We were supposed to get married on the starting line, but it rained so hard they called
off the races that day,” said Kathy Fisher. “We went ahead and married in the picnic area.”
That was eight years ago. “We’d have a lot more money if only one of us wanted to race,” she said. “But the plus side to both of us racing is we help each other at the track. We each have our own jobs to do when it comes to everything involved with competition.”
2009 will be a good year for the couple. Kathy recently earned her Top Alcohol Dragster License at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School in Florida. Kevin has a new 2009 Dale Canister built dragster
with an Ohio Crankshaft 615BBC. “It’s almost finished and we plan to fully load
it with K&N products including a K&N dragster scoop and air filter assembly,” said Kathy Fisher. “K&N makes great products. We’ve used them for years.”
It was however, a huge jump for Kathy to get that TAD license, because she’s been in the same dragster running mainly 8.90 classes for about five years. Fisher got her license on the first try. “I surprised myself,” she said. “Not everyone gets it the first time.” Fisher posted the fastest and quickest runs of her career the day she successfully completed the requirements for the licensing program.
“It’s different with Top Alcohol,” she said. “It’s all about getting there first. But in Sportsman Class Racing it’s about having that perfect dial-in and the right call at the stripe. In a perfect world I’d run both an 8.90 class and Top Alcohol.”
Frank Hawley signed her first Super Comp license and now his name is on her Top Alcohol license. “Frank is a fantastic teacher and has helped me in more ways than I ever expected,” said Kathy. “I wish all of my teachers in school had been like Frank.”
The couple hopes to race as many NHRA/IHRA Division 3 events as they can for the 2009 season. They also want to run local events in Ohio at National Trail Raceway and Norwalk.
