The historic Cornwall Tools U.S. Nationals has been a part of NHRA history for many decades. And within this five-day race that brings competitors from all over the country, it’s the one event they’d want to win and leave the hallowed grounds of Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with a coveted Wally. Among the many events contested during the U.S. Nationals are the traditional Class Eliminations, and for SS/AH racers, winning the Sox & Martin HEMI® Challenge – now in its 25th year – is bigger than winning the overall Super Stock eliminator category.
To fully appreciate the storied history of Chrysler’s limited run of 1968 HEMI Plymouth Barracudas and HEMI Dodge Darts, created strictly to dominate in the NHRA Super Stock class, we have to look back on their impact at the U.S. Nationals. These cars have been a part of NHRA’s premier event for over five decades. It was 1968 when Arlen Vanke drove his trick HEMI engine-powered Barracuda to Super Stock victory over Wally Booth’s Camaro. In 1969, Ronnie Sox also his drove his red, white and blue HEMI engine-powered Barracuda to victory over fellow Mopar® HEMI racer Dave Wren. The start of the new decade would continue to see HEMI engine-powered Mopar vehicles dominate the Super Stock class at the U.S. Nationals as Ron Mancini wheeled his Dodge HEMI Dart at the 1970 U.S. Nationals.
Now, some 57 years later, these purpose-built HEMI Barracudas and HEMI Dodge Darts will do combat on the same track their forefathers did back in 1968. The man to beat this year will once again be Stephen Comella. His red Barracuda has dominated the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge the last four consecutive years while running some incredible ETs. “Mechanically and car-wise, my dad and I are doing what we’ve done in previous years, preventative maintenance and other minor adjustments to the car. We just pay attention to detail and make sure everything is right. We’ll be testing before Indy, but for the most part, I’ll be driving my dad’s original 1968 Super Stock HEMI Dart at many divisional races and a few national opens before the NHRA U.S. Nationals. We also know there’s probably a big target on our back, but we don’t get caught up in all the drama, we just do our deal,” said Stephen Comella. But rest assured, Stephen and his father will not be pumping the brakes before the U.S. Nationals. They’ll be going wide open to make it an unprecedented five-in-a-row Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge victories and take home another check and massive HEMI cylinder head trophy.
The 2025 runner-up, Buckey Hess, who won the first Mopar HEMI Challenge back in 2001, has also been hard at work. He and his engine builder, Pro Stock Champ Jason Line, have been in the dyno room extracting even more horsepower out of their lethal 426 HEMI engine. “Even though I red-lit at Indy last year, I was very happy with how fast the car ran,” said Buckey. “After Indy, Jason (Line) and I headed to the Dutch Classic, and the car performed very well. Even though Comella and others run a four-speed in their cars, we’ve learned a great deal about making the automatic very quick despite approximately 5% torque converter slip in high gear. We’re confident that from what we’ve learned these past 12 months, we’ll be ready for the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge.”
Engine builder and SS/AH racer Jason Line has been knee deep in making more horsepower and rowing gears in Hess’s other HEMI Barracuda, aptly called ‘Fish STICK.’ But balancing his growing performance parts business and family life is tough. “I do not have time to work on it due to my business, but I’ll be out testing before Indy. There are only so many hours in the day. I think everyone is super happy that Steve (Comella) and his engine builder, Charlie (Westcott), have elevated the SS/AH class and raised the bar. These two have inspired me to work harder, and we’ll give them a run for the money during this year’s Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge.”
Another familiar face back in SS/AH is Charlie Westcott. Years ago, he had a stranglehold on the HEMI Challenge and came back in 2024. “Last year, I drove Anthony Rhoades’ car and did well, but this time I’ll be racing Henry Simone’s Barracuda. This HEMI Super Stocker was raced by Barnett Racing one time before Henry bought it from them a while back,” noted Charlie. “I started working on it a few months ago and raced it at Milan in early July. The car showed a lot of promise, and I’ll be making more runs getting it dialed in before Indy.”
A SS/AH driver that needs no introduction is second-generation HEMI racer Jimmy Daniels. He’s run the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge for 10 years and won four of them and been a runner-up. “We have not raced our car at all in 2025. Our engine is the same engine since my father won in 2010. All we have done is made some minor changes and changed out wearable parts over the years. The last race we were at was the Dutch Classic in 2024 and the car ran respectable ET, but with pretty good speed at 162 MPH on every run,” said Jimmy. “Ray (Barton) builds a good engine that lasts, and this engine will have its 15th anniversary at Indy this year. “The Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge has always been a big part of our racing career since we started in 2003 with Barton. In some fashion or another, we have been there every year since 2003.” But like many other racers, business and family comes before racer and that’s always tough for any hardcore competitor, especially Jimmy. “Our future plans are undecided at the current moment. Several factors have changed over the years, and we have definitely taken a big step back compared to years ago when we would race 15 times a year, as this is no surprise to anyone as we aren’t racing like we have in the past. I am sure we will always race but I am not sure to what extent anymore. There really isn’t but one serious HEMI shootout per year so it takes a lot of time, money and resources, and for one race a year, so we are evaluating every aspect as we move forward.”
So, who’ll walk away as the winner of the 2025 Sox & Martin NHRA HEMI Challenge? It’s anyone’s race as virtually all the SS/AH racers have stepped up their game, but regardless of who wins, the victorious competitor’s name will forever be etched in NHRA U.S. Nationals history!
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