In-house engine programs have become the hot trend in Pro Stock in the last couple years, and that trend is continuing to accelerate with V. Gaines adding his name to the list of those developing their own powerplants. Gaines’ Western Motorsports, based out of Denver, will debut its in-house engine program at this weekend’s SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas.

The transition ends a multiyear relationship between Gaines’ Kendall Motor Oil-backed Dodge team and Larry Morgan, who Gaines thinks has been instrumental in moving his entire program closer to the pinnacle of the ultracompetitive Pro Stock elite. “Larry has been there with us for a long time and helped us earn a couple top 10 finishes,” Gaines said. “Larry is and will always be a friend and a great engine builder.”

The Kendall team has recognized that to be at the top of NHRA Pro Stock, it has become necessary to control all aspects of the race operation. “Being in charge of our own destiny is the goal,” Gaines continued. “To move forward in anything, you have to take that chance of possibly taking a couple steps backwards. We know this will be a positive for our team in the near future.”

Longtime crew chief Clyde West believes that the years the team has invested in racing and this latest step of an engine program will someday garner an NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock world championship. “Few teams have ever won a Pro Stock championship while leasing a motor,” West said. “The time is right for us to do our own engine program.”

The building of the Dodge Hemi powerplants will be led by veteran engine builder Joe Jolly along with Kevin, Chuck, and Mario, the crew at Madcap Racing Engines that is based in Lakewood, Colo. “We’ve been on the dyno nonstop, working toward this moment,” Jolly said. “I think we are pretty close on the power needed; now it’s time to go down the track.”