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Brad Keselowski Wins the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

13 Mar 2017

Brad Keselowski celebrates his win in the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500

Brad Keselowski won the second Monster Energy Cup Series race of the season at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday. It was the 22nd win of his professional career, and his first win at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500.

“Well, you know, wins are always special, but early in the season they're really good. You just can't take any wins for granted,” Keselowski said. “I always feel like before a race, you obviously always want to win, and you always wonder yourself when your last win is going to be, and I'm not anywhere near retirement age, but you still think about those things and you think about how tough it just is to win at this level and how lucky you are to have a team to win.”

Keselowski led three times for a total of 18 laps to take the checkered flag. He also won 53 points to continue to be in the top 10 of the standings. He is in third place in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup standings with 84 points.

“You know, when you win a race like this, you know that there's been three or four of them where you probably lost like this, and they really suck, but this one is going to feel good, and we're going to enjoy it,” Keselowski said.

Brad Keselowski celebrates his win at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Kyle Larson finished in second place and led once for seven laps. This was his second top-10 finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway and his first top-10 finish in 2017. Keselowski passed Larson on lap 318.

“Here at Atlanta, I don't do a good enough job up top,” Larson said. “That's why I try to commit myself to the bottom throughout the race. There when I restarted the leader after our Christmas present we got there, and Brad lined up behind me, I knew he was going to be the one to beat. I'd spent a lot of time around him throughout the race, especially on the short runs he was better than I was, and he would always pass me in 1 and 2. I knew I was going to have to try and take his line away. I tried a few times, and he finally kind of guessed where I was going right one lap and got to my inside.”

Matt Kenseth finished in third place and did not lead once.

Kevin Harvick won both of the stages in the race, and was poised to reach the checkered flag first, if it had not been for a pit-speeding penalty under caution on lap 311, he would not have lost his lead.The penalty knocked him out of first place and he eventually finished in ninth.

Harvick led the race on four separate occasions for a total of 292 laps. With both of his stage wins at Atlanta, Harvick has won three stages so far this season, and has three playoff points.

Kevin Harvick, K&N, Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500, NASCAR

Kevin Harvick leading the field at the start of Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500

The penalty called on Harvick gave new life for Larson and Keselowski, who were trailing behind Harvick going into the final break. Larson took first but not for long, as Keselowski easily passed him to take the checkered flag and the win.

"Yeah, this place, for whatever reason, I just feel like I’m snake-bitten," said Harvick who has not won in Atlanta in his career. "It’s my own doing today. I really didn’t think I was even close on pit lane.”

Harvick leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings with 90 points, and three playoff points. Kurt Busch, winner of the Daytona 500, is in second place with 86 points, and five playoff points. Brad Keselowski, winner of the Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500, is in third place with 84 points and five playoff points.

The next race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Kobalt 400.

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K&N's Team Driver, Jordan Pellegrino & the 2017 SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge

13 Mar 2017

Shot of Jordan Pellegrino in front of his 4400 Class Car prior to the Every Man Challenge race

K&N team driver, Jordan Pellegrino, and his 4500 class car, ready for the Every Man Challenge

Just when you thought Griffin King of the Hammers (Now Nitto Tire King of the Hammers Powered by OPTIMA Batteries) couldn’t get any more epic: Dave Cole of Hammerking Productions officially announced a new race to be run at the 2012 King of The Hammers. That race, called The SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge at Griffin King of The Hammers, took place for the first time ever in 2012 and allowed off-road enthusiasts an opportunity to race their stock and modified stock vehicles in a modified version of the toughest one day off-road race on the planet. For those that had been watching King of The Hammers, wondering how their own off-road vehicle compared to the Ultra4 cars competing in this race; this was their chance to find out.

Imagine the excitement felt throughout the off-road community when the folks at Hammerking Productions added this to the list of amazing things to actually do at the week long event that has become this legendary racing extravaganza.

Photo of Jordan Pellegrino & co-driver/joker Gunner Velasquez taking some of the race pressure o

The SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge is tough so you need a co-driver willing to make you smile

In 2012, Jordan Pellegrino, K&N team driver and one third of the GenRight race team, was just 13 years old. His dad, Tony Pellgrino, K&N team driver and founder of GenRight Off Road, had raced the famed King of the Hammers with serious success of his own the past couple years. Inspired by what dad was up to, little Jordan acquired his own Jeep in 2013 with plans of trying his hand behind the wheel at the SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge come 2014. And young Pellegrino did just that finishing with a 4th place overall in his first attempt. Seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in the racing family.

