Latest News

A K&N representative poses with the NAPA Auto Parts/Toyota 150 race winner Chris Eggleston and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West first place trophy

Chris Eggleston doesn’t have much experience in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. But he has plenty of laps at Colorado National Speedway, site of the NAPA Auto Parts/Toyota 150.

Eggleston led a race-high 107 laps and won the race at Colorado National Speedway in only his second K&N Pro Series West career.

But he has won 12 NASCAR Late Model races at Colorado National Speedway and was the champion in the Legends division at the track last year.

Pole winner David Mayhew led the first twenty laps before being overtaken by competitors like the eventual NAPA Auto Parts/Toyota 150 race winner Chris Eggleston

“It’s awesome,” Eggleston said. “What better way to go off with a bang -- with a win here at Colorado National Speedway.”

Eggleston’s car won its second K&N Pro Series West race. Patrick Strapoli drove the same Bill McAnally Racing car to victory at Irwindale Speedway.

“The whole Bill McAnally Racing team gave me a great car for tonight’s 150,” Eggleston said. “It was just stellar. We struggled a little bit in practice on the short runs, but I tell you what, this car was just phenomenal on the long runs.”

Eggleston became the third driver to win his first K&N Pro Series West race this year. Strapoli was a first-time winner at Irwindale. James Bickford won his first K&N Pro Series West race at State Line Speedway in Idaho earlier in July.

Eggleston won the race by .434 seconds over Dylan Lupton.

Dylan Lupton drove his Sunrise Ford to a second place finish just .434 seconds behind the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race winner at Colorado National Speedway

“I got a little nervous there at the end,” Eggleston said. “We started using that right rear pretty bad. But we had just enough to beat the Sunrise Ford teams.”

Lupton, driving one of the Sunrise Ford cars, posted his fifth top-five finish and second runner-up finish of the season.

David Mayhew had the fastest qualifying time in the NAPA Auto Parts/Toyota 150 race and earned the 21 Means 21 presented by Coors Brewing Company Pole Award

“It was a great race,” Lupton said. “On restarts, we passed cars one by one and ended up getting into second place on that last restart. We just didn't have enough to get first. ... I’m getting kind of frustrated with these second places, which sounds ridiculous. But these Sunrise Ford guys are giving me great race cars every week. So the win will come."

Bickford crossed the finish line in third place. The rookie driver has three top-five finishes in eight K&N Pro Series West races.

“I was just trying to bounce back from a sixth-place qualifying,” Bickford said. “As the race went on and people wore out their cars, we moved up.”

David Mayhew won the pole and was the early leader in the race. He wrecked on lap 81 and ended up in 14th place.

Eggleston took the lead from Greg Pursley on lap 41 and swapped the top spot with Pursley and Lupton until lap 141. Eggleston led the last nine laps of the race for the win.

“No other win came close to that championship as this win tonight,” Eggleston said. “Just a perfect night.”

Eggleston used a bit of local knowledge to avoid any mishaps on the track. He took the outside line on restarts and it kept him out of trouble.

“I’m going to say that’s probably where the hometown advantage came into play,” Eggleston said. “I usually know how this track races as it progresses. I was surprised he chose the bottom. The bottom is definitely pretty good on where you want to qualify and such. But it just eats up your tires so bad in (Turns) 1 and 2. Especially getting off 2 with how rough and bumpy it is.

“So I knew when he gave me the outside, we could roll the top pretty good and conserve our tires pretty good. We were better on the bottom in (Turns) 3 and 4. I moved around a little bit to try to find the right speed.”

Pursley was fourth in the race, followed by Brandon McReynolds in fifth.

Pursley leads the K&N Pro Series West standings by 25 points over Lupton after eight races.

The next K&N Pro Series West race is the Autolite Iridium XP 150 at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 1.

Harley-Davidson® introduced its newest factory custom Sportster® in 2012 to a mix of opinions from the general public and motorcycle industry professionals. The Sportster® XL1200V Seventy-Two® isn’t named after the year 1972, but Highway 72. California Route 72, also known as Whittier Boulevard near Los Angeles, California, was a popular cruising area in the 1960’s and ‘70’s. The controversy has nothing to do with the Seventy-Two’s modernized fuel-injected Evolution V-Twin engine, or Harley’s legendary fit and finish. On the contrary, the styling of the Seventy-Two® is what has opinions split. The Harley-Davidson® XL1200V Seventy-Two® is equipped with mini-ape hanger handlebars, thin-whitewall tires, skinny 21” front wheel, a lot of chrome, and a deep metal-flake paint job reminiscent of custom motorcycles that would have cruised down California Highway 72 in its hey-day.

