Never mind what was going on at the racetrack. Khalid alBalooshi had a lot to learn before he simply could get dinner on the table at his new digs in Los Angeles.
 
The second-year Top Fuel driver has been learning how to cook for himself and is proud to declare that he knows how to prepare, if nothing else, a tasty lamb or chicken and rice entrée. He said that took him about 10 or 15 tries to find the right technique in the kitchen.
 
“In our home, life is way different,” the native of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, said, stretching out the word “way.” He said, “Every family has two or three people working 24 hours, doing everything in the home. But you show up here [in the United States] and you have to do everything for yourself.”
 
What alBalooshi is accomplishing in the kitchen he can compare with his learning curve on the National Hot Rod Association dragstrips in the Al-Anabi Racing Dragster. To his credit at both endeavors, he doesn’t set things on fire — and he’s seeing progress.
 
His Jason McCulloch-led team definitely is cooking. The recipe for success is a combination of more seat time for alBalooshi, a better handle on the tune-up and general set-up, and encouragement from his crew members.
 
Especially helpful in motivating al Balooshi is newest team member (but veteran drag-racing hand) David Karcanes — a.k.a. “Shafty,” who left John Force Racing and Robert Hight’s Funny Car crew after last season and rejoined Alan Johnson, the Al-Anabi Racing Team manager.
 
“He’s a real motivator. Balooshi works really well with motivation,” McCulloch said. “We want him to know he’s our driver, we’re a team, and we’re behind him.”
 
“Shafty has brought a spark to our team. His positive attitude, his outgoingness . . . If you’ve been around Shafty, you know what I’m talking about. He’s full of energy, and it’s infectious. He straps Balooshi in, and he’s the last guy to talk to Balooshi [before he makes a run]. He’s the perfect guy for it.”

The story last July at Denver, where alBalooshi broke his 12-race jinx, was that McCulloch pinned a note of encouragement onto al Balooshi’s fire suit. The note was on there, but McCulloch said, “It wasn’t from me. We have a guy, Kevin [Eckstein, the tire specialist]. He’ll leave notes to everybody. He’ll leave notes to Alan. And he’ll sign them ‘Jason.’ “
 
Regardless of the sources, McCulloch said, “Every Sunday it’ll be something to motivate” the 33-year-old driver who’ll turn 34 July 27.

 
Actually, seeing how far he has come in the Top Fuel class could be motivation enough for alBalooshi, who came to the Top Fuel ranks as the reigning NHRA Pro Modified champion.
 
This driver — the first Middle Eastern driver to compete in a major U.S. motorsports series — experienced the ultimate frustration as Top Fuel rookie in 2012. Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, the Al-Anabi team owner, hired alBalooshi as a Pro Mod driver when he formed his diverse organization in 2009, and  alBalooshi raced in both the Arabian Drag Racing League and American Drag Racing League. Besides bringing the 2011 Get Screened America Pro Mod championship to the Top Fuel table, he had earned 158 career victories in various forms of competition.

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

But he couldn’t win a first-round race in his first 12 tries. But 2012 told a true tale of sudden improvement. After he won that first elimination round at Denver, alBalooshi advanced to at least the second round of eliminations at 10 of the last 11 races of the season, including the final nine. And then came his breakthrough victory at Reading, where he defeated eventual series champion Antron Brown in the final round.
 
This year, he kept his momentum going. With his quarterfinal appearance at Topeka, alBalooshi arrived at Englishtown, N.J., with eight round-wins in the season’s first eight races. Last year, his eighth round-win came in his 21st race. He has qualified in the top six at six of the season’s eight races, including No. 2 April 27 at Houston.

alBalooshi hasn’t led the field yet or made the Countdown to the championship. So he still has goals to achieve.
 
He said he didn’t really long to go back to Pro Modified action when all seemed  hopeless early last year. However, he said, “When I start, everything’s been way different for me. The big things what I miss are I miss the winners circle. I miss keeping winning. But when I get my first win, in Reading, I feel way different.
 
“I’m more comfortable in the car. Everything’s been way better,” alBalooshi said. “When I started, it was hard. There was a lot of pressure because I was the new guy with a championship team. Now I am more relaxed, more confident, and what I am 100-percent sure about is that the more you keep doing something, the more you will relax. In any job, you will have bad pressure when something is new, but it will get better and better the more you do it. Our team is not racing with a rookie driver anymore.”

 
Teammate Shawn Langdon said he understood: “Balooshi was just in a huge learning curve. I’ve been there. My first year I was the same way. At the end of the year the team chemistry started to click a little bit more. Balooshi kind of came into his own element a little bit more. He started to understand what was going on. He started to understand the cars. He started to understand the crew chief. The crew chief started to understand him.

“They should be a top-10 team, no problem — hopefully a top 5, even a championship contender,” Langdon said. “Hopefully we can end the year with the Al-Anabi cars [Nos.] 1 and 2. That’s our plan.”
 
McCulloch said he’s pleased with the progress, emphasizing that alBalooshi’s inexperience in Top Fuel wasn’t the entire reason for the 2012 struggles.
 

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

“Last year, yes, he was a rookie driver, and we had lost a lot of rounds on reaction times. But the performance of the car wasn’t there, either,” McCulloch said. “I’m never going to point the finger at him. The performance of the car was not there. And he didn’t come back and point fingers and [act] negative and he wasn’t throwing a fit. You’re not going to find a more positive guy. He was positive through the whole thing about everything. He’s still positive — win, lose, or draw, he’s still very positive. And that goes a long way in a team sport.
 
“It was the car way more than it was him, and I’ll take the blame for that,” McCulloch said.
 
He said alBalooshi had to win over his own crew last season: “My team last year, at the beginning of the year, didn’t know Balooshi. But now that they know Balooshi, they’re his biggest cheerleaders.”

McCulloch blamed the misunderstanding on several factors. First, he guessed that the crew had been spoiled with three-time champion Larry Dixon and “weren’t very supportive” of the notion of a driver change. They enjoyed winning.
 
“We started off and we were losing rounds on hole shots,” McCulloch said. “I was in their shoes at one time, but I think that the older you get, you understand that things take awhile. When you’re younger, in your 20s, you want success and you want it right now, not remembering that someone along the lone somebody had to teach you and be patient with you.
 
“Sheikh Khalid has the faith in him. Alan Johnson has the faith in him. I’m working with him,” the crew chief said. “We’re eventually going to get there.”

alBalooshi never used the word “intimidating,” but McCulloch figured the driver might have added pressure to himself because of Alan Johnson’s experience and strong reputation.
 
“I’ve worked for, or with, Alan Johnson for a lot of years now, and just because Alan is so good, it’s kind of intimidating for anybody,” McCulloch said. “I’ve learned not to be intimidated by it, but I can see easily where some drivers and [other] people are intimidated by it. You want to be as good as he is, to his level, as good as you can be.”

 Said alBalooshi, “Al-Anabi for five years has been one of the top teams in the show.” He said last year he noticed both McCulloch and crew chief Brian Husen constantly were “trying a lot of stuff on both cars. They keep trying something new, keep trying something new, keep trying something new. And this is one of the good things. The cars will be faster and faster and more consistent.”
 
His assessment of last year was: “It was not my fault. It was not Jason’s fault. Sometimes I catch a good light. The car has been flying. I do everything and I keep losing. I think I don’t find good luck in the beginning of the year last year. I hope this year everything will be far better. So far so good.”
 
As he knocked on the door to a top-five place in the standings, alBalooshi’s performance definitely is far better. He’s on Top Fuel’s front burner.
 
Maybe he will learn to bake a cake in celebration.

The X-Treme Drag Racing League, or X-DRL as it is also known, is a new 1/8-mile sanctioning body that has as its tenet that it is an organization of racers for racers. In less than six months since the X-DRL was formed, they continue to attract more teams as word has spread how this fledgling group anchored by an ownership triumvirate – Jeff Mitchell, David Hubbard and Larry Pearce – is using their experience as track owners and racers to change the sport as we know it.

Between attending to the needs of racers and hearing requests from potential sponsors during the Bash On The Bayou at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana in May, X-DRL President, Jeff Mitchell, sat down for a one-on-one interview with Dragzine. Among the topics that Mitchell discussed were the formation of the X-DRL, their unique approach to operating and promoting a drag racing organization, and what he and his business partners and staff have learned in their first few months in the sport.

Dragzine: Let’s start at the beginning. When was the X-Treme Drag Racing League formed?

X-DRL President & Co-Owner Jeff Mitchell, who helped spearhead the new 1/8 mile outlaw drag racing venture.

Jeff Mitchell: “It literally started days before the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show in Orlando last December. My business partners and I decided if were going to do this, start a brand new drag racing league from the ground up, now was the time.”

DZ: Was this in response to the group’s attempt to purchase the ADRL?

Mitchell: “You might think so, but it was more a moment of reflection; we knew what we would get in buying an existing organization. For all that you gain and the assets they may have, there’s also the organization’s history that comes with it. After we discussed it extensively, we came to a conclusion and decided why not start fresh?”

DZ: When you say ‘start fresh’, is that in reference to what has been already established in terms of rules and structure, or was this more about how the races are run?

Mitchell: “From our perspective, we wanted to revamp everything from top to bottom. It wasn’t just drag racing per se, but how motorsports as a category is marketed, and how there is a huge difference between races and events.”

“One of my partners, whose son raced motocross and then cars and recently returned to motocross, provided us with some insight as to how they stage their events, the things that they do for their fans, and what sort of return on investment is given to the sponsors. We know we need to do a better job than our competitors across the board, and looking outside the box so to speak may provide us with ideas we can use.”

“Look at Cirque du Soleil for example; they have three or four different shows and troupes performing in Las Vegas simultaneously. How can the same production company operate that many different shows in the same city, and still manage to hit their numbers week in and week out? Each is unique, has a different theme yet utilizes the same basic elements. With this in mind, can we take the same pool of racers, put them in a slightly different scenario, add our own flavor to the events and pump up the volume? That’s the challenge and the beauty of being the new guy. We’re not constrained by what others are doing, and we’re willing to try all sorts of new things.”

DZ: So essentially you see things differently than others?

Mitchell: “That’s my point exactly. From the racers’ viewpoint, and that of a spectator, especially those without a great deal of knowledge about our sport, drag racing has not been that user or fan friendly. This is something that most sanctioning bodies, race organizers and track owners have inherited from their competitors and drag racing historically – business done pretty much the same way as it always has been.”

