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Mitchell DeJong Makes History Earning Global Rallycross Lites Silver at 2013 X Games

26 Sept 2013

Mitchell DeJong made history with his X Games Silver Medal, becoming the youngest driver ever to reach the GRC podium

Most 15-year-olds are only just beginning the struggle to find a comfortable identity that fits them. And the search for mileposts or clues regarding a direction they might grow into over the duration can take years, including plenty of wrong turns into teenaged crazy town. Mitchell DeJong however appears to have found a loophole in the uncertainty of that development process. For a good long while now, DeJong has been fully aware that he is destined to be a racer. A really gifted racer. Since 2007 he has in fact accumulated nine total championships in just six seasons, putting him on pace to be one of the winningest off-road drivers of all time. Global Rallycross (GRC) and racing in the X Games has long been a dream for DeJong, and now he has already crossed both of those off his to-do list.

Built by top Rallycross preparer OlsbergsMSE, Mitchell DeJong's Lites produces 310 Horsepower

At the inaugural Global Rallycross Lites final at the X Games in Los Angeles, California, DeJong inked his name in the history books by winning the Silver Medal, and becoming the youngest Global Rallycross driver to ever earn a tier on the X Games podium.

"I was just so stoked to be invited to compete in X Games. It seemed so surreal, because I've wanted to race a Rallycross car in the X Games events ever since it started," said DeJong. "During the race week it really just seemed like another race to me. This was only my second time racing this car and I was just hoping to not make any mistakes. It wasn't until after the race, during the medal ceremony, when they presented me with the Silver Medal that it really hit me. I was taking home the Silver! It felt pretty awesome, and not just for me, but for my whole team. It's a total team effort, Borne Olsson and the Olsbergs crew, my parents and the sponsors who've believed in me. It's so great to see that look of triumph in the faces of my team.

DeJong and Olsbergs' MSE GRC Lites mechanic, Bjorn, tuned the front suspension of the No.24 Red Bull GRC Lite right before his heat race, and the adjustment paid off big time. The K&N sponsored driver was able to post the fastest lap time of both heats, as he easily advanced to the first ever X Games GRC Lites Final.

With an outside starting position for the Final, DeJong understood that he needed to get a great start to have any chance at a medal in the intense eight car field. When the green lights flashed DeJong held his line wide around turns one and two, positioning himself to take over the 4th position coming out of turn three. Then using the "Joker Lap" option, which is available only once per race, he was able to slide his car two more positions into 2nd place. Once DeJong was in clean air, he began to shave a second per lap off the lead until high engine temperatures forced the car into cool-mode, limiting the motors full rpm range. DeJong however maintained his composure and he had enough power to hold onto 2nd place for his very first X Games Silver Medal.

Mitchell DeJong says he'll stay with Rallycross for a while because it includes all the disciplines of racing that he enjoys

"Rallycross combines the best racing challenges using multiple terrains, basically all of my racing worlds wrapped in to one. I love it!" declares DeJong. "On-road, off-road, jumps, short course, and head-to- head racing in this Rallycross Lites car has been the most fun racing I've done so far."

We asked DeJong how his dream race career would take shape under ideal conditions?

"This is the question I'm asked the most. Because I like the challenges and competition of different types of racing, it's pretty hard for me to just pick one. I'd like to keep Rallycross racing, it's so new to me, different than anything I've raced before and it's always a new challenge on the track with the multiple surface changes in a single race. I really love road course racing too, and if I had the opportunity, I'd love to drive an F1 car.

Next up on Mitchell DeJong's race calendar is The Dirt Track in North Carolina on September 22 2013, when the Global Rallycross series returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Related K&N News Articles about Mitchell DeJong and the X Games: Mitchell DeJong Breaks Record In World Of Off-Road Racing; 14-Year-Old Prodigy, Mitchell DeJong, Races with K&N Filters into Future Stardom; Rhys Millen Takes 2013 Global RallyCross X Games LCQ Final and Finishes 4th Overall; Vickie Golden Wins Back-to-Back Motocross Gold at 2012 X Games 18

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Off-Road Racer Justin Davis Takes Green Army Trophy Truck to Front of Pack

26 Sept 2013

Team Green Army Trophy Truck Being Driven By Justin Davis

"I attended my first SCORE International Baja 500 when I was only a couple weeks old," Justin Davis started the interview. "My dad, Kevin Davis was racing. While some may think it’s crazy to take a baby to one of the toughest off-road races in the world, my family eats, sleeps and breathes off-road racing."

