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NASCAR K&N Pro Series West driver Julia Landauer is seventh in the standings after 11 races.

Landauer had a rough start to her second season in the K&N Pro Series West. She joined a new team, the Sunrise Ford team owned by Bob Bruncati. But mechanical problems and broken parts led to some disappointing finishes.

“It’s been tough but character building,” Landauer said.

Despite the rough patches, Landauer is in the top 10 in the K&N Pro Series West standings after 11 races. There are three races remaining on the K&N Pro Series West schedule and Landauer said she has an aggressive strategy for the end of the season.

“It’s been rough. I’m really proud of my guys,” said Landauer, who is in seventh place in the K&N Pro Series West standings. “We’re all used to performing at the front and racing well. They got multiple championships. I’ve got multiple championships. I really appreciate the fresh attitude they come with every race and how collaborative everyone is. It’s a really good crew. It’s just one of those years.

“This is where you grow as a person. You can’t separate racing from life. Try to take the optimistic approach and salvage everything we can for these last three races.”

For the race at Douglas County Speedway, Landauer said her car was strong from the start. It was one of the fastest cars in practice and she qualified sixth. She was less than a tenth of a second off the pole, won by Bill McAnally Racing driver Chris Eggleston.

There were only four cautions in the race. The final restart came on lap 71, leaving nearly 80 laps of green flag racing at the end. Those factors helped Landauer finish in the top five.

“I think it was a couple things. I think we unloaded really strong,” Landauer said. “I was pushing as hard as I could. We took a little bit of a gamble with setup before qualifying and made a change. It worked really well. It was a good effort. It was a really tight field.”

Julia Landauer posted her best finish of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season at Douglas County.

“I’ve done well on the short tracks,” Landauer said. “We were a little worried going into Evergreen because we knew it was a tough track and we knew the tire drop-off was really aggressive. But we know our short track setup is a little better.”

Landauer started the season with a pair of 12th-place finishes, one in the season opener at Tucson Speedway, in Arizona. The other was at Kern County Raceway, in California. Landauer said she and her new team worked well together, but the car was not responding to the team’s setups.

“Personality wise, I think I meshed with the team pretty quickly,” Landauer said. “I don’t think it was really so much joining the new team that was much of an issue. I felt the guys welcomed me. I feel there was a lot of mutual respect all the way around.

“There are just some things you just can’t control. We were a little baffled, to be honest as to what the slow start was from. Everyone has good years. People keep telling me everyone has really bad years too, maybe this is just our collective not-so-great year. The team is working well together. There is excitement now for these last three races.”

Landauer points to the dual races at Irwindale Speedway in California in March as to when things started turning around. The car ran well at Irwindale, she posted a sixth and 10th place finish, but she said she at least had a top-five car for both races. Something mechanical was off and the car lost power over the last 30 laps of both races.

“The car was awesome,” Landauer said. “We were running third and fourth for a while. A mechanical malfunction caused it to drop like a stone the last 30 laps or so. That was a mechanical problem that we didn’t discover until we got the car back to the shop.”

Her team had more problems at The Orange Show Speedway and Sonoma Raceway in California. The alternator died in the race at The Orange Show and she broke an axle at Sonoma. It resulted in two poor finishes and set her team back in the standings.

“This year, we were running consistently like sixth or seventh,” Landauer said about the race in Sonoma. “I was able to nurse it around the track until we got a caution. We came in and they changed the axle in like record time. But by then, I was just racing by myself. Again, it goes back to bad luck.”

In addition to the race at Meridian Speedway, the K&N Pro Series West will visit All American Speedway in Roseville and return to Kern County Raceway Park in California to end the season.

Julia Landauer has six top-10 finishes in 11 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races this season.

Landauer said she enjoys having K&N as a supporter of the series and seeing the K&N staff at all the races.

“I think what’s cool about K&N is that they have shown a commitment for so many years now,” Landauer said. “To have that kind of longevity with a series partner is really cool. I like that it’s such a practical company and brand that everyone has the ability to use. That makes it universally attractive.”

Jake has been using K&N Filters on his race cars and his family's street cars for years

In particular, it’s Jake Andreotti you’ll be hearing more about. At the ripe old age of 14 he’s already won numerous Quarter Midget titles, and in doing so, defeated drivers two to three times his age. And like the Pennsylvania Andretti family, a passion for racing goes back several generations in the Andreotti clan.

