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K&N's Alyssa Riker Goes on a Four Race Win Streak in the Micro Rookie Class

Aug 12, 2013

Riker Racing also earned their first ever feature win at Hamlin Speedway.

When school fires back up Alyssa Riker will be a senior at Delaware Valley Regional High School, and there's a real good chance that her summer vacation tales will be a big hit with her friends. The Milford, New Jersey teenager spent a good part of her summer racing and winning.

"I think winning the last three races that I have competed in says a lot about both my team and my steady improvement as a driver," said Riker. We won two feature races at Greenwood Valley Action Tracks (GVAT) back-to-back and I won my first feature race at Hamlin Speedway two weeks ago. It shows that we have the ability to change up our conditions on a last minute basis and still be confident that we will be competitive. It also boosts my confidence. It shows me that I have the experience and success I need to hopefully move up into the Regular 270 class soon."

K&N's Alyssa Riker won back-to-back weekends at Greenwood Valley Action Tracks in June.

Alyssa Riker's winning streak began in June at GVAT located Orangeville, Pennsylvania, she started third in her heat and made it to the front before the first corner, after that she never looked back, leading all the way to the checkered flag. Then in the feature, Alyssa Riker showed her experience as she waited patiently to make her move to the front coming out of turn four. "From there on I led the rest of the race, passing lapped cars, and eventually won my third feature of my micro career," she said.

The following weekend Riker Racing was back at GVAT. After nearly winning her heat again, Alyssa Riker had to pull a redraw for the feature. "Luckily enough I picked number one which got me a pole starting position," said Riker. Taking full advantage of her first place start, Alyssa Riker lead the 12 car field flag-to-flag for another micro win in the rookie class. After the race her comments were "Through a couple of cautions and some bumping around, I was able to lead the whole race and go on to get another feature win. Two weeks in a row is a big deal for us and we are so happy that we were able to pull it off."

Alyssa Riker's next race was also scheduled back at GVAT, her home track, but bad weather changed those plans. So they followed the sun and headed to Hamlin Speedway for the first time in two years, and there things started on a foul note.

"Before the heats were set to go out, we had a practice session. My dad pushed me out onto the track and the car wouldn't start. It wasn't getting any fuel so we brought it back to the trailer to find out what the problem was."

Dad cleaned the carburetor and got the micro running. "We went out for the heat and the car felt good. It was fast and was handling well. I started 5th and got up to 3rd place out of 6 cars." In the 12 car feature Riker started in 5th, but she soon found herself in second after the lead cars tangled. "I held onto second place the whole race until the last lap," Riker remarked. "Coming to the white flag I was able to pass the first place car, which seemed to be having motor problems, and I ended up taking home my first win at Hamlin Speedway. It was a great win for us especially after not being there for over two years."

"The one major change we made to the car this year is my dad (Jamie) changed the car from being completely coil springs, to only the front being coil, and the back being torsion bars. This helps the car handle when the track conditions aren't ideal. The change has really helped because our 2013 racing season has been amazing so far. We have raced six times and I have come out with three of my five career micro wins within those races. We had a rough start to the season, but it wasn't long until we were back to being competitive and consistent. And in racing consistency is one of the most important things. I expect that we will stay on the path that we are on now, getting top-three finishes and possibly a couple more wins."

"Thank you to K&N and everyone one of our sponsors and supporters for helping us get to this position. I know we say it a lot, but we seriously wouldn't be here without each one of you. Thanks for everything!"

K&N News Update: Only minutes after filing this story we got word that Alyssa Riker earned her 3rd win of the season at GVAT and her 4th win of the year overall.

Highly Modified JDM Honda Civic Hatchback Track Car is a Daily Driver for Owner Shawn Nichols

Aug 12, 2013

Japanese Domestic Market style Honda Civic with JDB D15b engine owned by Shawn Nichols

1994 Honda Civic owned by Shawn Nichols uses a K&N clamp-on performance air filter.

When you grow up at the track watching your uncle run 9 second 1/4 mile passes in an AMC Gremlin, you tend to follow in their footsteps. This is no difference for Shawn Nichols.

Growing up in a low to mid income family is never easy and non-necessity items are always on the back burner. As for Shawn Nichols, he has much higher expectations. He chooses to save his money and invest in in top products rather than buying cheap and settling for less.

Shawn Nichols' custom 1994 Honda Civic hatchback track car

This Honda Civic is Shawn Nichols' daily driver and he says he is proud to drive it every day.

