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Kekich Racing's 410 Sprint Car Driver Adam Bomb Kekich Behind the Wheel at Mercer Raceway

24 Jul 2013

Kekich Racing Team's 410 Sprint Car Driven by Adam Kekich

Kekich Racing, with Adam "Adam Bomb" Kekich at the wheel and with K&N's support, continues to be a formidable force in Mercer Raceway's 410 Sprint car class.

Adam Kekich and the Kekich Racing Team Crew

With the first race of the season cancelled due to weather, Adam's 2013 debut was in the 305 sprint Steel City Stampede make-up race. Adam Kekich ran strong and consistent on the slick track, heeding the advice his father gave him before the race: "You aren't going to win this deal with your motor, you will win it with your head. Keep the wheels from spinning. Carry your speed off the corners." Kekich kept it together and brought home the team's first win in the 305 class.

Two weeks later, the 410 debut brought highs and lows to Adam Kekich and the Kekich Racing team.

Paul "Putzy" Kekich, the family patriarch and the first Kekich to wheel a sprint car.

"The car is just bad fast," Adam said after winning the heat race by a full straightaway. In the feature event Adam got right to work, moving from 9th to 6th in only five laps. Unfortunately traffic ahead slowed and trapped him, knocking off the front axle and ending his night.

The several weeks following brought some great results including two All-Star A-mains at Fremont Speedway running toe to toe with the greatest teams in the sport, as well as three top-5 finishes at Mercer. Two brake failures have slowed their momentum this season.

Despite this and with heavy hearts owing to the loss of Paul "Putzy" Kekich, the family patriarch and the first Kekich to wheel a sprint car, Adam put in a great drive last week, winning his heat and placing 6th in the feature event. Adam Kekich will surely draw on inspiration from Paul as he marches through the rest of the season.

Sergio Higareda Builds Super Hummer H2 Shown at SEMA and Dub Car Show Los Angeles

19 Jul 2013

This custom Hummer H2 was on display at the Dub Car Show in Los Angeles

Sergio told us the only choice for him was K&N because it is, in his eyes, the best on the market and has the most custom look out of all other choices.

This beautiful 2004 Hummer H2 is equipped with Plasma TVs and Treo Audio components.

As a father Sergio wanted his first custom build to involve his son. So as a theme they chose Superman, or as Sergio States "Super Hummer".

What does it take to do it right the first time? Well after we stumbled across Sergio Higareda's hummer, we were immediately stopped in our tracks. After taking a lot of photographs of this beautiful 2004 Hummer H2 at the Dub Car Show Los Angeles, we found the owner and had a few minutes to get the story on his ride.

Sergio and his son picked out a huge set of Lexani Dial wheels for their custom Hummer and had the inserts painted to match. Photo at SEMA 2012.

The whole interior of this custom Hummer was treated to a Ferrari style stitching where even the threads were color matched to the flawless paint.

Sergio knew that if he was going to build a custom Hummer he was going to have to go over the top to make it stand out.

As a father, Sergio wanted his first custom build to involve his son. So as a theme, they chose Superman, or as Sergio States "Super Hummer". While being new to the custom scene, Sergio knew that if he was going to build a custom Hummer, he was going to have to go over the top in order for it to stand out.

As you can see from the photos, there is nothing untouched on this vehicle. Sergio and his son picked out a huge set of Lexani Dial wheels and had the inserts painted to match. Once the wheels were mounted, it was on to the interior. The entire interior was treated to a Ferrari style stitching where even the threads were color matched to the flawless paint. When choosing audio and video upgrades, Sergio chose Plasma TVs and Treo Audio components, and judging by the crowds surrounding the hummer... it definitely turned out to be a great audio system.

When it comes to the engine compartment, Sergio said he wanted to incorporate the Superman theme. He include a mural on the underside of the hood that represented his pride for the city in which he resides. When it comes to the motor itself, Sergio told us that because he lives in a city with such crazy weather, he had to choose an air intake that would endure the elements. He then told us, the only choice for him was K&N part # 77-3037KP, because it was, in his eyes, the best on the market and it also had the most custom look out of all his other choices.

