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With April 6th closing in quickly, the 29th Annual K&N Horsepower Challenge for Pro Stock racers will take the spotlight during the 14th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The $121,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge highlights eight Pro Stock teams in a race-within-a-race bonus event, with $76,000 up for grabs by the eight drivers competing in the rewarding challenge, and $45,000 paid to top qualifiers through the 15-race K&N Horsepower Challenge series.
From the 2012 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, through the 2013 Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville in Florida, seven of the eight teams qualified for the Horsepower Challenge over the course of 15 races. The eighth-place and final team was chosen by way of fan voting through K&N’s website.
Leading the final standings for participation in the prominent event is Allen Johnson with 2,380 points, which he earned by qualifying No. 1 at five of the 15 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events where points could be earned. Piloting the Team Mopar Dodge Avenger, this will be Johnsons’ 10th appearance in the annual K&N Challenge.
The number eight spot, chosen by fan vote, goes to Jeg Coughlin Jr., driver of the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger. Voting, which began in February, landed Coughlin with the final spot with an impressive one third of the final votes cast by fans, and this is the second consecutive year that Jeg has won the fan vote. Coughlin has been crowned with three victories in the K&N Horsepower Challenge in the past: 1999, 2000, and 2009.
The three rounds of the race are scheduled to go off on April 6th at 12:30 p.m., 2:15 p.m. and 3:25 p.m. Match-ups for the first round will be: Allen Johnson vs. Jeg Coughlin Jr., Jason Line vs. V. Gaines, Erica Enders-Stevens vs. Vincent Nobile, and Mike Edwards vs. Greg Anderson. Winner’s of these match-ups will face off in the semi-finals at 2:15pm. The winner will be crowned with the finals scheduled to run at 3:25pm.
