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Austin Reed recently finished fourth in the USLCI Nationals at Las Vegas, Nevada.
Austin Reed and his crew recently pulled into Las Vegas, Nevada, anticipating what would transpire at The Bullring at the LAS Vegas Motor Speedway. The eighteen year old Semi-pro Legends driver was no stranger to the sport of racing, but was preparing to line up against some of the best drivers throughout the country in the U.S. Legend Cars International (USLCI) series Nationals.
Winning the California State Legends Championship, the driver had earned the opportunity to kick the weekend off by competing in the Race of Champions. Pacing the field for the first fifteen laps, Reed finished second in the all-star event.
"Earning a spot in the USLCI Nationals race was an accomplishment alone," recalled Reed, "and to be able to start in the top five made it even better. Going into the Race of Champions, my confidence level seemed very high. I had raced against many of the people before and had a lot of track experience. I actually had led the first half of the race, until two cars were able to draft up to me, making it possible for one of them to pass me," he recalled. "We spent the remainder of the race battling for the first position. Spencer Saunders took the lead from me. I finished the race in second. I think if I would have driven the first half of the race a little more cautiously in order to save my tires and the race car, I would have had a better chance of staying fast toward the end of the race."
Austin Reed has experienced a stellar season in 2011, and although planning to attend college next fall, still plans to participate in the sport of racing.
The driver then lined up in a field of twenty four starters, each and every one eager to battle for the checkered flag in the thirty-lap feature event. At the waving of the green flag, Austin Reed once again earned a place amongst the fastest drivers early on, but as luck would have it, mechanical malfunctions threw a wrench in his plans when he lost his clutch during the first caution. Although faced with dealing with the issue, Austin never gave up, and in turn still managed to cross the finish line in fourth place.
"During the feature, I felt very confident that we could get a top five finish by the end of the race," explained Reed. "I started fourth and knew I would be able to maintain that position. During the race, my clutch pedal lost a bolt. If we had not experienced that mechanical issue, I think I could have been a part of the battle for third. But my restarts were not up to speed due to my clutch."
When asked how he managed to hold on to fourth place in spite of mechanical failure, Austin said, "Our fourth place finish was a lot of the car. We worked hard all week to make sure the car would be perfect for the main event. I also think that my aggressive driving strategy played a big part in our finish after most restarts. I lost a position and had to find a way to quickly make my way back up through the traffic," he continued. "I was very happy with a fourth place, although our team would always like to finish better."
I couldn't have been happier with my season results. We finished thirteenth in the nation and first in the California state points!
Referring to the entirety of 2011, Austin said, "I couldn't have been happier with my season results. We finished thirteenth in the nation and first in the California state points! The one thing I enjoyed most about my racing this year was being able to travel from track to track throughout the country and gain experience."
When asked how he would prepare for 2012, the driver explained, "Our racing program doesn't have an "off" season really, so while everyone else is at home, we're spending time gaining more seat time and perfecting our race car."
Austin Reed was more than happy to credit his team as an element of his success. "My team is extremely important to me," shared Reed. "Without a good team behind a driver, there is no way to be successful in racing."
As one might suspect, the driver is also acutely aware of the importance of maintenance, and depends upon K&N products to protect the internal components of his engine. "We started using K&N products while I was racing Trophy Karts Elites in championship off-road racing in 2004, and continued using their products as we transferred on to pavement into a Legend car. We currently run their oil filter and air filters and breathers. I definitely credit some of my success to K&N," explained Reed. "Their products have proven to be the best for competition and on the dyno."
Nearing the end of his high school tenure, the young driver appears to already have his ducks in a row. "I plan on attending Cal State Bakersfield, and continuing my hobby and addiction in racing." In conclusion Austin Reed said, "I would like to thank all of my sponsors. Without them, it wouldn't be possible for me to enjoy the life of racing. I also can't thank my fans enough for supporting me, and I hope to see them all at future races to come."
Dan Fletcher and his K&N Clad Stock Chevy Camaro head to Gainesville next.
"I just returned home last night from a grueling three week stint to begin the season," reported Dan Fletcher. "Fortunately, I came home with two wins at the first two NHRA National Events of the season, so it makes it all worthwhile. The SS (Super Stock) win at Phoenix was number 75 overall, so that was a pretty big milestone."
Fletcher's Super Stock win at Firebird International Raceway places him in rarified air as just the seventh driver in NHRA Drag Racing history to collect 75 NHRA Full Throttle national event victories.
It's a bit of a peculiarity, but the more accomplished drag racers get, the more understated they appear to become. Fletcher tosses out his overall win tally as though all the kids are doing it - "Pretty big milestone?" With his recent Super Stock victory at Firebird International Raceway, Fletcher became only the seventh driver in NHRA Drag Racing history to collect 75 NHRA Full Throttle national event victories. Fletcher defeated Ken Etter in the final at Firebird to reach the landmark. Fletcher was just 0.004 quicker than his dial for the win, with a 9.376 ET and 144.04 mph.
In 2012 so far lucky number seven has come up often for the multi-time NHRA world champ from Churchville, New York, as only seven days earlier Fletcher scored his 74th victory with his Comp win at the 52nd annual O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries in Pomona, California.
With his victory at Firebird, the K&N sponsored driver is now tied with former Top Alcohol Funny Car and Top Fuel racer, Pat Austin, for sixth place on NHRA's all-time win list. More than half of his victories, 38 in all, have come in Super Stock. Fletcher has also has 38 combined national event runner-ups, and he's collected NHRA Wally awards in Comp, Stock, and Super Gas.
