MOPAR HEMI CHALLENGE 2008 POINTS BATTLE BLASTS OFF THIS WEEKEND AT JEGS NHRA NORTHERN SPORTSNATIONALS
It’s time for drivers in the NHRA Super Stock/A-HEMI (SS/AH) division to go back to work. After the crowning of 2007 Mopar HEMI Challenge champion Rick Houser at the Aug. 31 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals HEMI Challenge event, 1968 Plymouth Barracudas and Dodge Darts are set to do battle once again on Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals. This event is the first of three 2008 Mopar HEMI Challenge points events scheduled for this year.
Houser, driving Jim DeFrank’s California Covers 1968 Barracuda, banked $15,000 in prize money at the U.S. Nationals Mopar HEMI Challenge, taking the event win and securing the 2007 series championship.
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The Mopar HEMI Challenge Midwest stop at the Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals will be quickly followed by a trip to the West Coast for the NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals HEMI Challenge, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 6 in Fontana, Calif. The series will then head east to Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., for the NHRA Pennsylvania Dutch Classic HEMI Challenge event on Oct. 21.
“We’re heading into the eighth Mopar HEMI Challenge season, and the series has matured from a single event to a multi-race series with stops across the country,” said Jon Clark, Mopar Performance’s Department Manager, Chrysler LLC. “As we’ve added events, the number of SS/AH Plymouth Barracudas and Dodge Darts competing at each new venue has been impressive. The three 2008 HEMI Challenge points events we have scheduled for this year are indicative of the scope of the program. Dedicated enthusiasts from throughout the U.S., who pour money, time and effort into these SS/AH HEMI-powered Mopar cars, will have the opportunity to showcase their hard work as they battle head-to-head for the 2008 Mopar HEMI Challenge championship.”
Two additional 2008 Mopar HEMI Challenge events will take place this fall. The NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals HEMI Challenge is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 6, in Fontana, Calif., and the NHRA Pennsylvania Dutch Classic HEMI Challenge event will take place on Oct. 21, at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.
In 2008 three HEMI Challenge Race Series stops are scheduled: Mopars at the Strip in Las Vegas; the Jegs.com NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals in Louisiana; and the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis where the 2008 champion will be crowned. [09/27/07]
