The store will not work correctly when cookies are disabled.
We use cookies to make your experience better.To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent to set the cookies. Learn more.
Mike Ferderer grabbed his second NHRA Top Sportsman National Event Wally
While most know K&N's Mike Ferderer for his fantastic success in sportsman drag racing, especially in the index classes of Super Comp and Super Gas, it truly doesn't seem to matter what class the Washington state resident enters. Ferderer proved that during the 24th annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals when he grabbed his second NHRA Top Sportsman National Event Wally, in only his second time entering the class.
Mike Ferderer and his K&N Pontiac Grand Am
"I guess you could say I'm batting a thousand," chuckled Ferderer, when speaking of his latest accomplishment. "I better quit while I'm ahead. I've only entered two [NHRA Top Sportsman Races] and I've won both of them."
Ferderer hasn't been on the scene as much as usual this season, due to several surgeries since learning of his prostate cancer in January of this year and a recent hernia surgery. "It's taken my eye off the ball, so to speak. We're getting back on track, but I wouldn't say we are one-hundred percent yet," he said of his medical situation.
Obviously, one would have never known of the hurdles Ferderer has overcome, as he did not show one ounce of weakness and was as strong as ever behind the wheel of his K&N Pontiac Grand Am in Sonoma, California all throughout both qualifying and eliminations.
"The car was pretty much flawless," he said of the weekend. "I just switched over to Red Line Oil and that really worked out good. Saturday I did a pretty good driving job, but Sunday I left my driving brain in the trailer or something. But luckily, I was able to make it through."
"You know to get ready to run in this class, there are a ton of changes that have to be made to the car," Ferderer pointed out. "You have to move the four-link, the shocks and this and that. Just a bunch of stuff has to be done. It's not just taking the stop off the car, not in my car."
Unlike many cars in Top Sportsman throughout the country, there are no power adders such as nitrous to be found on Ferderer's K&N Grand Am, just good ol' raw horsepower. "I had a guy come up to me and ask me what did that thing run, like he was almost in disbelief of what he saw. I said, oh 7.35 at almost 186. And he goes, 'With an air filter in the hood scoop?' And I said, 'Well yeah, it's a K&N Air Filter. That's why it goes that fast. Then he told me, 'Wow, I gotta get me one of those.' Yes, the K&N filters and scoops really do their jobs."
Ferderer qualified seventeenth and was paired up with Craig Olson in round one and while Olsen went .001 red, Ferderer would have been pretty tough to beat with his good light and 7.391 on his 7.39 dial. He went on to beat Johnny Matassa in round two but first killing him on the tree with his .004 to Matassa's .036 reaction time. That would set him up for a strange round in the quarter-finals with Curt Geise.
Both competitors started their burnouts and then Geise's turbo GTO got into his own oil and nailed the guard rail with the right front fender, which gave Ferderer a competition single and a chance to easily get his tune up ready for the semi-finals against Dan Borg.
Ferderer had a very uncharacteristic late light and his competition just missed the tree going .005 red and send Ferderer into his second Top Sportsman final.
"As I mentioned before, on Sunday I just got lucky," confessed the multi-time NHRA National Event Champ.
"The final was a calamity in itself," explained Ferderer. "I was feeling very confident going into the final and I had been the slower car all day. So all I had to deal with was the delay on the starting line. I cinched her down a little bit and I figured a fifteen light would be good. And as it would have been, I forgot the guy next to me was dialed slower, so I had to use the cross-talk. I never used the crossover. So he went red by .002 and I went red by .202 because we both left at the same time."
"So that's why I was real-real lucky," he added. "I mean I know how to do it [cross-talk and being the quicker car], I just forgot to do it. I wasn't real proud of my driving but evidently I was making less mistakes than my competitors."
Ferderer was quick to point out the folks who helped him throughout the weekend to win his 23rd NHRA National Event Victory, "Mike Henderson, who runnered-up in Top Dragster. So towards the end there, we were both kinda busy. So he really couldn't help me anymore and I normally help him when I'm not running. Travis Hodges, who works with Steve [Williams] was helping both of us. So Travis pretty much gets all the credit for working on two cars over the weekend and getting both of them into the final."
