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Mega Mopar Action Series – Extra Coverage
Battle and Beauty In The Spring
The MEGA Mopar Action series heats up at Rockingham Dragway
Story and photos by Geoff Stunkard unless otherwise noted
The history of the South is one that evokes emotion from both residents and outsiders. Thanks to General ShermanÂ’s push, the city of Rockingham, N.C., heard the stomping of invading soldiers back in March of 1865, and was occupied for several days. Exactly 100 years later, and perhaps more to our interest, there was a new speedway that also saw its own forms of battle 10 miles east of the city. Opened in 1965 right off of old Highway U.S. 1, just as NASCARÂ’s Hemi ban had to be lifted due to the 1966 Street Hemi release, this banked oval hosted big races through the 2004 season, but is now used primarily for testing. Across the street from it, however, Steve Earwood and his dedicated crew continue to hold competitions on the drag strip nicknamed The Rock.
Rockingham Dragway also has a long history. Opened soon after the speedway had been completed, the track has hosted national events for AHRA, NHRA and currently IHRA. Earwood is a spirited promotor and the property has seen such diverse attractions as the professional doorslammer extravganza DragStock, the Smoke Out Bike Rally, and rock megastars Metallica. But we were there because the second Saturday in April is traditionally used for the trackÂ’s Chrysler-oriented MEGA Mopar Action series show. This was actually the 23rd year for this Mopar-oriented event.
Wheels up action at the Rock was part of the class racing, and included this very nice 1969 Dart
running in the Footbrake class under the handling of Allen Farmer, Madison, N.C.
Like many regional Mopar shows, modern times have been challenging as attendance patterns changed during the past five years, but Steve stayed the course with his date and program. 2014 saw a nice increase in spectators and cars, both for the racing and adjacent car show. Details for the car show were handed this year by ‘Frog’ Jones, who also runs the week-long Mopar event in Myrtle Beach in August. The cars on hand there ranged from classics and hot rods to the latest Challengers and Vipers, with all the major musclecar era body designs on hand as well.
With several strong clubs and a large following for Mopars in the Piedmont area, this yearÂ’s gorgeous weather allowed some outstanding vehicles to be on hand. In the end, it was Ancil Cross and his 1971 Dodge Demon that took home Best of Show. A 340 car in pristine condition, it was up against a field of excellent iron that included other A-, B-, and E-body cars which also could have taken the top prize, not to mention a large variety of late-models.
EditorÂ’s Choice was given to George Nesbit for his motor. Huh? With a racing partner, George had bought a new 1964 Plymouth Super Commando Hemi car. Soon after, they had swapped that engine into a Â’40 Willys for the gasser wars, and when that was over, he had sold the race motor to a friend in 1966. He was able to buy the motor back 42 years later and had recently completed a tribute car around it. We will have the rest of GeorgeÂ’s story and a feature on this car in an upcoming issue.
If you were into the 21st century, the Carolina chapter of the Viper Owners Club had a row of cars on hand, the truck guys were in an area reserved for the stompers, and a bunch of late-model Challengers, Chargers, 300s and Magnums gave onlookers an eyeful.
After a test and tune on Friday evening, things on the racetrack got off to an unexpectedly lengthy start Saturday morning due to fluid issues during qualifying. The staff worked very hard to prep the track again so that the lanes would be even from side to side after each of these, and once racing got underway, things went smoothly without further incident. In both Top ET and Footbrake, races were run on an eighth-mile format, as many regional racers are often on tracks of that length. Trophy and HEMI exhibition racing took to the full quarter.
James Davis of Max Meadows, Va. won the S&W Racecars Challenger Challenge with his normally-aspirated 2009 Challenger.
Photo by Gary Rowe/RaceWorks.com
The S&W Challenger Challenge was won by James Davis, of Max Meadows, Vir., whose 2009 car is normally-aspirated but features a couple of custom touched. In Top ET, the final round was decided by a mere .001. Billy Varner of Stanley, N.C, took his black gen-two Barracuda to a 5.748 at 120.63 on a 5.75 dial, but won despite the breakout after David Keels fouled away his shot at the $1200.00 prize money by one-thousandths of a second at the start. In a large field of Footbrake racers, J.W. Ray of Winston-Salem, N.C. held off all challengers with his own 1970 Challenger, but only needed to run 9.21 on his 6.15 dial-in when opponent Eric Hultberg and his Â’65 Valiant wagon could not take the tree. Trophy class went to Davey Emanuel of Laurinburg, S.C. and his notchback Barracuda. As in the Top ET final, Emanuel broke out but benefitted from the foul start of Jason Thompson.
