Drag Racing Action Online and Courtesy NHRA

Images Phil Hutchison

In what was one of, if not the best Hemi Challenge in U.S. Nationals history, Steve Comella from Webster NY wheeled his ’68 Barracuda to an historic fourth straight victory.

The field was an all-star affair with former champs Charlie Westcott, Jimmy Daniels, and Bucky Hess all trying to win the coveted Hemi Challenge trophy.

The Hemi Challenge is the longest-running continuous specialty race in NHRA history and has been a fan favorite for more than two decades. The event featured exciting heads-up, wheel-standing, side-by-side racing of Hemi-powered ’68 Super Stock Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas competing in the NHRA SS/AH class

Nearly two dozen of the Hemi powered Plymouth Barracudas and Dodge Darts were on hand to race at the prestigious event. The powerful 426 cubic inch Hemis  were prepped by the likes of David Barton, Charlie Westcott, Jason Line, and Reher and Morrison. It was a who’s who of drag racing.

Things for Comella and his dad Chuck, weren’t quite so perfect early in the weekend as they discovered damage on their Charlie Westcott built Hemi during Wednesday morning warmup.

“We tested at Martin (Michigan) earlier in the week and ran great,” Comella said.  “We buttoned up the car and headed to Indy. Wednesday, we see water coming out of the left header. I knew what the problem was as we had the same issue at Belle Rose and that head had been damaged. We took the motor apart and checked for carnage and sure enough, there’s a teeny tiny pinhole leak in the head.”

“If Westcott wasn’t there to help, I would have been loading up the car and heading back to New York,” Comella said. “Now remember, the first part of Indy was very hot, mid nineties. And Charlie comes over to our pit after we found the leak and proceeded to get it fixed for our first qualifier later that afternoon. He could have said he would come over later and check it out, but he worked on the motor right there in the grass and we got the car together for our first qualifier. I took the motor apart at eight am, and we had it back in the car at 4:45 for our 5:30 qualifier”

Comella qualified the Cuda #1 at an 8.424 @ 158.71 which stood as low time throughout all three qualifying sessions. The third of which Comella decided to skip.

“Not making the third qualifier almost bit us in the ass as the air got much better in the late afternoon and we nearly got passed by Bucky Hess. I was convinced that the third session wouldn’t help, and I had been busy working on the trans all afternoon and we decided to keep the car in the pits”

Hess who was sitting in the #3 spot with an 8.463 in his Jason Line prepped Cuda going into the third and final session, leapfrogged his engine builder Line with an 8.426 just two thousandths behind Comella.

Line stayed in third with an 8.461 in the Fish Stick Cuda with Westcott #4 at an 8.48 in  Anthony Rhodes’  “Karolina Kuda”.

“I told dad I would not be surprised if the top five cars were with a few thousandths of each other and I almost nailed it on the head with Anthony Rhodes fifth with an 8.491.”

Come Friday morning racing was on with the first round going off. Round one went by script with all the higher qualified cars winning for the exception of former Indy winner Steve Yantus a no show giving Terry Erwood the first round bye.

Jason Line, near lane, may have lost in R2 but the Bucky’s painted car took home Best Appearing 

In round two it was more of the same script with the quicker cars advancing. The only upset was #9 qualifier Arizona racer Eric Bell taking out Jason Line as Line had a troubled 10 second pass to Bell’s 8.550.

Comella adds, “After the second round, it started to get serious,”

Things got kicked off in R3 with Ohio driver Jim Pancake beating Bell with a 8.476 to Bell’s close 8.478.

Comella had his friend and engine builder Westcott next and after Westcott got the better light, Comella reeled the Michigan driver in with an 8.440 to Westcott’s close 8.466.

“I personally believe Charlie Wescott is the best to have ever done it in one of these cars,” Comella said after beating his buddy.  “I knew without question that we would be wheel to wheel at finish line. I fully expect every race we have to be decided by thousandths at the stripe.”

Jim Pancake, near lane, gave Comella all he could handle in the Semis

Hess took out a red lighting Anthony Rhodes giving Hess the competition bye to the semis where Comella took out Pancake in another close one 8.407 to a losing 8.442 of Pancake.

As the Indy sun was setting, the two quickest cars performed their burnouts in front of a standing crowd of Mopar fans.

It was essentially over at the green as Comella was off first with a 0.014 RT to Hess’ tardy 0.158 and blasted down the track setting Low ET of the race with an 8.396 @159.82 MPH to Hess’ losing 8.411

“Bucky was a few hundredths behind us all day and I was eerily relaxed for the final. It was just as I imagined. I went up, set up twenty on the tree, and ran and shut it off. The air had changed as there was a storm coming and I knew the car would pick up.”

Herb McCandless and Buddy Martin were on hand to help with the announcing and to share stories with the fans

“I can’t thank Sox and Martin and McCandless Collection for sponsoring this race. They jumped up with the money and put it together in a very short time. They did a phenomenal job with social media and getting sponsors.”

“Things have picked up as a whole for the class and the timing was perfect for the 70th annual race. All of this leads to having the best, in my opinion, HEMI Challenge in history.”

“I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of spectators and racers  that came back to our pits or in the staging lanes that told us how big of fans they were of us and the class and wished us the best.  I was taken aback by so many people telling me to go out and get em. I need to thank all these folks for their support.”

Four for Four for the Comellas

Comella, who now has four of the unique Hemi Head Challenge trophies in his office said, “I owe it all to my dad. We are a two person team. I wouldn’t be doing this without him. It’s his program. I wouldn’t have it any other way. No one else touches the car except Charlie Westcott and like I said, if it wasn’t for him, we would have left Indy earlier this weekend. He has been building motors for dad and me for 20 years. He could have been back at his pits working on his stuff, but he was over with us in the heat.”

“He could have said ‘you guys are going to miss Q1 and I’ll work on it later’ but he was there for us.”