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For Michael Lewis the last race of the season started under a yellow flag so the 28 car field could adequately spread the water around the track first
Racecar drivers are nothing, if not mentally tough. Their ability to compartmentalize sits atop a very specific set of skills, because losing focus for even half a heartbeat at triple-digit speeds is far more catastrophic than merely fumbling the ball. This year, in a tumultuous season both on and off the track, Southern California's Michael Lewis proved to everyone paying attention that he's a poster-boy for American true grit.
"Yeah it has definitely been an interesting year," Lewis reflects. "Not where I wanted to end up, because last year I won a race, and I was generally around the top-5. It's hard to accept sometimes that the results aren't there, but I kept strong and tried to get the best out of the situation. Every lap I went as hard as I know how to drive, so that was positive."
Despite the challenging conditions at Hockenheim Michael Lewis managed to get up to P8 and was fighting to get into the top-5
The 10th and final round of the 2013 FIA Formula 3 European Championship visited Hockenheim, Germany, and Lewis was determined to finish the last race of the season on a high note. Although the weather would once again prove demanding at best, with a torrential rainstorm depositing standing water on the track, and the race starting under the yellow flag, and the Safety Car leading the pack of 28 drivers for a few laps to spread the water around the track – the dude did abide. Laguna Beach, California's native son held tough to finish with his 8th top-10 finish of the season.
The K&N sponsored driver Michael Lewis left Vallelunga with another top-10
"I mean, considering where I started back in 18th, it was a pretty good result," said Lewis. "I was even up to P8 fighting to get into the top-5, but with so much rain, each corner people were flying off and crashing, so I brought the car back home for a top-10."
Adding to the noteworthiness of this 8th place season ending finish is that Hockenheim is where Lewis crashed during qualifying earlier in the season.
"It didn't do anything," Lewis affirms about the violet impact which was recorded at 21G's. "That's an honest response. For a day or two after the crash I was still feeling the effects of my concussion, but I got right back where I left off at the next race in the A1 ring."
For the most part though, the ups where every bit as significant as the downs during 2013 for the young K&N sponsored driver.
"In terms of a highlight, I remember rolling out to Silverstone and being P2 in practice after not being in the car for five months," Lewis recalls, "that was pretty cool. Also there were some races like Vallelunga, Nürburgring, Hockenheim and Norisring where I was super fast in the races and got some good results."
Regardless of what the 2013 season threw at Michael Lewis, his focus remained on the job at hand
Lewis was in fact very good in every race and always in the battle all season long, and with the finicky nature of racing being what it is, the same amount of focus and effort will statistically produce even greater results next season.
"For 2014 we have some exciting new plans and I hope to share them with everyone as soon as possible" Lewis teases. "Until then we will have to wait."
On the subject of living half his year abroad Lewis says, "Living in Europe has always been pretty special. Mainly because of the great quality of food, and just being in a place that is massively different than America. I will always miss the food of Italy (where I had an apartment). Right now I am back in California preparing for 2014."
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank K&N Motorsports for the coverage of my 2013 European Racing experiences. It has been fun to share them with all of my fans and it was an honor to represent a brand such as K&N Motorsports this year, and since 2010. That's a four-year partnership. Pretty cool! All the best, and keep on the lookout for what I will be doing this upcoming 2014 season on my Facebook page.
Related K&N News Articles about FIA Formula 3: Michael Lewis on the Ups and Downs of 2013 and the FIA Formula 3 Masters at Zandvoort; Michael Lewis is Back to Full Speed in the 2013 FIA Formula 3 European Championship; Michael Lewis Stays with PREMA Powerteam to Compete In FIA Formula 3 Euro Series Championship
In a blur of water Chris MacCluggage ignites his historic run at the 2013 ISJBA finals
In 1986, when Chris MacCluggage was 10-years-old, his dad took him to see his first professional watercraft race. "I want to do this as a job," MacCluggage immediately decreed. "Then my father bought me my first ski and I was hooked instantly!"
For the 2013 season Chris MacCluggage returned to his racing roots, competing aboard Sport and Stand Up Skis
Today, 29 years later, MacCluggage has claimed more podium finishes than anyone in the sports history, earning him the ambiguous acronym title G.O.A.T. - The Greatest of All Time. Already owning 15 World Championships, 15 National Championships, 3 Thailand Kings Cup, 2 Japanese and 2 European Indoor Championships, the Offshore Guadeloupe and Martinique Off Shore Championships, and being crowned the 2013 Mark Hahn Havasu 300 Champion - this season MacCluggage shifted his focus from the runabout division to Sport and Stand Up Skis, a move that took him back to his roots, as these were the race boats that he launched his career on. And the outcome - 3 more World titles in 3 days at the International Jet Sports Boating Association (ISJBA) World Finals.
Competing against the best professionals from around the globe, MacCluggage convincingly added the Pro Ski GP, Pro Ski Open and Pro Sport Class titles to his indomitable resume.