“Our website, www.x-drl.com, is the tip of the iceberg. Our Facebook page is another way we’re keeping in touch with our audience. Soon, you’ll hear about a different method of engagement with fans that has the media outlets, sponsors and us very excited. We see this again as a part of the whole, just one more way for someone inside or outside the sport to see the X-DRL brand.”

DZ: How do you plan to change perceptions, to alter the order of things as they currently exist?

“So instead of trying to steal a share of the market, we’re going to increase the size and reach of drag racing to a different, and what we hope will be, unique audience.”

“We’re fond of saying we’re looking to put the ‘X’ in X-DRL. It’s not just a catch phrase; we fully intend to have a much more entertaining, engaging and interesting product. Without divulging all of our plans, let’s say we want to surprise and delight our audience. This is not limited to those spectators in the stands, by the way. We want to extend our reach far beyond the limits of the race track itself, so the points of engagement are much more numerous and diverse.”

DZ: There seems to be a certain ‘attitude’ or edge to the X-DRL. Care to elaborate on that?

Mitchell: “Personally, this all comes back to how we were treated as racers. While we realize in certain drag racing sanctioning bodies the Pro classes are given preferential treatment as well as most other motorsports, how hard is it to extend the same consideration to everyone? Why are Sportsman racers relegated to the farthest reaches of the pit area? Who can or can’t sell their own merchandise, or park their rig where it will get noticed?”

“What we’re really looking at changing is how the sport itself treats its most valuable commodity: The racers. Without them, there is no show. We recognize there has not been much of an effort made to establish stars beyond a select few personalities, much less in each class. Our desire is to create heroes out of all the racers who choose to participate in our events, give them the kind of spotlight that until now has only been reserved for an elite group within the highest professional categories.”

“Rules are another bone of contention, and we’ve implemented some things already to provide fast, fair and impartial changes to how our races are being conducted. It’s decidedly different to have your case heard almost immediately, and in front of someone who is empowered to make a change if necessary. Access to anyone on our staff is as easy as picking up the phone or emailing us if we’re not at the track. Some times it isn’t the big things but a whole bunch of small ones that make a difference, particularly for those racers who are running their operation out of their own pockets.”

DZ:  You’re into the third race of your inaugural season. What have you learned thus far?

Mitchell: “What, besides the complete unpredictability of the weather [laughs]? We’ve found the majority of our racers, and virtually all our spectators, prefer racing on Saturday and Sunday. The weekdays are just too hard for most of the racers who own their own businesses or have difficulty getting away from their jobs, and the same goes for our fans. We’re also dialing in our format, trying to make qualifying sessions more flexible, and examining how we go to market in each area of the country. Some require much more grassroots, street level marketing, while others can be more effective if we use an aggressive, multimedia approach and blanket the internet, TV, radio and print. We’re learning as we go.”

DZ: Do you feel there’s room for as many drag racing or motorsports bodies as there are to exist?

Mitchell: “That’s what we asked ourselves at the outset. If there is a group that needs organizing or representation and they’re not getting it elsewhere, sure. What you’re not going to see out of the X-DRL is an organization that’s indifferent to racers and fans, and at the same time making millions of dollars off the backs of both without giving much back to either.”

“While we would like to say we think racers and spectators will sample the X-DRL and prefer it, we’re not going to simply sit back and expect them to find us. We are reaching out to racers and spectators, asking for their input and incorporating their comments and suggestion. The latter group is important well beyond just fans of the sport, as they’ve made a conscious choice and actually spend their hard-earned dollars to come out to our races. We respect and appreciate that. In this regard, we’re looking at what we can incorporate into our events to make them both unique and special.”

“We all have memories of how it was the very first time we went to a certain event, be it a race, the circus or a concert. Each has a special place or attachment, and this is what we’re looking to create.”

Those who have been in the LS game long enough should be quite familiar with the name Kurt Urban. If you aren’t, then let us bring you up to speed. He’s the former director of operations of Wheel to Wheel Powertrain, a shop that was on the front lines of the LS explosion during the late-90s/early 2000s. 

Several years ago, if you were driving one of the fastest cars in the country, it’s a very good chance that you had a Wheel to Wheel-built powerplant under your hood. However, after Wheel to Wheel closed its doors in 2008, Urban decided to go off on his own to start Kurt Urban Performance. Still specializing LS-series engines, and helping build some of the sickest LSx-powered cars in the world, Urban knows his way around an LS engine probably better than anyone else in the industry.

Recently, he finally had the opportunity to make time in his busy schedule to sit down and talk with us about how he got started, his experiences, his current activities, and what his plans are for the future. We also asked him about where he thinks the LS scene is headed and what the future holds for the Gen-V LT1. For someone who has built some of the sickest engine creations over the last 30 years or so, he was surprisingly soft-spoken, and one of the most laid back guys in the industry. 

LSXtv: First, we would like to thank you for taking the time to sit down and talk to us.  So tell us, how did you first got involved with engine building and the LSX scene?

One of the first cars that Urban built for GM was this ’98 Camaro, featuring a 402-inch naturally aspirated stroker that went into the low-10′s. It’s still around -  auctioned off a few years ago, it resides in a private collection today.

Kurt Urban: “I’ve been building engines since the late ’70s, but not as a business. I still had a normal day job back in those early days. It wasn’t until the mid-90s where I started building engines professionally for other people.

But one day in 1997, engineers from GM stopped into Wheel to Wheel Powertrain, which I shared a building with at the time, and were looking for someone to build them an engine for their Corvette race car. It was the first year for the LS1 and the C5, so they really wanted to make a competitive introduction into the road racing scene at that time.

I remember the very first LS1 car we put on the dyno – it made 360 flywheel horsepower with just headers. We eventually got those engines up to around 500 horsepower and obviously, we’ve progressed ever since. Before they ever raced, they were at about 460 horsepower. Then they went out and beat everyone at their first race.”

“A year later, John Moss approached me to build him an engine for the new 1998 Camaro – also with LS power of course. You might remember it. The car was a yellow drag car with red trim on it. It was the first naturally-aspirated LS to go into the 9′s. It was probably the first one to go into the 10′s too I believe, back in January, 1998. Then within that year it ran in the 9′s.

It had a fully-forged crankshaft in it with a small bore and stroke. We had to make a camshaft for it out of billet, since the engine was too new, and there was literally no aftermarket for it at the time.” 

LSXtv: So you eventually landed a position as Director of Operations with Wheel to Wheel Powertrain. How did that happen?

KU: “I started working for them in 1998, shortly after the first few projects I had done with General Motors, and stayed with them until their closing in 2008. Wheel to Wheel actually had two buildings. We were in the west side of Detroit, but Wheel to Wheel’s main building was in the east side of Detroit, which was closer to Ford’s proving grounds. But they didn’t have anyone doing machine work at their west side facility, and they needed somebody, so I ended up going to work for them. I really liked working there; we built a lot of cool stuff. It was a good time.

Towards the end, most of the builds we were doing were for GM concepts and race cars, and we were keeping really busy. But then GM got into the financial mess that of course everyone now knows about, and when they went bust, then so did Wheel to Wheel Powertrain. It’s amazing how many people that the auto industry actually affected. All of the car companies had to cut back their staff about 50%, so that’s how it goes sometimes. When they closed, I moved south and opened up my own business. I love the weather down here [in North Carolina], but in between then and now, I closed up shop and now work for someone else.”

Urban has built over 400 engines in his lifetime, and a very large fraction of those have been LS motors. Naturally aspirated, small cube, large cube, supercharged, turbocharged - it doesn't matter. He's done them all.

LSXtv: How many engines do you think you built in your life – if you could ballpark it?

KU: “Oh gosh, I don’t know – probably four hundred or so. I’ve had years where I only built twenty the entire year. It varies, and it also depends on how many engines I have sent to me, and if I can even have parts for them. That’s one of the downfalls of these engines, they’re so popular, that it can be difficult to get parts for them. Some of these engines I’ll have in my shop for three or four months, so playing the waiting game on parts can have its effect too. I might have five engines in my possession at any one time, but it takes a lot of time to complete each one. Like I’ve said earlier, even though the engine has been around over fifteen years now, it’s hard to get parts for them, at least in a short amount of time. I do what I can on my part to quell that issue.“

LSXtv: What seems to be the most popular combination you build?

Urban has built engines like the blown 412 CI LSX found in Eric Gustafson’s ’69 Camaro. It has gone as quick as 5.27 at 142.5 MPH in the 1/8 mile.

KU: “Boost. As well as these engines run without it, it’s become too easy to make big power with a blower or turbocharger. You know, there was a time where to run 11s, you needed a big block with a very aggressive camshaft and a huge blower.

With an LS motor, running into the 10s with a camshaft upgrade, a high stall converter, and some slicks have become commonplace. Add some nitrous, and you’re running high 9s. It’s amazing when you think about how technologically advanced GM has made the pushrod engine, and continues to compete with the best DOHC engines from all over the world. 

Ford has done an excellent job with their offerings, but they’re physically larger and heavier then GM’s LS-Series. Chrysler has taken the pushrod design into the 21st century with their late-model HEMI engines as well, although the aftermarket hasn’t been as strong there as it has with the LS-series. Tunability has been a contributing factor with those engines also.“

LSXtv: What are some of your favorite features of the LS-Series engines?

KU: ”Basically, the whole engine is an excellent design – aluminum block, the valvetrain, high-flowing heads –  GM really created a remarkable pushrod engine with the original LS1 back in 1997, and they continue to develop the pushrod design today, which I really like. It’s a really nice engine. It’s a really impressive engine in stock form, and it’s a very good pushrod motor.”

LSXtv: What is the split between your business between doing high end builds, and tamer street or street/strip engines – what aspect of the business pays the bills?

Urban poses with his formerly owned, but currently famous (or infamous?) twin-boosted sleeper Nova that’s been featured everywhere from our website, to countless other magazines, online blogs, and even a TV show or two. Image: Hot Rod Magazine

KU: ”Gosh that’s hard to say, really. I would rather build the high horsepower stuff since it takes about the same amount of time. I recently built a race engine for a guy in Ohio by the name of Mark Carlyle – you might have heard of him. He’s currently the record holder for having the fastest IRS Corvette in the quarter mile. It’s also one of the fastest LS-powered cars out there, if not the fastest at the moment. I think his best pass to date is either a 6.80 or 6.70 at 220 MPH.

