Ultime Notizie

NHRA Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson won the K&N Horsepower Challenge in 2016

Greg Anderson won the K&N Horsepower Challenge last year. Anderson was making his 12th appearance in the K&N Horsepower Challenge and beat teammate Jason Line in the final race with a pass of 12.336 seconds at 89.67 mph.

“It’s so much fun racing this race, you don’t have to worry about points, you don’t have to worry about screwing up or anything; you just go have fun and try to win the big cash,” Anderson said. “Fifty grand is big to us. It’s huge. It’s obviously the biggest payday we can make a year.”

The runner-up receives $10,000. The two semifinalists win $3,000 apiece. The No. 1 qualifier at each NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock event wins an additional $3,000 bonus.

NHRA Pro Stock driver Jason Line was the runner-up in the K&N Horsepower Challenge in 2016

"It's the top eight drivers and cars in the Pro Stock class going after the biggest payday the NHRA offers so it's a very important race to be a part of," Enders said. "We didn't qualify on points because we had a down year performance-wise in 2016 but we're back in our trusted Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro and feel as though, given a chance, we can make a serious run at this race title.”

Enders won the K&N Horsepower Challenge in 2014 and 2015. She was the runner-up in 2013. Anderson won the Pro Stock event at the NHRA Arizona Nationals in February. Enders lost in the first round to Shane Gray.

“My fans have proven to me time and time again to be the best in any sport anywhere. They have always been so supportive of me and I love them so much for always having my back,” Enders said. “It would be huge if everyone takes a moment and goes to vote for me to run this year's race. I won't let them down.”

NHRA Pro Stock driver Erica Enders is a two-time winner in the K&N Horsepower Challenge

In addition to Anderson, Line, and Enders, Chris McGaha, Drew Skillman, Gray, Allen Johnson and Vincent Nobile were in the K&N Horsepower Challenge field last in 2016.

“This class is as strong as it ever was,” Anderson said after winning the NHRA Pro Stock event in Arizona. “We got new blood in the sport, in the class right now. It’s just I think every race I had today was decided by less than a foot. You just don’t get better racing than that. It’s fantastic out there.”

The next event in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Florida from March 16-19.

With a new Rocket Chassis, Chris Ferguson is ready for a run of good luck in Super Late Models

“2016 was a tough year because of the races that we had a legitimate shot at winning not going our way,” Ferguson said. “We’re looking to get back to where we were two years ago. We’re still there, we just didn’t have things go our way.”

Armed with a new XR1 from Rocket Chassis, Ferguson is ready to hit the dirt with plans for between 40 and 60 races in 2017. Those will include runs with the big sanctioning bodies of World of Outlaws’ Craftsman Late Model Series and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series along with more local groups like the Southern All Star Late Model Series, Ultimate Super Late Model Series, and Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series. He’ll also sprinkle in some of the big-money events like the $100,000 Dirt Track World Championships and Dirt Late Model Dream.

After six feature wins, K&N driver Chris Ferguson looks to improve upon that and score big wins.

Chris will again get his 875 horsepower from a Chevrolet small block-based 430ci V8 from Clements Racing Engines. That howling engine breathes through a K&N air filter that gets a workout, often working through long features while picking up dirt clods. Chris uses K&N air filter spray cleaner to clean up the dirt-spattered filters, noting that no other filter cleaner has ever knocked the dirt out as easily. The Clements 430ci also gets its fuel via a K&N fuel filter and uses a K&N crankcase breather filter.

Racing is in Ferguson’s blood. His grandfather raced Ralph Earnhardt and Lee Petty while his dad, Bryan, raced six-cylinders at the hallowed Concord Speedway that preceded Charlotte Motor Speedway as Oval Racing’s Capital. His uncles and cousins? They raced. Family remains a huge part of Chris’ racing; his dad Bryan Conard co-owns the car while his brother, Brandon Conard, works as the car’s crew chief.

Leno brings his enthusiasm for motor sports to the Mint 400 (Photo: Mint 400)

Possibly the highest profile star set to race in the Mint 400 is Jay Leno. Leno has joined a long line of A-list celebrities who have thrown their hat (or helmet) into the Mint 400 ring. James Garner, Steve McQueen, Lee Majors, and Ted Nugent are among the other stage and screen stars to have strapped in for a Mint 400 experience.

Jessi Combs talks to the press as Robin Leach checks his schedule (Photo:Tim Kessel)

The Grand Marshal of the 2017 race, Robin Leach of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” fame, talked to reporters during the contingency press conference about his connection to desert racing. The amiable Brit reporter and journalist discussed that his son Steve Leach has been a longtime chase crew member of the McMillin Off-Road Team.

K&N Racer Katie Vernola rolls her SxS through contingency (Photo:Tim Kessel)

There will be no shortage of TV shows reflecting on this year's Mint 400. Builders Diesel Dave and Heavy D will be racing a truck they built in the Mint's morning race. They will be documenting their Mint experience for their Discovery Channel TV show "The Diesel Brothers."

