“It’s loaded more throughout the complete run, and you have to remember that the pull time is significantly longer than a quarter-mile drag race,” Brian says. “During a pull, a lot of heat is built up because of the great weight stressing the engine. The load is hard on the camshaft and other components, and there are many things that affect the load factor, including track conditions and even the tires.”

When asked about the horsepower capabilities of their engines, an unexpected reply came forth. “Don’t know, don’t care,” Brian says. “I never measure the power on a dyno alone. What I’m interested in is making sure there’s enough power to do the job. Then, too, depending on the particular pulling vehicle, the power and torque ranges are completely different.”

Brian continues, “Even though the multi-engine modifieds get most of the publicity, the largest number of our engines is used to power the blown, single-engine, two-wheel-drive trucks and mini-modified tractors. Of course, there are some adjustments when the engines are used in those applications.”

A major performance upgrade took place in the mid-’80s when Brian designed the first dual fuel pump system on a Blown Alcohol engine. The learning curve continued in 1987 when most engines were pressurized with the larger 14-71 High-Helix-style superchargers. “There were different rules from different pulling organizations that allowed various overdrive percentage levels,” John says. Another change was introduced in 1988 when the Knoxes switched to a direct-drive gearbox, which eliminated the transmission that was a weak link behind more power and torque.

In 1993, the Knoxes switched to the SSI High-Helix blower, which was more reliable and greatly increased the airflow. In recent years, a new intake manifold design has positioned the supercharger mounting point further towards the back of the engine, eliminating many of the tuning headaches of previous models.

NTPA’s various Modified classes present a challenge that is unique to this venue, linking up to six engines in unison and getting them to play well together. Through the years the Knox family’s Sassy Massey evolved from one to six Hemis, depending on which class they were competing in.

“With multiple engines, we tried to keep the setup as equal as possible by adjusting boost, compression ratio and idle speeds,” Brian says. “During the early years, there were breakage problems in the coupling hardware, but it’s much better today with stronger parts. We are not involved with the hardware, but it is certainly integrated into our engine designs.” John adds, “The advances in computer technology through the years have really helped us closely monitor and adjust for changing conditions.”

The Knox family has seen a lot of changes from the birth of the Funny Car and its evolution in the ‘70s, to modified tractor pulling, where they were in the thick of things again, starting out with a single engine and in 1988 when the Sassy Massey shook the ground with its six-supercharged Hemis.

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Marketing? 
The Knox’s main marketing program is the tried-and-true word-of-mouth version. Their recipe is as
follows: “The best way to stay inside the minds of potential customers is to let them see our engines win, win and win some more. That, combined with attending as many events as possible to assist customers towards the goal of victory, is our form marketing.”

Ken Veney Industries

Even though Ken Veney’s shop is almost 800 miles from Weare, NH, the former NHRA World Champion driver and crew chief is an integral player in the success of Sassy Racing Engines. Sassy’s utilizes Veney’s billet aluminum cylinder heads on all of their engines. A common affection for the Chrysler Hemi sparked a longtime working friendship between the two camps.

Veney has raced seven classes of supercharged cars, including Chrysler, Chevy and Ford all running on alcohol (dragsters and Funny Cars), and all the cars setting NHRA national records and winning national events. Taking experiences from the different engines and combinations, he developed the latest head and piston design to give a broad rpm range that works well for pulling and for Sassy Engines’ particular combinations. In 2012, Veney designed, built and drove his four-engined Funny Farmall to the NTPA season championship in the Unlimited class.

For more information on all things Sassy, visit www.sassyengines.com or friend them on Facebook.