Hurst Engineers to Appear at Carlisle Hurst Nationals
The second annual Hurst Nationals-running concurrently with the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals-is set for July 13-14 at the Carlisle Expo Center. In addition to the unique cars slated to appear, the event will also feature Hurst engineers and employees.
Hurst’s guests at the show will include Don Glover and Jim Kerr. Don Glover was a longtime Hurst engineer and helped build many Hurst vehicles. He also worked on the Jaws of Life design and developed the Hurst Equipped emblem. Jim Kerr had multiple roles at Hurst, including in customer service, where he was one of the earliest Hurst Shifty Doctors. In that role, he went to races to fix any problems the racers might have had with their Hurst Shifters.
Guests will talk shop on the Friday and Saturday of the Hurst Nationals show and will be joined by Linda Vaughn.
As far as other attractions at the show, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the legendary Hurst/Olds partnership. Hurst/Olds production ran from 1968 through 1984, and Hurst offered an “aero kit” in 1988 for owners to install on 1988 and older G-Body Oldsmobiles. To celebrate, the Hurst Nationals show will have a display featuring a vehicle from each year of production. Proposal cars-limited-edition Oldsmobile models Hurst built to demonstrate its visions for Oldsmobile at various times-will also be on display.
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of two famous factory drag cars-the 1968 Hemi Dart and the Barracuda Super Stocks. The cars were also known as “LO” and “BO” respectively, based on the first two digits of the VIN. Chrysler partnered with Hurst to convert assembly line Darts and Barracudas to Hemi-powered Super Stock legal beasts by installing fiberglass fenders and hoods, thin Corning side glass, lightweight van seats, cut wheel wells on the Darts and more. These cars are still running today and the NHRA created a class just for them.
Tickets are available online, as is registration for both the Hurst Nationals and the Chrysler Nationals, happening right across the street at the Carlisle, Pennsylvania Fairgrounds July 13-15.
For more information, visit the Hurst Nationals web page on CarlisleEvents.com or Facebook.com/CarlisleHurstNationals.
