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Kyle Larson racing during the STP 500

Joey Logano won the first race of the season at The Clash at Daytona International Speedway, and has not looked back since. Although Logano has not won any races, he is still gaining crucial points in the Monster Energy Cup Series as he currently sits in 5th place with 243 points and 1 playoff point.

This season, NASCAR has implemented a new point system that goes in depth during the race. There are now two stages varying in length based on the duration of each race. The winner of each stage is now awarded one playoff point, and the winner of the race is awarded five points.

Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin won the first and second Can-Am Duels, respectively. The Duels helped Elliott and Hamlin in the seeding for the first race of the series, the Daytona 500.

Kurt Busch won the season opening race, the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The win was Busch’s first ever win at Daytona and the 29th win of his career.

“To have come here over the years and to have fast cars, to not deliver for the team, you leave here feeling more dejected than any other racetrack,” Busch said. “The years that you have really fast racecars, you end up on the hook, wrecked, those are the worst feelings.”

Busch received 56 points and 5 playoff points for his win at Daytona.

Brad Keselowski celebrating one of his two wins in the series

“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 said. “A great winning percentage at this level is one out of every 10 races, and one out of every 10 races, if you can pull that off, you're a Hall of Famer”.

Martin Truex Jr. won the Kobalt 500 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, for his first win of the season and his first career win at the Kobalt 500. Truex Jr. became the first driver to sweep all 3 stages of a race.

“I think the important thing for us is we're starting off the season strong,” Truex Jr. said. “We're putting ourselves in position to win races, and that's really the key. If we can continue to run up front, lead laps, run at the front of the pack all day, you're going to put yourself into position to win races, and that's what we did today”.

Ryan Newman won the Camping World 500, which happened to be his first win in 127 races. This was the longest drought of Newman’s career.

Kyle Larson has been the story of the Monster Energy Cup Series so far, stringing together three second place finishes followed by a win at the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. This was Larson’s second win of his career.

“Well, I'm really, you know, fortunate to be driving really fast race cars right now” Larson said. Our cars are by far as good as they've ever been, really good at every racetrack right now. In both series I feel like I have a shot to win every time I go to the racetrack. That's always a lot of fun. That's always something I've hoped for, to get to a point of that in my NASCAR career”.

Kurt Busch celebrating his win at Daytona 500

Kyle Larson leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings with 315 points and 6 playoff points. Chase Elliott is in second place with 298 points and 2 playoff points. Martin Truex Jr. is in third place with 275 points and 9 playoff points. Brad Keselowski is in fourth with 274 and 10 playoff points. Joey Logano is in fifth with 273 points and 1 playoff point.

The next race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Carl Edwards won the race last year.

K&N has been a major sponsor of LOORS since just about the beginning of the series

“Forrest Lucas, the founder of Lucas Oil, didn’t want to see hundreds of off-road racing teams without a series. So he joined forces with Tony Vanillo, a veteran off-road racer, chassis builder, and series director, and started the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series,” explained Alex Striler, Director of Sales and Marketing for Lucas Oil and Director of Team Lucas.

According to Striler, Lucas tapped into Vanillo’s experience and connections in the off-road industry and Vanillo was given access to Lucas’ resources.

“At the time, Lucas Oil owned several different racing series and had already been creating content for television networks that covered racing including Versus, ESPN, and Speed Channel,” said Striler.

Vanillo used his knowledge of the industry to gather experienced directors and technical personnel including Lee Perfect, Gary Lane, and Tommy Morris. This group adopted many of the rules and procedures followed by CORR.

Along with track signage, K&N gets TV air time on NBC Sports, CBS, CBS Sports, MAVTV, and more

“Early on the base of support for the organization were the fans of the racing teams that had previously raced for CORR,” said Striler. “The sponsors then followed the fans.”

Within a year, companies including K&N, Rockstar Energy Drink, Toyota, General Tire, and GEICO started supporting the series. K&N and Lucas Oil also just announced that they will continue their partnership through 2017.

“K&N has been involved with the series and most of the teams from the very beginning,” said Striler. “K&N Filters and Lucas Oil are perfect partners because when you change oil you also have to change your oil filter. Moreover, off-roaders need to clean their air filters more frequently than commuters who only drive on pavement.”

