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This 2016 Dodge Challenger Hellcat is owned by K&N's President

If you just catch a glimpse of Tom McGann’s Dodge Challenger Hellcat, you might be forgiven for thinking that you’ve just spotted a rare surviving Chrysler Direct Connection kit car from the early 1970s. Just the body wrap gives off the impression of a Late Model Sportsman of the Jimmy Carter era.

Back then, while Chrysler ruled NASCAR’s superspeedways, Chevrolet all but owned local short tracks. To make a dent in Chevy’s market share in a big hurry, Chrysler developed an entire short track car with Petty Enterprises, who also sold the kit to racers. It didn’t produce the impact that was intended and wasn’t given time to grow. About that time, Chrysler shut down virtually every program as the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Few of those original kit cars survive today.

But in spirit, these cars live on in Challengers like the Hellcat owned by Tom McGann, who also happens to be President of K&N Engineering. It’s fitting that the world leader in performance air filtration is run by a true automotive enthusiast.

The number "52" on the doors of the car represent K&N's 52 years in business in 2016

Tom’s Hellcat was on display at the 2016 SEMA Show, chock full of the kind of improvements most enthusiasts would make if they woke to find a Hellcat in their garage.

The two-tone exterior with orange and red accents in K&N colors is the work of Brian Wenzel of Frontier Graphics in Denver, Colorado. Brian’s company has wrapped show cars, race cars, vehicles for local businesses, and even fleets like the Subarus for the Nordica ski team. By the way, Tom McGann has split his career between performance automotive and extreme winter sports, so it’s clear he’s a guy who likes things that go fast.

An exterior feature that’s pretty hard to miss are the meatballs on the driver’s and passenger’s doors containing the number 52. While most of the time a number on the side of a street car makes your mind drift back to the General Lee, these numbers have a far greater significance than simply copying what was painted on the side of a TV stunt car. The 52 on McGann's Hellcat represents the fact that 2016 was K&N's 52nd year in business.

Orange-trimmed Savini wheels and Eibach Pro-Kit springs help complete the look of the 2016 Hellcat

Upfront, the Dodge hood has been replaced by a gorgeous carbon-fiber unit from Anderson Composites with enlarged cold air intake and hot air vent ports.

Connecting car to tire are a set of Savini SV25-S wheels. Tom picked these 20-inch forged beauties out of 491 different wheels Savini has available for the Challenger. Forged, with a carbon fiber lip, the wheels are finished in black with orange accents on the spokes – a subtle nod to the orange that has appeared for many years in the K&N logo.

To eliminate that annoying gap between the top of the tires and the fender lip, a set of Eibach Pro-Kit progressively-wound performance springs, lowering the Hellcat 1.1 inches in the front, and 1.2 inches in the rear. A side-benefit to lowering the car is that it makes the Hellcat a little more aerodynamic, potentially increasing its top speed on the track.

A K&N cold air intake system boosts output by nearly 40 horsepower at the rear wheels

And of course what would be under the hood of the car of the President of K&N other than a K&N 69 Series cold air intake system. The K&N 69-2550TTK air intake system is a free-flowing, mandrel-bent aluminum tube air induction system designed to fit select 6.2L Dodge Challenger, Charger SRT, and of course Hellcat models. The restrictive factory air filter and air intake housing are completely replaced by the K&N system, which was designed to dramatically reduce air flow turbulence. The payoff is large with the Hellcat – the 69-2550TTK adds a whopping 38.95 horsepower estimated increase at the rear wheels. In addition to more power, the system even further improves the engine sound of the Hellcat with more aggressive and deeper acoustics during acceleration.

So should you find yourself on the north side of Riverside, California, on a weekday and spot a lowered Hellcat with the number 52 on the doors, that’s not the loading dock crew on a taco run, it’s the President of K&N Engineering off to a business meeting where his business is performance.

The 'Shomad' Nomad was quite the showstopper at the 2016 SEMA show

According to Atnip, the shop uses sheet metal to perform the restorations and customization. “We have all the machinery one would need to restore and customize a car from a pull max and English wheel to a “Yoder” style power hammer,” said Atnip.

