Lightning Strikes Twice at Round Two of the Clevite Engine Builder Showdown

Arbor, Michigan -- Feb 05, 2005 -- NASCAR’s Pre-Season Thunder at Daytona International Speedway hosted the second round of the Clevite Engine Builder Showdown on January 19 and 22. Despite some stormy weather, those present witnessed some of the best builds in Showdown history.

Mike Maiwald, long time Showdown participant and last year’s runner-up, set another new engine build record along with his build partner Shane Parsnow. The former record of 20 minutes and 20 seconds (set by Maiwald in Round One) was shattered with Maiwald’s new record setting build time of 18 minutes and 54 seconds.

"We feel like we let ourselves down in last year’s final and we want to redeem ourselves and make a point," said Mike Maiwald of Hendrick Engines. "HMS hasn’t won the title yet and now that the trophy bears Randy Dorton’s name, we want to bring it home."

The competing engine builders assembled 357 cubic inch Ford engines - similar in design to those used by NASCAR’s Ford race teams. The first round of the Showdown, which was held January 5 and 6 at Richard Childress Racing in Welcome, N.C., served as a qualifying round. The eight fastest times advanced to Round Two - beginning the head-to-head competition.

The first build saw Mike Maiwald and Shane Parsnow of Hendrick Engines against Ken Swanson and Robert Scott of Bill Davis Racing. While both builds were extremely fast, Swanson’s time of 20 minutes, 56 seconds couldn’t hold a candle to Maiwald’s record-breaking time of 18 minutes, 54 seconds.

Next up was Lanny Barnes and Todd Hamm of Richard Childress Racing versus Kevin Webber and Shane Parsnow (standing in for Tom Karas, who was ill at the time) of Hendrick Engines. As last year’s Showdown Champions, Barnes and Hamm gave their usual impressive performance, but when the smoke cleared, Kevin Webber and Shane Parsnow took the build with a time of 21 minutes, 36 seconds. Tom Karas is looking forward to rejoining Kevin Webber in Round Three.

Roush/Yates Racing Engines’ Randy Hewitt and Mike Kasch met Mike Lanci and Jesse Hardee of Ernie Elliott Engines in the third build of Round Two. While each build team gave a solid performance, Mike Lanci and Jesse Hardee sealed their spot in Round Three by posting a build time of 24 minutes, 27 seconds.

The final build of Round Two saw Paul Vanderlaan and Shawn Hughesman of Evernham Engines against Todd Hamm and Greg Gunnell of Richard Childress Racing. Todd Hamm was honored to stand in for Showdown veteran Danny Lawrence, and did the Childress team proud by helping to post an impressive build time of 19 minutes, 51 seconds. Lawrence is looking forward to rejoining his long time build partner, Gunnell, in Round Three.

The winners of Round Two received cash awards of $1,500 and will proceed to Round Three. While the date and location of Round Three is yet to be determined, the winners will receive $2,000 and proceed to the fourth and final round on May 24, 2005 at the prestigious NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI) in Mooresville, N.C.

The final round’s runner-up will receive a cash award of $5,000. The first-place winner will receive a cash award of $20,000 and the title of 2005 Clevite Engine Builder Showdown Champion. The winning team will also be immortalized alongside past Showdown Champions on the new Randy Dorton Memorial Trophy.

Race fans and engine building enthusiasts will be able to check the results of the various rounds by going to the Clevite Engine Parts web site at www.engineparts.com. Showdown fans will also be able to view highlights of the Showdown on the Speed Channel.

Since 1990, Clevite Engine Parts has presented the Clevite Engine Builder Challenge Series in which NASCAR’s top engine builders compete to see who can assemble and run an engine the fastest. In 2000, the series developed into a structured and tiered competition with a total prize package worth over $50,000 and has become a huge hit with both engine builders and racing fans across the country.

Clevite Engine Parts is part of Dana Corporation’s Automotive Systems Group. Clevite Engine Parts provides a wide scope of under-the-hood products for the global replacement parts market, including Clevite 77® engine bearings, Victor Reinz® gaskets, Perfect Circle® piston rings and Clevite engine parts. n addition, Clevite 77, Victor Reinz and Perfect Circle are exclusive NASCAR Performance Products. Clevite’s Internet address is www.engineparts.com.

Dana Corporation is a global leader in the design, engineering, and manufacture of value-added products and systems for automotive, commercial, and off-highway vehicles. Delivering on a century of innovation, the company's continuing operations employ approximately 45,000 people worldwide dedicated to advancing the science of mobility. Founded in 1904 and based in Toledo, Ohio, Dana operates technology, manufacturing, and customer-service facilities in 30 countries. Sales from continuing operations totaled $7.9 billion in 2003.