If you were fortunate enough to attend the 2016 Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, then you were also witness to some cut throat racing, and an overall good weekend for Chevy fans. Rich Rinke of COPO Parts Direct, piloted his new COPO Camaro to a win in the FS/D Stock Eliminator class. According to Rich, “The car was running great all weekend, we had the suspension tuned just right, I couldn’t have been happier.” When the lights were tripped at the end of the quarter-mile during one pass, the car ran an astounding 9.42-second e.t. at a tire-melting 142 mph. This was the car’s debut race, and Rinke defeated a field of four competitors to make his debut a winning event in the class.

Rich didn’t want to divulge too much information about the inner workings of the engine, but he did tell us, “It has a set of 7.0-liter LSX cylinder heads, with a Holley Hi-Ram intake. Inside are the production crankshaft and connecting rods. The camshaft has .609/.609-inch lift, and 250/268 degrees of duration at .050-inch lift. Behind that is a Coan-built Turbo 350 with a 2.20 first gear, a 1.52 second gear, and a 1.0 third gear. The 8-inch torque converter is also from Coan.

Keeping engine temperatures under control at an event like this is a mind-boggling task, and the guys at C&R Racing were willing to step up to the plate and design an all-new cooling system for this once-untested combination. This new high psi-rated, extruded core radiator uses an all-new, proprietary technology to provide improved temperature control and greater temperature consistency.

After winning in the FS/D class, Rich then qualified to participate in the Stock Eliminator class. Unfortunately, an overall win eluded him. This is Rich’s second class win at the U.S. Nationals, and since this was the first time out with the COPO, that says a lot for the car and its builder.

If you want to learn more about Rich’ race-winning COPO, you can check out their website at COPO Parts Direct. For information about C&R Performance’s new extruded core radiators and view videos visit C&R Racing.