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Jason Meyers in only 55 points behind Donny Schatz in the World of Outlaws Series, he is competing at Knoxville along with the best of the best sprint car drivers
Sprint car driver Randy Hannagan hopes to take home $150,000 purse and bragging rights at the Knoxville Nationals
Sprint car racer Brian Brown uses K&N products for extra power and filtration on the track. He is ready for the Knoxville Nationals, photo by John Lee High Fly'N Photos
Jonathan Allard will compete in the Knoxville Nationals in the K&NNo. 0
Terry McCarl of Big Game Motorsports is ready for Knoxville Nationals
Ricky Logan of Little Rock, Arkansas will also compete in the 40th Annual SuperClean Knoxville Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, photo by DaveHillsRacingImages.com
The 49th annual Knoxville Nationals presented by Lucas Oil are underway. The so-called Granddaddy of all races is taking place at Knoxville Raceway from August 12-15 and it will be filled with K&N
supported racers.
Sprint car racers from across the country will try to win Saturday night’s feature and a check for $150,000. That’s only part of the prize pool as the world’s best sprint car drivers battle it out for over $900,000 in prize money.
A large portion of the racing field uses K&N products. K&N supported racers at the event are Jonathan
Allard of Chico California, Randy Hannagan from Pittsboro, Indiana, Skip Jackson from Knoxville, Iowa, Johnny Harrera of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Danny
Lasoski of Dover, Maryland, Ricky
Logan of Little Rock, Arkansas, Jason
Meyers of Clovis, California, Bill
Balog of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Brian
Brown of Grain Valley, Missouri, Billy
Alley of Lincoln, Nebraska, Brian Ellenberger of Butler, Pennsylvania, Terry
McCarl of Altoona, Iowa, Jason
Johnson of Eunice, Louisiana, Joey Moughan, of Springfield, Illinois and Jordan Goldesberry also of Springfield, Illinois.
Drivers will battle it out lap after lap, for 40 laps to try and take the title away from Donny Schatz. Schatz won in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The four-day format showcases drivers who come from all over the United States, Australia and British Columbia. Those who are
included in the list of winners can say they have beaten the best of the best in the Sprint Car World.
Currently Jason Meyers is only 55 points behind Schatz in the World of Outlaws series. He’s had consistent top five and top ten finishes in the 2009 season leading up to the Knoxville Nationals. “K&N filters are absolutely the best and that is why you will find them in every application within our team,” said Meyers. “We work hard to make horsepower and K&N air filters give us excellent filtration and protect our motors from track debris under the worst conditions.”
The first hurdle drivers have to face at the Knoxville Nationals is the so called pill. It’s a ball stamped with digits that tells
racers where they will line up for qualifying time trials. Drivers pull a number that can be high or low. K&N sponsored racer Jonathan Allard drew the No. 1 pill once. “I really thought that would be our year,” said Allard. “But the scoring system messed up. We were left on the track and our tires were cooked. We’re just hoping some good luck comes our way this year.”
The top possible score in the Knoxville Nationals is 500, 200 for quick time, 100 for a heat win and 200 for a preliminary feature win. Points are compiled after the field competes two nights of qualifying on Wednesday and Thursday. The top 20 drivers get a spot in Saturday’s $150,000 to win championship feature.
NOS Energy Maxxis Tires Nissan 350Z driven by Formula Drift Professional Championship Points Leader Chris Forsberg
Vaughn Gittin in the Falken Tires 2010 Ford Racing Mustang GT in Monroe, Washington
The Seattle, Washington Drift event put Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Maxxis Tires Nissan 350 Z to the ultimate test, photo by John Choi
Chris Forsberg (center) took first place in Formula Drift round 5, Eric O'Sullivan and Tyler McQuarrie took second and third place at Evergreen Speedway, photo by John Choi
Chris Forsberg and Vaughn Gittin will next race at Infineon Raceway for Round 7, Locked and Loaded of the Formula Drift Series
Vaughn Gittin uses K&N products on his 2010 Ford Mustang to protect his engines and for additional power
Chris Forsberg took the victory and kept the Championship Points lead in the chase for the Formula Drift Pro Championship. It happened in Round 5, Breaking Point at Evergreen Speedway near Seattle, Washington. Forsberg also maintains the lead for the Tires.com Triple Crown bonus prize.
Eric O’Sullivan took second place in his Subaru WRX and Tyler McQuarrie rounded out third place at Evergreen Speedway in his Nissan 350Z. Vaughn Gittin in the Falken Tires 2010 Ford Racing Mustang GT with K&N is now in fifth place overall in the Formula Drift 2009 points standings. There are only three events left in the Formula Drift season and the pressure is on for the drivers.
The judges were tough and qualifying was challenging on Friday. Seven drivers made the field including all the Team Falken factory drivers, McQuarrie, Gittin, Darren McNamara, Daijiro Yoshihara and Calvin Wan. Privateers Ross Petty and Taka Aono also made the cut.
The event’s nickname, Breaking Point, lived up to its name as a number of drivers hit the track’s banking and tight transitions throughout the course. McQuarrie and Gittin fought hard for 3rd place, but after an intense battle between McQuarrie came out on top. McQuarrie uses K&N to protect the engine of his Nissan 350Z. Falken Tires uses K&N air filters in its Drift and ALMS cars.
Gittin has used K&N products long before starting his professional drifting career. “K&N is the best for me because of the abuse I put my cars through on the track,” said Gittin. “When I’m in a cloud of smoke on the track, it’s not just smoke. That cloud is filled with rubber parts. If I did not have K&N my motors would get damaged.”
