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Ryan Partridge won three races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in 2016

In a way, Partridge said it was a blessing that he didn’t win the K&N Pro Series West championship last year. It was his second year racing for Bob Bruncati and his Sunrise Ford Racing team. Typically, drivers don’t come back for a third year with Bruncati. But because Partridge and his team were so close last year, Bruncati decided to bring them back for another shot.

“I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason,” said Partridge, the driver of the No. 9 car for the Sunrise Ford Racing team. “If you pay attention historically, Bob Bruncati with his Sunrise Ford Racing team only keeps drivers for two years. The fact that he brought me back for a third year, I’m very blessed and blown away. Perhaps if we won the championship last year, there would be no reason for a third year. So I like to think things happen for a reason. I’d rather stay in the seat than winning championships any day.”

The K&N Pro Series West season opens with the NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by Interstate Batteries at Tucson Speedway in Arizona. Partridge won the K&N Pro Series West race at Tucson last year. It was his first win of the season.

“If you look back to the beginning of last season, we started off with a more conservative approach with a championship in mind,” Partridge said. “Historically you have to be fairly conservative. You can’t take any chances because you need to finish every race. That was kind of our mentality, our mindset going into last season. Low and behold, Todd ended up winning the first two races. That kind of set the pace to where we were already behind the 8-ball. We were playing catch up now.”

Gilliland won the first two races of the K&N Pro Series West in 2016. He won the season opener at Irwindale Speedway and the second race at Kern County Raceway Park in California. The first race of the 2017 K&N Pro Series West schedule is in Tucson, the first of a four-race stretch in eight days to start the season. NASCAR and K&N are putting up a $100,000 bonus if a driver can win all four races. Partridge said he is focused on starting the season strong.

Ryan Partridge won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season finale in 2016 at All American Speedway

Part of the reason Partridge says he fell short of winning the K&N Pro Series West championship last year was because of a conservative approach at the start of the season. It’ a mistake he doesn’t want to duplicate.

“I think that’s more just my focus,” Partridge said. “I think being aggressive is what we’re going to have to do so this last year doesn’t repeat itself. I don’t think we can leave anything on the table. There’s going to be some tough competition. We need to make sure we clear our mind and can sleep sound at night because we tried as hard as we can all year long.

“I think we have to drive harder. I think we have to drive every race like it’s our last race.”

Experience and unity will also be the team’s strength this year, Partridge said. The crew has been together for three years and Bruncati has high expectations. Partridge said he welcomes the challenge.

“Everything was jiving well with the 9 team last year,” Partridge said. “The crew’s having fun, the owner’s having fun, the driver’s having fun. Everything is just jiving. It’s a harmonious feel. They value that. It’s rare you come across that and everyone just clicks. They know that we’re capable of the championship. They know, even last year, had a couple of breaks gone our way, it would have been a different outcome.”

The Sunrise Ford Racing team added another car for the 2017 campaign. Julia Landauer, one of the top rookies in the K&N Pro Series West last year, joined Bruncati’s team and will make her debut in Tucson.

Ryan Partridge was second in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings in 2016, behind Todd Gilliland

Partridge said he appreciates all the support K&N gives to the Pro Series West.

“K&N has consistently year in, year out, been dishing out serious money for us to go racing,” Partridge said. “We couldn’t be more proud to have that company supporting us. The prestige K&N has as a brand, the prestige they have developed in the racing community, is huge. Not because of what they do now, but because of where they come from. Very excited that we have a great name working for us.”

Martin Truex Jr celebrates his win at the Kobalt 500 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

“Yeah, last couple laps were great, nothing out the windshield” Truex said. "Just it was a crazy race. We had such a good car all day long and felt like it slipped away from us there. The 2 car got out front, and that last restart, really thought we were going to run second. Got a little bit lucky with him having an issue and got the win”.

Truex Jr led six times for a total of 150 laps to take the checkered flag. He was awarded 60 points for the win. He is in second place in the Monster Energy Cup Series standings with 127 points. He also won both stages of the race, as such he is the first driver to sweep all three stages of a race this season.

“I think the important thing for us is we're starting off the season strong. We're putting ourselves in position to win races, and that's really the key” Truex said. “If we can continue to run up front, lead laps, run at the front of the pack all day, you're going to put yourself into position to win races, and that's what we did today. This is the first time we've really taken advantage of somebody else's issue. I'm sure if we keep running up front, it's going to happen again. We'll just keep working hard and see what we can do”.

Kyle Larson came in second place for the second race in a row. He did not lead during the race.

“Our day was really solid. I think we finished second in the first stage, third in the second stage, and then finished second here in the race. So super happy with how our season has gotten started” Larson said. "Way better than where I've ever started a season. I'm really happy about that, proud of our team. Had fun today."

Martin Truex Jr leads a pack of cars in the Kobalt 500 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

“I'm really proud of the way we have performed. Our pit stops have been great, our cars have been good” Elliott said. “Been able to run solidly in the top 5 the past couple weeks, which is great for me and our team, and we just

got to keep that going and find that next little bit”.

The highlight of the race, happened post-race, as Joey Logano and Kyle Busch exchanged punches. As Busch threw the first punch, Logano and his crew retaliated, and left Busch leaving scene bloody with a gash on his forehead.

