Each year for the last three, our friend Al Fonse, Jr. and his team at Fonse Performance have put together a competition for performance enthusiasts in the PA/NJ/DE tri-state area, called Dyno Wars.

K&S Race Cars/Fonse Performance Dyno Wars III, presented by Strange Engineering, will be held this year on January 17th at Fonse Performance, in Erial, NJ. It’s a competition for street-legal enthusiasts to burn some race fuel on the Fonse in-ground chassis dyno, with the competitor displaying the highest horsepower number taking home the grand prize of $1,350 plus a $250 gift certificate from Mickey Thompson Tires plus an Aeroforce gauge. Second place gets $900 plus $250 from Mickey Thompson Tires, third place scores $300, and fourth place gets $100.

It’s free for spectators to attend, starts at 9AM, and runs ’til it’s done. There will be a raffle for a freshly-rebuilt-by-Fonse 5.3L LS engine, engine dyno demonstration, practice tree races, and even food and a DJ.

It does cost $100 to enter, but a chance to make three pulls in New Jersey’s mineshaft January air conditions and take home a sweet prize is well worth the investment.

Rules for competitors are simple:

• Reserved for street style vehicles
• Must have valid/current registration/insurance
• Any engine combination (Supercharger, Turbo, Nitrous, Naturally Aspirated)
• No limit on cubic inches
• No limit on turbo or blower size
• Any fuel may be used
• Any transmission type
• Dealer tags not permitted
• Cars can be trailered in
• Can make up to 3 pulls (3 pulls are not mandatory)
• Peak HP will be scored (no averages)
• The pull that generates the most HP will be the one that is scored
• Any vehicle that breaks during competition will be eliminated (if your vehicle cannot drive off the dyno under its own power, your run or runs will not count)
• Reruns will only be permitted if the dyno malfunctions
• Must have a functional radiator
• Waiver must be signed before competing

We covered the event last year, where Mike Serrano’s boosted big-block Camaro turned the roller to 1,185 horsepower to take home the top prize. The top three vehicles were all over 1,000 horsepower at the wheels, making this a fun day to come out and spectate if you live in the area. We’ll be there!

Check out the full event information on the Dyno Wars Facebook page.

Mike Serrano’s winning hit from 2014 –