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Dan Fletcher Quashes His Super Stock Monkey With NHRA National Wally in His K&N Camaro at Concord

28.04.2011

NHRA National Event Winner Dan Fletcher

It may sound strange to anyone who knows even just a tiny bit about sportsman drag racing that phenom driver Dan Fletcher ever had any type of "monkey on his back", after all he just sewed up his 71st NHRA National Event win by taking the Comp Eliminator class a few short weeks ago in Las Vegas.

Dan Fletcher's 1969 Chevy Camaro

But for Fletcher, one has to admit that he keeps the bar set extremely high for his racing program and his record to date proves that he shows no signs of lowering it anytime soon.

For Fletcher's most recent NHRA National event in Concord, North Carolina, he was back in his own two cars, a pair of beautiful '69 Chevy Camaros decked out in K&N colors, one in Stock and the other in Super Stock. While Fletcher, like any racer, sets out to win in each car they enter, it was in the Super Stock Camaro, where wins eluded him during the entire 2010 season that he may have just been pushing a little extra for.

"If you look at my efforts in Super Stock last year, it wasn't pretty," confessed the multi-time champ. "You know I don't even know what to say. It's not like the car was terrible, we just weren't good together very often, not often enough to win."

The weather cooperated enough for sportsman qualifying on Thursday and Friday's early round eliminations, but that all changed come Saturday.

"Horrible," he reflected on Saturday's conditions. "Lots of wind and rain along with tornado warnings. But it finally cleared up in the afternoon and I managed to guess what the tail wind was going do."

By that time, Fletcher had already made his way through first round on Friday taking out Steven Johnson but would have to wait patiently until after nine Saturday night to face his second round opponent, Roy Hill. "I was .003 on the tree against Roy and I wasn't trying to be that good," said Fletcher. "You know, that's lucky to be that close to turning it red."

Sunday morning would bring round three and another round with a very similar setup to Fletcher's first, getting chased by a car running 8.80's with quite a bit more MPH. "I'm out there peddling before the thousand foot and take two-thousandths of the stripe, guess I was trying to mess [that round] up and didn't quite get it done."

K&N's Fletcher was not only slaying his opponent's by giving them no room at the stripe, he was also ripping the green off the tree compared to the driver in the other lane. "I drove ok. You know I could have easily been red against Roy Hill, I could have easily let Chuck Gallagher Jr. by me by a thou instead of taking two. There's times when those thousandths of a second don't go our way and they just went my way. I drove well, the car worked well and you know taking two thou or giving it up one thou is really no different [perception at the stripe]."

"Those were just decisions where I knew I was going to get to kill enough and get there first," he said of his tight stripe margins. Sometimes you don't know whether to get there first or second. All my races were clear cut and I knew what to do. But just taking two thou was probably too close. There are many times you get down there and you are just on autopilot and you do what you do. There are plenty of times where I screw it up and let someone by me and I almost did there, but I didn't and I won."

With all the different body types of cars in a class like NHRA Super Stock, Fletcher is very aware of each and how one needs to approach how they will race the stripe against them.

"There are cars that is they are wide open they take [stripe] with the tire and if there on the brakes, take it with the nose," he explained. "So it's another randomizing factor that you have to use to decide how much to kill, where am I [on track], so I guard against their nose getting into the beams. Who is it I'm racing, is that someone who's gonna dump and hit the brakes and get their nose in the lights. There are a lot of different concerns in Stock and Super Stock, because you are running so many different cars and different front ends and the way they act at the other end of the track."

Fletcher gave an example of this by citing his quarterfinal round competitor, Mike Saye. "He definitely got his nose in the lights. He went 9.99 on a ten flat at 134, which is too much speed [based on ET] when he should have 131 or 131 and half. I'm 27 on the tree, he's 28. I'm dead-on with a two, killing what I think I need to next to him and he slams the brakes and gets his nose in the lights and gets there eleven thou."

"It was an interesting race," he added.

The tight round with Saye earned Fletcher the all-important bye into final where he would meet up with Ontario, Canada's Gianni Cantusci. While Cantusci was competing in his first ever NHRA National event championship round, Dan Fletcher was now in his 108th, tying 2011 International Drag Racing Hall of Fame Inductee, Top Fuel Legend Joe Amato.

