Jeg Coughlin defeated Greg Anderson to win $50,000 in the 25th annual K&N Horsepower Challenge. It was Coughlin's third win in the event. (Auto Imagery photos)

Jeg Coughlin scored his first victory in nine years in the K&N Horsepower Challenge and collected the $50,000 top prize by defeating longtime rival Greg Anderson in the final. Coughlin reacted first in the Jegs.com Chevy, .020 to .062, and the race was over shortly afterward when Anderson's Summit Pontiac shook the tires early.

The victory is Coughlin's third in the event's 25-year history.

“The thing about the K&N Horsepower Challenge is that every round is like racing in the final. We went up against the defending champion, Allen Johnson, in the first round; Mike Edwards, who has been real hot, in the second round; and Greg Anderson, who, of course, needs no introduction, in the final. The combination of the pressure and the fun that we’re having makes this an awesome event.
 
"Lately, it’s just been a combination of running good and getting the breaks when we need them. The car fishtailed down the track in the second round, and I’m amazed that we were able to hold on. We were also able to win without having lane choice all day, which was a plus. There’s not that much difference between the lanes, but the right lane [where he had to run] is a little bit trickier between 60 feet and 200 feet."

Coughlin, who hadn’t been to a Challenge final since 2000, when he scored his second straight Challenge victory – the only driver to win the event back to back – made sure he remained the only driver to win in consecutive years when he beat defending champ Johnson in round one after Johnson's Dodge, the lone Mopar in the field, broke traction at the green.

Coughlin then showcased his considerable driving talents in the semifinals against Edwards, putting a .012 to .055 holeshot on his foe and hanging on for a .007-second holeshot win, 6.709 to 6.673. Coughlin then raced to the big payday with a 6.67, 207.05 to Anderson's coasting 7.32, 161.69.

"Turning a 6.67 in the heat of the day was stout," added Coughlin. "I don’t know what happened to Greg in his lane, but with the 6.67 that we ran, I don’t think that he could have gone quick enough to make up for our starting-line advantage.
 
"The real cool thing about this weekend is that my girlfriend, Samantha Kenny, is still in the Super Comp field, and they’re down to seven cars. If we could both win tomorrow, that would make for the ultimate weekend.”

Anderson worked his way to his fifth final-round appearance in the event from the No. 1 berth by besting Ron Krisher's Valvoline Cobalt with a crushing 6.644 that not only advanced him to the semifinals and a date with Summit teammate Jason Line but also gave him the No. 1 qualifying spot for Sunday's final eliminations.

In the all-Summit semifinals, Anderson drove around Line's three-hundredths starting-line advantage to win by just .002-second, 6.652 to 6.684.

“We definitely went through a learning experience today, especially in the final," said Anderson. "We’re very happy that our Summit Pontiac has run a lot better than it has in quite a while, at least up until the final. Then we ran right after the final Top Fuel qualifying session, and the track got a lot more slippery than we expected. We had backed down some on the clutch but not enough, and so it spun the tires right on the launch. We learned something in the process, but it was a very expensive lesson because it cost us $50,000."

Anderson earned $10,000 for his runner-up finish. Semifinalists Line and Edwards banked $3,000 each, and first-round losers Krisher, Kurt Johnson, Warren Johnson, and Allen Johnson received $2,500.