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K&N will be the title sponsor of the 2016 K&N Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Illinois.

Expanding on their partnership with K&N, NHRA has announced that the 2016 Route 66 Nationals will be title sponsored by K&N. The K&N Route 66 Nationals will kick off the second half of the 2016 NHRA season with a bang. Held at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois, the NHRA Mellow Yellow Drag Racing Series event is the 13th of 24 races for the season. K&N is already the sponsor of the K&N Horsepower Challenge and this brings the two internationally renowned names in motorsports even closer.

Greg Anderson is currently second in the K&N Horsepower Challenge standings behind KB Racing teammate Jason Line.

"K&N Engineering has been a longtime partner with NHRA and their commitment to provide title sponsorship for the Route 66 NHRA Nationals will help ensure a premium motorsports experience in the major market of Chicago," said Brad Gerber, NHRA Vice President and Chief Development Officer. "K&N has demonstrated over the years that they understand the tremendous value of aligning their marketing strategy with NHRA's racing product. In turn, we feel confident we will help expose more potential customers to K&N's brand through this association."

Held the weekend of July 7-10, the K&N Route 66 Nationals will be a weekend packed with racing excitement. Starting Thursday, with Dialed-In Thursday, drivers will be on the track prepping their cars for the weekend. Friday Night on Fire will feature the top drivers from Pro Stock Motorcycle, Pro Stock, Funny Car, and Top Fuel out on the track dialing in their cars and bikes. All-Star Saturday is packed with excitement as drivers from all over the country compete in the JEGS All-Stars event. Capping off Saturday is final qualifying for Pro Stock and the ever-popular Nitro cars. By Sunday the weekend will have only just begun as NHRA's top four classes race towards their respective championship. Anyone in or around Joliet, Illinois, should come out and enjoy a weekend filled with some of the fastest cars in the world at the state-of the-art Route 66 Raceway.

"When two big players in the motorsport industry come together like NHRA and K&N, everybody wins," said Tony Yorkman, Senior Sports Marketing Manager for K&N Engineering. "K&N was founded around the motorsports industry and that will be a big part of what we support. The thing about it is we can prove that our products really do work by putting them on some of the fastest drag cars in the world. The fans see this and they know they are getting the exceptional quality and craftsmanship that they have come to expect from K&N Filters."

K&N and NHRA also announced the extension of the sponsorship for the K&N Horsepower Challenge earlier this month. An event within an event, the first part of the K&N Horsepower Challenge lets Pro Stock drivers compete for a chance to win $50,000. The second part of HPC allows fans to enter for a chance to be flown to Las Vegas for the NHRA Nationals in the Spring and paired with one of the top 8 drivers. The fan paired with the winning driver of the event wins a special edition truck.

Currently, Jason Line and Greg Anderson, both members of KB Racing, are dominating the leaderboard with only 30 points keeping the five-time Horsepower Challenger winner, Anderson, out of first place. Bo Butner III is keeping tabs on them and is only 100 points behind Anderson. Currently in fourth, fifth, and sixth place are Drew Skillman, Vincent Nobile, and Shane Gray, respectively. That is a tight race as there are only 50 points separating Skillman from Gray. Rounding out the top seven, who are automatically chosen to compete in the finals in Las Vegas, is Allen Johnson. The eighth driver to compete in the K&N Horsepower Challenge finals is selected by a fan vote.

This big beast of a Toyota Tundra stood out as it was one of only a handful trucks at the event, let alone lifted trucks.

There are multitudes of popular hobbies that people spend their spare time doing. And while most people choose just one hobby to enjoy, there are plenty of hobbies that go well together. Hunting and fishing, off-roading and camping, and stamp and coin collecting to name just a few. Another pair of hobbies that seem to complement each other are photography and cars. It makes perfect sense, you build cars and attend car shows and meets, might as well meld that with photography.

Well known tire brand, Toyo Tires, realized this and decided to combine the two passions of many people into a one-of-a-kind event. The show, dubbed Shutter Space, was a car meet and automotive photo gallery combined into one event. Held at the Randy Higbee Gallery, in Costa Mesa, California, the event was sponsored by Crooks & Castles and Super Street magazine. Over 250 cars and trucks made it out. There was everything in attendance from supercars to lifted trucks.

A gorgeous example of a Factory Five Cobra, featuring a K&N air filter over the velocity stacks.

Another unique vehicle, this Smart car drew quite a bit of attention throughout the day.

Inside the gallery, Toyo had placed a couple very nice rides for people to drool over.

