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K&N's Aleksandr Grinchuk is the Undisputed Ukrainian Drift Racing Champion

Jul 18, 2011

Drift racing popularity has surpassed Rally Racing in Ukraine in only four years and it continues to grow.

At a time when some other forms of racing are taking a hit in overall attendance and TV revenue, drift racing continues to accelerate as one of the fastest growing motorsports, not only in the USA, but on the planet. This totally captivating sport has spread from its point of origin in the remote mountains of Japan and has already touched some of the most far-flung corners imaginable.

Grinchuk feels the custom steering kit he added this year will help him to better compete against the newer Nissan's and BMW's.

Most experts believe that the colossal popularity of the sport has everything to do with drifting being more of an art form, than mere racing, and in fact, it is one of the few motorsports where style-points are presented. Watching highly skilled drivers sliding sideways bumper-to-fender, through corners with smoke bellowing from the tires is something that must not only be seen, but heard, to be fully appreciated.

On the Ukraine drift racing scene, when it comes to tire screeching artistry, one name stands out above all others, K&N sponsored, Aleksandr Grinchuk. Along with only a handful of other people, Grinchuk was of the first to introduce drifting in the Ukraine.

Grinchuk was the 2009 and 2010 Ukrainian Drift King Champion and his sights are set on making it three-in-a-row for 2011.

"My passion for this culture came from 'Need for Speed' games and 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift' movie," Grinchuk told K&N Race News. "I was lucky enough to earn some money and buy a brand new 350Z in 2007. Then I met some people who were making the first attempts at drifting in the parking lots, and I joined in."

Grinchuk and his friends quite literally learned how to drift race watching internet videos and Japanese films. Then with a month of planning that group put together the first local drift show 2007, and it was an immediate success. "Unfortunately my skill was so low that I could not get to the podium," Grinchuk confess. "But regular training made me the best drifter in Ukraine only two years later." Grinchuk became the overall drifting Champion of Ukraine in 2009 and 2010, and he's currently inline to make it a trifecta.

The stock 2006 Nissan 350Z Grinchuk first started racing four years ago is still very much a title contender.

As European countries go, Ukraine is a large country, and the 2011 season marks the countries fourth year of steadily growing drifting competitions. "Because of the large distances between different parts of Ukraine there are two different championships and one Grand Prix series in Ukraine," Grinchuk explains. "So it is easier for drivers without budgets to take part in one championship or series."

The first and most prestigious is the Ukrainian Drift Championship (UDC). The crew of this championship was one the first to carry on with drifting events in 2008, and the UDC has even better financial support from private associates this season. They will host four rounds in two cities in 2011. First round took place in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine at the Chaika Racing Ring. "The second and third rounds are going to be in my native city Odessa," Grinchuk adds. "The largest parking lot in Odessa is going to be the place for these events. And the final round will take us back to Kyiv. There the judges will decide who is going to be the UDC Drift King 2011. Two previous titles of Drift King 2009 and 2010 of this series has been taken by me," remarks Grinchuk smiling.

The second and youngest Ukrainian drift series is TuningFest: Drift Edition. "It is only the second season for them," Grinchuk says. "But its crew has very ambitious plans to make drifting the most popular show in the East of Ukraine. This year we have four rounds of Drift Edition. Three of them are carried in the large industrial cities of Ukraine: Kharkov, Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk. And one round is planned in the East Ukrainian resort city of Berdiansk." Last year Grinchuk won that championship as well.

"And last, but not least," Grinchuk says, "is the competition called Drifting Grand Prix Vinnitza. There are two rounds of this competition in May and September. Each round has its own podium but the most stable pilot who gets the most points at both rounds will get the special prize from the Mayor of Vinnitza." Vinnitza is situated in the central part of Ukraine, making it the most convenient place for all Ukrainian drift pilots to gather.

Grinchuk says that all three series are very important to him and he has eleven regular drift events scheduled in Ukraine this year, with two more events abroad, and one special show in Kyiv. "So there are fourteen events in my schedule this season. My only real priority though is for Ukrainian drift events."

The Ukrainian drift scene is currently in mid-season and Grinchuk's team is once again doing well. "We have four podiums from five Ukrainian events. One podium is the first place from Donetsk."

Currently Grinchuk races his 2006 Nissan 350Z. "I think I am the most experimental guy in Ukrainian drifting," says the K&N sponsored driver. "I started to drift using my stock 3.5l VQ35DE engine in 2007. I made it supercharged in 2009. This season I have a twin turbo configuration of the same engine. But I am still unsatisfied. I think my crew and I will try V8 for the next season."

"But still the 350Z is a very good car for drifting," continues Grinchuk. "It has some problems with increasing a steering angle in stock. We made a custom steering kit which allows us to be compatible to other Nissan and BMW, which are the most popular in Ukrainian drifting."