Photo from the front of the Jeep of Pellegrino and Velasquez as they prep for staging.

Helmets on, time for these two to get to work! Heading to the line, it's go time!

As the youngest driver to finish the SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge in the history of the King of the Hammer’s, Jordan believed that he could move up the food chain at the 2015 SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge. In fact he was on par to do just that. Gifted driver and competitor, Jordan could read trails and had what it took to potentially become the youngest driver in the history of KOH to win the SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge. Every trail, every pit, every turn carefully gauged and calculated by he and co-driver Gunnar Velasquez. Every minor setback answered with confident driving and navigational skills. With just 10 miles to go to the finish line a mechanical failure would take these two talented, young men out of contention for even finishing the race after leading the way early on. A gut wrenching day to say the very least. The Every Man Challenge finish, let alone win, ripped from their hands.

Shot of Pellegrino carving through the berms in the short course at main pit

Another fun and exciting new addition to this years event is the short course at main pit

But that didn’t stop these two! With the support of Team GenRight and countless hours testing and tuning, Jordan would do whatever it took to make the 4500 Class Car as close to bulletproof as he could. Every inch of that Jeep was gone through with the proverbial fine tooth comb. Not once but as many times as were necessary to help guarantee a finish.

One minute and 26 seconds would separate Pellegrino from a 1st place finish in the 4500 Class at the 2016 SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge. He and his co-driver would finish just behind fellow competitor and close friend, Jessi Combs. While this solid second place finish was indeed fantastic, it wasn’t really what the young men had hoped for.

Shot of Pellegrino's car coming out of a turn with the rear end squatting, putting power to down

Pellegrino's suspension on the 4500 car, getting down and digging in through the turn

Every minute on the trails, every minute in the seat behind the wheel, Jordan is learning. He is learning about himself and what he must do to up his game so he can ultimately win the SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge. We caught up with Jordan to talk about what changes he made to the Jeep and what the strategy would be this year. Turns out that he was really thrilled with how the car handled last year so the changes were minimal. Of course Team GenRight went through every nut and bolt. Throughout the year Jordan participated in a few other events honing his skills as a driver and ultimately doing some tuning on the Jeep. As he headed into the 2017 race season he made sure to get out to the lakebed whenever he could.

Shot of Pellegrino's 4500 Class Car in the air on the short course at main pit!

Yeah the Jeeps of the 4500 class can get air! Pellegrino, show us how it's done!

Team GenRight got out to Johnson Valley the Friday before the event to get set up for their three racers. The weather was perfect and this would be the first day for Jordan to start heat cycling the car, doing the typical break in of all the new parts; engine, trans, t-case, ring and pinions. As Saturday morning rolled around, he finished the last of the heat cycles. From there it was time to get registered, begin pre-running and taking notes on all the desert sections. Course notes are a very important part of this race, identifying dangers with certain rock areas, sharpness of corners and the like can make the difference between finishing and not finishing this race.

View of the 4585 car weaving through the tight rock canyons on the Every Man Challenge course

The tight rock canyons leave little room for error and plenty of room for flat tires

Sunday saw more pre-running and took up most of the day. The racers would run basically the same course, at least 90% of it was the same and different! In a new and interesting twist, they would run the course - backwards! Right off the start they would head out of main pit in the opposite direction. The first ten miles of the race were filled with bottlenecks, so finding clean lines around potential danger whenever they could would become invaluable to this team.

Overhead view of the 4585 Car of Jordan Pellegrino on course of the Every Man Challenge 2017

The Every Man Challenge race features a modified version of the King of the Hammers course

A new addition for the SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge course this year that hadn’t been included in years past, the addition of the trails Backdoor and Resolution. The Every Man competitors would actually run these 2 additional trails twice during their event. Pellegrino and Velasquez, having never run these 2 trails in this car before, had Monday as the day to go out a get acquainted! After having made two clean passes down both trails, Pellegrino felt confident that was enough practice, while saving the Jeep for qualifying on Tuesday morning. Jordan and Gunnar claim luck was on their side during Tuesday qualifying as they had smooth clean lines and kept the pedal to the floor. They would qualify first, in pole position with a 9 second lead over second place and win the Hard Charger Award for their qualifying efforts.

