CONCORD, N.C. – Following two days of competition, Danny Emerick of Hendrick Motorsports and Brad Huston of Hendrick Automotive Group were the champions of the 21st Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown presented by Valvoline.
Emerick and Huston posted a time of 22:31.85 to win the showdown over Scott Vester of Hendrick Motorsports and Stephen Moore of Hendrick Automotive Group. Vester and Moore posted a time of 22:44.36. Both of those times factor in one 30-second time penalty for each team that was assessed for a loose component on their engines during teardown.
Emerick, an engine assembler at Hendrick Motorsports, earned his fifth title in the event and his first since 2018. Huston, a Hendrick Certified Master Technician at Hendrick Lexus Kansas City in Overland Park, Kansas, was part of the winning team in his first try in the event.
Vester, an engine assembler at Hendrick Motorsports, has won the event a record six times with his most recent triumph coming in 2020. Moore works as a Hendrick Certified Master Technician at Hendrick Collision Center of Kansas City in Raymore, Missouri.
PHOTOS: Scenes from the 2022 Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown
Emerick and Vester have been the Hendrick Motorsports’ competitors to beat in this event. They now have a combined 11 titles with Emerick getting the best of Vester three times.
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron checked out the event and was intrigued by the level of competition.
"It’s fascinating to watch these guys compete and see how much is going into it," Byron said.
Twelve Hendrick Certified Master Technicians from all across the country at Hendrick Automotive Group are paired with 12 Hendrick Motorsports engine department team members. Each two-person team is matched up against another duo looking to post the fastest qualifying time. The two teams assemble 358-cubic-inch Chevrolet engines with 243 parts, similar to the fuel-injected engines that run in the NASCAR Cup Series. The builders assemble their engines on their own stage platform as they race against the clock to post the fastest time. Winners are determined by the quickest time with the fewest number of errors. The top-two teams with the fastest times face off in the championship round.
"It’s amazing to watch how quickly the techs from the dealerships and the engine builders at Hendrick Motorsports come together to form a team that can do this together synchronized," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group. "It’s almost like they’ve been working together for years."
The event serves as a tribute to Randy Dorton. Dorton’s launch of the engine program as the director of engine operations and his leadership had a tremendous impact on Hendrick Motorsports – both in the organization’s rise to prominence as the team to beat in the Cup Series ranks and in its innovation.
In a special presentation by Hendrick Motorsports’ director of powertrain Scott Maxim, Hendrick was given a trophy that had the pistons and connecting rods from the organization’s landmark 269th Cup Series win in the 2021 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That win by driver Kyle Larson saw the company pass Petty Enterprises for the most all-time wins in the sport’s top series. Larson and crew chief Cliff Daniels were also on hand for the presentation
To see the full leaderboard from the event, click here. To learn more about the event, please visit here.