One day more than eight years ago Ron Maier came to A&M Deluxe Customs with a 1957 Chevrolet Nomad. Powered by a 265ci or 283ci V8 engine, the first generation Chevrolet Nomad was a two-door station wagon that was manufactured from 1955 through 1957. The car features a bench seat in the front, a bench seat that folds down in the rear and a two-piece tailgate that features a glass upper portion that swings up and a traditional tailgate that folds down.

Maier had owned the car for more than 30 years and the wear was quite visible. It had a lot of rust that had to be cleaned off among other problems.

Rear view of the 1957 Nomad dubber 'Shomad' at the 2016 SEMA show

Maier already had specific ideas of what he wanted done to the vehicle.

“Ron wanted an LS Motor or big block Chevy engine, a brand new chassis, independent rear suspension, and four bucket seats with the console down the middle. He also wanted the roof of the car chopped a little bit. Then he was open to suggestions from us,” said Atnip.

Many of the custom parts are made from scratch. However, some aftermarket parts were used and much of the car’s original parts were retained.

Atnip volunteered that Danchuck Manufacturing, a restoration parts maker for 1955 through 1957 classic Chevrolets and located in Santa Ana, California, offers a lot of reproduction stuff for the Chevrolet Nomad.

In addition, A&M Deluxe Custom has developed a history of using parts offered by certain companies. Atnip noted that they had to be somewhat creative and match their needs to products designed for other, later model vehicles.

Interior of the Shomad features a ton of customization including new dash and center console

“There are not too many cars that have the same style flat panel air filter with an open element that the Nomad has. So I looked through the K&N catalog hunting for the proper size that would work and I came up with the 33-2319 air filter,” said Atnip.

The K&N 33-2319 is a panel replacement air filter that is actually designed for 2004 through 2006 Dodge Sprinter 2500 and 3500.

A&M created an air box assembly for the filter that functions like a ram air intake. They also modified the hood to include a scoop that closes down on to the filter.

After inspecting the vehicle, Atnip acquired a number of aftermarket parts that were incorporated into the car. Much of the project was determined when Atnip and his team chopped the top of the Nomad 2-inches.

“It looked great,” he said. “But something just wasn’t right.”

Checker stainless steel serves as trim on the dash, the doorsills, rear console, and seat buttons

“It looked great. The body complemented the roof,” he said.

Once the things that Maier had wanted were complete, Atnip and his crew suggested and then added a lot of unique features.

“Most people don’t catch it, but a lot of custom trim pieces were added along with some subtle stuff that is not original,” he said.

The sheet metal from the engine compartment to the firewall, the core supports and the inner fenders are made from scratch.

“On the top of the hood where there is normally the two rockets, we took half of each side and moved them in and made a scoop. The hood scoop is scratch built, but it is the same profile as the rocket silhouette,” Atnip explained.

Trims at the front of the hood and front of the fenders are hand-made from sheet metal to match the custom grille and to improve shape and fit.

The bumpers went through some heavy work as well.

“We got rid of the bullets and moved the radius of the corners outward about 2-inches on each side, which opened things up quite a bit,” noted Atnip. “The front bumper now has more of a unique look.”

Shomad is equipped with bucket seats all around. The original Nomad has bench seats front and rear

The rear bumper was modified to improve fit and finish and custom bumperettes were added to serve as the license plate surround. The inner fenders are made of sheet metal and include a step reveal design. Belly pans run along the perimeter of the bottom of the car from the rocker to the chassis to the front bumpers. The original tailgate was also modified. Maier wanted the tailgate to be one piece. So the original skin was retained and the rest of it was totally re-constructed from scratch.

“That was a major project,” said Atnip.

Other parts of the Nomad that were kept include the body core and the molding from around the windows. All of the exterior trim is stainless steel and but the grille has been chrome plated.

The interior also went through enhancements. For example, the original Nomad features a center pod with a gauge on either side. The crew at A&M extended the gauge cluster by adding two more gauge pods to the right side.

A K&N flat panel air filter protects the Chevy block engine

The original seats were removed and replaced with used seat frames from a 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, which were modified to fit the front and extensively modified to fit the rear. Gabe’s Custom Interior, in San Bernardino, California, did the upholstery work.

The dashboard sweeps down into the center console, but still retains the stock style. Checkered stainless steel was polished, given a brushed finish and was placed on the face of the dashboard to offer some depth. The checkered steel also serves as dash inserts and trim on the doorsills, rear console, and custom seat buttons. Chrome-plated trim pieces appear on the door panels, kick panels and the rear.