The MacCluggage's, Rachel and Chris, are expecting their second child in December
"Currently I have 18 World Championships," confirmed MacCluggage, "But, this World Finals was by far the best ever. It was the first time I had won these titles in front of my wife and son. A lot of my family members flew out from Florida for the races. It was great to perform so well in front of them. Also, with so many great people surrounding me, it made racing much easier."
Chris MacCluggage says his new K&N filters not only perform better, but they’re also more durable and look better than the filters he’s used in the past
"The common thread between all these classes," MacCluggage adds, "Is that I stand up rather than sit. The Ski GP is similar to the Ski Open, but the Ski Open class is more prestigious. The Ski open title is the most sacred in sport!
As a family man MacCluggage clearly keeps his priorities in order, and he in fact draws his strength from them. Between himself and his wife, Rachel, they have a combined total of 50 years of jet skis racing experience, knowledge which they share at their MACC Racing Training school in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where they live and train year-round. Both are multi-time National and World Champions in there respected classes.
For his defining 2013 championship season, MacCluggage has been running K&N on his skis. "The K&N filters are working out really well for me. Not only do they look better, but they perform a lot better than others I used in the past," says MacCluggage. "They are also much more durable than others on the market."
"For now there is one race coming in Havasu in February," he explains about his race calendar." There are other races I could attend this season, but we have our second child due in December, so family is first!"
Related K&N News Articles about IJSBA:IJSBA Champ Rob Flores Earns National Pro Stock Ski & Pro Ski GP Titles in Watercross National Tour; K&N's Jeremy Parr 2011 ISJBA Freestyle National Champion; Pro Freestyle Rider Jeremy Parr Leads IJSBA National Tour
2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion - Derek Thorn Showing off the Torphy at Phoenix International Raceway
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season finale at Phoenix International Raceway produced a couple of first-time winners.
Gray Gaulding won his first race and Derek Thorn won his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series championship.
Gaulding, a driver from Colonial Heights, Virginia, became the youngest winner of a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race. He is 15 years, 8 months and 30 days, breaking the mark set by Dylan Kwasiniewski, who won his first race when he was 16 years and 2 months.
Gray Gaulding in Phoenix International Raceway's victory lane celebrating his first win
"That's probably the hardest I've ever drove, Gaulding said. "When I got out of the car, my hands were shaking. What a good night though."
Thorn, from Lakeport, California, won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship by six points over Cameron Hayley.
Gaulding led only one lap in the race, the final lap, and battled with Cole Custer for the win. Gaulding tapped Custer, who led a race-high 49 laps of the Casino Arizona 50, sending Custer spinning out of control on the final lap at Phoenix International Raceway.
Multi-car accident at Phoenix International Raceway during the Casino Arizona 50
"I knew what I needed to do on the last lap," Gaulding said. "I was closing and closing and closing. I had to take advantage of it, no doubt about it. A few guys came over to me and said a few words. I hate having to take somebody out, but as close as it was, and as fast as we were, it was a huge battle and I knew I had to take advantage of it."
Custer, who also won the pole, slipped to sixth place after spinning out. Gaulding and Custer are regulars in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
"All those guys set the bar high for us," Thorn said. "We on the West Coast tend to be more in a bubble. Competition is what drives the sport. It keeps everybody competitive. It keeps everybody moving forward. These guys always come out and give us a rude awakening."
Cole Custer wins the Pole in the Casino Arizona 50 at Phoenix International Raceway
There were only two caution periods in the race. The first was a red flag on the opening lap because of multi-car crash. The race resumed on lap 5.
Rookie Jesse Little finished in second place, followed by Hayley in third. David Mayhew was fourth and Brandon McReynolds was fifth.
Thorn entered the season finale with a 16-point lead over Greg Pursley in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings. Thorn finished in 15th place in the race at Cole Custer wins the Pole in the Casino Arizona 50 at Phoenix International Raceway. Hayley's third-place finish cut the lead to six points, but not enough to catch Thorn.
"This championship is by far an all-time high," Thorn said. "Hopefully it's not the end of my career. At the same time, I've been trying to cherish every moment. Racing itself is tough right now. It's tough for any kid."
Pursley, the 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion, finished in third place in the final series standings. Michael Self, who was ninth in the race at Cole Custer wins the Pole in the Casino Arizona 50 at Phoenix International Raceway, came in fourth place in the West Series standings. Rookie Dylan Lupton was fifth in the final series standings.
Greg Pursley chasing No. 21 Michael Self in the closing laps
Greg Pursley won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield and put himself in contention to win the series championship.
Pursley won his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West leading fifth race of the season. It was the 18th NASCAR K&N Pro Series West win of his career.
It also put him in second place in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings with one race to go.
Celebrating his 5th win of the season - No. 26 Greg Pursley
Pursley won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship in 2011. He trails Derek Thorn by 16 points with the season finale Casino Arizona 50 at Phoenix International Raceway coming up on Nov. 9.
Pursley was able to cut into Thorn's lead at Bakersfield. Thorn finished in sixth place despite starting on the front row and leading the first lap of the race.
"I'll tell you what, lapped traffic was very interesting here," Pursley said. "I split a couple cars a couple times. It was hairy a few times, but everybody did a great job. It's a great series to run."