"No, I don't run from conflict," Logano said. "You just talk about it, but he wasn't in a talking mood. He was in a fighting mood, I guess. I don't know. Typically, you can handle this stuff like men and talk about it. You don't have to fight, but whatever."

The events that preceded the race will take the glory from Truex Jr’s win, but not in his eyes.

Brad Keselowski continues to lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings with 132 points and 5 playoff points. Kyle Larson is right behind Keselowski with 131 points. Chase Elliott is in third place with 129 points.

The next race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be at Phoenix International Raceway for the Camping World 500.

Wes Miller is pumped about getting his new Polaris dirty

Fresh off his UTV debut in the latest staging of the Mint 400, Miller has brought back the Bomb Squad for the 2017 race season. The 2017 Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo is the racing platform that Miller is excited to be piloting in the UTV World Championships as well as the full SCORE series.

“I have a long history with Polaris and it is a privilege to be an official member of Team RZR,” said Miller. “It puts me in an elite group of peers and I look forward to some great racing.”

Miller is confident that his partnership with sponsors like K&N will produce wins

“This is our first step into the (UTV) pro production turbo category,” said Millen. “With our many years racing turbocharged rally cars, we are confident the RZR will work well right out of the box. With Wes' vast experience in the desert and off-road racing, we are confident that this lightweight, low center of gravity design will complement his driving style.”

The corporate sponsorship and support behind the Bomb Squad racing effort is deep and strong. In addition to the factory support provided by Polaris, Miller’s team is rolling on the sponsorship of Douglas Wheel Technologies, also known as DWT, which is now in its fourth decade of premium wheel manufacturing.

The Mint 400 was a great first test for the Bomb Squad

K&N is excited to be a part of the Bomb Squad’s UTV racing team. Next up for the team is the San Felipe 250 March 30-April 2 in the Baja of Mexico.

Take a look at the brand-new K&N 63-1133 Polaris RZR intake and check K&N's online application tool to get the perfect filter or intake system for your UTV.

The race day started before sunrise for K&N-sponsored Katie Vernola

In a race like the Mint 400, fighting through mechanical issues is part of the game. Vernola and her teammate Matthew Hove had their fair share of equipment challenges in their Polaris RZR Turbo on the way to the finish line. After Vernola and her team took care of the early-race problems in the pits, the K&N-sponsored racer ran consistent and fast laps on the demanding Mint course to finish an impressive 17th in her class.

Vernola fought through mechanical issues to conquer the Mojave Desert course

While Vernola is an experienced WORCS and Terracross UTV racer, this is her first season in BITD. In Vernola’s first career desert race, the Parker 425, tire issues ended her race just past the halfway point. While the learning curve in desert racing is steep, Vernola proved she is up to the challenge. Drawing from her experience in that first race, Vernola kept the UTV together for the full race.

Vernola trusts K&N filter technology to keep her engine clean even in these brutal conditions

Vernola was effusive in her praise of the sponsors and crew that helped her get through the Mint 400.

“I can’t thank all my sponsors enough,” said Vernola. “I want to thank my pit crew, Pete Corwin, Niko and Angelo Skiparnias, Jay Rockow, Jim Osier, and Sara Price for helping me get to the finish line."

Next up for Vernola are the WORCS rounds 4 & 5 in Lake Havasu, Arizona on March 18-19. In the WORCS series, Vernola is chasing the points championship in SxS Pro Unlimited Class.

Vernola is all smiles after her Mint 400 finish

We at K&N congratulate Katie Vernola on her fantastic Mint 400 race. K&N is proud to be a major sponsor of “The Great American Off-Road Race” and we are honored to be part of the success of so many great desert racers.

If you are looking for top performance and protection for your Polaris UTV, check out the brand-new K&N 63-1133 Polaris intake.

From the front wheel back, the Deadline Customs Bagger build is beautiful

Dana Hallberg’s Deadline Customs Bagger rolled away with the win in the Modified Harley® Class of the J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Bike Show Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Mod Harley is one of the competitions that K&N supports at all of the venues of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show (IMS).

Hallberg didn’t have to transport his scintillating bagger far to capture the Mod Harley trophy. Deadline Customs is based out of Forest Lake, which is a short jaunt northeast of Minneapolis.

The 30-inch front wheel features an low profile tire and cool retro fender

The Road King falls back from that signature front end precipitously to an ultra-low seat. The rules of the class state that an entrant in the Modified Harley competition "Must have Harley-Davidson® engine cases and frame. Neck may be cut to rake or stretch frame." Clearly this Deadline Customs Bagger underwent some serious neck-work!

Sweeping bodywork defines the rear end of the Bagger

Even the custom shorty exhaust pipes that emanate from the cylinders parallel the angle created in the bodywork. While the rear wheel may be concealed behind the hand-crafted bodywork, the custom built V-twin is on full display.

Baggers have taken a bit of a back seat in many of the 2017 IMS J&P competitions. However, Deadline Customs big Bagger doesn’t take a backseat to anyone. K&N congratulates Dana Hallberg on a massive build and a huge win in Minneapolis.

To the winner of the Modified Harley Class go the spoils