Elder Westcott wins HEMI Challenge at U.S. Nationals

Working together, the Westcotts, Charlie Sr. and Charlie Jr., pulled off another victory last night in the Mopar NHRA HEMI Challenge at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. It was Charlie Senior’s turn this time; he and his 1968 Hemi Barracuda bested David Barton, of Robesonia, Pennsylvania.

To get the job done, Westcott needed a lot of help from his son, Charlie Jr., and a bunch of their competitors. The elder Westcott’s engine dropped a valve on the bye run that put him into the finals. The junior Westcott, Thursday’s fastest qualifier, had the same engine which prevented him from appearing in an earlier round.

“I figured there was nothing we could do but go home,” Charlie Senior said, “but my son is a workaholic.”

The younger Westcott reclaimed a Mopar 426 Hemi engine he had just delivered to John Raines, of Santa Paula, California, and moved the Barracuda to Californian Jim DeFrank’s well-equipped trailer to do an engine swap.

With the help of many HEMI Challenge racers, the job took 90 minutes; just enough time to get to the starting line where finalist Barton’s Barracuda was waiting 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.

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.