Shawn Nichols is the owner of a 1994 Honda Civic hatchback which is famous in the JDM scene when it comes to building track cars. From the day Shawn Nichols purchased his Honda Civic, he has invested his money on what he says, are the best parts available. Shawn Nichols' custom Civic was outfitted with a complete motor swap to a JDM D15b motor with a stage 3 vtec with performance headers, Megan Racing Exhaust and a Centerforce clutch set up. When I asked about his air intake system, Shawn Nichols explained how his civic uses a custom air intake tube that works with his engine swap, but clamped to the end is a universal K&N performance air filter. When it comes to the running gear, this Civic sits on 16" XXR wheels and Tokico Blue Struts mated with Skunk 2 Coils. As you can see Shawn Nichols is trying to keep this car as "JDM as possible," meaning Japanese Domestic Market style.

I asked Shawn Nichols why he used K&N's universal performance air filter to be part of his build. "K&N has been part of all of our family build , so why choose anything else," he explained. "It has always done my family right at the track so it was my only choice in my eyes!"

Shawn Nichols also mentioned that his 1994 Honda Civic is his daily driver. He is proud to drive it every day and gets a lot of praise from all his friends who enjoy the ride as well.

Shea Holbrook Racing Earns Pirelli World Challenge Championship Points at Lime Rock Grand Prix

Aug 12, 2013

Shea Holbrook is finding the proper balance as a driver and team owner, but when the green flag waves, she’s only focused on racing.

In December of 2009, when we first meet with Shea Holbrook, her teen years were barely behind her, yet she was already a luminescent blip on racing's radar. She had just won her class in a FARA 3-Hour endurance race and then followed that up with a second place in a 6-hour race. Holbrook had also managed to raise a huge chunk of money for the Susan G. Komen charity. At the time we declared "...she is without question the real deal - a champion both on and off the track."

Shea Racing Touring Car and Touring Car B-Spec Honda drivers earned valuable championship points at Lime Rock.

We didn't have to wait long for her to make good on that prognostication, when barely sixteen months later, she won the 2011 Long Beach Grand Prix in the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car division. Mind you there were many other racing victories and milestones between these events - the point is, Shea Holbrook's racing IQ continues to evolve at a blistering pace.

Shea Racing is now a burgeoning four driver team, and the Shea Racing Touring Car and Touring Car B-Spec Honda drivers recently scored valuable points to move up in the Pirelli World Challenge Championship at the Lime Rock Grand Prix. Shea Holbrook also improved her position in the No. 67 Honda Fit, as she started eleventh, and worked her way up to a fifth place finish in race one. In race two she ran as high as third place, ultimately finishing fourth, just shy of the podium. And, that's where we started our conversation this time around.

Lime Rock is infamous for being physically and mentally tortuous, yet you figured it out quickly, how'd you do that?
"Luckily, I was able to test prior to the race weekend which helped tremendously, as it takes a lot to be fast at that particular track. In a TCB car you're flat out from the exit of T3 to the braking of T1, and Lime Rock only has 7 turns! It's one of those tracks where you either have them or not, and by "them" I mean "steel ovaries!"

P.J. Groenke was a bit of a wild card in the beginning said Shea Holbrook, but he quickly bonded with the team.

How does it make you feel to have your entire team put together such a solid showing at Lime Rock?
"It feels great knowing the hard work the team has put in, paid off during that race weekend. Shea Racing isn't a new team, but we're new to a multi-car program. Without our drivers, Jon Miller (Touring Car driver), P.J. Groenke and Brian Fowler (Touring Car B drivers) and partners like TrueCar, Lucas Oil, Hendrick Honda, Radium and K&N Filters we wouldn't have the platform we're able to present today."

It appears as though you're all jelling together very quickly as a team, how's the team spirit right now?
"We really do have a close-knit group of people at Shea Racing. My family plays a very large role, as my dad (Team Principal, Jeff Holbrook) and I own the team, and my mom is in charge of all the logistics, and as we all know, "logistics" can mean many things and many different jobs. Plus our crew guys we practically adopted."

"Jon Miller and Brian Fowler I knew previously, and I knew they would make great additions to the team. P.J. Groenke was the wild card, and we actually met for the first time in person at the first race. We have a solid bond now and want to see everyone succeed, even if we're competing against each other."

Shea Holbrook and Groenke are more than happy to offer a joint autograph.