From the Custom double mesh grilles and other embellishments made by Tiarra Grilles, to the custom paint, Sergio has built a masterpiece. This just goes to show that if you build your ride out of passion and spend time with your family while doing so, you will not only come out on top of the game, but also teach the next generation of builders that when you have all the right products you are guaranteed success!

Sergio told us that he was proud to have his Super Hummer on display at SEMA 2012 and he looks forward to promoting all the companies that he represents for many years to come... who knows you might see it at a show near you!

Related K&N News Articles about Hummer H2: Eder Calvillo 2006 Hummer H2 with K&N Air Intake Excels as Sickest H2 at 2010 SEMA; Specialty Vehicle Conversion and Aftermarket Parts Expert Bob Fehan Brings Hummer H2 to SEMA; Hummer H1 and 2008 Nissan Titan Modified for SEMA in Las Vegas, Nevada; Hummer H2 Style Four Door Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4x4 Featured at SEMA Show

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Open-Wheeled Modified Racer Blake Terry Shoots for Big National Races

18 Jul 2013

Open Wheeled Modified racer Blake Terry has aspirations of qualifying for National Races at the season's end.

Elizabethton, Tennessee native, Blake Terry, was raised in an environment lending to his passion for the sport of racing. Attending events at an early age, he quickly became engulfed in an atmosphere where the air was permeated with the roar of screaming engines and the sense of competition. Although sharing a camaraderie, each driver entered the field geared up and ready for a fierce battle to the checkered flag. In turn, Terry found himself dreaming of maneuvering a car through a maze of drivers, all with the same goal - chalking up a victory.

Blake Terry is engulfed in his second season of racing in the Dirt Open-wheeled Modified class.

In 1999, the driver got his first taste of the anticipation that preludes the waving of the green flag and the excitement of a relentless quest to the finish line. Blake Terry was bitten by the bug and had no intentions of doing anything other than pursuing his passion. In fact, now 19-years old, he is still eaten up with the sport. But with age and experience, he left the karts behind and is presently driving in the Dirt Open-Wheeled Modified class in the U.M.P. and AMRA series.

Driving a stock, GM front -clip with a tubular chassis from the engine back, the driver savors 620-horsepower of raw power at his disposal. When asked what he enjoys most about competing in this class, he said, "The difficulty to drive them, and the competition level is extremely tough. I grew up coming to local dirt tracks and always wanted to race."

Embarking in his second season in the Dirt Open-wheeled modified class Terry realizes that many of his competitors have more years under their belts. Although confident in his aggressiveness, the driver also understands that to be competitive night-in and night-out, he must recognize and improve on his weak points. That in mind, he is focused on fine tuning his consistency from lap to lap.

Beginning the 2013 season at the Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, North Carolina, Terry began the feature in the 10th spot. The driver held his own throughout the race, and in fact, managed to gain a couple of positions. When the dust had settled, Terry crossed the finish line in seventh place.

As do all drivers, Blake Terry has experienced his fair share of troubles throughout the most recent season. The driver recently headed to the Volunteer Speedway, at Bulls Gap, Tennessee with aspirations of success. Starting first in the main, everything seemed to be falling into place. But team B. Terry Motorsports' luck went south in the blink of an eye when his drive shaft snapped, deeming the night over. However, he is sitting in the sixth spot overall in the Southern Open Wheeled Shootout series. And with in the neighborhood of 20 scheduled events ahead of him, there is still ample time to climb even higher in the ranks.

Blake Terry's driving skills will obviously play an essential role in his success throughout the remainder of the season, But he is also aware that there are other elements of a winning record as well. Referring to the importance of his team the driver said, "My team is one of the most important things in my life, behind God and family. I spend all of my spare time working on the car, trying to get that extra one-tenth-second out of it."

Having been involved in racing for 14-years, the driver is also mindful that success depends a great deal upon keeping his vehicle running at it's peak performance. Alluding to the importance of proper maintenance, he explained, "I think maintenance is what makes or breaks teams! I know plenty of good drivers, but they can't finish races due to part failures, which is due to a lack of maintenance."

