Comella Drives ’68 Cuda to Victory at 20th Anniversary Dodge HEMI® Challenge


Comella Drives ’68 Cuda to Victory at 20th Anniversary Dodge HEMI® Challenge
  •  No.1 qualifier Steve Comella drove his 1968 Plymouth Barracuda to the winner’s circle after a dominant performance in the 20th anniversary edition of the Dodge HEMI® Challenge at Lucas Oil Raceway during the 2021 Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals
  • Comella followed up his runner-up finish at last year’s event with his first career win in the longest running, continuous, specialty race in NHRA history showcasing HEMI-powered Super Stock 1968 Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas in head-to-head battles
  • Comella defeated Jim Daniels Jr., a four-time Dodge HEMI Challenge winner, in an exciting final elimination battle to earn the uniquely crafted 42.5 lb. Dodge HEMI Challenge trophy and $15,000 winner’s prize
  • Defending winner Stephen Yantus III earned the NHRA’s special award for “Best Appearing Car” at the 67th annual the Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals

Indianapolis, Indiana, Sept. 4, 2021– The 20th anniversary edition of the Dodge HEMI® Challenge saw a new winner crowned at Lucas Oil Raceway as a determined Steve Comella drove his 1968 Plymouth Barracuda from a runner-up finish in last year’s event to earn his first victory at longest running, continuous, specialty race in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) history.

Comella earned the victory at the fan-favorite classic muscle car competition from the No. 1 qualifier position with a dominant performance through eliminations to advance to an exciting final where he defeated Jim Daniels Jr., four-time (2016-2019) Dodge HEMI Challenge winner. He drove his iconic Super Stock ’68 Cuda to an elapsed timed (E.T.) run of 8.364 seconds at 161.17 mph to beat his opponent’s 8.423 sec/ 158.02 mph pass under the lights at Lucas Oil Raceway in a late night showdown during the 67th annual Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals on Friday.

On his drive to the winner’s circle, Comella battled head-to-head against Steve Kent and inaugural event winner Bucky Hess, and had a semifinal solo run when defending event winner Stephen Yantus III wasn’t able to make the start due to a mechanical issue. In the final against Daniels and his vintage ’68 Dodge Dart, Comella overcame his opponent’s early lead by chasing him down and turning on the win lights with a 0.0202-second margin of victory.

Highlights of Comella’s performance through five elimination rounds included a lightning 0.001-second reaction time and a trio of 8.3-second runs, the last of which gave him low E.T. and top speed of the event. His efforts were rewarded with the coveted custom-made 42.6-lb. trophy crafted from a 426 HEMI cylinder head, a $15,000 award, and the immense satisfaction that comes with a first career win.

“At the moment I’m exhausted, but this means a lot,” said Comella, who finished runner-up to Yantus in last year’s edition of the Dodge HEMI Challenge and has previously earned two runner-up finishes in overall NHRA Super Stock competition. “We’ve been chasing this for a while. Last year kind of felt like a stone in the shoe all year, so we decided to really kind of put everything into [this race] this year. It was a lot of work and here it (the trophy) is.”

While last year’s winner Yantus saw his efforts to defend his title come to an end in the semifinals, his ’68 Barracuda came away from the Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals as a winner after being presented with NHRA’s special award for “Best Appearing Car”.

Fans can also look for highlights of the 20th anniversary Dodge HEMI Challenge during NHRA coverage of the 67th annual Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals on Sunday Sept. 5, on FS1 from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. and on the FOX national broadcast network from 1 – 4 p.m. EDT.

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