"Travis worked his butt off. He was really the man of the hour," he continued. "Both K&N cars with Henderson and I, and it was just great."
Allen Johnson at the 24th annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway.
NHRA Pro Stock driver, Allen Johnson proved that his team has a tune-up to cover everything from the mountains to the valleys after putting together back-to-back number one qualifiers in Denver and more recently in Sonoma, California, during the 24th annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway.
Allen Johnson and his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger
Johnson and his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger were out of the gate very strong during the first session and posted a stout 6.576 at 210.37. Johnson's elapsed time was nearly a full four hundredths of a second in front of the second quickest effort of Erica Enders and the only car to make it into the fifties during the session.
The Mopar team was far from through and the evening session actually made for some great numbers from many of the NHRA Pro Stock teams. While seven other teams were able to break into the fifties, Johnson continued to lead the way when he made another huge leap to lower his earlier effort by almost three hundredths when he laid down a 6.547 at 210.50.
"We made a good run, the air was about a thousand foot [corrected altitude] and last year it was about four hundred," said Johnson. "That just goes to show you how much power we have picked up in Pro Stock in a year. If it would have been four hundred, we might have gone a 6.49."
Saturday's first Pro Stock session proved to be the best one for the Tennessee resident. Johnson and his team had managed to find just a little more on both sides of the timeslip, gaining just shy of a hundredth of a second all while boosting their MPH numbers. His 6.538 not only became the new Infineon Pro Stock Track ET Record, but Johnson also reset the MPH Track Record for Pro Stock with his 211.56.
"We had to change motors from last night. We came in the morning and had a little problem, so we had to put the back-up motor in," Johnson said after the track record setting run. "So it felt really good to do that."
Johnson is always quick to point out that his dad, Roy, "has got a handle on those Hemis."
"We've got about three or four we can put in there that'll do about the same thing. It's actually the engine we ran at Denver. We had a new one in for the first two runs that was even better. We carry about seven engines with us, and Vincent [Nobile] runs them, also. But just flip a coin which one you want to put in," he added.
During the fourth and final session, Johnson was off his early set pace and while he managed to stay in the fifties, made only the sixth quickest lap of the pack. 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge Champion, Greg Anderson made the best pass of the session with his 6.566, but was unable to improve on his earlier time and remained in the number two slot for Sunday's eliminations.
"That last run we were just a tick off of what we should have done there. We'll put it back like we did this morning and come back out," Johnson remarked of his final qualifying session numbers and thoughts on Sunday's set up.
Nonetheless of the final session, Allen Johnson and his team remained solidly in the top position on the NHRA Pro Stock qualifying sheet. With the feat Johnson gained the maximum qualifying points for the 2012 K&N Horsepower Challenge and moved just thirty points out of number one, behind current leader, Erica Enders. While the points are extremely important to each and every Pro Stock team, so is the $3,000 Low Qualifier Bonus check awarded to the driver who grabs number one at each and every NHRA National Event.
"The K&N Horsepower Challenge is very important and much appreciated by all the Pro Stock teams," said Johnson. "What K&N continues to do for the sport and our class is fantastic. I hold the K&N Challenge in highest regard to everything, with the exception of the Pro Stock Championship itself."
The NHRA Professional teams will wrap up their three-race-in-a-row "Western Swing" this weekend with the 24th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways just outside of Seattle, Washington. While no Pro Stock driver has a shot a win "sweep" this season, at least Johnson has a shot at sweeping in the number one qualifying department.
Kekich sets getting the ROY title as one of his race goals for 2011.
Growing up, Adam Kekich, the young-gun 410 Sprint Car talent from Hermitage, Pennsylvania, referred to as "Adam Bomb," had racing imprinted on his destiny as he watched his dad and uncles race.
"For as long as I can remember, all I ever wanted to do was race," Kekich told K&N Race News. "When I was eight-years-old I got my first go-cart. My dad (Mike) took me around Pennsylvania and Ohio, where I raced at different tracks every week.
