The store will not work correctly when cookies are disabled.
We use cookies to make your experience better.To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent to set the cookies. Learn more.
NHRA Pro Stock racer Erica Enders blasted her way to the early number one spot by posting a 6.624.
As the chase to be one of the top seeds for the 2013 K&N Horsepower Challenge season rolls heats up, NHRA Pro Stock competitors are really mixing things up, as of late, compared to the first half of the season when there were just two or three drivers taking turns at the top of the qualifying field for each event. Erica Enders managed to carry her qualifying momentum from Brainerd to take the top spot in Pro Stock again during the most prestigious NHRA event of each season, the 58th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, just outside of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Preparing for and competing at the biggest race of the season can always add some additional pressure for any professional team, but for this year's running of the U.S. Nationals and the persistent rainy weather that pounded the event, it was even more daunting than usual. Qualifying for Pro Stock got underway as scheduled, with their first hit of five sessions taking place on Friday afternoon, but with the remnants of Hurricane Isaac drenching the area over the next few days to come, that was the only part of the schedule that went as planned.
Erica Enders NHRA Pro Stock GK Motorsports/KLR Group Chevy Cobalt
During the first session, Erica Enders blasted her way to the early number one spot by posting a 6.624, edging out 2012 K&N Horsepower Challenge champion, Vincent Nobile, who made a nice 6.631 pass and Allen Johnson's 6.634 that was good enough to start him out at number three. Teams were scheduled to have two more attempts on Saturday, and while they were nowhere near the original scheduled times thanks to the on and off rain that was quite heavy at times, they almost got them both in.
Session two was interrupted with a quick rain shower right after Dave Connolly made the first lap of the round, forcing the remainder of the contenders to wait it out in the staging lanes while officials dried and reprepped the racing surface and the always stubborn shutdown area. When action returned to the track, Enders once again made the quickest lap of the pack, just shy of her earlier number and held on to the number one spot.
Erica Enders grabs her first U.S. Nationals Pro Stock number one qualifier.
Pro Stock teams rolled to the staging lanes a few hours later to make one more attempt for the day, but after only a handful of cars went down the track, NHRA's Safety Safari shut them down. After a check of the track and a second look at the current weather conditions, the temperature and dew point were both in the low seventy's and conditions had become quite unfavorable to send anyone else down the quarter mile.
Although there were two more days of activities planned for the U.S. Nationals, Mother Nature and the remnants of Isaac had plans of their own that completely washed out the remainder of the event. Officials not only made the decision to bring back all the teams the following weekend, but allow qualifying to remain open for the professional teams. A decision that wasn't unprecedented in the history of the sport, but still one that stirred a vast mix of emotions with all involved.
After the week went by and team's made it back on the track, Enders made a nice run for session number four, but it was Greg Anderson who would bump her and several other down when he made a 6.556 pass, which was a whole tenth of a second quicker than just the week before. K&N's Mike Edwards also improved more than a tenth over his best time the prior week, 6.563 to place him at number two and a testament to the much better and dryer air conditions than the racers faced prior to the rain delay.
But Enders and her GK Motorsports/KLR Group Chevy Cobalt were not done yet and with one more session later that day, she jumped right back up on top with a clean 6.550 to grab her first U.S. Nationals Pro Stock number one qualifier and the $3,000 bonus check from K&N Engineering.
"We were able to hang on to the number spot, even through the second week and that was huge," Enders admitted. "The Summit guys stole it from us, but we were able to go right back up there and steal it back on the last session. Really pretty excited about that because it was Indy, because to be a number one qualifier there is something really good to add to your résumé."
"When you throw in rain delays and days when the track isn't prepped quite right, it just makes for an extremely long weekend," Enders added of the race. "Then since we had to come back the following weekend, well it was definitely long and drawn out."
By adding her accomplishment at Indy, Enders is slowly making her way to the top of the list in the 2013 K&N Horsepower Challenge standings. "I am just really excited to be a part of the K&N Challenge and all that it takes to make it in for the bonus race," she pointed out. "Everyone in Pro Stock is extremely grateful and we all can't thank K&N enough for putting this special program on for us and it certainly keeps exciting for us to have a shootout race to work hard for, like the fuel guys do."
