The second stop for the Mopar Hemi Challenge was at Belle Rose, Louisiana. As in the report of the race, Charlie Westcott Jr left the track still undefeated at the JEGS Cajun Sports Nationals. Looks like the “Fish” is back for sure as Charlie had himself and four of his customers in the top five spots. What was interesting was the no show of Rick Houser in the DeFrank & Sons Barracuda and the missing Jim Pancake from the qualifying sheet.
Jim was there on Thursday for the test and tune and the special index race track owner Pat Joffrion had set up for the Super Stock and Stock eliminator racers. On Jim’s first run he blew the tires off on the launch, but got back into it to see how the car would run on the back half of the track. Right in the lights his car decided it had seen enough as the motor retired for the weekend. Mr. Pancake and his crew did not have a spare engine so they loaded the Dodge Dart up and headed back home to Ohio. As to why the Houser car didn’t show, I have not yet heard anything.
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Another driver at Belle Rose making a debut in a new car was Jim Daniels from Yardley, Pennsylvania. He has bought the famous Dodge Dart owned by engine builder Ray Barton. Jim ran 8.76 during qualifying and did manage to go all the way to the finals with the Dart. Darn good job for the first time out in his new car. Jim experienced electrical problems before the finals and could not get the car started.
For the stick shift fans out there, Charlie Westcott Sr. and Matt Hensley were there to represent you. It seems like the J.E.T. (Jackson Engine Tech) group of the Westcotts are starting to get the Barracuda to run ET’s to match the great mph’s they have been running with the car. Sr. went an 8.758. In eliminations he went a speed of 153.21. That’s great speed for the weather conditions of that event. Matt Hensley was not as fast, but did manage to go to the semis. Matt’s fastest run was 8.940. The sticks still are having problems the first 200 feet or so, but as soon as they get that worked out, look out!!
Two Hemi drivers from Canada were in attendance at Belle Rose. They were the father and son team of Wendell and Mark Howes with a Cuda and Dart. With them was Mark’s brothers’ Hemi challenger for Stock eliminator. It is a real family affair as they travel around the country running mainly the Hemi events. At this show, Wendell was trying to keep his Barracuda from taking out the tree or guardrail as it was reaching for the sky every run. Mark was getting his Dodge Dart to start putting out good numbers as he did go an 8.913.
