At the first annual Hankook Tire Ultimate Track Car Challenge, World Challenge veteran Tommy Archer proved that the Dodge Viper Competition Coupe is the ultimate American track car. His 1:28.401 lap on Virginia International Raceway’s North Course beat an amazing field including Mosler Intruder pilot Chet Fillip, World Challenge Audi driver Chip Herr, and many others in highly modified machines. 

The event was held on July 27 and drew entrants from as far away as California. The car featured in the race ranged in budget from less than $2,000 to more than $200,000.  Sponsored by Hankook Tire, Spax shocks, MSD Ignition and StopTech brakes, the Hankook Ultimate Track Car Challenge’s goal was to find who had America’s fastest track car. 

Before the participants were selected, more than 100 competitor entries built team pages on CarDomain.com. After millions of members voted for their favorite cars, the editors at Grassroots Motorsports magazine used the results to whittle down the entries to three dozen teams.

The event broke into four classes by car type and preparation level. Christopher Drabouski won the privateer small-bore class in his Honda Civic. Other class winners included multi-time Solo Champion Danny Popp winning the Independent Varsity Class in his Chevrolet Corvette and Performance Touring front runner John Whitaker taking the championship in the Shop Junior Varsity class, competing on Hankook Ventus Z214 Race Tires. 

This NASA-sanctioned event showcased the wide variety of machined being used in the Hankook Ultimate Track Car Challenge. A recap of the event will be featured in Grassroots Motorsports’ November cover story. The issue hits newsstands on October 9.