For the photo gallery portion, Toyo Tires held a contest for people to submit automotive themed photographs for a chance to be selected to have their photo displayed at the show. Fourteen finalists were chosen. When the dust had settled, the winning photograph was chosen. The photo was taken by Viet Nguyen, @photographybyv, of a fully custom 1974 Datsun Sunny pickup named Hakotora.

This three-wheeled beauty comes from Vanderhall Motor Works. It features a carbon fiber body, aluminum frame, and 200 hp 1.4L engine.

There were plenty of GT-Rs to go around. This one sat on a clean set of gold Advan GT wheels wrapped in Toyo Tires.

Believe it or not, this 2006 Lancer Evo IX with a Voltex body kit wasn't the most outrageous body kit at the show.

You may recognize the truck, owned by Dominic Le of Chasing Js, as it has been featured on a number of websites and magazines, has won plenty of awards, and was also featured on a recent episode of Jay Leno's Garage. Now, a photo of Dominic's pickup has won its own award.

Tire companies have got to be loving the new tire stickers that companies are selling. Like the ones on this BMW M4.

Just about every generation of BMW was there. Hey, who snuck that Mini in there?

You can't go wrong with a BMW that looks like this.

As the winner of the contest, Viet's photograph will be featured in an issue of Super Street magazine. He also won exclusive Toyo Tires and Crooks & Castles merchandise. Not bad for snapping a pic and submitting it online.

Not bad for a Mini Cooper. This thing was actually pretty nice.

In case you want to go camping, but you don't want to pack a tent. This Treeline Outdoors tent is the perfect solution.

There were a few Mustangs in attendance. This one was the subject of one of the photos on display in the gallery.

The event seemed to be a huge hit with the crowds, many people saying they loved the idea of it and they look forward to more of these types of events in the future. Be sure to check back for future show announcements and to see if Toyo Tires will be holding another Shutter Space event in the future.

No car meet would be complete without a few supercars. This 458 features a Misha body kit and gorgeous flat red paint.

This is probably the angle that most people see as this thing blazes by them in a red blaze. Also, those deep dish rears look spectacular.

Nice dumped Audi featuring battleship gray colors.

A fender flared, deep-dish, flat red Liberty Walk Challenger laying on the Southern California asphalt fits in well with supercars and imports of all generations.

Purple wouldn't be our first choice for this convertible M3, but it actually looks pretty good.

Something insanely cool this way comes. But wait, where are the pop-up headlights on this 8-series BMW?

Red with gold wheels seems to be an increasingly popular choice among enthusiasts. We can't really complain. This S2K looks killer.

Dumped, wide body wagons are so incredibly beautiful.

Ahh a green BMW 2002. Such a refreshing color compared to the sea of red cars with gold wheels.

The red and gold theme again. This time on a Lamborghini Gallardo A very popular choice for 2016.

Hillbank Motorsports brought out a great looking Ford Focus ST. .

This is the photo that won the photo contest. Viet Nguyen (@photographybyv) did a great job with it and will be able to see it in an upcoming issue of Super Street magazine.

The K&N booth in vendor row will be the happening place to be at the Goodguys 19th Annual PPG Nationals, in Columbus, Ohio.

If you don't already have tickets and you live in Ohio or any of the surrounding states, there's no excuse not to come join us at the Goodguys 19th Annual PPG Nationals July 8 - 10 at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio. Not only will there be all the cool kind of stuff you expect to see at a Goodguys National event (more in a moment) but K&N is bringing out two rigs full of fun.

Some of the events that will be going on at the Goodguys 19th Annual PPG Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, include a Sponsor Shootout Autocross (pictured), twilight autocross, swap meet, vintage drags, car show, contests, giveaways, and much more.

In vendor row, K&N will have a booth set-up for all sorts of games in which you can participate for some great K&N prizes. Contests include raffles, "spin the wheel" for prizes, a scavenger hunt (more prizes), and even contests for kids (yep, even more prizes). And even if you don't compete, we have free giveaways just for stopping by and doing a quick survey. And while you're at the display truck, you can check out some our newest and most popular products, all at special show discount prices.

Surrounding the truck will be a number of show cars that will feature product from K&N, AIRAID, and Spectre Performance, so you take home with you a little inspiration on how to best direct incoming airflow to the engine of your daily driver, project car, or street ride. There will even be some live installation demos running that you can watch to get a sense of how to configure your intake system and how simple K&N makes the process.

This flyer will be given out at the gates of the Goodguys PPG Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, and if returned to the K&N booth, you will receive a free gift.