How do you like having the team and do you feel it helps your overall efforts on the track?
"There's different ways of looking at owning and racing for your own team. From my experience, and in talking to others in similar situations, the key to everything is proper balance. I recently had a great conversation with Sarah Fisher, ex-IndyCar driver and now team owner, about balance. One thing she mentioned that I couldn't agree with more, was about delegating jobs and trusting people to do their respected jobs."

"One person can't do everything on the team, and when they try, that's when avoidable mistakes start to happen. I've been working on proper balance and I give 100% to both jobs, but when it comes time to do my job as a racing driver, I'm solely focused on that. I didn't really expect so many people to come up to me to talk about the growth of the team and what it's like for me. It reminds me how much I love the people in this industry, because they see the whole picture and what it takes collectively. It puts a really big smile on my face to hear people talking about Shea Racing and the drivers and our sponsors as a whole. We're still somewhat the underdogs and everyone wants to cheer for the underdog. The crew doesn't look at Shea Racing as something I built - they look at it as something we built together - and that's as they should."

What's up next?
"We just finished Round 9 and 10 with Pirelli World Challenge at Mid-Ohio and had a solid points weekend. I scored another top-5 finish securing a 6th place in the TCB Championship. Jon Miller sits in 6th in the TC Championship and P.J. Groenke is 5th and Brian Fowler is in 21st. Currently, we're back in Florida at our home shop, working on cars getting them prepped for the Sonoma Grand Prix August 22-25th."

Related K&N News Articles about Shea Holbrook: Shea Holbrook's Newly Expanded Team Starts 2013 Pirelli World Challenge Season Strong; Pirelli World Challenge Racer Shea Holbrook Prepares for 2013 Race Season; K&N's Shea Holbrook Streams Live In-Car Video from Her TrueCar and Virgin Sportscar; Shea Holbrook Wins Grand Prix of Long Beach & Becomes 2nd Woman to Win a World Challenge Event

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K&N's Bradley Morris Dominates LOORRS at Glen Helen Raceway for Second Year in a Row

Aug 10, 2013

After every yellow flag race disruption Bradley Morris immediately regained his place at the head of the field.

In 2009 when we first met with young Bradley Morris it was regarding his impressive resume. At the time Morris was a 12-year-old competitor with a race catalog already worthy of conversation. He raced a trophy kart with a 450cc engine and 18 inches of travel back then, and we predicted "With such an impressive resume, so early in his racing career, Bradley Morris will definitely be the trophy kart racer to watch."

The K&N kid Bradley Morris dominated LOORRS rounds 9 and 10 for the second year in a row.

Bradley Morris has repeatedly made good on that forecast in very gigantic ways, confirming that this off-road wunderkind is indeed the genuine article. Admittedly though, we under-shot our prediction, we would have been more accurate had we said, "Morris is an electrifying race force to reckon with, and there's no telling what this meteoric talent is capable of in the future."

Recently we got another big-time indication of what the K&N kid is capable of accomplishing, when for second year in a row, Bradley Morris lit up the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series at Glen Helen Raceway by flat-out owning the competition and inspiring some to chant - "Welcome to Morrisville." Morris swept both rounds in the Pro Lites, and he won round 10 in the Pro Buggy.

For the past two years Bradley Morris has been virtually unstoppable at Glen Helen Raceway.

"Sweeping Prolite two years in a row is awesome," Morris said. "I hope to take this momentum and carry it through the rest of the season. Danny Ebberts and the rest of my team had the truck dialed and I just had to keep the truck out front. We test a lot at Glen Helen and the home crowd gets me pumped."

The broom is becoming a regular fixture for Bradley Morris as he sweeps the Pro Lite field once more.

The immensely popular Pro Lite Unlimited class continues to grow exponentially each year since the integration of the spec V8 motor. Three of the youngest and most thrilling racers in the class today are Bradley Morris, RJ Anderson, and Sheldon Creed. In round 9 it was Anderson and Bradley Morris dueling it out at the head of the field that brought the crowds to their feet. And when the checkered flag declared it was over, Bradley Morris lead the way, followed by Anderson and Creed.

For round 10 it was Bradley Morris, Anderson and Creed lined up at the front of the field once again, totally fired-up for an even more entertaining race than the last. After a number of more yellow flags, two of which found Creed upside down but unhurt, Creed ultimately had to retire. Once racing resumed Morris continued to run away with the round 10 contest, followed not too closely by Casey Currie and Brian Deegan, who were deeply involved in a battle of their own. When the checkered flag waved off this contest, Bradley Morris had absolutely owned the entire twenty-truck field once more, with Currie and Deegan following him in this time.

