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Greg Anderson Gets First NHRA Pro Stock Pole in Two Years Plus K&N HPC Bonus at Joliet

Jul 15, 2011

NHRA Pro Stock Champion Greg Anderson

It may be hard for one to believe, but Multi-Time NHRA Pro Stock and defending Full Throttle Champion Greg Anderson qualified number one during the O'Reilly Route 66 NHRA Nationals to end a dry spell that spanned back nearly two years. Although Anderson finds himself generally well in the top half of the field, the last time he was on the pole was back in July 2009 during the Sonoma event.

Greg Anderson went on to win the O'Reilly Route 66 NHRA Nationals

During the first qualifying session on Friday, it was Erica Enders who sailed to the top of the pack with her 6.616 lap, nearly a full two hundredths of a second ahead of Anderson's 6.634 number three effort.

That all changed during Friday evening's run. Anderson was part of the next to last pair to make the lap, and able to watch what the track conditions would hold, tuned his Summit Racing Pontiac right to the top. Anderson jumped up a whopping five hundredths from the first session and posted a 6.586, with teammate Jason Line being the only other car able to manage a pass into the fifty's during the session.

"It's just a great feeling to have a hot rod underneath me again," said Anderson shortly after his jump to number one on Friday evening. "It's a confidence booster and I've needed that lately. This [Pro Stock] deal is a mind game. If you lose that confidence, it's awful hard to win or run fast."

"It kind of feels like old times," he added.

The weather on Saturday remained typical for mid-summer in the Chicago area, lots of humidity in the morning and hot afternoon temps don't exactly give the naturally aspirated power plants a whole lot to work with.

Anderson and his teammate Jason Line were able to post the two quickest laps of session three, both in the low sixties and it was starting to look like Anderson's prior day 6.586 pass was in no threat of being bumped off.

In the final session on Saturday, Anderson and K&N's Mike Edwards made the quickest laps of any other Pro Stock team, both putting 6.617's on the board, but it would be Greg Anderson qualifying number one for race day for the first time in two years.

"This makes me feel pretty good," Anderson confessed of the feat. "We have whole different attitude and race car than we've had lately. I really have a race car right now. The pressure falls right back on me not to screw it up. That's the way it used to be for us."

The recently crowned 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge Champ earned some very precious points for the 2012 Challenge along with the cool $3,000 low qualifier bonus check from K&N Engineering. While the Challenge chase to make the top seven for 2012 is still in its infancy with just two events in the books, as with the rest of Pro Stock it's already a tight pack at the top with Erica Enders sitting at number one, a mere ten points behind is Jason Line at two and Greg Anderson a short pounce away at number three.

Greg Anderson went on to win the O'Reilly Route 66 NHRA Nationals and get his first victory at the facility in the history of his career.

The teams have a short one weekend break before the kickoff of the three races in a row "Western Swing" commences July 22-24 with the first stop at Bandimere Speedway in Morristown, Colorado, just outside of Denver. Lots of teams will have their brooms handy, looking to sweep them up and Pro Stock teams always keeping a special eye on the K&N Horsepower Challenge standings.

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Madison Whitten Wins 2011 Fontana Track Championship for 13 to 14 year-olds

Jul 15, 2011

Madison proudly displays the Wally she just won at Fontana Dragway.

"This all started when Madison was eight-years-old, and she saw top fuel run at Pomona, and she said 'that's what I want to do,'" explained her dad, Doug, who works in the race shop at K&N. Last weekend Madison Whitten went three rounds deep on Sunday and won the 2011 Fontana Dragway Track Championship for 13 to 14 year-olds.

In 2010 Madison had five wins, this season she already has four wins, a track championship, and three more championships in her sights.

From the get-go, the weekend started off on a sweet note as the Corona, California teenager qualified with two .004 RT passes for the number two spot.

"First round we had a better light and backed it in for the win, second round the other car went red, third round we got the bye with the .004," commented Doug. "It got a little tougher in the fourth round, we where second off the line but closer to the dial and took the win by .0001."

The number one qualifier had a perfect light to win their semi race, so the final set-up with the number one and two racers dueling for the Wally. Madison had a perfect light and RJ Karl went red by.007, and the Wally was Madison's. The win Madison also gave her the lock on track points, and the track championship.

