To the list of the 12 racers who scored outstanding victories at the recent U.S. Nationals must be added the names of Stock competitors Caleb McFarland and David Barton. Although neither one earned the Stock Eliminator title, they were impressive in winning the A/S and A/SA Challenges, respectively, that each paid $4,000 in cash and prizes.

McFarland, 19, of Aberdeen, Ohio, was the surprising A/S victor in a 2001 Pontiac Firebird over Kevin Helms of Schriever, La., in a 2010 Dodge Challenger. Helms, the two-time Indy and three-time national Stock champ, was the favorite in the five-car field by qualifying the Challenger, which he debuted at the Bowling Green Division 3 points meet Aug. 25, first at 9.87 at 137.00, well ahead of McFarland’s 10.02 at 133.54 in second.

To the list of the 12 racers who scored outstanding victories at the recent U.S. Nationals must be added the names of Stock competitors Caleb McFarland and David Barton. Although neither one earned the Stock Eliminator title, they were impressive in winning the A/S and A/SA Challenges, respectively, that each paid $4,000 in cash and prizes.

McFarland, 19, of Aberdeen, Ohio, was the surprising A/S victor in a 2001 Pontiac Firebird over Kevin Helms of Schriever, La., in a 2010 Dodge Challenger. Helms, the two-time Indy and three-time national Stock champ, was the favorite in the five-car field by qualifying the Challenger, which he debuted at the Bowling Green Division 3 points meet Aug. 25, first at 9.87 at 137.00, well ahead of McFarland’s 10.02 at 133.54 in second.

In the final, McFarland held a .004 to .046 advantage off the line, but the difference was not sufficient to win if Helms’ Challenger matched its qualifying number. That did not happen, since McFarland’s Firebird led at all the incrementals and the Challenger’s engine blew up in a cloud of smoke at 1,000 feet. McFarland, who won B/S at Indy last year, ran 10.09 at 122.73 to Helms’ 10.20 at 121.02.

“The win was just great. It was shocking and exciting. I knew I had to give my all and do my best,” said McFarland, who is a business administration student at Maysville (Ky.) Community and Technical College and works at McFarland Chevrolet Buick dealership in Maysville.

The 2,950-pound Firebird, which has run a best of 10.00 at 133.50, belongs to McFarland’s father Brett, the dealership owner who runs a B/S ’68 Camaro and won the first A/S Challenge in 2008. The Firebird was built in 2002 by Joe Russell and Gary Russell of E. Sparta, Ohio. The 346-inch engine is from Todd Quinn’s Platinum Engines in Zanesville, Ohio. The drivetrain includes a Hays clutch, Jerico transmission, and Moser 5.13 rearend.

When Barton, 31, of Reading, Pa., drove the 2009 Challenger of Al Carp of Staten Island, N.Y., to the No. 1 Stock qualifying position late on a hot Aug. 31 afternoon, the other 14 A/SA racers knew they were in trouble for the class runoffs the next day. The closest A/SA to Barton’s monstrous 9.67 at 137.39 was Keith Lynch of Greenville, Ohio, in a 2010 Challenger at 9.83 at 128.46.

Barton reeled off a 9.80, 9.72, and 9.77 in the first three rounds before posting a 9.78 at 136.04 in the final to defeat the 10.02 at 133.22 from the 2009 Challenger of Doug Duell of Newburgh, Ind. Barton had won in the first outing for the Challenger, which complements Carp’s 1970 Challenger A/SA and 1965 Dodge Coronet A/SA and is sponsored by Carp Construction of Staten Island.

“The win was definitely unique,” said Barton, the son of Ray Barton, the renowned engine builder from Robesonia, Pa., who specializes in Hemis. “The weekend couldn’t have gone any better. Because I was not completely familiar with the car, I was just trying not to screw up, stay conservative, and get the car down the track.” Barton has been driving Stockers and Super Stockers since 1998, setting records, winning points and class races, and scoring a national-event runner-up.

Built at Ray Barton Racing Engines, where David Barton works, the 370-inch engine has a factory 385-h.p. rating and a new 426-h.p. NHRA factor because of Barton running so far under the index. The engine produced 655 h.p. on the dyno. He said the number was aided substantially by tuning the electronic fuel injection with a system from AEM Performance Electronics of Hawthorne, Calif.

Putting the power to the Dana 60 rearend are a Pro Trans three-speed 727 transmission and an ATI converter. The chassis on the 3,400-pound car was built by Mike Roth at MR2 Performance in Lebanon, Ind.

McFarland and Barton praised Jim Schaechter, 45, of St. Charles, Ill., for organizing both Challenges, with A/S in its fourth year and A/SA the inaugural. “Thank you to Jim for all his hard work,” McFarland said. “It wouldn’t have happened without all the people who contributed.” Barton stated, “Jim did a real good job putting the program together. We were pretty pumped up about it and wanted to race in it with the new car.”

Schaechter is a long-time competitor who won Stock at the 2000 U.S. Nationals in an N/S 1965 Chevelle owned by Bob Gipson of Port Byron, Ill. Schaechter trades seat time between Gipson’s A/S 1965 Corvette and an E/S 1966 Chevy II he owns with his brother Joe of Moline, Ill.

Jim Schaechter, an industrial engineer for UPS, where he has worked 26 years, presented his first Challenge in J/S at Topeka in 2005 and then in I/S at Indy one year before focusing on A/S. “I love heads-up racing, so I thought why not recognize those guys and help out with some money because the cars are so rough on parts,” he said. “There has been so much interest by getting the message out through Ken Miele’s Class Racer.com and marketing through my contacts in the aftermarket industry. I see an opportunity for class racing, and I want to show what’s possible.”

The first A/SA Challenge was suggested by Jeff Teuton and Scott Helms. Teuton, the Indy Stock winner this year, owns Southland Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep and Southland Speed in Houma, La. Helms, a Gatornationals Stock winner and Kevin Helms’ brother, is the sales manager at the speed shop and helped Schaechter organize the Challenges. “The timing was superb because there were many new cars that had to run hard against each other,” Schaechter said.

The $4,000 payouts in both Challenges were double what was paid to 2010 A/S winner John Calvert of California. Money and products were provided by Advanced Clutch, ARP, Autometer, Calvert Racing, Cometic Gaskets, Comp Cams, Derby City Covers, East Coast Drag News, Evansville Kia Mazda Volvo Hyundai, Eastern Shore Automotive, Fischer’s Align A Wheel, Ford Motorsports, JE Pistons, Southland Speed, Ken Keir Race Cars, Larry Curtis, Larry Hill, Luke Awdish, Mahle Pistons, Mike Keener, MSD, Nitro Joe’s Stats, Nitroplate, PAC Racing Springs, Quick Fuel, Royal Purple, Suburban Towing and Heavy Hauling, TCI, United Manual Transmission Racers, and Wiseco.

“Every year is as exciting as the previous year,” Schaechter said. “The reward is great.”