It’s turbocharged and makes well over 1,500 horsepower. There was a lot of work to be done, and for an engine to be built to that level, I typically charge $200 an hour, just to have a profit. But I actually work for someone else now, so it’s easier for me to put all of the numbers down on paper. It actually takes me 100 hours to do one of those special engines, especially an engine that takes special parts to help it produce that kind of power. I’d like to do a 2,000 HP crate engine at some point, but the thought behind it would be that most of the components would be off-the-shelf or based on an off-the-shelf part, that way in case you need a component from me, I could get it out to you quickly.

Take for instance your BlownZ project car; you guys regularly race it in the 275 Drag Radial series category. If you were to ever break something and needed a part, you would be waiting awhile until it finally arrived. The LS-series has been around for sixteen years now, but if you were to call someone right now needing a crankshaft, chances are they would tell you that they don’t have one. That’s why I always do my best to keep them in stock, just to be safe.”

LSXtv: What are some of the common mistakes you see when customers bring you engines that were previously “built?”

KU: “A lot of mismatched parts. Typically, I’m used to seeing enthusiasts and racers bring me engines that they or someone had previously built, but everything was done on a budget. They see parts on sale or at a bargain at an aftermarket supplier, or land a decent deal on used parts from some forum, but then they piece it all together and expect excellent results. It rarely happens.

There’s also the misconception that you can buy a junkyard 5.3-liter, strap a cheap turbo onto it, and make 1,000 horsepower. It can be done, but it won’t last for too long. Eventually they’ll end up with a big pile of rubble on the ground. But then you have them thinking they’re doing a really good job building an engine if they put stronger rod bolts, and a new set of head gaskets in it. But the level of components that the engine will require to hold together is more significant than that.”

From the online video channel Drive came the recent video of Urban's former Nova sleeper car. With beater patina, and a 1,200 HP twin-boosted LS under the hood, it well represents Kurt's hot rod style and engineering capabilities.

“The first engine in my truck went 107,000 miles and put out 900 horsepower. It went 11.40 at 120 MPH. I put a water pump on it, and regular maintenance items and a few driveline mods. It held up well, but [eventually] broke an exhaust lifter. But I built another engine for it that has even more mileage on it now, and I drive it every day. It’s all in how you build them and the tune. Again, it can be done on the cheap, but don’t expect any real long-term life out of it.

You see guys put these boosted engines on a dyno, and making real quick, 1,000 horsepower bursts out of them, and then they shut them down – only because they know that the engine can’t stay in the powerband for very long because they don’t want to risk blowing it up. I love hearing about those engines, but I have no interest in building one.”

LSXtv: Where do you think the future LS engine building will go?

KU: “They’ll continue to be popular with enthusiasts the world over. They’ve made plenty of them, and pretty much all of the mysteries to the engine have been discovered. At one time, hot rodders weren’t too big on things like electronic fuel injection, mass air flow sensors and the like. Personally, I’d like to start building more high horsepower crate engines. It’s number four on my list of things I want to do.”

LSXtv: What do you think of the Gen-V LT1? Do you think tuners and engine builders will embrace the LT1 like they have the LS Series?

KU: ”That depends. The only way that will happen is if GM actually puts the LT1 engine [platform] in other vehicles. If it’s limited to just the Corvette, then probably not. The aftermarket won’t make too much for it, since the demand wouldn’t be there. But if they share it with the future Camaro, Chevy SS, CTS-V, and full-size truck line, then yes, I can see it eventually taking off.

Will it replace the LS-Series in terms of demand like you see with engine swaps? Probably not. With as cheap as you can pick up a Gen-III or Gen-IV today, it’s not going to be feasible for a lot of people.”

Urban tells us that the LT1 will generate a huge aftermarket support system and enthusiast following – but only if The General utilizes it in other cars other than just the C7. You’ll see gearheads swapping these into ’69 Camaros too, he said.

LSXtv: What, if any, complications do you see with tuning or building the Gen-V LT1?

KU: ”I think that with the direct injection, you’ll have a lot of enthusiasts take a step back. The LT1 looks to be a fantastic engine, basically taking everything GM has learned from the LS-Series, and have taken things to the next level. But again, the direct injection will have an effect on the demand. At the moment, nobody makes [aftermarket] fuel injectors for the direct injection engines, so it’ll be hard to build a high horsepower or boosted engine – at least for a while.

As far as cracking the ECU is concerned, it make take a little while until it happens, but that’s what they said about the LS1, the Chrysler HEMI, and even the new Nissan GT-R. They say that because they don’t want anyone to mess with the engine for warranty issues, but tuners always find a way. I wouldn’t worry about that too much. You’ll see guys swapping these into ’69 Camaros too, just not as much as you have with the LS-series.”

LSXtv.com: Well it was nice of you to take the time to sit down and talk to us, Kurt!

KU: ”No problem, it was nice talking to you. If you guys ever have any other questions, let me know – I’ll be happy to help!”

After we thanked Mr. Urban for his valuable time, we took a minute to realize how far the LS Series platform has come in the last 16 years. It went from an unknown/unloved piece of design, initially, to eventually becoming the go-to engine for hot-rodders and engine builders alike. They’ve found their way into everything from street cars to Formula D imports, to some of the fastest drag cars in the world. 

The aftermarket has grown and thrived for these engines faster than what the pioneers of the first small-block Chevy have seen, and with guys like Kurt Urban around, they’ll continue to be the hot ticket for years to come. 

After damaging the primary body on a career best opening qualifying shot at the Winternationals, Densham pulled out the McLeod body that Paul Lee piloted at the final two events of the 2012 season to conclude the weekend.

 Densham, on his own, founded an NHRA Career Day program that the NHRA commandeered and called the Youth & Education Services program. It shows students the wide-ranging skills that make the drag-racing industry work. But Ambassador Densham’s trailer was stolen in Sacramento, with all his expensive equipment inside.

However, Densham got a huge break when longtime admirer John Force hired him to drive one of his Funny Cars, and Densham won eight races. One was that 2004 U.S. Nationals and the Skoal Showdown bonus race for a $250,000 payout.

 
The now-66-year-old Densham, whose first Funny Car was a 1970 Ford Pinto and who still jokes that his first drag-racing rivals were Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, got steamrolled by the youth movement he had groomed. He stepped aside at the end of  2004 to make room for Robert Hight. And Densham hasn’t won an event since.

(Although he said, “Corporate America needs to remember that Baby Boomers like John  and me continue to drive the economy,” he did say, “I love Robert. If anything takes the sting out of it [no longer driving for Force], that’s it.”)
 
Densham was Cinderella at the Nitro Ball. The clock struck midnight nine years ago, but he has continued to enjoy the dance, proud of his rags-to-riches-to-rags again story, for “We have as good a chance of winning as anybody.”
 
People are what makes him keep trying.
 
“I am thrilled to be driving a car. But it lasts for only five seconds,” Densham said. “If that’s all there was to it, it wouldn’t be worth all the aggravation.”

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

No, but he has Greg Amaral, who has morphed from his Gahr High standout student to his trusted crew chief. He has, he said, “85 percent of the group that I did have when I was racing fulltime.” They include Ed and Melissa Boytim and Gary Seaward.
 
“I feel like I’ve got the best team in drag racing. They do more with less than anybody out here. I think we prove that most times we come out here,” Densham said. “I wouldn’t trade them for anybody out there. What Greg Amaral’s able to do and my whole team, for the budget that we have to race on, I feel really, really proud about all of that.

“The downside is that they all live out of town: Montana, Seattle, Carson City . . . The closest live in Temecula [Calif.], and I’m lucky to get ‘em one Saturday a month,” he said. “It all falls on me to be able to maintain and build and get everything ready, from changing oil and generators and trucks and building cars and doing all that.
 
“And that’s not a complaint,” Densham said. “If I didn’t have all that to do, getting up at 6:30 and working till it’s dark on that thing, I’d have to go get a job as a Wal-Mart greeter or something. I’d go crazy. So I love it, but it’s a lot of work.”

He made extra work for the team Opening Day, running into the sand trap and ruining his new, patriotic-themed body. “It’s kind of a bummer. Being a one-man band, you spend all winter trying to make a nice, shiny car so you can come out here and be proud of it and then go out and ruin it the first run. At least it was a good run,” he said, finding the positive.

 And Densham has a mutual love for the fans.
 
“We have the greatest fans in the whole world in drag racing. Unfortunately I don’t hang around with all the guys who have all the money. I’ve got hundreds of fans who come by and say, ‘I’d really like to sponsor you and help you. If I ever win the lottery, I’ll sponsor your car!’ ” His standard response is “Do you ever buy a ticket? Can’t win if you don’t buy a ticket!’ “

 
Densham loves the interaction with the crowds. Years ago, he won on the road course at Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, Calif. “I beat up the Porsches that day,” he said, “and I looked up and there were 500 fans there, and they weren’t allowed to come over and celebrate with us.” He said enjoying the people who help pay his bills is something he especially likes about NHRA.

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

He likes that and the friends he has made throughout the years, such as Paul Lee.
 
Lee drove Densham’s Dodge Charger at the final two races of last season, and Densham said the McLeod Clutches owner and veteran driver “saved our bacon by coming to the deal. He helped us financially by doing that. And to be honest with you, if we hadn’t made that decision, allow him to drive the last two races, we probably wouldn’t have been able to afford to be [at the 2013 season opener]. Did I miss driving it at Vegas and the Finals? Yeah, I did — tremendously. But it was just a financial decision.”
 
He said parts wear out and racing has costs upon costs: “Over the winter, truck insurance is due, truck registration is due, and you  have to buy over $3500 worth of stupid stickers just to recertify everything in your car — $3500 worth of dumb ol’ stickers you got to have.”

 
Densham said Lee “does a phenomenal job, and he didn’t hurt our team one little bit. He was nothing but an asset. I was proud to have him do it, and I think on the flip side of the coin, we gave him a pretty near perfect race car. He had a career-best of everything. So did we — and it just shows.

After going winless in his first 243 NHRA starts, Densham won eight races driving for John Force, including the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in 2004.

 ”We were able to buy a few new parts and pieces instead of patching together stuff that’s six, eight, 10 years old, like we’ve been doing. And it showed at the end of last year. It showed on that run right there,” he said of his career-best 4.053 seconds at 307.09 mph that gave him the No. 3 starting spot. “New stuff runs better. It’s just that simple.”

New parts do, but the experienced driver does, too.
 
