The ninth edition of the Mopar HEMI Challenge Race Series at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals pits
nearly two dozen of the famous SS/AH 1968 HEMI Darts and Barracudas against each other to see if
Charlie Westcott Jr., will win his fourth Indy HEMI Challenge event in the last five years and
collect the $10,000 payout.
Westcott Jr., the usual favorite in these events, has a brand-new '68 HEMI Barracuda named War Fish
running for the first time, so all eyes will be on him to see whether he will again be a threat.
"The new car is ready and it's running well," said Westcott.
Westcott Jr.'s old War Fish may be the winningest Super Stock HEMI in history, surpassing even the
'68 HEMI Barracudas of Ronnie Sox (1969 U.S. Nationals winner) and Arlen Vanke (1968 U.S. Nationals
winner).
No matter what happens to Charlie this year, chances are that the name Westcott will still be
listed as one of the favorites. Charlie's father, Charlie Westcott Sr., is also a fast runner. He
holds the top speed record in the SS/AH class at just a tick below 160 mph.
The field also includes Melvin Daniels, a Yardley, Pa., dentist who won the most recent Mopar HEMI
Challenge. Ohio Chrysler dealer and recent winner Jim Pancake will compete in his '68 HEMI Dart, as
will Dodge dealer Darrell Marvel of Big Rapids, Mich. Randy Warford of Nashville, Ind., will
compete in his '68 HEMI Barracuda and is also bringing a new Dodge Challenger Drag Pak by Mopar to
run in A/Stock Automatic during the weekend.
The Mopar HEMI Challenge Race Series will visit the Jegs Northern SPORTSnationals, Sept. 25-27, at
National Trail Raceway near Columbus, Ohio, and the Dutch Classic, Oct. 22-25, at Maple Grove
Raceway in Reading, Pa. Each event offers $5,000 prize money to the winner.
2009 U.S. Nationals Mopar HEMI Challenge Entrants
Driver Hometown Make Entry
Joe Teuton III Schriever, La. '68 Plymouth SOUTHLAND TRUCK GROUP
Wendell Howes Rathesay, Neb. '68 Barracuda HOWES RACING
James Keyes Durand, Mich. '68 Barracuda KEYES & LEWIS CUDA
Jeffrey Kobylski Macomb Twp, Mich. '68 Dodge MODERN CYLINDER HEAD
Jim Pancake Delaware, Ohio '68 Dart CARRIAGE TOWNE CDJ INC.
Dave Raybourn Modesto, Calif. '68 Barracuda TCB INDUSTRIAL/AMERICAN META
Melvin Daniels Yardley, Pa. '68 Dart RAY BARTON RACING ENGINES
Bucky Hess II Bunker Hill, W.Va. '68 Woody BUCKYS LTD AUTOBODY INC
Gary Wolkwitz Annandale, N.J. '68 Dodge EARTHQUAKE
Chuck Comella Sanibel, Fla. '68 Dart ISLAND HEMI
David Barton Robesonia, Pa. '68 Barracuda MAHAN & BARTON ENG
Bill Brooks Kissimmee, Fla. '68 Barracuda BILL BROOKS RACING
Charlie Westcott Parma, Mich. '68 Barracuda JACKSON DRYWALL
William Bales Connersville, Ind. '68 Barracuda MR2 PERFORMANCE
Randall Warford Nashville, Ind. '68 Barracuda WARFORD MOTORSPORTS
Darrell Marvel Big Rapids, Mich. '68 Barracuda MARCO DODGE/INTOON RACING
Charlie Westcott Jr. Parma, Mich. '68 Barracuda WAR FISH
Stephen Hebert Westlake, La. '68 Plymouth SS/AH
Tim Hebert Thibodaux, La. '68 Barracuda SOUTHLAND FLYER/HEBERT BROS.
Russ Campbell Springfield, Mo. '68 Barracuda SUPER STOCK A/H
Dan Zrust Maple Grove, Minn. '68 Barracuda QA1/TOTAL ENGINE SERVICE
Chuck Rayburn Castro Valley, Calif. '68 Barracuda CHUCK RAYBURN RACING
John Rains Santa Paula, Calif. '68 Dart JOHN RAINS HELI HEMI
The Mopar Brand: Authentic Motor Parts and Accessories for Chrysler, JeepR and Dodge
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and
distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor
Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.
Mopar-a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts-was trademarked for a line of antifreeze
products in 1937. It also was widely used as a moniker for the CMPC.
The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s-the muscle car era. The Chrysler Corporation built
race-ready Dodge and Plymouth "package cars" equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar
carried a line of "special parts" for super stock drag racers and developed its racing parts
division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.
In addition to its proud muscle-car heritage, Mopar established a solid reputation as a one-stop
shop for proven, quality-tested, reliable and original parts. Just this year, in 2009, Mopar has
introduced more than 200 new parts and accessories.
"Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered by the same team that creates all of our
factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, JeepR and Dodge vehicles," said Pietro
Gorlier, President & CEO, Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care, Chrysler Group LLC. "At Mopar, we
offer more than 280,000 parts and accessories for customers who want to customize and refresh their
rides."
Today, Mopar is responsible for the distribution of authentic Mopar replacement parts, components
and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles sold in more than 90 countries. To assure
quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict
adherence to Chrysler engineering standards.
