Jeg Coughlin Wins 25th Annual K&N Horsepower Challenge by Beating the Best of the Best

K&N Horsepower Challenge victory for Jeg Coughlin at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio
K&N Horsepower Challenge victory for Jeg Coughlin at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio

Jeg Coughlin's crew reacts to his first K&N Horsepower Challenge victory in nine years.
Jeg Coughlin's crew reacts to his first K&N Horsepower Challenge victory in nine years.

Top eight NHRA Pro Stock drivers on the podium in the 25th annual K&N Horsepower Challenge in Norwalk, Ohio
Top eight NHRA Pro Stock drivers on the podium in the 25th annual K&N Horsepower Challenge in Norwalk, Ohio
Jeg Coughlin and Greg Anderson face off in the final round of eliminations in the K&N Horsepower Challenge at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series in Norwalk, Ohio
Jeg Coughlin and Greg Anderson face off in the final round of eliminations in the K&N Horsepower Challenge at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series in Norwalk, Ohio

NHRA K&N Horsepower Challenge Winner's Circle nets Jeg Coughlin $50,000, a trophy and a ring
NHRA K&N Horsepower Challenge Winner's Circle nets Jeg Coughlin $50,000, a trophy and a ring

2008 K&N Horsepower Challenge winner and 2009 K&N Horsepower Challenge winner Jeg Coughlin in the first round at Norwalk, Ohio
2008 K&N Horsepower Challenge winner and 2009 K&N Horsepower Challenge winner Jeg Coughlin in the first round at Norwalk, Ohio
To say the 25th annual K&N Horsepower Challenge worked out for Jeg Coughlin Jr. would be an understatement. He beat the best drivers in Pro Stock and collected the $50,000 top prize, a trophy and a ring. In the final, he bested longtime rival Greg Anderson. Coughlin reacted first in the Jegs.com Chevy, .020 to .062, but the race was over when Anderson let the clutch go on his Summit Pontiac and shook the tires early.

In the K&N Horsepower Challenge, the top eight Pro Stock drivers who accumulated the most points while qualifying during the 23 race NHRA series faced off at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series in Norwalk, Ohio.

At the start of the event, Greg Anderson led the pack with points, Mike Edwards was second, followed by Allen Johnson, Jason Line, Kurt Johnson, Jeg Coughlin, Warren Johnson and Ron Krisher.

“In the K&N Horsepower Challenge, every round is like racing in the final,” said Coughlin. “The fans at the Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park were rewarded with outstanding competition.”

Coughlin went up against defending champion Allen Johnson in the first round, then Mike Edwards in the second round and then Anderson in the final. “We got the breaks when we needed them,” said Coughlin. “We fishtailed down the track in the second round and I can’t believe we were able to hold on. It was a combination of running good and getting the breaks when we needed them.”

“This was my third win in the K&N Horsepower Challenge,” said Coughlin, who claimed the Horsepower Challenge trophy in 1999 and 2000. “I’m currently leading in the Full Throttle standing and entering the final phase of my regular season.”

Anderson earned $10,000 for his runner-up finish. Edwards and Line earned $3,000 each for making the semifinals and first round finishers Allen Johnson, Kurt Johnson, Warren Johnson and Ron Krisher received $2,500 each.

“I wish I could have earned the $50,000 pot of gold,” said Anderson. “But I’m happy with the $10,000. I love that race. Thanks to K&N, the company put up some big money and it means a lot.”

The Pro Stock class is about the delivery of air flow. K&N is in a class of its own when it comes to hood scoops. “K&N has worked hard to create new technology for the NHRA Pro Stock category,” said K&N Vice President of Research and Development Steve Williams. “We have a K&N Pro Stock Intake System available for the world’s fastest hot rods and we put up the money at the K&N Horsepower Challenge.”

“We transitioned to the K&N Pro Stock Intake System in April of this year,” said Coughlin. “Since then we’ve been in 8 NHRA final rounds and I’ve won six of them. We’ve seen a direct relationship between the K&N Pro Stock Intake System and increased power.”

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