That in mind, Blake Terry and his crew are strong advocates of using K&N products to keep the internal components of the engines contaminant free. "I run the K&N E-3750 performance air filter, the HP-2002 oil filter, a K&N 62-1514 crankcase breather, their E-3750PK filter wrap and a K&N 81-1003 fuel filter" he explained. "They are second to none products! I use them on everything from my daily driver to my race car hauler. I will never use any filter that is not made by K&N."

With a good grip on maintenance and a heavy understanding of the sport, Blake Terry is anticipating success throughout the remainder of the 2013 season. Looking forward, the driver ensured, My goals are to finish out the season with a couple of wins and some strong top fives. And I hope to qualify for the big national races toward the end of the year."

Related K&N News Articles about Modified Racing Series: Modified Racing Series' Jon Henry Wins American Late Model Series Race at Attica Raceway Park; Modified Racing Series Driver Jason Patison Wins Trophy Dash then Finishes Top 10 at Lake Havasu 95 Speedway; Jim Mardis and the Mardis Racing Team Battle for Modified Racing Series Championship; K&N is Onboard for the 2013 Lucas Oil Modified Racing Series' Most Competitive Year Yet

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Ron D.R. Laing's Unconventional K&N Air Filter Application Befits Canada's NASG

17 Jul 2013

The conveyorized belt parts washer's effectiveness was greatly improved after adding an E-1650 air filter.

"I'm a diehard gear head/car guy, and I run a small performance shop at night named Laing Speed & Performance," Ron D.R. Laing confirmed. Laing's nocturnal automotive pastime and resourcefulness recently crossed over into his fulltime day job, where it's now paying huge dividends. Laing is the Manufacturing Engineering Manager for North American Stamping Group, Inc. in Woodstock, Ontario. NASG produces metal components for the automotive industry.

Ron D.R. Laing unconventional use of a K&N air filter has reduced maintenance and improved the life of their washer/blower system by more than 50%.

"Our product focus includes both light, and heavy gauge exhaust, seat components, as well as specialized sub-assemblies. Unique innovations such as our in-die welding technology and in-die tapping have given us a competitive advantage in high volume applications. To that end, we recently installed an automated, conveyorized belt parts washer," Laing explains.

"The machine was manufactured by Alliance Manufacturing in Wisconsin. We use the wash system to clean our stamped components that we produce here. During the metal forming (stamping) process the parts receive a film of lube for forming, this film isn't always accepted by our customers, based on end product use, therefore they are clean/washed prior to shipment. It's basically a hot water pressure wash and high heat drying system all integrated with a conveyor system."

During the installation of the washer system Laing noticed the blower inlet for the radiant heater only had a metal guard covering it without any air filtration system in place. "The environment within our manufacturing facility is not completely dust free, and I had requested the vendor supply a filtration system to address this concern. After receiving a quote for a very large amount of money, I chose to solve the issue myself," Laing said.

Laing simple air filtration solution was inspired by the air filter on his 1968 Roadrunner.

Laing's ingeniously simple solution was to use the K&N air filter from his 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner. "We used the filter and lid off of my car to 'mock-up' the system and ensure the idea would work. When we installed the 14"x3" round filter (E-1650) and the X-Stream top (66-1401) we discovered that the systems were all working very well."

"We complete a regular monthly clean and service on the filter and the amount of debris held back by the filter system is impressive. By using the filter system we are greatly reducing maintenance and improving the life of the blower system by more than 50%," adds Laing.

Laing and his crew are in fact so pleased with the K&N air filter's effectiveness, that he took the time to forward his "upgrade" air filtration solution to the manufacture of the wash cell, and asked them to consider this as a new standard they should include with their equipment.

"Thank you K&N for creating such a superior product that can be used on many applications outside of automotive."

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2013 LOORRS Racer Carl Renezeder Sets Record at Miller Motorsports Park

17 Jul 2013

The experience LOORRS Pro 2 and Pro 4 driver Carl Renezeder has acquired throughout is career plays a huge role in his overall success.

Carl Renezeder and his crew recently rolled into Tooele, Utah, eager to get rounds seven and eight of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing series (LOORRS) underway. Team Renezeder had experienced a stellar season thus far, and the driver was anticipating yet another succession of great performances. In fact, with a little luck and a lot of skill, the driver would finish rounds seven and eight with a new record under his belt.