Pursley battled Michael Self over the last 30 laps of the race. There were only four cautions for 24 laps in the inaugural NAPA Auto Parts 150. The last caution period proved to benefit Pursley, but he didn't exactly want to see the race interrupted.
"I didn't want to see it and I did," said Pursley, driver of the No. 26 Ford for Gene Price Motorsports. "I knew we were good on the outside there and I knew once I got a good start and could get away from him that he'd have to chase me back down. Fortunately it worked out for us and we came home with a win here."
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Has returneds to Bakersfield, CA as the NAPA Auto Parts 150
Cameron Hayley was also able to cut into Thorn's lead a little. He was fifth in the race at Bakersfield and trails Thorn by 18 points in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings.
Pursley started the race on the second row, behind Thorn and Gray Gaulding, the pole winner. Gaulding, from Colonial Heights, Va., is the youngest driver to win a pole in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. He is 15 years, 8 months and 16 days. He is also the youngest driver to win a pole in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
Gaulding passed Thorn for the lead on lap 2 and was out front for the next 54 laps. Pursley and Gaulding battled for the lead until lap 63 when Pursley took over for good.
Winner of the 21 Means 21 Pole Award - Gary Gaulding
He led the final 89 laps of the race and won by 0.178 seconds over Self.
"We were so free on restarts, scary free," Self said. "We dropped back a couple positions there a couple of times. It took us a good five or six laps for us to go. Thankfully this was a long-run race. We were able to catch back up to him a couple of times. Those last 20 laps were probably the hardest laps I've ever logged there."
Gaulding's car cut a tire and he crashed into the wall on lap 112. He finished in 21st place.
Eric Holmes was third, followed by David Mayhew in fourth.
"I was hoping Michael and Eric would mix it up a bit and give us a shot at it" Holmes said. "I'm really proud of the NAPA team. Kinda struggled all year long and we got it turned around here at the end of the year. We got some really fast NAPA Toyotas right now."
Dylan Kwasniewski and Geoff Lee, Road Atlanta's track president, in Victory lane
Dylan Kwasniewski won the race and the championship, becoming the first driver to win the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR K&N Pro Series West titles in consecutive years.
Number 98 - Dylan Kwasniewski leading wire-to-wire pulls off a win
"I knew my dad would have wanted me to do it," Kwasniewski said. "He was the one who started it. He told somebody that my son is going to become a NASCAR champion one day. Now I can say I am a back-to-back champion."
Dylan Kwasniewski and Brett Moffitt entered the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season finale at Road Atlanta in Georgia separated by five points in the championship standings.
Dylan Kwasniewski celebrating with his team at Road Atlanta in Victory Lane
Kwasniewski won six races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, the most since Brad Leighton won six races in 1999. Ricky Craven holds the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East record with 10 wins in one season in 1991.
It was the first K&N Pro Series East championship for Turner Scott Motorsports, which made its debut in the series in 2013.
Dylan Kwasniewski and George Silbermann, NASCAR's Vice President, in the Victory Land at Road Atlanta
Kwasniewski easily won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship when Moffitt fell out of contention with a transmission problem on lap 6. Moffitt finished a distant 24th and Kwasniewski won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship by 33 points.
Kwasniewski had two poor finishes in the previous two races. He was 24th at the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and was 29th at the race at Dover International Speedway in Delaware.
Car owner Harry Scott of Turner-Scott Motorsports with Dylan Kwasniewski in the Victory Lane
Those two races allowed Moffitt to close the gap on Kwasniewski in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings.
Dylan Kwasniewski and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship trophy
"It just shows that he never quits," said Mardy Lindley, Dylan Kwasniewski's crew chief. "We never gave up. It was just a great day today. It just showed how our season went. In the beginning it was up and down. When it was up, it was really up."
Moffitt moved within striking distance of Kwasniewski for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship in the last race of the season. But Moffitt's car conked out early in the race leaving little drama in the championship race.
Number 97, Jesse Little, received the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors
"We were coming into this last race with two horrible races," Kwasniewski said. "It could have been either way. We bounced back. We knew that we had the championship locked in. We knew that we had the car to beat."
The 18-year-old Kwasniewski is the third youngest driver to win the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship. Joey Logano and Ryan Truex won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East title when they were 17.
"I went into this race, just like the last race at Phoenix, knowing that I was the one to beat at this race," Kwasniewski said. "I was the one that they were going to be chasing. I just had to have that mentality, it's not a cocky mentality, it's just a confident one that you know you can go out there and win every single weekend. That's what I did."
Qualifying for the Road Atlanta 115 was rained out. The starting grid was set by championship points. Kwasniewski started on the pole alongside Moffitt.
Dylan Kwasniewski led every lap of the race. Daniel Suarez was second, with Bryan Ortiz in third.
Related K&N News Articles about the Road Atlanta Racetrack:
Torrential Rain Forced Officials to Halt Petit Le Mans on Road Atlanta Circuit; Daytona SportBike Race One Series at Road Atlanta in the books for Rider Chaz Davies
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