Now that the NASCAR 2025 Cup Championship is over, and Hendrick Motorsports has already bagged its third title within the final six seasons, the group has turned its consideration inward, fueling competitors underneath its personal roof to construct the final word crew synergy forward of 2026.
Beginning Thursday at 9 a.m., twelve Hendrick Motorsports engine builders will companion with twelve Hendrick Automotive Group Licensed Grasp Technicians in a problem to see who can assemble a NASCAR-inspired 358-cubic-inch V8 engine quicker and cleaner than the remaining, the place Precision can be all the things.
Every engine incorporates 243 engineered components, and each misstep will rack up penalties. The occasion, broadcast dwell on the Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown, has develop into an indicator of talent, teamwork, and mechanical artistry. The names of the competitors are given after the mastermind engine builder, Randy Dorton.
Final yr’s finale got here all the way down to the wire, with Hendrick Motorsports’ Danny Emerick and Hendrick Automotive’s Shane Flake edging out the duo of Scott Vester and Joe Gagatch by simply 31 seconds. It marked Emerick’s seventh profession victory, essentially the most in occasion historical past. He’s again once more this yr, eyeing title quantity eight.
Previous champions learn like a who’s who of mechanical excellence: six-time winner Scott Vester, and two-time winners John Boydston, Jay Wiles, and Robert Marock (from Honda of Harmony).
Now in its twenty fourth yr, the showdown doubles as a bridge between Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Automotive Group, the 2 sides of Rick Hendrick’s empire.
Whereas one builds race-winning engines for the Cup Sequence, the opposite retains prospects’ vehicles operating throughout the nation. This annual competitors unites them underneath one banner, testing craftsmanship, communication, and nerves of metal.
The bets can be greater than bragging rights. Winners will take residence a brand-new, absolutely stocked NAPA toolbox, whereas runners-up earn a cell NAPA software cart.
The competitors will span two days, with 4 qualifying builds set for Thursday and two extra on Friday morning earlier than the finale present that afternoon. Pairings are decided by random draw, holding each matchup unpredictable.
The technicians from Hendrick Automotive Group aren’t chosen evenly both. Each should rank among the many yr’s prime performers in customer support and cross a specialised Hendrick Automotive-tailored ASE certification examination to qualify.
Heading into this yr’s contest, Kevin Moler and Kyle Kittell have set the early benchmark, sitting atop the leaderboard amongst eight groups.