“We’ve been very, very fortunate over the last five years to qualify at every race. And with the backing we get, we qualify and it’s a break-even deal. We have a whole lot of fun, and if we can go out there and make one of those high-dollar-life guys’ lives miserable once in awhile, well, we got something to chuckle about.”
 
He had something to marvel, if not chuckle, about at the Winternationals.

Densham at the 2004 U.S. Nationals, driving the Auto Club Ford now piloted by Robert Hight for John Force Racing.

 ”I’m glad to see all the international guys out here. We’ve got some great overseas competitors who are here and who have been for the last 30 years. I’ve always said there’s three things that make people really interested in something: (1) If there’s a whole bunch of people, it must be really important and I’ve got to go, (2) how much money we’re winning — unfortunately we can’t advertise that, because it ain’t near enough, and (3) how far did people come to participate,” he said.
 
Densham came from Bellflower, Calif., just on the other end of his shoestring. But in terms of all he has been through, maybe no one has come farther than Gary Densham.

Jason Rittenberry: As Aaron mentioned we as the ownership group decided we really wanted to branch out of just being a track operator and operating the facility here in Palm Beach. We really wanted to look at growing our company, reaching out to new ventures and one of those ventures happened to be the entertainment side of the business. We wanted not only the tracks but also the entertainment content to put at those tracks.
 
Three years ago we really started looking at the options available to us and looked at the industry within the drag racing world, and there obviously weren’t many options available for us to try and acquire. But in March of 2010 we made contact with the folks at Feld through some contacts I had in the entertainment business and we scheduled a meeting in New York with Kenneth Feld and a few other folks and really started the conversation down the path we are on today.
 
Our goal from day one was to be an all-encompassing company. We want to find quality tracks to acquire and to have our own quality content to put at those tracks. We also want to take some of the ideas that we have as a company and implement those through an established brand and the IHRA was the brand that we chose to really go after. We were very aggressive in going after the company and it took longer than we had hoped, but now almost three years later we were able to close the deal and consolidate the companies into what is IHRA Entertainment today.
 

IHRA Entertainment CEO Jason Rittenberry

 Tell me a little bit about yourself Jason?
 
JR: I have been a track operator since 2000. I spent 10 years as Vice President and General Manager at Memphis Motorsports Park under the Dover Motorsports Company. Under our brand of companies we owned the Dover International Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, Memphis Motorsports Park and Gateway International Raceway and throughout the time I was with the company we also owned the Long Beach Grand Prix, the Denver Grand Prix and the St. Pete Grand Prix.
 
I spent 10 years with that company running their Memphis operations prior to relocating to Palm Beach and taking this new position as President and CEO of Palm Beach International Raceway. Since then obviously we have acquired my old track in Memphis, renamed it Memphis International Raceway and we are thrilled to be operating that facility again. And now with the new acquisition of the IHRA, all of that falls under the one corporate umbrella of IHRA Entertainment.

 
What has being a track owner taught you that you can bring over to the IHRA?
 
JR: First and foremost is customer service. Customer service is paramount to success. That is the one thing from a sanctioning body standpoint and a track operator standpoint that has to be one and the same. I have seen it as a track operator over the years when a series comes into town once a year and customer service is not always high on their priority list. Most of the time when a series comes to town they have different priorities versus that of the track operators and that just can’t happen. Customer service has to be our number one priority because the racers that are coming to our track and the fans that are coming to our track are the same racers and fans that are going to be coming back the next week and the week after that. We have to do everything in our power to accommodate those racers and fans, give them a great environment and make sure we take care of them. Whether that is a friendly greeting or providing the services they need.

 
From a track operator standpoint that is the one thing that we have to make sure we transition to. When we go into a local market those racers are not only our members as IHRA, but also they are the tracks local customers. These guys are shelling out their hard-earned dollars to come to our event and we have to treat them as such.
 
How exciting is it to finally have the sole focus of an ownership group?
 
AP: You have no idea how exciting this is. Through no fault of anybody, we were just a very small little creature in a big animal kingdom before and now we are the only animal. To have the resources available, to have guys involved that like drag racing to begin with, it is huge. The ability to get things done quickly is enormous. This is a very good thing for all of us to be the primary focus of an organization.
 
What does this mean for the sportsman racer?
 
AP: We have, in my opinion, one of the best sportsman programs, if not the best sportsman program in the world. What this means is a continuation and an interest in that level of racing. We understand, from the IHRA side, that that is our base. They understand that it is our base. And with Summit signing on for a number of more years, AMSOIL signing on for a number of more years, it means that sportsman racing is here to stay. They want to keep what we have and try to improve upon it like we have over the last few years. They understand what sportsman racing means to the IHRA and they want to keep it that way. They are focused on the big picture and that is making money. Whether that means increased membership, increased sponsorship, increased participation, and increased ticket sales – they are focused on taking that next step toward making the IHRA an even bigger company than it is today.
 

IHRA President and General Manager Aaron Polburn

How exciting is it to have home tracks, especially ones as nice as Palm Beach International Raceway and Memphis International Raceway?
 
AP: It really is nice. You always want a base of business and now we have a base of business in Florida. Obviously Florida is a huge market for us and Memphis is a great facility, but the other part in this deal is that we have accumulated some really good people. A business runs on the quality of its people and the staffs at Palm Beach and Memphis are top notch. Even before this whole thing came about I have said that there are many people inside that organization that I would like to bring here, and now, through the acquisition, we get to work with them side-by-side.
 
And I don’t believe they are done snapping up race tracks just yet, either. That doesn’t mean we are going to buy tracks just to buy tracks; we are going to buy tracks to increase the value of the company and make some money.
 
Tell me a little bit about the plans to expand the new IHRA Entertainment family of home tracks?
 
JR: Yes, there are plans to add more tracks to the company. At this point we are looking at three or four additional race tracks. Ideally we would like to have six tracks spread throughout the country and the content with the IHRA series to be able to provide those six or so home tracks

 
What is it going to mean as more and more tracks get added to the IHRA family?
 
AP: What that means is it opens up a lot of doors. Instead of just being IHRA, now we are IHRA with this track and that track. It gives us an opportunity to create a North American package if not a global package that we can take to sponsors and say ‘look, you can get IHRA and all of its assets if you get on board plus the naming rights at Palm Beach, naming rights at Memphis and so on.’ Once you put all of those pieces together you can put together a pretty substantial package for a potential sponsor that we have never had before. We get to go after bigger fish is really what I am saying.
 
So the new ownership group really bought into what the IHRA has been doing?
 
AP: They like the business plan. They like the way the sportsman deal is going. They like the way the entertainment facet of this company is going. Joe Lubeck said that he wants IHRA to be the best Triple-A baseball team in the world. If you are not familiar with baseball, Triple-A is just a step away from the majors. It is fun, it is profitable and it is very cool and that is how we have to think of this thing.
 
We are not NHRA. We have no interest to be NHRA and we certainly don’t want to participate in the kind of business plan that they have now because we have been there and we know what happens. These are guys that looked at us from a financial perspective and said, you know what, there is progress here and it is time to act and take this thing to the next level. That is what makes it so exciting.

It sounds like this group can really bring a lot to the IHRA table.
 
AP: The key guy here is Jason. I can tell you in this negotiation period he was the point guy. I knew Jason before, always respected what he did, but this guy has some business sense that I was not aware of. I knew we were getting a good guy in Jason, what we got is a great guy and a great group. These guys are big thinkers. They are not focused on the little things; they are focused on how we grow this thing and end up in China or someplace like that.
 
What does this mean for Nitro Jam and the entertainment portion of the IHRA?
 
JR: Bigger and better, that is our plan and that is our model moving forward. We want to take the current model that has been working for the IHRA, whether that is Nitro Jam, Thunder Jam or the Pro-Am Tour, and we want to take that model and make it bigger and better. We want to provide the groundwork that the sanctioning body needs to build those events and bring more fans and racers through the gate and give them more entertainment value for their dollar. More pyro, more jets, more Top Fuel, whatever it may be that we need to add to the show, that is our goal and that is what we want to do with the brand and with the company.
 
AP: If we can think it up and it makes sense we finally have the resources to do it. For example we always talk about what is the next big thing in this sport. I have got some ideas on what that next big thing is, but it is going to take a certain amount of cash to formulate the idea and take it to market. Essentially whatever we can dream up that can grow this company the funding is there to do it. Honestly right now I can’t think as big as they do, but even at 61 I can still learn pretty quickly.  It is a really good time to be IHRA.
 
What are your long-term plans for the IHRA?
 
JR: Well, our short-term plans are to successfully operate the 2013 season as planned. The timing of the acquisition was not ideal, the IHRA was a little too far into the 2013 season as far as planning for us to implement much change. So our plan right now is to support the plans that are in place and make those as successful as possible and provide any additional tools and resources that are needed for the current plan that is in place.
 
Our long term plans are to evaluate and elevate every facet of IHRA, Nitro Jam and Thunder Jam.  Our goal is to find that combination of competitive racing, motorsports entertainment and profitability that we can take to market and separate us from the other available products.  We have a lot of exciting plans for the future and we can’t wait to see where it takes us.

Without so much as a “how-politically-incorrect” eyebrow arch from the media at the 2000 U.S. Nationals, drag-racing team owner Don Schumacher introduced Melanie Troxel as his Exide Batteries Dragster driver, casually offering, “She’s attractive and we can market her.” (Troxel, unfazed by the remark at the time, later said she never heard him say that because she “was on Cloud Nine” about the opportunity.)
 
Seven years later, Schumacher gave a shot at testing Gary Scelzi’s Oakley Funny Car to then-obscure Leah Pruett. Asked for some explanation of who this lucky racer is, Schumacher replied, “She’s 19 years old, about 5-foot-5 or 5-6, with long blonde hair.”
 
Hmm . . . Did he want a drag-racing champion or Miss America or some hybrid queen of the quarter-mile? Did a driver have be pretty to join Don Schumacher Racing? (After all, he once had told one of several dozen male inquirers about a vacancy there that he was looking for somebody — no offense, he said — better looking.)
 
“How could a compliment be bad?” the mega-team boss asked, making a logical enough point. “Let’s be realistic. We have to remember this is entertainment. We’d be foolish not to use every asset.”
 
Respected veteran journalist Cole Coonce even referred to Pruett in a Hot Rod Magazine article as a “fuel-flopper femme fatale” with a “fetching demeanor and come-hither image” and “serpentine wisps of butterscotch blond hair.”
 
