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Wes Miller of the K&N-Sponsored Bomb Squad Seeks Support for RZR Salute to Heroes

The Polaris RZR Salute to Heroes program logo

The Polaris RZR Salute to Heroes program supports the Warfighter Made organization

Team RZR racer Wes Miller is supporting and promoting a cause that directly benefits combat wounded veterans. The Polars RZR Salute to Heroes campaign is an exciting and important fund-raiser for the Warfighter Made (WFM) organization.

The WFM leads several powerful programs for wounded veterans. One mission is the customization of combat wounded veteran’s vehicles, so they can continue doing the things they enjoy in a vehicle that reflects their individual personality and needs.

“Anything that you can think of or imagine that we can adapt, we try,” says WFM Vice President, Juan Dominguez. “Just to give back the freedom to that individual that gave up his freedoms for us.”

The WFM also invites ill, injured, and combat wounded veterans to participate in their recreational therapy trips. The adventures include shooting at ranges, participating in Lucas Oil Off Road events, and experiencing outdoor adventures on Polaris RZRs.

Juan Dominguez of WFM with the grand prize Diesel Brother's Polaris RZR

Juan Dominguez talks about the WFM mission next to the Diesel Brother's Polaris RZR

“So the greatest thing about Warfighter Made is going to (help) a guy who is very closed off to the world,” says Dominguez. “To see a guy go out on a recreational therapy trip and basically come back with a smile - that’s everything to us. Our campaign is to stop all the (veteran) suicides.”

Miller is using his platform as a high-profile racer and powersports video personality to make a push for donations to the WFM. The K&N-sponsored racer makes it clear how vital the mission is.

“It’s important to remember that we are the land of the free because of the brave, and Warfighter Made does a tremendous job of giving back to these courageous men and women," Miller says. "The DWT Bomb Squad RZR Team has joined Polaris RZR in their effort to raise funds for the veteran's support group.”

Miller is asking the powersports community to “step up like our veterans did and put your money where it counts.”

Wes Miller and his Bomb Squad race UTV

Wes Miller is encouraging the power sports community to support the Salute to Heroes

While the satisfaction of supporting the recovery of our valiant veterans is the primary reward, Polaris is making the effort even more exciting. Polaris and its partners are offering up the chance to win a variety of prizes, including a Diesel Brother's Polaris RZR Turbo.

For the grand prize project, the Diesel Brother’s are taking their inspiration from Polaris defense military vehicles. The build team is promising a UTV that “is going to be one of the coolest machines in the industry.”

To find out more about the vital mission of Warfighter Made, visit the organization’s website. You will certainly be inspired to donate to the cause through the RZR Salute to Heroes program. You will be helping those who sacrificed so very much for our freedom.

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Chad Wienen Goes 1-2 in AMA Pro ATV MX at Ironman Raceway in Indiana

Chad Wienen racing in the AMA Pro ATV MX at Ironman Raceway

Chad Wienen made a mid-race pass to secure the Moto 1 win at Ironman

The fourth round of the AMA ATV MX Pro National Championship proved to be a very positive weekend for K&N-sponsored Pro ATV racer Chad Wienen. Wienen started off the race day by grabbing the fastest qualifier in morning practice at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Wienen carried the momentum of that strong qualifier into the first race. Wienen came out of the first turn in Moto 1 in second place right behind the frontrunner. Wienen continued to pressure the lead rider, and just past the halfway point in the moto, Wienen was able to make a pass for the lead. He maintained that position to take the first moto win.

"We had some good battles in Moto 1 and I was pumped to be able to come out with the first win of the day,” said Wienen. “I can't thank my team enough for all of their hard work and support."

Chad Wienen on the podium at the AMA Pro ATV MX at Ironman Raceway

Wienen (left) kept the Pro ATV MX series lead by going 1 - 2

Moto 2 started as a carbon copy of the first race as Wienen came out of the first turn in second. However, after the first few corners, he was passed and sat in the third place position.

It took Wienen until just after the moto’s halfway point to make a pass to secure the second position. However, by that time, he was over 5 seconds behind the rider up front. Wienen went on to take second in Moto 2.

"It took me a while to get going in Moto 2 and once I was able to make the pass back into second place the rider out in first already had a sizeable lead,” said Wienen. “I'm still happy with the results of the weekend going 1-2 but am looking forward to the next race in Tennessee in hopes to get back to the top of the podium.".