"I'm really stoked about it and we are at a great point to continue to carry the momentum and to keep adding those K&N qualifying points to our total for the big $50,000 shootout in Vegas next spring," she added.
Derek Thorn won second NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at NAPA Speedway in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Derek Thorn won his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at NAPA Speedway in Albuquerque, N.M., on a night when rookie Dallas Montes made an impressive debut.
Thorn's win was overshadowed by a runner-up finish my Montes, who was making the first K&N Pro Series West start of his career.
Montes was one of three rookies to finish in the top five in the race. Taylor Cuzick was fourth and Austin Dyne was fifth.
Fifteen-year old Hannah Newhouse, who was also making her K&N Pro Series West debut, was sixth.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Racer Derek Thorn
Montes and Newhouse will participate in the 2013 NASCAR Drive for Diversity combine. Both drivers turned plenty of heads at the tiny track in New Mexico.
Montes, driving the No. 17 Chevrolet for MMI Services in place of K&N Pro Series West regular David Mayhew, started on the front row with pole winner Dylan Kwasniewski and ran with the leaders the entire race.
"I got a little bit teared up, I have to say," Montes said after the race. "I come from a family with not that much money. Just running good like this is huge for us."
Mayhew was entered in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in Las Vegas and missed the K&N Pro Series West race in New Mexico.
Thorn, meanwhile, worked his way through the field and overtook Kwasniewski for the lead on lap 87 of the NAPA Auto Parts 150. Thorn started seventh and won the race after a green-white-checkered flag finish.
"It was a weird night all in all," said Thorn, driver of the No. 6 Ford for the Sunrise Ford Racing team. "It was hard in practice never having raced here before. We knew it was going to hard on tires. When the car feels good you have to back it up."
Thorn won his first K&N Pro Series West race of the season at Havasu 95 Speedway in April. He has nine top-five finishes in 13 K&N Pro Series West races and is third in the series standings.
"All in all, it was a good night," Thorn said. "The guys worked their butts off on this car. They've been working on it nonstop in the shop and I'm really happy. I can't complain."
Eric Holmes, a three-time K&N Pro Series West champion, was third. It was his seventh top-five finish of the season.
"It was kind of boring for me the first half, just riding and riding and riding," Holmes said. "Just trying to be patient and nobody knew how long the tires would last, when they would really give up. I was just as patient as I could be. Things started coming my way. I really thought I had the thing going my way. Got the caution I wanted, got to third and something happened to our engine. The motor laid down. In some ways it helped me, but I wasn't fast enough after that, couldn't keep up with these two guys."
Greg Pursley, the leader in the K&N Pro Series West standings after 13 races, was eighth. He has a 13-point lead over Kwasniewski, his teammate at Gene Price Motorsports, with two races to go.
Kwasniewski, who won his fourth pole position of the season, finished a spot behind Pursley, the reigning K&N Pro Series West champion, in ninth.
The next K&N Pro Series West race is the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 at All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif., on Oct. 13.
The NAPA Auto Parts 150 from Albuquerque will be televised on Speed Channel on Oct. 11 at noon PDT.
NHRA Pro Stock racer Vincent Nobile adds another K&N Low Qualifier plaque to his collection.
The much sought after K&N Horsepower Challenge championship, and its $50,000 payday to the overall winner, all starts with drivers earning as many qualifying points as possible during each event on the NHRA schedule. 2012 K&N Horsepower Challenge champion, Vincent Nobile added his name to the history books earlier this year when he became one of the few to win the crown during his first shootout appearance, doing so by first making the top point earners without making a single career Pro Stock pole start. That all changed for the New York state native during the 5th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals held outside of Charlotte, North Carolina as he acquired the first ever NHRA Pro Stock number one qualifier.
When the Pro Stock teams first hit the track to begin qualifying, it was really no surprise for many to see Jason Line's name penciled in at the top. Coming into the most recent zMax race, Line had grabbed the number one spot at this facility for the last four events or dating back to the fall race in 2010. Even with Line's 6.570, Vincent Nobile was right on his tail with a great 6.573 for his qualifying opener and more left in the tank.
