Jerry Stallard Named Mopar 'Top Eliminator' Winner at Midwest Mopars in the Park
Jerry Stallard’s 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE was chosen as the Mopar "Top Eliminator" winner at the 26th Annual Midwest Mopars in the Park event at the Dakota County Fairgrounds in Farmington, Minn., on Sunday, June 6. The announcement capped the two-day car show, which also featured the first-ever appearance by the Mopar Direct Connection display rig at the event.
Stallard, from Columbia Station, Ohio, purchased his Dodge Challenger last year after locating it on the internet and began the restoration, which he completed the weekend prior to the Midwest Mopars in the Park. The project utilized a number of genuine Mopar Performance parts, including a Mopar Battery, Mopar Performance Air Filter Assembly and Mopar Valve Covers. Stallard and his wife, Victoria, currently own eight Chrysler Group vehicles.
The Mopar "Top Eliminator" program, now in its’ fourth year, recognizes the most skilled Mopar enthusiasts and their restyled or customized vehicles. Six Mopar "Top Eliminator" winners will be selected throughout the year at various events and through online submissions. The winning vehicles will be displayed in the Mopar Alley at the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
"To win this award and have the car displayed in the Mopar Alley at SEMA, it’s a surprise," said Stallard, who searched online for Mopar parts needed for the restoration while enduring a long recovery from knee surgery. "I never dreamed this in a million years. My first car was a 1968 Fury. We recently purchased a 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8®, and we have a few of the new Dodge Chargers and a few Dodge Caravans. It’s all Mopar for us."
Despite intermittent showers on both Saturday and Sunday, Mopar enthusiasts packed the Dakota County Fairgrounds and crowded the Mopar Direct Connection Rig. Midwest Mopars in the Park attendees checked out the Mopar Direct Connection Test Lab vehicle on display and snapped up Mopar apparel on sale at the DC Rig. Fans also had the opportunity to visit with Mopar racers of yesteryear at the event, including Butch Leal, Herb McCandless, Judy Lilly, Tom Coddington and Dave Rockwell of the Ramchargers, and Roland Leong, owner of the "Hawaiian" Funny Car.
"The rain didn’t dampen the spirits", said Alan Meehan, club secretary for the Midwest Mopars club, which organizes the event. "We had almost 700 cars in the show field, and including the car corral and the non-judged cars, we are well over 1,000 cars. This is the first year we’ve had Mopar out, and we’ve gotten great feedback. People are very excited to have Mopar out here supporting the show."