In an era in which women drive station wagons on steroids, assert themselves in the corporate world, command attention that even has altered the English language, and serve in harm’s way in the military, it should follow that established female racers are recognized for their intelligence, experience, and sense of professionalism.

 In fairness to Schumacher, he did say repeatedly that Pruett has “the desire, the drive, and the determination” to excel. And Coonce counted her among the drag racers “with the demeanor and compulsion of a cold killer” and celebrated her graduation from the NHRA Jr. Dragster playground to a “blown-on-alcohol, big-block-Chevy-powered Bantam altered that her family ran with some success in the Goodguys Vintage Racing Association.”

 Any less acknowledgement would ignore her 17 straight years of NHRA competition.

And if Pruett’s confidence during an abbreviated preseason test session this month at Jupiter, Fla., is any kind of harbinger, Pruett will be a clear force in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series’ Top Fuel class.
 
Although she is scheduled at this point to drive the Dote Racing Dragster at only 15 of 24 events this season unless additional funding materializes, she has the mindset of a winner who could pose a serious threat to actively advertised Brittany Force in NHRA rookie-of-the-year voting.
 
“If you’re going to go drag racing and do this, you can’t NOT expect to go to the final every race. You have to. And I do believe we will be in a final, and I do believe we are capable of winning this year and especially [advancing to] multiple semifinals,” the 24-year-old Redlands, Calif., native said. “As a part-time team this season, it would say a lot for a non-fulltime team to come out with a win sometime during this season.

“I know it’s early to say, but I’ve got a good feeling about it all,” she said.
 
Maybe it isn’t all that early. Granted, maybe it’s early for this season but not for Pruett’s career. She began competing not long after learning her ABCs stood for axles, brakes, and crankshafts. She even geared her course study at Cal State – San Bernardino to one that would help her advance her racing aspirations and wound up with a degree in communications.
 
Along the way, Pruett has won a nostalgia Funny Car championship in the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series, driving the Plueger & Gyger entry. That 2010 season included a victory at the classic Bakersfield March Meet — after surviving the first 32-car field since 1976 — and another at the prestigious Bakersfield Hot Rod Reunion. During the next two seasons, she won three ProCare Rx NHRA Pro Mod Series races in Roger Burgess’ twin-turbo, 250-mph cars.
 
She had an ill-fated appearance — on a Friday the 13th, no less — at the 2009 NHRA Finals at Pomona in a nitro Funny Car. In an effort to keep her Funny Car license up to date and not squander the lessons she learned in testing the Schumacher car, she joined independent owners John Lindsay and Phil Miller and agreed to drive their DragStar-Tigerflow Chevy Monte Carlo.
 
She later told Coonce of that oil-spewing, rod-kicking, ‘chute-popping mess that rocked her immediately at the hit of the throttle, “No matter how bad I want to race, and I feel like I have dedicated my life to becoming a professional drag racer and loving the sport, that my life is not worth it. My reputation that I have been building all this time is not worth mistaking quantity for quality.”
 
Pruett is choosy, and she and Top Fuel team owner Connie Dote have chosen each other for the dragster seat that Doug Foley, Hillary Will, and Larry Dixon have warmed up.

 
“We’ve been watching Leah for years, since she had a Jr. Dragster,” Dote said. “From there right on up, she has excelled in every class she has been in. This is where she belongs. I think we’re going to do very well with her. She works really hard, and we love her over here.”
 

She got that ethic from her dad, Ron, a 12-time land speed world record-holder and owner-driver of the World’s Fastest Ford-powered Thunderbird, and older sister Lindsey, a former Jr. Dragster champion.

It helped her in the recent test at Palm Beach International Raceway. Her most recent race, in Roger Burgess’ R2B2 Pro Mod car, came last October at St. Louis, but the Doug Kuch-led, Monroe, Ohio-based Dote Racing team’s most recent outing was with driver Larry Dixon, also in October, at Reading, Pa. She said that longer-than-usual layoff made her two unexpected Thursday testing runs even more commendable.
 
She ran a 4.774-second elapsed time at 155.49 mph in her first one and improved to 4.011, 240.81 in her evening run. Both were scheduled half-track runs.       
 
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in Doug and this whole team,” Pruett said, impressed that they neither were rusty nor caught off-guard when they got the chance to make a couple of passes Thursday as the Al-Anabi Racing team packed it in and left Florida.

Pruett (far lane) racing alongside teammate Melanie Troxel in 2011 as team owner Roger Burgess looks on.

“We weren’t scheduled to run. We were scheduled for only the PRO [Winter Warm-Up] sessions,” Pruett said. “[Shawn] Langdon and [Khalid al-]Balooshi called it. They whupped up on everybody with a (3.)73 and .76. And their absence allowed us to make two runs, which got us ahead of our eight-ball.”
 
She said she thinks she’s prepared for her Top Fuel debut Valentines Day at the Winternationals at Pomona’s Auto Club Raceway. Besides, while most women prefer such fragrances as ones with celebrity signatures or ones from Juicy Couture, Dolce & Gabbana, or Victoria’s Secret, Pruett said, “I’ve always had a passion for nitro.”
 
Pruett said she is comfortable, expecting Top Fuel racing to be like all the other classes of competition, in many respects.
 
“I think it’s the same type of pressure [she has experienced at other levels]. It’s the same morale you have with the team. It’s the same services. It’s all drag racing,” she said, “but at the very highest levels it can be.”
 
She has no inferiority complex about being with a privateer team, either. She said Steve Torrence’s three victories in five final rounds last year was an inspiration.
 
“It just shows you don’t have to have a multi-team operation to win,” Pruett said. “It levels the playing field.”
 
Pruett is planning to race at the Arizona Nationals at Chandler, Ariz., near Phoenix, immediately after that and at the New England Nationals at Epping, N.H., as well as 10 East Coast and Midwest national events.
   
So her future is looking, well . . . attractive.

The truck arrives at the Brownsburg, Ind., race shop. Larry Dixon’s eyes light up, and that familiar flash of straight, white teeth spreads across his face.
 
It’s not the ice-cream man. It’s the delivery-service driver, and Dixon is hoping for a package full of Top Fuel dragster parts that will help him and his new team get to the racetrack faster.
 
“Every day when the UPS, FedEx, and the Postal Service show up and they’re bringing boxes, like Christmas,” Dixon said, “you’re hoping it’s the right one so we can get out there to be able to go to the Winternationals.”
 
The three-time Top Fuel champion has joined forces with Australian industrial tycoon Santo Rapisarda, whose Rapisarda Autosport International operation also fields a dragster in the ANDRA (the Australian National Drag Racing Association) series, and renowned tuner Lee Beard. And he’s hoping the team can prep the car in time to enter the first race of the season and the NHRA’s freshly re-branded Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Feb. 14-17 at Pomona, Calif.
 
“There isn’t anything more I’d rather do than be able to go out there at the start of the season. We’re all tied for first place at this point, so I could be in the mix,” Dixon said as one of Joe Castello’s guests this past week on the WFO Radio program “NHRA Nitro.”

 
However, Dixon said, “Right now, we’re really at the mercy of the manufacturers. We just ordered the parts, and really, we’re last in line. Everybody has had a winter, months ahead of time, to prepare. We haven’t.” Beard brokered the deal only about two weeks ago, and Dixon said, “They tell you four to six weeks on some of the parts.”
 
Nevertheless, Dixon said, “Lee’s really working hard on trying to update” all the Rapisarda stock that was left in Brownsburg from the last time in the fall of 2012 that Cory McClenathan, Dixon’s one-time on-track nemesis, drove this dragster. With Beard at the helm, understudies Santo Rapisarda Jr. and brother Santino (Tino) probably won’t recognize the car when it first rolls out, likely in March at Gainesville, Fla.

 
“Anything that he’s got, that he tunes or works on, it’s going to have his thumbprint on greatly,” Dixon said. “It’s not just changing a button, turning a knob, and now he’s the crew chief of the car. I mean, it’s tear the car down to the bare bones, tear the hauler down to the bare bones, and starting from scratch, hiring more people, and just getting everything in shape, order parts and new equipment. Some of the stuff they have is not the most up-to-date.

Three-time NHRA world champion crew chief Lee Beard (left) and Australian team owner and crane magnate Santo Rapisarda brokered the deal this off season that will bring Dixon back to racing behind the wheel of the Rapisarda AutoSport International dragster. Images courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

This deal came together in a manner that Dixon had not expected. The popular racer, after leaving Al-Anabi Racing more than a year ago, had stayed in front of the fans by providing commentary on the public-address system alongside legendary Bob Frey and appearing occasionally on NHRA’s ESPN2 telecasts — all while working behind the scenes to form his own team and secure marketing partners.
 

Image courtesy Larry Dixon Racing

And he appeared to be well on his way to accomplishing that.
 
“I had a contract signed by a company in November to go full-time racing,” Dixon said, declining to name the all-but-wrapped-up sponsor. “I kind of hung out, waiting,” he said, for the money to come through. But as so many sad drag-racing tales end, this company never produced the funding.
 
“I’m moving forward,” Dixon said. “I’m moving forward with Rapisarda Autosport International and Beard and this team right here.”
 
How they all came together involved another team break-up. Shortly after Beard won the final Funny Car trophy of last season with Cruz Pedregon, their partnership abruptly ended and dissolved into a bit of mudslinging. Pedregon served nothing publicly about the firing beyond the usual going-a-different-direction pablum, but Beard snarled, “The only thing I can tell you about Cruz is his ego is way bigger than his talent.”
 
It was a union both Pedregon and Beard knew had raised eyebrows, even attracted bettors guessing how long it would last. Both are champions, but both are strong personalities. For a season, though, they pulled in the same direction and as essentially a single-car operation, they landed a fourth-place finish in the standings.

 
Beard, 59, who with his distinguished grey feather-cut mane resembles Thoroughbred racing’s celebrated trainer Bob Baffert and has just about as many accolades with a far more potent kind of horsepower, still has the magic touch and a deep passion for taming a nitro-burning beast. And like Baffert understands his horses and jockeys, Beard knows his cars and his drivers. And he gravitated to the best, like Baffert at a Keeneland yearling sale.

 ”After Lee and Cruz had parted ways, Lee had contacted me, just to see where I was, as far as putting my own program together,” Dixon said.
 
“What do you think about doing something with Santo’s team with me calling the shots?” Beard asked.
 
