Alan Kenny Wins First NHRA Super Comp Championship with the Help of Son Jason Kenny
- Nov 29, 2012
He came into the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season finale at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif., as the leader in the Super Comp standings. Even though he didn't reach the final rounds of elimination at Pomona, he had a big enough lead to win the Super Comp championship. "It's like a fairy tale season," Kenny said. "If you're a drag racer, the NHRA world championship is your World Series, your Super Bowl, whatever you want to call it. Every year, you lay in bed at night when you can't sleep thinking, you know, if I could just win a couple early, maybe I'd have a shot. This year I did." Kenny might have won the Super Comp championship, but his son deserves an assist. Jason Kenny won the Super Comp event in Las Vegas two weeks before the season finale in Pomona and all but guaranteed his dad the championship. When Stefan Kondolay, second place in the Super Comp standings, lost to Matt Constant in Pomona, Alan Kenny was declared the Super Comp champion. But Kenny's championship season was well within reach after the races in Las Vegas. Alan Kenny was knocked out in the first round of eliminations, but Jason Kenny went on an impressive run knocking out Kondolay in the first round. Luke Bogocki was also in contention for the Super Comp championship, but he was eliminated in the early rounds at Las Vegas. Once Jason Kenny started advancing at Las Vegas, he said securing the championship for his dad was forefront in his mind.
"That was my plan," Jason Kenny said. "But when it actually happened, I was really nervous. Probably 10 to 15 minutes before the run, I knew I was going to race Stefan. Mentally I was going through all the possibilities. I was pretty nervous. I did want that, but for the 10, 15 minutes leading up to that, it was pretty nerve-wracking." Jason Kenny and Bogocki were set up to meet in the semifinals. But Bogocki didn't advance to the semis. Jason Kenny beat Trevor Larson in a very tight final race. Kenny won in 9.069 seconds to Larson's 9.092. "When Luke went out fourth or fifth round, the pressure was gone and I went on to win the race," Jason Kenny said. "I was very relaxed. Luke and Stefan were gone and that was the whole goal of the day. Just had fun after that." Alan Kenny said he started using K&N air filters in his first dragsters and gradually incorporated K&N oil filters in his race cars. "Been using them for a long time," Alan Kenny said. "Used them for years and loving them." Alan Kenny, who is from Kingston, Ontario, Canada, said his drag racing team started fast in 2012, but it wasn't until the races at Norwalk, Ohio, that his season pointed toward a championship. "I ended up winning Norwalk and thinking, OK, I really do have a shot," Alan Kenny said. "It's been just all good since then. I won a big bracket race in August, a 25 grander. A week or two before, I blew up a motor, which is close to 25 grand. It's one check right there." When he led the Super Comp standings with two races to go in the season, Kenny's confidence began to grow. "The last month or more, I kept saying if I'm still leading the points heading for Vegas, it would be really good. And I was," Alan Kenny said. "We got to Vegas, if I'm still leading the points heading to Pomona, it would be really, really good. And I was." As hot as he was as a driver, Alan Kenny said having his son roll through the Las Vegas races was equally as impressive. "The best defense in these categories is a good offense," Alan Kenny said. "You can't control what the other racers do. As long as one of us is winning that means the guys chasing me can't be winning. That was huge." Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