Justin Davis Racing the Team Green Army Trophy Truck

Yet, age has never been a concern for Justin. Only 14-years-old when he began racing Sportsman class in SNORE and MORE Series behind the wheel of a 1-2/1600 buggy and a TrophyKart in CORR, Justin became the youngest SCORE Champion in history to win the SCORE LITE Championship and Class 1 Championship at the ages of 17 and 18 respectively. Additionally, the young gun also competed in the Pro Buggy and Pro2 classes in the Lucas Oil Off Road Series, competing – and succeeding - against some of the fiercest competitors in racing today.

Progressing from TrophyKarts to a Jimco Trophy Truck in late 2012, Justin has entered into SCORE, HDRA and BITD series. Likewise, in his first year running the World Championship of Desert Racing, Justin is already in contention for the top spot against a lineup of seasoned off-road racing teams and veteran racers.

"Racing a trophy truck against the best in the world is a dream come true and chasing the top spot in the World Championship of Desert Racing is where I am placing 100% of my focus right now," Justin beamed. " Off-road racing is a family function for me and having the chance to learn so much about racing and being fortunate enough to win at a young age has been a lot of fun."

Keeping Justin at the front of the pack not only takes a lot of skill and talent, but getting the most performance out of his Trophy Truck. That's why he uses K&N Filters exclusively.

"K&N Filters has been the industry front-runner in high performance automotive filters for as long as I can remember," Justin Davis explains. "Winning in off-road racing requires rock solid performance in the most extreme driving conditions, which is what K&N designs their products to do. To win in the desert, my trophy truck needs to get to the finish line making solid and reliable horsepower, which is why I choose K&N Filters."

Related K&N News Articles about Justin Davis and the Baja 500: Justin Davis and Team Green Army Motorsports Win Overall at 2013 HDRA King Shock 250; Team Quad75Dezert Takes Second Place in the Baja 500; Bryce Menzies Wins 2011 Baja 500 Overall and Leads Entire Race; Baja 500 Racers are Tested to the Limits in Gruelling Off-Road Competition

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Andy Gregg Talks About His Current Season and Looking Forward to The Trophy Cup Tulare Thunderbowl

26 Sept 2013

Andy Gregg Racing in His Sprint Car

Sometimes all you need is a little belief.

That's all Andy Gregg needed to jumpstart his season, one that has seen him find victory lane seven times already, one that has him grinning from ear to ear at just how good his career year has been.

Andy Gregg Racing Down The Track

"This year I've learned that you must believe in yourself and don't worry about what others think of you," Gregg said. "The more confident I am the better we race night in and night out."

Gregg said this year the car has been better than ever, and that's what has given him the confidence to go out and win races. The result? A team on a rampage every time they arrive at the track.

"This has been a storybook season for me and my team," Gregg said. "Over the season so far my team has given me a solid car every night. That has given me the confidence to race harder than I ever have before."

That was never more apparent than during the Mark Forni Memorial race. Gregg would win the race, one he called by far the biggest of his season.

"Mark was a huge supporter of mine when I first started racing back in 2001," Gregg said. "We lost him to cancer in 2005 and ever since I've wanted to win that race."

The only events that have given Gregg trouble so far are the World of Outlaw events. As it turns out, there's good reason for that.

"The worst races have been the World of Outlaw races," Gregg said. "The reason being that they have spec tires that we never run. It took one really bad night with them before we figured the tires out."

Gregg has other challenges to keep up with during the season, the biggest of which is working a normal 8-5, Monday through Friday job. But Gregg said finding energy to race is much easier when the car has been as good as it has so far this year.

That energy is being focused towards one specific event, the Trophy Cup at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.

"That's the highest paying, the biggest car count and the stiffest competition on the west coast," Gregg said.

Gregg credited K&N Filters for being a part of his career year.

"K&N helps us by producing quality products that, most importantly, are reliable," Andy Gregg said. "From air filters to oil filters, the products K&N makes are of the highest quality. They are easy to use and fit perfectly every time we change a filter."

Related K&N News Articles about Andy Gregg and The Thunderbowl Raceway: Andy Gregg Wins Wing 360 Sprint Car Race at Placerville Speedway in Northern California; Andy Gregg Kicks Off 2013 with a Strong Showing at Marysville Raceway Park; Sprint Car Driver Jonathan Allard Eager for World of Outlaws at Thunderbowl Raceway; Terry McCarl Takes Fourth Place at Thunderbowl Raceway Class at Lincoln Speedway

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Menzies Motorsports Dominates the Podium at Chicagoland Speedway

26 Sept 2013

Team Menzies recently dominated the podium at the Route 66 Raceway

Team Menzies Motorsports recently rolled into Joilet, Illinois with high hopes. They were anxious to get the Traxxes TORC event at the Route 66 Raceway, which is located at the Chicagoland Speedway Complex, underway. The team's standings in the points race were already impressive, and they were eager to, at the least, solidify and hopefully increase their leads.

