Scott Birdsall, the chief fabricator behind Chuckles Garage in Santa Rose, Calif. set off in 2009 to construct a period-perfect Gasser from the ground-up, beginning with a 1962 Ford Falcon that would adhere as much as possible to the 1965 NHRA rulebook.
Car Features
We’ve seen lots of Fox-body Mustang swaps – but one with a Toyota motor? That’s new. It’s not just any Toyota motor though, its a modified Supra 2JZ engine putting over 750 horsepower to the ground. Now that’s our kind of hybrid!
The guys over at Calhoun Racing are putting together a new combo for the new season. With the help of GForce Motorsports, this once Outlaw True Ten Association Ultimate Street and Texas True Ten 5 Extreme Street champion machine is being transformed into a hopeful Outlaw Drag Radial contender.
Video: Jet-Hot Coats The Way For Carbon Kustoms And Project Cochise
by
Salvatore Alaimo
on
January 16, 2012
Al Melchoir is the owner of Carbon Kustoms, a second generation Firebird specialty shop out of Ontario, Canada with a U. S. location in Keller, Texas. The Carbon Kustoms business was born from Melchoir’s own automotive inspiration, and with Jet-Hot Coatings, has allowed for the most bad ass Firebired we’ve seen!
With the NHRA’s much-awaited preseason testing in Florida just days away, several of the top nitro teams are unveiling new looks and new sponsors as the start of the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle season in Pomona draws near.
Video: Joe “Coffeeman” Decario’s ProCharger-Equipped GT Runs 9.87
by
Andrew Wolf
on
January 13, 2012
Recently, South Florida resident Joe “Coffee Man” Decaria got in on the action, powering his 2011 Ford Mustang GT to a quick 9.87 elapsed time at 139 miles per hour, utilizing a D1SC blower from ProCharger.
Less than two months after a devastating accident in Las Vegas that destroyed his 1969 Firebird Drag Radial machine, Washington native Eric Petersen is set to return with his supercharged big block between the fenders of a virtually brand new 1952 Chevrolet Pro Modified machine for PSCA and NPSA competition.
Video: Tim Lynch’s Street Car is a 1,300 HP Twin Turbo Z06
by
Clifton Klaverweiden
on
January 11, 2012
What would you expect Tim Lynch to use as a daily driver? I mean, given the nature of the beastly twin-turbo C6 Corvette that he has dominated Outlaw 10.5 Eliminator with, you might expect his normal car would be significantly tamer than his “work car.” But, actually they are surprisingly similar…
Courtney Force, the youngest of 15-time champion John Force’s four daughters and who has spent the last four seasons learning both the on and off-track aspects of professional drag racing, will make her professional driving debut next month in Pomona in a Ford Mustang Funny Car sponsored by Traxxas.
Some 40 years after Volkswagen legend Joe Horvath’s original Scorpion dragster was lost forever, he and the Scorpion name are set to make a return to the quarter mile with a pair of Californians in two very unique new race cars to compete in NHRA Competition Eliminator – a class that simply reeks of uniqueness.
Chris Alston Jr.’s Wicked-Quick ’64 Chevy Nova Outlaw 10.5 Machine
by
Andrew Wolf
on
December 27, 2011
When your family has over thirty-five years in the racing chassis and components industry, you’re sure to take an approach that your customers can relate to. And that’s exactly what Chris Alston Jr., the heir to the Chris Alston’s Chassisworks business, has done with his wicked-quick Outlaw 10.5 Chevy Nova.
When Jon Bowles pulls up to the starting line, it may appear as though he and his black ’92 Mustang are the definition of sneaky and stealthy, but when the 347 cubic-inch, 88 mm-turbocharged engine is spooled and the hammer is dropped, all eyes are on them. We talk with Jon about his Mustang campaign.
Flashback Friday: “TV” Tommy Ivo’s Legendary Four-Engined “Showboat”
by
Andrew Wolf
on
December 16, 2011
In 1961, famed actor and drag racing legend “TV” Tommy Ivo rolled out a creation that would become one of, if not the greatest exhibition vehicle of all time. With four Buick V8 engines strapped to the framerails, Ivo’s all-wheel drive dragster was a true marvel.
Thanks to some help from our friends at Chevrolet Performance, we can bring you the first videos and photos of the COPO Camaro drag concept vehicle taking its initial test runs at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida. We’re told that the best run was a 9.69 at 140, with 60 foot times in the low 1.40′s.
If one had to sum up the NHRA’s Competition Eliminator category using just two words, they would likely be “unique,” and “expensive.” But don’t tell that to the father and son team of Bob and Tony Niemczyk.
After a professional drag racing career that’s spanned 45 years as both a driver and owner and a list of accomplishments that will never be equaled, Kenny Bernstein officially announced he retirement from drag racing in a statement on Tuesday.
