Four teams have emerged as semi-finalists after a fierce competition among a record 23 teams in the first two rounds of the ninth annual MAHLE Engine Builder Showdown held May 5 – 8.
Competing in this year’s Showdown semi-finals set for May 19 at the NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI) in Mooresville, NC, are:
• Trey Davis and Brian Buttrick from Roush Yates Racing Engines versus Dennis Borem and Darrell Hoffman from Pro Motor Engines
• Jim Snyder and Mike Kasch from Roush Yates Racing Engines versus Mike Maiwald and Shane Parsnow from Hendrick Motorsports
The two winning teams will face each other on May 20 at the Showdown finals, also at NTI.
A total of 23 engine builder teams signed up for this year’s contest – including those from almost every NASCAR Sprint Cup race team, as well as teams from Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck series races. This marks the second consecutive year that the Showdown has seen a record-breaking number of participating teams. In 2007, a total of 19 NASCAR engine builder teams participated in the Showdown.
The MAHLE Engine Builder Showdown, presented by MAHLE Clevite Inc., pits top NASCAR engine builders in a race to build and successfully run a Sprint Cup 357-cubic inch Ford engine in the shortest time possible. The first round of the Showdown is a timed elimination round in which each team builds against the clock in order to qualify for the quarter-finals. During the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals, the qualifying teams face each other in a head-to-head competition with the fastest team advancing to the next round. Rounds one and two of the 2008 competition were held May 5 – 8.
Bill McKnight, team leader – training, for MAHLE Clevite says, “The teams that have entered the competition this year are focused not simply on winning the Showdown, but in breaking last year’s engine build record.”
The Pro Motor Engines team of Dennis Borem and Darrell Hoffman won the 2007 Showdown with a record-setting engine build of 16 minutes and 25 seconds, with no penalties. This winning time includes 60 seconds of hot running time.
“Watching these Showdown teams in action is exciting and inspiring,” adds McKnight. “It rekindles your respect and admiration for the skills and mastery of the art of engine building.”
On May 20, MAHLE Clevite will present the winning team with the Showdown’s grand prize — the prestigious Randy Dorton Memorial Trophy, plus a cash prize of $26,000. The Showdown runner-up team receives $9,000. Overall, the competition awards a total prize package of over $50,000.
MAHLE Clevite hosts all preliminary rounds of the MAHLE Engine Builder Showdown at the NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI), in Mooresville, NC. The final round of the competition takes place on May 20, also at NTI.
The Internet address for MAHLE Clevite is www.mahleclevite.com.