The second K&N trailer will be in the autocross course area in support of K&N, AIRAID, and Spectre-sponsored autocross teams. There you'll have a chance to meet drivers and grab an autograph or two and maybe the coolest part yet: a chance to sit down with one of K&N's intake designers and have them custom-design a system specific to your car, taking into account modifications you've made, and even modifications you might be planning. Where else do you get to do that?

And of course, there's a lot more going on at the Goodguys Nationals. There will be over 6,500 rods, customs, classics, muscle cars and trucks through 1972 that you could spend the entire three days walking around and checking out. There's also a mega swap meet and a Cars 4 Sale Corral (bring your checkbook), and on Friday night, vintage drags at nearby National Trail Raceway. On Saturday there's a Twilight Autocross after-hours event, from 5:30 pm until 9:00 pm, proudly sponsored by K&N. Sunday will feature another K&N-sponsored event, the K&N Filters All American Sunday. Since Goodguys is limited to pre-1973 vehicles, on Sunday they allow any late model American made and/or powered vehicles of all years. So bring out those late model muscle cars, trucks, or anything else you own that is American made.

Be sure to mark your calendars, as they say, and come out to Columbus, Ohio, on July 8-10 for the Goodguys 19th Annual PPG Nationals and make sure you stop by both K&N trailers so you don't miss out on any of the fun we've packed inside.

Cody accepts trophy for a win at a King of the Wing feature race in Stockton.

Cody Gerhardt of Madera, California, grew up in a family that raced and built sprint cars. His dad Kevin and his uncle Kent, and their father and grandfather have all participated in sprint car racing. In Fact, a major race in the USAC Pavement Sprint Car Racing Series is the Gerhardt Classic, a 100-lap race on a 3/8-mile track that’s named after Cody’s great grandfather. And yes, Cody has competed in the race and in his rookie season qualified seventh in a field of 15 cars and finished eighth.

Western Speed Racing Team #40 and #60 cars finish second and third at Madera Speedway in 2016.

He won the Northern, Southern, and Western United States Midget Championships in 2010.

The fourth generation Gerhardt to race got started when his father bought him a quarter midget.

The fourth generation Gerhardt to race got started when his father bought him a quarter midget

He progressed through the USAC Ford Focus Midget Racing Series and the Mini-Sprint Series and then on to racing winged pavement sprint cars.

While he was moving through the classes from midget to sprint wing cars, Gerhardt’s dad and uncle started Western Speed Racing in 2002. Cody joined the team in 2009.

The team, which also includes racer Dylan Nobile, competes in California in the Western King of the Wing Series and in Indiana, Idaho, Washington, Utah, and Arizona in the National King of the Wing Series. Drivers that have raced for the team include Jason Leffler, Tony Stewart, Bobby Santos, and Dave Steele.

Cody and the team had to overcome some setbacks. For example, in 2015 Cody’s dad and uncle built a brand new car that featured a Diablo Chassis. Although they finished second in points in the Western Series and the vehicle was very competitive, they still experienced steering box issues throughout the campaign and had to keep changing it out.

“If we didn’t have that problem I’m sure we would have won the championship, but we had a couple of DNFs,” said Cody.

According to Cody, the car wasn’t ready to race at the beginning of this season because the engine wasn’t complete.

“So in the first event of the year I had to drive Ken Hamilton’s famous Pink Lady and I finished second,” he said. “We missed the next race due to an accident with our car that happened in practice.”

However, they won the BCRA Midget Car Feature on May 7th and the Winged Sprints on June 11th. Both events took place at the Madera Speedway.

In the June 11th race, Cody qualified the Western Speed Racing’s #40 Winged Sprint car 2nd with a 12.851 time and placed 2nd in the second heat race. Dylan Nobile qualified the team’s #60 car 4th with a 12.888 time and finished 3rd in the second heat.

Cody started 5th in the 3rd row and Nobile started 3rd in the second row.

Both drivers were held up for 11 laps of the 30-lap race. Cody was in 5th and Dylan made a pass on the outside to capture 3rd place. Dylan finished 2nd after fighting to make a pass for the lead and Cody took 3rd.

Western Speed Racing will compete on July 9th in the 13th Annual Gerhardt Classic at Madera Speedway.

According to Cody, the team will be racing in eight to nine more races including the Gerhardt Classic. He added that some events are in California and some take place in other states such as Washington and Idaho.

K&N Engineering is a major sponsor of the Western Speed Racing Team and a valued partner.

“K&N has been sponsoring the team for eight years and sponsoring me through my career before I joined the team,” he said. “I’ve had a great relationship with K&N. They are great people to work with. Every time we needed something, they were on it right away.

