Carl Judice with his Million Mile Pickup

One million miles, one vehicle and one K&N air filter all add up to one remarkable milestone in the life of Carl Judice, 66, of New Iberia, Louisiana. His snow white hair and southern accent go together to make him a southern gentleman who owns what some would call an extraordinary pick-up truck.

A vehicle is only as good as the mechanics and the servicing provided by its owner, and Carl knows how much difference a K&N filter made in his one million mile engine. "I have a ¾ ton Chevy 1998 pick-up truck with over one million miles," said Carl Judice, a truck driver. "I've had 400 oil changes but only one K&N air filter."

There are service records at the General Motors Dealership, Musson Patout Automotive, in New Iberia from the first day of Carl's new purchase. The paperwork trail proves the one million mile accomplishment with one K&N air filter.

Carl's Truck Odometer in November  2005 just before Hitting the Million Mile Mark

"Really and truly the K&N air filter kept the engine going," he said. "It keeps the dirt out of the engine." Carl said his one and only K&N air filter reduced maintenance on his Chevrolet C2500 HD pick-up. He told K&N he never had to go into the engine.

Carl knows engines.  He grew up on a farm and maintained his own equipment until he became a truck driver 10 years ago. Dwayne Judice e-mailed K&N Engineering about his father, he wrote, "When he changed careers, from sugar cane farmer to oilfield transportation his vast mechanical knowledge became an asset." Dwayne also told K&N his dad's visits to GM Goodwench Technicians have been few and far between.

According to Carl, he changed three starters, three alternators and brakes, plus all the regular maintenance on his one million mile pick-up. "Whenever I open the cover and change my oil I look at the air filter," he said. "If it's dirty, I take it out and clean it."

Famous K&N Million Air Filter in Carl's Chevy Pickup Truck

Carl told K&N Engineering he cleaned his air filter 10 to 12 times during his one million mile odyssey. "I don't have a specific length of time between cleaning," Carl said. "Sometimes I drive on dusty roads and I have to change it more often,"

"The factory recommends change every 15,000 miles on an OEM filter," said Bojack Walker, Service Manager at Musson Patout Automotive. "We put the numbers together and at a million miles plus Mr. Carl Judice would have had to change it 66 times at a cost of about $30.00 each. Carl saved around $1800.00 by using a K&N filter."

"I would never put a paper filter on any of my vehicles as long as K&N makes these air filters," said Carl. "When I'm passing somebody, I press on the gas I go, I still have the power." Carl is still putting miles on his truck today with the same K&N air filter installed.

See the K&N website for information about K&N products for your vehicle.  Go to KNFilters.com/Million to read more about Carl and to watch the Million Mile Truck video.

Jeannine Johnson gives the boys a run for their money.  After racing six years in a junior dragster, Jeannine enters her first season driving her Super Comp dragster.  "A lot of the people in some of the classes I race are older men in their 40s and 50s," said the just barely 17-year-old of Puyallup, Washington

Jeannine Johnson's Super Comp Dragster

"She is one of our young racers," said Tracy Tronson, drag strip manager at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington, where Jeannine frequents. "She's an up and coming star.  She tries real hard."

Jeannine drives a brand new dragster, bought with the support of Microsoft. Jeannine was a finalist in the computer software company's "Start Something Amazing Campaign," where she earned notice by company officials. "It's one of our nicer cars," Tronson said.

"This season, actually, I'm just hoping to learn to drive my car," said the young driver with realistic goals.  "I hope to gain experience and work to do well the following year."

Jeannine Johnson's Super Comp Dragster

"I'm hoping she doesn't go fast.  I don't want her to go fast," Tronson said of the young driver.  "I want her to get some seat time.  I want her to get bored with her car, get to know her car, then she can go fast.  Too many things can go wrong."

What ever her future track brings, Jeannine will never forget one of her junior years.  She recorded a "perfect package" in 2003 - the first female in junior drag racing to do so.  She matched her index time down the track and recorded shorter than five-thousands of a second on her reaction time to the starting light on the tree.

