K&N’s Chief Engineering Officer Steve Williams Wins Super Comp World Championship

Steve’s dragster

Steve’s dragster features many K&N products which he has been instrumental in developing

Steve Williams, K&N’s Chief Engineering Officer, achieved yet another racing milestone this past Sunday—the title of 2018 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Super Comp World Champion. A first-place finish in Sonoma, Calif., combined with final-round showings in Dallas and Las Vegas, allowed Williams to amass the points needed to clinch the World Championship title.

Williams has collected many notable wins in his personal racing career, including four NHRA Division 7 championship titles and over forty “Wally” trophies. In 2014, he claimed the NHRA Division 7 Super Gas Championship, followed by a third-place finish in the Super Comp national rankings in 2016. This past weekend’s championship win has been 27 years in the making. “It’s very tough to come out of Division 7 and win the World Championship, because you’re up against almost 1,800 people across the United States,” Williams said. “I’ve been close more times than I care to admit. I was finally able to check this off the bucket list.”

Williams burning rubber

Williams has spent over 20 years in service at K&N

Steve has developed a reputation as a strong competitor in his many years of racing. “The coolest part was that all of the competitors I’ve raced with for twenty years were in the stands—and after my wife and daughter hugged me, they each came down one by one to say congratulations,” he added.

“It speaks volumes that Steve’s competitors were the first to come down and shake his hand,” said K&N CEO Tom McGann. “Winning a world championship in any sport is a tremendous honor, and nobody deserves it more than he does.”

ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Division 7 3rd Round Fontana, CA 5-20-18
Division 7 Win Sonoma, CA 7-22-18
National Runner-up Seattle, WA 8-5-18
Division 7 4th Round Salt Lake City, UT 8-26-18
Division 7 5th Round Great Bend, KS 9-29-18
National Runner-up Dallas, TX 10-7-18
National 4th Round Las Vegas, NV 10-28-18
Division 7 Semi finals Las Vegas, NV 11-4-18

Steve posing with his trophy after a win in Sonoma, Calif., on July 22

Steve posing with his trophy after a win in Sonoma, Calif., on July 22

As the head of research and development at K&N, Williams has been instrumental in the development of K&N racing products for over two decades, and continues to contribute his knowledge to the development of innovative products for consumers. K&N wants to formally congratulate Williams, whose dedication to excellence has reaped a well-deserved championship win, and brought invaluable expertise to the K&N research and development team.