SEMA 2011: WinningRide.com’s 2011 SEMA Featured Ride: ’56 “Badillac”
by
John Gibson
on
November 1, 2011
In Auto Meter’s 2011 SEMA booth you will find one of the meanest ’56 Cadillac’s you will ever see! The unique chop top features a blown 468 big block that puts out an impressive 850 horsepower. But what impressed us the most was the stock features that are showcased in this awesome ride.
Muscle Cars You Should Know: ’62 Ford Galaxie 406 Lightweight
by
Diego Rosenberg
on
October 24, 2011
With the “Flathead” V-8, Ford’s place in high performance history is ensured. However, that performance equity disappeared with the introduction of the Small-block Chevy in 1955. Super Stock racing’s popularity showed Ford was behind the ball some more, but the 1962 Galaxie lightweight began to fix their fortune.
Blow By Racing’s 2011 5.0 Mustang recently went to the KOTS competition, where it made over 950 horsepower to the wheels…possibly making it the most powerful Coyote 5.0 Mustang in the world right now.
By 1963, anyone could walk into just about any car dealership and buy a vehicle that had dual quads and a 4-speed transmission. Ford’s “Total Performance” program in particular was an all-out assault on competitive racing, but what about Mercury? Their 1964 A/FX 427 Comet was one of the greats of the era.
We caught up with Eric McMillen and his crew at the Yellowbullet National to learn more about ‘Vader,’ one of the most controversial cars in the X275 realm. These guys are serious racers and can really get it done on the track with their simply stunning Ford Mustang.
Dallas, Texas native John Hale was officially awarded the DRO Nostalgia Funny Car Series championship following the discovery of a scoring error in the establishment of a new national record. With the 5.77 record performance, Hale garnered enough points to in fact earn the title over Paul Romine.
The big three – ROUSH, SMS, Shelby – are back at it with the new 2011+ Mustang. We got our hands on ROUSH’s top-of-the-line 540 HP, supercharged RS3. We took it to the drag strip, put it on our DynoJet, and just enjoyed it as a daily driver for a week.
For Sandi Wold, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1991 and told that she would never walk again, those words became the driving force that ignited her passion for life and for racing, and today, twenty years after he diagnosis, she’s winning races and having the time of her life.
Hawley To Pilot Famed “Chi-Town Hustler” at Norwalk Night Under Fire
by
Andrew Wolf
on
August 5, 2011
For one night only, Frank Hawley will return to the drivers seat of the Chi-Town Hustler at the largest single-day drag racing event in the country – Norwalk’s “Night Under Fire” – at the Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park on August 13th to compete against legendary Funny Car drivers.
This weekend, longtime Northwest drag racing hitter Jerry “The King” Ruth will be honored as one of the “Legends” as part of the NHRA’s 60th anniversary celebration, and on this Flashback Friday, we take a look back at the career of the region’s most famed racer.
“The Real Street car is going to be a far more elegant racecar that goes out for a purpose,” says Lingenfelter’s Graham Behan. “[With the black car] we wanted to be quick, and we wanted to do it with a manual 6-speed just because we could. That car evolved, rather than being planned.”
Competition Eliminator class is easily the most diverse eliminator in NHRA. You can run pretty much anything, except nitromethane. Supercharged, turbocharged, gasoline, alcohol, dragsters, door cars, altereds, street roadsters, fast front wheel drive cars, front engine dragsters, Pro Modifieds and more.
Muscle Cars You Should Know: Dick Landy’s ’70 HEMI Dodge Challenger
by
Geoff Stunkard
on
May 9, 2011
Dick Landy, who would be leaving his Super Stock and Modified efforts behind to show how prowess in Pro Stock, became the Challenger’s most visible supporter in the quarter-mile ranks; resulting in Landy becoming one of only four drivers to win an NHRA crown between the 1970-1971 season.
Tennessee racer Cory Gray recently put the finishing touches on his immaculate new ’99 Ford Mustang True 10.5 machine and put it through its initial paces at the Huntsville Dragway in Alabama. This things a looker, and we’ve got the images to prove it.
Already with his first win under his belt in the HEMI Shootout at the JEGS Cajun SPORTSNationals this spring, Lloyd Wofford is ready to unveil the second of his new racing machines; a 2010 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak built once again by B&B Race Cars that will stray from the norm and compete in Super Stock trim.
Richie Balcom has owned this T Type Buick Regal for over twelve years with various engine combos. After trying out a twin turbo small block Chevy set up for a couple of years he is going back to his roots for 2011 and making a return to the TSM class with the little turbo Buick V6 back between the frame rails.
When Jeb Allen burst onto the NHRA scene in the early 1970′s, not only was he not old enough to patronize any drinking establishments, but he couldn’t even vote or purchase cigarettes. But he would go on to become the youngest winner and ultimately the youngest champion in history.
After capturing the NMCA Nostalgia Pro Street crown in 2008, Hoosier native Jim Widener was ready to tackle bigger and greater challenges, and with a keen interest in the exciting and competitive racing taking place in the American Drag Racing League, he knew where he wanted to be.
