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Orlando, FL
(12/10/07) -
Team
Mopar driver Kevin Swindell took the pole and the event win in the 2007 Mopar Virtual “Duel in the Dirt” simulator
contest on Friday, December 7, besting a line-up of 48 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show attendees and motorsports
stars as he seized the $1,000 first-place prize.
Swindell, who
scored a big win in his Kasey Kahne Racing Mopar-powered Midget in the “Night Before the 500” USAC event in May,
was one of eight pro drivers to compete in the contest, which took place near the Mopar Image Center Stage at the PRI Trade
Show. The simulators were provided by Tim’s Dirt Track Simulators. Team Mopar
drivers Allen Johnson, Gary Scelzi, Ron Capps and Darrin Bolton also jumped behind the wheel of dirt track simulators.
World of Outlaws Sprint star Danny Lasoski, 2007 USAC Spring Champion Levi Jones, and driver Matt McCarl rounded out
the pro/celebrity drivers.
Swindell took
the A-Main pole with a lap of 14.42 in qualifying on Thursday, December 6. Chris Ferguson, the top qualifying
PRI Trade Show attendee with a lap time of 14.43, also started on the front row of the A-Main. Capps was
the only other professional/celebrity driver to advance to the A-Main, transferring from the B-Main to the last spot on the
starting grid, but was unable to gain much ground with his back-of-the pack starting spot.
Jason Wilkey,
a PRI Show attendee from Batesville, Ark.,
finished second and took home the $500 runner-up award. Curt Barnett, from El Paso, Texas, earned the $250 “Hard Charger”
award, starting in the first H-Main Feature and advancing all the way up to the D-Main.
“It’s
a lot of fun,” said Swindell of the event. “I’ve competed in these kinds of events before,
but I’ve never won. I’ve got to thank Mopar for putting this on.”
“This
was awesome,” said runner-up Wilkey. “This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,
much less had the chance to take part in. It’s great that Mopar does this, trying to get the fans
involved in dirt racing.”
Professional Racers, PRI Trade Show Attendees Set to Clash in Mopar Virtual ‘Duel
in The Dirt’
December 4, 2007
by Darren Jacobs
CENTER LINE, Mich. -- Attendees of the 20th Annual
Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show will go head-to-head with professional race car drivers in the Mopar Virtual “Duel in The Dirt.” The Mopar “Duel in the Dirt” will take place on Dec. 6 -
7 in the Mopar exhibit at the PRI Trade Show at Florida’s Orlando Convention Center. The PRI Trade Show will be held
Dec. 6 – 8.
Qualifying for the Mopar Virtual “Duel in The Dirt” is open to all professional race car drivers and registered PRI Trade Show attendees. “Duel in The Dirt” contestants will take part in qualifying
laps in sprint car simulators on Thursday, Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 40 top qualifiers will be joined in eight eliminations features
on Friday, Dec. 7 by the eight top qualifying professional racers.
Team Mopar drivers tentatively scheduled to participate
include NHRA POWERade Drag Racing stars Gary Scelzi, Ron Capps and Allen Johnson. Jerry Coons Jr., 2007 United States Auto Club (USAC) National Midget Series champion, and Shaun Carlson, owner and team director for NuFormz Racing [that maintains Mopar’s
two-time Formula Drift champion Samuel Hübinette’s Dodge Charger SRT8], are also tentatively scheduled to participate.
There is a $1,000 first-place check and trophy, with $500 for the runner-up. The competition’s “Hard Charger”
will take home $250.
Complete competition rules will be on display at the Mopar exhibit. Live coverage will be provided
by RaceFanRadio, which will broadcast from the Mopar Image Center Stage. USAC’s Rob Klepper will emcee the Friday eliminations
features.
Visit www.moparspeed.com on Monday, Dec. 10 for a Mopar Virtual “Duel in The Dirt” recap.
20th
Annual PRI Trade Show details
The 20th Annual PRI Trade Show will be held Dec. 6 – 8. The world's largest racing
trade show attracting approximately 42,000 racing industry members worldwide from over 40 countries, PRI provides a professional
atmosphere for racing industry product buyers to meet with manufacturers of racing components and shop machinery. For more
information on PRI, visit www.performanceracing.com.
70 Years of Mopar
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need
for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation
of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.
Originally used in the 1920s, Mopar (a simple contraction of
the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It was also widely used as a moniker
for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s – the muscle car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready
Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “Special
Parts” for super stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance
speed and handling for both road and racing use.
Today, Chrysler LLC’s Global Service & Parts division is
responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories
for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts
and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler engineering standards.
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