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Michael Beard First to Win IHRA Bracket Finals and Stock World Championship in Same Year

May 10, 2010

K&N Filters have been riding with Beard since he won the 2003 IHRA Stock World Championship in his rookie year

"With a six-month postponement of the Tournament of Champions from October 2009 to April of this year, I didn't immediately realize that I had really won both in the same year. I checked with drag racing historian Bret Kepner, and he believes that it's the first time that anyone has won both major championships in the same year, so that's a really special feeling," says Seagrove, North Carolina racer Michael Beard.

Beard hoists the big check overhead after winning his second IHRA Stock World Championship by defeating an all-star cast in the long-postponed IHRA Tournament of Champions at Rockingham Dragway

Beard won his second IHRA Stock World Championship by defeating an all-star cast in the long-postponed IHRA Tournament of Champions, held at Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, North Carolina. The 2009 IHRA World Championships were left up in the air last fall when the World Finals suffered through day after day of severe weather, leading to the postponement of the all-important shootout. The achievement clearly makes Beard the first to capture both a Bracket Finals Championship and World Championship in the same year.

"They're hard enough to win individually," remarked Beard. "I won the NHRA Division 1 Bracket Finals in 1994, and I'll never forget a teammate telling me, 'man - you really have to enjoy this, because you know you'll never win another one.'" A clear reminder that you should always resist putting too much weight on compliments and criticism coming from friends.

"Winning the IHRA Division 2 East Bracket Finals in October was exhilarating, and a relief all at the same time. Capping that off now with my second IHRA Stock World Championship is priceless."

Beard says that moving to the Carolinas five years ago may have been one of his best racing decisions ever, because he can run over 55 races a year now, and there's no substitute for seat time.

"This year, I've been footbraking in the Box class off and on, which has forced me to be even sharper. I even won Top ET at Rockingham back in March. I raced at the K&N Spring Fling 20's at Bristol against all the Box cars the week before, and I really think it made all the difference in the Tournament of Champions. Couple all of that with only the best products for your race car like K&N, and you have an absolutely proven winning combination."

"K&N Filters have been riding with me since I won the '03 IHRA Stock World Championship my rookie year. I've been using the X-Stream Top air filter on all my race cars for years, and rely on K&N's wrench-off filter on the racecars and my tow vehicle. I also use a K&N stock replacement air filter on the truck. K&N is about more than just quality products, though. There are quality people that stand behind them. Bob Harris and the crew at K&N have always been as supportive as family - and that means a lot."

When we noticed that Beard had Jill, his wife, listed last in his "people to thank section" we wondered if he would care to amend for that.

"My wife had to work on Friday, when we were running the Tournament of Champions. She missed the Championship win and the awards ceremony that night, but she told me to 'Just go win on Sunday.' She was there the rest of the weekend. I listened, and it was great to have her there when I won Stock again on Sunday for the IHRA Spring Nitro Jam! She's 100 percent supportive, whether she's at the track or not."

Winning the World Championship has forced Beard to make some impromptu scheduling adjustments however.

"The Top 5 in the World are not eligible to compete at the Bracket Finals, so I can't even attempt to defend that title. I had planned to try to qualify for the Bracket Finals in two, or even three different divisions, but now I will shift my focus toward running more Pro-Ams, Nitro Jams, and big-money bracket races."

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.

Kathy Fisher Grabs Quick Rod Victory During IHRA Div 3 at Pittsburgh Raceway Park

May 10, 2010

Kathy Fisher Gets Quick Rod Victory in IHRA Div 3. Photos by: BME Photography.

After the first few events were either scratched from their schedule or plagued by rain, the team cars of Performance by Fisher Racing were finally able to hit the track for the first time this season during the IHRA Division 3 season opener held at Pittsburgh Raceway Park in New Alexandria, PA, May 7-8.

The Fisher Racing team at Pittsburgh Raceway Park. Photos by: BME Photography.

Kathy Fisher, driver of the team's 8.90 entry, had quite a week leading up to the event.

"I started my week by first driving to just outside of Philadelphia for some of the TV work I do. Man that was a lot of driving," she laughed. "I left on Tuesday and when I was finished, met up with the team at the track on Thursday, hoping we could get some testing in since we really haven't been on the track much at all this year. It seems so strange to be getting such a late start, but that's Mother Nature for you."

"I was a little concerned looking at the forecast that we may run into some problems during the Pittsburgh event, too. But it was gorgeous for race day on Friday," she added.

