Engine builders ply skills in showdown

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Engine builders from all over tested their mettle at the recent MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder Showdown at the NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI), in Mooresville, N.C., the heart of the NASCAR racing industry.

Jacques Gordon

Jan. 1, 2020

2 min read

The final round of the competition took place on May 20 before a record-setting crowd of more than 2,000 spectators.

The MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder Showdown features top NASCAR engine builders in a race to build a Sprint® Cup 357-cubic inch Ford racing engine in the shortest time possible. The engine must also run continuously for one minute.

The first round of the Showdown was a timed elimination in which each team raced the clock to qualify for the quarterfinals. During the quarterfinals, semi-finals and finals, the qualifying teams faced one another in a head-to-head competition, with the fastest team in each heat advancing to the next round.

Twenty-three engine builder teams signed up for this year's contest – including those from almost every NASCAR Sprint® Cup race team, as well as teams from Nationwide® Series and Craftsman® Truck Series races. This marks the second consecutive year that the Showdown has seen a record-breaking number of participating teams.

Bill McKnight, Team Leader – Training, for MAHLE Clevite says, "The teams that have entered the competition this year are focused not simply on winning the Showdown, but also on breaking last year's engine build record."

True to McKnight's prediction, this year's winning time was 15:59 as the team of Dennis Borem and Darrell Hoffman repeated their performance with "a clean build." The two also won last year's competition. The winners received the Showdown's grand prize — the prestigious Randy Dorton Memorial Trophy, plus a cash prize of $26,000.

The runners-up Jim Snyder and Mike Kasch from Roush Yates Racing Engines received trophies and a $9,000 cash prize.

"Watching these Showdown teams in action is exciting and inspiring," adds McKnight. "It rekindles your respect and admiration for the skills and mastery of the art of engine building."

— Jacques Gordon

About the Author

Jacques Gordon

Former Technical Editor Jacques Gordon joined the Motor Age team in April 1998 with almost 30 years of automotive experience. He worked for 10 years in dealerships and independent repair shops, specializing in European cars. He later moved to a dyno-lab environment with companies such as Fel-Pro, Robert Bosch, and Johnson-Matthey Catalyst Systems Division. From there, Jacques joined Chilton Book Co, writing diagnostic and repair procedures before joining Motor Age.