"A little room to breathe," says Fletcher referring to his 2012 NHRA season start, then he adds with a chuckle, "It's nice to start out making some bank after a long winter of not plowing snow."
Nothing about his approach the rest of the season changes though says Fletcher, "I'll still go out and work as hard as I can every week and hope for a positive outcome. I will be in Gainesville next week racing the K&N Stock and Super Stock Camaros."
The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Week™ is seen as one of the most exciting events of the year for the drivers and the fans! With the various fan events leading up to the race and Blake Shelton kicking-off the event with a pre-race concert, you won't want to miss out...then let the 100-lap battle for the $1 Million paycheck begin!
To enter the sweepstakes, click here. THIS SWEEPSTAKES HAS ENDED.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Sweepstakes ends @ 2:00 pm ET on 4/23/12. Participant must be a resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia and 18 years of age or older to enter. NASCAR, Inc. and Sprint are not sponsors of this promotion. Sweepstakes subject to full Official Rules available at www.knfilters.com. Void where prohibited.
Replacement Air Filter for 2007-2015 Yamaha XJR1300s.
Yamaha's XJR1300 is an unapologetic, muscle wielding, street bully. This is a motorcycle light on subtleness and glitz and heavy on brute force. It's pure adrenaline tinged with awe - big on aggression and technology and small on frilliness. The stocky 43mm front forks, three-spoke alloy wheels and monobloc 4-piston front brake calipers with floating discs add even more muscularity. Asked to pigeon-hole its style, the term "extra-large" comes to mind.
At the core of XJR's character is its classic air-cooled engine design with four valves per cylinder. It didn't even get fuel injection until 2007, as many purists feared fuel injection might destroy its big powerful smoothness. Yamaha was in fact rather quiet over the updates to its XJR1300. No trumpet blast, no big announcement, just a calm re-introduction of one of Yamaha's old faithful. The superbly balanced double cradle tubular steel frame completes the powerful street machine image.
Restriction Chart for YA-1308 Air Filter
It turns out fuel injection has actually improved the XJR's engine. The 1251cc locomotive pulls harder than a Clydesdale on a beer wagon. It still has the same five-speed gearbox, but in top gear it now pulls smoothly from as low as 1000 rpm and 25 mph without an excess of clutch slip, which is frankly ridiculous.
Power junkies, or those merely looking for a touch of additional even-handed performance, need look no further than a K&N YA-1308 high-performance replacement air filter. In the time it takes to swap out the exiting factory air filter, you can be installing the premier reusable air filter, designed to increase horsepower and acceleration while providing outstanding air filtration. The K&N YA-1308 is a direct replacement for the OEM air filter, so no alterations of any kind will be required.
K&N is synonymous with power gains and their worldwide race results are a testament to that. With regularly scheduled cleaning the YA-1308 replacement air filter will last a million street dominating miles. Additionally, you don't even have to worry about cleaning the K&N motorcycle filter for up to 50,000 miles depending on driving conditions.
The 5.0 liter Mustang is back and making a big statement. Many remember when Mustangs came equipped with the prestigious 302 cubic inch push rod motors. During the 60's the Mustang was one of the most popular cars on the market. The Mustang basically started the Pony car era and in the 80's, the Mustang was most certainly a hot car to be seen in. T-tops and a V8 were the epitome of cool. Ever since the Fox Body style was banished, the Mustang has slowly transformed back to its stylish roots.
Today Ford incorporates 38 years of tradition into one vehicle. The Mustang combines power, styling, and handling to make one impressive machine. The new 5.0L engine puts out an estimated 412 horsepower on premium gas. That is more than double the horsepower originally made with the 1982 Mustang 5.0L. This significant power increase is due to the 11.0:1 compression ratio, dual overhead cams, and variable valve timing. The new 5.0L tops the old 5.0L in every category and it outperforms the previous 4.6L engine option as well.
K&N Air Intake System for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Ford Mustang GT 5.0L
When a hot new engine combination like the 5.0L is released, aftermarket parts manufacturers jump at the opportunity to make the vehicle look cooler and go faster. K&N responded by developing a one of a kind cold air intake system.
K&N part number 63-2578 is a nice piece for 5.0L owners that are looking for better performance out of their Mustang. The kit includes a high flow air filter, intake tube, sealed air box with a great looking carbon fiber lid, hardware, and step by step installation instructions. All that is needed for installation is about 90 minutes, determination to finish the job, and simple hand tools.
The K&N cotton media air filter not only reduces restriction in the intake path, but it's also washable and reusable. Servicing the K&N air filter can be done with the air filter cleaner and oil found in the Recharger Filter Care Service Kit but the air filter can go up to 50,000 miles before cleaning, depending on driving conditions.
The horsepower increase is made by removing the restrictive OEM air intake and replacing it with a 63-2578 K&N intake. Most factory air boxes and intake tubes are designed to quite engine noise with baffles and ribbed intake pipes which slow down air flow. The newly designed K&N air filter housing and high flow intake tube offer streamlined airflow, extra performance and outstanding engine protection.
K&N testing of the 63-2578 air intake on a 2012 Ford Mustang 5.0L has shown an estimate gain of 20 horsepower and 26 lb-ft of torque at 5400 RPM. This intake fit the 2011 to 2014 Ford Mustang with the 5.0L engine. This gain is a substantial bang for your buck. K&N produces high quality products that offer superior protection and backs part number 63-2578 with a Million Mile Limited Warranty.
