Feather-Lite Batteries, a leading supplier of high-performance racing batteries, has stepped up to support the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock category by offering a No. 1 qualifier bonus for all six races on the 2024 schedule. Feather-Lite customers will also have the opportunity to win a double-up bonus for winning the race. The Feather-Lite bonuses will be available starting at the season-opening race for the series, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 26-28, at zMAX Dragway.
“We wanted to do something different to support the class when we found out NHRA was stepping up the Mountain Motor Pro Stock program,” said Jonathan Pickett, President/CEO, Feather-Lite Batteries. “We have a lot of customers in the class, and I’ve been a fan of Mountain Motor Pro Stock for years. We reached out to Richard Freeman, who’s been working hard behind the scenes on the NHRA Mountain Motor program, to see how we could get involved. I felt like the No. 1 qualifier bonus and the couple other things we have going would be a good way to support the class and our customers.”
The No. 1 qualifier at each of the six events, regardless of battery brand affiliation, will receive $500. If the No. 1 qualifier wins the event running a Feather-Lite battery and Feather-Lite decals, they will receive an additional $500 bonus. If a Feather-Lite-equipped car with decals wins the event but is not low qualifier, they will receive $250.
Feather-Lite is also introducing a bonus points program for its customers. Racers must run a Feather-Lite battery and display decals to participate. The low qualifier at each race will receive 3 points, No. 2 will get 2, and No. 3 will get 1. If the No. 1 qualifier wins the race, they will receive an additional 3 points. Winners from any other position will receive 2 points. The racer with the most points after the season finale in Las Vegas will receive a custom trophy built by Tom Patsis of Cold Hard Art.
“We’re trying to do something a little bit different,” said Pickett. “Yeah, it’s cool to get a bunch of trailer checks, but at the same time it’s nice to have a trophy at the end of it all. There’s a chance that somebody that didn’t win a race all year still has the most bonus points and goes home with a trophy at Vegas.”
The Feather-Lite bonus points program is separate from the overall NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock championship program, a first for the class. The winner at each race on the 2024 Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock schedule will win $10,000 and a coveted NHRA Wally, while the season champion will collect $25,000.
“I’m excited for the class to make it to the NHRA because I think it’s good for the class to be on the big stage,” Pickett said. “NHRA is like the big show. It’s where everybody wants to go. With Richard Freeman, Elite Motorsports, and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage getting involved, I think it gives a lot of validity to the class. The class will get some TV time, which will hopefully help grow the class and get some bigger sponsorships for some of these teams.”
Feather-Lite Batteries, a J&J Motorsports Inc. company, was started by racers looking for a safer, better battery with reliability and more power. As such, the company specializes in batteries for racing applications, though they also offer batteries for motorcycles, street cars, motorhomes, boats, and more. Feather-Lite Batteries are used by numerous Mountain Motor Pro Stock teams, including two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion Johnny Pluchino.
“We do a lot of different industries now with NASCAR and IndyCar and commercial applications, but coming from a racing background, we’ve always focused on the safety because we know what it’s like to have our life savings put into a racing operation and we’re not going to risk our stuff going down the road, so we’re not going to risk somebody else’s,” said Pickett, whose family competed in the Top Alcohol ranks for decades.
“We also realize that the drag racing market is different from NASCAR and IndyCar because it’s all about cranking power,” Pickett added. “We don’t require massive amounts of reserve capacity. We require large amounts of cranking power to get these 840-cubic-inch motors turning over. We focus on that when we build our stuff to fit every specific application, whether it’s a nitrous car, blown Pro Mod, Mountain Motor Pro Stock, or a Top Fuel car. We build a battery specifically for each application. The battery that we’re using in the Mountain Motor cars has more cranking power than our competitors, and that’s the big difference. It starts easier, it starts every time, and it’s reliable.”
For more info, send an email to [email protected], visit www.Feather-LiteBatteries.com, or find Feather-Lite on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/RUNFLB.
This story was originally published on April 18, 2024. 