"Madison didn't even know she won until I told her after the second round on Sunday," adds dad. "You have never seen a face like that - she was stoked. We started racing last year in April, so this is our first full year of racing, and we try to race every week if there's a race with-in 500 miles."

Even in an incomplete 2010 race season Madison still managed to notch five victories, and so far this year she already has four wins. "We are going to Arizona this weekend and try to win the Arizona State Championship, which is contested between Speedworld and Firebird Raceway," Doug continues, "We are in first by two-hundred points. We are also trying to win the Speedworld Track Championship and Division Seven Championship; we stand in the number two spot in both of those."

Madison's car runs 7.90 at 85 mph. She is also got licensed in Jr. Comp this year at 6.90 and 105 mph in the 1/8 mile. Madison hopes to do a lot more Jr. Comp runs this season too.

"It's all about the great racers and families we have met along the way," Doug says. "We still have a lot of racing to go this year, and we take it one round at a time. All this kid thinks about is running top fuel someday."

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Harold Goldberg is the Grand Prize Winner in the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes

Jul 14, 2011

The 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes Prize was a 2011 Ford Explorer won by Harold Goldberg

Out of the thousands to enter the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes, eight lucky finalists were selected and flown to Ohio in late June for an experience of a lifetime. The eight folks from all over the US, were then paired during a random drawing with one of the eight NHRA Pro Stock drivers who would be vying for the K&N Horsepower Challenge Championship that was held during the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, in Norwalk, Ohio.

Harold Goldberg wins the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes

Harold Goldberg, of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, who notes that he is an avid fan of all types of motorsports, was one of the lucky eight finalists selected for a shot to win a 2011 Ford Explorer in the Sweepstakes. When the Pro Stock drivers were paired with the finalists, Goldberg learned that he would be cheering hard for last year's Champion, Greg Anderson to win the event again and in the process win a brand new Ford for himself.

"I was actually on my exercise bike when I got the call that I was selected as one of the eight finalists," Goldberg smiled as he reflected. "I knew some of the names of the Pro Stock drivers who were in for the shootout. I didn't know all of them, but when I drew Greg Anderson, well, I knew who he was. I thought, this is awesome I felt like I had a really good chance."

The drawing to pair drivers and finalists took place at the K&N display on the midway where Goldberg got a chance to meet and chat with Anderson. "It was really nice to get to speak to Greg," he said. "He was the event defending champion and I just felt really good about our chances at winning."

Harold Goldberg celebrates with Greg Anderson who's event win brought him a new Ford Explorer.

During each round of the Challenge, Goldberg was burning up the cell towers making calls back to his wife in New Mexico, who was unable to make the trip with him, passing along the good news of each of Anderson's winning laps.

"While I'm retired, unfortunately my wife isn't yet," he explained. "With such short notice, she was unable to take off from work. It was a bummer that she couldn't be there with all the emotions that were flying. When we won the first round, I called her and said, 'well, we are in the semi-finals' and then called her again and told her we were going to the finals."

As the rounds went and Anderson made his way to the final of the K&N Horsepower Challenge, Goldberg knew he was also getting closer to winning as well. For the final, Goldberg and his fellow finalist were taken to the top end of the track to witness history in the making and who would come out as not only the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge Champion, but who of the two remaining finalist that would be driving away in a brand new 2011 Ford.

"One of the officials had a little radio that they carried with them so we were able to hear the track announcer," said Goldberg of the intense moments of the final round. "When I heard that Greg had won, it was just awesome. I knew before he even came around the corner in his car. I mean, I'm sixty-six years old but I was acting like a two-year-old, you know jumping up and down and so on."

"Being a part of the K&N Horsepower Challenge was just an awesome weekend," says the new 2011 Ford owner. "I now have a brand new Ford sitting in my driveway thanks to K&N, Ford and of course Greg Anderson and his team."

"After all the yelling and screaming I did when I won, my voice was really raspy for about two days," he chuckled. "I'm so excited to have my new 2011 Ford. And you know I have been a K&N product user for years so I can't wait for K&N to come out with their upgrades so I can add them to this new vehicle, too."

Congratulations to all the finalists and to Harold Goldberg, the 2011 K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes Grand Prize winner!