"He had been pretty good on the tree," Fletcher pointed out of Cantusci. "But he missed it a little bit in the final, which was good fortunately for me. I was dialed, I thought, pretty stiff. I was hitting the tree pretty good, the car was running good and I thought the only way I was losing in the final was if I screwed it up by a thou or two at the finish line. Which I am more than capable of doing, I constantly do it all the time, make it too close and screw it up."

"So I dialed something where I could just hold it to the wood," he continued. "Well naturally as I'm chasing him and running up on him, I feel like I've got a little room. I just rolled out of the gas and was ready to go 'bap-bap' on the throttle on the way by. I roll up on him, get outta the gas and the car goes 'BANG-POW', and I didn't have to hit the gas. Something went wrong with like the ignition box right at the finish line. Talk about luck, the car kinda did it for me and I just coasted by for a four-thousandths margin of victory. If I would have had to go another round, I probably wasn't going to make it."

Fletcher odd mechanical failure not only netted him his 72nd NHRA National Event Wally, his first in Super Stock since 2009, but he also ran a perfect 9.280, dead on his dial also grabbing the Perfectly Strange bonus money for Super Stock.

With the Easter Holiday weekend, Fletcher will have plenty of time to figure out whatever strange gremlin that reared its head during the Super Stock final at ZMax in his K&N 1969 Camaro, before his next event in Baytown, Texas and the NHRA SpringNationals April 29-May 1.

"I'm really glad I could get this Super Stock win for all the guys at K&N," he added. "It just felt really good to seal the deal in Super Stock after not being able to do so in that class last season."

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.

Stephanie Herbage Leads Every Lap at Perris and Gets to Savor First Victory

27.04.2011

Stephanie isn't only a gifted driver she's also a full-time college student, holding down two part-time jobs.

"There are really no words that can express how I feel. I am so overwhelmed with joy, happiness, and just all around grateful that I was given the chance to just be one of the veterans," remarked Stephanie Herbage after earning her first ever stock car race win at Perris Auto Speedway.

It required the entire Herbage Family Flying Circus team to get Stephanie’s new car into winning form at Perris Auto Speedway, which is why she shares her first win with them.

Last season was Stephanie's rookie year racing American Factory Stock Cars, and she competed in all but the first three races in a borrowed car, as her car was wrecked in only her third outing. But this determined Moreno Valley, California teenager wasn't about to let a little thing like a totaled racecar deter her competitive instincts.

The race in Perris, California, last week turned into a very emotional event for both Stephanie and the entire Herbage Family Flying Circus team, as they worked extremely hard to get her new racecar ready. The team struggled in the hot laps and failed to make the heat race because of fuel delivery problems, and it looked as though she wouldn't make the main event. The crew however, in a Herculean effort, corrected the problem, and Stephanie was able to start the main event on the front as a result of the inversion.

"As luck would have it, they inverted the field for the main event, placing her on the pole to start the race," explained Marti Herbage, Stephanie's mom. Marti is a Customer Account Manager at K&N Engineering, Inc.

In her car Stephanie becomes a fierce competitor, but when she's out of the car, she's a bright, friendly, young woman with a sharp sense of humor, and a growing base of adoring fans.

With her car now running at top performance, Stephanie took an early lead, and employing her ability to hug the inside line, she managed to keep all comers at bay. She only had a couple of bobbles, where she over-steered, or got loose, but she recovered quickly enough to avoid being passed by the second place car. Stephanie went on to lead all 25-laps, holding off a field that included veteran driver Keith Woods, who rode her bumper for the final laps of the race.

"Considering the initial problems with the car, and not being in the heat race, her goal was to just do her best and finish as close to first place as possible," said Marti. "Being in the lead for so many laps was exciting, but the veteran challengers, Keith Wood and Jeff Gullim made her nervous. Being able to finish in first place was equally surprising and exciting. Now she feels like a true racer!"

Even after each of the three yellow flags during the race, no one was able to beat her at the green flag. Stephanie's natural talents, honed by the experience she acquired last season, a totally dedicated crew and excellent track conditions, all contributed to the perfect storm that was her first victory.

"It really was a number of factors" confirmed Stephanie. "The car was finally running perfectly. And I also have to give some credit to the other drivers for making this a clean race when they had plenty of opportunities to take me out. Now that I've had a taste of what winning is like, I'm definitely hungry for more."

There is every reason to believe that the young K&N sponsored racer will no doubt savor more victories in the very near future, Stephanie is extremely committed to making herself the very best she can be, as she doesn't merely drive her racecar, she works with her dad and brother preparing and fixing it. Long before she developed her new found appetite for winning, she was already plenty passionate to learn all she could about the mechanics of her car.

