We're back to hold a shootout at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. For this return engagement, we enlisted the help of two previous shootout participants and their friends-some very enthusiastic Pentastar people. It was a diverse gathering of cars and owners.
This shootout has no trophies, prizes, or winners. It's just a great get-together for a bunch of Mopar maniacs to share stories and information while having fun racing their cars. Kudos to Englishtown for the use of their facilities. we appreciated the help from Primedia coworkers-Jim Campisano, Evan Smith, Steve Baur, and Mike Galimi-for making sure everything went smoothly.
We stayed away from race cars and used only street-driven-type cars that can be enjoyed by the average Mopar fan. The seven owners let us in on their vehicle's total specifications (engine, tuning, drivetrain, suspension, wheels, tires, weight, launch, and shift rpm). We detailed each run's 60-foot times, quarter-mile e.t., and quarter-mile mph. Any of these tested and proven combinations could be duplicated for a similar buildup.
The weather was typical for a November in the northeast (39-42 degrees). Beneficial to the racers was a high rising barometer (30.19 to 30.28) and low humidity of 38-43 percent. These weather conditions enabled those "little blocks" to inhale some air. Even though Englishtown sprayed down some sticky stuff, the cold track surface gave the group (most used street tires) a tough time hooking up. But with the great air conditions, some of the participants ran their best ever e.t.'s. Unfortunately, we had a few mishaps, but that's racing. Read on for all the gore and glory.