Jeannine's early runs in April at the NHRA Northwest National Open at Pacific, started with tire spinning and no traction then with lifting because of too much traction.  "The car has a faster setup shift - there are so many new things I have to learn," Jeannine said. Hopefully, by the end of the season, I'll get in a routine, and next year, I'll win a race or a round."

Her car was sent to the garage in early May after a fire started when the transmission line broke, and problems continue.  But the men and the fire won't slow her down.  Jeannine plans to race in several Saturday night events this summer at Pacific.  "(Fellow drivers) are actually really nice," Jeaninne said.  "They give me advice; they're coming up to me left and right.  They seem pretty happy to have a new driver, someone they could teach.  And I just love that."

"I didn't even know I was on fire until the fire crew came up and told me to get out of the car," Jeannine said of the fire in May.  "It was kind of a thrill." Extended family members at the track didn't find it as thrilling, however, Johnson said.  They were scared.

"It's actually hard for me to get in and o ut of my car because I'm so small - 4-foot-11 small, in fact - and the windshield is high. I found out I could get out if I really needed to," Jeannine said.

Jeannine Johnson

Jeannine's blood has run with racing since she was 3 years old. Her father Bill Johnson raced a 1979 Camaro and took his daughter to the racetrack. She started then asking her parents for a car - a junior dragster with a lawnmower-type engine. She started racing on her own at age 9.

When she earned her Washington state driver's license last year, Jeannine attended NHRA Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School in California and became certified to drive her Supercar.

Jeannine uses K&N products "definitely in my dragster," she said, "and we use them in our street cars at home." Her dragster runs K&N's air filter 28-4155 and oil filter HP-5001, reported Bill Johnson, his daughter's race manager. Jeannine runs K&N's 33-2035 air filter and HP-2002 oil filter in her 1991 Corvette, and Bill uses the 57-3021-1 FIPK air intake and the HP-2006 oil filter in his 2001 Chevy Silverado 1500.

"They make my cars go fast," Jeannine said of her K&N products. "They bring good air into my car." The more air the engine has available, the more horsepower it can make and the quicker the throttle responds, both essential to Jeannine when competing in her dragster. Throttle response is measured by the amount of delay or hesitation the car exhibits when the gas pedal is pressed and when the engine responds by delivering power. And the barely 17-year-old changes the K&N filters herself - her dad confirmed it. Each of K&N's canister-type automotive oil filters comes with a 1-inch nut welded to the top of the canister, so they easily can be wrenched-off with a standard tool. "The oil filters are really easy to get out of my car," Jeannine said. "They're really convenient."

Follow Jeannine Johnson's progress on the K&N news site.  Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer near you.

Photos and article by Bob Johnson, Auto Club Famoso Raceway Bakersfield, Calif.  June 9-10, 2007.

Michael Gulko almost had a perfect weekend at  Auto Club Famoso Raceway had it not been for a staging infraction in the final round of the second race of the weekend, allowing Eddie Fischle to score his first victory of the 2007 Lucas Oil Super Comp Assoc.  Gulko, who went into the event in 54th place in the series standings, ended the weekend in third place.

Qualifying for the first race of the weekend—sponsored by Lucas Oil and K & N Filters-- saw ’06 series champ Danny Aguayo take the Bonaco Hose & Fittings number one qualifier honor with an 8.901, followed by Rob Symons at 8.903 and Mandy Quigley with an 8.904.

Quarterfinal action began with Gulko cutting a .003 light to beat top qualifier Aguayo, Glenn Kirby used a .009 light to beat John Richardson, and Mandy Quigley got a bye run.  Quigley reached her first final of the year with an 8.906 win over Kirby, who redlighted by .013.  Gulko got a bye into the final.

Gulko put his Mission Viejo, Calif.,-based Mullis dragster into the winner’s circle with a final round 8.927, 173.17 (.019 reaction time) as the Quigley Girls-entry was .004 too quick with a losing 8.896, 170.64 (.014 r.t.).