K&N air filter number HD-1212 is engineered to increase airflow and fit inside the stock 2012-2016 Harley-Davidson® Sportster® Seventy-Two® air cleaner without modifications

Love the Seventy-Two® or hate it, the Sportster® XL1200V is now in its third year of production. Another feature of the XL1200V Seventy-Two® that separates it from the rest of the Sportster® family is the nostalgic round chrome air cleaner. While the chrome air cleaner cover is a classic round shape, the air filter inside is anything but simple. To build a replacement air filter for the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Harley-Davidson XL1200V Seventy-Two® K&N engineers had to design precision molded nylon mounting plates. The molded top and bottom plates sandwich the famous K&N high-flow pleated cotton gauze filter media and form a solid mounting surface.

Flow Chart for K&N 2012-2016 Harley-Davidson XL1200V Seventy-Two® Air Filter HE-1212

A K&N high-flow replacement air filter is different from stock in that K&N uses cotton gauze filter media woven to exacting specifications. Cotton, by nature, is more breathable than the paper or foam media used for most motorcycle air filters. Since an internal combustion engine is essentially an air pump, getting more air into your engine can increase performance, acceleration, and throttle response.

Some might be worried that an increase in airflow comes at the expense of filtration efficiency and engine protection. To put minds at ease K&N performs filtration efficiency testing following the ISO 5011 protocol to guarantee that our air filters will provide high airflow without sacrificing engine protection. HD-1212 was shown to have a 99.07% overall filtration efficiency when tested with ISO coarse test dust. Calling this test dust coarse is almost preposterous, as 22% of the dust is rated at 10 microns or less. To provide perspective, a human blood cell is typically between 6 and 8 microns across.

Perhaps more exciting than the increased performance that comes with a K&N high-flow replacement air filter is that they are also washable and reusable. The advantage of a washable air filter is that it will pay for itself over time. Part number HD-1212 can be washed and made like new using one of the K&N Recharger air filter service kits. Recharger kit 99-5000 includes 12 fluid ounces of air filter cleaner and a 6.5 ounce aerosol bottle of air filter oil for quick and easy application. Recharger kit 99-5050 differs in that it includes an 8 ounce squeeze bottle of K&N filter oil for a more precise application.

Part number HD-1212 for 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Harley-Davidson® Sportster® XL1200V Seventy-Two® models is backed by the industry leading K&N Million Mile Limited Warranty. This means that 2012-2016 Harley-Davidson® Sportster® XL1200V Seventy-Two® owners can enjoy a lifetime of increased performance, reusability, and longer air filter service intervals when using part number HD-1212.

Washable air filter, number HD-1212, is designed provide a lifetime of increased performance without any need for modifications or tuning for the following motorcycles:

2016 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883N IRON 54 CI
2016 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883L SUPERLOW 54 CI
2016 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200V SEVENTY-TWO 74 CI
2016 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200T SUPERLOW 74 CI
2016 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 74 CI
2015 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883N IRON 54 CI
2015 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883L SUPERLOW 54 CI
2015 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200X FORTY-EIGHT 74 CI
2015 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200V SEVENTY-TWO 74 CI
2015 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200T SUPERLOW 74 CI
2015 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 74 CI
2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883N IRON 54 CI
2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883L SUPERLOW 54 CI
2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200X FORTY-EIGHT 74 CI
2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200V SEVENTY-TWO 74 CI
2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200T SUPERLOW 74 CI
2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 74 CI
2013 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200V SEVENTY-TWO 74 CI
2012 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200V SEVENTY-TWO 74 CI

Cody Rahders drove the number 716 Cognito Motorsports/Polaris RZR XP 900 to victory in the Walker Evans Racing RZR Stock XP class of the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Racing Series (Shilynn Milligan Photography)

It would appear that Cody Rahders was on fire when he piloted both R3 Motorsports Polaris RZR side by sides to double victories in round five of the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Racing series at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California.

Cody started the day off right by driving the Cognito Motorsports/Polaris RZR XP 900 to an excellent qualifying run in the Walker Evans Racing RZR class. Cody secured his qualifying position on the third lap with a one-second lead over the number two qualifier. He was driving so hard that during lap four of qualifying the RZR XP900 rolled over and landed on its wheels. Cody said “That happened pretty quick, (I) threw it in a little too hard and it got away from me. Car is good though, so we’re ready.”

