Under a cloudless sky and a good Saturday crowd the MOPAR Hemis headed to the staging lanes.
Losses Mount in Hemi Shootout
As the season wears on the attrition in the SS/AH ranks has been large. According to Indy US Nationals MOPAR Hemi shootout winner Rick Houser, “Engines are hurting, equipment is broken and the teams are worn out.” Houser was accounting for only five entries in the Shootout at the Jeg’s Pacific Sportsnationals held at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, CA over the weekend.
During Super Stock qualifying Houser was at the head of the class in his DeFrank & Sons ’68 Barracuda running an 8.693 elapsed time followed by John Rains 8.779 and Michael Ogburn’s 8.799 in his West Coast Hemis ‘Cuda tuned by veteran Harry Holton.
In the first round, West Coast Hemis team member Jerry Jenkins failed to show for his first round match with Ogburn, affording him a bye run on a 8.945/147.92 MPH pass.
As top qualifier Rick Houser received a bye run, but after the ‘Cuda came down from the launch it made a quick move toward the right guard wall coasting through with a 10.877. A Hemi from veteran MOPAR builder Joe Allread powers Houser’s racecar