Sunday’s Bonaco Hose & Fittings low qualifier award went to Ray Madrano, as he ran a perfect 8.900 to lead the 36-entries.  Gulko, still strong for his previous days success, also qualified with an 8.900 and Bobby Dye Jr. was third with an 8.901.  Eight of the cars going into the first round scored 8.90 qualifying times.

Eddie Fischle opened eliminations with a first round win over Lacy Stormes, he stopped Clayton Zulim in round two, and ’05 Lucas Super Comp champ Bobby Dye in the third round.  Fischle defeated Chris Forsyth in the quarterfinals, and got a bye into the final round.  Gulko, in quest for a perfect weekend, stopped Danny Aguayo for his first round win, he edged John Richardson in the second round and Bakersfield racer Rich Pederson in round three.  Gulko got a bye in round four, and in the semifinal he overcame Michael Piraino’s perfect light with an 8.944 to 8.996 win.

Gulko went to the final looking for his second win of the weekend, but a staging infraction nulled that, as Fischle got the win light with an 8.901, 162.68.  Race Tire Services sponsored the winner & runner-up plaques for the weekend.

Going into the next event—scheduled for July 14 & 15 at Auto Club Dragway at California Speedway—Gary Forkner leads the series standings with 246 points, followed by Eddie Fischle with 244 and Michael Gulko is third with 217 points.

Photos and article by Bob Johnson  Auto Club Famoso Raceway Bakersfield, Calif.  June 9 & 10, 2007

Roger Kato won his second Southern California Pro Gas Association event of the season at Auto Club Famoso Raceway, while Val Torres Sr. won his second race in two weeks with his Chevy Corvette Roadster.  The weekend doubleheader at Bakersfield was sponsored by Chuck’s Automotive, Team Smooth, and Adopt-A-Church.

The 3rd Annual Chuck’s Automotive Pro Gas Round Up event drew 46 Super/Pro Gas entries, with Dave Zewe’s ’94 Lumina leading qualifying with a perfect 9.900 time slip.  Rick Gunther was also perfect with his Anaheim-based ’27 Ford Roadster, and Doug Sedmak was third with a 9.901.  Of the 46 qualified cars, eight of them ran on the 9.90 index.

Kato, who won the third event of the season staged at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, picked up his second series win of the year with his Las Vegas-based Chevy Cavalier, and has moved into second place in the point standings.  Kato went to the final by defeating Paul Chaffee, Vince Campa, Paul Giacalone, Rich Okerman and Val Torres Sr in the semifinal.

Matching up against Kato in the Saturday afternoon final was Ed DeStaute with his ’62 Chevy Corvette.  DeStaute got to the final with wins over points challenger Pete Bothe, Brad Pierce, Mike Bolden, and Randy Bowers before getting a bye into the final.

In the final round, Kato won the match as both drivers were distracted as DeStaute inadvertently blinked the stage bulb and  the ‘tree went green on both sides.  Kato left the line with a .143 winning reaction time to DeStaute’s second best of .185.  Kato’s winning time was 9.899 at 155.35 as DeStaute lost with an 8.890 at 143.44.

Val Torres Sr. won his first NHRA event the weekend before the Bakersfield Pro Gas race when he won the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event Super Gas title at Fallon, Nev., and except for a failed starter motor in that prevented him for competing in the semifinal of the Saturday event, Torres may have had a perfect weekend at Famoso.

Three drivers turned in perfect times in qualifying for the Team Smooth/Adopt-A-Church sixth race Pro Gas race of the season, with current points leader Wes Anderson running the 9.900 number first with the Ronnie Marcum-owned ’66 Chevy Nova, followed by Dave Zewe and Mike Blodgett Sr.  Nine of the 42 racers qualified with 9.90 times.

Fourth round racing began with Steve Parson’s cutting a .006 light to beat Clyde Treadway, Travis Balough used a .002 light and 9.899 to beat Wes Anderson, Gary Cooke ran a 9.905 to get around Rich Okerman who was too quick by .001, Torres Sr. defeated Pete Bothe, Mike Bolden defeated Johnny Matassa, and Anthony Matassa got a bye.