However, one thing was different at this particular event - the rainy conditions that had seemingly been following the event from venue to venue during the 2013 season had failed to show up. It was a welcomed change enjoyed by all of the drivers.

Scheduled to run in the Pro-4 class, Menzies driver, Ricky Johnson qualified 3rd fastest at the beginning of the opening night, earning him a second-row start.

At the start of the race, he immediately embarked upon a battle with Scott Douglas, a brawl that would last the first couple of laps. But during his quest for the lead position, Johnson's rig spun around, costing him several positions. The Menzies driver wouldn't consider letting up though and managed to muscle his way back to third place before crossing the finish line.

Bryce Menzies leads in the Pro 2 class of the Traxxes TORC series, and has aspirations of taking the title

The team was well represented during the second race of the night, as team members, Bryce Menzies and Travis Pastrana were both scheduled to run in the Pro-2 class. Pastrana started in front of Bryce at the beginning of the race and was holding his own; that is, until he suffered a flat tire deep into the event.

Menzies, on the other hand, was plagued with bad luck early on, as he spun out while battling Chad Hord for position. The driver's no-quit attitude brought him back into the thick of things later in the race, but Menzies once again spun out in the same turn. However, Bryce kept on pushing and eventually worked his way back into third place at the waving of the checkered flag.

When asked the team's thoughts during Menzies string of unlucky occurrences, Menzies Director of Logistics and Media, Dane Roney, said, "We weren't too worried. We know Bryce is a great driver. Consistency wins championships."

Team Menzies returned the following night with aspirations of earning even more spots on the podium. Starting the night off, Ricky Johnson, once again found himself in a heated battle for the third place position. Upon distancing himself from those drivers, he focused on the two trucks ahead of him. But the laps ran out before he could move into the first two spots, leaving him with a third place finish.

As the Pro-2 class race neared, tension grew amongst the Menzies team. Having raced earlier that day in the Global Rallycross series, at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, Bryce barely arrived back at the Chicagoland Speedway in time to get strapped in and compete in the race.

"Leading up to the race, it got pretty close," recalled Roney. "But we got lucky. There was a weather delay that gave Bryce a little extra time to get ready."

Team Menzies depends upon preparation, good driving and hard work for consistent success

Well, the fans definitely got their money's worth during this particular race, as Bryce and Chad Hord began the race neck and neck and continued to battle for the lead position throughout the entire race. Menzies finally took the lead after the mid-way yellow flag. With no intentions of dropping the fruits of his hard work and perseverance, he savored clean air and took the checkered flag, earning his respectful position at the top of the podium.

With their recent success at the Chicagoland Speedway in the rearview mirror and the remaining races of the season in front of the them, team Menzies is anticipating the possibilities of putting even more championships under their belts. And judging from previous seasons, they know exactly what it takes to get it done.

Team Menzies are noted for their driving skills. But they also have an acute understanding that there are several other factors in consistent success.

Of course the entire team plays a huge role in the podium positions that the drivers experience. "Each person is important," explained Roney. We each play a part in keeping the machine running. Although some roles may appear larger than others, each one is equally as important."

With an impressive crew of drivers and a team that works like a well-oiled machine, the third ingredient to the recipe to their success is a conviction to follow a stringent maintenance program. That being said, Menzies Motorsports depend upon K&N products to fill their filtering needs.

"Our team takes pride in making sure, before we show up at the track, we have all of our "I"s dotted and "T"s crossed," ensured Roney. "We use K&N filters, pre-wraps, in-line filters, air filter oils carb base gaskets and extreme high-flow air filter tops.

"We use these products on all of our trucks - Pro 2, Pro 4, Trophy Truck, Pre-runner, buggy and our chase vehicles. K&N's products play a vital role in our success, because they stand up in the harshest conditions.

"The key to success going into the final race of the year will be just like every other weekend of the season," explained Roney. "Show up prepared and be ready to work hard until everything is loaded up to leave.

"Fans can expect us to be available for questions and our drivers available for autographs and photos, because they are the driving force behind our success. We hope to see a bunch of new and familiar faces out at Prim, Nevada for the final stop of our short-course season."

Related K&N News Articles about Team Menzies Motorsports: Menzies Motorsports Earns Three Podium Finishes At TORC Bark River Rounds Seven and Eight; Red Bull/Menzies Motorsports Truck Racers Finish First at SCORE International Series in San Felipe; Menzies Motorsports Start the TORC Season on the Right Track with Podium Finishes; TORC Rookies Menzies Motorsports - Earn Most Wins in 1 Season & 2 Championships

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Husband & Wife Drag Racing Team Billy Davis and Cynthia Davis Reflect on 2013

25 Sept 2013

Cynthia Davis Racing at the Tulsa Raceway Park

Racing is like a marriage; you have your good days, your bad days and your great days, you go through ups and downs, peaks and valleys, and when it’s all said and done, it’s usually a rewarding experience.