Adam Bomb Kekich says the biggest adjustment moving into the 410 Sprint Car was how much faster it accelerated.
My first year racing we won the track championship at Slippery Rock Raceway.
In winning that first championship, the teenager captured a total of nine wins out of 12 races at the track. Kekich raced go-carts until he was 13 and then he upgraded to racing limited sprints for the next two years. Kekich capped off that experience by winning Rookie of the Year at Sharon Speedway.
"After those two years my dad gave me the opportunity to race the 410. Even though we only have half of the season completed, I have had a lot of fun, and I am enjoying every minute of it."
And why wouldn't Adam Bomb Kekich be enjoying himself, last weekend at Mercer Raceway Park it was a night of firsts for the Agway of Hermitage Sprint Car race team. With each race Kekich is getting visibly more confident and familiar with the 410 and his results continue to reflect that.
The third place finish at Mercer Raceway Park was Kekich's best 410 finish yet.
The No. 5K machine started the last of three heat races on the front row, and that is right where he stayed, leading all eight laps for his first heat race win in a 410 sprint. In his first lap Kekich recorded a blistering 14.98 circuit, one of the fastest laps of the night.
Pumped up by their driver's performance, the crew got busy preparing the car for the feature. "The car is just awesome tonight," Adam commented after his heat race. "It's such a pleasure to race this K&N sponsored, Kriner powered J&J every week."
In the feature Kekich lined up on the third row. After successfully avoiding being taken out in an early racecar flip, the young rookie settled into his rhythm, running a smooth controlled line and navigating through lapped traffic. By lap 19 Kekich worked his way up behind the leaders. He held on to finish in third place, recording his best finish of the year, and his first ever 410 podium.
"The biggest adjustment for me was the initial takeoff when I moved into the 410 Sprint Car," Kekich remarked, "Getting from point 'A' to point 'B' was so much quicker at first, but after a few races it has become just a normal reaction."
Kekich currently holds fourth place in the championship point standings, and he says that he and the crew are looking forward to a strong second half of the season. "These guys just put their heart and soul into this team and I am just so fortunate to be driving this car."
Kekich's goals for the remainder of the 2011 race season include getting his first 410 feature win, and finishing in the top-five, and to earn the Rookie of the Year title. "But, my main goal for every night is to load the car back up in one piece, and to learn something new after each race, to help me get better."
The win was Mans' second national event victory at Route 66 Raceway.
Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois is considered the first "True Stadium" of drag racing and it was there, in that electrifying stadium atmosphere, that the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series hosted the 14th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals. Going seven rounds and coming out uncut with the win in Super Stock was K&N sponsored Michael Mans. Mans took out Chris Chaney in the final pass with a 9.570 ET at 138.86 mph.
In round 7 eliminations in Super Stock at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series it was K&N sponsored Michael Mans taking the win.
Mans told K&N Race News "This was just a great weekend for us in Joliet. Competing in the Jeg's All-Stars event on Saturday, and picking up a 60th Anniversary Wally on Sunday made for one of our most memorable weekends ever!"
"Our car was just unbelievably consistent and predictable all weekend long, and as a driver, that gives you a huge boost in confidence. The track was great, my parents did a terrific job between rounds with cooling everything down, and keeping the car prepped and ready, and I was lucky to find the groove that all of us drivers are searching for every week."
Mans never forgets to credit his parents, from his perspective they have seemly always been heavily involved in drag racing, and they are the reason that he is flourishing with racing today. Mans' father, Randy, started racing in the Stock Eliminator class back in the late '70's and he still successfully races in Super Stock today as well. At a point where most high school seniors are fumbling with peer acceptance and parallel parking, Man's was already winning his first big Stock/Super Stock event.
Mans' mother Dawn and his father Randy are his biggest fans. Jubilation overcame them when they heard the results in the final run.
The win at Route 66 Raceway was Mans second national event victory at the renowned track, commenting on that, Mans stated "It is totally unexplainable, but Route 66 is just one of those places that I really enjoy going to and it seems to have a certain luck factor for me. The facility is great, the people are fun, and winning there is really special."
