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Austin Andrella's Triumph took home the win for the Mod Retro class at the Cleveland IMS

Andrella of Austin Martin Originals has crafted some of the most unique and varied customs in the industry. His 1969 Triumph, Ole 69’er, garnered Andrella the top prize in the K&N-sponsored Modified Retro Class in the J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Bike Show in Cleveland, Ohio. The win was one of two Andrella pocketed at the Ohio stop of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show.

The first build Andrella ever did took him five years to complete, and his meticulous workmanship continues on every build he starts.

Andrella takes a gunsmith's attention to detail into his bike-building

One look at the welds Andrella lays down is prime evidence of his craftsmanship. As to where he got that trait, Andrella points to his bloodline. “My grandpa’s a gunsmith and I get a lot of my attention to detail from him,” he says.

The Triumph Ole 69’er is built around a rigid tail, narrow springer frame. The frame rolls on black, spoked rims that wear classic whitewall rubber.

Andrella's welds are worth a closer look

A WWII ammo box keeps things sanitary by housing all of the bike’s electrical and wiring. The minimalist solo seat rests low, just above the elegant shorty rear fender. The tank is perfectly presented with retro chrome Triumph badges.

Austin Andrella is a part of a refreshing trend in bike building. He is a small, creative, independent builder who is not locked into a cookie-cutter style or blind loyalty to a brand. His builds span bikes from multiple continents and types. The Triumph Ole 69’er is evidence of his versatility.

K&N congratulates Andrella on his fantastic build and his impressive success at the Cleveland IMS.

Davi Haagsma ran a clean race on his muddy home track, capturing the win and the series points lead

K&N-sponsored Haagsma of H&M Motorsports decisively won the SxS Pro race on a rain-soaked and treacherously muddy southern California track. With the third-round win in Taft, Haagsma garnered the overall points lead in the SxS Pro series. Haagsma now possesses a 12 point series margin going into round 4.

The initial SxS race start in Taft was aborted due to a problem with the course markings on the Honolulu Hills track. However, Haagsma charged to the lead in the restart and refused to relinquish that position for the rest of the race. Nic Granlund finished second, and Larry Heidler rounded out the podium.

Haagsma's non-turbo SXS proved reliable in the Honolulu Hills Raceway mud

Interestingly, the turbos struggled in Taft. What Haagsma's naturally-aspirated SxS gave up in top-end horsepower was more than made up for in reliability. While several of his main turbocharged competitors dropped off with mechanical issues, Haagsma stayed fast, intact, and consistent throughout the race.

Despite his success in Taft in a non-turbo car, Haagsma is working on getting a turbocharged SxS ready for ensuing rounds. Dryer tracks later in the season will certainly require the higher turbo horsepower.

We will see what Haagsma runs in the next round at the always exciting and challenging course in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The WORCS 4th and 5th rounds are scheduled for March 17-19 at Crazy Horse.

Remaining WORCS SsS Schedule:

Rnd 4&5 Mar 17-19 Crazy Horse – Lake Havasu, Arizona

Rnd 6 Apr 1-2 The Orleans – Las Vegas, Nevada

Rnd 7 Apr 21-23 Sand Hollow – Hurricane, Utah

Rnd 8 May 19-21 Iron Mine – Cedar City, Utah

Rnd 9 June 16-18 Summer Festival – Stater Brothers Stadium – Adelanto, California

Rnd 10 Sept 8-10 Glen Helen – Devore, California

Rnd 11 Oct 6-8 TBA

Chase Elliott celebrates his win at the Can-Am Duels at Daytona Speedway

The first of the two qualifying races was a relatively easy one. Elliott led for the final 24 laps of the 60-lap race.

"I know it's just a Duel win and you obviously wish it was Sunday so it counts for the playoffs. But it still means a lot to me, means a lot to our team,” Elliott said after the race.

Elliott won the pole position for the Daytona 500 in qualifying. He will start the race on the front row after winning the first qualifying race.

“Oh, I think the biggest thing is, as everybody knows, it's not so much about where you start and more about where you finish,” Elliott said. “Daytona 500 pole day, as it should be, is more about the teams and what they bring over the off-season from the chassis shop to the 24 shop in particular, the body shop, our Hendrick department, Chevrolet. I think that's what Daytona 500 qualifying has always been about. I think that's where the attention should be, where it should be centered.”