Already familiar with the course, Cody Rahders headed out for another round of qualifying in his Cognito Motorsports/Polaris RZR XP 1000 for the Production 1000 class. Cody secured a fourth place qualifying position in the larger field of racers contending the Production 1000 class.

To keep things interesting Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Race Series officials inverted the race start by drawing a number from a hat. For round 5 the number four was drawn which meant Cody would start from the fourth position even though he qualified fastest in the Walker Evans Racing RZR class. This didn’t pose much of a problem for Cody as he worked his way up to second place by the end of lap two. Cody found himself in the lead as the pack came around the course for the third time. He increased his lead over the field and in the end second place finished 1.067 seconds behind Rahders.

Cody Rahders led every lap of the Production 1000 class of the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Racing series round five in his number 916 Polaris RZR XP 1000 (Shilynn Milligan Photography)

While the inverted start was a mild handicap for Rahders in the Walker Evans Racing RZR Stock XP class, it worked out to his advantage in the Production 1000 class. Having qualified fourth fastest, Rahders was now set to start from the pole position. The race began after the official Toyota Tundra pace truck pulled off the track. Cody jumped off the line to win the hole shot and led the race wire to wire. Round 5 was Cody Rahders’ first win in the Production 1000 class.

After the race Cody Rahders said “There are a lot of really good drivers here and I knew there would be a lot of pressure from the pack but I wasn’t letting that one get away. My spotter Nick let me know where everyone was at and I just drove hard to the finish.”

Cody won the Production 1000 class with a 1.038 second lead over his closest competitor; very similar the finish of the Walker Evans Racing RZR class. Cody and the R3 Motorsports team use K&N products to protect their engines and provide a performance advantage. “K&N filters really help. Huge performance gains are a big factor, and K&N really performs well” ensured Rahders.

Cody Rahders is in an excellent position to win two Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Racing Series points championships in 2014. Rahders is currently in first place in the Walker Evans Racing RZR Stock XP class with a strong 22 point lead over Bryan Carr. Rahders is a mere 10 points behind first place in the Production 1000 class points chase. Just two races remain in the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Racing Southern California series and Cody Rahders doesn’t plan to settle for second best.

Sergio Pena and Cameron Hayley battled for first place in the last few laps of the JEGS 150 at Columbus Motor Speedway in Ohio

Pena won the fourth NASCAR K&N Pro Series race of his career and his first since 2011. He denied Cameron Hayley his first K&N Pro Series East win, taking the lead on the final restart on lap 141 and holding on over the last nine laps of the race.

“This is such a great feeling,” Pena said after the race. “I almost forgot what it felt like. Words can’t even describe what this is like. I have to thank Rev Racing, NASCAR and the Drive for Diversity program for having me back this year.”

Sergio Pena celebrates his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race win at Columbus Motor Speedway with a triumphant cloud of white smoke

Pena took the lead from Hayley on lap 120 and led the final 31 laps of the race. Hayley challenged for the lead over the final laps, but was never able to pass Pena.

“It was tough racing tonight,” Pena said. “Me and Ben Rhodes and Cameron Hayley, especially the three of us, were going at it, knocking each other out of the way, giving it back and forth. It’s just great short track racing. Cameron got by me there at the end, but we were able to get the inside back. We were good on the short runs all night.”

Sergio Pena stands on victory lane in front of his Toyota Racing Development Camry after his win in the JEGS 150

Hayley posted his third runner-up finish of the season. He has finished second in two of the past three K&N Pro Series East races.

Scott Heckert qualified fastest in his #34 Project Life Chevrolet and earned himself the 21 Means 21 presented by Coors Brewing Company Pole Award

Ben Rhodes, who won four K&N Pro Series East races in a row and five overall this season, came in third place.

“This place breeds rough racing,” said Rhodes about racing at Columbus Motor Speedway. “I had to kind of use the bumper to get up through here, but there’s really no way you can pass because there’s only one line. I was using my bumper; people were using their bumper on me. It’s part of the racing here.”

Jesse Little, who won the previous K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire International Speedway, was fourth. Ryan Gifford was fifth.

Rhodes has a 62-point lead over Hayley in the K&N Pro Series East standings after 11 races. Gray Gaulding, who 15th at Columbus Motor Speedway, is in third place in the K&N Pro Series East standings, 74 points behind Rhodes.

The next race in the K&N Pro Series East is at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 1.

