Mopar Nationals Set to Celebrate 30th Anniversary

Thousands of people descend to National Trail Raceway in Columbus, OH each year to attend the Mopar Nats. Drawing collector cars of all shapes and sizes, competition is always fierce and gives the public plenty to see and do throughout the weekend. This coming weekend marks the 30th Anniversary of the Mopar Nationals, drawing a multitude of classic cars at least 26 years and older along with Mopar-related memorabilia. This years’ event will feature a special tribute to the Dodge Coronet and Super Bee, where these vehicles will be on display together.

A Mopar is defined as a Chrysler-built vehicle including Dodge, Plymouth, Imperial, and more. This market draws thousands of enthusiasts loyal to the brand, which is known for producing solid engines that can withstand severe duties. A favorite saying among enthusiasts is ‘Mopar or No Car’ and many live up to this creed.

On the same note, AMSOIL is title sponsor of the AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge. This event pits engine builders against one another to see who can build the best Mopar engine. Competitors will have their engine builds on display at the Mopar Nationals before they are shipped off to Comp Cams testing facility to gauge their power and output. Watch for upcoming details on this challenge, where AMSOIL is the Official Lubricant and Sponsor. For now, get your Mopar fix at the 30th Anniversary of the Mopar Nationals and see an integral part of a beloved American pastime.

What: 30th Annual Mopar Nationals
When:
August 13 8:00 AM-7:00 PM
August 14 8:00 AM-6:00 PM
August 15 8:00 AM-6:00 PM
Where: National Trail Raceway, Columbus, OH

The photos here were taken at a previous Mopar Nationals gathering.

For more information check out the Mopar Nationals website at http://www.moparnats.org.

2009 AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge Announced

For the third consecutive year, AMSOIL is preparing for the 2009 AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge as title sponsor. This year the competition pits 8 engine builders against one another to see who can design and deliver the best engine performance at the best cost. This is not just your everyday gearhead throwing together an engine that works, but serious builders committed to finding the right formula that outperforms the rest. These guys know their stuff, and put that knowledge to good use in this event.

In August, the builders will put their engines on display at the Mopar Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. From there the engines will be shipped to Comp Cams in Memphis, TN for three days of supervised dyno-testing in early September.

With a strict set of rules to follow, the engines are given an overall rating based on peak horsepower and peak torque divided by the retail cost of listed parts. AMSOIL 10W-40 Synthetic Oil is the only oil permitted for use in each B-Block based engine from the start, and this has contributed tremendously to the winners’ outcomes in past years. Testing is done with a 900 rpm-per-second acceleration test, and testing data will be gathered between the 3,000-7,000 rpm range. Over the course of 45 minutes, each engine is required to make at least three scored pulls and the one with the highest combined horsepower and torque number will be used for the final score. Tuning is only allowed before the 45 minute test phase during the setting of timing and idle. After that it all boils down to which engine has what it takes in terms of horsepower, torque and operating temperatures. In previous years some engines couldn’t take the heat and were disqualified.

The main purpose of this challenge is to give engine builders well-deserved exposure to a market that has a need for them. Full coverage of the event and all participating engines is given in Mopar Muscle Magazine, where ultimately the winners are given a platform to showcase their talent. AMSOIL will be on top of any new developments, so watch this space for updates and outcomes of one of the most anticipated events in the Mopar market.

Mopar Muscle Announces 2008 Engine Challenge Participants

This week Mopar Muscle Magazine announced its selections for the 2008 AMSOIL/Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge. The eight builders will have till mid-summer to assemble their creations, which will then be put on display at the Mopar Nationals again in Columbus, Ohio. Testing will take place a month later, with winners to be announced at the PRI Show in Orlando.

The selected engine builders are again from north, south, east and west. We'll wish them the best!

Indy Cylinder Head
Russ Flagle
8621 Southeastern Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46239

Schurbon Engine and Machine
Scott Schurbon
203 South Clark St.
Maquoketa, IA, 52060

Mid America Racing Engines
David Bruns
1945 W 18th Street
Washington, IA 52353

Cederstrand Racing Engines
August Cederstrand
P.O. Box 1653
Brea, CA, 92821

Diamondback Engines
Dave Schultz
7723 FM 723
Richmond, TX 77469

JMS Racing Engines
Mike Johnson
5450 Peck Rd
El Monte, CA, 91732

Chenoweth Speed and Machine
Mike Chenoweth
368 Erie Ave
Morton, IL, 61550

JD Engine and Machine
Jeff Dickey
900 Spencer Ave
Columbia, MO, 65203

2007 Year in Review

It’s been an exciting run for AMSOIL these past ten years, with steady growth and increasing participation in so many great events. This year was no exception with many new partnerships formed with some great people and great organizations.

Beginning in January we became an official sponsor of the National Street Rod Association. The NSRA hosts street rod events in various parts of the country for people who are passionate and nostalgic about cars. The organization is like an extended family of vintage car lovers.

