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Greg Anderson took the green light over teammate Jason Line at the NHRA Midwest Nationals

Anderson’s car wasn’t perfect. He even admitted he needed a little luck to beat his KB Racing teammate Jason Line in the final. The race was almost as close as possible. Anderson won by 0.026 seconds. “I didn’t expect to get around Jason,” Anderson said. “He had a great car all weekend. I knew it was tough and I knew it was going to take someone looking over me to get the win and it happened.”

KB Racing NHRA Pro Stock driver Jason Line lost in the final to teammate Greg Anderson

It was Anderson’s third win of the season and his seventh final round appearance. He has met Line 36 times in NHRA finals. Anderson is 20-16 against Line head-to-head. Three different NHRA Pro Stock drivers have won the first three races of the Countdown to the Championship. Butner won at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania. Tanner Gray won at zMAX Dragway in North Carolina to start the Countdown. Anderson said there could be six different winners in the Countdown and as many as five drivers in contention for the Pro Stock championship in the season finale at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California.

Greg Anderson holds up his Wally after taking the win at the NHRA Midwest Nationals

Anderson’s strategy at this point is to be within striking distance of the lead for the season finale. He is in the lead at the halfway point, but he knows how quickly that can change. “When we get to Pomona you just want to be in the lead or somewhere within 50 or 100 points of the lead,” Anderson said. “I would just about guarantee it when we get to Pomona, there’s going to be five cars alive on that day to win the championship. Crazy, crazy deal. Tough deal, but that’s what’s awesome about NHRA Pro Stock.”

Drivers Greg Anderson and Jason Line show their support for Las Vegas after the tragic events in Oct

Max Hazan of Hazan Motorworks took the top prize at the BikeFest Artistry in Iron show in Las Vegas

The biggest names in metal bending, performance tuning, tig welding, and paint spraying brought their customs to the neon capital of the world to square off against other international talents. Notable names like Steve Iacona, Yuichi Yoshizawa, Gilby Clarke, and Jordan Dickinson, as well as a host of young talents, brought their rolling works of art to Sin City.

The Artistry in Iron show is a magnet for the industry's best builders

The customs ran the gamut in terms of build styles and engines. Choppers, trackers, sport bike, and retro builds were represented. They were crafted around engines wearing the badges of Harley, Triumph, Ducati, Indian, and several other brands.

Here is a look at some of the innovative customs that graced the floor of the Artistry in Iron show.

Arnaud Mary brought this stretched Harley chopper over from his native France

Japanese-born Yuichi Yoshizawa offered up this aluminum clad sport custom

Dana Wolfe Hood's cool Ducati custom wears K&N air and fuel filters

Jon MacDowell of Bonneville Customs built this classic custom

Anthony Robinson of Gasoline and Coffee built this ultra-cool Triumph

Taber Nash of the Nash Motorcycle Company created this drag-styled Harley chopper

This cafe tracker hybrid Harley was built by Chris Eder of Epic Moto

Kirk Taylor of Custom Design Studios brought this Ducati-based tracker to the party

Glitzy choppers were rare at the event, but Gilby Clarke's massive build was a show-stopper

Mike Rabideau of Magik Mike Designs built a lean and clean chopper

K&N calendar model Karina Velez has roots in Columbia but lives in Orange County

She speaks fluent Spanish and loves to dance the salsa. Karina also enjoys snowboarding, though she is particularly confident about dancing, saying, “I can show you up in salsa dancing.” Whether stepping on the floor or shredding in the snow, Karina leads a very active lifestyle.

Karina Velez loves to dance the salsa in her free time but also enjoys snowboarding

Her list of clients is eclectic and impressive. She has modeled for “Vans, Nissan, Old Navy Mexico, and Disney.” She can do cars, clothes, shoes, and magical brands like Disney. She has met with a lot of success, but there have also been moments when modeling wasn’t so glamorous. Karina remembers her worst experience saying, “I was modeling for an e-comm clothing company and they didn't tell me I would be modeling their Halloween costumes. They were not cute.” Sequins, sparkles, fabrics! Oh my!

Besides horrendous Halloween costumes, Karina loves everything about modeling. She’s a free spirit; she slept in a tree house surrounded by the rainforest. Modeling is just another chance to find adventure. Karina is excited for the future, saying, “The world is pure magic, and I crave a lifetime of adventure, discovering all the beautiful things the world has to offer.”

IG Handle: @karinavelezz

Follow Karina on Instagram to keep up with her latest modeling shoots and adventures.

Elena Romanova was born in the Ukraine but moved to the United States where she currently lives

She also grew up there. Her childhood was filled with scholarly studies; she spent time reading and learning about psychology and philosophy. At age 16, she focused her attention on an ancient religious book. She attended high school in Russia, though she says, “I hated going to school.”

For a year, Elena attended college in Russia. She majored in English. Her time in college was filled with, “Lots of freedom, lots of parties till 6 am, lots of drinking." She describes this as "The most carefree year of my life.”

K&N calendar model Elena Romanova doubles as a pro fitness competitor

Since this brush of fate, Elena has booked a bunch of modeling gigs. She’s landed many magazine covers, and of course, modeled in the K&N calendar. She lists her favorite modeling memory as, “winning a fitness competition and becoming a WBFF Pro.” She is referring to World Beauty Fitness and Fashion Inc., a company concentrated on style and staying in shape.

Since this competition, Elena has continued her training and modeling. She is looking forward to competing again in the WBFF Worlds next year. When she's not on set or pulling a pose on stage, Elena has her nose in a book. She still loves to read. She also bartends. Though Elena never wanted to be a model, she has bloomed in this profession. Day by day, Elena stays slaying in fitness and fashion.

IG Handle: @elena88c

Follow Elena on Instagram to keep up with her latest shoots and competitions

Dessie has posed for Sports Illustrated, Maxim, Makita, Tecate, and of course K&N

She was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In her youth, Dessie was involved in gymnastics, diving, and track and field. She enjoyed flipping, swimming, and running, but these hobbies were not without cost. She shares, “I’ve had four knee surgeries: two ACL and two meniscus.” She also participated in show choir, musicals, and plays. Obviously, Dessie juggled a lot of extracurriculars, but this didn’t stop her from achieving scholastic success. She graduated in the top ten percent of her class. After high school, she attended Cosmetology School.

Dessie broke into the world of modeling when she was just 20 years old. She remembers, “I was in Myrtle Beach with my whole family. My mom made me do a swimwear competition, and I won! From there, I continued to do comps and model.” Since then, she has racked up a long list of clients— “Maxim, a lot of swimwear lines, Makita, Tecate, K&N, and most recently Sports Illustrated Swimwear!” Dessie’s favorite modeling memory is “walking the runway in Miami Swim Week for Sports Illustrated Swimsuits new swimwear line.”

When she’s not posing on a beach or strolling down the runway, you can find Dessie in the ring. She shares, “I’m a Tecate ring girl for boxing!” This is a fun job, filled with bright lights and sweaty athletes. There is a lot of adrenaline in this sport, and it’s exciting for Dessie to sit ringside and soak it all in. As for future plans, she hopes to land more modeling jobs and transition into TV. Wherever she is, this girl will be making waves.

IG Handle: @dessiemitcheson

Keep up with Dessie on Instagram where you can see her latest clients and shots