2007 NHRA NATIONAL EVENT SCHEDULE
Listen to Trackside Interviews with Champions, Drivers and Crew Chiefs
Robert Hight
Hillary Will
Bob Vandergriff
Dave Connolly
Ed Iskenderian
Cory McClenathan
Robert Hight
Jim Yates
Tony Bartone
Hillary Will
Whit Bazemore
Byron Hines
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Racing Engines Glendale, Arizona
Story & Photos by Jim Kelso
When NHRA did away with
the Pro Stock Truck class Craig turned the 13,000-plus square foot facility into
a first-class operation for building racing engines. The shop is staffed with
knowledgeable personnel including Rick Watters, the shop manager and chief
engine builder, who has been involved with building race engines, and working
with championship race teams for years. John Bycroft, their top machinist with
years of experience in both the automotive and aerospace industry, and is a
racer who competes in the class of Super Street, along with Jason Collins and
Pete Eaton’s facility is outfitted with state-of-the-art machining equipment including a CNC controlled Rottler F-65 which is used to bore engine blocks and is capable of correcting the locations of the bores when needed.
For Super Class and Bracket Racers Eaton Enterprises offers numerous ready-to-race, dyno tested engine packages. These packages are Big-Block Chevrolets which include a 540 cubic-inch version with Dart Pro-1 cylinder heads, a 555 cubic inch motor with Dart Pro-1 CNC cylinder heads and 565 and 632 cubic inch versions with Dart Big Chief cylinder heads.
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When Dean Carter won the 2003 NHRA World Championship in Competition Eliminator,
the phone at Eaton Enterprises wouldn’t stop ringing. Why, because Craig Eaton
and staff of Eaton Enterprises of Glendale, Arizona, built Carter’s engine.
Suddenly numerous Comp Eliminator racers wanted one of Eaton’s championship race
motors. Involved in drag racing as a competitor for nearly 20 years, Craig has
gained invaluable experience and knowledge for what it takes to be a winner. Craig’s accomplishments include two NHRA Division 7 Competition Eliminator
Championships, two Pro Stock Truck national event wins, four national records
and he was named the NHRA Division 7 “Driver of the Year”. When he began drag
racing in 1985 Craig drove a 1969 Chevy Camaro in Super Gas. Over the years he
moved up in categories to
Super Comp then Competition Eliminator and finally Pro
Stock Truck. Following in his father’s footsteps
an accomplished racer himself, Craig and father, Dale, both had built and were
racing Pro Stock Trucks and needed a facility in which to house and maintain
them. 
Costello who both are bracket racers whose jobs include engine assembly,
machining and help with dyno pulls. Craig tells us that they do all phases of
engine building except head porting which he leaves to the nations experts in
that business. 
Eaton
Enterprises also bores cam tunnels for roller bearing installation, as well as
lifter hole boring and bushing installation. These are just a few of the
machining processes available. Other services include lightning and balancing,
gas porting, dome profiling coating and pin honing of pistons. Eaton Enterprises
can not only design, machine and assemble your engine they also have a Super
Flow SF-901 Dyno to insure you’ll have a an engine with peak horsepower that is
tested and ready to race. 
Craig tells
us his package engines may cost a little more than his competitor’s, but that’s
because Craig uses only top quality components for better performance and
long-lasting reliability. Eaton’s future plans will include research and
development of throttle body fuel injection systems for small cubic-inch motors
for competition and to continue building the best race engines possible so his
customers can run fast and win championships.
