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Ron Capps Wins Fourth NHRA Funny Car Event in a Row at the Heartland Nationals

Antron Brown (left), Ron Capps (center), and Tanner Gray celebrate their victories in Topeka

Antron Brown (left), Ron Capps (center), and Tanner Gray celebrate their victories in Topeka

Funny Car driver Ron Capps won the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Series 29th annual Heartland Nationals presented by Minties at Heartland Park Topeka in Kansas. It was his fourth event win in a row.

Capps defeated his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan in the final round with a 3.924-second pass at 321.42 mph. Hagan was the No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car at Topeka. Capps is the first driver since Robert Hight in 2012 to win four NHRA Funny Car events in a row.

“I’m just the luckiest dude in the world,” Capps said after the races on Sunday. “I had nothing to do with it I just stepped on the gas at the right time and held the car together in the right lane. We’ve won a championship for a reason and we’ve won four in a row together for a reason. Everyone just gels together.”

Capps won events at Royal Purple Raceway in Texas, Max Dragway in North Carolina, and Atlanta Dragway in Georgia before winning at Topeka. Capps, the reigning NHRA Funny Car champion, knocked out Cruz Pedregon, Courtney Force, and Hight before facing Hagan in the final. Hagan set a national record with a 3.802-second pass at 338.85 mph in qualifying on Saturday. He eliminated Jack Wyatt, J.R. Todd, and Jack Beckman before losing to Capps in the final.

Capps increased his lead in the NHRA Funny Car standings over Hagan to 119 points after eight events.

Tanner Gray getting his tires hot and sticky on his way to the W at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas

Tanner Gray getting his tires hot and sticky on his way to the W at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas

Top Fuel driver Antron Brown won his second event of the season at Topeka. He beat Steve Torrence in the final round with a pass of 3.709 seconds at 332.75 mph. It was the first-time Brown won an NHRA Top Fuel event at Topeka.

“The competition has been so tight that you have to run these cars on edge every lap,” said Brown, who won the 63rd event of his NHRA career. “We kept our head down and stayed poised. We went out there and raced our hearts out. It feels really good to win here at Topeka. I’ve been wanting to win here for so long.”

Brown knocked out Kebin Kinsley, Shawn Langdon, and Leah Pritchett in the elimination rounds before facing Torrence in the final. Torrence beat Mike Salinas, Brittany Force, and Clay Millican in the elimination rounds. Brittany Force set the national speed record at 333.96 mph in eliminations. Torrence went to the final round for the fourth time this season.

Pritchett leads the NHRA Top Fuel standings after eight events. She has a 30-point lead over Torrence. Brown is third in the NHRA Top Fuel standings, 41 points behind Pritchett.

Rookie Tanner Gray won the NHRA Pro Stock title at Topeka. He beat Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the final round. Gray won his second event of the season. Coughlin lost when he red lit on the start in the final race.

Leah Pritchett (far lane) battles Tony Schumacher at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas

Leah Pritchett (far lane) battles Tony Schumacher at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas

“I felt like I was pretty consistent all day,” Gray said after the races. “My guys gave me a great racecar. I definitely wouldn’t be sitting here if it wasn’t for them. They put a lot of hard work into this new car. There’s no doubt we have a championship caliber team.”

Bo Butner, who was the top qualifier and lost to Gray in the semifinals, leads the NHRA Pro Stock standings by 24 point over Greg Anderson. Gray is third, 60 points behind Butner.

The next race in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season is the fifth annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.

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Chris Eggleston Snaps Todd Gilliland’s Winning Streak at Orange Show Speedway

NASCAR, K&N Pro Series West, Chris Eggleston, Orange Show Speedway

Chris Eggleston celebrates after winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Orange Show Speedway

Chris Eggleston won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at The Orange Show Speedway in California, snapping teammate Todd Gilliland’s four-race winning streak.

Eggleston won the pole and his second K&N Pro Series West race of the season in the Sunrise Ford 150 presented by Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse. He won the K&N Pro Series West season opener in Tucson. He also won the K&N Pro Series West race at The Orange Show Speedway in 2016.

“I felt like tires played more of a factor than last year,” Eggleston said. “Todd was really good on the short runs. Our car was really good on the long runs.”

Eggleston led the first seven laps of the race. Michael Self passed Eggleston for the lead to two laps before rookie Derek Kraus, Eggleston’s teammate at Bill McAnally Racing, moved out front for 11 laps. Gilliland moved out front on lap 21 and held the lead for 41 laps before Eggleston finally regained the lead.

NASCAR, K&N Pro Series West, Chris Eggleston, Orange Show Speedway

Chris Eggleston led the final 22 laps of the K&N Pro Series West race at Orange Show Speedway

“I didn’t know if we were going to catch him there for a minute,” Eggleston said. “I caught him, rolled up to him, and got by him in lapped traffic.”