As the series grew, Lucas Oil began building tracks. According to Striler, Vanillo designed the Lake Elsinore, California, track to appeal to the motocross fans of the Inland Empire. The Reno, Nevada, track that he designed featured high banking berms that cut into the hillside.

Bird's eye view of the new Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series track in Wheatland, Missouri

Striler points out that the goal of Lucas Oil is to make the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series a household name.

To help with that, a movie called DIRT, will soon open around the country. A full-length feature film starring Kevin Dillon, it is based on the off-road racing series.

K&N has a lot of exposure in the movie because the K&N logo is on all the winning trucks, noted Striler.

“While we made the movie to promote the Lucas Oil Racing Series, it’s also one way for us to say ‘thank you’ to our sponsors. All the brands who support us are featured in the movie,” continued Striler.

As Lucas Oil expands internationally, like Estero Beach, Mexico, K&N will be along for the ride

He also noted that many of the sponsors including K&N are part of a program called Team Lucas.

“Team Lucas is a marketing co-op in which we put on more than 400 different events a year including the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series,” continued Striler. “We create over 300 hours of network television. Our Team Lucas shows are now aired on NBC Sports, CBS, CBS Sports, MAVTV Motorsports Network, and the Lucas Oil Racing TV Network.”

Team Lucas programs reach millions of race fans every year. As a result, Lucas Oil’s product sales are at an all-time high.

“Our audience is a middle-class do-it-yourselfer who likes to tune up his car and change his own oil, filters, and plugs. He buys Lucas Oil because he’s willing to make the investment in a premium brand that will extend the life of his vehicle.

Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series events are held at seven tracks – Glen Helen Raceway, San Bernardino, California; Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park, Lake Elsinore, California; Wild West Motorsports Park, Sparks, Nevada; Utah Motorsports Campus, Tooele, Utah; Wild Horse Motorsports Park, Chandler, Arizona; Estero Beach, Ensenada, Mexico; Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, Missouri.

K&N also sponsors several LOORS racers, like #24 Bradley Morris

• April 22-23 Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Chandler, AZ.

• May 20-21 Estero Beach Resort, Ensenada, MX

• June 24-25 Utah Motorsports Campus, Tooele, UT

• July 22-23 Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, MO

• August 26-27 Wild West Motorsports Park, Sparks, NV

• September 15-16 Glen Helen Raceway, San Bernardino, CA

• October 21-22 Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Chandler, AZ

The 2015 Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost produces 365 HP. A K&N FIPK kit will add an estimated 23 HP

The 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine architecture features a 60 degree V angle, oversquare bore to stroke dimensions, and a 10.0:1 compression ratio. The engine features an aluminum block and aluminum DOHC cylinder heads. Valve actuation is by direct acting mechanical bucket (DAMB) camshaft tappets. Valve timing is via Ford’s Ti-VCTT (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing).

Fuel pressures of up to 2150 PSI are necessary for the sequential direct fuel injection system, which allows the engine to run on regular gasoline. Plus, of course, the assistance of a pair of turbochargers that generate 12 PSI of boost. To handle that power the bottom end consists of a forged steel crank and connecting rods, and six-bolt main bearings.

The K&N FIPK intake system replaces the restrictive factory air intake in 2015 F-150 EcoBoost V6

How it works? The K&N 57-2592 cold air intake replaces the restrictive factory air filter and air intake housing on 2015 Ford F150 3.5 V6 EcoBoost models. The K&N air intake is engineered to significantly reduce air intake restriction as well as smooth and straighten air flow. This allows your engine to inhale a larger amount of air than the factory air filter assembly. Your Ford’s ECU responds to the additional intake air and adds more fuel, increasing horsepower.

The massive air filter draws more than enough air to feed both turbos and increase power

Air is then directed through the filter’s 6-inch outlet through an aerodynamically-engineered polyethylene tube directly to the engine’s twin air intakes. The tube comes complete with a fitting for the factory air temperature sensor.

The K&N RC-5173 conical air filter is the key to the system. The unique design of K&N filters feature multiple layers of oiled cotton media used to capture dirt and dust and not allow the contaminants into the engine. The cotton fabric is sandwiched between pleated aluminum screen. Pleating increases surface area which in turn prolongs service intervals. A pleated air filter also exposes substantially more surface area compared to a flat element like foam.

All K&N 57 series intakes, including the 57-2592, have received CARB EO numbers and are street legal in all 50 states.