"We would also like to be sure to mention that this was the first race at which the Herbage Family Flying Circus had a complete pit crew of four members, and all contributed a great deal to getting the car running and on the track," added Marti.

The Herbage Family Flying Circus team consists of Ken Herbage (uncle), Jason Herbage (cousin), Dan Herbage (dad), and Stephanie's boyfriend Daniel Matlock. Her brother, Matt, is co-owner of the car along with her dad. Matt is responsible for all the off-track engine and car work. Stephanie's next race is back at Perris Auto Speedway on May 7th.

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.

The Speedline Racing Team and Sprint Car Driver Nick Davis

27.04.2011

Speedline Racings' Nick Davis

Nick Davis is in rebuilding mode, literally and figuratively. His Speedline Racing team has been working on a wingless sprint car to add to its collection of race cars. He's still a couple weeks away from making his season debut and start a schedule that will take his team to tracks throughout Northern California.

The Speedline Racing team has been working on a wingless sprint car to add to its collection of race cars.

The plan is to race at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico and rotate to tracks in Placerville, Marysville, Antioch, Chowchilla and Petaluma.

"In two to three weeks, we'll probably be heading to Chico," said Davis, a driver from Stockton. "Chico's such a fast track. We really like to run wide open. I like to run the top as much as humanly possible and Chico is an all-around fast track. We're going to run there. Probably our two favorite tracks we like to run are Placerville and Chico."

The next night of wingless and 360 sprints races in Chico are scheduled for May 13.

Davis had a bit of a rough season in 2010. He recorded only two top-10 finishes and ran into a number of mechanical problems.

Nick Davis is a big supporter of K&N Products.

"We kind of had some tough runs, went through a few motors," Davis said. "We kind of ended the season a little bit prematurely, which was unfortunate. We all sat down and looked at where the wingless cars were heading and where the growth was going to be. We made the initial investment, started going that way. Had some great off-season meetings with sponsors, but unfortunately a couple who were going to come in monetarily had to back out."

His team's season essentially ended in August, three months before the Pumpkin Cup races at Chowchilla Speedway, which was supposed to be the last race of the season for Speedline Racing. Instead of racing week to week in the fall, Davis and his team focused on putting together a new wingless sprint car.

"We're currently in a state of scrambling and trying to pick up the pieces of where we're at and do whatever we can to get out to the track," Davis said. "We're still putting everything together."

Running a variety of tracks is part of his team's strategy. Davis wants to experience having to adjust to different racing conditions so when his team makes a move up in class, it will be ready for any unexpected elements.

"We want to get out there and try our hand at everything," Davis said. "We're not the type of guys who necessarily like to run for a track championship. We really are more outlaw guys. We like a challenge. We're not ever comfortable at one place. That's one of the things we've always tried to do, make sure we're never comfortable. We constantly want to try to build and move forward. Part of what we've done is make sure that we're trying new tracks so that if eventually we do get up to the 360 classes we're right where we need to be and we feel comfortable with the fact that whatever comes our way, we know we can adapt."

Even though his team's season in 2010 ended early, Davis doesn't categorize it as a lost season. He likes to describe it as a growth year.

"From the previous year, we've been having some good runs. Last year, we were constantly up front and contenders, which was really good. Unfortunately, some little nuisances here and there have not gone our way," Davis said. "A lot of those things were fluke things. I wouldn't say it was a wasted year, because we got a lot great seat time. For the most part, it was a huge growth for our team. It's really invaluable experience. We had pretty high expectations. We didn't achieve 100 percent of our goals, but we definitely we achieved that we put the best car on the track. Last year, I come out with a positive note."

As if building a new car and preparing to race it at a variety of tracks wasn't enough for Speedline Racing, Davis said he wants notch his first win.

"We definitely want to pick up our first win," Davis said. "We've been striving and working and that's kind of been our No. 1 priority. We gotta get that first win."

Working with K&N is an important part of reaching that goal of recording the team's first win.

"At this point, anything helps," Davis said. "We are just so grateful. We want to grow a relationship not for just today, but for the future. We use 100 percent K&N. You can't beat them. Their filters are used on everything that we build, that we build for customers. We wouldn't go with anything else."

While that first win is important, Davis said he knows his team has to work its way up to that point.