Eggleston, Gilliland and Self battled for the lead on the quarter-mile track until lap 128. Eggleston took the lead from rookie Sheldon Creed and held it for the last 22 laps.

“We were able to battle back really hard,” Eggleston said. “We got the lead back and were able to fight and hold onto the position after that.”

Creed held on for second place in his first K&N Pro Series West start. Todd Souza was third. Gilliland, the leader in the K&N Pro Series West standings and the reigning K&N Pro Series West champion, was sixth, the last driver on the lead lap. He was collected in a crash on lap 121 and recovered to finish in the top 10.

NASCAR, K&N Pro Series West, Chris Eggleston, Orange Show Speedway

Chris Eggleston won the pole and the K&N Pro Series West race at Orange Show Speedway

“I felt like we were pretty good and patient through lapped traffic,” Eggleston said. “Staying patient and keeping a good head on our shoulders was the key. There was a lot of beating and banging halfway through and toward the end of the race.”

Eggleston, the 2015 K&N Pro Series West champion, cut Gilliland's lead in the standings to 11 points after six races. Kraus is third in the standings with 56 points behind Gilliland.

The next K&N Pro Series West race is at Colorado National Speedway.

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Matt Coffman Earns Top 16 finish at Formula Drift Atlanta, Sits 14th overall

Matt Coffman qualified 16th at Road Atlanta with a score of 80 points

Matt Coffman qualified 16th at Road Atlanta with a score of 80 points

After a disappointing early exit at Formula Drift Orlando due to irreparable damage in practice, Matt Coffman piloted his Coffman Racing Nissan S13 to a Top 16 finish at Formula Drift Atlanta, losing to top qualifier Vaughn Gittin Jr. in a tough battle that left the team happy with the results. Coffman currently sits in 14th place overall after three events and is on pace for his best career Formula Drift championship finish.

Coming off of a disappointing Orlando round where the team was unable to run their Top 32 battle due to damage from practice, several repairs were made between rounds to ensure the car was 100% for the weekend. After a shakedown run in practice, the new power steering rack was showing signs of weakness under the strain of competition driving and was replaced. The rest of the weekend resulted in no other mechanical issues, a testament to the preparation and hard work of the entire Coffman Racing team.

Matt Coffman currently sits 14th in the Formula Drift Championship standings, a career best standing

Matt Coffman currently sits 14th in the Formula Drift Championship standings, a career best standing

Friday’s qualifying session was moved up several hours to avoid a pending thunderstorm, which cut down practice time substantially. A pair of consistent qualifying runs by Coffman were scored within three points of each other, resulting in a 16th place qualifying effort that paired him up in tandem with Pat Goodin. Coffman and Goodin were the first tandem battle of Top 32 due to the bye run granted to top qualifier Vaughn Gittin Jr., and a rain shower just moments before Top 32 started led to inconsistent traction levels across the entire track. Thankfully, the drivers were given a recon lap to test out the situation prior to the run. Unfazed by the moisture due to living in the Pacific Northwest, Coffman put down a pair of consistent runs while Goodin had several steering correction on both runs. All three judges voted for Coffman to move into the Top 16.

Matt Coffman was introduced in front of the packed Road Atlanta crowd

Matt Coffman was introduced in front of the packed Road Atlanta crowd

After Top 16 opening ceremonies, Coffman was paired up against top qualifier and fellow K&N-sponsored driver Vaughn Gittin Jr. in the first tandem battle on the competition schedule. Coffman has a stylish chase run with good proximity through the keyhole, but lost proximity across the early and late portions of the run which likely put him at a disadvantage. Coffman’s lead run was equally as stylish as his chase, but Gittin Jr. maintained consistently better proximity in his chase run and was handed the unanimous win from the judges.

Matt Coffman was eliminated by top qualifier Vaughn Gittin Jr. in the Top 16

Matt Coffman was eliminated by top qualifier Vaughn Gittin Jr. in the Top 16

Overall, Coffman finished the event in 13th place, and currently sits in 14th place overall in the championship standings. After his Top 8 finish in Long Beach, Coffman is motivated to repeat the finish and continue to improve his championship standings. The series rolls into Wall, New Jersey at an event dubbed “The Gauntlet”.

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WALSH Race Craft's Parker Wewerka the #1 Rookie in AMA ATV MX National Championship

Parker Wewerka racing in the AMA ATV MX National Championship

Parker Wewerka is the fastest rookie in the AMA ATV MX National Championship

Parker Wewerka of WALSH Race Craft is making waves in his rookie season as a professional rider in the AMA ATV MX National Championship series. The K&N-sponsored rider is proving to be the cream of the rookie crop in the highly competitive field.

Round 1 - Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Forida

Daytona would mark Wewerka’s first race as a Pro ATV racer. The Wewerka team decided not to race in the Pro-Am because points did not matter for any of the classes outside of Pro.