It all began with a win in round 15 of 2012. Although the beginning of the season, had proven a bumpy road for the driver, he put the slump behind him with a flawless performance and a win. Renezeder had no intentions of looking back, and earned the top podium spot in the Challenge Cup, ending the season on a good note.

Lucas Oil Off Road Racing series (LOORRS) racer Carl Renezeder has experienced a stellar season thus far in 2013.

With 2013, the driver continued his winning streak on the Pro 4 division. In fact, he entered Miller Motorsports Park with wins on the first six rounds of the 2013 LOORRS events.

Looking back, at the abrupt change in his success rate, the Carl Renezeder said, "Truthfully, there weren't any major, wholesale changes made to turn things around. We just kept digging, kept fine tuning and adjusting to make these trucks better and better. The Pro 2 and Pro 4 classes are ultra-competitive. It's not easy to win. So when we have a few weekends like we have so far this season, we appreciate them."

With a personal winning streak record at his fingertips, Carl Renezeder embarked upon round seven of the event with vigor. And when the dust had settled, his eagerness and an impressive performance had earned him his ninth consecutive win in the pro 4 division, clinching the record and setting a new standard.

Carl Renezeder recently set a new record in the Pro 4 class of the LOORS series upon earning nine consecutive wins.

Round eight of the event, brought with it even more anticipation. But on the other hand, with every race the odds of being plagued with a stroke of bad luck increases. And that it did, when he hit the rear brakes in lieu of all four going into a turn. The battle was heated and went down to the wire, but Renezeder's error earlier in the race was just enough to put the driver in second place.

"It's never a bad day when you finish on the podium," he ensured. "I was pretty upset with myself early in that race when I messed up setting the truck into turn four. It put me back to fourth or fifth place," he continued. "I ran out of time to work my way back to the lead. But I'm glad I was in the contention for the win. Stuff like that happens. We definitely won't let it ruin our season."

Looking back at the record-breaking string of wins, the driver said, "It's a great stat for the books, but records are made to be broken. We'd like to be the team that wins 10 in a row."

With many years of driving under his belt, Carl Renezeder and his crew benefit from experience, an element of racing that simply comes with time. And throughout the years, the importance of his team has come to the forefront time after time.

"You can't compete in this sport without a great team," he ensured. "They mean everything to me. Everyone has something, and often several things, they're really good at. We combine all of our strengths to make the best team we can every race weekend."

Experience has also taught Renezeder that there is no replacement for a stringent maintenance program. "It is incredibly important," he explained. "We have detailed checklists for the shop and at the track. The last thing you want to do is lose a race because you simply forgot to do routine maintenance."

One can rest assured that keeping the internal components of their engines contaminant free is at the top of their list. That in mind, they turn to K&N products for their filtering needs.

"We've been using K&N's air and oil filters in all of our race trucks, haulers and team vehicles for over 10-years," he ensured. "K&N is the industry leader, and we're proud to be able to run their products in our equipment."

Along with the ease of mind of knowing their engines will be running clean, Carl Renezeder and his crew will be going into the remainder of the season with confidence on their sides. "We'd be crazy if we weren't confident right now," continued the driver. "But in no way does that mean we just expect to win. Our team puts in long hours, the hard work and the constant innovation necessary to give us the confidence to be competitive each weekend.

"We need to keep doing what we're doing - finishing on the podium and winning as much as we can," stated the driver. Anticipating the remainder of 2013 Carl Renezeder concluded, "Hopefully fans can expect more of the same as the first-half of the season! We're committed to chasing more wins and two championships."

Related K&N News Articles about Carl Renezeder and the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro-4 Driver Carl Renezeder Wins at Firebird International Raceway; Carl Renezeder Reclaims 2012 Lucas Oil Challenge Cup at Firebird Season Finale; Carl Renezeder Shatters the 100-Win Milestone at Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Event in Las Vegas; Carl Renezeder's Pro-4 Lucas Oil Off Road Series Race at Miller Motorsports Park Marks 98th Win

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