Storied Mint 400 racers like Rod Hall and early race promoters were on hand to reminisce about the event’s infancy in the 1970s, as current racers worked through the contingency out in the street. The legends talked about the incipient stages of “The Great American Desert Race.”

Desert racing champion RJ Anderson meets fans at the K&N booth (Photo:Tim Kessel)

"I just want to go with the flow," Vernola said. "You have to take what the course gives you. If your car is hurting, you're hurting." Vernola is slated to run the full schedule of the Best in the Desert racing series in 2017.

No stranger to the Mint 400 is the 2015 runner-up RJ Anderson. Anderson missed the top podium spot that year by a matter of minutes. The five-time off road racing champion signed posters for fans in front of K&N’s truck.

Vernola poses with her K&N-protected SxS at the contingency (Photo:Tim Kessel)

The iconic Vegas downtown was a fitting venue for an iconic race gathering (Photo: Tim Kessel)

The link between the Mint 400 and Fremont Street goes back over four decades. At its inception, “The Great American Desert Race” was sponsored by the Mint Hotel which was a fixture on Fremont until its closing in the late 1980s. Fremont Street is truly the historic epicenter of American desert racing. The quirky, fun ambiance of downtown Vegas is a perfect match for the vibrancy of the Mint 400 Contingency.

No other major race offers fans such an intimate relationship with racers and their race hardware as the Mint 400. During the contingency, high-tech and exotic off-road cars, trucks, buggies, and UTVs are rolled through the streets where fans can inspect, photograph, and even touch the race machines that will tackle the rugged Mojave Desert a day later. The top desert racers are also accessible for autographs and casual interaction with race fans.

K&N's cool vintage race truck was a fan favorite (Photo:Tim Kessel)

Of course, K&N was a major part of the Mint 400 Contingency festivities. The K&N semi and display vehicles were a fan favorite on the contingency path. The large K&N village offered fans a chance to see the newest intake and filtration technology and view some really cool machines.

The K&N vintage off-road truck was a magnetic attraction for gearheads, with its classic faded and rusted look and thoroughly modern suspension and engine-work. The K&N Polaris SxS, featuring the brand-new K&N 63-1133 Polaris intake, was popular with UTV race fans. K&N also had some very cool stand-alone engine and intake displays.

Fremont Street was bustling with Mint 400 Contigency fun (Photo: Mint 400)

The ultra-fan-friendly Mint 400 Contingency was a roaring success (literally). Take a look below for a photo log of the festivities at the 2017 Mint 400 Contingency.

K&N brought lots of fun stuff for the Mint 400 race fans (Photo:Tim Kessel)

The K&N sprint car air box filter is a very popular one among race fans (Photo:Tim Kessel)

Where else do you get this close to exotic desert trophy trucks? (Photo: Mint 400)

The cutest pit crew gets a ride down Fremont (Photo: Mint 400)

Notice the K&N filter on the classic Mickey Thompson dirt racer (Photo;:Tim Kessel)

All of the Mint 400 race machines made their way across the contingency stage (Photo: Tim Kessel)

K&N's SxS displayed brand new intake technology (Photo:Tim Kessel)

Quirky art displays along Fremont Street added to the contingency fun (Photo: Tim Kessel)

Eye candy was everywhere at the contingency (Photo: Tim Kessel)

Fans got up-close and personal with desert race machines (Photo: Mint 400)

Despite an enviable record, Stronghold is changing strategies as to how it approaches 2017

This coming season the Stronghold Motorsports MAVTV Toyo Tires team will field a K&N-equipped trophy truck for the first time. Plans are for the team to compete with the trophy truck at Best In The Desert events The Mint 400 and the Vegas to Reno races.

The ultimate goal is to get the truck and team fully dialed in before going for a win at the 50th Anniversary SCORE Baja 1000 race (which will be a point-to-point race) in November. The trophy truck team will consist of Scott Bailey, Jason Coleman, and co-driver Johnny Nelson. Coleman brings years of desert racing experience with him. He worked his way up from the limited Class 1600 cars, where he earned two championships, the moved up into the faster Class 10, and now the trophy truck.

Off-road Veteran Jason Coleman joins forces with Stronghold in their trophy truck

The Stronghold Motorsports team’s K&N-supported Unlimited Class One buggy will compete at the Mint 400, Vegas to Reno, and possibly the Baja 500. Sharing driving duties will be the Double B’s – Brandon Arthur and Brandon Bailey.

Arthur has extensive off-road experience, including class victories and building and winning in a trophy truck he constructed in his family’s shop, HRT Motorsports. Both Brandons will drive for the Stronghold Motorsports team in short-course races as well.

Brandon Arthur will be sharing the wheel of Stronghold's Class One car with Brandon Bailey

“We are very excited about the people we have put together, it’s a great collaboration of successful teams,” said Scott Bailey, team leader. “We are just where we need to be, and are looking forward to being back in the Pro Lite class where we have multiple championships. We have spent time testing and tuning our new MAVTV trophy truck and done some enhancements to our Class One car to make it even faster. Our desert racing program this year will culminate in racing the 50th anniversary of the Baja 1000.”