Scheitlin and Jenkins Earn Dodge Top Finisher Honors
Close to 20 vehicles featuring Mopar® power competed in the Stock Eliminator category during the 30th annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals, while Mopar was under the hood of nearly a dozen machines in the Super Stock ranks.
Two Mopar-powered cars appeared in the semifinals of the Stock category, with Brighton, Colorado’s Dwayne Scheitlin going to the final round in his A/SA 1971 Dodge Challenger featuring a 440 cubic-inch engine. Scheitlin made a lap of 10.116 seconds at 129.27 mph on a 10.11 dial-in after leaving with a .045-second reaction time. It was Scheitlin’s first appearance in a national event final round, but he came up just short despite nearly running his dial-in time.
Jerry Jenkins of Ripon, California, turned in the best performance among Mopar drivers in Super Stock, driving to the third round in his SS/AH ’68 Plymouth Barracuda. There, he turned in a pass of 8.673 at 138.88 on an 8.61 dial-in. He left the starting line with a reaction time of just .004.
Scheitlin and Jenkins each earned the Dodge Top Finisher award at the event. The program provides $500 to the Stock and Super Stock driver advancing the farthest in a Dodge or Plymouth vehicle and is in place at all 24 NHRA national events this year.