Parson’s defeated Balough to open the quarterfinals, Torres Sr. beat Cooke, and Bolden stopped Matassa in a double breakout race.  Bolden went to his first final of the year when Parson’s drew a .017 redlight, and Torres got a bye into the final.

In the final round, Torres Sr. got an easy win as Bolden, driving the Chip Rumis-owned ’92 Camaro, had a battery fail before the final.  Torres is sponsored by Val Torres Construction.

With six of the ten Pro Gas races completed, Wes Anderson has 3261 points and will hold the series lead going into the next doubleheader weekend, scheduled for July 14-15 at Auto Club Dragway at California Speedway.  Following Anderson is Roger Kato with 3137, Greg Ventura has 3124, Gary Cooke is next with 3006, and Rick Gunther is fifth with 2866.  Rounding off the top ten racers is:  Pete Bothe, (2726); Val Torres, (2619); Mike Boner, (2521); Travis Balough, (2437); and Brad Pierce, (2516).

The U.S. Navy Racing Junior Dragster Team is also known as the Blue Team. Shannon Brown, 14, is the driver and calls the Old Bridge Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey her home track.

Maria Baehr Left, Shannon Brown Right

The Red Team or U.S. Marine Junior Dragster is driven by Maria Baehr. Her track is Atco Raceway in Atco, New Jersey. The team plans to add two more junior dragsters in the near future to represent the U.S. Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and National Guard.

Shannon Brown at Air Show

"Both cars appear at a variety of events in the Mid Atlantic region," said Navy Racing Team Chief Richard Brown. "The Navy car is on the road every weekend." Brown maintains the dragsters.

Shannon is Richard Brown's daughter. "She was a typical eight year old and played softball, soccer and basketball," he said. "In 2001, I was serving in Afghanistan when I found out my daughter only had 72 hours to live. The military flew me home. Shannon

Shannon Brown has a full schedule of events planned

survived her life threatening illness. After watching the film Right On Track, Shannon decided she still wanted to start racing. When you come this close to losing your child, you do anything you can to make her dreams come true."

Besides racing, the team takes its dragsters to events. "We went to Andrews Air Force Base and put both teams on display in support of military recruiting," said Brown. "We also attended commencement week at the U.S. Naval Academy. At the Naval Academy U.S. Navy Dragster was invited to race the USNA built Formula car in front of an enthusiastic crowd."

Shannon Brown and Navy Racing Team Junior Dragster

Both U.S. Navy Racing Junior Dragsters use K&N Engineering Air Filters and Breathers. "Our haulers are also equipped with K&N Air Intake Systems," said Brown. "We noticed a huge increase in power in our Ford Expedition and our fuel consumption has dropped since the installation."

Next up for the Navy Junior Dragster Team is Englishtown, New Jersey in June.

Follow Shannon Brown's progress throughout the racing season at the K&N news site. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Ron Erks wins Super Gas and Super Comp, photo by Phil Hutchinson at ECDN

Ron Erks is a master dual class competitor. Erks posted a rare double win in Super Comp and Super Gas at the NHRA Northeast Division event at Maple Grove Raceway. "It was an awesome and crazy day," said the Clinton, Ohio resident. "I was on the starting line every 12 minutes, going back and forth between both cars for a total of 14 rounds."

As the defending national champion in Super Comp, Erks said he was very happy to knock off the reigning Super Gas national champion, Iggie Boicesco in the Super Gas finals.

"I only had a few minutes between each car," said Erks. "There was a lot of humidity and I had to make sure I had the numbers straight in each car. I couldn't have done it without my partner Ray Connelly, who helped me with getting cooled down an d fueled up all day."

Ron Erks uses K&N Engineering products, photo by Phil Hutchinson at ECDN

Erks uses K&N Engineering products. "K&N is the one thing I never have to worry about, especially when I was running 100 plus mph between two cars," he said. "K&N gave me a flawless performance on both vehicles as usual. It was also great to have a double first place podium day."