"After going to just five events so far this year, and picking up two wins, we couldn't be happier with how the hard work is paying off. We are in the top five on the Divisional point's side, and in the top 30 nationally, so it's shaping up to be a decent year for sure."
Mans is race savvy enough to avoid putting a bad mojo on things by declaring his intentions on chasing any type of championship at this point, adding, "It's far too early to ever make that claim. But I will tell you that every race we go to, we are there to win. If we do well, the points will take care of themselves. I can tell you though that we are extremely excited to get down to Cordova, Illinois for the LODRS race in August, and to perhaps start off a four to six week racing streak! Hopefully we can pick up some luck along the way and collect a few more Wally's before the summer winds down."
Just coming off an exciting weekend in Joliet, Illinois during the Jegs All-Stars event, where he was one of only four drivers to be double entered for the elite event, Michael Miller took his TNT dragster to yet another final round of Super Comp competition, and this time it was for a NHRA National event in Denver.
Michael Miller at the 32nd annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway
Miller, of Santa Fe, New Mexico recently took out some fellow serious competitors to make his way to the final of Super Comp in the Jegs All-Stars event, where he fell to K&N's Tommy Phillips. It was really at this event where he felt like things were really starting to gel for him in his new TNT dragster and doesn't seem to be looking back.
During the 32nd annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, Miller entered both his 1927-T Roadster Super Gas car and his TNT Super Comp Dragster, both Ford powered. "You know Denver is a very unique race," he said. "I have to spend a day, day and half of work to change my cars over to race there. From the torque converters, to timing, jets and even computer programming."
Where he went out in the early rounds of Super Gas, he more than made up for it by taking his dragster to the championship round on Sunday. "Yeah, I went out in second round of Super Gas," confessed Miller. "He didn't really leave me any room when he was .001 on the tree."
But over in Super Comp, Miller made his way past Adam Chioda in round two which gave him the scheduled bye for round three and on to his next round match up with Tim Parker. Although Parker had the starting line advantage, Miller was able to outdrive him at the stripe and push Parker deeper under the index and on to the quarter-finals.
"I had to race a guy named Mitch Mustard, who is a local guy," Miller pointed out. "He races at Bandimere every weekend and he's good. I kinda thought if I won that round, I could win the race. He's just one of those guys that is dialed and he's going to go fifty [9.50 adjusted index for Bandimere]. Just a matter of trying to manipulate that situation."
Miller once again showed his strong finish line driving skills and even though he was behind at the hit, he knew just the right time to let Mustard have the stripe and stay on the better side of a double breakout.
Even though it was quite hot for the Denver race, with 93 degrees and an adjusted altitude of nearly 10,000 feet, Miller kept his cool in the semi-finals and only took the amount of margin he needed at the finish line [.009] to send Jacky King packing and himself into the championship round where he would meet up with Dave Crawford.
Miller just didn't have the light he was looking for in the final and gave Crawford the window he needed to win his very first NHRA National Event, in his first final round.
"It was just his day," Miller said of his runner-up to Crawford. "When a guy takes out [Gary] Stinnett in the first round, then Brad Plourd and me all in one day, he deserves the win. I am just really happy with the way this new dragster combination is working now, it was great getting into the final."
Miller had lots of thanks to give to his mom and dad, his wife Timberly, his brother John and to the folks at K&N Engineering. "I have had a longtime relationship with the K&N folks," he noted. "Steve Williams, Bob Harris, [pauses] they just get it and totally understand racing. K&N goes above and beyond what you could ever ask a racing type company to do. I don't know of any other company that offers contingency for three products. That's huge for the sportsman racers. K&N's support of racing is second to none."
Miller also pointed out that he was excited to add K&N composite scoops to both of his cars for 2011. The scoops include the specially designed K&N race high performance air filters, which he added the Pro Stock style to his 1923 T Roadster and the 2nd Generation Dragster scoop to his Super Comp entry.
