Results Story
February 8, 2023 (Johnson Valley, CA) – The 2023 Holley EFI Shootout Presented by Action Sports Canopies and King Shocks lit up the night above Hammertown on Tuesday, February 7. In its ninth year as a part of the 2023 Progressive King of the Hammers Powered by OPTIMA Batteries, the ever-popular Holley EFI Shootout offered rock racers and southern rock bouncers a chance to compete for bragging rights and a $15,000 purse.
Originally an informal competition, the Shootout is like a drag race but over massive rocks. It takes place on iconic rock trails, under the lights and in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans. The 2023 event featured a single-stage run and for the first time, the start had racers going down a sheer, rocky section called Idle Issues with a hard right turn into deep sand at the bottom before a steep climb through boulder-filled Chocolate Thunder, which is always a favorite trail among King of the Hammers fans.
Chocolate Thunder is one of the rocky and steep canyons on the main King of the Hammers racecourse and was used to qualify and set starting orders for some of the feature races. Hundreds of motorcycles, UTVs, and Ultra4 race cars had already turned Chocolate Thunder into a navigational nightmare by the time 21 drivers and machines lined up for the 2023 Holley EFI Shootout.
Returning to the 2023 Shootout from last year were crowd favorites William Karras, Jason Bartrum, and Marcus Alonzo. 2022 Stage 1 winner Paul Wolff was back, and 2021 winner Chris Kaufman was there to try his luck at the Shootout again.
The action began with carnage early, as the second and third competitors off the line ended their race almost immediately by rolling over. There were more broken cars, more rollovers, lengthy recoveries, five DNFs in total, and hang-ups that cost drivers a competitive time through the course.
When the dust settled Paul Wolff had scored two Holley EFI Shootout wins in a row with a 51.73-second run in the 4400 Class Ultra4 car he’s racing in Saturday’s Race of Kings. Chris Kaufman came close to another win with a time of 54.14 seconds for second place, and third-place finisher Corey Holthaus tore up the course in 56.98 seconds with his big-block rock bouncer.