Interested, Dixon took Beard up on his invitation to meet and discuss details. Said Dixon, “Long story short, he went on vacation down to Australia and brokered a deal with Santo to go racing with him. He put a deal together and here we are “
 
Beard said, “I see a lot of potential with the Rapisarda Autosport International team. I’m anxious to work with Larry after all of our years as competitors. He is one of the greatest Top Fuel drivers ever. My job as Director of Operations is to oversee the team and teach my skills and craft to Santo’s two sons, Santo Jr. and Santino. I see them as the future of our sport.”

 
Dixon sees the team as a marriage of a three-time championship tuner and a three-time championship driver, a bridge between Beard’s engineering excellence and the Rapisarda brothers’ raw potential, and a fantastic opportunity to return to competition in a quality dragster.
 
Dixon, at 46 the second-most successful Top Fuel driver in NHRA history with 62 national-event victories, said he couldn’t pass up the chance, “first and foremost . . . to get back out there and race on a more consistent basis — and in a quality car, one that’s being prepped by Lee Beard. He’s done so much through his career for NHRA drag racing . . . and to have an opportunity like that, to get out there and stand on the gas and have a shot at round-wins and hopefully race wins.

“I’m a competitor. I want to get out there,” he said. “When you pull into the gates with your team, you want to know that you have the ability to compete, not just hope to qualify, but compete for wins. Once you’ve done that, a bunch, that’s your par. Tiger Woods doesn’t show up just to play a round of golf. He wants to go out there and win it. Whether he does or not is one thing, but having all the resources behind you to be able to not have an excuse, I think that’s what this program is here.”
 
Moreover, he said, “Santo, he’s excited. He’s got a passion for this sport. His kids, Santo Jr. and Santino — both love drag racing, and they’re going to be able to learn how to run and tune a Top Fuel car from one of the best guys that our sport has seen in Lee Beard.”
 
Santo Rapisarda said he believes this combination will bring him his first United States triumph.

 
“Both Larry and Lee have some of the greatest resumes in NHRA drag racing history,” the industrial-crane magnate from Sydney said. “Although they have never teamed up together before, we believe their leadership and competitiveness will lead us to victory lane this year. I’m extremely excited to have this pair as part of our organization.”
 
The team isn’t funded for a full season, but Dixon said to expect to see him at anywhere from 12 to 18 races on the 24-event tour.
 
“For sure, we’re going to be up and going by Gainesville. That’s no doubt,” he said. “All of us would like to go to Pomona and Phoenix.”
 
The late formation of the team has put that plan in jeopardy, but how many races the Dixon-and-Beard duo make might depend on them. He said Rapisarda “put the onus on myself and Lee to try and find that extra money.
 
He stepped from the announcing booth last fall to drive the Dote Racing Dragster at three races. And besides thanking team owner Connie Dote for that chance, Dixon also thanked current Dote driver Leah Pruett.
 
“Had she had a Top Fuel license at Indy,” Dixon said, “I wouldn’t have got that shot. They were ready for her then. She just needed a license. So I got to do those three races with that team. I wish them all the best.”
 
But then the competitor in Larry Dixon kicked in: “But everybody’s doing their own thing and trying to be ready for 2013.”
 
Now, if only the delivery men would show up today with all the pieces of his new puzzle.

As recently as a decade ago, traction control was one of those topics, like nitrous oxide in Pro Stock or the infamous Matty Box, that you simply didn’t dare talk about. A taboo subject if there ever was one, the technology that had long been a part of circle track and road racing was largely prohibited in all of the major drag racing series and sanctions of the one sport where traction was most paramount.

Gradually, respected manufacturers began working to legitimize the technology that had been such a hush-hush subject in decades past, making it possible not only to equip a race car with it in a professional and well-engineered package, but do it in an affordable manner. The problem however, at least in terms of heads-up racing, was that would-be customers had nowhere to run it.

In the early to mid-2000′s, the world of outlaw doorslammer racing took to the technology and spread it like wildfire, thrusting the previously forbidden topic into the limelight. Suddenly, a system that was previously the center of conspiracy theory chatter during a rain delay was something that racers would openly promote and talk about. And it passed tech with flying colors.

Although traction control is still barred and heavily policed in the NHRA and countless other racing series, it’s become a generally accepted part of the game. From Top Fuel to Pro Extreme, between and below, teams are utilizing the data that it provides to improve their performance and deliver better, closer racing.

In this round table Q&A session, we’ll take a look at the current state of the traction control debate from the perspective of the racing series that both prohibit and allow it and the manufacturers that campaign heavily in favor of it. Among those in our panel are:

• Promedia Director of Events Trey Capps

• X-DRL Technical Director Chris Bell

• Joe Pando with MSD Performance

• Davis Technologies President Shannon Davis

Traction Control At A Glance

It’s difficult to pinpoint when and where traction control entered the sport of drag racing, and with so many forms of RPM, timing, nitrous, and boost controls at a racers’ fingertips today, the lines between what is legal and what is illegal is undeniably blurry. At the heart of a legitimate traction control system is a device capable of capturing and relaying information to the engine management system, pulled from sensors on the driveshaft, the transmission, or the rear end housing, that quickly and efficiently result in adjustments to the timing or the engine RPM to correct the tire spin. These systems are not only infinitely adjustable, but many modern systems are self-learning, meaning they’re capable of comparing the rate of acceleration of the crank to a calculated threshold value that’s adjusted in relation to the average of previous calculated measurements.

Unlike the rudimentary systems that racers and sneaky electricians hacked together years ago, today’s traction control systems are affordable and incredibly compact, making them nearly undetectable if a racer truly wants to conceal one. Likewise, with data recording such a common and attainable element of racing in this day and age, smart racers can tune their race cars to cope with traction loss in perfectly legal ways, begging the question: what is traction control and what isn’t?

Read on as we speak to the aforementioned figures in the sport and the manufacturing industry to learn their take on this always-popular topic.

DZ: As far as you know, when did traction control first enter the sport? Do you think there were hidden, home-made systems used by racers long before traction control systems were mass-produced?

MSD Performance's Technical Support Manager Joe Pando.

Shannon Davis: We put together our first drag racing pieces in 2002 or 2003, and it was the first time that we had adapted a circle track system over to drag racing. It was fairly successful, and those older units were better at saving a run, but not necessarily making it faster. As this technology evolved, however, the aim was not just to save a run and have a pick-me-up crutch, but make the car run faster.

I’m sure that there were hidden traction control systems prior to that, but I don’t know how effective any of them were, because you never saw them take off. But it’s likely that there were some top pro teams that were using it. There are a lot of smart racers and crew chiefs out there that could’ve certainly built something, so it’s likely that teams had a system that worked off of wheel speed sensors or, theoretically, even ground-based lasers.

Traction control is something that’s hard to do remotely, because in the past, remote communications weren’t fast enough and certainly not without having something obvious like a large antenna on the car. With a system like that in that day and age, by the time the lasers could send the proper signal, it would’ve been too late.

DZ: The topic of traction control has been very taboo, but do you think it’s becoming more accepted around the sport?

Joe Pando: I don’t think you need to look any further than the ADRL, which is a major series that’s legalized traction control. Its use doesn’t create a lopsided sport, because if you look at the list of winners, it isn’t always the same racers. There are several teams that are using our traction control and those from other manufacturers, and no one racer is dominating.

Example Data Of A Run Using Davis Traction Control With Nitrous Oxide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34rfvBUr4dI

Chris Bell: Allowing it, but keeping an eye on it, has allowed it to become more acceptable, and other organizations have begun to accept it more because of that. Other series have looked at it and seen that it does produce a better show and that it’s a little safer because they get up and down the race track more consistently.

It’s hard to say that traction control is bad for the sport when you look at the competitive racing that goes on in the ADRL.

Trey Capps: I don’t know that it’s more accepted, but it’s certainly more understood and more accessible for racers to acquire.

Shannon Davis: Traction control is definitely more accepted in the venues where it’s allowed, because we make a living at it. Where it’s not allowed, I’m sure that it creeps into conversations, because we have several racers that compete in the ADRL and then go over and run with the NHRA.

Overall, I think people are more accepting of it around the sport. The phrase “time heals all wounds” might describe it best. But I think the sanctioning bodies and the racers are realizing that traction control isn’t a process of just writing a check, installing a black box in the car, and setting world records. That’s just not how it works. The best tuners in the business are still going to run up front, and that’s the same way that it worked in circle track racing before we brought the technology to drag racing. The traction control never made anyone a hero.

I think there’s just a misunderstanding that a racer can hook up traction control, make 10,000 horsepower, and the car is going to magically hook up.

DZ: Why have you opted to permit the use of traction control, and do you continue to support that idea today?

Trey Capps, Event Director at Promedia Events for the NMRA, NMCA, and NMCA WEST Series.

Bell: We definitely still support the technology in our series, and we haven’t seen any detrimental effects from it in our classes. Early on, no one knew how many cars had it and it was tough to keep track of, but we monitor it closely to ensure that no one gains a performance edge from it.

We’re not afraid of technology, we just make every effort to understand the technology and make our decisions based on that.

DZ: Do you feel that traction control has allowed the ADRL to boast a better show for the fans? We see equally good racing in other doorslammer venues, so does it really make that much of a difference?

Davis: There are a lot of arguments to this, but it really comes down to whether you want to see the cars blow the tires off or if you want to see them make side-by-side passes. Whether a team bolted in a traction control box and learned how to use it, or they figured out how to make consistent runs some other way, it’s exciting to see a racer like Frankie Taylor run in the 3.50′s. The crowd is on their feet and everyone’s excited. But, close racing can be done with or without it.

Traction Control Comparison Video With Pro Extreme Racer Mike Janis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV_w-fbgvN4

When Frankie unloads off the trailer, their traction control may engage six or eight times on the first pass, and then they take that data and see where the car needs help. From that, they can make adjustments and on the second run it might only come on three times. Eventually, they’re looking to see where it didn’t come on and they may try another degree here or there to see if it spins, and generally by the time they get into eliminations, the traction control is only coming on at the shifts. You could ask whether or not it needs it, and that’s the big question. The only way to know for sure is to run the car with it and without it.

Bell: I think that it’s allowed teams a little more data to learn and tune from, and therefore, it’s improved their program. It’s allowed them to make more complete runs.

We’ve made some significant gains in our track prep procedures over the last couple of years, and because of that, traction control has become less of a factor and racers aren’t relying on it as much as they had in the past. If it had never been instituted or if we prohibited it now, though, I believe that you would see an increase in the number of aborted runs and less side-by-side competition.

