Sonny Leonard carved a successful career out of building championship winning engines on the IHRA circuit. 

With the 2016 IHRA tour, the 45th in the history of the series already completed, Leonard was back in a familiar setting. Leonard's Sonny's Racing Engines enterprise delivered championship horsepower to Cary Goforth (Pro Stock) and Billy Harper (Pro Modified).

Goforth has been a flagship for Leonard's success, recording seven championships over multiple series. 

“All of our championships have been with Sonny’s,” Goforth said. “Sonny’s a good man. He’s always cheerful. Everybody just gravitates to him. When you go to the track and see Dad and Sonny interact with each other, that sums up [what Sonny means to us]. They talk almost daily. They really have a brotherly bond. It’s really neat to see. They love each other like brothers, but they argue and fight like brothers, too.”

The Goforths, Cary and Dean, teamed up with Leonard in 2004, and the relationship came naturally. 

“I remember when we first started racing, Sonny’s such a legend, I was starstruck, Goforth admitted. "Here’s Sonny Leonard and I was getting to interact with him. He’s a true legend of the sport. In ways, I’m still starstruck by him. 

"I still get people at our local track that’ll come up to me and ask, ‘Do you know Sonny? He’s a wonderful man."

Goforth said it was Leonard's work ethic which solidified their bond. 

“He’s consistent and reliable, always pushing to go faster,” Goforth said. “There were times in the last 12 years where he was getting it handed to him. I remember other engine builders getting ahead of him a little bit and two guys made an incredible pass. I asked him if he had anything [to answer] for that and he said, ‘Right now I don’t, but I’m working on it.'

"And that’s when Sonny's designed the next generation of the semi-hemi cylinder heads. We’ve had the power to be at the top ever since. He’s never stopped working. He wakes with a passion for this stuff every day. That’s where the consistency and reliability come into play.”

Like the Goforths, Harper enjoyed a banner season in 2016, success also attained with eonard's assistance. 

Harper, from Paducah, Kentucky, reset the national record multiple times this season and easily walked away the 2016 championship. 

“The stats pretty well speak for themselves,” said Harper. “The engines have just done phenomenal.”

When it comes to Pro Modified competition, engine damage is not an "if" but a "when" scenario. This was a scenario Harper said presented itself minimally. 

“Other than our one failure, through the year we’ve not had tire shake, rocker arms come loose, or any of these things people have a lot of problems with,” Harper said. “I’ve really convinced myself that Sonny puts these little secrets in motors, and crew chiefs find them. They keep making it run better and better. That’s amazing. And it’s not hurting itself. We turned that 5.80 and the motor wasn’t hurt, and that was in the bad air. There’s no telling how fast that motor’s going to run.”

Harper’s 5.80 elapsed time stands as the quickest Pro Mod run in IHRA history. 

“My job is very easy,” Harper said. “I just pull to the starting line, close my eyes, and hang on. Sonny’s and my crew are the ones that deserve the credit. They’re the ones who have made it all happen.”

And making stuff happen is what Leonard lives for.