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The Seemingly Unstoppable David Rampy Makes it Three Comp NHRA National Victories in a Row

Jul 14, 2011

David Rampy wins NHRA Competition Eliminator at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois

What makes Piedmont, Alabama's David Rampy the outstanding winner that he is, would be the combination of years of hard work, the folks he surrounds himself with and something that is sometimes unique from driver's who have tasted success, being humble. He's as down home as he is a down right good racer.

David Rampy's The Racers Edge/K&N 1932 Bantam

K&N's David Rampy is currently in the middle of a spectacular run in NHRA Competition Eliminator, after winning the class during the last three events where the class was contested, Englishtown, Norwalk and most recently at a track where, believe it or not he had never won an event in prior attempts, Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois.

Qualifying for the 14th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals went almost as planned for the multi-time championship driver, landing in the number five spot after all was said and done, although he prefers to be in the "number eight hole" and get into a spot which would allow him to run lower and slower qualified entries.

"It's not always easy to get right in the spot you want to be, but we ended up in the vicinity," said Rampy of qualifying. "That put me first round with Shaun Vincent, who I had just run there a few weeks ago at the divisional event. We were a little concerned looking at his qualifying times, because we knew he was capable of running faster. So I was definitely a little concerned about him."

David Rampy has won three Competition Eliminator NHRA National victories in a row

Rampy had a whopping five hundredths starting line advantage over Vincent and easily carried it to the stripe for not only the win, but also remaining clean [no index penalty] for his round two match up.

"In reality we should have run Matt Harris, if you look at how things shape out on paper," said Rampy of his round two pairing with Jay Billingsley. "Matt was the higher qualified car but I guess he went red. So that round was a little easier than what it could have been."

Rampy had one of the best reaction times of the round and used it to once again, win the round all while staying just within the amount allowed to not get an index hit. "He made a pretty decent run, but we were able to sneak by him and that put us up against Mike DePalma for round three," he noted. "Now Mike hadn't nicked any of his index either, so he was clean and I was clean. I knew it should be a very good race. But we ran Sunday morning, which we never get in three rounds before the pros [eliminations start]. For some reason, it could have had to do with the All-Stars race that was going on, they ran us Sunday morning. It wasn't as hot as it had been, but the humidity was real-real bad."

"I think everybody was running a little slower than the gauges said you should have run," he continued about third round. "It was just the deal where he gave me a little room on the tree and I squeaked by him but he had also slowed down a bunch from where he qualified. He said that the humidity just killed his car."

Rampy had been able to stay clean until the third round with DePalma and even though he was now carrying a .01 CIC his semi-final competitor, Chuck Haubiel was certainly in a whole lot deeper with a huge .06 CIC.

Both drivers gave it everything they had on the line for a pair of somewhat uncharacteristic .00 lights in the class and it was Rampy coming out in the end with the win light and on to the final in his The Racers Edge/K&N 1932 Bantam.

"I realize that sometimes you are going to redlight and the old saying that if you're not trying you're never going to redlight, but in Comp I just try to be teen's and twenty's and not be so close to the edge," he confessed of his .009 semi-final reaction time. "You know, if you live on the edge you're gonna fall off every now and then. It was good that I was double-oh on the tree, even with his six that he had to carry, I needed to be right there with him."

Combined with his excellent reaction time, Rampy ran a fantastic round for the win which also included taking the stripe while staying .003 away from hurting his index. That would send him to a very important final with Arnie Martel.

Martel's very first win came against Rampy back in 1998 and although the two have met many times since then, this would only be their second final round match up.

This time the tables were turned and it was all Rampy all the way. "Looking at the round on paper, I just didn't feel like Arnie could go much faster," he said of the Comp final that was held during not so conducive racing conditions. "Maybe fifty under was all he could go and even though the heat affected us too, I knew I could go about fifty-five under. I felt like as long as I matched him on the tree and that nothing happened that we could have a good chance."

Rampy did what he had been doing all weekend, he took an advantage at the tree and drove around Martel for his 79th NHRA National event win and his third NHRA Competition Eliminator Wally in a row in as many events.

The K&N racer will have a couple of weekends at home before heading to National Trail Raceway and his next NHRA Division 3 event, where he will compete in both his Comp and Super Stock cars.