Ben’s Custom Paint in Oregon City, Oregon, did the paintwork. House of Kolor sponsored the paint for the project. Atech/Summit Racing, Dan’s Classics, Cliff’s Classics, and Baxter Auto Parts supplied the parts for the build.

Sherm’s Custom Plating chrome plated the parts, Auto Glass Past and Present installed the glass, and Kingpin Car & Marine Audio installed the stereo system. According To Atnip, the project was performed in spurts and took eight years to complete. Painting accounted for two and a half of those eight years.

The Shomad Nomad debuted in the House of Kolor Booth at the 2016 SEMA Show. The car is scheduled to appear at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California, in January, and the Autorama in Sacramento, California, the Roadster Show in Boise, Idaho and the Portland, Oregon Roadster Show in March.

The sum of the parts on the 57-1126P intake is performance and style

First things first. Performance is king in the motorcycling world, and the K&N 57-1126P intake delivers it in spades. By simply bolting the intake to a stock 2009 1200cc Sportster, K&N’s dynamometer showed an estimated increase of over 8.5 horsepower. K&N does not deal in idle claims, so the dyno chart is included in a link right on the 57-1126P product page.

Everything needed to install the 57-1126P on your Harley is in the box

While you are on the dynamometer chart page, you should also note that the torque increase is nearly 7 foot pounds. Again, that is useable torque that peaks at a riding sweet spot of about 3800 RPM. That is the range that will make passing minivans and pulling through corners much more exhilarating. All of this performance becomes an even more visceral experience with the throaty intake sound that the 57-1126P emits.

Installation is straightforward and easily completed in 90 minutes

The K&N 57-1126P is proudly made in the USA and the intake is street legal in all 50 states. It is covered by K&N’s industry-leading million mile limited warranty. If your Harley is listed below, the 57-1126P is for you. For every other vehicle in your personal stable, consult K&N’s online vehicle application tool to find the filtration solution that suits your needs.

2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883N IRON 54 CI - All Models
2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200X FORTY-EIGHT 74 CI - All Models
2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200V SEVENTY-TWO 74 CI - All Models
2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 74 CI - All Models
2013 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883N IRON 54 CI - All Models
2013 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200X FORTY-EIGHT 74 CI - All Models
2013 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200V SEVENTY-TWO 74 CI - All Models
2013 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 74 CI - All Models
2012 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883N IRON 54 CI - All Models
2012 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200X FORTY-EIGHT 74 CI - All Models
2012 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200V SEVENTY-TWO 74 CI - All Models
2012 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 74 CI - All Models
2011 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883N IRON 54 CI - All Models
2011 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 74 CI - All Models
2010 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883N IRON 54 CI - All Models
2010 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883L SPORTSTER LOW 54 CI - All Models
2010 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 54 CI - All Models
2010 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 74 CI - All Models
2009 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883N IRON 54 CI - All Models
2009 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883L SPORTSTER LOW 54 CI - All Models
2009 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 54 CI - All Models
2009 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 74 CI - All Models
2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883L SPORTSTER LOW 54 CI - All Models
2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 54 CI - All Models
2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883 SPORTSTER 54 CI - All Models
2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 74 CI - All Models
2007 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883R SPORTSTER 54 CI - All Models
2007 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883 SPORTSTER 54 CI - All Models
2007 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200C SPORTSTER CUSTOM 74 CI - All Models

Dan Fletcher won five NHRA events in 2016 (photograph by John DiBartolomeo)

John Force leads the list with 145 career wins over his 38-year career. Frank Marzo is second with 105 and retired from racing after the 2013 season.

Dan Fletcher entered the 2016 NHRA drag racing season with 94 wins. He won five events in NHRA Sportsman classes and there is little doubt he will join the 100-win club at some point in 2017.

“I haven’t thought a great deal about what it means,” Fletcher said. “I’m just so busy putting my head down, just clocking in every day, going to work and doing my job. A hundred wins, it’s a huge plateau, just the number itself.

“But the fact that Force and Manzo are the only two ever, to be mentioned in a club with Force and Manzo, I’m just a guy who worked at Xerox and quit his job to go racing full time. Here I am 20 years later to be at a 100-win mark.”