Other sponsors of the Western Speed Racing Team include Lucas Oil, K1Racer Gear, University Market, Fresno Van Rental, Anderson Landscaping, XRP, Steele Performance, Johnny’s Muffler Services, Brannon Corporation, Yak Graphics, Dennis’s Body Shop, Truck Covers USA, Nobile Truck Accessory and Performance Trailers, Inc., and Paul Eskesen Motorsports.

The K&N HA-5015 is purpose-built for the Honda Pioneer 500 with replacement hoses, vents and special seating bead.

There are more than a dozen UTV (utility task vehicle) manufacturers mixing it up in the all-terrain working, recreational riding, and racing arenas, all of them looking to build the next big thing. They have gone big (up to six-seaters) and they have gone small (two-seaters just 50 inches wide) and there are more than 70 vehicles to choose from.

The K&N HA-5015 is designed to fit into the factory air box using the OEM clamp.

Just introduced in late 2014 for 2015 is Honda's new Pioneer 500, the smallest side-by-side in the Pioneer line, but perhaps truly the next big thing. It is the company's first in the growing 50-inch category and a showcase for Honda engineering and innovation.

The Pioneer 500's width gives it access to restricted ATV riding trails, allows it to be loaded into a full-size pickup and is still comfortable for two adults to ride on a bench seat with individual backrests. The doors utilize automotive-style latches with vibration isolators and a unique attached window net system. It can carry an additional 450 lb. on the oversized rear rack and tow up to 1,000 lb. All good.

Even better: the power plant and drivetrain. The 475-cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled gasoline engine is closed-loop fuel-injected and mounted longitudinally, with power routed directly to the wheels. The five-speed electric paddle-shifter transmission is a first for the industry and has steel gears, not belts or chains, giving the driver more control and the vehicle more longevity. An independent rear suspension system combines with an open front differential and a locked rear axle, providing better handling and traction, and one of the smoothest rides available. Widely complimented as fun to drive, responsive, agile, and well-built, the Pioneer 500 has a lot to offer. It promises to gain popularity and be put to good use well into the future.

For normal-duty activities, like trail riding and moving materials around the ranch or worksite, blazing speed is not a necessity, but a few more horsepower and enhanced acceleration will help get everything from here to there more efficiently. The way to boost efficiency and protect the engine is with a purpose-built replacement engine air filter, and K&N has designed and engineered the HA-5015 air filter specifically for the 2015-2016 Honda Pioneer 500.

As is standard among K&N's replacement air filters, the HA-5015 will fit directly into the factory air box with an application-specific sealing bead to ensure a precise fit. No fuel management adjustments are needed. Owners can do the installation themselves using the instructions provided, or have their mechanic help out. The OEM clamps and holder are used with K&N's replacement vents and hoses.

The filter itself was developed for off-road, motocross, ATV, and UTV activities: anticipating lots of dirt involved here. K&N's founders were off-road motorcycle racers who needed a better air filter to finish and win, and they came up with the oiled cotton technology that is still the basis for their filter products. The multiple layers of pleated cotton gauze present a larger surface area than the factory filter to capture more particles and better protect the engine. Each filter is tested and perfected. The HA-5015 showed overall particle reduction numbers of 98.17 percent. That's catching a lot of dust and keeping it out of the engine.

Each K&N replacement air filter is designed with high-flow pleated cotton gauze to increase horsepower and enhance throttle response by getting more (and cleaner) air into the intake.

To keep the filter at that level of performance, it needs to be inspected and cleaned regularly (and certainly more often than on-road vehicles). Owners can set their own schedules, depending on riding conditions and make it a part of their regular service routine. The process is straightforward and quick. After removing the filter, use K&N's Power Kleen to loosen particles, rinse in running water, let it dry completely, then re-oil with K&N air filter oil and re-install.

By investing in the K&N HA-5015, UTVers will keep disposable air filters out of landfills and their Pioneer 500s will get a well-protected intake system to keep them on the trail or on the job with extra power and efficiency for years to come.

To shop for the K&N HA-5015, visit the K&N's online application search to find the correct filter for your UTV, then refer to the K&N dealer search to locate a K&N dealer near you to make your purchase.

The K&N HA-5015 replaces the following part numbers:
Honda 17254HN1000

The K&N HA-5015 replacement air filter can be fitted to the following Honda UTVs:
2016 HONDA SXS500M2 PIONEER 475 - All
2015 HONDA SXS500M2 PIONEER 475 - All