Daniels Looks for Two-Peat at Dutch Classic Mopar(R) HEMI(R) Challenge
Jim Daniels will not only attempt to defend his 2008 title in the Mopar HEMI(R) Challenge Race Series Dutch Classic event at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., on Oct. 22–24. He's also aiming for his second triumph in a row this season after winning the rain-shortened Mopar HEMI Challenge event at Columbus, Ohio, last month.
The Yardley, Pa., dentist qualified at the top of the Columbus field in his Ray Barton-built 1968 HEMI Dodge Dart, just ahead of engine builder Charlie Westcott Jr.'s 1968 HEMI Plymouth Barracuda. That was all it took for Daniels to earn his second career Mopar HEMI Challenge win, as the NHRA declared Daniels the winner when rain came to National Trail Raceway and washed out class eliminations. Daniels' first Mopar HEMI Challenge win came at the 2008 Dutch Classic event.
The roles were reversed in the Mopar HEMI Challenge event at the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day Weekend. Westcott Jr. was top qualifier, with Daniels right behind. Their battle will come to a head at Maple Grove, not just for driver supremacy, but also for engine builder bragging rights. Ray Barton's son, David, of Robesonia, Pa., is also in the mix, with a Barton-built 426 HEMI. He was runner-up to Charlie Westcott Sr. at Indy, after Westcott Sr. swapped in a spare Westcott-built HEMI borrowed from John Rains.
Also a threat to win at Maple Grove is Bucky Hess, fresh off his overall Super Stock class win in the national NHRA event in Memphis on Oct. 11. "It was the most gratifying thing that I have done in racing," said Hess, who took home a prestigious Wally trophy for his Memphis win. "The closest to it would have been winning the first Mopar HEMI Challenge event, at Indy."
The Dutch Classic is the largest all-sportsman event on the east coast, with the Mopar HEMI Challenge event set to take Saturday's center stage. A large group of SS/AH 1968 Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracudas will vie for the $5,000 winner's purse at the final Mopar HEMI Challenge event of the season. The Dutch Classic runs through Sunday, Oct. 25, with eliminator championships at stake.
Entered runners at Maple Grove include Jim Pancake, Tyler Hard, Wendell Howes, Al Smyth, Steve Hebert and Gary and Bob Wolkowitz, with additional entries expected. For a recap of the Mopar HEMI Challenge Race Series Dutch Classic event, visit http://www.moparspeed.com.