Photos and Story: Phil Hutchison

Steve Comella, in his secondDodge//HEMI Challenge at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series final, took the win in one of the quickest side-by-side Hemi races on record.

Facing multi time winner James Daniels in the final, Comella was second off the line with a 0.079 RT to Daniels’ better 0.040 but the Webster NY racer, chased the Barton powered Dart of Daniels down running a 8.364 to a 8.423.

Comella’s ’68 Barracuda, which uses Charlie Westcott Hemi Militia power for motivation, qualified his car #1 at Indy with an 8.431 and used consistent times to plow through the field of Hemi cars. Comella defeated Steve Kent former winner Bucky Hess and 2020 winner Steve Yantus, earlier in eliminations

Daniels Dart racing out of Yardley PA, qualified in the #3 spot with a 8.503, Earlier Daniels took out the Cuda of MN racer Rick Johnson, Eric Bell, and Jim Pancake to get to the finals.