"It feels good to be able to have success for the folks like K&N who are a part of what I do and on my team," said Rampy. "K&N has a great line of products and I use them on both of the cars. Having the best parts available on the cars is the first part of what you need to do, if you want to have a chance to win whether it's an NHRA National or at your local track."

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.

K&N's Phil Veldheer Inks His Fourth IHRA World Record in the Book

Jul 14, 2011

This is how Veldheer's engine compartment looked only hours before making his only check run.

K&N sponsored Phil Veldheer started drag racing when he was 17, he's 62 years young now, and you have to expect he's seen a thing or two, and figured out a few more when it comes to racing. The Holland, Michigan resident estimates he's owned a dozen race cars over the years. Currently he owns six of them, three 455 Top Eliminator bracket cars, one 1999 Z-28 from Hurricane Katrina that has a small block, and runs 10.00's at 136 mph, and two IHRA-Stock eliminator cars.

Veldheer's fourth H/CM IHRA World Record came in the same car that set the first three, his trusty 1969 IHRA F/CM-H/CM Camaro.

"I usually drive the 1969 IHRA F/CM-H/CM Camaro," Veldheer said. Five years ago I set the F/CM IHRA World Record at 10.82 at 120 mph. The record was untouched for three years and then a new one had to be set. So in 2009 I reset the F/CM record at 10.77 at 121 mph. In 2010 I decided to add some weight to the race car and set the H/CM record. On the hottest day in Michigan in 2010, I set the ET and MPH record in H/CM at 10.96 at 119.5 mph."

Veldheer's fourth H/CM IHRA World Record came just weeks ago, and it came on yet another hot and humid Michigan day - the record 10.666 at 122 mph.

"I hope to take it to Maryland some year, and set the F/CM record, as the weather and altitude is better there. The car has run a 10.6666 ET at 122 mph in decent weather," he adds.

Veldheer's 1955 Chevrolet street car towing his 1956 Wagon to the 1967 US Nationals in INDY at age 18. He claims the street car was faster than the race car.

Says Veldheer, "In IHRA racing you notify the tech people that you plan on setting a new record and they will tell you when and where to meet them at the next IHRA Pro/Am race. Mine was at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan.

"In IHRA racing they look at the engine before you try and set the record. I spent Thursday taking the motor apart and cleaning parts," continues Veldheer. "When I arrived at the track on Friday the inspectors looked at the race car and engine-pistons, heads, intake, carb, wheelbase, valves, car weight etc. from around 10 AM until 1:30 PM and then gave me the green light to reassemble the engine."

One of Veldheer's three K&N sponsored 455 cars.

With a little help from his friends, Veldheer had the Camaro reassembled and running by 6 PM. Officials placed colored sealer-glue on the head-bolts, carb-bolts, timing chain cover, and so on, so that they would be able to tell at a glance if anything had been altered.

"I made one check out pass of 10.80 at 120.5 mph," said Veldheer. "The dew point went up 17 points by the next morning when I had to make the two runs to set the new record. I made the first run and then had to make a back up run within one percent of the first run. I could see the weather (heat and major humidity) getting worse and made another run as soon as they would let me. It was within the parameters, and we set another ET and MPH record. So as of right now, the white Hard Blok-K&N Camaro holds four IHRA WORLD records, two ET and two MPH records."

Veldheer says there's at least one more race related thing on his bucket list, and that's to go 200 mph at Bonneville.

"We use and recommend K&N oil and air filters on all six race cars, and all six tow vehicles, and that is a lot of filters," confirms Veldheer. "My engine builder (I have 10 race engines in all) is Bruce Parsons, of Parsons and Myers Racing Engines, in Dayton, Ohio (711 miles round-trip from Holland, Michigan - but worth it). Bruce only uses K&N oil filters on all of his customer's engines. And he says he has never had a problem."

Veldheer will be at the IHRA Nitro Jam at US 131 Motorsports Park on Aug 11-13, then he flies to Wendover, Utah for four days. "I will be a spectator instead of a participant," he explains. "I want to get my feet wet and see what all I'll have to do to my '99 Z-29 to make it Bonneville Legal. I have one more item on my bucket list - and that is to go 200 mph for 5 miles at the Bonneville Salt Flats."

"Then I fly home, drag race again, and the following week I'll become a spectator once more, which is only the second time in 40 years, as I snagged a couple tickets to the Bristol night race."

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