DZ: Do you think traction control belongs in bracket racing, or does it provide a tangible competitive advantage?

Capps: More than anything, it’s just one more thing that a racer has to buy. The thought process is that if one racer has it, you have to have it, and if you don’t have it, you won’t be competitive. It’s just one more expense to add to what’s already a very expensive hobby. A racer still has to hit the number, but if you can tie in traction control with all of the systems that are available to a bracket racer, you’re really not driving the car anymore.

Current X-DRL (and former ADRL) Technical Director Chris Bell.

Pando: As it is right now, in the .90 classes in the NHRA and IHRA, there are often 32 cars or more that are bunched up with only a few thousandths of a second between them, and thus traction control wouldn’t create much benefit for those racers. Simply look at what they’re doing right now without it. Bracket racers in general have their combinations down so well, and the racing is so close, that little would change with the use of traction control.

Davis: Most bracket racers aren’t on the ragged edge of what their tires can handle, but almost any car tends to have some slip on the shift. By minimizing that slippage, you have a more consistent run. Some racers swear by it, and they run really well with it. That slippage on the shift is just one more variable that we can take out of the equation. Really, the big argument is the cost, but who do you know that ever went racing to save money?

DZ: Is traction control an advantage for the more experienced race teams, or those getting their feet wet?

Joe Pando: Traction control is a great thing to have on bad race tracks. If you look back to the NHRA race in the fall at Charlotte, the track preparation and the weather changed the racing surface and the Pro Stock racers were entirely opposed to racing on it, but were forced to, and unfortunately, Shane Gray destroyed a race car. There were a lot of aborted runs prior to and after that, and had there been some form of control over the race car, it could’ve changed the outcome of that event.

MSD's 7531 box features what's known as a"Slew Rate Rev Limiter", which is tunable by the end user to adjust RPM should engine exceed a pre-set acceleration limit, in essence creating a form of traction control. Because of this capability, the box is outlawed in some venues.

Traction control won’t make a fast run any faster, but it will decrease the number of aborted runs. In the end, could traction control have created a better show for the fans? We really don’t know the answer to that without trying it.

Davis: It definitely speeds up the learning curve on the beginner or a racer with a new car or combination, because if you go out there weekend after weekend and blow the tires off or lose races because you spun, there’s a good chance you’re going to get frustrated and quit or not get any enjoyment from it. However, if you can get out there and have some success, you’re certainly more into the game of it all.

Most of the big teams look at it as a tuning tool to help them dial the car in during testing, and generally by the time they’re in race mode, they’re hardly relying on it. That may be driven by sportsmanship or by their ego, but it’s hard to say. It’s in the car and it’s turned on, but it’s set to a point where they’d have to get in a lot of trouble for it to come on.

We have a lot of customers that use is solely for testing, so they can see where the tires are breaking loose in real-time and adjust their setups.

Capps: Traction control won’t make a good run better, but it will improve what’s otherwise a bad run.

Bell: Obviously the less experience that you have, the more beneficial that traction control is going to be. It allows you to get up and down the race track, and that builds a library of data that will help the racer to better understand what it takes to make clean passes. A tuner that’s been doing this for years or even decades that has a lot of data to tune from will know where the edge is and what it takes to get up and down the race track.

DZ: From delay boxes to Bump Boxes to air shifters, drag racers have many “aids” they didn’t have 25 years ago. In essence, traction control is really just an aid, so why is it still being shied away from?

Davis: Mainly, the series just don’t understand it. They think you can bolt the box into the car and it will take all of the tuning out of it. But it doesn’t — it’s just one more tool that a racer has in their arsenal. It’s just like a delay box, in that just because you have it, it doesn’t mean you’re going to win. You have to learn how to use it too. Smart tuners like Steve Petty and others learn how to use the tools that are in that car, and through that knowledge, they can then use them to their advantage.

Pando: Using Pro Stock as an example, the racing is already so tight without the use of traction control, that the series doesn’t see a need for it. If there was a wide disparity between the cars and one racer was dominating, they would probably take a closer look at why it is that way.

Bell: People will always blame what they don’t understand, and generally, it’s always the racing series and sanctioning bodies that are the last to want to understand the technology. It’s this black magic that a lot of people don’t want to touch. It just has this stigma.

The racing series don’t see any reason to muddy the waters, so to speak, but it would be interesting to see what it would do for the racing on some of the marginal tracks.

Capps: We’ve not instituted the use of traction control in our series for a couple of reasons. The first is the cost. If one racer has it, then every racer in the class has to have it to stay competitive, and that just raises the cost to go racing. Secondly, it’s a very hard thing to police. We have to go in there and see what the racer is doing with it and how they’re tying it into all of the various systems of the vehicle. It’s possible that we may allow its use in the future in some of our heads-up classes to create better side-by-side racing, but at this time, we don’t have any plans for it.

DZ: Would you consider traction control a safety feature?

Capps: I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a safety item, because you still have to have a drivers that’s cognizant of their own vehicle. Honestly, traction control isn’t anymore of a safety item than a wheelie bar or an air shifter is.

Bell: We haven’t looked at it as a safety item, but we have seen runs where racers have gotten in their own oil and it’s pulled timing out to help stabilize the car, but it’s still the responsibility of the driver to take over control. I wouldn’t want to say that it’s not a safety item, but I wouldn’t want to rely on it either.

Pando: You could look at traction control as a safety item. If an inexperienced driver is making the move to a faster class, it would definitely help in their transition.

Davis: I don’t like to say it, but obviously if you’re not spinning the tires, you have more control of the car, and when you have more control of the car, it’s safer. We won’t try to sell traction control as a safety device, and it’s not going to keep you from crashing, but it helps.

Davis Technologies' TMS-Drag Pro 2 is a high-end unit that's fully self-learning, with adjusable starting line and ending RPM as well as the null zone, and is capable of reacting within 1/8 of a turn of the driveshaft.

Both Frankie and Joey Martin ran into situations where they got into their own oil and saved the car through a lot of good luck and great driving. When we looked at the data on the computer, the traction control was on and it was on hard, and before you see the driver make any reaction to the situation, the traction control is already on. In fact, Joey told me that he felt the motor lay over before he even realized that it was in the oil and spinning the tires.

DZ: How do your technical departments keep traction control out of the cars? What methods are they employing?

Bell: We look for the tell-tale signs, such as extra sensors and magnets on the driveshaft, and we’ll pull Racepak data from the cars and analyze it. We’ll also pull ignition data from some of the cars to study. We have several devices that we can use to check for it, but we’d rather not go into too much detail on that.

We generally pick a few cars for a spot-check at the scales at every event, and usually that gets everybody talking.

Capps: We do perform regular spot checks on the cars by inspecting the wires and the data on the computers and laptops. Regardless of where a racer is going to hide it, it can be found. It’s just a matter of looking deep enough.

Pando: We work closely with the NHRA, and they were on board with us when we developed our traction control systems. To ensure them the comfort level that they have, we built tools for them that will go in and detect traces of traction control, whether or not it’s being used, and provide a footprint to see how long ago it was there. With these tools that we supply to them at their disposal, they in turn are accepting of us developing products with technology designed for non-NHRA classes that won’t migrate into their playground, and if they do, they’ve got tools to look for it and keep the racers honest and the playing field level.

We provide these tools for any sanctioning body that wants to use them, and we have them in Australia, the NHRA, IHRA, and the ADRL. In essence it’s a custom hand-held unit that they plug into the Canbus that will sniff it out and return information about the use of traction control. These tools can also deliver a time stamp that will inform officials when the feature was last used. Teams are allowed to test with it, so as long as the time indicates that it hasn’t been used during the event, that’s acceptable. The sanctioning bodies just don’t want the racers racing with it.

DZ: What does the future of traction control look like? Are these systems as advanced as they can be, or is this only the tip of the iceberg?

Pando: It’s amazing to think what we’re doing today with just a single sensor. If you really want to get after it, it’s all based on cost. The systems that we have available today can do most of the functions of high-end systems, and our goal is to keep the cost down for the racer.

Davis: Traction control systems in the future will be faster, much more tunable in terms of how much timing is taken out and at what point on the race track, and they’ll be mappable, where you can set a target driveshaft speed that you want to run and it will hold true to that.

We don’t want to let the cat out of the bag too much, but we have some things in the works for the near future.

DZ: Do you envision traction control eventually becoming legal in many or all sanctions of drag racing?

Davis: I can’t speak to them, but they may come around at some point and realize that it’s not a crew chief in a box. It may produce better racing, and it’s safer, so why not?

Pando: I work closely with a lot of the sanctioning bodies, and many of them have classes that they simply won’t allow the use of traction control because they don’t feel that there is a need for it, so it’s hard to say what the future holds for the technology.

In Closing…

Few technologies once considered controversial and unspoken of have gained acceptance as swiftly as traction control in drag racing, and innovators and trailblazers like those in our guest panel are to thank for that. There’s no question that the technology and it’s reach has influenced the sport, and whether that influence has been positive or negative is a matter of personal opinion, but it’s safe to say the technology is here to stay.

Remember the outcry in November when Hostess announced it was going out of business? What would life in America be like without Twinkies?!
 
We had that sinking, disappointing “Awww–” feeling, figuring Twinkies would go the way of S&H Green Stamps, “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “American Bandstand,” and drive-in movies. We might not have tasted a Twinkie in 45 years, but it was reassuring to know it was on grocery shelves.
 
The drag-racing community felt that same unsettling void Nov. 11, when Bob Frey, 46-year veteran of the National Hot Rod Association public-address system, turned off his microphone at Pomona, Calif., with the final quip of his career: “It’s good to be Bob Frey.”  Although everyone respected him, everyone sort of regarded him as a fixture, like the scoreboards or the tower itself. Bob Frey is always there . . . and now he won’t be. (Can someone hand us a Twinkie? We feel faint.)
 
This self-described “skinny, little, bald-headed geek with glasses” decided this fall, at age 65 (who knew?!), that he and his wife, “the lovely and talented Diana,” had earned some time together with each other at home in Waterford, N.J., and with their family that includes six grandsons.
 
The Freys have been married 44 years, and Diana Frey will have the pleasure of rediscovering what attracted her to Bob Frey in the first place. He once said he asked her why she would be interested in a “skinny, little, bald-headed geek with glasses” and said her answer was simple: “Where else could I find all those qualities in one man?”

