The Horsepower Wars $10K Shootout is a competition where teams square off to see who can build the fastest drag car in 10 days with only $3,000 in cash and $7,000 in Summit Racing credit. We’ve had applicants from ALL over the country vying to see who would make it into the final list. And that has now happened.

This interesting and innovative competition has been made possible by some of the leading companies in our industry: Royal Purple, Comp Cams, TCI Transmissions, Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels, E3 Spark Plugs, Fragola, Diablosport, Mahle Motorsports, DynaBatt, ProCharger, Weld Racing, ARP, BMR Suspension, QA1, and of course, Summit Racing.

Today, we present the fourth team of the final 10 runners for the Horsepower Wars $10K Shootout!

Team Name: West Bend Dyno
Driver: Dameian Shepard
Hometown: West Bend, Wisconsin
Crew: Brad Riekoff, Brian Jankuski, Tony Bruggink, Brian Wohlfeil

Wisconsin native Brad Riekoff and his team from West Bend Dyno Tuning have the passion to go with their experience, which could go a long way to success in the Drag Shootout. The 42-year old Riekoff clawed his way into the high performance business the hard way, working tirelessly to turn his passion into a career. In 2008, he opened the doors on West Bend Dyno, and it’s been a high-speed ride from there,now serving clients all over the nation. Riekoff has tabbed a host of employees that are well-rounded in the construction and advancement of high performance and racing machinery, including an engineer, lead fabricator, and EFI tuners. Will it be enough to make the final cut and, ultimately, to earn the $10,000 winners prize from Horsepower Wars?

To learn more about Riekoff and his team, check out their Q&A!

HW: Tell us a little about yourself

My name is Brad Riekkoff. I am 42 years old and a father of a sweet six-year old little girl. I live in Southeastern Wisconsin, close to where I grew up. Since childhood, I have been a car enthusiast with a big influence from my stepfather. He was into drag racing, mud drags and hill climbing with his CJ5 Jeep that we built together when I was 12 years old. I started building my first car, a 1969 Firebird, at the age of 14 in my mom’s garage. I had to have my sister drive that car home for me after I bought it since I didn’t have a license yet! After high school I finished an apprenticeship for outdoor plumbing while working for a family business.

In my early 20s I took a job for a large construction company where I went back to school for surveying and construction site layout. My passion for high performance vehicles never waned and I spend my nights and weekends wrenching as a hobby. In 2008, I turned my hobby into a full-time job with the start of my company, West Bend Dyno Tuning. Today, we boast eight full-time and three part-time employees and operate out of a 10,000 sq/ft. facility, serving clients both locally and from around the United States. Tuning is now only a part of what we do as a company. Our services and capabilities are always expanding and we are even getting into product development!

The company has serviced and built vehicles from all forms of racing. Making fast cars faster is just part of what we do. Safety and reliability are just as important. We have learned what works over the years and are looking forward to the opportunity to put our hard earned knowledge to work!

HW: Tell us about your team and their capabilities, experience, and background

Brad Riekkoff is our team leader as well as the owner of West Bend Dyno Tuning. Brad and his six-year old daughter live in West Bend, Wisconsin. When Brad is not working or spending time with his family, you can find him driving his 1,000 horsepower Trans Am, Riding his super moto bike, or scuba diving. Brad has great leadership qualities and is responsible for putting together our team to win Horsepower Wars.

Our Crew Chief, Brian Jankuski, also known as the professor, is married to Lynnett Jankuski and is a father of three children. He is a mechanical engineer with a passion for drag racing, and has been doing so for over 25 years. Brian does all of our chip burn EFI tunes at West Bend Dyno as well as provides solutions for problems when all else has failed. Fabricator Tony Brugginkvis our lead fabricator and very well-rounded in the performance aftermarket industry. Tony is well-versed in suspension set-up. Tony is married to Jenny Bruggink and a father of three boys. When Tony is not working or spending time with his family you will find him fabricating out of his home garage or working on his C10 project.

Brian Wohlfeil, who is a ASE Mastertech W/ L1/EFI Calibrator, is our lead EFI calibrator. Brian is also very good at diagnosing problems of any sort. He is Married to Molly Wohlfeil and is the father of a three-year old boy. When Brian is not spending time with his family or working, you can find him working on his Camaro or planning a future car build with his father.

HW: What makes you qualified to win the Horsepower Wars $10K Drag Shootout?

I think this would be a great opportunity for us to bond outside of our normal routines and show what we are capable of. This is what we do for a living! The hardest part would be deciding the best 5 guys for the team, since we have eight employees. If it came down to it, I would give up my position on the team for one of my guys.vMy team is very well rounded. We have a lot of experience in the performance industry. We have the capability and ambition see a task like this to the end. In our business, adapting and overcoming obstacles are part of the daily routine. Customers turn to us to accomplish their goals. We have a history of helping them succeed; now it’s our turn. This type of stuff is our life and this could really be fun!!

HW: Tell us about a car you and your team have built

We have built many cars as a team. Two that come to mind are a twin turbo 1,700 horepower 1970 Nova that runs mid sevens and a 1980 pro-touring 1,000 horsepower Trans Am that is extremely competitive in the Pro-touring world.

Stay tuned as we release the fifth finalist and work our way through the entire lineup of teams that will vie for a shot at this rough-and-tumble build-off!