This Team Hybrid Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII equipped with a K&N air filter blurs the line between a race, street, and show car © 2014 Eric A. Eikenberry-Photographer

Mark Buffington, owner of a highly modified 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, prefers to break stereotypes rather than follow the norm. Most people would imagine Buffington, who is 57 years old, to have fulfilled his mid-life crisis like other men his age; by purchasing a Porsche, Ferrari, or Corvette. Instead Buffington says “Those are their dream cars. This (EVO VIII) is mine. When they go to the track I’m going to be able to beat them in my four-cylinder Evo.”

The adjustable coil over suspension system gives the 2003 Mitsubishi Evo 8 a very commanding stance with adjustability for the street or track © 2014 Eric A. Eikenberry-Photographer

Mark Buffington’s 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII blurs the lines between race, street and show. His attention to detail and compulsion to continually reinvent his EVO VIII has led to him to describe his car as a piece of art. “I look at my car and I think of it as a piece of art. I enjoy constantly redoing it. A project is never truly finished…” said Buffington. Never contented, Buffington went on to say “The EVO is at the shop again. It will be completely different the next time you see it.”

The owner of this EVO VIII, Mark Buffington, belongs to the Las Vegas, Nevada chapter of the Team Hybrid car club started by James Lin in 1995 © 2014 Eric A. Eikenberry-Photographer

Powering Buffington’s EVO VIII is the Mitsubishi 4G63 engine with an FP Red turbocharger upgrade. The 4G63 motor is a tried and true power plant, and according to Buffington “You can put down nearly 600 hp with it (4G63), and mine makes a little over 500 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque”. The FP Red turbocharger is capable of forcing high amounts of air through the Type “R” front-mount intercooler and into the EVO VIII engine.

Mark’s highly modified 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is just as trick inside the driver compartment as it is outside © 2014 Eric A. Eikenberry-Photographer

Feeding air into Mark’s 4G63 engine is a custom air intake system made by Buffington’s tuning shop in Las Vegas, Nevada. A K&N High-Flow Air Filter was used to meet the cubic feet per minute (CFM) of airflow demanded by this 500+ hp 4G63 without sacrificing filtration efficiency and engine protection.

Mark’s 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 8 is adorned with beautiful, but functional, carbon fiber aerodynamic components for looks and performance © 2014 Eric A. Eikenberry-Photographer

Buffington is a member of the Team Hybrid car club and belongs to the Las Vegas, Nevada chapter. Team Hybrid was founded in 1995 by James Lin, the current team president, who is based in Oxnard, California. Team Hybrid specializes in import builds for race, street, and show cars. Lin said “We have been using K&N for over 19 years. K&N products increase power, are easy to maintain and clean, while withstanding the test of time.” K&N supports Team Hybrid and Lin’s motto of “May our years of legendary tradition, philosophy, quality, innovation and management continue to make import history.”

Noteworthy modifications of Mark Buffington’s Mitsubishi Evolution VIII include:

Engine/Drive:
Custom air intake system with K&N High-Flow Air Filter
FP Red turbocharger
HKS front mount Type R intercooler
Bored out OEM intake manifold
Perrin fuel rail
I.D. 1,000 cc fuel injectors
HKS 272- and 264-degree camshafts
HKS twin exhaust system
Exedy twin-plate clutch and flywheel
Driveshaft Shop two-piece aluminum driveshaft

Buffington relies on a K&N universal clamp-on air filter to provide airflow and engine protection for his 2003 Mitsubishi Evolution VIII © 2014 Eric A. Eikenberry-Photographer

Suspension/Brakes/Wheels:
K-Sport adjustable coil over system
Whiteline rear control arms
Carbing trunk and front strut tower braces
Cusco bolt-in roll cage
Volk Racing wheels
BF Goodrich tires
Brembo calipers
Stoptech brake rotors
K-sport stainless steel brake lines

Exterior/Interior:
VeilSide body kit
Seibon Carbon hood, truck, and front fenders
APR wing with 12-in. stands and 3-in. extensions
Uehara Motowerks custom side winglets
Bride Zeta III racing seats
Takata Racing pads
Nardi deep dish steering wheel
Sparco pedal set

Whether your car is a fire breathing import on the level of Mark Buffington’s EVO VIII or a Clydesdale-like work truck, K&N has air and oil filters to meet your performance needs. Look up parts for your car here by year, make, and model or use our universal filter search here, to find a custom air filter like the one on Mark’s EVO.