Installation takes around 90 minutes and can be completed with only a few hand tools

The only maintenance required for the FIPK system is a quick and easy air filter service. At around 100,000 miles (which can vary depending on your driving conditions) just grab a K&N filter care service kit to refresh and re-oil your air filter -- bringing it back to like new condition and ready for more miles of driving.

The K&N 57-2592 is designed to fit the following vehicles:

2015 FORD F150 3.5L V6 Fuel Injection - Turbo

2015 FORD F150 3.5L V6 Fuel Injection - Turbo

The K&N 57-2588 air intake features a K&N 33-5000 washable and reusable air filter

K&N is now offering the K&N 57-2588 FIPK Generation II air intake system for the 2014 and 2015 Ford Fusion with the I-4 1.5-liter engine. The intake offers an estimated boost of 4.78-horsepower at 5247 rpm.

The system includes a K&N 33-5000 washable and reusable air filter, an aerodynamically engineered high-density polyethylene intake tube, four carbon steel clamps, and one coupler.

The 33-5000 air filter includes a cotton gauze media that has been treated with a special grade of oil that makes the strands of the cotton very sticky. This allows the media to capture and hold onto contaminants. When the K&N air filter captures dirt particles they become a part of the filtering media through a process known as depth loading, which allows the filter to retain a significantly higher amount of dirt per square inch than the paper filter. The cotton is sandwiched between pleated aluminum screens. The pleating increases the area in which the particles are caught prolonging the time between the servicing of the filter. The air filter will last inside the intake system for up to 100,000 miles before servicing is required (depending on driving conditions).

By contrast, a conventional paper filter must be thick and/or the fibers must be tightly compressed and dense in order to meet minimum filtration standards. This causes a restriction of airflow. Moreover, as a paper filter becomes more and more clogged, the air pressure inside the filter drops while the air pressure outside remains the same. This causes particles to be pulled through or around the filter. Thus, the performance of the paper filter decreases causing a need to replace and discard it. This is why conventional paper filters can be used for only about 15,000 miles.

The K&N 57-2588 air intake is designed to replace the factory air filter and air intake tube

The 57-2588 air intake system is designed to replace the factory air filter and air intake tubing while retaining the factory air box. The intake is designed to significantly reduce air intake restriction and create a smooth and straight path through which the air can flow. This guarantees horsepower gain because the engine is breathing in more air than the factory air filter and air intake assembly offered. More air translates to more power and acceleration throughout the rpm range. The air intake tube is designed to connect to the vehicle’s factory air box and throttle body and the factory crank case vent tubes install into the K&N intake tube. The air intake system can be installed in about 90 minutes using common hand tools.

The 57-2588 air intake system is designed to fit the following vehicles:

2015 FORD FUSION 1.5L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2014 FORD FUSION 1.5L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models

The orchestrated frensy that is a pit stop is nothing new to the Murray crew (Photo by Tim Kessel)

Yes, during a race, a misplaced jack that severs a brake line or a lug nut that's left loose can derail a desert racing team’s chance for success. On the other hand, smooth, quick, and effective pit sessions can go a long way to saving vital seconds in close race.

The Murray Race Team Pit Crew with the spoils of victory (Photo by UTVWC)

In the round robin competition, each team engaged in several head-to-head pit races in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd. Each team started the sessions in a staging box. After the announcer called the start command, a crew member hit a starting button, the team attacked the UTV, and the race was on. Two large digital timers told the tale.

K&N is a proud sponsor the the Murray Racing Team (Photo by Tim Kessel)

The winning Murray Racing crew did not have it easy. Several of the races were decided by a matter of seconds. In fact, one head-to-head round was decided by a fraction of a second. The best times of the competition were posted in under a minute.

While the competition was fun and friendly, there was no doubt that each team was fighting for pit supremacy. The 90 degree Laughlin temperature started to take its toll in the later rounds, but the Murray crew never lost a head-to-head on their way to the win.

For their efforts, the Murray Racing pit crew walked away with a new set of pit safety gear, a very cool golden trophy jack, and a year’s worth of bragging rights.

The crowd at the Pit Crew Challenge was large and enthusiastic (Photo by Tim Kessel)

The Pit Crew Challenge will appear on an upcoming UTVWC video (Photo by Tim Kessel)