Second-generation Sportsman racer Craig Marshall, from Columbus, Ohio, ended the '04 IHRA racing season on a terror, winning twice at the autumn events held at Budds Creek, Maryland, and Norwalk, Ohio. Craig, the son of long-time Mopar Super Stock racer Bob Marshall, scored wins in Stock eliminator at both events driving his "Dodge Material" 360 crate-motored '73 Dodge Dart.
At Budds Creek, Craig qualified 14th before mowing down the field, winning seven rounds of competition. In the final round, he ran a near perfect 11.009 (11.00 dial in) at 114.02 mph to win over opponent Jamie Lucas. At Norwalk's late night and rain-delayed conclusion to the Sunoco World Nationals, Marshall ambushed the field after qualifying 39th with a .723 sub-index run. Craig again prevailed after seven rounds of racing when his 10.972 at 115.06 mph beat Chuck Garey, who broke out.
The IHRA event wins by Marshall were preceded by yet another win in the Stock eliminator category for the Mopar brand, delivered by Elroy Dame during the Amalie Oil sponsored North American Nationals at Epping, New Hampshire. Driving his 440 Six-Pack '69 Plymouth Road Runner, Dame, from Eliot, Maine, earned his first career national event win when he coaxed a .007 reaction time and run of 10.905 at 119.63 mph in the final round to beat Billy Pires, who had a red-light foul start.
9.90 WinnersMopar products prevailed in the highly competitive 9.90 class categories at the recent NHRA event held near Reading, Pennysylvania, as well as the IHRA event at Budds Creek, Maryland.
Veteran Bob Phillips, from Oley, Pennsylvania, won the Super Gas title during NHRA's Lucas Oil Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. Driving his '03 Dodge Neon (a former Pro Stock car) and using a 572 engine built by Ray Barton, Phillips stopped a 51-car field during the annual fall event classic.
Phillips won the championship final over division one rival George Stack when he combined an .028 reaction time with a run of 9.918 at 160.56 mph to beat Stack's slightly quicker 9.909 at 159.72 mph. The margin of victory was a scant 14/10,000th of a second.
Two weeks earlier, Bernard Weaver emerged victorious during the IHRA's President's Cup Nationals held just south of Washington, D.C. Weaver, who was the overall IHRA World Super Rod category Champion in 2001, wheeled his 493-powered '84 Dodge Daytona past the field after qualifying 8th. Weaver won an all-Mopar final round, beating Tommy Corbett's Dodge Daytona. Weaver moved first with a .007 reaction time and ran a 9.907 at 147.49 mph to edge out Corbett, who broke out with a 9.882 trying to catch him.
EventsMarch 19-20, Albury, New South Wales, Australia: 13th annual Chryslers on the Murray. Australia's largest Chrysler car show and swap meet with over 400 Australian and American Chrysler cars on display. Info: www.chryslersonthemurray.com.au.
April 24, Centerline, MI: North Oakland Mopar Muscle's 8th annual Car Show and Swap Meet, 8:00 a.m. at DaimlerChrysler's Centerline Parts Depot, the largest Mopar-only swap meet in Michigan. Info: (248) 975-NOMM or www.440sixpack.com.
July 8-10, Carlisle, PA: The Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals presented by DaimlerChrysler for all Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth and Jeep vehicles. Show field, swap meet, car corral, and Mopars, new and old, as well as concept cars and special guests to keep you entertained. Info: www.carsatcarlisle.com.
Do you have a Super Bee or Road Runner that came with an A-12 package? At the 2005 Chrysler Classic in Carlisle, Pennslyvania, the A-12 Restoration group from Moparts.com is hosting a get-together of all lift-off-hood Road Runners and Super Bees. Want more info so you can make plans to attend? Check out Moparts.com and go to the A-12 restoration page.
August 12-14, Columbus, OH: 25th Annual Mopar Nationals featuring the Plymouth Road Runner. Car show, swap meet, car corral, and racing, the Nats have truly become the largest all-Mopar gathering in the country. Make your plans to attend this 25th anniversary event. Info: www.moparnats.org.
EventsKnow of an all-Mopar event that is happening? Let us know about it at least six months in advance, and we'll print it in the pages of Mopar Muscle Magazine. Send your happenings to; mopar.muscle@primedia.com; or snail mail your info to Mopar Muscle Magazine, Events, 9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619. Sorry, but we are not responsible for typos.