Jake was more than happy to give us a little family history lesson: “My maternal great grandfather William Smith built the bodies for Ken Brenneman who was the very first Midget champion in 1933 and 1934 (and is credited with staging the first-ever professional midget race). He also built a quarter midget for my grandfather John Smith in 1950 that he ran during intermissions at the Pacific Indoor Midget Championship races held in an old exhibition hall in Oakland, California, in 1953 and 1954.” Jake's great uncle Louie Odom is remembered by locals for putting what's now called a Sprint Car through the roof of his own parts and machine shop adjacent to the long-closed Oakland Stadium.

Jake's grandfather in a Quarter Midget he drove between indoor midget races in Oakland

K&N: So Jake, when did the racing bug bite hard?

Jake Andreotti: “I guess I realized I was competitive once I started racing Junior Stock Quarter Midgets. The faster car, tougher competition, and the higher speeds started and became an addiction.”

By the time he graduated from Quarter Midgets Jake left an impressive record in his wake. From 2008-2013 Jake raced in six different sub-classes, earned five National Championships, 20 Championship Series Titles, and set track records across the Western US.

Last year it was on display at SEMA, this year Jake took the Farrell Frameworks to a win a Dixon

K&N: You’re up against drivers who are maybe twice or even three times your age. How does that go over when they get beat by a teenager?

JA: “The age difference makes me have to be even better. I have to earn the respect of my competitors. I don’t want them to think of me because of my age but more of my abilities. There have been times, when I remove my helmet, they are shocked to see how young I am. The competition has been impressed, shocked, and sometimes taken aback when I place ahead of them but mostly I’m treated the same. There was the Budweiser Grand Prix at Plaza Park Raceway in Visalia, California, that I won and the announcer came down with a bottle of Budweiser beer and realized once I took my helmet off that a can of Coke was better, more age appropriate.

K&N: Do you have a plan or target for when you reach 18 years old?

JA: “I’d love to be racing in the K&N Pro Series back East with a few wins attached to my name. My ultimate goal is the Monster Energy Cup series of NASCAR.”

K&N: OK, here’s a fun what-if question: If there were a class of car that you could just go and test for a day, what would it be?

Jake finished 3rd out of 29 drivers in the 2017 California Speedweek - four races in five days

K&N: We mentioned earlier about the similarity between your last name and that of the famous racing family of Nazareth. Do you ever get mistaken for a member of that clan?

JA: "All the time! Funny you asked because we ordered seatbelts and there was a delay in receiving them so we called the vendor. Turns out they were sent to Jarrett Andretti. My dad’s name is Jared Andreotti, so you can see where the confusion came from. We have met Mario Andretti a few times and asked what part of Italy their family is from and it turns out both families are from the same area. We have often wondered if we could be related but haven’t looked into it. If I compete at an unfamiliar race track they will refer to me as Jake Andretti or when we travel we’ve been stopped several times asking if Mario is with us. It’s definitely not a bad thing being associated with the Andrettis though!”

K&N: In closing, is there anything you’d like to share with the readers?

JA: “I love representing such a great company like K&N, which has a huge amount of respect in the racing industry and trusts me enough to represent them. It’s the support of the people who work for K&N as well as their proven products that make them apart of the 7p Team.

The Nissan Titan is perfect for daily driving, family hauling, or taking tools to the worksite

The 2017 Nissan Titan is powered by a 5.6L V8 gas engine with DOHC, four valves per cylinder, direct fuel injection, and variable valve event and lift (VVEL), it’s a modern engine that’s optimized to get all the power possible out of a gallon of gas. Even still, the Titan 5.6L V8 delivers an impressive 390 horsepower and 394 lb-ft of torque.

Yet through a combination of technologies K&N engineers have developed a bolt-on cold air intake system that provides the highest levels of performance and protection, including a substantial increase in power and response.

An AirCharger intake is comprised of a polyethylene intake tube, heat shield, and oversized filter

The multi-layered oiled cotton filter material also captures microparticles that could damage your engine and ensures a long engine life. Each design is verified through K&N’s in-house filtration testing lab, which adheres to ISO 5011 standards, ensuring that K&N filters provide high airflow without putting engine protection at risk.

The second technical element is the sealed heat shield. Its function is to provide a large opening at the front of the vehicle to provide fresh, clean incoming air to feed the filter, intake, and engine. At the same time, the heat shield isolates that cool intake air from high underhood temperatures.

The heat shield isolates the filter from underhood heat, allowing the cold air to flow to the motor

The third technical element is the connection between the filter and the intake of the engine. Air is drawn through an aerodynamically verified, non-metallic rotationally molded tube that can reduce intake air temperature and decrease intake sound over a metal tube.