Vincent Nobile and the NHRA Pro Stock Mountain View Tire Dodge Avenger
Now that the teams had their first look at the track, they could do a little fine tuning to see if they could squeeze a little more out of both their chassis and their naturally aspirated power plants. For session two on Friday, weather conditions remained relatively the same as they were just a few hours prior during session one, but the track had cooled ever-so-slightly from 114 to 110. That seemed to help many Pro Stock teams kick it up a notch and get more of their power down the quarter-mile.
Again, it was a battle between Line and Nobile. Making their assigned lane swap from the previous session and saving the best lap for the final pair, Line stepped up his number a good distance to post a 6.554, but it was the number blazing on the board in the opposite lane that would be the mark to beat. Vincent Nobile powered his Mountain View Tire Dodge Avenger a full two and a half hundredths quicker to land the provisional number one for the meet and a nice 6.548.
"It felt good," said Nobile shortly following his second run. "I knew when I clutched it, it was a good run. Then my crew came over the radio and told me how fast I had run, and I was shocked. It was a great run. We went back and looked at the computer graph for the run and it looks flawless."
"Depending on the air we get tomorrow and the time we run, I believe it will hold," he continued. "We can even improve with the way the car is running now. It's responding to everything we are telling it to do. We made a few changes after Q-1, and it liked it. There's no reason why we can't do even better."
Nobile also mentioned that he and the team had been chasing an electrical problem for quite a few months and they were happy that they were able to finally pinpoint and correct it.
"We're always striving for number one but we are not like all of these other teams that go testing every week," said Nobile. "We are weekend warriors in the truest sense. We pack the car up after the race and roll it out for the next one. We rarely test, or try to improve ourselves, like that. When we test, it's usually at the event."
Come Saturday, the conditions were not quite as satisfactory as they had been the previous day for the first two sessions. Pro Stock numbers remained good, but could not mirror early event numbers from Friday.
With his 6.548 effort during session two, Vincent Nobile not only nailed his first NHRA Pro Stock number one but the 20 year-old also added his first K&N Low Qualifier plaque to his collection as well as snagging the $3,000 bonus check and the max Horsepower Challenge bonus points to his growing total.
"For my team it meant the world to them, just because they worked so hard on the car and it performed (the way they wanted)," Nobile said of his first Pro Stock pole. "I owe it all to the team. They made the car go fast. I just drove it. But coming into the weekend I did not expect to be number one qualifier."
Following the Concord, North Carolina event, just eight races remain to earn points during qualifying for the 2013 K&N Horsepower Challenge. Only the top seven point earners will get to play their hand for the $50,000 shootout and the eighth once again being selected by fan vote. The Pro Stock shootout venue and date have been changed for the upcoming season and will take place much earlier in the year as well as the opposite side of the country from years past. Las Vegas will play host to the K&N HPC during the 14th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at "The Strip" at LVMS, April 5-7, 2013.
Details are coming soon on how fans can not only vote to help make sure their favorite NHRA Pro Stock driver gets into the show, but also full information on the next edition of the K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes, where eight lucky fans will be selected at random from all who have entered for a chance of their own to win big.
Adam Bushman has already started pre-season training for the 2013 AMA Flat Track race season.
Listen up, here's a little inside info - Oak Creek, Wisconsin's Adam Bushman is perfectly aligned to carve out a benchmark 2013 season - so get your bids in early. Some outcomes are just crazy-simple to predict. Corner a wild cat and you become confetti. End a talented and determined racer's season prematurely, and sentence him to couch arrest with a kaput component, and you can bet the farm he'll come out firing on hyper-drive once he heals.
Adam Bushman was leading the 2012 AMA All Star National Championship when he was involved in a crash that put him on crutches for the remainder of the season.
"2012 was by far the best season I've had yet," Bushman declared. "I was leading the AMA All Star National Championship and was running 9th in the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship. I was fast qualifier at Hagerstown Speedway and came out with a 2nd place finish. Unfortunately, it all came to an abrupt stop in Peoria at the AMA Pro Flat Track National, after qualifying 2nd our team was confident we could come out of it with a win. However, I was involved in a crash over the jump and came out with a dislocated and broken hip, which put me on crutches for the remainder of the season."