Kathy Fisher's IHRA Division winning dragster. Photos by: BME Photography.

After only being able to get one hit at the track during the test session, Fisher was anxious to see what type of numbers she would be able to lay down during qualifying for Friday's race.

"We have made several changes on my car since last season, such as new Moser Axles, changing to a Hogan's Racing Manifold and my new K&N scoop, which is the second generation dragster scoop," she continued. "She picked up over two MPH in the eighth-mile compared to where I was at that track last year. I can only imagine what she's going to do on tracks closer to sea level and in the quarter-mile."

Fisher's first round match up was one of her memorable ones of the event.

"I knew I had to run whoever was behind me and I wasn't sure who it was," she reflected. "Then I see long time friend Bill Rudy pull up next to me, who just this year returned to running a dragster after years of competing in his Gremlins. I knew Bill was going to be tough, I knew what kind of lights he had in both testing and qualifying and he had his new car dialed. I've known Bill since I was nine or ten and in all these years, had never raced Bill before."

When the tree came down it was Fisher on top, with a .009 to Rudy's .015 reaction time, which as just enough to help push him at the stripe for a 5.709 to Rudy's losing 5.697 and a mere .005 margin when the cars went across the line.

The new IHRA rules for bye-run selection played right into Fisher's hand, as she had posted the best reaction time of the previous round and earned the only actual Quick Rod bye of the event.

"I had actually forgotten all about the change," she said in regards to her bye. "As strange as it may sound, I wasn't doing a whole lot of thinking about anything during the race, at least not when it came to the driving part. I was studying the computer and the data we have and after that, it was just get in and go."

Fisher continued to better each of her opponent's on the tree and even though the final round's reaction time was nothing to write home about, it was still a whopping .052 better than her opponents.

"I didn't get lane choice in the final and had a feeling Jeff (Martin) was going to put me in the right lane, which based on the way the track sits when you get to that time of day, it's a little tougher to cut a bulb," she said. "I certainly didn't want to take a chance at going red, so I only took a few numbers out."

"I knew when we launched I was late, but when I looked over I thought, 'Not near as late as he was, come on baby let's go'," she laughed.

Her huge reaction time advantage over Martin allowed Fisher all the room she needed to back into his dead-on 5.708, with a full hundredth of a second room to spare at the stripe, even as she only posted a 5.749 and knocking off about eight MPH.

"There was something about going up for the final that was different than some of my other finals," she paused. "The difference was me, mentally, my attitude. I have no idea of how to explain it, it was just a certain state of mind and by the looks of things, it was a good place to be."

The victory was Fisher's first IHRA Divisional event win since she started competing on the circuit in 2005.

"I have been to several finals, but to finally sew one up is just fantastic," she exclaimed while posing proudly in her new K&N firesuit alongside husband and fellow teammate, Kevin Fisher and first year crew members Julie Bean and Dustin Wlazlo, both students at UNOH. "My 'baby beastie', as I started calling her, was really doing her job and you know, not too bad for a twelve year old car."

"I know it has so much to do with all that is put into our program. We are so pleased to win this event for Dragon Racing Fuels, who are just getting into our part of the motorsports world," Fisher continued. "Between having Ohio Crankshaft parts in my motor, along with Amalie Oil and our K&N filters to protect them plus the consistency of Dragon Racing Fuels, I had all the ingredients to make it to the winner's circle going into the event."

"I want to first thank God for allowing me to do so many of the things that I truly love and to be able to do them side-by-side with Kevin," she added. "I'm so thankful for our huge racing family of partners, from the ones such as Dragon, K&N, Ohio Crankshaft, Amalie and Tom Hirt, our Snap-On Tools rep, who has been a part of our team for well over a decade, to the great people I work for like Frank & Lana Hawley and Ted Jones, who allow me the time I need to pursue my dreams."

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.

Damen Jefferies' K&N Trophy Truck Competes in Three Consecutive Desert Races

May 10, 2010

Damen Jefferies' Number 22 Trophy Truck

Competing in three major desert races in three weeks would stand as a herculean task for many racers - not so for H-Town, California resident Damen Jefferies.

K&N Filters, Lucas Oil, Black Ice Energy sponsored Trophy Truck

"With the races being a week apart it doesn't take much of a toll. It actually keeps me sharp getting that much seat time," remarked Jefferies."

