NORWALK, Ohio – Jason Line will lead the K&N Horsepower Challenge field as the No. 1 seed for the first time as the lucrative special event takes center stage June 25 during the fifth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.
A purse of $76,000 is available for the eight drivers competing in the K&N Horsepower Challenge. The winner of the 27th 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. A $25,000 NHRA sweep bonus is available to any driver who can win the K&N Horsepower Challenge on Saturday and take the Pro Stock eliminations title during the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals on Sunday.
Line, from Mooresville, N.C., qualified No. 1 at two of the 20 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events where drivers could earn K&N Horsepower Challenge points. It will be Line’s seventh appearance in the bonus event.
The $136,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge showcases eight Pro Stock teams in a race-within-a-race bonus event. Seven of the teams qualified during a 20-race span from the 2010 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk through the 2011 Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway, and 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 $60,000 were paid to the top Pro Stock qualifiers throughout the 20-race K&N Horsepower Challenge series, $3,000 to the No. 1 qualifier at each race.
This year’s K&N Horsepower Challenge field features two past winners and six drivers who are looking for their first victory in the special event. The past winners are defending champ Greg Anderson, who drove his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP to a sweep of the Norwalk weekend last season, pocketing $100,000 for his efforts. The other past winner is second seed Allen Johnson, who claimed victory at the event in 2008 in his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger. Among the six drivers who have never won, two are multi-time runners-up in the race, Mike Edwards (three) and Line (two).
In the opening round, top-seeded Line will face the winner of the K&N fan vote, Erica Enders, who is making her second appearance in the event. Second-seeded Johnson will meet first-time qualifier Shane Gray; third-seeded Edwards will face Rodger Brogdon, who is making his second start; and three-time and defending winner Anderson will meet veteran driver Ron Krisher.
Other past winners of the K&N Horsepower Challenge include Darrell Alderman, Bruce Allen, Dave Connolly, Jeg Coughlin, Bob Glidden, Kurt Johnson, Warren Johnson, Larry Morgan and Jim Yates.
K&N Horsepower Challenge rounds are scheduled for 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. on June 25.
2011 K&N HORSEPOWER CHALLENGE FINAL STANDINGS:
1. Jason Line, Mooresville, N.C., Summit Racing Pontiac GXP 3,005
2. Allen Johnson, Greeneville, Tenn., J&J Racing/Team Mopar Dodge Avenger 3,000
3. Mike Edwards, Coweta, Okla., Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP 2,920
4. Greg Anderson, Charlotte, N.C., Summit Racing Pontiac GXP 2,655
5. Ron Krisher, Warren, Ohio, Valvoline Chevy Cobalt 2,645
6. Rodger Brogdon, Tomball, Texas, Racers Edge Pontiac GXP 2,540
7. Shane Gray, Artesia, N.M., Service Central Pontiac GXP 2,340
8. Erica Enders, New Orleans, ZaZa Energy Chevy Cobalt Fan Vote
2011 K&N HORSEPOWER CHALLENGE ROUND PAIRINGS:
FIRST ROUND (11:30 a.m.):
Line vs. Enders
Johnson vs. Gray
Edwards vs. Brogdon
Anderson vs. Krisher
SEMIFINALS (1:30 p.m.):
Line vs. Enders winner vs. Anderson vs. Krisher winner
Johnson vs. Gray winner vs. Edwards vs. Brogdon winner
FINAL (2:50 p.m.)