Forsberg, as the points leader, was a marked man from the start. He battled through the tough competition and met McQuarrie in the semi-finals. It was one of the best match-ups of the event and both drivers put it all on the line. Forsberg got the best of McQuarrie overall for the ultimate win.
“My K&N filters took the beating from the track debris, rubber and smoke and continued to give me additional power,” said Forsberg. “K&N protected my Nissan 350Zs engine.”
Formula Drift returns to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California for Round 6, Locked and Loaded on August 21-22.
Ryan Gates won his 3rd consecutive Redline Time Attack race at Carolina Motorports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina.
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X driven by Ryan Gates at Carolina Motorsports park in Kershaw, South Carolina, photo by Kyle McManus
Gates also won the Modified AWD Class, the Overall Modified Class and set the track record in the Modified Class. This makes him 4 wins out of 4 races in the Modified Class for 2009.
Ryan Gates was victorious in the Modified AWD Class, the Overall Modified Class Championship and set a new lap record at Carolina Motorsports Park for Modified Class in 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, photo by Kyle McManus
Race weekend started out with a few test laps after the AMS performance Time Attack Race Team made a few adjustments to the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. The car was tuned on E85, and the car ran fast and smooth. “My K&N air filter and oil filter
also worked great,” said Gates. “We have a true cold air intake setup, and with the K&N filter in place it kept
the intake temperatures down nicely, even in 97 degree heat. The K&N oil filter worked just as well, the oil stayed fresh and clean all weekend.”
On Saturday, Gates focused on the chassis setup and the crew was confident it would lead to fast lap times. Gates ran a 1:36.5 lap using in-car timing and did not make any more adjustments because other Modified Class competitors were running in the low 1:40’s.
Gates recorded a lap time of 1:38.1 during Sunday’s second qualifying practice session. It was fast enough for first place on the grid by more than three seconds.
In the first Time Attack session, Gates planned to run a conservative time in hopes to secure the lead in the Modified Class. His goal was to prepare for a faster laptime in the second Time Attack session. Gates ran a 1:38.1 in the first timed session, 2.8 seconds ahead of the Forged Performance GT-R. The time remained untouched by the competition and it lead to Gates’ victories.
Round 6 of the Redline Time Attack series will resume at E-Town in Englishtown, New Jersey on August 29-30.
Big Block Dirt Modified driver Rob Curtis and the Curtis Race Team kicked off the month of August with another top three finish at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.
Big Block Dirt Modified driver Rob Curtis at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio
Curtis captured the second spot in his heat event. Before the feature, the crew made adjustments on the chassis of its new 2007 Troyer Chassis HRE powered car with K&N products.
Curtis drew seventh position in the 25-lap feature event. By lap eight, he moved up to sixth place and then to third position by lap 15. The remainder of the event was caution free and the Greenville, Pennsylvania racer finished in third place at his home track.
Curtis and his crew spent the past several weeks completing work on its second race vehicle with a 2007 Troyer Chassis that was purchased in the spring. “We call the new car Brutus,” said Curtis. “It's a Big Bore 565 cubic inch motor. I still can’t believe how fast it goes and how hard it pulls down the straightaway..”
Curtis said it was not the victory they hoped for but it was a very successful maiden voyage for the newest member of the race team’s stable. “We’re pleased with the results,” said Curtis. “Jeff and Carlon Hine built a terrific motor and I’m certain that with a few minor chassis adjustments this car will be in Victory Lane
again very soon.”
Curtis has raced late modified cars since 1996 and has used K&N products since 1986. “I’m the type of person that believes if something works, why change,” said Curtis. “K&N gives me performance gains, protects my engines and is always dependable on and off the track. I use K&N on every vehicle I own.”
The Curtis Race Team will continue its quest to regain the Modified Division points lead and return to Sharon Speedway this weekend. They are only seven points away from first place.
Sprint Car driver Jonathan Allard broke a Golden State Challenge Series track record at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, California in the K&N Filters No. 0. He also raced to a fifth place finish for the second weekend in a row.
K&N Filters No. 0 equipped with K&N products help racer Jonathan Allard at the track
The two-time King of California started the evening off strong by blistering the quarter-mile bullring in 11.496 seconds to set his series leading ninth fast time of the season. The lap broke Peter Murphy’s 1999 record.
Jonathan Allard will compete next at the 49th Annual Knoxville Nationals, also known as the Grand Daddy of Sprint Car Racing
“We’re having a good season,” said Allard. “We use K&N oil and air filters along with K&N’s carbon fiber air box. K&N gives us an edge with power and filtration in sprint car racing and is dependable every time.”
In the heat race, Allard took third and was in the fourth row for the 30 lap GSC main event. He ran seventh for the first couple of laps then passed Brad Furr and Andy Gregg to move into the top five.
The Chico, California driver then spent the majority of the feature locked into a battle with Tommy Tarlton and Jason Statler. He took fifth at the checkered flag. “We wanted to be higher up in the order,” said Allard. “But everyone did a great job driving through lapped traffic. Overall it was a good race.”
The Williams Motorsports Team is focusing next on the Grand Daddy of sprint car racing, the 49th
Annual Knoxville Nationals. “Our goal is to get into the A-Main,” said Allard. “The biggest part of the Nationals starts with the qualifying pill draw, because you never know what the track is going to do. We’re going with a good attitude and hope some luck will come our way.”
