AJ Berge Wins Holley EFI Factory Super Cars Class at NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem

AJ Berge of HEMI Tuner Performance secured a dramatic victory in the Holley EFI Factory Super Cars (FSC) class at the season-opening NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem race at Orlando Speed World. Despite qualifying in the 13th spot, Berge’s Whipple Superchargers, Revolution Paradox, and Security Dodge Power Brokers sponsored RAMCHARGERS Challenger Drag Pak stormed to first place in a hard-fought and thrilling contest.

Berge’s path to victory was not an easy one. After underwhelming performances in testing, he and his team worked tirelessly to optimize the car’s performance but struggled to find the right setup. They missed a time trial and qualifying session on Friday and found themselves in last place on the qualifying sheet after spinning out. With only one opportunity to move up the field, Berge and his team tried various combinations but could only manage to climb to the 13th spot with a 7.90-second run.

In the first round of eliminations, Berge faced Mustang Cobra Jet racer James Betz and delivered a blistering 7.67-second pass at over 180 mph. Building on this momentum, Berge advanced through the rounds, taking down Tony Scott’s COPO Camaro and Chuck Watson II’s Cobra Jet Mustang in the process.

In the final round, Berge faced off against Ricky Hord’s COPO Camaro, and the stage was set for a classic Mopar versus Chevy showdown. With everything on the line, Berge pushed his Drag Pak to the limit and got off to a great start, getting a holeshot on Hord. The two cars were neck and neck all the way down the track, but Berge emerged victorious with a 7.63-second ET, earning him $10,000 in contingency from Direct Connection.

Berge was quick to credit his team for their hard work and support throughout the weekend. Kyle and Mark Pawuk, David Barton, Scott Libershire, and his crew provided much-needed assistance for some major repairs, while Tim Holmberg from Holmberg Motorsports flew in from Minnesota to lend a hand with a bumper-to-bumper teardown. Even Berge’s office manager and her fiancé chipped in to help the team reach the winner’s circle.

With this win under his belt, Berge is looking forward to testing and preparing for the next round of NMCA and NHRA races in North Carolina in April.

Source: Drag Illustrated