"One of our big hopes is to have a decent first race and have a good showing," Davis said. "With everything that we have, there's no reason why success can't come our way. We're just really excited about all that's going to come. It's kind of hard because you don't know what to expect."

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.

El Gato Racing's Ernie Serfas Wins M.O.R. E. Balls Out 250 Desert Race

27.04.2011

The 302 powered four-link Ford Ranger number 1449 is piloted by Shawn Walters and Justin Rhynes.

El Gato Racing from Big Bear Lake, California runs two trucks in the 1450 Sportsman Class. Team owner Carl Walters' philosophy is that El Gato is all about the team and he doesn't much go for idle chit-chat, so when he talks it's because there's something to say.

In 2011 it was Ernie Serfas getting the win at the Ball Out 250 in Barstow, driving the 1491 Trophy Truck.

"Ernie took a first in the desert in 1491. We only entered the one truck. We're going to expand our operation a little bit and bring the trucks to Glen Helen for both the short course and Baja Cup Challenge Series," reported Walters to K&N Race News.

The team has expanded their racing program to include Primm, Nevada, and Glen Helen raceways, as this year the expectations are that participation at these two spectator venues will increase sharply.

"It was supposed to be a year for depth and reorganization and that did happen, but the tragic incident in August that claimed so many lives also claimed a competing organization. The resultant governmental knee-jerk reaction has all but brought desert racing in California to its knees," says Walters, referring to the off-road race in southern California's Mojave Desert that claimed eight lives last year.

El Gato Racing's Ernie Serfas is the current class leader.

"Through it all El Gato raced and culminated last season with Ernie Serfas taking the win in the 1491 truck and J.J. Hanson in the 1469 truck backing him up with second place at the Toys for Tots Barstow event," continued Walters. "It was a nice sweep for the El Gato team in the 1450 Sportsman Class. It was also an uneventful race with both trucks completing the 200 mile event without mishap or breakdown."

"This is when and where the K&N products prove themselves time and time again," says Walters. "We stay competitive because we have this K&N support and that gives us the edge. Ernie recently backed up his December win with yet another first place at the March 21 Balls Out 250."

In 2010 El Gato Racing won and took second place in the M.O.R. E. (Mojave Off-Road Racing Enthusiast) Balls Out 250 desert off-road race. "Over the past several years M.O.R.E. has emerged as the premier Southern California desert race scene and we're going to stay with them," Walters said.

This year Serfas is the current class leader, "And he's going for the title," adds Walters. "In the meantime two of our roving pit members, Adam and Cory, are preparing a fresh trophy truck chassis which with any luck will debut later this fall."

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 to 2015 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor with 6.2 Liter Engine Gets Serious Power with K&N

25.04.2011

K&N Air Intake Installed on 2010 Ford F-150 Raptor 6.2L

Dyno Chart for 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor 6.2L

Out of all Ford F-150 models available, the SVT Raptor is by far, the most exciting truck to drive. Geared toward higher performance than the other models, the F-150 SVT Raptor is a high-powered pickup truck designed for off-road domination. Ford’s website states that the Raptor gets 411 horsepower and 434 ft/lb of torque from models equipped with the 6.2L engine. The SVT Raptor’s bold appearance, aggressive power and durable construction make it a great truck to own.

K&N Air Intake System for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Ford F-150 Raptor 6.2L 2010-f-150-raptorS

In order to squeeze more power and torque out of your 6.2L engine, K&N designed a performance air intake system 77-2579KTK for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor models that have the 6.2L engine. The 77-2579KTK was dyno-tested and produced an estimated gain of 20 horsepower at 4830 rpm. This is a significant amount of extra power resulting from a simple cold air intake installation.

Detailed installation instructions with color photo illustrations are included in the 77-2579KTK air intake system packaging. Since the OEM airbox and washer reservoir are mounted together, the K&N air intake system also includes a new washer reservoir to replace the removed one. When it comes to adding significant performance to your Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, K&N’s 77-2579KTK is one of the most cost-effective ways available.

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor 6.2L

In addition to a guaranteed performance boost, the 77-2579KTK was designed with a washable high flow K&N air filter, part RF-1044XD, so it can be cleaned, oiled and reused. This air filter can go for up to 100,000 miles between cleanings depending on driving conditions. Once it does get dirty K&N’s Recharger Kit makes the cleaning process very simple.

K&N backs the 77-2579KTK with a million mile limited warranty. It will be the last air intake and filter your Ford F-150 SVT Raptor will ever need.

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.