Fast Facts on this weekend's K&N Horsepower Challenge in Norwalk, Ohio
Contact: Jon Knapp K&N Racing Communications Ph: (704) 662-3121 J2Racing@aol.com 2010 K&N Horsepower Challenge Fast Facts The NHRA Pro Stock specialty race, the K&N Horsepower Challenge, will be held this weekend as part of the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk Ohio. The following is a series of facts and figures concerning the event and the eight qualified drivers who will be participating in Saturday’s competition at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park: - This is the 26th edition of the K&N Horsepower Challenge, dating back to 1985, when Bruce Allen defeated Butch Leal in the final. - The field was set based on the Pro Stock qualifying performances of the past year, encompassing 24 races, with the top seven competitors who accumulated the most points making the field, as well as an eighth driver who was the winner of a fan vote conducted on the K&N web site. - Mike Edwards is the No. 1 qualifier based on his 18 No. 1 qualifying performances, 20 Top Two starts and a 1.46 average starting position. - Warren Johnson was the winner of the fan vote, edging Erica Enders on the final day of voting. - The winner of Saturday’s three-round, single-elimination race will take home $50,000, with the runner-up earning $10,000. The semifinal and first round finishers will earn $3,000 and $2,500 respectively. - Should the winner of the K&N Horsepower Challenge go on to win the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals on Sunday, he will earn a “Sweep Bonus�?? of $25,000. - There will be eight very interested spectators during this year’s challenge, as eight lucky fans who were selected in an online drawing on the K&N web site and brought to the race will be paired with each of the drivers, with the fan teamed with this year’s K&N Horsepower Champion winning a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. - The first-round pairings for the 2010 K&N Horsepower Challenge are: 1. Mike Edwards -vs- 8. Warren Johnson 2. Greg Anderson -vs- 7. Rodger Brogdon 3. Allen Johnson -vs- 6. Ron Krisher 4. Jason Line -vs- 4. Jeg Coughlin - Mike & Warren’s first-round pairing is a rematch of last year’s first round, won by Edwards. - This will be the fourth time Edwards & WJ will meet in the Challenge, Edwards holding a 2-1 edge in previous meetings. - Although Jason Line and Jeg Coughlin tied for fourth place with 3,350 points, Jason was awarded the “higher�?? seed and will have lane choice based on the tiebreaker of having a better average starting position for the last year. - Coming into this weekend, 11 different drivers have won the K&N Horsepower Challenge. - Rodger Brogdon, who qualified seventh, will be making his first appearance in the Challenge, making him the 45th different driver to have raced in the specialty event. - Four drivers in this year’s Challenge have won the event previously (Greg Anderson, Allen Johnson, Jeg Coughlin and Warren Johnson), accounting for nine wins in the event’s 25-year history. - Jeg Coughlin is the defending K&N Horsepower Challenge winner, having defeated Greg Anderson in the final a year ago. - Allen Johnson, the 2008 K&N Horsepower Challenge champion, holds the distinction of being the only driver in the event’s history to win the final on a hole shot, using a perfect .000 reaction time to hold off Greg Anderson. - Kurt Johnson has the most wins in K&N Horsepower Challenge history with four (1994, 1998, 2003 & 2007). - Rodger Brogdon is looking to become the fifth driver to win the challenge in his first appearance, joining Bruce Allen (1985), Larry Morgan (1989), Kurt Johnson (1994) and Jeg Coughlin (1999). - Greg Anderson is the most recent competitor to “sweep�?? the K&N Challenge weekend, winning both the specialty race and the national event in 2004. - Jeg Coughlin is the most recent racer to win the K&N Challenge in consecutive years, winning his first two attempts in 1999 & 2000, making him the fourth driver to accomplish this feat (Allen, Glidden & Morgan). - Warren Johnson has qualified for 24 of the 26 Challenges (including this year), the most of any driver, and is the only competitor in this weekend’s field to have participated in the inaugural event. - WJ holds the record for the most Challenge final round appearances with seven, winning three times. - Among the four drivers (Mike Edwards, Jason Line, Ron Krisher & Rodger Brogdon) looking for their first Challenge win, Edwards and Line have come closest with two runner-up finishes apiece. - 11 different automotive body styles have won the K&N Horsepower Challenge, representing Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. - This year’s field offers the possibility of a 12th different car winner, as Greg Anderson, Mike Edwards, Warren Johnson and Jason Line campaign the Pontiac GXP. - The venerable Olds Cutlass has the most Challenge wins at eight, most recently with Jeg Coughlin in 2000. - Kurt Johnson drove a different body style in each of his four Challenge wins to date (Olds Cutlass, Chevrolet Camaro, Cavalier and Cobalt). - Allen Johnson’s win in 2008 was only the second by a Dodge in the event’s history, joining Darrell Alderman’s 1991 victory in a Dodge Daytona. - Over the years, the K&N Horsepower Challenge has been held at Indianapolis (now O’Reilly) Raceway Park in Indianapolis, IN, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ and Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL, before coming to Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio in 2008. K&N Engineering, Inc., is the world's leader in performance filter technology, serving the needs of the automotive, motorcycle, marine, industrial and military markets. With headquarters in Riverside, California, K&N is heavily involved in nearly every form of motorsports from off-road and powersports to drag racing, stock cars and road racing. For more information about K&N Filters, please visit www.knfilters.com # # #