Illustrating just how popular drifting has become in the Ukraine, Grinchuk says, "We have a very good, old school of Soviet Rally Racing in Ukraine as in Russia, but drifting has become much more popular than Rally Racing in only four years. Everybody was telling me that it is not possible to find sponsors in Ukrainian motorsport, but this year I have support from two well known world trademarks K&N Filters and Maxxis Tires. And I am not the only one with sponsors in Ukraine. My sponsors are just the most known."

At a recent international drift event, the FX Open in Belarus, with many of the most distinguished drift artists in attendance such as, Ryan Tuerck, from the US and Tengku Djan from Malaysia, along with champions for Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Russia - Grinchuk placed seventh out of 46 international drivers.

After the mid-season break Grinchuk has six more drift events and one show remaining. "I will fight to the end to achieve another Drift King title this year," Grinchuk declares. "And my chances are looking really good."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Austin McCarl Experiences Exciting String of Sprint Car Races

Jul 18, 2011

Eighteen-year-old, Austin McCarl and the TMAC Motorsport #17A Team were pretty busy throughout the month of June and into early July. On June 4th, racing in the 410 division, Austin experienced his career best at Knoxville Raceway when he finished third in the feature. On the following Sunday night, June 5th, Austin and his crew pulled into Huset's Speedway, near Brandon, South Dakota, with confidence on their side. When the dust settled, the driver had taken his first career feature.

Austin McCarl and the TMAC Motorsport #17A Sprint Car

As the month progressed, the young driver and his team experienced their ups and downs. On June 12th, Austin McCarl spun out in turn four, ruining any hopes of a victory. Returning to Knoxville on June 18, luck simply wasn't on his side. After running third for much of the race, Austin broke a shock, and dropped back to seventh.

Austin finished 5th at Husset's Raceway on June 19th, and completed the race at Knoxville in 13th place on the second day of July. On July 3, he took eighth place in the 410 at Husset's Speedway.

Austin and his team pulled into the Knoxville Speedway on July 9, with anticipation of logging another win in the 410 division. Little did they know that the driver was on the verge of experiencing a race that he and his family would likely remember for years to come.

Dominating the first of two main events for a majority of the race, it was looking like Austin might experience his first career win at Knoxville, but things began to change when the red flag flew with only four laps to go.

The driver suddenly found himself in a heated battle with his father, Terry, and when all was said and done, Austin had fallen short of the victory and earned second place, which was still an all-time best for him at Knoxville Speedway.

When asked if he enjoyed the competition between himself and his father, Austin said, "I love it. We're a very competitive family. My dad has been doing this his whole life. He's made a good living. You want to win. You gotta win to make money. Competitiveness has kind of been a part of my whole life, between basketball and racing. Being competitive, our family doesn't like getting beat."

"We enjoy the competition between each other," he continued. "Last week when I finished second, I led most of the race, and he ended up getting me at the very end. I was kind of upset about it, but it was pretty cool to run first and second with your dad, as tough as the competition is at Knoxville. Yeah, I think it's awesome, I think it's great."

"We've had a very successful year," explained Austin. "Last year was my rookie year, and we definitely had our ups and we definitely had our downs. This year we've been very consistent. I'd say we're a force to be reckoned with and I think everyone knows that we're one of the top five cars to beat each week."

"I have a great crew and a great teacher in my father," explained Austin. "I gained a lot of experience form all of those years I spent watching my father. Being at the shop every day, working on the cars and learning how they work has also helped. I've got a good crew and I go out there and do my best every week, and try to win."

As a third generation driver, Austin is no stranger to the importance of preventive maintenance, and has been around K&N Filters from the word go, as his father and grandfather both were believers in and used their products. "Motor maintenance is a big deal." He explained. "It's called motorsports for a good reason. You need a good motor that runs at top performance all of the time. It's a very vital part of racing. I think K&N Filters are the best filters on the face of the earth. There's nothing else out there that can compete with them."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

A Serious Injury Was Just a Bump In The Road For Sprint Car Racer Terry McCarl

Jul 18, 2011

Sustaining a serious injury on July 31 of 2010, Terry McCarl was sidelined for several months in order to allow his broken leg to mend. Although, still not at one hundred percent, Terry McCarl finally reached a point where he could get back in his car and return to competing in the sport of racing.

#55 Sprint Car Driver Terry McCarl

With a handful of races already under his belt in 2011, Terry scored his first victory of the season on May 20, at the Jacksonville Speedway, in Jacksonville, Illinois with the Monster Energy Sprint Car Series.