Fletcher started the season by winning in Stock Eliminator at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California. He won events in Super Comp and Super Stock during the season. Racing at Pomona has produced successful results over the years for Fletcher.

“It’s treated me pretty well. I’ve done pretty good there,” Fletcher said. “This is what I do for a living. It’s my job. I need to win races to provide food for the family. I’m going there to win the race because that’s what I do for a living.”

He won his second event in Las Vegas in Super Comp. In a car he borrowed from Luke Bogacki, Fletcher won for the first time in his career in Super Comp.

Dan Fletcher won two NHRA events at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona (photograph by John DiBartolomeo)

Fletcher said that winning races has become more difficult over the years. The drivers and the equipment they use are fairly equal. Luck plays as big a role as preparation sometimes.

“Everyone’s equipment these days is really, really sound,” Fletcher said. “Everyone drives well. It’s gotten incredibly, incredibly hard to win. No matter what, it’s just so hard to win. They used to come a lot easier.”

Fletcher won his third event in Atlanta in Super Stock. That made three event wins in three different classes. He drove the car his dad built in Atlanta. Fletcher said it is his favorite car to race, for sentimental and technical reasons.

“I really wouldn’t say one is easier than the other. The class that I compete in that has the least driver aids is Stock Eliminator,” Fletcher said. “They’re the hardest to be good at because you have less tools in your toolbox. Yet that class seems to be the hardest one. Guys’ reaction times in Stock Eliminator are as good as the guys’ reaction times in Super Comp it seems. It’s incredibly difficult to win in that class."

But Super Comp is where Fletcher’s passion for racing comes out.

“That car is obviously extremely special to me,” Fletcher said. “That one’s the most important thing to me.”

Fletcher won two more events in Super Comp. He won in Chicago, then had a bit of a drought through the summer. He was stuck on 98 wins for about two months.

Dan Fletcher has 99 career NHRA event wins in his career (photograph by John DiBartolomeo)

“I have trouble even saying it,” Fletcher said. “To be at the point and at that level, in rarified air that is occupied by Force and Manzo. To be only the third person to accomplish something, that’s pretty awesome.”

The 2017 season starts in February in Pomona. Fletcher said he will be there and hopefully win his 100th event.

“It’s kind of fun having it waiting there,” Fletcher said. “It’s kind of like a Christmas present. I’d like to think within the first, second, third event of the year, I will knock it off. I just hope that, A, I would like to do it in my father’s car, the Super Stock car. And B, I would truly hope that my wife will be at the event when I do it.”

Fast and consistent racing has garnered Chad Wienen 5 consecutive titles

“Winning my fifth straight championship is definitely the standout highlight of my season,” says Wienen. “When I first started riding, I dreamed of one day becoming a champion, but never did I imagine becoming a 5-time champion.”

While it seems that specific highlights would be hard to single out in such an impressive and lengthy winning streak, Wienen is quick to identify moments that were particularly challenging. Clearly Wienen knows it is not just effective front-running that wins championships, but also coming through when a race becomes seemingly futile.

Chad Wienen has assembled a winning support team

That kind of raw determination is part of the reason Wienen was named a Yamaha Wall of Champions inductee in 2016. Wienen is quick to sing the praises of his ATV sponsor.

“It means so much. Yamaha came in and supported me after my back injury in 2011 and we have been a dominate partnership since,” says Wienen. “Being a part of a company who supports you and recognizes all of the hard work and dedication you put into your sports is truly remarkable.”

K&N decals have been stuck to Chad Wienen's #1 ATV for years

“I have been sponsored by K&N since before I started the Wienen Motorsports team back in 2012, and when I had the opportunity to form my own and run my team as I pleased, I knew I wanted to be partnered with K&N,” says Wienen. “I trust the craftsmanship of K&N’s products and know I am getting a good quality product from a company who keeps striving to make the best products for all different kinds of machines.”

Wienen’s goals for 2017 are again rooted in consistency. “I am looking forward to another year of racing with my Wienen Motorsports team,” he says. “Each year we strive to make the machines faster, safer, and more reliable. I am beyond thrilled with the people and sponsors I have behind me and behind the scenes supporting not only my career but my dreams.”

K&N congratulates Chad Wienen on another AMA ATV Pro MX National Championship and his induction onto the Yamaha Wall of Champions. We are excited to continue to sponsor and support Wienen’s winning ways.