Chad Wienen headshot

Wienen has reason to smile with a 15 point series lead

With the strong showing at Ironman, Wienen maintained his lead in the championship standings. He remains 15 points ahead of the rest of the field going into Round 5 at Muddy Creek in Blountville, Tennessee.

AMA Pro ATV MX Standings

1st - CHAD WIENEN 166

2nd - JOEL HETRICK 151 (-15)

3rd - THOMAS BROWN 131 (-35)

4th - NICHOLAS GENNUSA 122 (-44)

5th - JEFFREY RASTRELLI 122 (-44)

6th - RONNIE HIGGERSON 106 (-60)

7th - JOSH UPPERMAN 100 (-66)

8th - PARKER WEWERKA 94 (-72)

9th - WESTLEY WOLFE 68 (-98)

10th - BRETT MUSICK 65 (-101)

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Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden Wins at VIR and Toni Elias Retains Series Lead

Roger Hayden on the podium at Virginia International Raceway

Roger Hayden notched his 5th career MotoAmerica Superbike victory at VIR

Roger Hayden racked up his fifth career MotoAmerica Superbike win at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. The third-round victory is the first win of the season for the K&N-sponsored Yoshimura Suzuki Superbike rider.

The weekend started with rainy conditions on Friday but dried out progressively throughout the rest of the weekend. Hayden’s win came on mixed track conditions in the first Superbike race of the weekend at VIR on Saturday.

“I wanted to be more aggressive at the beginning, I felt like I had the pace to get away,” Hayden said after his win. “The team was giving me the board and I could see my lead kept growing, but I decided to back it down the last three laps since water was running onto the track in a few spots. I’m happy to finally get this win after coming up short several times earlier in the season.”

Elias and Hayden racing at Virginia International Raceway

Elias (#24) and Hayden (#95) are consistently running at the front of the pack in MotoAmerica SB

The Saturday race was not as positive for Hayden’s teammate Toni Elias. As Hayden was pulling away with the lead, Elias was in a battle for second with Josh Herrin. Herrin made an error entering a fast right-hand turn and crashed, taking Elias with him in the process.

“It was a mistake and Josh ran over to apologize,” Elias said. “This is racing and these things happen over the course of a long season and fortunately we have another race Sunday.”

The veteran Elias rebounded well from the first-race mayhem with a hard-fought second place in Sunday’s Superbike race. Late in the race, Hayden and Elias were once again running in the top three.

The K&N-sponsored Suzuki teammates were battling for second on the final lap when Hayden ran wide and off the track going into the first turn. He was able to get back on the track and finish sixth, earning valuable series points. Elias held off rival Cameron Beaubier for second place. Elias’ finish allowed him to retain his series lead after his bad luck on Saturday.

Roger Hayden and Team Yoshimura at Virginia International Raceway

K&N-sponsored Yoshimura Suzuki is emerging as the powerhouse team to beat in 2017

“It was good to get back on the podium today,” Elias said. “This was important for the championship and now I will start again and try to rebuild our lead. Our team worked very hard this weekend after I suffered some crashes and it paid off for us.”

If you are interested in increasing the performance of your Suzuki, K&N makes the SU-1009 for the 2009-2016 Suzuki GSX-R.

MotoAmerica Superbike Points Standings

1. Toni Elias, Barcelona, Spain, Suzuki – 115

2. Cameron Beaubier, Roseville, California, Yamaha – 105

3. Roger Hayden, Owensboro, Kentucky, Suzuki – 104

4. Josh Hayes, Gulfport, Mississippi, Yamaha – 69

5. Bobby Fong, Stockton, California, Kawasaki – 65

6. Mathew Scholtz, Durban, South Africa, Yamaha – 51

7. Jake Lewis, Owensboro, Kentucky, Suzuki – 51

8. Josh Herrin, Dublin, Georgia, Yamaha – 49

9. Kyle Wyman, Macedon, New York, Yamaha 45

10. Danny Eslick, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Yamaha – 40

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Martin Truex Jr Wins the Go Bowling 400 for First Time at Kansas Speedway

Martin Truex Jr, NASCAR, K&N, Go Bowling 400

Martin Truex Jr celebrates his win at the Go Bowling 400

Martin Truex Jr. won his first ever race at Kansas Speedway in the Go Bowling 400 race. This win was the second of the season and the ninth win of his career. He led for a race high 104 laps to take home his first checkered flag at the track.

“I can't even tell you,” Truex said. “It feels amazing to be here. It's been a long time coming to this racetrack for sure. We talked, I guess, on Friday about it. The close calls, the laps led, the heartbreaks that we've been through here. Definitely proud tonight to finally cross that checkered flag first and bring it home for the guys.”

