Charlie Westcott, Sr., Wins the MoparR HEMI Challenge at the U.S. Nationals

August 4, 2009

Contact: Roger Meiners, (248) 553-4566, Cell: (248) 408-9541
E-mail: rmeiners@jrthompson.com

 

MOPAR HEMI(r) CHALLENGE RACE REPORT
2009 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES
Event 1 of 3
September 4, 2009
Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals

O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Charlie Westcott, Sr. Wins the Mopar(r) HEMI(r) Challenge at the U.S.
Nationals


Indianapolis, Ind. (August 4, 2009) - The Westcott family, of Parma,
Mich., pulled off another victory tonight in the Mopar(r) NHRA HEMI(r)
Challenge at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Charlie
Wescott, Sr., did it this time, in his 1968 Hemi Barracuda, besting
David Barton, of  Robesonia, Pa. Westcott needed a lot of help from his
son, Charlie Westcott, Jr., and a bunch of their competitors. 

 

Westcott Senior's engine dropped a valve on the bye run that put him
into the finals. "I figured there was nothing we could do but go home,"
he said, "but my son is a workaholic." Westcott Junior reclaimed a Mopar
426 Hemi engine he had just delivered to John Raines, a fellow
competitor, and moved the Barracuda next door to Californian Jim
DeFrank's well-equipped trailer to do an engine swap. 

 

With the help of many HEMI Challenge racers, the job took ninety
minutes, which was just enough time to get to the starting line where
finalist Barton was waiting in his Barracuda to take a bye run. 

 

The match turned into a disaster for Barton, who left late, and a
Cinderella story for the Westcotts as Charlie Senior was much quicker
off the line He claimed the Hemi Challenge title with an 8.626 second
run at 156.15 mph. Barton trailed with an 8.802 elapsed time and a speed
of 152.87 mph.

 

Westcott Senior will take home $10,000 for the victory, his first at the
U.S. Nationals. His son Charlie, Jr., has won three out of the last four
Mopar Hemi Challenges in Indianapolis. Today's win makes it four out of
the last five for the Westcotts.

 

"Jason Line came up to me after I won and said, 'You give me something
to look forward to when I get old,'" said the 66-year-old Westoctt, Sr.
Line is a veteran Pro Stock champion.

 

Westcott junior had the same engine problem as that of his father,
preventing him from appearing in an earlier round. He was the fastest
qualifier with an 8.491 clocking. Jim Daniels, of Yardley, Pa., was the
second-fastest, recording an 8.519 in his HEMI Barracuda. Daniels made
it to the third round before losing to Raines, who then lost to Barton
in the semifinals.

 

Twenty-one 1968 Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracudas participated in the
Mopar Hemi Challenge this year. Entrants were from thirteen states
across the U.S., ranging from New Jersey to California and from
Minnesota to Louisiana.