The K&N Horsepower Challenge field has been set and Shane Gray leads the star-studded field as the No. 1 seed when the lucrative special event takes center stage April 11 during the 16th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
 
The winner of the 31st annual K&N Horsepower Challenge will earn $50,000, a custom K&N Horsepower trophy and bragging rights as the best Pro Stock racer in the country. The runner-up will earn $10,000, the two semifinalists $3,000 each, and the four first-round finishers $2,500 apiece. A total purse of $76,000 is up for grabs for the eight drivers competing in the K&N Horsepower Challenge.
 
This will be the third entry into the specialty race for Gray, who has yet to win the event. Gray, from Mooresville, N.C., qualified No. 1 at four of the 25 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events where drivers could earn K&N Horsepower Challenge points.
 
The $148,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge showcases eight Pro Stock teams in a race-within-a-race bonus event. Seven of the teams qualified during a 25-race span from the 2014 SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, through the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in North Carolina. The eighth-place driver – V. Gaines – 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 $72,000 were paid to the top Pro Stock qualifiers throughout the 24-races in the K&N Horsepower Challenge, including $3,000 to the No. 1 qualifier at each race. Erica Enders-Stevens, the defending K&N Horsepower Challenge winner, raced to eight No. 1 qualifying positions during the 24-race span.    
 
The competitors in this years event will feature four past winners with a total of four events wins. Allen Johnson has two wins and Vincent Nobile and Enders-Stevens have one win apiece. Five racers are looking for their first win with Chris McGaha and Jonathan Gray racing in the high stakes event for the first time in their career.
Jason Line, a two-time Pro Stock world champion will compete in the event for the 11th time in his storied career but has yet to take home the top prize. He has raced to three-time runner-up finishes in the event.

In the opening round, top-seeded S. Gray will face K&N fan-vote winner Gaines. Second-seeded Line will meet J. Gray; third-seeded Enders-Stevens will face McGaha; and Johnson will meet Nobile in the other first-round pairing.
 
Past winners of the K&N Horsepower Challenge include Darrell Alderman, Bruce Allen, Bob Glidden and Jeg Coughlin. Greg Anderson and Kurt Johnson are tied for the most event wins with four.
 
K&N Horsepower Challenge rounds are scheduled for 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on April 11.
 
2015 K&N HORSEPOWER CHALLENGE FINAL STANDINGS:
1. Shane Gray, Mooresville, N.C., Gray Motorsports Chevy Camaro                       3,730
2. Jason Line, Mooresville, N.C., Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro           3,725
3. Erica Enders-Stevens, New Orleans, Elite Motorsports Chevy Cobalt                  3,655
4. Allen Johnson, Greeneville, Tenn., Magneti Marelli Dodge Dart                           3,625
5. Vincent Nobile, Dix Hills, N.Y., Mountain View Tire Chevy Camaro                     3,355
6. Chris McGaha, Odessa, Texas, Harlow Sammons of Odessa Chevy Camaro      3,005
7. Jonathan Gray, Artesia, N.M.,  Gray Motorsports Chevy Camaro*                       2,965
8. V. Gaines, Lakewood, Colo., Kendall Oil Dodge Charger                                    FanVote
*Highest eligible points-earning driver inserted into the field in place of Jeg Coughlin
 
2015 K&N HORSEPOWER CHALLENGE ROUND PAIRINGS:
FIRST ROUND (1 p.m.):
S. Gray vs. V. Gaines
Line vs. J. Gray
Enders-Stevens vs. McGaha
Johnson, vs. Nobile
           
SEMIFINALS (3:45 p.m.):
           
FINAL (4:45 p.m.)