Pro Car Associates was founded in 1969 by a pair of young enterprising engineers with a passion for drag racing, Chuck Wright, owner of Automotive Engineering, and Jim Cavallero, who also owned Diamond Racing Engines (later to become Diamond Racing Pistons). Their focus was to make a strong impact upon the motorsports marketplace, which was undergoing explosive growth. They chose to enter drag racing’s flourishing Pro Stock class with a 1970 Camaro built and prepared by Pro Car, and driven by rookie Jim Hayter. The effort was highly competitive, with Hayter running consistently in the 9.70s, and a threat to win on any given Sunday. Hayter’s effort in the new team’s Camaro did not go unnoticed, winning the National Hot Rod Association’s Rookie of the Year award for the 1970 season.