Elliott led twice for 25 laps, the majority of them toward the end of the race. Brad Keselowski led for a race-high 28 laps, before a scheduled caution during the race. After the break in the race, Elliott took the lead. Keselowski came in fourth place and led three times.

Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski race at the Can-Am Duels at Daytona Speedway

“Tonight's result hasn't changed my opinion on that. I'm looking forward to it obviously. You love to get that qualifying spot on Sunday, but we really earned it tonight, to start on the front row, which is even better,” Elliott said regarding his pole win and starting position for the Daytona 500.

Jamie McMurray came in second place, moving into the runner-up position coming after a caution with eight laps to go in the race.

“I thought Chase did an awesome job. It doesn't matter who it is, at some point we all make a bad decision out there,” McMurray said on the driving of Elliott late in the race.

Kevin Harvick came in third place and did not lead during the race. The entirety of the race went smoothly, and ended up being an exciting one. Rainy weather has played a major role in the practicing and preparation of the racers at Daytona so far this season.

Corey Lajoie spun out Reed Sorenson to secure a spot in the Daytona 500. The crash eliminated Sorenson, who finished in last place. Sorenson did not qualify for the Daytona 500 due to results from the second Can-Am Duel race.

Denny Hamlin celebrates his win at the Can-Am Duels at Daytona

“Yeah, it was definitely a tough race for us. The reason it was so tough for us, a lot of guys were content to run in single file for most of the race,” Hamlin said. “We obviously were trying to buck that trend for most of the race by going to the bottom. We'd get hung out. I was just trying to make it interesting for the most part because I knew I wasn't going to get back up in line.”

Hamlin led twice for four laps of the 60-lap race. He got a huge boost in the second to last lap as he moved past race leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hamlin was asked after the race if he has any regrets about passing Earnhardt Jr. and winning the race.

Denny Hamlin reaches the checkered flag and wins the second Can-Am Duels at Daytona

Earnhardt Jr. led three times for a total of 53 laps before losing his lead and the win. The win would have been important for him because he has not raced for seven months. He finished in sixth place and will start on the front row for the upcoming Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Dale Earnhardt Jr races past the green flag before losing his lead.

Clint Bowyer came in second place and did not lead during the race.

“That was my first crack at-bat,” Bowyer said. “We didn't have drafting practice or the Clash or anything. So there were some gremlins in there that I want to work on that will help me smooth in and be a little bit better in the 500, be a little bit more comfortable.”

Kurt Busch finished in third place. The second of the two races went smoothly. There were two caution periods, one a scheduled competition caution, for eight laps. Jimmie Johnson crashed into the turn 3 wall on lap 48.

The Coffman Racing S13 240SX at March Air Reserve Base Museum for the K&N calendar shoot

If you want to make power, not only do you need a race proven K&N filter, you also need an engine that can punch it out. You certainly can’t beat pure cubic inches, which is why Coffman Racing relies on the Rodgers Racing Engines built four-hundred-ten cubic inch V8 that’s based on the Roush-Yates RY410. It started off life as a NASCAR-based FR9 until Rodgers Racing Engines got ahold of it. From its base, it was built up into the 988 horsepower monster you now see before you. It also means that no ordinary transmission could be used as the torque coming off the crankshaft from the Quarter Master NASCAR Cup clutch. An Andrews A431 four-speed transmission with CNC cut gears means Matt will probably never have to worry about broken transmissions again.

Formula Drift driver and K&N-sponsored Matt Coffman's S13 240SX is built for war

This car is a team effort, though, as the guys behind Matt keep the car running and going through each of the eight rounds in the Formula Drift season. It’s guys like Bill Conway, George Kiriakopolis, Blaine Cory, and Jantzen Knips that help him pull off the amazing rounds and runs. Matt's car is also featured in this year's K&N calendar. So be sure to grab a copy so you don't miss this or any of the other insanely cool rides packed inside.

With a Roush-Yates FR9 derived V8, Rodgers Racing Engines massaged 988-hp out of it

If you're seeing this, you're in Coffman's Falken Tire smoke