Now just 16, and as proud as any regular teenager to have recently gotten his driver's license, Bradley Morris says his friends at school think it's "cool" that he's a raising-star racer. "They always let me know when I'm on TV and ask how I did after race weekends," he says. When it comes to explaining his racing mindset Morris keeps it efficiently simple as well. "The competition is tough, young or old they all want to win. I don't try to think about who's behind me, I just race my race and try to keep my truck up front. Finishing off the rest of the season strong and trying to get dad to buy me a Pro 2 or 4," is how Bradley Morris plans to remain focused for the remainder of the series.

Related K&N News Articles about Bradley Morris: K&N's Bradley Morris Caps Off a Rocky Weekend with Two Sunday Podiums at Lake Elsinore; Bradley Morris Finishes 2012 3rd in Pro Lite & Modified Kart, 2nd in Limited Buggy; Bradley Morris Rules LOORRS Prolite Class in Rounds 9 & 10 at Glen Helen; Bradley Morris Becomes a Fixture on The Podium During LOORS Events

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Cole Custer Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series at Iowa Speedway Leading Entire Pork Be Inspired 150

Aug 10, 2013

Cole Custer celebrates his NASCAR K&N Pro Series victory at Iowa Speedway and becomes the youngest driver to win a K&N Pro Series race.

Cole Custer is the first 15-year-old to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series race after taking the checkered flag at Iowa Speedway against the top drivers and teams from the East and West series. Cole Custer won the pole and led every lap in the Pork Be Inspired 150. It was his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series win and he became the first K&N Pro Series driver to lead every lap in a race at Iowa Speedway. "We came back here with a really strong car and it was just perfect the whole night," Custer said. "The guys did a great job."

Cole Custer stayed out front through six cautions periods for 36 laps during the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Iowa Speedway.

At 15 years, 6 months and 10 days, Cole Custer is the youngest driver to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series race. Dylan Kwasniewski held the previous mark when he won his first K&N Pro Series West race at 16 years, 2 months and 6 days. Cole Custer also became the youngest driver to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race. Darrell Wallace Jr. was the youngest driver to win a K&N Pro Series East race at 16 years, 5 months, 19 days.

Cole Custer stayed out front through six cautions periods for 36 laps during the race. "When we kept getting the lead, always just thinking about saving tires," Custer said. "That's just one of the big things in this series. You just gotta save your tires the whole time."

Cole Custer won the pole and then became the first K&N Pro Series driver to lead every lap in a race at Iowa Speedway.

Cole Custer won the pole and then became the first NASCAR K&N Pro Series driver to lead every lap in a race at Iowa Speedway.

Cole Custer has four top 10 finishes in nine career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East starts. He was fourth at the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Iowa in June. "We didn't think that we were going to be winning races or doing any of this," Custer said. "It's just amazing." His previous best finish was a third place at Richmond International Raceway. Two of his top-five finishes have come on speedways. "I do really like these bigger tracks, but we did bring a really good car here," Custer said. "It's amazing how good that car was. It was just perfect the whole night."

NASCAR K&N Pro Series crash off Turn 2 involved Brandon Jones, Cale Conley and Austin Dyne at Iowa Speedway.

Eddie MacDonald was second. It was his second top-five finish in 2013. "The guys did a great job on the car today," MacDonald said. "The car was a little tight in traffic. We came in and adjusted on it during the break and it really straightened the car out."

Daniel Suarez was third giving the drivers from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East the top-three spots in the race. "I think everyone is doing a really good job," Suarez said. "My communication with my crew chief is getting better and better. I'm really happy about that." Suarez won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Columbus Motor Speedway in Ohio and has three top-five finishes in 2013.

Cole Custer and the Haas Automation team make it to victory lane at Iowa Speedway.

"It was a long day for us," Suarez said. "But at the end of the day, we changed some stuff and it was getting better and better. We ended up in the top three. That is really good for the championship, for the points."

Kwasniewski, the leader in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings, was 12th in the Iowa Speedway race. He has a 21-point lead over Brett Moffitt.

Greg Pursley was the highest-finishing driver from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in the race at Iowa Speedway. He was fourth and was credited with a win for being the top-finishing driver from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.

Derek Thorn, the leader in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings, was 16th in the race at Iowa Speedway. He has a 12-point lead over Michael Self after eight races.

The next race for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West is the NAPA Auto Parts/Evergreen 150 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash., on Aug. 17.

The next NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race is the Biscuitville 125 at Virginia International Raceway on Aug. 24.