Variety is the Spice Of Life!Sometimes taking a gamble pays off. For the 2007 Jeg's Engine Masters Challenge, PHR Editor Johnny Hunkins and I decided to veer off the proven track with an unconventional format. In all of the previous five years of competition, a pre-established cubic-inch specification essentially defined the event. With this year's competition open to any stock displacement size more than 300 ci, there were some serious questions about the potential outcome of that decision. Now, here we are with the competitor's applications scrutinized, the final competitors chosen, and hardware coming together all across the country. At this point, it's clear that the "Muscle Car Engines" format is a home run.
One of the outcomes was a deluge of applications, flooding us with more hopeful participants than we could possibly accommodate in the competition. Selection was a difficult process. Rather than proceed in a purely subjective fashion, it was clear that in the interest of fairness to all, a formalized process was required. To accomplish this, the rules committee-with the guidance of NHRA tech guru and Engine Masters official Wesley Roberson-developed a numerical point system to evaluate the entries, taking emotion and any suggestion of favoritism out of the process. Sure, there are bound to be disappointed applicants, but by the adoption of a point system, we can assure all were considered on a level playing field. Even those builders not selected as part of the official participant list can still potentially get in the game through our ranked alternate list. If an accepted builder drops out of the competition for any reason, the next ranking alternate has the chance to fill that spot and compete.
One of the concerns we had early in creating this year's competition was the possibility that the builders would gravitate toward a particular engine combination or size. What if all of the builders were of the opinion that smaller is better, and that the small-block Chevrolet is the best engine to build? We had to wait until the applications rolled in to see if we'd end up with a stack of guys looking to build 302 and 305 Chevrolets (or Fords, or whatever) and nothing else. Now, locked and loaded with an official list of accepted participants, it's clear that the builders have a wide variety of ideas regarding the best combination and configuration for the Challenge.
Looking at the final participants list, engine sizes run the gamut, from 302-cube Ford and Chevy entries at the small end, to a monster 500-cube Cadillac entry by Torque Inc. Filling out the middle, we have competitors building just about everything. In small-block Chevrolets alone, accepted entries include the 400, 350, 327, 305, and 302, while at the Ford camp, we have the 302 and 351 small-blocks, the 400M, and a pair of FE wild cards at 427 and 332 displacements. Mopar fans are also well represented, with 318, 340, and 360 small-blocks, along with a pair of 440 big-block entries, and even a 331 early Hemi. Still not enough variety? Let's not forget the 350 Olds, 400 Buick, 390 and 401 AMCs, or the Pontiac 326 and 400 entries. The alternate participants list brings still more. If you have a favorite V-8 performance engine, chances are you can find it in this year's Engine Masters Challenge.
Alternates to Receive Coverage in Engine MastersYou've read about our new rules regarding alternate participants, and might want a few more details. It's no secret that attrition is just part of the reality of an all-out battle like the Engine Masters Challenge. We've seen plenty of engines expire in the heat of competition on the dyno, but what we usually don't see are the engines that never make it that far. Pre-event attrition is certainly a factor, whether other obligations or responsibilities overwhelm an invited participant's ability to make the show, component availability stifles a build, or a competition engine experiences a catastrophic failure in testing. We've been given many excuses for pre-event attrition-even an engine stolen before the event-so this should be reason enough for many to participate in the alternate program. To ensure every alternate builder gets a degree of exposure surrounding his build, each is encouraged to send in a tech sheet and photo of his potential engine for publication in Engine Masters. For more information, visit www.enginemasters.com.