Additionally, the high-density polyethylene tube can be precisely shaped to reduce turbulence and accelerate airflow into the engine. Provisions have been molded into the intake tube to accept the factory mass air flow sensor and both EVAP hoses.

All components, brackets, and seals needed to install your new K&N 63-6019 are included in the box

The Aircharger kit comes with all the necessary boots, clamps, and hardware for an OE fit and finish. The kit also utilizes OEM mounting brackets and hardware for quick and easy installation, with no holes to drill.

And once you’ve installed your K&N filter you’ve eliminated the need to buy another air filter for the life of your covered 2017 Titan. The only maintenance is a service you can do yourself in no time at all. At intervals of 100,000 miles (depending on your driving conditions) use the K&N 99-5000 Recharger Kit to easily clean your AirCharger air filter, preparing it for another 100,000 miles of driving.

The K&N air filter you purchase is designed to last for the lifetime of your vehicle, which K&N guarantees will perform with the K&N 10-Year/Million Mile Limited Warranty.

The K&N 63-6019 is designed to fit the following vehicles:

2017 NISSAN TITAN 5.6L V8 Fuel Injection - All Models

Carlson Moto added a PRO 2 truck to give Andrew more seat time. No one figured he'd take three wins

Those examples are not unlike the path that Andrew Carlson has chosen. Raised in Minnesota, his entire family participated in snowmobiling, both recreationally and competitively. “Racing has always been a big thing in my family and it is what I have loved doing since a young age, Andrew added. How young? "I raced snowmobiles since I was 4 years old so I have been around racing my whole life.”

His professional snowmobiling career consisted primarily of Snocross, which is exactly what it sounds like: motocross on the white stuff wrestling 460-pound sleds.

Andrew competed in both ISOC Snocross racing and in the Winter X-Games. Asked before the start of this year’s truck racing season, Andrew told us which events were the most memorable for him “I took four wins and 13 podiums in the 2014 Snocross National Pro Lite season and finished second in the 2014 PRO Light season points championship. The highlight of my off-road career was claiming my first-ever win at the inaugural Twin Cities Takedown in front of the home town crowd,” the young Minnesotan said.

Andrew Carlson started the season with the objective to win the PRO Lights Championship

So what made you want to stop racing snowmobiles to start racing off-road trucks? “I have always been interested in off-road racing and have watched many motocross racers transition to truck racing. I got an opportunity to drive in a race a few years ago and have been hooked ever since," Andrew explained.

After a couple of years of doing a little truck racing on the side, Andrew officially retired from professional Snocross in March, 2017 so that his concentration is solely on TORC competition. Andrew had already energized his father Chris, a successful local businessman, to expand Carlson Moto to include a TORC operation.

In August of 2014, Andrew made his TORC PRO Light start at the world-famous Crandon, Wisconsin, off-road course. Andrew had managed less than a full lap of practice and was starting with 27 other PRO Light trucks (PRO Lights are basically spec-design tube frame trucks with 450 HP engines, with everything a little smaller than the more powerful, more capable PRO 2 RWD trucks, which could be compared to a desert-racing trophy truck).

Andrew was immediately competitive in the PRO 2 class, despite an increase of 300 horsepower

In 2015 and 2016 Andrew competed in both Snocross and TORC, with an eye to moving full-time to the trucks. He collected his first podium finish in 2015 at Bark River. His first ever off-road victory came in 2016 as his home track (literally his home track, his father is a partner in ERX Motorsports Park) in a PRO Light truck, along with three more podiums. That sealed the deal and he announced his retirement at the end of the 2016-2017 Snocross reason.

Andrew explained for us what the change has been like. “The transition from snow to dirt has been an interesting learning curve. Carlson Moto is no stranger to racing, but off-road is a very unique thing. I am still amazed every time I get in the truck by what these machines can do. The fact that you are strapped to a bunch of tubes with 450 HP on call with a flick of your right foot is something that is unexplainable. It’s an amazing feeling that I have not experienced in any other form of motorsports,” said the 24 year old driver.

And now as a full-time off-road racer, Andrew is certainly making a mark for himself. The season started in Chicago less than two months and just 100 miles away from his last-ever Snocross race.

Andrew leaves a roost for us all to admire.

Despite being third fastest in practice, Andrew had to settle for a pair of fourths at the Big House Brawl, rounds five and six, held at Crandon, a rock trapped in a brake caliper slowed him on Sunday and a slow start made for a tough climb through the field on Sunday.