After a chance meeting at the Mid-America Truck Show in Louisville, AMSOIL became affiliated with another passionate lover of street rods, Boyd Coddington. Coddington, whose unique approach to building hot rods had a major impact on the hot rod scene, had been invited to Tulsa to help resurrect a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere at an event called Tulsarama, the 100th anniversary of Oklahoma statehood. The car had been buried in a vault in 1957 and the crew from Coddington’s show American Hot Rod was gathered to get it started. The intention was to install AMSOIL synthetic motor oils and Ea filters on the car as part of the process, but alas, despite the good intentions the car proved to be an unsalvageable rustbucket, having set underwater for years or even decades.

The Coddington / AMSOIL relationship was only just beginning, however, as Boyd and Jo Coddington united their team around a groundbreaking Bonneville build. Their aim would be to set a new record for the fastest pre-1934 roadster, 3 liter/blown gas/modified with Jo Coddington at the wheel. The building of the AMSOIL/Coddington roadster, dubbed “Salt Fever,” was filmed in August and shown on TLC’s American Hot Rod in September.

Another great partnership that formed in 2007 was the AMSOIL sponsorship of the Four Wheeler Top Truck Challenge, a grueling week-long experience in which off-road vehicles and their drivers are pushed to the limits. It was the 14th year Four Wheeler magazine assembled its crew to host this challenging competition which is covered extensively in the magazine as well as online and in a DVD.

The third annual Diesel Power Challenge was conducted in June as well, in Salt Lake City. AMSOIL has been an advertiser in Diesel Power magazine from the first issue, recognizing the growing popularity of the diesel truck market. The Diesel Power Challenge put a group of reader selected diesel trucks through the paces for two days, including a “tie-breaker” event related to fuel economy. It isn’t just about power, though these vehicles have more power than ever.

Yet another new relationship formed in 2007 was our sponsorship of Fred Hayes and the Hayes Diversified Technology (HDT) motorcycles that again set records at Bonneville. Hayes owns numerous world and national speed records on motorcycles. In September HDT set four more records on diesel motorcycles. Hayes’ current aim is a 100 m.p.g. /100 mph diesel motorcycle that is environmentally friendly, economical and potent. HDT is a company on the move.

Last but not least, AMSOIL became sponsor of the Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge this year. The Third Annual Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge featured the 410-inch Small Block engine. Eight engine builders participated in the final competition, first displaying their work at the Mopar Nationals in Columbus, then later having their engines put through the paces at Comp Cams in Tennessee. Ken Lazerri and Fuss Flagle of Indy Cylinder Heads won the competition this year by three hundredths of a point, unseating the two-time reigning champ. This year’s 2008 competition will feature a 440-inch based spec engine.

In the meantime, hope your 2007 was as exciting as ours. And may your 2008 be even better.

MOPAR Nation

An estimated 50,000 people from all fifty states are gathered here at the National Trail Raceway celebrating the 27th anniversary of the MOPAR Nationals. The event has been here at National Trail Raceway since 1998, where it also had been held from ’86-’92. Every parcel of turf in this 30 acre compound, is crammed with cars or people gathered to see the sixties and seventies cars they love.

A Manufacturers’ Midway, Swap Meet, parts suppliers, three days of drag racing, burnout contests, parading cars, and thousands of vehicles just being put out there to show, with plenty more for sale -- it’s all Mopar and it’s all here.

People line the streets with lawn chairs to watch these premiere muscle cars rumble into town. The locals use the opportunity to strut their own Mopar muscles as well, adding to the festive air that surrounds this serious venture. One magazine editor estimated that there were more than four million dollars worth of Mopars parked around the grounds. My guess is that the dollar value of the cars is much higher than that since an award winning ’70 Cuda sold for $750,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction last year.

In the midst of all this maelstrom one can find a display with eight engines assembled by the nation’s top Mopar engine builders. It’s the AMSOIL sponsored MOPAR Muscle, Engine Challenge. The brainchild of MOPAR Muscle magazine, the competition features an engine challenge of an unexpected nature. Who can create an engine with the most horsepower and torque, but at an affordable price? In other words, the contest is designed to help MOPAR Muscle readers get more from the engines they build, on the budgets they live with.

After putting the engines on display here at the MOPAR Nationals, they will then be crated and shipped to Comp Cams in Tennessee. There, the engines, with builders present, will be put through the paces. In the end a champion is honored, though all the builders have a great privilege in being selected.

This year’s competition features the small block Mopar, limited to a 410 ci engine displacement. The block itself must be a production cast-iron block or replacement block. All engines will be running AMSOIL synthetic motor oils.

One of the participants, David Burns, was in the competition again this year with his wife Dianne. As a result of being in it last year, he received many new customers.

MOPAR Passion
As you walk about the pits (where the drag cars are gathered) you can see that Mopar enthusiasm extends beyond the muscle cars themselves. One quickly loses track of how many Dodge Ram pickup trucks there were towing trailers into the event. Brand loyalty is in high evidence here.

Since AMSOIL Dealers are likewise passionate about the AMSOIL brand, a MOPAR/AMSOIL wedding would make sense underneath any hood.