NHRA has reached an agreement with K&N Engineering Inc. to renew its sponsorship of the popular K&N Horsepower Challenge, a lucrative bonus event for Pro Stock competitors. The bonus event will adopt a new qualifying procedure in which a special fan vote will determine the final driver to make the starting lineup, and a special fan promotion will center on a Harley-Davidson giveaway.

The K&N Horsepower Challenge is a special race-within-a-race bonus program for the top Pro Stock drivers in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. The K&N Horsepower Challenge will continue to be conducted at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk. The race features a special eliminations pairing with eight Pro Stock drivers in the field, including seven who accumulate the most points in qualifying during the 24-race Challenge series and one who is selected to the starting lineup for the event via a special fan vote.

As part of the K&N Horsepower Challenge, K&N will conduct a fan promotion during the series and will present a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle to a lucky fan during the final of the K&N Horsepower Challenge in Norwalk. Details of the fan promotion and ways to qualify will be announced in the near future.

The winner of the K&N Horsepower Challenge will earn $50,000, and the runner-up will earn $10,000. The two semifinalists will earn $3,000 each, and the four first-round finishers will receive $2,500 each.

“We are very proud to continue our relationship with all of the Pro Stock drivers and NHRA,” said Steve Williams, vice president, K&N Engineering. “Our goal is to continue to make the K&N Horsepower Challenge a premier all-star event held at Summit Motorsports Park in 2010.”

The K&N Horsepower Challenge features an overall purse of $145,000. In addition to the $76,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge, K&N will award $72,000 in qualifying bonuses to quick Pro Stock qualifiers throughout the K&N Horsepower Challenge series. Low qualifiers will earn $3,000 at each of the 24 events in the Challenge series. Those drivers who earned No. 1 qualifying positions at recent races from Norwalk to Sonoma will receive their points and bonus money retroactively.

The current K&N Horsepower Challenge standings following the recently completed race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma are listed below.

Earlier this year, Jeg Coughlin claimed his third title in the prestigious race-within-a-race bonus event. Other past winners of the K&N Horsepower Challenge include Greg Anderson, Dave Connolly, Allen Johnson, Kurt Johnson, Warren Johnson, Darrell Alderman, Larry Morgan, Jim Yates, Bruce Allen, and Bob Glidden.

K&N Engineering has been a major NHRA contingency sponsor for many years and has been the title sponsor for several NHRA national events. K&N also is a primary sponsor on the K&N Filters Pontiac GXP Pro Stock car driven by Warren Johnson.

K&N is located in Riverside, Calif., and has more than 700 employees. Its 400,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution facilities produce the world’s best air filters that are reusable. Besides creating the first reusable performance air filter, K&N produces the Wrench-Off oil filter and complete replacement air intake systems, adding horsepower for most cars and trucks.