Nick Arias Jr.

(Image/Nitro Hotrod Magazine)

Arias Piston Co. founder Nick Arias Jr. — a man who helped redefine high-horsepower engines for drag racing, tractor pulling, and boat racing — died Monday. He was 87.

Arias Jr. has been immersed in piston and cylinder head design since the 1940s, but left his signature on motorsports forever after unleashing a 10-liter Chevrolet Hemi engine in 1972 which dominated tractor-pull events and boat racing. He also developed an 8.3-liter, or 498-cubic-inch, engine for Top Fuel drag racing.

High-horsepower racing would never be the same.

Arias Jr. was inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2012.

You can learn more about Arias Jr.’s life and contributions to motorsports and hot-rodding from this BangShift article.

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