An eclectic mix of Dodge and Plymouth racecars spanning over half a century dominated the Super Stock ranks during last weekend’s Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. Held at Summit Motorsports Park just south of Edison’s birthplace of Milan, Ohio, and a stone’s throw from Norwalk, this world-class racing facility is loved by fans and drag racers alike. Whether it’s the awesome track prep for the competitors, or the super-friendly staff making sure the fans are taken care of, this event is loved by everyone that comes through the gates. And yes, there’s the ice cream that’s sold at insanely cheap prices at the track’s concession stands. Mention Summit Motorsports Park and Norwalk in the same sentence, and you’re sure to hear the words “ice cream.” While the Pro categories that include Top Fuel and Funny Car were ripping up the track, so were the Sportsman classes, especially Super Stock, which has a mix of weekend warrior drivers and semi-professional contestants. It’s considered a “Sportsman Class”, but the guys and gals that hop in this highly modified production-based “door slammers” that once served as someone’s daily driver have the same amount of passion and skill sets as those drivers and crews over in the Pro pits working on their multi-million-dollar purpose-built racing machines.

For Bucyrus, Ohio, resident Sean Dornan, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of winning his first NHRA National Event at Summit Motorsports Pak. With great reaction times and consistent performance from his racecar, he claimed victory in the hotly contested Super Stock class. The vehicle he drove wasn’t some high-tech machine built in some lab during the 21st century, but a car that was conceived during the JFK administration and built when LBJ ran the country. Dornan wasn’t even born when his Plymouth rolled off the assembly line. The car he drove was a 1964 Plymouth Savoy HEMI^® Super Stock Package Car. Despite not being one of the 100 or so factory-built Super Stock HEMI Package Cars, Dornan’s Plymouth has been a racecar since practically day one. “My Plymouth still uses the factory aluminum hood, scoop, front bumper, doors, fenders and other bits and pieces that have been on the car for decades. That’s how I can get the car into the SS/AA class with the minimum weight of 3,170 pounds,” said Sean.

It was fate that had Sean Dornan racing the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. Since there are so many Sportsman classes competing at the same event, NHRA places quotas on the number of entries for each class. For Super Stock, that number was 50 and Dornan admits he was late sending his entry in and got a note back saying the Super Stock quota was already filled. “My wonderful wife, Barb, kept going on the NHRA website and checking to see if a racer dropped out and if a spot opened up. After repeated attempts, she hit the jackpot and saw there was an opening and immediately submitted my entry,” smiled Sean. Once he was officially entered, Sean rolled into Summit Motorsports Park, unloaded his powerful Plymouth, and ended up qualified sixth out of the 50 Super Stockers that were at the event. “We were shocked but not surprised at how well we qualified,” said Sean. “We have been working on the car with the help of longtime HEMI Super Stock racer Tony DePillo of Specialty Motorwerkes in Dayton, Ohio, and the car has really come around,” noted Sean. His HEMI engine-powered Plymouth has also set the record in SS/AA class and taken home wins in the heads-up SS/AA Class Runoff competition.

Yes, Dornan drove a car that was built over five decades ago to the winner’s circle and in his march to the victory circle, took down some heavy hitters in both old-school and new-school machines. These included Steve Comella in his original 1968 Super Stock HEMI Dart and Kevin Helms in Mike Wagner’s Motown Missile tribute 2015 Drag Pak. “Every competitor was tough but when you line up next to a four-time World Champion Kevin Helms, you better have your A-Game,” commented Sean. As Dornan advanced to the finals, his opponent was another Super Stock gunslinger, Peter D’Agnolo in his 1967 Camaro. Despite spinning off the line, Dornan’s HEMI engine-powered Plymouth chased down the Chevy and got the win. “I was tight on the top-end as I was approaching the stripe and I just get my foot in it. When I saw my win light come on, I screamed inside my helmet, ‘Oh My God, I just won the Nationals,’ then I realized I had to slow my car down and get on the brakes as the shutdown at Norwalk is not that long,” exclaimed Sean. “I really need to thank Tony DePillo, Jeff Kovalik, Mancini Racing and, of course, Barb, my wife. If it wasn’t for her, I would not have been racing at Norwalk!”

It just goes to show that old Mopar_® HEMI engine-powered Super Stockers get better with time and can still take their drivers to the winner’s circle. He might be only 49 years old, but Sean loves vintage Mopar racecars. He also owns an original 1965 A990 HEMI Plymouth Belvedere Super Stocker and a 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda that was a former Super Stocker. But for now, Sean and Barb will savor their win, and rightfully so. And when it comes to fate, yes, we’re so glad Barb Dornan was relentless in constantly checking the NHRA website and getting Sean’s entry submitted. “This is my first NHRA National Event win and hopefully not my last,” noted Sean. His next event will be the NHRA SPORTSnationals in Columbus and the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indy. So, remember, old Mopar HEMI Super Stockers may have been conceived before man walked on the moon, but racers like Sean Dornan will keep them on the drag strip rotating the earth!