To the surprise of many, Andrew and Carlson Moto appeared at the Throwdown in the U.P. in Bark River with two trucks: a PRO 2 truck, which clearly suited Andrew as to took an unchallenged class win in round seven and a second place in round eight, despite the fact he’d not even driven the PRO 2 truck on dirt until that weekend. In his PRO Light truck Andrew finished fifth in round seven and took a sixth in round eight.

“Saturday was the first time I drove the truck on a track, ever. Lining up on the front row, I didn’t know who I could run with - I had never run this truck behind anyone. I didn’t know what the PRO 2 roost would be like, or anything. I can’t say I expected to do this. I wanted to give it my all and have fun, but I’ll take this,” Andrew explained, still excited by his surprise victory.

The post-race television interview: one of the spoils of victory

“We’ve been racing as a family for many years,” said team owner Chris Carlson, “Saturday was one of the most exciting and fulfilling days we’ve ever had at the race track.”

Round 11 was titled “Keys To The Big House” and they’re not talking about a prison. IndyCars have the Indy 500, sports cars have Le Mans, and desert racers have Baja. Short-course off-road racers have Crandon International Raceway, which has hosted events on Labor Day weekend for 48 years. In the world of short-course off-road racing, Crandon IS the Big House.

So now, on a Labor Day weekend, three years after Andrew’s first-ever start in a short-course off-road truck, he’s lined up with the Pro 2 field for a land rush start. The flag drops and Andrew grabs the holeshot, pulling away from the field. With 14 trucks behind him, it’s one of the largest fields of the season, but he’s gone unchallenged through the first half of the race. After the mandatory mid-race caution, only Brad Lovell got as much as a peek on the inside but was never really a threat. Andrew took his fourth Pro 2 victory of the season, despite a late season start in that class.

K&N is proud of its long association with Carlson Moto and happy to have made the transition with them from the snow to the dirt. In speaking for the entire Carlson organization, Andrew shared that “it’s awesome working with a company like K&N because they have great products that make a real impact on our race trucks’ performance.”

Here, Jess stands just a few feet away from Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather.

K&N Calendar girl Jessica Harbour was one of the chosen few. She didn’t even know she would be serving as a ring card girl until days before the fight — “We found out just the week before that Corona had finally gotten through negotiations and that we got the fight! I have worked with Corona boxing as a ring card girl since 2012 and am very blessed to be one of the main ring card models for the West Coast. I have done many boxing matches and even one Mayweather fight in the past (Mayweather vs. Maidana), but nothing to this scale because there has never been a bigger fight!”

Through Corona, Jess landed a coveted spot inside the ring on fight night, but that’s not all. She worked all of the events in which Corona sponsored models were involved. She shares:

Jess was sponsored by Corona Beer and for that was selected as one of the ring girls for the fight

Tuesday - Fighter arrival

Wednesday - Mayweather-McGregor Press Conference 

Thursday - Undercard Press Conference 

Friday - Weigh In

Saturday- The Fights!!!”

This is honestly unbelievable considering the hype around this fight—that one person would have access to all of these events. Jess did though. When asked how she got this once in a lifetime opportunity, she humbly responds, “All of the ladies who represent Corona for the agency ‘Friasworks’ are so stunning and put in hard work, so I imagine it was really hard to choose. Our boss wanted as many ladies as possible to get to experience the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight, so we switched off and had 6 other girls card the main fight. The only reason, I'm sure, I was included in all of the events is because I'm the only blonde.”

Jess poses with a fellow model during one of the events the week before fight night

These opportunities and appearances enabled Jess to be up close and personal with two of the greatest fighters in the world. UFC and MMA fans were just as invested as boxing enthusiasts. The feisty Irishman, Conor Mcgregor, and athletic American, Floyd Mayweather, were sure to pull huge pay-per-view numbers: Jess had the added bonus of worldwide exposure as millions streamed the fight. She understands the significance of it all saying, “It was very exciting to be on the stage with such legends at such a legendary event. The fans are so crazy it makes the events that much more exciting - the singing, cheering, and yelling gave me chills the whole time! I have never seen anything like it. I feel incredibly humbled and blessed to have been a part of the whole fight week in Las Vegas.”

When asked for a highlight besides being in the ring on fight night, Jess gushes “Holding the money belt was very thrilling. It was so beautifully made, and as the name states, worth a freaking lot of money.”

Jess holds the outrageously expensive money belt before the fight of the century in Las Vegas