James McEntire: 1968 Chevrolet Camaro

James McEntire: 1968 Chevrolet Camaro

James “Doc” McEntire brought serious horsepower and determination to Hot Rod Drag Week 2015 with his beautifully built 1968 Chevrolet Camaro. Under the hood sits a 673 cubic inch billet Hemi crafted by Goodwin Competition Engines, controlled by an MS3Pro Engine Management System. The result? A naturally aspirated monster pushing 1415 horsepower.

Drag Week Performance

Despite having virtually no street miles on the brand-new combination prior to the event—other than a 30-minute tuning session the night before—Doc wasted no time proving the car’s potential.

  • Pro Street Naturally Aspirated Class

    • 5-day average: 9.416 @ 162.49 mph

    • Fastest ET: 8.375 @ 169.3 mph

    • Quickest naturally aspirated pass of the entire event

Day-by-Day Highlights

  • Sunday (Test & Tune):
    Shakedown pass in the low 10s to verify systems before competition began.

  • Monday:
    First full pass resulted in an 8.730 @ 168.5 mph, instantly securing a strong lead over the field.

  • Tuesday (Indianapolis):
    Improved to 8.375 @ 169.3 mph, extending his class advantage.

  • Wednesday (Union Grove, WI):
    Electrical gremlins from a shorted trans brake wire slowed progress, but he still ran 8.456 @ 165.8 mph and pushed on to Cordova.

  • Thursday (Cordova, IL):
    Transmission trouble in low gear forced the MS3Pro’s auto-shift to carry the run in high gear, netting a slower but still class-leading 9.615 @ 161.7 mph. With the car in “impound,” Doc and co-driver Jeff McConnell spent the day repairing the transmission themselves before heading overnight to St. Louis.

  • Friday (St. Louis):
    A conservative pass of 11.907 @ 147.0 mph locked in the win. A second, all-out attempt (with power management removed) unfortunately broke the transmission again—but by then, the job was done.

Event Results

Doc not only won his class, but also claimed the title of quickest naturally aspirated car at Drag Week 2015. His combination of cutting-edge billet Hemi power and reliable MS3Pro engine management proved itself against the toughest street/strip competition in the country.

“The MS3Pro kept everything under control and gave us the confidence to push this brand-new build hard, day after day, across more than 1,000 miles and five race tracks.” – James “Doc” McEntire

Build Highlights

  • Engine: 673ci billet Hemi by Goodwin Competition Engines

  • Power: 1415 horsepower, naturally aspirated

  • Transmission: Race-built with auto-shift capability via MS3Pro

  • Management: MS3Pro standalone ECU

  • Performance: Fastest NA pass of Drag Week 2015