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Knack Scores Super Stang Championship

Posted By: Mary Lendzion
Written by Mary Lendzion
Photos by NMRA Staff
 
Marvin Knack has called NMRA HP Tuners Super Stang home for many years, and what a good home it has been.
 
In addition to being comfortable in the category, he is competitive in the category. He has himself, his car and his combination dialed-in, and he is consistent on the tree and on the top end.
 
Ever since earning championships in 2016, 2017 and 2018, Knack has been pulling out all the stops in an attempt to achieve another championship, and that very apparent for all to see in 2022.
 
Knack, whose Mustang is motivated by a Gen 1 5.0L Coyote engine and 6R80 transmission, started the season with an .025 reaction time to qualify in the fifth at the NMRA Spring Break Shootout in March at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida. He chose an 11.79 dial for the weekend, and won the first round of eliminations when his opponent turned on the red light. He exited in the second round of eliminations with a breakout time of 11.77.
 
He then qualified in the third spot with a .004 reaction time at the 
Scoggin Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals presented by MAHLE Motorsport in April at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina. He got by the first round of eliminations when his opponent couldn’t complete his pass, and the second round of eliminations when his opponent went red. Then, he saw red to the tune of -.003 in the third round of eliminations.


 
Focused on going more rounds at the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing presented by Fuelab in May at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois, Knack qualified in the fourth spot with an .035 reaction time and won the first round of eliminations with an 11.97 on his chosen 11.88 index. He won the second round of eliminations with an 11.93 and advanced past the third round of eliminations when his opponent couldn’t complete his pass. A little later, he secured a runner-up finish with an 11.95 against Rodney Ward.
 
“Early in the season, I had some bad luck and made some minor mistakes,” said Knack. “I felt like I was too far back in points to catch Chris Parisi, but at the Super Bowl, things started to turn around, and with the runner-up, I took the points lead.”
 
From there, Knack led qualifying with an .010 reaction time at the NMRA Ford Performance Nationals in June at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio. He won the first round of eliminations with a 12.02 on his 11.90 dial. He posted an 11.96 on a solo pass in the second round of eliminations, and ultimately went to the NMRA Winner’s Circle with an 11.91 against Chris Parisi. Happy with how that weekend went, Knack headed to the Arrington Performance NMRA/NMCA Power Festival presented by TorqStorm Superchargers in July at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan, where he qualified in the seventh spot with an .035 reaction time. He pulled off a win in the first round of eliminations with an 11.98 on an 11.93 dial, and exited in the second round of eliminations with a 12.02.
 
“I was having many minor struggles,” said Knack. “The biggest struggle was with the calibration in the tune.”


 
Ready to cross the finish line, Knack went to the Whipple Superchargers NMRA Ford World Finals presented by Competition Clutch featuring the Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival in late September, early October at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky. Despite trouble in qualifying and eliminations at that event, he had earned enough points to pick up the 2022 HP Tuners Super Stang championship.
 
“To go into the final race of the year with a slim points lead over Chris Parisi, who is as tough as they come in Super Stang, and to become the 2022 champion, makes this very memorable,” said Knack.  “I would like to thank Stifflers for their support and their fine quality performance parts. I would also like to thank Deb Patterson for her help and support, and HP Tuners for sponsoring the class.”
 
The NMRA will put the spotlight on Knack and his fellow champions at the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals Awards Ceremony, held during the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, Dec. 9, 2022, at the Indiana Convention Center.
 
Please watch for upcoming stories about each of our champions on NMRADigital.com and RacePagesDigital.com as well as in Fastest Street Car magazine.


                                                                                                   
 

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