K&N's Ron Erks with winning cars, photo by Phil Hutchinson at ECDN

NHRA Northeast division racers head to Atco, New Jersey on June 15-17 for the next NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event.

Follow the progress of Ron Erks throughout the racing season at the K&N news site. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

The Bell sisters have officially begun their 2007 Junior Dragster Season. Teens Heather and Allison had five scheduled races in the Money Trail Points Series at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania. They have completed three to date.

Heather Bell

At the end of March, Allison made it to the quarter finals and was fourth in points. "We both drive 2001 Half Scale Junior Dragsters with Markward Racing Engines," said Heather. "At the first race, we were having problem with Allison's clutch and had to take it apart every round. We had to borrow a clutch for the quarter final."

The girl's next race was on April 14th. "I went out first round," said Heather. "Allison went on to runner up out of a field of 32 racers. As always we used our K&N Air Filters. Although I was disappointed in my finish, I was proud of my sister and excited that she was doing so well. Allison was first in points even though Maple Grove Raceway is one of the toughest fields for junior dragsters in the area."

Heather and Allison's next race was one week later. Both were having problems with their cars on Saturday and decided to go to Numidia Dragway the next day. "I went to second round

Allison Bell

at Numidia," said Heather. "Even though I lost, I was excited that my car was back. Allison went all the way and won that day. She came home with her first win of the season."

Team Bell was rained out last Saturday at Maple Grove. "We were able to race at the UTI High School Challenge on Sunday," said Heather. "I ran my 1977 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. With my K&N Flow Control FilterCharger my car ran great. It was faster each round and I broke out during the second round. This was the race I focused my graduation project on."

Heather has plans to attend the Doug Foley Drag Racing School. One of her goals is to become a super comp drag racer.

Follow Heather and Allison Bell throughout the racing season at the K&N news site. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.

Brian Folk drove his Top Dragster to victory at the Amalie Oil Texas Nationals for his 17th career national event title win. This trip to San Antonio was Folk's first IHRA 1/8th mile national event.

The fist national event on the 2007 IHRA tour was originally set to be a quarter mile contest. Initial time trials and qualifying for the sportsman classes were held at the standard quarter mile distance. However, the first professional qualifying session exposed problems in the track surface, forcing the IHRA to make a tough decision and make the track 1/8th of a mile.

"It was wild," said Folk. "We made some time runs Friday, we woke up Saturday and they were repaving the track. We're racers, whether the distance is a half-mile or 330 feet, we give it a try. Between big money bracket racing and the IHRA Pro-Am events, we get to do a lot of the

Brian Folk wins IHRA National Event

1/8th mile racing. Personally, I prefer quarter mile competition. I think you have to drive a little bit more to be successful. Given the circumstances and the fact that a lot of the competitors, like us, were a long way from home, I agree with the IHRA's decision. I also applaud them for making a quick decision and completing the event on schedule."

The 34-year-old Durand, Illinois racer is a multi-time IHRA and NHRA Division Champion with a long list of top ten finishes to his credit. Folk also has several Moroso 5-Day bracket championship titles.

At San Antonio, Folk's first IHRA 1/8th mile National Event may be even more memorable than his prior victories. "I beat my brother Nick, a former IHRA Top Dragster World Champion in the final round," said Brian Folk. "Nick was the runner-up. Of course, there is a pretty intense sibling rivalry, so that round was really important to both of us."

The Amalie Oil Texas Nationals marked the Folk Racing Team's second week at the San Antonio facility. They arrived one week earlier to compete in the IHRA Division 4 Pro-Am event. The Folk family dominated the Top Dragster class, as Nick earned a final round victory over his father, Ron Folk. Nick also was victorious in Stock Eliminator with his Gebhardt Trailer Sales backed Camaro.

The Folk Racing Team uses K&N Engineering products. "We have 3 dragsters and two stock eliminators," said Folk. "We use K&N Oil Filter HP-3002 and have for years,' he said. "We depend on the durability and reliability of K&N Filters and won't use anything else."

Follow the Folk Racing Team's progress throughout the racing season at the K&N news site. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.