Although the draw was not a good one, three cars were eliminated prior to the lap's completion, moving McCarl from 7th to fourth, and giving him enough passing points to qualify for the dash. McCarl drew last for the dash and had a fifth place finish, setting him up inside row three in the feature. After the waving of the green flag deemed the race underway, Terry found himself in fourth place early, and began working his way to the front.

The driver made the winning pass in lap 16 and held the lead throughout the remainder of the race, deeming him victorious.

"It felt great," explained Terry Mccarl. "It's a fun little race track, and M.O.W.A. is a new organization. There were some real tough cars there that night, and that was our first win together, me and the 55 car, so it was pretty special for us."

As one might suspect, Terry McCarl's first win since coming back from his injury was a memorable moment, but the driver has since earned two more victories, both at Knoxville, one of which is equally as memorable if not more so. On July 12, at Knoxville, Terry McCarl found himself in a heated race to the very finish in the 410 Feature with another driver. That said, who would the driver be? It was Austin, his son. As excitement grew throughout the stands, Terry eventually worked his way onto the lead with two laps to go, and when the dust had finally settled was victorious.

"It was kind of a bitter sweet win," shared Terry. "I hated to beat Austin, because he had the thing won," he continued, "but I'm sure he didn't want me to let him win. I won and he came in second. That's a pretty good night for any family."

Of course, Terry McCarl has anticipations of getting back to 100 percent and finishing the remainder of the season strong.

When asked about his team, Terry McCarl was quick to dish out a heaping helping of credit. "Your not going to be a good driver without a good team," he said. "Everybody works hard for us and we definitely appreciate them, and without them, we definitely couldn't do what we do. That's for sure."

According to Terry, his car has been performing very well throughout the season. As one might suspect, McCarl is also acutely aware that his continued success depends a great deal on properly maintaining his engine.

Referring to K&N Filters, he said, "We really stress keeping the motor clean and wouldn't run anything else." When asked how long he had been using K&N Filters, Terry responded, "Wow. I'd say my entire career. That's one thing I remember, as a young boy, cleaning my dad's filters. We've been running K&N for as long as I can remember, and I've been around this my whole life. We run their oil filter and their air filter, and they're the best out there. They're name says it all."

When asked about his sponsors and fans, Terry McCarl said, "I'm glad they're all aboard and they all mean a lot to us. Regardless of how big or small, all of our sponsors are important to us, and we're going to work hard to represent them well."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Sprint Car Rookie Carson McCarl is Experiencing a Stellar Season

Jul 18, 2011

At sixteen years of age, most folks are just getting accustomed to driving, but Carson McCarl is a far cry from your average driver. In fact, during his rookie year as a sprint car driver, Carson doesn't seem to be intimidated in any form or fashion by his older and more experienced competitors, as he has managed to win two feature races this season in the 305 division at the Knoxville Raceway.

#97 Sprint Car Driver Carson McCarl

On April 30th the young driver logged the first win of his early career. Evidently, Carson savored the taste of victory, as he got his second feature win at Knoxville on June 16, 2011.

Although earning his first win was a memorable feat, Carson was equally excited about his second win of the season, if not more so, and for good reason. In fact, the race on June 16 was fast and furious, as Carson and a fellow driver exchanged the second spot on four different occasions. Carson made his move into the lead with two laps to go and managed to hang on to the position for the win. I think the win made a statement," he said. "I think they all take me pretty seriously now," he continued, referring to his competition. Upon getting his first victory, Carson became the youngest driver to ever win a sprint car feature at the Knoxville Speedway. "That was awesome," shared Carson. "I've been going there my whole life, and to get a feature win was very special. To be honest, prior to the race, I thought we would get a top five if we were lucky and was prepared to be happy with that, so a win was great."

According to Carson, as a third generation driver, his father, Terry, has played an important role in his early success. "He's won a lot of races at Knoxville, and won a lot of races everywhere, and has really taught me a lot." When asked if there were other keys to his success as well, Carson explained, "We've got a really good team. We're really positive all of the time and are having fun no matter what."

Of course, Carson has anticipations of continuing success throughout the remainder of the season. To do so, one might suspect that he should continue doing exactly what he has been doing throughout the first portion of his rookie season. "I'm really an aggressive driver," stated Carson. When asked the key to continue success throughout the remainder of the season, he said, "I have to keep cool and not make any stupid mistakes."

Living in the neighborhood, only thirty minutes form the Knoxville Raceway, Carson benefits from the opportunity and experience he gets from competing at one of the largest sprint car venues throughout the entire country on a consistent basis. "Knoxville is the only place where I race right now," explained the driver. "I eventually want to go and race at other places, so I can see what I can do, but right now, it's just Knoxville."

