Lucrative Horsepower Challenge set for Pro Stock drivers at Norwalk

NORWALK, Ohio – Jason Line will lead the K&N Horsepower Challenge field as the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season as the lucrative special event takes center stage July 7 during the sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.

Mike Edwards

Photo by: NHRA

A purse of $76,000 is available for the eight drivers competing in the K&N Horsepower Challenge. The winner of the 28th annual K&N Horsepower Challenge will earn $50,000. The runner-up will earn $10,000, the two semifinalists $3,000 each, and the four first-round finishers $2,500 apiece.

Line, from Mooresville, N.C., qualified No. 1 at 10 of the 24 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events where drivers could earn K&N Horsepower Challenge points. It will be Line’s eighth appearance in the bonus event.

The $148,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge showcases eight Pro Stock teams in a race-within-a-race bonus event. Seven of the teams qualified during a 24-race span from the 2011 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk through the 2012 O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Joliet, Ill. The eighth-place team was selected via a special fan vote on the K&N website. Besides the $76,000 available in the K&N Horsepower Challenge, bonuses of $72,000 were paid to the top Pro Stock qualifiers throughout the 24-race K&N Horsepower Challenge series, including $3,000 to the No. 1 qualifier at each race.

This year’s K&N Horsepower Challenge field features three past winners and five drivers who are looking for their first victory in the special event. The past winners are four-time and defending champ Greg Anderson, third seed and 2008 winner Allen Johnson, and the Fan Vote winner, Jeg Coughlin, who is a three-time K&N Horsepower Challenge winner. Among the five drivers who have never won, two are multi-time runners-up in the race: Mike Edwards (four) and Line (two).

In the opening round, top-seeded Line will face fan vote winner Coughlin, who is making his 10th appearance in the event. Second-seeded Edwards will meet first-time qualifier Ronnie Humphrey; third-seeded Johnson will face Vincent Nobile, who is also making his first start; and four-time and defending winner Anderson will meet Erica Enders, who is racing in the Challenge for the third time.

Other past winners of the K&N Horsepower Challenge include Larry Morgan, Bruce Allen, Bob Glidden, Darrell Alderman, Kurt Johnson, Warren Johnson, Jim Yates and Dave Connolly.

K&N Horsepower Challenge rounds are scheduled for 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. on July 7.

2012 K&N HORSEPOWER CHALLENGE FINAL STANDINGS:
1. Jason Line, Mooresville, N.C., Summit Racing Chevy Camaro 3,935
2. Mike Edwards, Coweta, Okla., Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP 3,675
3. Allen Johnson, Greeneville, Tenn., J&J Racing/Team Mopar Dodge Avenger 3,620
4. Greg Anderson, Mooresville, N.C., Summit Racing Chevy Camaro 3,575
5. Erica Enders, New Orleans, GK Motorsports Chevy Cobalt 3,205
6. Vincent Nobile, Dix Hills, N.Y., Mountain View Tire Dodge Avenger 3,145
7. Ronnie Humphrey, Jacksonville, N.C., Genuine Hot Rod Hardware Pontiac 3,100
8. Jeg Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger Fan Vote

2012 K&N HORSEPOWER CHALLENGE ROUND PAIRINGS:
FIRST ROUND (11:30 a.m.):
Line vs. Coughlin
Edwards vs. Humphrey
Johnson v. Nobile
Anderson vs. Enders

SEMIFINALS (1:30 p.m.):
Line vs. Coughlin winner vs. Anderson vs. Enders winner
Edwards vs. Humphrey winner vs. Johnson vs. Nobile winner

FINAL (2:50 p.m.)

Source: NHRA