AMA Pro Flat Track Racer Adam Bushman
Before Bushman's injury he sent a clear message of what he's capable of accomplishing with his focus honed to an even finer point. "These wins came right after I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, so that was a big burden lifted off my shoulders and I was able to focus on racing."
The wins Bushman refers to are back-to-back-to-back AMA All-Star Nationals, starting with Chilton Speedway in Wisconsin. Technically, because of its proximity to his Oak Creek home, Chilton is Bushman's home track, however - "It was actually the first time we had ever raced there," he adds. "The next race I won was Peoria Speedway, and then followed by Peoria TT. Also, our team was able to come together and figure out some of the problems with our setup that we were having earlier in the season."
As a result of the injury Bushman's post and pre-season training has already gotten underway. "I've been busy getting a new website up and running so fans can see all the news, photos, and videos of Bushman Racing, which should be up in a few weeks. Before my injury I had planned on moving to the Expert class in 2013, but I've decided to stay in the Pro Singles for one more year, so I can get experience on a twin. I can't thank K&N and all my 2012 sponsors enough for all the help in my success, and I look forward to building our relationship with them in 2013, and the new sponsors that come onboard."
As one of the most reoccurring vehicles on Car and Driver's annual "Ten Best" list, the BMW 3 series is a true ultimate driving machine balancing both performance and style. There is one 1996 BMW 328IS on the road today showing how this sweet combination dubbed "streetability," creates a perfectly harmonious blend capturing the complete identity of Team Hybrid founder James Lin. Hailing from Hsin-Chu City in Taiwan and based in Oxnard, California, James Lin is a major player in the automotive world. Lin's E36 has been spotted and honored at these recent events:
James Lin's Modified BMW E36 328IS Photo Shoot
-3rd Place BMW and StopTech car for 2012 Motion Auto Show
-3rd Place Euro/Other and NOS Energy Drink car at Import Showoff-Nisei
-K&N car at Formula D, Irwindale race event
Recently, K&N was able to catch up with Lin to talk about his E36 and how he was inspired to build such completely custom ride.
What inspired you to have a passion for modifying cars?
"Founding team Hybrid and Hybrid Hunnyz in January of 1995... dominating year after year... and reaching many of our team's milestones."
What drew you to this specific model?
"The DTM styling and the classic [look of the] BMW E36."
When asked further about the uniqueness of his E36, Lin shared how it served as the test vehicle for the Tokico Illumina 5-Way adjustable shocks as well as how the car sports a motorized audio setup allowing the 4 SONY amps in the trunk to be raised with all the other electronic features loaded into this BMW. James also installed a K&N high performance intake kit among the other performance upgrades in the E36's engine bay. A full catalog of all James' mods is been listed:
Completely Custom BMW 328IS E36
Exterior:
Rieger GTR-1 Body Kit in Artic Silver
Rieger GTR-1 Roof Spoiler in Artic Silver
M3 Sport Package in Artic Silver
M3 Side Moldings in Artic Silver
BBR Carbon Fiber Lip
European-Spec Headlight w/ Angel Eyes
European-Spec Taillight
European-Spec Side Markers in Artic Silver
European-Spec Eyebrows in Artic Silver
HID 5000K Head Lights
HID 5000K Fog Lights
B1 Hybrid Corner Bulbs
Dual Way M3 Heated Side Mirrors in Artic Silver
Wraptivo Carbon Fiber Decals
Glossy White Decals by Graphic Impact
BMW 328IS E36 Engine Upgrades
Engine:
Racing Dynamic Carbon Fiber Valve Cover