Saleen Mustangs are well known for their handling prowess. Now Brenspeed, a Saleen SpeedLab in Indiana, is building serialized Saleen drag racers custom tailored to your needs. Here’s your chance to own a unique, serialized Saleen you can call one-of-a-kind.
Muscle Cars You Should Know: ’67 HEMI Plymouth GTX “Silver Bullet”
by
Gordon McDonald
on
February 21, 2011
In the continuing evolution of the marque’s muscle cars, the GTX held its own and led to an even greater competitor in the performance wars of the 1960′s. Plymouth muscle car history would continue to be written long after the Silver Bullet, but nearly no other street car played so part of that progression.
Video: Watch the Shelby Dragonsnake Sell at Mecum for $875,000
by
Gordon McDonald
on
February 4, 2011
The five day Mecum Auction that completed its run in Orlando, FL, this past weekend, was an interesting indicator for the current health of the economy, as well as the collector car market. It can also serve some hard lessons.
After a six-month and rather costly setback, Jason Enos and his jaw droppingly immaculate ’67 Mustang are back on the track and better than ever, recently recording an eighth mile personal best of 4.32 during testing in Florida following it’s long period under the knife.
Starliner, Thunderbolt, Galaxie, Sunliner, Crown Victoria, 500 – all of these revered Ford model nameplates share a common ancestor, the Ford Fairlane which was introduced in 1955 as a full-size model. The rapid restyling cycles of that period would see the Fairlane shrink and grow through the years.
With LS1 F-cars more affordable now than ever, gear-heads are buying them up and not hesitating to customize them to their taste in performance and style. In this two-part article we are going to share with you ten of the hottest boosted LS-powered F-bodies we could get our hands on.
As used in the 1969 Mustang, the 428 SCJ engine was officially rated at 335 hp, however reports suggest that the actual output exceeded 400 hp. Ford executives had been worried about high HP ratings affecting insurance rates, but their understating the engine’s output had a secondary consequence.
The all-new 5.0-liter engine that Ford released to flurry of anticipation and fanfare earlier this year as an option on the 2011 Mustang has been a hot ticket item amongst performance shops and blue-blooded enthusiasts everywhere. We take a closer look at some of the baddest 2011 GT’s out there right now.
Texas True 10.5 Racer Hicks Reflects on Devastating Testing Crash
by
Andrew Wolf
on
October 19, 2010
Texas True 10.5 racer Clifton Hicks from Burleson, Texas was making some test ‘n tune hits at Texas Raceway in Kennedale, Texas last Wednesday in his 8-second, turbocharged Fox body Mustang when things went terribly wrong, ending in a violent end-over-end crash that completely destroyed his beautiful race car.
One of the finest examples of new-school Drag Radial engineering was unveiled at last weekends LSX Shootout in St. Louis, as Tom Kempf rolled his brand new 2002 Trans Am out of the trailer after the final touches were put on the car at 5 AM just a day prior.
With both the tens and the nines checked off, it would only be logical that the next step for the venerable new 5.0L Mustang is an eight-second time slip. And if the guys at Evolution Performance have their way, that slip will soon be framed and proudly hanging on their office wall in Aston, Pennsylvania.
Very few of us still own the car we went to high school in and more often than not it was some beater we have fond memories of and are glad to be rid of when it’s all over. For Jon Bitler it’s a different story entirely, as his high school car was his dream car, a 1969 Nova.
New Super Stock ’68 HEMI Barracuda a Dream Come True For Lloyd Wofford
by
Andrew Wolf
on
August 24, 2010
Lloyd Wofford, who raced back in the 1960′s and 70′s in the heyday of Stock and Super stock racing, at one time campaigning a SS/BA ’65 Plymouth built by the legendary Herb McCandless, recently returned to the sport he loved, and is on the verge of debuting his dream ride, a spectacular new SS/AH ’68 Barracuda.
Like many car fanatics, Marc Shankweiler got hooked on drag racing from early on, although his parents didn’t quite like it. His first car was a ’66 Nova that he had in high school. It was a garage project with a 327 – enough to put a smile on any kids face.
Ron Pellegrini, a young firebrand from Illinois, wanted to make a name for himself in the drag racing world. But to do so often requires a factory-backed sponsorship, as building a drag car can get very expensive very quickly. Enter the Super Mustang. Ron went all out, even founding a fiberglass company called Fiberglass LTD., and its first task was building a fiberglass shell for a 1965 Mustang. So, how does a rare, historical car like this end up rotting away in a Florida junkyard?
McDonough purchased the car as a completely stock and original ’66 Chevy Bel Air, but that was just the beginning. He wanted to keep the car as stock as possible, but still be able to run it down the dragstrip quickly, safely, and consistently.To accomplish that goal, he chose a mildly-built 454 that was bored .060 over, with a handful of aftermarket parts including an Eagle crank and rods, COMP Cams camshaft and valve train components, and Edelbrock heads, intake, and water pump.