Wewerka qualified with a 5th place finish in his first heat race. In the main event, Wewerka came out strong, rounding the first corner in seventh position. Wewerka maintained good speed and consistency through the entire race, finishing sixth overall for round 1.

Parker Wewerka racing in the AMA ATV MX National Championship

Smart and consistent racing has payed off for Wewerka in the first two rounds

Wewerka finished the 2017 Daytona ATV Supercross in the highest position of competing rookie Pro racers.

Round 2 - Underground MX Park, Kemp, Texas

Round 2 in Texas was slated to reflect to the normal racing schedule, running Pro on Saturday and Pro-Am on Sunday. However, the threat of bad weather in the forecast for Sunday moved the Pro-Am to the last moto on Saturday.

Showing consistency uncharacteristic of a rookie, Wewerka finished both Pro class motos in eighth place. The matched pair of showings gave him eighth place overall. Again, Wewerka finished in the highest position of competing rookie Pro racers.

Parker Wewerka racing in the AMA ATV MX National Championship

Wewerka leads the Pro-Am class of the AMA ATV MX National Championship

The Pro-Am race was limited to one moto at the end of Saturday. Wewerka came off the line with a strong start. He made it around the first corner in second place and quickly moved into the lead before the end of the first lap.

Wewerka made the rest of the moto look easy as he rode a near perfect race. He extended his race margin to a 12.9 second lead by the end of the moto and set the fastest lap time.

After the first two rounds of the AMA ATV MX National Championship series, Wewerka sits in 8th place in the Pro class. He is 2 points behind 7th and 6 points ahead of 9th. He leads the Pro-Am class with a 5 point margin over the rider in 2nd. Nice start rookie!

Parker Wewerka runs the K&N RU-4260 universal clamp-on air filter and the K&N KN-116 oil filter. For your ATV filtration needs check K&N’s online application tool.

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Ford Mustang RTR Driver Chelsea Denofa Finishes Top 16 at Formula Drift Atlanta

Ford Mustang RTR driver Chelsea Denofa finishes Top 16 at Formula Drift Atlanta

Ford Mustang RTR driver Chelsea Denofa finishes Top 16 at Formula Drift Atlanta

Chelsea Denofa, driver of the K&N/BC Racing Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR finished the Formula Drift Atlanta event in the Top 16, winning his first tandem elimination battle before losing in a “one more time” battle with Formula Drift veteran Ryan Tuerck in the top 16. The finish marks the first Top 16 appearance of the season for Denofa as he continues to get used to the power and grip levels of the Ford Mustang, and the team feels optimistic that results will continue to improve through the weekend.

Denofa joined the Ford Mustang RTR team in the off-season, and the increased amount of grip and horsepower have required Denofa to learn the new setup over the past few events. On Friday, Denofa qualified 7th on the grid with a score of 88 points, just 6 positions behind his K&N/Mustang RTR teammate Gittin Jr. who sat on the pole position. Denofa and the team were excited and confident entering the tandem eliminations. In his first battle, Denofa faced local rookie Taylor Hull in the Top 32 round and would earn the win with two consistent runs and a lead run that left Hull many car lengths behind in proximity. Hull would have mechanical issues on his second run and would be unable to finish his lead run, but Denofa had a clear advantage even before the mechanical DNF for Hull.

As Denofa heard his name being announced in front of the packed crowd at Road Atlanta, he mentally began planning ahead for his Top 16 battle with Formula Drift journeyman Ryan Tuerck. Although the two have never done battle previously in Formula Drift competition, both drivers were pumped to compete against each other as they both are perceived to be championship contenders. The battle between the two was fierce, with nearly identical runs in the lead and chase position. Denofa’s aggressive chase run was enough to earn the vote from one of the three Formula Drift judges, but the other two judges voted for the drivers to battle in a “one more time” sudden death round.

K&N-sponsored Chelsea Denofa drifting in front of a packed house at Road Atlanta

K&N-sponsored Chelsea Denofa drifting in front of a packed house at Road Atlanta

The second pair of battles was just as tough, with both drivers laying down a pair of nearly identical runs which thrilled the crowd. While one judge decided that the battle was worthy of yet another “one more time” round, the other two judges sided with Tuerck. Denofa accepted the defeat with grace, knowing that the finish was his best of the season, and is already looking ahead to the next round of competition.

“I feel like I’m finally one with the car,” said Denofa after the event. “I’m stoked, I had the best run I’ve had all year with this car, it feels like an extension of me.” Denofa continued. Denofa and Gittin Jr. swung by the Roush Yates Engine factory earlier in the week, who’s the engine provider for both cars, providing some demos and ride-alongs for employees of the company. Both drivers will be running demonstrations at the Street Driven Tour event at Virginia International Raceway this weekend as well before heading to Wall, New Jersey for Round 4 of the Formula Drift championship on June 2nd and 3rd.

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