Shot of Jordan Pellegrino coming out of a rock trail and heading toward the open desert

Heading out of the tough rock trails toward the open desert for some high speed passing

The SmittyBilt Every Man Challenge had 3 classes staged for competition early Thursday morning. First to the starting line would be the 70 competitors in the 4800 Class. While Pellegrino and Velasquez earned the pole position, it would still have them start behind the entire 4800 Class field leaving the start line in 71st position. From the start the car died and would not restart. They lost all power and weren’t sure what the issue could be. Jordan thought for sure their day was over. Maybe frustration, maybe dumb luck, but Jordan hit the battery in the center console and the car fired up and they took off. They never had that issue again during the day but the thought it could happen again at any moment never left his mind. They completed lap 1 cleanly passing over 45 of the 4800 class cars. On lap two heading up the first trail, Aftershock, making their way up the rock canyon, the car caught on fire! They jumped out, put the fire out, assessed the issue and made the decision to keep moving. Unable to fix the problem on the trail they kept moving and sure enough were on fire again within 500 feet. Through that trail alone they were on fire at least 5-6 times where they exited the canyon and limped the car into the pit where the crew fixed problem. The issue was a fluid leak which was spraying onto the headers. Unfortunately this race beat these cars so hard it shows all the weak points like this but they kept on chugging trying to make up the time they lost. Right after leaving the pit they would get a flat! After changing the flat they got into a sticky situation dropping down Sledgehammer and would have to winch costing them more time. After Sledgehammer, the second half of the race Jordan was pushing the car past its limits for over 60 miles. But it paid off!

Photo of Jordan Pellegrino and Gunnar Velasquez after the 2017 Every Man Challenge

After the Every Man Challenge, competitors Jordan Pellegrino and Gunnar Velasquez take a breath

They caught the new leader (who previously passed them in Sledgehammer while they were winching) in the trail, Full of Hate, where he was stuck. In this race, there are times when it is best to help a fellow competitor get unstuck. This was one of those instances. Velasquez hopped out and assisted. From that point forward it was a race to the finish. Pellegrino and Velasquez would pass the race leader shortly after clearing this trail with about 15 miles left in the race. They needed to physically make up 5 minutes if they were going to win this race since it’s won on adjusted time, not position.

View of father Tony Pellegrino welcoming Jordan and Gunnar to the podium after crossing the finish l

Dad and fellow racer, Tony Pellegrino, congratulating Jordan & Gunnar after crossing the finish line

In the last 15 miles Pellegrino said he pushed the car to the point, “I was either going to win or crash the car trying. I would make up about 4 minutes on him by the time I crossed the finish line. Unfortunately, I couldn't make up enough time to take the win, I was just about 1 minute short,” said Jordan. No regrets though. The two, Pellegrino and Velasquez, overcame so many obstacles, aside from the boulder-laden trails, that they walk away extremely satisfied coming away with another 2nd place, podium finish. You know what they say, “third time’s a charm” and we believe that 2018 will be this K&N team driver’s turn at the top of the podium in what is off-road’s toughest, or rather second toughest, one day race in the world! Not too shabby considering Jordan Pellegrino is just 18 years old! Congratulations to Jordan Pellegrino, Gunnar Velasquez, and all of Team GenRight for this years incredible success at the 2017 Nitto Tire King of the Hammer’s Powered by OPTIMA Batteries race event.

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David Pulley is Focused on a Successful 2017 Supercross Season

13 Mar 2017

David Pulley racing in the Supercross second round in San Diego (photo CycleDump)

Most often (and understandably), our racer profile articles focus on the performers who are at the pinnacle of their success. However, K&N backs talented racers at all stages of their development, as long as they share our dedication to the sport and commitment to excellence. Here is a look at a young up-and-coming contender in the Supercross field who certainly embodies those traits.

David Pulley will be racing in the full season of the Premier 450 Class in the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross season. He will travel in his Mercedes van to the western races and fly when the series heads east. With the first two rounds of the series in the books, Pulley shares some of his insights into his season start.

“These first two rounds have been a bit rough for me, but I can see I have the speed after reviewing segment times and my LitPro data,” Pulley said. LitPro is a tracking and diagnostic system that analyzes things such as the most effective race lines and optimal speeds in the whoop sections and jumps.

Pulley is gearing up (literally) for the 2017 Supercross season

The second round of the Monster Energy Supercross at PetCo Park in San Diego had to be modified due to the weather. While changes in race-day routine are always a concern for top athletes, Pulley knows that the ability to monitor and adjust will be a key to his continued ascent in the sport.

“With all the rain during the week, AMA decided to go with a modified schedule once again removing the free practice from our schedule, leaving us with the two 10 minute timed qualifying sessions,” Pulley said.

