MOPAR® HEMI® CHALLENGE RETURNS TO THE U.S. NATIONALS FOR A 13TH YEAR
Company press release.◾Mopar HEMI Challenge returns to the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis August 29-30th for a 13th consecutive season. ◾Winner will take home $15,000 purse, the iconic HEMI Challenge trophy and the addition of a custom Mopar winner's jacket ◾Mopar adds a cash prize payout to the full 16-car field to this year's edition August 6, 2013 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The Mopar® HEMI® Challenge will once again have National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Sportsman enthusiasts revved up as Mopar-powered SS/AH (Super Stock/Automatic-HEMI) class competitors prepare for a showdown on the quarter-mile drag strip at Lucas Oil Raceway for the prestigious U.S. Nationals in Brownsburg, Ind., Aug. 29–30, for a 13th consecutive season. The Mopar HEMI Challenge, which debuted at the 2001 U.S. Nationals, features 1968 HEMI Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas, the classic muscle cars that contributed to the brand's legendary reputation and success at the drag strip, engaged in a quarter-mile battle. This year's edition will see competitors vie for a $15,000 first place award, the iconic HEMI Challenge trophy and newly added prize, a custom Mopar winner's jacket. Also a new feature to the Mopar HEMI Challenge is an added cash prize payout to the full 16-car field competing in the elimination rounds scheduled for Friday, Aug. 30. 'We're very proud of how popular our Mopar vehicles have remained since their introduction over 40 years ago, especially because of the passion we see from sportsman competitors and fans,' said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC's service, parts and customer-care brand. 'We can't emphasize enough how much the NHRA Sportsman drag racers that compete in the Mopar HEMI Challenge are truly the backbone of the sport. In recognizing our roots and their dedication to the brand and drag racing, we're always looking at ways to improve competition and support our sportsman racers. We're doing that with a very strong Contingency Program, the Mopar HEMI Challenge, the addition of the Tom Hoover Sportsman Challenge, and our Sportsman Barbecues.' 'The Mopar®HEMI® Challenge has become an integral part of the world's most prestigious drag race and the winners of this specialty event add to the lore of the race,' said Tom Compton, President of the NHRA. 'To continue this partnership for 13 years shows the dedication and commitment Mopar has to the NHRA and to NHRA sportsman racing which is a key component in the sport of NHRA drag racing.' The inaugural Mopar HEMI Challenge was won by Bucky Hess at Indianapolis in 2001. Richard Beshore claimed the top prize the following year and Jerry Jenkins took the victory in 2003, while four-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. won the Mopar HEMI Challenge in 2004. In 2005, Charlie Westcott Jr., of Parma, Mich., earned the first of five career Mopar HEMI Challenge wins (2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012) at Lucas Oil Raceway. His streak of victories was interrupted by Rick Houser in 2007, his own father, Charlie Westcott Sr. in 2009, and Jim Daniels, who took bragging rights in 2010.
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Part of the support offered to Mopar-powered grassroots racers competing in the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is a contingency program with financial awards for those running with specified parts, as well as three sportsman barbecues held at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver, and the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. In anticipation of next year's 50th anniversary of the 426 Race HEMI engine, Mopar also established the 'Tom Hoover Sportsman Challenge' at the start of the 2013, with a winner selected from the Sportsman Stock or Super Stock classes by amassing the most points at the wheel of a Chrysler Group vehicle in the course of a season during NHRA sanctioned races nationwide. The victor will be awarded a $4,260 purse, as a nod to the 426 HEMI®, and presented with a special commemorative Mopar trophy, as well as a custom Mopar winner's jacket. All national event winners will continue to be eligible for the 'Mopar National Event Winner' decal to proudly display on their Chrysler vehicle. 13th Annual Mopar HEMI Challenge The 13th annual Mopar HEMI Challenge, featuring Mopar-powered SS/AH (Super Stock/Automatic-HEMI) class competitors, is scheduled to take place Thursday and Friday during the 59th annual U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Ind., held from Aug. 28–Sept. 2. For more information on the Mopar HEMI Challenge and the U.S. Nationals, visit http://www.nhra.com. About Mopar Motorsports Mopar's commitment to professional motorsports competition was established in the 1950s when a partnership ignited with drag racing pioneer Don Garlits, resulting in the breaking of numerous speed and performance barriers in HEMI®-powered vehicles over the next several decades. In 2013, Mopar looks to defend its two NHRA 2012 World Championship titles in Pro Stock and Funny Car categories, and celebrates 25 consecutive years as title sponsor of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Colorado. While Mopar remains involved in a various professional motorsports series, it continues to honor its roots by being a proud supporter of amateur racing within the NHRA with its sponsorship of the HEMI Challenge and Mopar Sportsman Cup. Mopar Brand Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC's service, parts and customer-care brand and distributes 280,000 parts and accessories. With the creation of the industrial alliance between Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A., Mopar is extending its global reach, integrating service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Mopar's global portfolio includes more than 500,000 parts and accessories that are distributed in more than 130 markets. Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for Chrysler Group brands as well as Fiat brands. Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler Group and Fiat vehicles – a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at www.mopar.com. Mopar-first Features Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including: ◾Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with customers ◾Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format. First to offer complete vehicle-information kits in Spanish ◾Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot ◾Wireless charging: first to introduce in-vehicle wireless charging for portable devices ◾Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters ◾wiAdvisor: first to provide factory-connected tablet technology in the service lane for instant vehicle diagnosis ◾wiTech: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network ◾2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car More than 75 Years of Mopar Mopar (a simple contraction of the words Motor and PARts) was trademarked for antifreeze product in 1937. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s – the muscle-car era. The former Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth 'package cars' equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of 'special parts' for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use. The brand has expanded to include technical service and customer support.
