In a twist that nobody saw coming, and after an insanely scrutinous pre-race tech inspection, the Hemi Shootout at the NHRA US Nationals at Indy ended with both the winner and runner up being disqualified! There was a lot of speculation in the first few hours, but ultimately we got the details from the Hemi Shootout’s page on Facebook. Here is what they posted.
From the HemiShootout Page on Facebook
In the 36 hours since the final round of the Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge a lot has changed.
Both the winner (Jason Line) and the runner up (Jimmy Daniels) had their cars in the tech barn for a very thorough tech inspection. At Indy this typically includes removing a cylinder head and the oil pan so that a piston-ring-rod assembly can be removed for inspection and measurement.
Yesterday (Saturday) both SS/AH cars were determined to be disqualified. While the issues seem insignificant, rules are rules and should be enforced.
One of Jason Line’s carburetor venturis had a bore diameter .008 inch oversize. The other seven bore diameters were within spec.
Jimmy Daniels entry had an issue with the cylinder head that was removed. All ports and combustion chambers were measured for volume and found to be within spec. However, there was an external modification to the cylinder head that triggered the DQ.
Officials from the NHRA contacted Mike McCandless to advise him since he is the main contact from the McCandless Collection, which put up the prize money for the Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge.
Since the race was over and many competitors had left to go home, a pairing of the semi finalists (Comella and Rhodes) was not a practical option.
Long story short . . . . Mike McCandless and NHRA officials concluded that there will not be a winner for the 2025 Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge. A further decision was made to spread the entire purse evenly between all the other SS/AH competitors.
