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Hughes to Debut 50th Anniversary COPO Camaro for 2020 Factory Super Car Season

Posted By: nmrasalesdept
The NMCA's Holley EFI Factory Super Cars is one of the most hotly contested heads-up classes, and staying at the head of the field is no small feat. Seward, Nebraska's Ted Hughes has been competing in the class for the last several years with a 2016 Chevrolet Performance COPO Camaro, and in the middle of 2019, picked up a 50th Anniversary 2019 COPO Camaro to be his new ride going forward. The reason for upgrading to the new car is because of my height, said the 6 7 -tall Hughes. The other car was built quickly to get something going and I never fit in the car quite right. The biggest thing for me is getting the seat in the right place so my helmet isn't on the roll cage. Handling the changes to the factory fresh F-body was David Janes of David Janes Race Cars (DJRC). Don Bailey has been doing my tuning for the last two years and he has a relationship with David Janes when he ran NMCA stuff a few years ago, Hughes told us. He comes from Pro mod and some other classes and said he would love to work on the project when we approached him about it.
Hughes picked up the COPO from Turnkey Automotive in Michigan and then dropped it off at DJRC in Kirksville, Missouri. In addition to upgrading the 8.50-cert roll cage to 7.50 specs, Janes made the necessary changes to fit Hughes frame between the cars perfectly. Recently, Hughes and Janes took the COPO to Bradenton Motorsports Park for some shakedown runs and fine-tuning. The COPO uses the same 2019-spec 350ci supercharged engine built by Joe Hornick Enterprises in Mooresville, North Carolina, that he used in his 2016 COPO, and while we can't divulge the ETs, Hughes and Janes were happy with the results, which included a personal best for Hughes on the car's third pass of the day. It's awesome; it's amazing how much better you can drive when you're comfortable, Hughes expressed. The NMCA's 2020 season, including the Holley EFI Factory Super Cars class, kicks off March 5-8 at the NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem presented by Holbrook Racing Engines at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Florida.

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