The HEMI exhibition was led off by Steve Moths and the nitro-burning Bad News Dodge 1965 Coronet match racer. With 35% in the tank, Moths cranked off runs in the mid nine-second zone at 140 mph. This was a big day for Steve as he had just completed getting a fresh big-inch motor together. Bob Reed had two cars on hand, but was plagued with mechanical issues, First a valvetrain problem that sidelined his ride, then the second car was shut off on the line with a small fluid leak.The team did make two full passes with the second car before the day was over. Also on hand were Tank and Ralph Crosswhite with a 1980s era SS/AA ’68 Barracuda, the Homier & Tiller team had two cars running (another SS/AA ‘cuda and an N/SS Coronet), and Mike Kayrouz made passes in the ex-Butch Leal / Steve Bagwell 1965 Belvedere that Ron Butler had built in the 1970s. To top it off, former New York natives Eugene and Allen Coard had the Ronnie Lyles Duster tribute at the event, but it was only on display as the team was still getting ready for the 2014 season.
One final car was the 1967 ‘Old Blue’ Belvedere of Richard Petty, which came to the event courtesy the Petty Museum. This car remains the winningest ever NASCAR vehicle, with 27 victories in one season, and had been displayed at various locations during the past 10 years before coming back to Level Cross, where the collection was recently relocated back to the old Petty shop. The museum’s trailer, manned by Larry Laney and Gary Gardner, was full of Petty memorabilia.
Mopar Action and S&W banners were posted right on the starting line thanks to the great close action the track provides.
This is the group of many winners at the car show, surrounding the 1971 Dodge Demon of Ancil Cross that took Best of Show.
Late-model Mopars are very popular in the South, and this was a row of excellent examples ranging from basic stock to big power.
Here is J.W. Ray and his yellow Challenger from Winston-Salem, N.C., which took home the win in the Footbrake class.
One of our favorites at the show was this absolutely gorgeous 1965 Sport Fury 383/four speed combo owned by Benson, N.C.’s Danny Wood. Despite being ‘just a C-body,’ the car was surrounded by onlookers most of the event , who also wanted to see the restored pedal car in the trunk.
Jim Homier was driving this very clean 1968 Hemi Barracuda. We did not ask if it was original or racebuilt, but can tell you the paint, stance and wheels were just right for a blast from the past. Our vote is an SS/B nostalgia series – OEM cross ram, 12-inch tires, and no wheelie bars!
John Jancic took runner-up in E-body with this AAR ‘cuda that he restored in his own shop; the Plymouth also took Best of Show at Auto Fair in Charlotte last fall, in a sea of high-dollar Camaros and beautiful collector cars.
‘Cool’ honors in Footbrake action go to the ’65 Valiant wagon of Eric Hultberg, who pulled the nose up like this on several passes before being unable to make the final.
Need a project? Here was a manual-shift Challenger that, despite being in pieces, looked restorable. Asking price was 7500.00, rope and chains includedÂ…
B-body Modified winner was Eddie Gramisci of Greensboro, N.C. and this radically-modified 1968 Charger. The car featured a low-deck B-motor that Eddie, who owns a couple of restaurants, says kicks out 450 ponies. Very clean, and sounded great.
Steve Moths was making exhibition runs, but came over to the car show to display the Bad News Dodge in the mid afternoon. Those cars in the background were unknown dreams when this Ted Detar tuned machine made hop laps back in the day of match-bash racingÂ…
If youÂ’d had the rarest Â’63 Dart GT ever, and needed what may be the last NOS grille in the original box, $425.00 could have brought it home from the Rock. Very scarce item, but weÂ’d have to say the price was looking for the right buyerÂ…
Lehman Barfield took home top honors with his 1972 Barracuda;
on the dash he displayed a photo of how the car looked when he first got it. Nice workÂ…
Tank Crosswhite, just a good ol’ boy never meanin’ no harm, getting some hook in an SS/AA Hemi car he and Ralph had at the Rock. A little Barton tweaking on the engine, a little bit of local corn sqeezin’s in the mason jar, and off we go…
There were three A12 440 Six Pak/440-6BBL cars on hand at the event. Curtis Wells owns this beauty, a 1969 Road Runner hardtop featuring the lift-off hood, big G70-15 tires on steel wheels, and great paint.
The Petty Museum chose Rockingham to bring the original 1967 ‘Old Blue’ Belvedere out for display,
which has been in the museum in Charlotte for the last couple of years.
The Trophy class went to Davey Emanuel of Laurinburg, S.C. and his notchback Barracuda;
Gary RoweÂ’s winner circle image shows the trophy was pretty impressive.
Photo by Gary Rowe/RaceWorks.com
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