"I'm pretty confident right now," stated Carson. "My team and I are pretty fast and we haven't run out of the top four yet, and haven't finished under the top two of any of our heat races." When asked if his two recent wins were of important elements of his future success, Carson answered, "Yeah, I think it got people talking about me and got me on the radar a little bit."

Although Carson has not been in the industry long enough to have a strong understanding or opinion of many products on the market, he is aware of the importance of keeping his engine well-lubed and dust free. That said, Carson depends on, and is no stranger to K&N Filters. He has watched his father, Terry McCarl, use them. In fact, Carson is actually the third generation using K&N products, as Terry recalls seeing his father use them as well in his race cars.

When asked about his sponsors and fans, Carson said "My sponsors are really great, and my fans are really great." In closing he stated, "Just keep supporting me."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Max Gresham Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Jul 18, 2011

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East racer Max Gresham celebrates.

Max Gresham won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday and might have wrapped up the East Series championship.

Max Gresham took the lead in the New Hampshire 125 on lap 113.

The win, combined with the finishes of championship contenders Darrell Wallace Jr. and Matt DiBenedetto, gave Gresham a comfortable lead in the East Series standings with four races to go.

But it wasn't exactly smooth sailing for Gresham. While leading the race, he missed pit road and had to circle the track as the rest of the race leaders came in for fuel and tires. When Gresham finally made his pit stop and returned to the race, he was 21st.

"When we missed it, it was just a little thing that we thought was going to end up hurting us in the long run," Gresham said. "We had to go back to the back of the pack after that because we were the last one to come on pit road. We fought our way back from the back, didn't really get into anything, and just kept our nose clean, kept the tires underneath it. We drove our race and just drove back to the front in a slow and constant pace."

Max Gresham wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Gresham worked his way through the field and took the lead in the New Hampshire 125 on lap 113. Once he was out in front, he pulled away from the rest of the field and won his second race of the season.

"Once we got up there, we just kept where we were running, got by Brett (Moffitt) there with about 15 to go and just ran away from him," Gresham said. "It's been a cool weekend for us. Everyone's been putting in a lot of hours at the shop. To finally get this second victory this year is very cool for us and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing."

DiBenedetto came into the race second in the K&N Pro Series East standings. He finished 27th in the race at New Hampshire. Wallace was third in the East Series standings but finished 30th.

"I know both of them were very close to me in the points," Gresham said. "I hate to say they had problems, but it's good for us. It gives us a bigger points lead. With four races left to go this year, it gives us a little bit of a cushion to ride on the rest of the season."

Brett Moffitt moved into second place in the K&N Pro Series East Series standings with a runner-up finish in the race at New Hampshire. He is 94 points behind Gresham.

"Normally you'd be really happy with a second-place finish, but when the points leader wins, it kind of makes it not as fun," Moffitt said. "We're going to keep going and see what we can do to try and win this championship. We just gotta keep digging."

DiBenedetto fell to third place in the East Series standings, 125 points behind Gresham. Wallace is fourth in the East Series standings and 139 points out of first.

Gresham won the pole, but Wallace, who started on the front row, led the first eight laps of the race. Gresham passed Wallace for the lead in the race on lap 9. Gresham was out front until lap 48, when the race leaders started cycling through the pits. Gresham missed the pit entrance and had to stay out for an extra lap.

When he pitted, Ryan Gifford took over the lead and held it for three laps. Sergio Pena passed Gifford for the lead on lap 53 and was out front until lap 75.

Cory LaJoie passed Pena and took over the lead for seven laps, but lost it to Moffitt after a restart.

"Dirty air was a pretty big issue," said LaJoie, who finished third in the race. "I think we were about the same speed when he was behind me and I was probably the same speed when I was behind him. It was just a matter of me missing that shift on that last restart. I kinda put us behind the 8-ball. Luckily we didn't get wrecked or wadded up or turned around. Something like that usually happens, but I got lucky. I was little frustrated myself with that. We ended up third. I messed up on that restart and that's part of it."

Meanwhile, Gresham steadily worked his way through the field. He finally caught the leaders with less than 20 laps to go in the race. He passed Moffitt on lap 112 and held on for the remaining 12 laps of the race.

"Most people want to go back to the front as fast as they could," Gresham said. "We just slowed down, ran our pace and try to get it one car a lap. We knew if we could do that and keep the tires as best as we could, keep the fenders as clean as possible, we'd have something for them at the end. We were able to do that. It definitely paid off in the long run. We were there at the end and we were just as fast as we needed to be at the end."

It was the fourth career K&N Pro Series East win for Gresham and his first since June 11 at Gresham Motorsports Park.

The New Hampshire 125 will be broadcast on Speed on Aug. 4 at 6 p.m. ET.

The next K&N Pro Series East race is the inaugural Jegs 150 at Columbus Motor Speedway in Ohio on July 23.

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

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