The San Diego round proved to be a painful one for Pulley. He suffered a hard crash that could have been attributed to the racer's abbreviated track time and variable dirt conditions. However, Pulley was quick to identify a correctable technique flaw rather than blame the conditions.

“Unfortunately, I had a bit of a get off in the whoops. They were pretty big, and in the last session they got pretty cupped and uneven. I ended up getting kicked and shifting too much weight forward and going down. I am okay, just a bit bruised up,” he said.

A van will be Pulley's transportation for the West Coast races

As is his racing modus operandi, Pulley used the setbacks as both a learning experience and motivation.

“I will be all good and ready to go for A2 (Anaheim race 2) next weekend though. I was running 3rd in my practice before I went down and unfortunately got shuffled back to end up 47th O/A in times. I plan on getting things on track here at A2 this weekend and working on being able to go out there and battle to get into these main events!”

Pulley is fully aware that his racing success is dependent on continued support from his loyal sponsors like K&N. “I can’t thank you all enough for all the support,” he said. K&N is happy to be a part of David Pulley’s progress in the ultra-competitive sport of Supercross.

2017 Supercross Schedule:

January 7, 2017 Angel Stadium Anaheim, CA

January 14, 2017 Petco Park San Diego, CA

January 21, 2017 Angel Stadium Anaheim, CA

January 28, 2017 Univ. of Phx. Stadium Glendale, AZ

February 4, 2017 O.Co Coliseum Oakland, CA

February 11, 2017 AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX

February 18, 2017 U.S. Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN

February 25, 2017 Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA

March 4, 2017 Rogers Centre Toronto, ON

March 11, 2017 Daytona Int. Speedway Daytona Beach, FL

March 18, 2017 Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN

March 25, 2017 Detroit Ford Field Detroit, MI

April 1, 2017 Dome at America's Ctr. St. Louis, MO

April 8, 2017 Century Link Field Seattle, WA

April 22, 2017 Rice-Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT

April 29, 2017 MetLife Stadium E. Rutherford, NJ

May 6, 2017 Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas, NV

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K&N-Sponsored Mitch Guthrie Jr. Wins the Mint 400 UTV Pro Turbo Class

8 Mar 2017

MItch Guthrie Jr. and his team after the 2017 MInt 400 victory

MItch Guthrie Jr. (by the K&N logo) and his team celebrate a dominating Mint 400 win

The desert north of Primm, Nevada, was Mitch Guthrie Jr’s playground as he dominated the Pro Turbo Class of the famous Mint 400. A win in “The Great American Off-Road Race” is a crown jewel for any desert racer, and Mitch grabbed that jewel with a vengeance in the March staging of the Mint 400.

The UTV classes are becoming one of the most popular segments of modern desert racing. With over 100 UTV entries for the 2017 Mint 400, it is clearly one of the most competitive classes in the field.

Guthrie Jr's Polaris UTV is protected by K&N filter technology

In the shadows of the massive roller coaster of Buffalo Bill's Casino in Primm, Nevada, Guthrie Jr. took the Pro Turbo lead from the pole with a blazing start in his Polaris RZR XP Turbo. He would never relinquish that front-running position. The benefit of a good start in a race like the Mint can't be underestimated.

“The key point for my race was the first lap,” Guthrie said. “I started on the first row and got the holeshot which gave me the chance to get away from the huge pack of cars behind me. I pushed hard the first lap and was able to gain a lot of breathing room for the second and third lap, which was huge.”

Getting that “breathing room” is vital, but the treacherous Mojave Desert can throw race-ending surprises around each turn. That fact was not lost on Guthrie as he led the hard-charging field.

“The Mint 400 course is one of the most brutal courses we race throughout the entire year,” Guthrie said. “It has a little bit of everything from big whoops, huge rocks, sand washes, and plenty of spots that can sneak up on you if you're not careful.” Clearly Mitch found that perfect balance between fast and careful that culminated in his Mint 400 victory.

Mitch Guthrie Jr's Mint 400 winning UTV at the contingency in Las Vegas, Nevada

Guthrie Jr's Mint 400 winning UTV at the pre-race contingency in downtown Las Vegas

Guthrie Jr. says it doesn’t take long for the Mint course to begin to look like a mechanical graveyard. “You can see how harsh it is throughout the race with how many cars are scattered throughout the course even after just the first lap,” he said.

