CONCORD, N.C. - On Wednesday, Nov. 8, and Thursday, Nov. 9, the Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown presented by Valvoline will take place on the campus of Hendrick Motorsports.
The 22nd annual event pairs 12 Hendrick Certified Master Technicians from all across the country at Hendrick Automotive Group with 12 Hendrick Motorsports engine department team members. The competition, which first began in 2002, brings together team members from both sides of the company for a common goal. To be able to watch all of the engine builds, check out the live stream here.
PHOTOS: Scenes from the 2022 Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown
Each two-person team is matched up against another duo. The two teams assemble 358-cubic-inch Chevrolet engines with 243 parts, similar to the fuel-injected engines that run each NASCAR Cup Series race weekend. The builders assemble their engines on their own stage platform as they race against the clock and the opposing team to post the fastest time. Winners are determined by the quickest time with the least number of errors. The top two teams face off in the championship round. To date, the quickest time recorded in this competition was 21 minutes and 40 seconds in 2014.
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 its innovation. Just this season, the engine department celebrated its 500th national series win in NASCAR with Kyle Larson’s victory at Darlington Raceway in September.
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The two-day event gets underway on Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET with four qualifying builds taking place at approximately 9:15 a.m. ET, 11 a.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. ET and 3:15 p.m. ET. On Thursday, the final two qualifying builds will take place at approximately 9:15 a.m. ET and 11 a.m. ET. The championship build, which will see the top two teams go head-to-head will begin at approximately 2 p.m. ET. Following that, there will be an awards ceremony to cap off the event.
Last year, Danny Emerick of Hendrick Motorsports and Brad Huston of Hendrick Automotive Group (Hendrick Lexus Kansas City) were victorious with an overall time of 22 minutes and 31 seconds. It was Emerick’s fifth title, putting him one away from Scott Vester of Hendrick Motorsports. Vester came in second in last year’s competition.
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Watch all of the engine builds on the live stream here as well as on Racing America.