"Now racing the 'Nevada 2000', that was a different story. In the year 2000 we ran that race, a six-day, 300 mile-per-day race in July, in the hot Nevada desert. It was exhausting; I had to pay close attention to hydration in that one."

And by exhausting we can only imagine Jefferies means it was like racing over the face of the sun. Off-road racers are a hardy bunch by definition to say the very least. It's all about facing challenges and overcoming them. If you need to duct tape your differential in position, hold a broken shifter in one hand, an unhinged door with the other, and steer with your forehead for the last 30 miles of a race - you do it. There's no whining in off-road racing.

Jefferies has been racing off-road since 1992 and you can bet he's overcome his share obstacles in that time. Competing in three consecutive events only adds more material to the final Damen Jefferies Racing story tally. The first race for the number 22 Trophy Truck was at the 24th annual SCORE San Felipe 250 held in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico.

"The rain over the winter months really took its toll on the desert down there. A lot of the sand has been washed out of the canyons leaving basketball sized rocks exposed for us to maneuver through," reflected Jefferies. At mile eight, visibility choked by dust, the team of Damen and Casey hit a rock that flattened the left rear tire. They had to change the tire themselves using the truck's onboard tools and jack system. Casey Jefferies is the lead mechanic and co-pilot of the number 22 truck.

Shortly after, having caught back up to 19th position, the shock absorbers began to fail and the team had to make the difficult decision to call it a day before they did terminal damage to the truck. The shocks got so hot the stickers melted off, so damaged by the heat that they could no longer hold the back end of the truck up. "It was a rough day!" said Jefferies. And by rough he means brutal.

The next weekend Jefferies participated in the MORE 250 held in Barstow, California, teaming up with Shelby Reid in a Class-1 unlimited car this time. The race was comprised of nine 28-mile laps. As though being reward for surviving the weekend before, the off-road gods presented the team of Shelby and Jefferies with a smooth sailing race this time. The team took the overall win by 15 minutes and 7 seconds.

"The dust got real bad as we had to pass the lap traffic," explained Jefferies. "But, I'd like to thank K&N for a great air filter, it is amazing the dirt and dust the filter keeps out of the engine. Thanks to the filter we rarely have to tear down the engines anymore."

The very next weekend the team was off to the General Tires Mint 400, held just north of Las Vegas, Nevada. The Mint 400 is a race that Jefferies looks forward to every year. This year the team raced with good friend Rob Bruce. Over 70 teams took their shot at the pole position, the K&N Trophy Truck placed 13th.

27 Trophy Trucks took the green flag on Saturday morning. The K&N Trophy Truck completed the first silt laden, rough and rocky lap in fourth position, running trouble free. On lap two however the team experienced the first of five flat tires. The truck ran good for the entire 416 miles, zero mechanical issues, finishing 8th out of 27 trucks, but all those flats took their toll.

"We are happy with 8th place. The flat tires really killed us though. This is an issue that has to be looked at," declared Jefferies. "Once again our K&N filter preformed its best, the truck plowed through knee-deep silt where the visibility was almost zero and the air filter allowed no dust or dirt into our motor. Our motor is still so strong, it feels like it never raced thanks to our K&N filter," explained Jefferies at the finish line.

The next race for the number 22 K&N Filters, Lucas Oil, Black Ice Energy sponsored Trophy Truck is the SCORE Baja 500 in Ensenada, B.C. Mexico on June 5th.

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.

2010 Ford Mustang 4.0L V6 Engine Gets More Power With The Addition Of A K&N Intake System

May 7, 2010

Ford Mustang owners are generally passionate about their car and its performance. 2010 Ford Mustang owners who have the 4.0L V6 can enhance their engine’s power with the installation of a K&N high-flow intake system. K&N offers a high performance air intake system that guarantees your 4.0L V6 Mustang will pick up extra power.

K&N's 69-3525TS High-Flow Intake System for 2010 Ford Mustang 4.0L V6 models.

Silver powder coated aluminum intake tube increases under-hood appeal.

K&N intake system 69-3525TS replaces your factory air filter and air intake housing with a custom intake tube and an oversized High-Flow Air Filter™ (RC-4381). This conical shaped chrome top air filter captures harmful particles, provides a large surface area and high air flow. RC-4381 can go up to 100,000 miles, depending on driving conditions, before it needs service.

K&N part number 69-3525TS includes a silver powder coated mandrel-bent aluminum intake tube. Our powder coated aluminum intake tubes offer power and a stylish appearance. This kit also includes a black powder coated metal heat shield to help isolate cooler air from the warm air inside your Mustang's engine bay.