This describes the husband and wife drag racing team of Billy Davis and Cynthia Davis and the 2013 season they’ve had so far. Billy runs a Top Alcohol Funny Car, while Cynthia races in the Top Dragster class, and while neither have found victory lane this season, they both have overcome obstacles that have them setup for a big finish.

"The season started out really rough," Billy said. "We didn’t qualify the first few times out. We have a new crew on the funny car, which takes time to come together, and we are still working on that but see progress. Our first few races we had a transmission issue. The car wouldn’t shift into high gear."

Billy Davis Burning Out at the Tulsa Raceway Park

Cynthia also had her struggles early on.

"We were not prepared for what it would take to qualify at some of the races," she said. "We didn’t qualify at Tulsa [Raceway Park] because of a nitrous solenoid failure, so we went to Tulsa Raceway Park to test and still couldn’t get (the car) to run the number needed to qualify."

Both cars missing the cut at the Heartland Park of Topeka was especially painful to the Davis family. "That was the worst disappointment, not qualifying in my hometown," Billy said.

The testing in Tulsa Raceway Park paid off for Billy, who was able to get his transmission woes sorted out. In the next race at the Tri State Raceway in Earleville, Billy Davis qualified second and nearly won the race.

"That was a great moment," Cynthia said. "Seeing Billy’s face after making that great pass at the Tri State Raceway in Earleville. He is such a great driver and I know that with the right car, he will be a champion."

Cynthia has a reason to be optimistic now, too. The team put a new motor in her Top Dragster, one that should make qualifying less of a concern. She also has a brand new Joe Mondon dragster being built for next season, as well as a new F3 ProCharger that will go on the new car.

But right now, the goal is to get back in the field and go rounds. "I have confidence we will get there at the Texas Motorplex in Dallas," she said.

Cynthia Davis Racing Down the Track in Her Top Alcohol Dragster

Billy is also looking forward to the Texas Motorplex in Dallas, a National Event, where he thinks round wins and a trophy could be in order. More importantly, a strong showing could get him Billy back in the top 10 in divisional points, a place he has finished in each of the last two seasons. Given the way his season started, that would certainly be a win for him.

"I know I can do it again, even with that late start for us," he said. "Up until Earleville, we were right there with the other cars until the shift point. Now that we have that fixed, I believe we have a chance to win."

Racing together is a passion the Davis’ love. Billy started racing just after he and Cynthia got married, and when Billy decided it was time to step up into faster classes, bad timing led to a great opportunity for Cynthia to jump behind the wheel.

"In 2006 (Billy) started building the dragster I am driving now and when it was complete, he tried selling his 2001 Undercover Dragster," Cynthia said. "After not having any luck selling it, I decided I would try it out and I loved it.

Billy Davis Racing Down the Drag Strip in His Top Alcohol Funny Car

"I especially loved the burnout. I will never forget the first time in the car and the John Force burnout I did, and then the tunnel vision at launch. I was hooked."

Neither worries about the inherent dangers of racing.

"(Billy) has even tested the safety equipment a few times, without my approval of course," Cynthia said. "But really, I honestly do get that nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I strap Billy into the funny car. I can’t explain why that is, but I have to think it’s anxiety and just hoping so much that it is going to be a good pass."

Billy echoed Cynthia’s thoughts.

"I think it’s easier to see your wife race as a fellow racer who has been in a car for years and even been on fire more than once, yet have never been hurt," he said. "We have so many safety factors now that we don’t have to think about much other than getting the car down the track and winning rounds."

Billy Davis and Cynthia Davis have used K&N Filters on their racecars for years, but recently made the switch to K&N’s heavy-duty reusable air filters.

"I have to say, we were not using K&N on our rig before, but after making the change we saw big fuel mileage improvement as well as performance improvements," Billy said. "We will never use anything else now.

"On the funny car, we use the clutch filter which is really nice because not only do they work great but you can also reuse them. We’ve also found that using K&N on the dragsters help because they don’t restrict airflow like your standard filter, but also the rings last longer because K&N’s filter actually filters the air going into the motor."

Related K&N News Articles: NHRA Kansas Nationals Super Gas Win at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas for K&N's Steve Williams; Drag Race Team Ballard Family Racing's Emma and Arley Ballard Set Goals for 2013 Season at the Tri State Raceway; Jeff Lopez Wins IHRA Super Rod Races in 1963 Chevy Corvette at the Texas Motorplex in Dallas; Tommy Phillips Earns Second Career Double Win Event at AAA Texas NHRA Nationals at the Texas Motorplex in Dallas

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