West Coast Hemis .... About Us

©National Dragster Sep 17, 2004

On The Run with Michael Ogburn owner of the West Coast Hemis Super Stock team

Michael Ogburn:

When I was in high school and raced at a local track in Carlisle, Ark., the coolest cars I ever saw were the Hemi Plymouth Barracudas and Dodge Darts that came out in 1968. Chrysler offered them in two versions, the most common of which was the street model, but the ones that really caught my eye were the limited-production versions, of which about 100 were made and were sent to the factory racing teams of Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin, Dick Landy, Arlen Vanke, and other Mopar stars. The cars were hand-built versions that came with fiberglass body parts, Plexiglass windows, and other special items that gave them the potential to run 10.5Os right off the showroom floor.

Almost 30 years later, after I moved to California, I attended the NHRA Winternationals with my son, and after sitting in the stands for no more than two hours, I decided that I wanted to buy a race team. Being a longtime Mopar fan, I wanted to race a Hemi, and I wanted a nine-second car. Naturally, my first choice was an SS/AA Hemi 'Cuda.

By 2000, I had gotten together with Harry Holton to buy his car and hire him as an .engine builder. His car was an uncompleted rolling chassis, so we added Phil Mandella to the team to finish the car. I handle the financial backing and serve as an occasional driver, Harry is in charge of the engines, and Phil is the chassis builder and crew chief.

In 2001, we purchased a tractor-trailer rig and added Jerry Jenkins and his SS/AA 'Cuda. It is Jerry's job to handle all of the logistics with the transporter, and in return he can use my engines and drivetrain components.

When my son Paul Michael turned 12, I decided to build a third car to fulfill my longtime wish of forming a father-son racing team, much like Warren and Kurt Johnson. Phil built the new car, which was completed at the end of 2002. We currently use it as a test vehicle, and anything that we try that works well is used on the other cars.

During our first year, Harry made a run with the first car, and the last two letters of his first name, R and Y, came off one of the windows. From then on that car became known as the Har-Cuda.

Harry and I switched driving duties back then, and probably the biggest thrill I had at the time was setting both ends of the national record at 8.71 and 151 mph in Boise, Idaho. When we first started, Bucky Hess had the record at 8.88 and later lowered it to an 8.82. I set the next record at 8.71, and Dave Barton broke that a year later with an 8.64. We got the records back in 2003 when Harry ran times of 8.58 and 151.92 with the Har-Cuda in Las Vegas.

The creation of the Mopar Super Stock Hemi Challenge, which is contested at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, is the best thing that has happened to Super Stock in years. Even though Plymouth no longer exists as a car manufacturer, Mopar officials have appreciated the promotional value of these very special race cars. It's not only a tremendous showcase for Super Stock, but it helps Chrysler promote its current generation of Hemi-powered vehicles, and it really ties in with its theme of "That thing got a Hemi?"

Because neither Harry nor I had enough grading points this year, we asked Jeg Coughlin to drive the Har-Cuda in the Hemi Challenge. I've gotten to know Jeg quite well during the last few years because he always watches our cars run at Indy. In my mind, Jeggie is the best doorslammer driver in the business. Even though he didn't have a chance to make his first run with our car until the time trials Wednesday, no other drag racer can adapt to a new ride better than he can, and he proved it by winning the Challenge.

When we first formed the team, I promised my wife that I would limit the budget to $100,000; obviously, it has gone a bit over that amount in subsequent years. You can say that we've added another zero to put it into the seven-figure range, so I decided to put the operation in her name. Now, if she says anything when I go off to the races, I just tell her that I'm trying to help her run her business.