Just a reminder that most of the USA will end Daylight Savings Time on Sunday morning, Nov. 4. Set your clocks back and you get to sleep an hour longer in the morning. Of course, that means bedtime is earlier too, but the Agent has reached the point where he tends to fall asleep when the sun goes down anyway.  [11/02/18]

Mopar has revealed a brand-new HEMI-engine-powered “Hellephant” 426 Supercharged Mopar Crate HEMI engine, which turns the crank at 1,000 hp and 950 lb.-ft. of torque, at its press conference during the 2018 SEMA Show. The press briefing also included the unveiling of the ’68 Dodge “Super Charger” Concept, which highlights the Hellephant 426 Supercharged Crate HEMI engine assembly and kit.

The Hellephant engine hits the 1,000-hp mark via bulked-up displacement, with 4 inches of stroke and bore specs at 4.125 in. An improved supercharger with a high-efficiency rotor is mounted on the all-aluminum block, which provides huge weight savings to keep the Hellephant light. The all-aluminum block, used in Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak race vehicles that dominated the 2018 NHRA Factory Stock Showdown class, was configured for the street in close collaboration with Mopar and engineers from the motorsports world.  (FCA US photos)   [11/02/18]

Mick Snyder and the Evolution Race Development team roll into the Texas Motorplex this weekend for the Mid-West Pro Mod’s Elite 16 with a new 1968 Snyder Motorsports ERD-supercharged, ComSync EFI Camaro Pro Mod. The Indiana native has relocated Snyder Motorsports to Ennis, TX.

“We are excited to finally get the new girl out and get my 26th season of racing started, moving Snyder Motorsports to Texas and finishing the new-to-us car took a lot longer than I expected. We have been at the track the past five weekends either testing, watching it rain or delivering parts. So far the new girl is being a little stubborn, but I’m sure she will come around. We get eight qualifiers for this deal, so I hope by the time eliminations roll around we have a full pull under our belts,” Snyder laughed.

“Raegie, our new Camaro, is an older McAmis chassis that we basically restored from the ground up. There isn’t much left from the car of old.  She has a Snyder Motorsports Hemi, Snyder 3-Speed Lencodrive and Snyder-ized Coan Converter as well as our ComSyncEFI. We are looking forward to a great weekend with a lot of passes that we can use to build on this winter testing and into next season. It feels good to have the Snyder Motorsports Test Vehicle back out!”   [11/02/18]

Emilio and Adamo Spinozzi and their Spinozzi Racing team, who have completed five days of testing ahead of the second round of the 400 Thunder Pro Slammer Championship at Sydney (Australia) Dragway this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 2-3.

A long break after the opening round of the series in Darwin allowed the team to make some changes to their set up in the hopes of finding repeatable runs in the Speedmaster Chevelle. The theories have produced some early results, with driver Emilio Spinozzi clocking his quickest pass yet, a 6.020 personal best.

“The car is getting easier to drive, it is becoming smoother,” he said. “We've been making runs without tyre shake and that means I can concentrate on shifting and everything else that is going on instead of battling the car at the steering wheel.”

Spinozzi not only ran his quickest time, but also his fastest speed of 252.7 mph (406.6 kph). Crew chief Mick Marriott said the speed reflected fuel system changes and a happy engine, as a myriad of other changes deliver gains through the rest of the track.   [11/02/18]

If Jason Arbery can race to the Top Sportsman finals at the South Coast Nationals event next weekend (Nov. 10-11), it will make six straight finals’ appearances for the reigning champion and John Storm Memorial Award holder.

In addition to going to the finals at the final two rounds of last season, Arbery has made the finals at every event held so far during the current 18/19 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series season. In the process, he has this season already taken home two wins and a runner-up result to currently be on maximum points in the Top Sportsman rankings with six rounds remaining in the title chase.

While he is in a great position so far, when it comes to predicting back-to-back championships, Arbery is cautious. “Going back to back would be very special, but it’s something I don’t want to think about too much as it just adds pressure,” he said.

The South Coast Nationals, round four of the 2018/19 Australian Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series, will be held at Portland’s South Coast Raceway in Victoria.  (Automotive Event Images)   [11/02/18]

Pit Boss Grills has inked a multi-year agreement with John Force Racing for a marketing partnership. The sponsorship officially begins in 2019, but the company logo will be on John Force’s Camaro for the final two races of the 2018 season, including Las Vegas as seen above. The Agent will take a couple of burgers. Yum!  (Ron Lewis photo)   [11/02/18]