With five of 12 events complete in the 2015 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Season, 20 teams have earned their way to the Dual Championship roster. The teams continue to pull out amazing performances at each stop, besting times from last year and increasing the intense level of competition at each Engine Challenge.
The 2015 Season got off to a fast start at the Race and Performance Expo in St. Charles, IL. Thirty-four teams competed over two days with eight teams qualifying for the Engine Challenge Finals. Lockport High School had two teams qualify. Team Nitrous Express qualified with a time of31:47, finishing eighth overall and Team Hedman Hedders came in third with a time of 27:26. South Elgin High School’s Be Cool Team came in seventh with a time of 31:41. Team Dee Zee of Joliet Central High School finished in 28:55 to earn sixth place at the Expo and qualify for the Finals. Fremd High School’s Thermo-Tec Team, led by Illinois State Teacher of the Year Steven Elza, finished second, completing their engine rebuild in just 26:09. Belvidere High School nearly stole the show with three teams qualifying for the Engine Challenge Finals. The all-girl Team Edelbrock came in fifth with a time of 28:49. Just ahead of them was Team Fel-Pro who finished their rebuilt in 27:59. Setting the standard for other teams this year was Team Taylor Cable who finished in just 25:57, coming in first overall at the Race and Performance Expo Engine Challenge.
At the Zephyrhills Auto Fest held February 22 in Zephyrhills, Fl. Team ARP (Peach County High School) and Team Magnaflow (Thomas County Central High School) both posted times that allows them to qualify for the Dual Championship Finals later this year at the SEMA and the PRI tradeshows. Team ARP completed their performance engine rebuild in an incredible time of just 17 minutes and 35 seconds. Team Magnaflow’s 23:23 time was also very competitive amongst Hot Rodders of Tomorrow teams.
On February 28 and March 1, Hot Rodders of Tomorrow visited the famed Atlanta Motor Speedway to host the third Engine Challenge competition of 2015. There two more teams qualified for the Dual Championship. Both from Forsyth Central High School, Team Howard Cams and Team Hypertech represented their hometown of Cummings, Ga. finishing 28:28 and 20:06 respectively.
From there the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow tour moved north to the P&E Distributor’s CTA Expo held in Hendersonville, TN. on March 7. Once again, Forsyth Central High School was the top team of the meet. Team Hypertech bested their Atlanta time by two seconds. Team Howard Cams also bested their time, coming in at 27:59. In their first appearances of 2015, Bolton and Sequoyah High Schoolswere ready for battle. Two teams from Sequoyah qualified: Team Flowmaster (29:37) and Team Motive Gear (26:03). Two of Bolton High School’s teams placed third and fourth overall in the event, also qualifying for the Dual Championship. Team Fragola finished their rebuild in just 23:50, while TeamDerale followed closely behind at 25:03
March 20-22, Hot Rodders of Tomorrow visited the Texas Motor Speedway at the Goodguys Lone Star Nationals where five more teams completed engine rebuilds in under 35 minutes, qualifying them for the DualChampionship. Team Weld Racing from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center came in first at the meet with a time of just 22 minutes. Tulsa Technology Center had a very impressive showing with three teams qualifying. Team Mr. Gasket made it in with a time of 27:31. Not far behind them was Team DEI with a time of 32:16, and last to qualify from TTC was Team Vibrant who completed their rebuild in 34:10. Also earning their Dual Championship spot was Team Allstar Performance from Jacksonville High School with the time of 34:56
The next Engine Challenge will be held April 10-12 at the Goodguys Del Mar Nationals in Del Mar, California. As the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow tour moves to the West Coast, fans and followers can expect to see new teams emerge, as well as top competitors from last challenging the incredible times posted so farfrom teams in the middle and eastern United States.
For more info: www.hotroddersoftomorrow.com.
The rankings as of March 31st, 2015
| Ranking | Team Name | School | City | State | Time |
| 1 | ARP | Peach County High School | Fort Valley | GA | 17:35 |
| 2 | Hypertech | Forsyth Central High School | Cumming | GA | 20:06 |
| 3 | Weld Racing | Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center | Choctaw | OK | 22:00 |
| 4 | Magnaflow | Thomas County Central High School | Thomasville | GA | 23:23 |
| 5 | Fragola | Bolton High School | Arlington | TN | 23:50 |
| 6 | Taylor Cable | Belvidere North High School | Belvidere | IL | 25:57 |
| 7 | Motive Gear | Sequoyah high school | Soddy daisy | TN | 26:03 |
| 8 | Thermo-Tec | Fremd High School Team | Palatine | IL | 26:09 |
| 9 | Mr. Gasket | Tulsa Technology Center Team 1 | Broken Arrow | OK | 27:31 |
| 10 | Hedman Hedders | Lockport High School | Lockport | IL | 27:46 |
| 11 | Fel-Pro | Belvidere North High School | Belvidere | IL | 27:59 |
| 12 | Howards Cams | Forsyth Central High School | Cumming | GA | 28:28 |
| 13 | Edelbrock | Belvidere North High School | Belvidere | IL | 28:49 |
| 14 | Dee Zee | Joliet Central High School Team #1 | Joliet | IL | 28:55 |
| 15 | Flowmaster | Sequoyah high school | Soddy daisy | TN | 29:37 |
| 16 | Be Cool | South Elgin High School | South Elgin | IL | 31:41 |
| 17 | Nitrous Express | Lockport High School | Lockport | IL | 31:47 |
| 18 | DEI | Tulsa Technology Center Team 4 | Broken Arrow | OK | 32:16 |
| 19 | Vibrant Performance | Tulsa Technology Center Team 7 | Broken Arrow | OK | 34:10 |
| 20 | Allstar Performance | Jacksonville High School | Jacksonville | AR | 34:56 |