K&N dyno tested the 69-3525TS air intake on the 2010 Ford Mustang with a 4.0L V6 engine. Dyno tests show an increase of 5.16 horsepower at 4,700 rpm. A K&N cold air intake system will provide your Mustang with outstanding engine protection and a power increase you can feel.

Dyno chart for a 2010 Ford Mustang 4.0L V6 engine.

Customized 2010 Ford Mustang with a 4.0L V6 engine.

In addition, K&N offers a Drycharger® filter wrap that can be used in conjunction with part number 69-3525TS. Drycharger® filter wraps are made from a durable polyester material containing uniform micron openings which will stop small dirt particles and repel water; yet add little restriction to the airflow of your filter. Available in a variety of colors, K&N Drycharger® filter wraps can be color coordinated with your car’s finish or your favorite race team.

Installation of 69-3525TS can typically be done in 90 minutes or less using common hand tools. K&N provides detailed instructions that are designed to guide you through the installation process.

This 2010 Ford Mustang air intake system is designed to last the life of your car. 69-3525TS comes with the K&N Million Mile Limited Warranty® and offers an easy bolt-on performance increase for your Ford Mustang.

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.

2009-2016 Nissan 370Z and 2008-2013 Infiniti G37 Gain Estimated 14 HP with K&N Air Intake System

May 7, 2010

For years sports car enthusiasts have flocked to Nissan dealerships to get their hands on the infamous line of Z-cars. Since its introduction in 1969, the Nissan series of Z-cars has sold almost 2 million units and holds the record for best selling sports car series of all time.

K&N's 69-7078TS High-Flow Intake System for Nissan 370Z and Infiniti G37 3.7L V6 models.

Dual silver powder coated aluminum intake tubes increase under-hood appeal.

For many reasons the Z was forced into hiatus during the late 1990’s. When it resurfaced in late 2002 it wasn’t alone. Nissan Motors, who also builds luxury vehicles branded as Infiniti, created a line of Infiniti cars based on the Z platform. The now legendary G coupe and sedan were born out of this relationship.

The 2009 to 2016 Nissan 370z and 2008 through 2013 Infiniti G37 are well-engineered machines. However, K&N engineers are constantly in pursuit of more power. After looking under the hood, K&N engineers knew that with their expertise these cars were capable of more. Much consideration was put into the design of part number 69-7078TS for the 2009-2016 Nissan 370Z and 2008-2013 Infiniti G37 models with a 3.7L V6 engine.

The stock intake tract uses a dual intake set up fed by dual air boxes and air filters. K&N intake 69-7078TS replaces the stock pieces with twin powder coated mandrel-bent aluminum intake tubes and dual K&N High-Flow Air Filters™ for improved air delivery. 69-7078TS incorporates two unique heat shields isolating the dual air filters from the warm air under the hood. This intake system provides improved performance and attractive silver powder coated aluminum Intake tubes to match the color of the engine bay.

Dyno chart for a 2009 Nissan 370Z 3.7L V6 engine.

The result of this hard work and enthusiasm for performance is estimated at over 14 horsepower at the wheels. K&N’s Research and Development Department tested a 2009 Nissan 370Z with a 3.7L V6 engine on our in-house dynamometer. Results showed horsepower increases throughout the RPM range with a shocking peak horsepower gain of an estimated 14.2 horsepower @ 5,600 RPM! Equally impressive is the estimated 13.34 lb-ft of torque this car picked up at 5,600 RPM.

2009 Infiniti G37 Coupe.

This air intake system uses two conical shaped, High-Flow Air Filters. RU-4960XD captures harmful particles, flows more air, and provides long service life. This K&N air filter performs for up to 100,000 miles before service is required, depending on driving conditions.

In addition, K&N offers a RX-4990DK Drycharger® filter wrap that can be used in conjunction with part number 69-7078TS. Drycharger® filter wraps are durable pre-filters that are designed to filter large dirt particles and thus extend the time before the main air filter needs to be cleaned. These wraps can also repel water but add little restriction to the airflow of your filter. The wraps specifically designed for this intake filter are available in black, blue, red, and yellow.

69-7078TS is a complete system which takes about 90 minutes or less to install with common hand tools. It uses stock mounting points, requires no drilling, and is covered by the K&N Million Mile Limited Warranty®.

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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