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Late-Model Hemi True Street Challenge - 21st-Century ShootoutLate-Model Muscle Cars Duke It Out In Pennsylvania From the December, 2010 issue of Mopar Muscle By Randy Bolig Photography by Randy Bolig
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Mohnton, Pennsylvania, is a quiet little town nestled in the hills around Reading, Pennsylvania, and the locals like the peacefulness of the rural setting. Unfortunately, on the weekend of June 4 through 6, that peacefulness was interrupted by the sound of horsepower emitting from Maple Grove Raceway. It's not really a problem though, as the locals are used to the weekend sounds, and on this particular weekend, the sounds were from the NMCA Shootout. The NMCA has a multitude of racing classes, and if you have a car, they have a class for you. This year, we teamed up with Tremec transmissions and decided to sponsor the Late-Model Hemi True Street Challenge. This challenge is designed for "true" street cars that are licensed, insured, and capable of making a 30-mile cruise. Each racer was then required to run three back-to-back passes to gain an overall-average e.t. Awards were given to the overall fastest Hemi, the runner up, and the closest averages to 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 seconds. The event winner received $250, a six-foot-tall trophy, and a custom Champions jacket. The runner up got $100 and a plaque, as did the average e.t. winners.  Before any of the True Street...  Before any of the True Street competitors could make a pass down the track, they had to prove that they were street cars by driving the rural, 30-mile route. Late-model Hemi cars can definitely do it all.  Dave Coults of Nashua, New...  Dave Coults of Nashua, New Hampshire, brought his Magnum and ran a 13.246, 13.532, and a 13.805. This gave him an average of 13.528. In the other lane is Johnny Lightning of New Providence, Rhode Island. Johnny ran 11.555, 11.554, and 11.622. This gave him an average of 11.577.  Leon Smolenski (right lane),...  Leon Smolenski (right lane), of Perkasie, Pennsylvania, brought his brand-new '10 Challenger out and ran a 14.191, a 14.575, and a 14.685, giving him an average of 14.484. The B5 Blue Challenger is driven by Darren Kaczor of Durhamville, New York, and ran 13.097, 13.247, and 13.271, giving him a three-run average of 13.205. Each year at this event, the shopHEMI.com Late-Model HEMI Shootout showcases awesome modern Challengers, 300s, Magnums, Chargers, and trucks on the quarter-mile and in the huge NMCA car show, which is presented by HHP and run by the Mopar Owner and Enthusiasts Club of New Jersey. Twenty eight cars entered the Late-Model True Street Challenge, and the diversity made it a fun experience for all. Whether you enjoy racing or the show field, make plans now to attend next year's event, as it should be bigger than ever.  Clark Chatman of Washington,...  Clark Chatman of Washington, Pennsylvania, and his 300 ran 13.076, 13.212, and 13.113. That makes his three-run average a 13.134. He almost won the 13-second average award. In the other lane is Bill Dixon of Mountaintop, Pennsylvania, in his Charger. Bill ran 14.571, 14.612, and 14.660, making his average a 14.614.  Racing out of Pottstown, Pennsylvania,...  Racing out of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, is Gene Hatfield in his Challenger. Gene posted a 12.323, a 12.382, and a 12.434, giving him an average of 12.380. In the right lane was Troy Snyder of nearby York, Pennsylvania, running 13.628, 13.885, and a tire-spinning 15.063. His average tallied to be 14.192.  Julian Hormilla drove his...  Julian Hormilla drove his painter's tape-protected Challenger from Millburn, New Jersey, and posted a 13.302 average by running a 13.303, a 13.269, and a 13.333. In the left lane was White Plains, New York, resident Stellino Savarino driving his Magnum wagon. He posted runs of 13.801, 13.890, and 13.808, netting him an average of 13.833.  Eric Storms of Asable Forks,...  Eric Storms of Asable Forks, New York, has a unique 300 that features a Magnum wagon nose. His three runs of 12.582, 12.537, and 12.457 made his average a 12.525. Stafford, Virginia's Peter Mitchell and his Challenger ran some serious 11-second e.t's. His three runs of 11.152, 11.268, and 11.288 made his average an 11.236-good enough to take runner-up honors in the Late-Model Hemi True Street Shootout.  Richard Kravchuk and his Charger...  Richard Kravchuk and his Charger ran a very respectable average of 14.643 by running 14.343, 15.258, and 14.324. In the left lane is Brook, New York's Jason Justice. Jason's three runs averaged 12.277, which made him the 12-second average winner.  The Charger in the right lane...  The Charger in the right lane is Wantach, New York's Dan VanHorn. Dan was unable to make all three runs, but if he had been able, his 12.124 and 12.259 mean he would have been a contender. Wendy Robertson of Lorain, Ohio, was able to make all three passes-12.587, 12.621, and 12.635, and they made an average of 12.614.  In the race of "Hey, it's...  In the race of "Hey, it's a red Charger," the right lane is Chris Janczy of Hazlet, New Jersey, who just happened to have a three run average of 13.013, making him the 13-second average award winner. The other red Charger in the left lane is Rob Lovelace of Pasadena, Maryland, and his 13.063, 13.162, and 13.167, made his average a 13.131.  The right lane's Bill Timperio...  The right lane's Bill Timperio of Jamison, Pennsylvania, and his gorgeous blue Challenger ran 14.289, 14.267, and 14.853, making his average 14.590. In the other lane, Greg Green drove his Charger to an average e.t. of 13.085. The Pittman, New Jersey, native did it with runs of 13.170, 13.019, and 13.065.  If you want to be different,...  If you want to be different, race a 13-second Jeep. Jeremy Adams of Adamstown, Pennsylvania, did just that and averaged 13.622 for his three runs. In the other lane, Nicholas Primero of Rensselaer, New York, and his Charger ran an average of 13.096  Even the truck guys can in...  Even the truck guys can in the True Street Shootout. Steven Gardiner brought his new Ram from East Greenwich, Rhode Island, and ran three 16-second e.t's, with an average of 16.214. In the left lane, Curt Lau of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and his Charger ran a 14.096, 14.209, and a 14.272, making his average a 14.192.  Talk about a quick street...  Talk about a quick street car, the right lane's Anthony Berge and his Charger won the event with an average e.t. of 11.093. The left lane's David Johnson, of Bristol, Connecticut, won the 14-second average award with his 14.008-how's that for almost perfect?  Literally hauling butt with...  Literally hauling butt with his truck is Greg Fricker of Hatboro, Pennsylvania. His runs of 15.315, 15.514, and 15.438 gave him an average of 15.422. That was good enough to make him the 15-second average award winner. Joseph Balle of Edison, New Jersey, drove his Magnum to a 13.455 average, with runs of 13.441, 13.516, and 13.407.
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