Many impressive applications for Horsepower Wars’ $10K Drag Shootout have been reviewed and narrowed down over the course of the last couple of months, with suspense rising and information dropping daily on Power Automedia’s HorsepowerWars.com. As of today, the Horsepower Wars production team has officially finalized the top five participants.
The two following teams have been chosen by Horsepower Wars staff to be guaranteed admittance into the $10K Drag Shootout competition.
- “Disco Dean” Karns & Stinky Pinky Racing of Fairborn, Ohio: Dean Karns Sr, Dan Davies, Brian Sorells, and Jimmy Bowling
Known for his bracket and no-prep racing exploits and achievements – and his racecars Stinky Pinky, Pink Taco, and Candy Crush – Karns and his team are drag racers through and through, with personalities fit for entertainment. - Russ Wullenwaber & Team Boddie/Dow Brothers Racecars of Los Banos, California: Jay Boddie, Cole Dow, Ben Boylan Jr., Cody Dow, and Nick Stewart
Grudge racing superstar Jay Boddie headlines this all-star team headed by diesel performance shop owner and fabricator Russ Wullenwaber. Boddie has traversed the
country competing in grudge, small-tire, and heads-up events and even hosts his own events on the West Coast.
The remaining three teams will be reviewed by a panel of drag racing experts from across the country. After a voting process, the final third team will be determined and announced to the public.
- Brad Riekoff & West Bend Dyno of West Bend, Wisconsin: Dameian Shepard, Brian Jankuski, Tony Bruggink, and Brian Wohlfeil
The West Bend Dyno team has the work ethic and passion to go with their experience. The popular nationwide shop’s team is well-rounded, consisting of an engineer,
fabricator, EFI tuners, and a plethora of experience in high-performance and racing machinery. - “Big Daddy” Dwayne Gutridge & Team Dirty Jersey of Toms River, New Jersey: Mike Rozman, Freddie Felt, and Regas Anagnostou
Gutridge is a lifelong car guy – this shop owner and operator has rightfully earned his status in the drag racing world, as he was one of the pioneers of radial racing in the ‘80s.
If there’s a car magazine, he’s graced it; if there’s a small-tire Mustang race, he’s won it. - Lyle Barnett & Team Bigun of Mooresville, North Carolina: Eric Yost, Pete Harrell, and Jason Smith
This team includes some of the most well-known names in small-tire racing, including one of the most respected drivers in all of radial tire racing, and renowned tuner, and plenty of other talent.
The final three teams will then join the fourth, COMP Cams Dream Team, and the Horsepower Wars staff in Southern California, where they will be given $10k to buy, build, and race a drag car in just 10 days with a plethora of surprises and challenges along the way. The score will be settled at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio in September, where the winning team of the final race will not only win their vehicle, but also $10,000 cash.
“It was incredibly hard to narrow down the field to just five teams, let alone the top two,” said Scott Parker, Power Automedia’s Director of Content and Strategy. “Thankfully we’ve had tremendous engagement from the fan base to help guide the way, and we’ll be relying on that even more going forward when we release the poll on HorsepowerWars.com and Facebook so that fans can vote for either Team West Bend, Dirty Jersey or Bigun. And if you are bummed that your favorite team didn’t make it, don’t worry because we’ve extended the Dream Team deadline to May 25 and invited all those guys to apply.”
Read more about the applicants on Dragzine.com. Sign up for show updates and watch all episodes at HorsepowerWars.com.
