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Team “O”
Motorsports Makes PDRA XPS Debut at DRAGSTOCK XIII
PITTSBORO, N.C. (September 1, 2016): The naturally
aspirated, factory hot rod machines of Extreme Pro Stock (XPS)
will rejoin the Professional Drag Racers (PDRA) 2016 tour
as the organization heads to its marquee event of the
season, Dragstock XIII, held September 8-10. XPS points
leaders John Pluchino, Richard Penland, and Brian Gahm are
all expected to be in attendance, along with other XPS
favorites as the class makes its fourth appearance this
season.
At least one new entry will be in attendance at the highly
acclaimed GALOT Motorsports Park for the 13th running of
Dragstock. Team “O” Motorsports will attend its inaugural
PDRA event, returning to Pro Stock competition after a
long layoff. The team remained sidelined during the
various transitions that Mountain Motor Pro Stock has been
through in recent years. Team “O” Motorsports owner
Richard Otwell has faith in the PDRA program and decided
it was time to put his car back in competition. The
Chevrolet Cobalt has been given a complete makeover,
including new windows, paint and fresh engines and is now
ready for battle against the toughest eighth-mile Pro
Stockers on the planet.
“We went for a simple, clean appearance, and everyone
seems to love the new color,” informed team manager and
co-crew chief, Jeff Owen. “The makeover was entirely done
in house. Kevin Cowger and the guys next door in the
Custom Performance Hot Rod Shop were instrumental in
getting the factory headlights installed, a project that
is more difficult than first meets the eye. Regretfully,
the engines were put in mothballs when XPS was dropped
from the class lineup last year, and it’s taken a lot of
time to restart our in house engine program. Thanks to
Scott Benham’s hard work and Slick Rick Racing Heads we’re
ready and very excited to make our PDRA debut.”
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Along with the car’s
overhaul, it’s also getting a new driver.
Otwell is a weekend warrior near his Texas home, but his business keeps
him from traveling with a national series. So for his Pro Stock operation
he tapped Scott Benham, owner of Race Engine Development, to be the Team
“O” pilot. Benham’s been behind the wheel of a race car for decades, but
Dragstock will be his first national event piloting a Pro Stocker.
“When you grow up in a racing family, watching heroes like Bob Glidden and
Lee Shepherd, you always dream about getting behind the wheel of a Pro
Stock machine,” confessed Benham, who has years of experience driving
stick shift doorslammers, albeit with less horsepower than the Team “O”
Cobalt. “The opportunity came for me to drive for Team ‘O’, and now I'm
sitting in the seat. I worked for several years for another Pro Stock
team, so we have quite a bit of experience as far as being around them.
Just haven’t been behind the wheel of one a lot.”
Benham has had his current engine shop for a decade and owned a speed shop
for twenty years before that. The 825 cubic inch Chevrolet Hemi in the
Team “O” Cobalt is a Sonny Leonard original design that Benham has put his
own twist on. “We’ve been running it for three or four years on and off.
It shows pretty good promise. We’re always in R&D mode. We have our own
dyno and it’s all in house. We found a little power, so hopefully it’s
enough for Dragstock.”
“We love the PDRA and are so glad to finally be able to support the
organization and Extreme Pro Stock,” added Owen. “We want to support.
We’re a firm believer in the eighth-mile series and what they can do. We
want to go to as much as we can. Richard is a pretty cool owner. He’s let
us go to a lot of races that he couldn’t attend himself.”
Owen adds thanks to Gene Jones with Maxima Racing Oil for partnering with
Team “O” Motorsports, which is made up of an entirely volunteer crew.
“Without Richard’s drive and inspiration we wouldn’t be here,” Benham says
of the team owner. “I enjoy working with the guys and learning and
teaching. It’s a lot of fun. And that’s the main key. We’re going out to
be competitive and have a shot to win, but at the end of the day it’s all
about having a good time. We’ve all got jobs, so we don’t want to make
this one.”
For more on Dragstock XIII, visit www.pdra660.com.
ABOUT THE PDRA
Based in Pittsboro, North Carolina, the Professional Drag Racers
Association is the top sanctioning body in the United States for the sport
of eighth-mile drag racing. The PDRA’s professional categories include Pro
Extreme, Pro Nitrous, Pro Boost, and Pro Extreme Motorcycle along with Top
Sportsman, Top Dragster, Pro Jr. Dragster, and Top Jr. Dragster. The 2016
PDRA schedule consists of nine national events. For more on the world’s
premier eighth mile drag racing organization visit
www.pdra660.com.
Follow the PDRA:
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram,
YouTube.
PRESS CONTACT: Lisa Collier
Professional Drag Racers Association
lisa@pdra660.com
704.692.4636
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