Truex, who has a history at Kansas Speedway for not pushing through, showed great poise through the restarts, and eventually passed Ryan Blaney after the final restart and did not look back. Truex led 6 times for 104 laps and gained 5 more playoff points and 57 points in the win.

“You know, as a racer, you don't forget” Truex said. “You don't forget those days that ones got away or you screwed up and gave one away or anything like that. You never forget those things. They always stick with you.”

Brad Keselowski came in second place, after he rallied from two laps down. Keselowski currently sits in third place in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings. Keselowski did not lead during the race, and gained 41 points.

“Well, so much happened, I'm not sure I even know,” Keselowski said. “But we were really good all day and just never had a chance to show it. Every time we started to pass cars and cycle up to the front, we had some kind of issue, which was a real bummer to not be able to showcase the strength that we had.” Kevin Harvick finished in third place, and led once for 10 laps.

Aric Almirola, NASCAR, K&N

Aric Almirola crashes into the wreck between Danica Patrick and Joey Logano

The big story of the race was the red flag caution occurring at the end of the 200th lap. Joey Logano and Danica Patrick raced for 12th place, as Logano’s car jerked to the left causing Patrick's to crash into the boards. As Patrick's car caught in flames, Aric Almirola's car crashed into the wreck and caused NASCAR to stop the race. Almirola was forced to be extricated out of his car.

"Yeah, I'm OK," Logano said. "Just saying a lot of prayers for Aric right now. A lot of us took a hard hit. Something broke on my car. I don't know what it was. I noticed it as I was trying to go in (to Turn 1). I tried to back it off but you're going 215 (mph) and it's hard to check up. The car just took a big step sideways into the corner and I hooked Danica.

Kyle Larson, who finished in sixth place, continues to lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Standings with 475 points and 7 playoff points. Martin Truex Jr. is in second place with 431 points and 15 playoff points. Brad Keselowski is in third place with 408 points and 12 playoff points.

The next race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be the Monster Energy All Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

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Todd Gilliland Wins in Spokane for Fourth K&N Pro Series West Race in a Row

NASCAR, K&N Pro Series West, Todd Gilliland, Spokane County Raceway

Todd Gilliland wins the K&N Pro Series West race at Spokane County Raceway

Todd Gilliland won his fourth NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race in a row and his Bill McAnally Racing teammates swept the podium at Spokane County Raceway in Washington. Gilliland won the pole and led every lap in the Toyota NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by DAA Auto Body Center.

“When we unloaded, we were not very good to start,” Gilliland said. “Everyone really put their heads down and kept digging and didn’t worry about speed or whatever anyone else was doing. We really just focused on our NAPA Toyota and the feel of it. We got it driving quite a bit better.”

The start of the race was delayed nearly two hours because of rain. The cars turned 102 laps on the track to try to dry it before the race started. Gilliland won his fifth pole in a row and it was the second race in a row he led from green to checkered flag. He won the K&N Pro Series West race at Irwindale Speedway from pole to finish.

NASCAR, K&N Pro Series West, Todd Gilliland, Spokane County Raceway

Todd Gilliland (16) won the pole and led every lap in the K&N Pro Series West race at Spokane

“We were fastest in qualifying and that set us up great for the race,” Gilliland said after the race in Spokane. “We were able to get out to the lead and manage it from there.”

Derek Kruas, Gilliland’s 15-year-old teammate at Bill McAnally Racing, was second. Kraus started on the front row with Gilliland and kept pace through three caution periods and restarts.

“They were telling me about him on the radio,” Gilliland said. “Derek did an amazing job today. I’m sure he’ll get a win before the season is over. I’m just happy we could hold him off this time.”

NASCAR, K&N Pro Series West, Todd Gilliland, Spokane County Raceway

Todd Gilliland (16) won his fourth K&N Pro Series West race in a row at Spokane County Raceway

Kraus, who is third in the K&N Pro Series West rookie of the year standings, posted his third top-five finish in five races. “We got to second and rode a little bit until the break,” Kraus said. “After the break we got going, but caught lapped traffic.”

Chris Eggleston, the 2015 K&N Pro Series West champion, was third in the race at Spokane. Gilliland, the reigning K&N Pro Series West champion, extended his lead in the K&N Pro Series West standings. He has a 20-point lead over Eggleston after five races. Gilliland has 11 wins in 20 career K&N Pro Series West starts.

The next K&N Pro Series West race is at The Orange Show in California.

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