Racing Dynamic Polished Strut Bar
BMW Grade Wrapped Carbon Fiber Radiator Cover
BMW Grade Wrapped Carbon Fiber Fuse Box
K&N Intake System w/ Carbon Fiber Filter
European M3 Polished Oil Cap
Mishimoto Aluminum Radiator
Mishimoto Carbon Valve Cap
Mishimoto Radiator Hoses
HKS Klasse Exhaust System
AMSOIL 10W-40 Premium Protection Oil
AMSOIL Differential: Severe Gear 75W-90
AMSOIL Manual Transmission & Transaxle Gear Lube
Clutch Masters 03041-HD00 FX100 Stage 1 Clutch Kit
James Lin's BMW E36 328IS Sports Custom Wheels and Tires
Wheels & Tires & Suspension:
Dresmann 3 Piece Rim
Front: 19 X 8.5
Rear: 19 X 8.5
BF Goodrich G-Force T/A KDW
Front: 215/35/ZR19
Rear: 215/35/ZR19
Brakes & Suspension:
StopTech Trophy Street BBK: 4 Piston Front (One-off KIT and only set in the world)
StopTech Trophy Street BBK: 2 Piston Rear (One-off KIT and only set in the world)
StopTech Drilled 2-Piece AeroRotors (F & R)
StopTech Stainless Steel Brake Lines
StopTech High Performance Brake Pads (F & R)
AMSOIL Dot 4 Brake Fluid
Tokico Illumina 5-Way Adjustable Shocks/Springs Suspension Kit
Energy Suspension Bushings
BMW E36 328IS Custom Interior Design
Interior:
Sparco Piuma Steering Wheel
Sparco Piuma Shift Knob
Sparco Piuma Pedal Set for Manual Transmission
Sparco Torino 2 w/ 3PT Sparco Double System Harness
Sparco Track Set Sliders
Sparco Seat Brackets
NRG Short Hub
NRG 3.0 Quick Release
Torasport Brushed Aluminum Dash Kit
Carbon Fiber Shift Boot
Carbon Fiber E-Brake Boot
Carbon Fiber Arm Rest
Carbon Fiber E-Brake
Suede Front Door & Rear Panel Inserts by Art's Customs
BMW Grade Wrapped Carbon Fiber Handles
Embroidered "Team Hybrid" Floor Mats
Relocated Climate Control
Relocated 18-Botton On-Board Computer
LED Ultra White Interior Lights
Team Hybrid Custom Audio/Video for BMW 328IS E36
Audio & Visual:
Sony XNV-770BT Double Din 7" w/ Touch Screen, Navigation, DVD & Bluetooth w/ Remote
Sony XS-GTR1720S (2) Xplod GTR Series 2 - Way Speakers
Sony XS-GTX1641 (1) Xplod GTX Series 4-Way Speakers
Sony XS-GTR100L (2) Xplod™ 10" 4-ohm Component Subwoofer
Sony XM-4S (2) Slim Series 4/3 Channel Amplifier
Sony XM-15 (2) Slim Series Class D Mono Amplifier
Sony XVM-B62 (4) Flush Mount 6.25" LCD Monitor
Sony XA-R800C (1) Rear View Camera
Sony NSZ-GT1 (1) Internet/Powered by Google TV/Apps/Blu-ray Disc Player
Savv LBM - S5000 - Security Rear View Mirror Monitor w/ Remote
Custom 7" Double Din Dash
Custom Rear Interior Flush Mount 6.25" LCD Monitor into the Ash Tray Compartment
Custom Motorization for Sony AMPS (4pcs)
Custom Motorization for Sony Internet/Powered by Google TV/Apps/Blu-ray Disc Player
Stinger TRUE-SPEC Tinned Oxygen-Free Copper Line Wires and Cables
Stinger Power Supply
Stinger Power Converter
NRG Chrome/Silver Aluminum Washers and 10mm Bolts
Optima Deep Cycle Yellow Top Battery
LED Ultra White Lights
Clifford Keyless Remote Entry & Alarm System
E36 is also Wi-Fi Ready
Customized and Fabricated in Fiberglass Trunk & Trunk Lid Painted in Artic Silver/ Suede / Wraptivo Carbon Fiber Wrap Multimedia Audio and Video System by Al & Ed's Autosound
James founded Team Hybrid, a world leading automotive racing, street and show team in 1995. With his team, he has been dedicated to promoting and building a proud member base as well as founding the Hybrid Hunnyz models. K&N supports Team Hybrid and James's motto, "May our 17+ years of legendary tradition, philosophy, quality, innovation and management continue making import history..." K&N has been manufacturing aftermarket performance products for over 40 years and understands the importance of quality in performance. K&N high flow air filters and intake systems offer increased power as well as excellent engine protection, which for vehicles like Lin's E36 is crucial.
