It\’s almost 2012 and K&N finished the season as the #1 air and oil filter of NASCAR. K&N Filters are used by more teams than any other filter. Great – right? America is now apple pie, K&N and NASCAR – as it should be, and order has been restored.

However, the big news isn\’t that the two have come to accept their intertwined destinies; it\’s that it took so long for it to happen. Seriously – how much more perfect and obvious can the automotive marriage of K&N and NASCAR be? Both their names are acronyms, the color of their logos look as though they were designed in the same room, at the same time, and both are exceedingly first-rate at what they do.

\”K&N is a company that epitomizes the spirit of NASCAR,\” said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. \”Having a company with the dedication to the sport and the automotive industry that K&N does speaks volumes to the importance we place in the series.\” France was referring to the agreement signed at the beginning of 2010, in which K&N Filters signed on to be the title sponsor of NASCAR\’s top developmental series, formerly known as the Camping World Series East and West, now renamed the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. The agreement which extends through the 2016 between K&N and NASCAR in essence moved their relationship to the next level.

Brian France knows what he\’s talking about too, he is after all the grandson of Bill France Sr., the founder of NASCAR. In December 1947, France Sr., of Daytona Beach, Florida., organized a meeting at the Streamline Hotel to address the growing problems facing stock-car racing. World War II had just ended two years before and stock-car racing was blowing up in popularity throughout the country, tracks were drawing more drivers and bigger crowds with every successive race.

After moving from Washington, D.C. to Florida, France ran a local service station, and he promoted races on the city\’s famed beach-road courses, often racing himself. Things came together quickly as the first NASCAR-sanctioned race was held on Daytona\’s beach course February 15, 1948, only two months after the organizational meeting. Red Byron, a stock car legend from Atlanta, won the event in his modified Ford. Six days later on February 21, 1948, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was incorporated.

Yet, not even France Sr., who believed a sanctioning body was exactly what the sport needed, could have envisioned what NASCAR has become today. It is quite simply overtaking many of your standard mainstay sports in all categories, TV viewing, attendance, and swag buying.

From K&N\’s perspective, they can trace their involvement with NASCAR back to the early days of supplying parts for the Sprint Cup Series races at the old Riverside Speedway, and it\’s in Riverside, California where the company remains headquartered today. K&N has been a leader in performance reusable air filter technology since 1969 and they take enormous pride as being the innovator of their unique cotton air filtration system and creating the world\’s best air and oil filters. If it has an engine and breathes air, K&N can make it better. The company today serves the needs of the automotive, motorcycle, marine, industrial and military markets worldwide.

Back in the 1960\’s, two motorcycle enthusiasts, Ken Johnson and Norm McDonald sold motorcycles and handlebars and they raced together. While traveling from race to race, Ken and Norm began experimenting and testing different air filter designs. By 1969, Ken the \”K\” in K&N and Norm the \”N\” were building their style of air filters in a small building on North Main Street in Riverside.

What started off as a high-performance accessory for a couple of off-road motorcycle racers has turned into a multi-faceted filtration company that manufacturers and continually looks to improve on their original version of the high-flow air filter. There is a K&N product for just about every car, truck, motorcycle, snowmobile, ATV, etc., available today. Along the way they have also become the clear racer\’s edge in virtually every form of motorsports, including NASCAR.

\”We are thrilled to be the Official Developmental Series Partner and sponsor of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series,\” said Steve Rogers, chief executive officer of K&N Engineering. \”Our roots in NASCAR go back to the 1970\’s, after supporting grassroots and professional racing for decades, this feels like a partnership long overdue.\”

Indeed, dating and getting to know each other is all good, but enough already, who in their right minds can\’t see that this is an affiliation on the path to absolute consummation. On balance, how long did the stars keep the stripes waiting, or peanut butter keep jelly at bay?

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N filters by car search then use the K&N filter dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. Get Racing and Event News at the K&N news webpage.

K&N Engineering in Riverside California is the world\’s leading manufacturer of washable performance air filters and air intake systems. K&N invented the reusable high flow cotton air filter in 1969 and has been perfecting the technology ever since. K&N\’s website is at http://www.knfilters.com

Author Bio: Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N filters by car search then use the K&N filter dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. Get Racing and Event News at the K&N news webpage.

Category: Sports
Keywords: nascar, filters, racing, k&n, automotive, air filter, oil filter, pro series, riverside, california