Desert racing is truly a team sport, and Guthrie appreciates everyone involved in his success. “It takes a lot of sponsors and awesome people to put a race like that together,” Guthrie said. “And to have K&N, one of my long-time sponsors, supporting me and helping me get the win was very cool!”

K&N is proud to play a part in Mitch Guthrie Jr’s racing success. We congratulate the entire Guthrie Racing Team on a spectacular Mint 400 victory.

The Mint 400 win in a Polaris RZR XP is especially sweet since K&N just introduced our brand-new K&N 63-1136 Polaris intake. Check K&N's online application tool to get the perfect filter or intake system for your UTV.

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Todd Gilliland Plans to Race in Both K&N Pro Series East and West

8 Mar 2017

NASCAR, K&N Pro Series, Bill McAnally Racing, Todd Gilliland

Todd Gilliland plans on racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West in 2017

Todd Gilliland is embarking on a daunting challenge. He is going to race in both the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West and try to win championships in both series. He started his twin tour in the K&N Pro Series East season opener at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida in February. Even though the results were not what he and his team were expecting, there were some high points.

Gilliland, the 2016 K&N Pro Series West champion, led for 20 laps in the East Series race at New Smyrna Speedway. He finished in ninth place, but he earned some valuable points toward the championship.

“We picked up right where we left off last year,” said Gilliland, who drives for Bill McAnally Racing. “We were fast in practice and ultimately in the race. We were leading and we blew a right front tire, actually cut a right front tire, from some debris. To be able to come back and still finish ninth, we controlled everything we were able to control. That’s all that a good team can do. We wish it could have been better, but it could have been a ton worse.”

The first race in the K&N Pro Series West is March 18 at Tucson Speedway in Arizona. It is the start of a four-race stint in eight days in the K&N Pro Series West. But it is not the busiest part of his NASCAR K&N Pro Series schedule.

“This is probably the most races I’ve ever run,” Gilliland said. “It’s definitely going to be a lot of upkeep, a lot of travel. My strategy is hopefully to get better with every race. Hopefully we can learn twice as much as someone that’s just running one of the series.”

From June 3 with the K&N Pro Series East race at Memphis International Raceway in Tennessee to Aug. 26 with the K&N Pro Series West race at Douglas County Speedway in Oregon, Gilliland will race almost every weekend. It amounts to 11 races in 13 weeks.

Todd Gilliland won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship in 2016

“During June, July, and August, it gets super busy,” Gilliland said. “We race every weekend in a row. We definitely have to have a lot of cars ready for that stretch. Hopefully everything goes good to where we don’t have to totally repair one car. We’ll see how it all plays out. It’s definitely going to be really hectic.”

Gilliland and his team have been getting ready for running in the K&N Pro Series East and West since the end of the NASCAR season in Roseville, California, in October. After winning the West Series championship with an eighth-place finish in the race at All American Speedway, Gilliland was busy making plans for the 2017 season.

“Preparation began probably five months ago,” Gilliland said. “Right from Roseville, our last race, to get to this season opener. I’m very excited about how well-prepared our team has become. I think we are going to be ready, Sadly, we didn’t get to test, but we’ve had a lot of practice, so we’ll see how it goes.”

One race he is looking forward to is the K&N Pro Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. It was a race he did not do particularly well at last year and he wants a chance to redeem himself.

“I am really looking forward to going back to Bristol on the K&N East,” Gilliland said. “That was probably one of our worst runs with just speed. We finished ninth, which isn’t bad.I would say that was where we were off the most. I feel like we’ve gained so much on it since then. I think we’d be better there.”

As for his chances of winning both championships in the K&N Pro Series East and West, Gilliland said he is confident in his team.

“We figured it would be a great opportunity to run both this year,” Gilliland said. “Everyone at Bill McAnally Racing has been super open to the idea. It’s definitely going to be a lot of hard work. Everyone is definitely up for it. That’s what it’s going to take, a lot of hard work.

Todd Gilliland will compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West opener at Tucson Speedway in Arizona

“We’ve been in contention to win a lot of the K&N East and West races that we’ve been shown up to. I feel pretty confident in my team and our ability to be fast and unload up front.”

K&N as the title sponsor of the Pro Series West and East provides opportunities for drivers to get noticed. Gilliland said he wants to make the most of this opportunity.

“Anytime a big sponsor like K&N can take the first step and initiate advertising and everything for younger drivers like myself, and everyone in the K&N Pro Series names out there that some people haven’t heard yet, that’s huge for us,” Gilliland said. “It’s a great opportunity to have them on board.”

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