Bucky Hess to Start from Top Spot in Quest for Coveted Mopar HEMI® Challenge Trophy

September 1, 2016 , Indianapolis, Indiana -  The 62nd annual U.S. Nationals are well underway and NHRA Sportsman competition is in full swing. One of the highlights of the event is the Mopar HEMI® Challenge, a race within a race that pits Mopar-powered Super Stock/Automatic-HEMI (SS/AH) Sportsman class competitors in head-to-head battle. Qualifying for the premier Mopar sportsman race has concluded, and long-time Mopar campaigner Bucky Hess has earned the coveted No. 1 position.
 
Hess, driving his 1968 Plymouth Barracuda painted with the striking and notorious King Cuda scheme, wheeled his way to a best time of 8.459-second to secure the top qualifying position. He will square off with Jim Keyes and his Barracuda in the first round of the competition scheduled to take place on Friday morning at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.
 
Last season's Mopar HEMI Challenge winner, Lloyd Wofford, earned the No. 7 qualifying position and will race Matt Welker in round one.
 
An assortment of 1968 HEMI-powered Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda entries, considered the classic Mopar package cars, were vying for position before contending for the $15,000 winner's prize. Along with the cash prize and bragging rights will come a specially designed HEMI Challenge trophy that weighs a whopping 42.6lbs. All entrants will receive special Mopar HEMI Challenge decals, hats and posters, and a numbered print by lauded drag racing artist John Jodauga.
 
In the world of modern era Mopar package cars, all eyes were on a new entry in the Stock Eliminator category.
 
For the first time in her career, two-time and reigning NHRA Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders was behind the wheel of a sleek Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak vehicle in the School of Auto Machinists & Technology Factory Stock Showdown at Indy. Enders wheeled a supercharged 354-cubic-inch Gen III HEMI engine-powered Mopar Dodge Drag Pak prepped by the Joe Welch Racing organization and outfitted in official Dodge and Mopar graphics. Enders made one solid qualifying pass but tune-up gremlins cut her weekend short.
 
About Mopar Motorsports
The Mopar brand’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 2016, Mopar will look to once again vie for a NHRA World Championship title in both Pro Stock and Funny Car categories. While Mopar remains involved in a various professional motorsports series, it continues to honor its roots by being a proud supporter of Sportsman racing within the NHRA with its sponsorship of the HEMI Challenge and Mopar’s Tom Hoover Sportsman Challenge.
 
About Mopar Brand
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked in 1937 with the launch of an antifreeze product, but it truly made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era. From Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use, the brand soon expanded to include technical service and customer support.
 
Today, Mopar is the service, parts and customer-care brand of FCA US and distributes more than 500,000 parts and accessories in over 150 markets around the world. With more than 50 parts distribution centers and 25 customer contact centers globally, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for FCA brands.
 
Mopar parts are engineered together with the same teams that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles. This offers 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
Mopar is the global name for Stellantis genuine parts and authentic accessories.

A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over more than 85 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, Mopar  expanded to include technical service and customer support, and today integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Complete information on Mopar is available at www.mopar.com and the Mopar blog at blog.mopar.com. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

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