Drag racing fans immediately saw several charismatic qualities in him, too, when he followed the beloved Dave McClelland as the NHRA’s lead announcer. He carved a unique niche for himself with his sense of humor and comedic style. His voice telegraphed his approachability. Like the drivers he spun statistics and shared insights about, Frey enjoyed meeting the fans.
 
But maybe the true beauty of Bob Frey was the fact he was no more mechanical than 90 percent of the people sitting in the grandstands or watching a drag-racing event on TV.
 
“I’ve always tried to entertain and inform. I’m not a gearhead. I never changed my oil or changed a spark plug,” Frey told ESPN’s Terry Blount. “But I hope my legacy is fans came to an event and were entertained and had fun because I was there.”

They did, because he never talked down to anyone or made himself sound like some inner-circle know-it-all. He was among the inner circle, and he did know far more than most of us, and he possesses a Rain Man-like aptitude for statistics (along with a wickedly competitive penchant for wagering on even the most trivial of matters). But he was skillful in never giving off that vibe. Jerry Archambeault, NHRA’s vice-president of public relations and communications, was correct when he said Frey was “able to enlighten the new fan and educate the hard-core fans.”
 Frey simply told the story of what was happening on the track in terms the average fan in the grandstand would understand.
 
For example, he would explain a mechanical problem with someone’s car by saying, “I’ve never driven a Top Fuel dragster, but I think having your parachutes drop out and fall on the track just off the starting line is not a good thing. Let me check on that and get back to you. I checked. It’s not a good thing.”

If an engine explosion jolted a supercharger off its mounts and tilted it grotesquely off to one side, he would point that out and say, “That’s a silly place for it to be.”
 
His deadpan delivery of some mishap that isn’t especially dangerous and even common to drag racers actually was reassuring to fans. For example, one time Funny Car’s Jack Beckman drove through the finish line and his engine erupted in flames. Frey dryly said, “Fire in your wheel wells is never a good thing.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uHVzYbDu6I

 
He also saw his share of unspeakable tragedy that took everybody by sad surprise — fatal accidents for Darrell Russell in 2004 and Scott Kalitta in 2008 and the ungodly crash at Dallas between John Force and Kenny Bernstein in 2007. And he always said the right thing at the right time and conducted himself respectfully in such cases.

Frey with Power Automedia Managing Editor and StangTV Editor Mark Gearhart at the Auto Club Finals.

Happily, one of his last big calls at the Texas Motorplex was not of horror but of wonder. Frey had seen just about everything on a dragstrip — except the sight of Bob Vandergriff . . . or anyone, for that matter . . . jumping from his car upon winning the race — leaving it right there on the track — and running, in scorching heat, in full uniform, up the track to meet his crew at the starting line.
 
That September 2011 phenomenon had occurred in Frey’s career about as often as Halley’s Comet. And it was almost as delightful to hear what the stunned Frey would say about it as it was to watch Vandergriff plodding up the track so unconventionally. Frey delivered, ad-libbing it all the way: “He’s going to high-five people he’s never even met!” Frey said in amazement at the extraordinary sight. “If you see a guy in a firesuit and helmet coming at you, get out of the way!”
 
On another occasion, Frey called attention to the inimitable Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Shawn Gann’s sparkling silver leathers and dubbed him “the world’s fastest roll of aluminum foil.”
 
At least a couple of times, he has quipped in some sort of good news / bad news scenario, “That’s kind of like watching your mother-in-law drive your new car off a cliff.”

And once in awhile, he ended up being the foil holding the microphone for guests to steal the show for awhile, just as Jack Beckman and his former crew chief Johnny West did this past April at Las Vegas. Beckman and West traded some totally-good-natured barbs before Saturday Funny Car qualifying.

The notoriously chatty Beckman marveled to Frey about the normally quiet West, “He was my crew chief for two years and he hardly said 10 words to me. Now you’ve got him announcing up here like a pro!” West responded, “It’s like telling your mailbox, ‘Don’t give me any more bills.’ He doesn’t understand English at all!”
 
West had yielded his job to Rahn Tobler and gave credit for Beckman’s successful start to the season to Tobler. “You’ve got to give Rahn credit,” West said. “If Jack can learn how to drive it down the middle of the track, he’ll do great.”
 
Then Beckman was going into detail, explaining about the excellent track-prep at Las Vegas and trying to anticipate what effect windy conditions have on the surface. He said how a racer gets into trouble, really, is “if you get out of the groove.” Slipped in West, “Which you do a lot.”
 
West let up his teasing a little, but Beckman took advantage by taking his shot. West said, “I have to give Jack a little bit of credit.” And Beckman shot back, “That’s all he gave me — a little bit of credit.”

 
Bob Frey stood by, refereeing the discussion.
 
So he has experienced it all in the announcing booth, even hob-nobbing with Hollywood celebs and recording stars who have stopped by to say hello, since he began calling national events in 1985.
 
“I’m a very fortunate guy,” Frey said, contemplating the first few minutes of his retirement. “My favorite expression is that I’ve got a wife that loves me, kids that are happy, grandkids that are spoiled, and a job that’s like stealing money. And I try not to complain about anything. There are people with real problems in the world, and I don’t have any of them.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGJU6XP8KrE

A young Frey announcing at the Atco Dragway in the 1960′s (fast forward to the 17:42 mark)
 
Nope. He has a loving wife and family who helped him reach his retirement decision after some long consideration. And of course, he still will look cool, motoring around New Jersey in his shiny, red Pontiac Solstice convertible — turbocharged, he’s pleased to tell you.
 
But when he announced briefly Oct. 6, during the Reading, Pa., race, that he would be leaving at the end of the season, he said he knew “the time was right to step aside. I have other things to do in life while I’m still able to do them, so I just felt the time was right to step aside.”
 
What are those things? Do you think he’s crazy enough to tell us?! Do you think he wants to see us surrounding him while he’s on a boogie board in Hawaii? Or have somebody come up and start talking about something he might have said at the Baton Rouge race in 1986 while he’s strolling along Les Champs-Élysées in Paris? Mais, non.
 
All the possible adventures aside, Frey conceded that “after all these years [it] is not an easy thing to do.”

 
But Frey’s colleagues and fans made it easy on him in Pomona — and the Top Fuel and Funny Car contenders gave him a couple of parting nail-biters to call, closing the season and his career with two of the sport’s most dramatic flourishes ever.
 
“People were very kind, just over and above anything I expected,” Frey told Competition Plus. That’s why he said again, “It’s good to be Bob.”

Of course, Frey said, “None of this will sink in probably until the Winternationals next February. It’s funny, because my wife wanted to do something at home for the holidays with the kids and the grandkids. But my daughter said, ‘Why not do it the weekend of the Winternationals? Dad will probably be miserable that weekend.’ So we’re having a party that weekend.”

He did write in his final “Bob Tales” column for the NHRA house-organ “National Dragster” magazine, “I’ll see you at the races — just not all of them.”
 
Frey joked that not attending every NHRA national event and not writing his popular back-page “Bob Tales” column anymore “may come as a surprise and a little bit of a disappointment and to others it might come as a blessed relief.”
 
Anybody saying the latter will have to answer to Frey’s legion of fans, because hey, he’s OUR skinny, little, bald-headed geek with glasses.

National Geographic filmmakers have produced a program examining the street racing phenomenon. Originally broadcast on the NatGeo channel and now also posted on YouTube, the documentary focused on a group of Los Angeles street racers in an attempt to understand what motivates them to continue to participate in this highly dangerous behavior despite its inherent risks and negative consequences.

There is no disputing that street racing is an extremely dangerous practice that can inflict enormous harm upon participants and innocent bystanders alike. Penalties for participating and promoting these illicit races can include lengthy jail sentences as well as costly fines, loss of driving privileges and even having your beloved car scrapped! Yet  street racing devotees continue to pursue their passion despite all these pitfalls. 

Street racing it is also not without some redeeming social qualities. As the video documentary shows, many of the people involved have had previous contact or connection with street gangs. It also communicates that street racing has kept many young people from the violent and drug-infested gang world and has helped to foster an atmosphere where people who under other circumstances would be mortal enemies, find a way to associate and establish friendships. It has also provided the opportunity for many street racing enthusiasts to learn mechanical and other skills that enable them to enter occupations related to the automotive and high-performance industries. Certainly there are silver linings associated to street racing’s dark clouds.

The work also shows a dichotomy between the established racers at the legal racing facilities and the street racers as they make an attempt to ‘go legit.’ The street racers find that their boulevard reputations garner them little respect from the drag strip veterans and soon learn that success at the race track is much more difficult to achieve than ‘street cred.’ However, the learning curve of competing at sanctioned race tracks is something that all racers must accomplish no matter when or where the education begins. So really there is no sustained disadvantage for inexperience. We all started somewhere!

Credit should be given to the NatGeo producers for neither glorifying nor condemning the cultural segment that they sought to examine. What they presented was an unvarnished and accurate view of the lives, behaviors and activities of some Los Angeles street racers in their native habitat. It is up to the individual viewer to take in the information provided and from there make informed opinions of the activity and decisions on how the community should react, or not, to the situations at hand.

Even the best street pilots will make rookie mistakes when they first encounter the racing facilities. But lest we forget, we were all green as grass when we began our racing experiences and didn't get proficient overnight!

But there stands the question…should street racing be accepted in the automotive culture at all? Are there enough beneficial circumstances created by street racing activities that would allow something less than a zero tolerance policy towards them? Can illicit street races be completely eliminated from the public roads? Where do you stand?

 
With the announcement this past week that former Al-Anabi Racing General Manager Chad Head will drive about 10 races in 2013 for dad Jim Head’s operation, Toyota’s presence in the NHRA grew stronger. And Worsham, no stranger at all to a Funny Car with his longtime family-car campaign with dad Chuck Worsham, is back on track after claiming the 2011 Top Fuel championship for Al-Anabi / Alan Johnson Racing.

 ”I’m not going to say I wasn’t flattered and honored by it,” Worsham said of the invitation to return to the seat of a Funny Car. “I’m definitely honored to drive for Connie Kalitta and the whole organization and Jim O [team Vice-President Jim Oberhofer, who doubles as crew chief for Doug Kalitta's Mac Tools Dragster]. But this is something they kind of pursued, and it was their idea of trying to bring in Tommy D and everybody in the best possible positions and places they thought to make their team as strong as they could.

“They asked me what I thought about driving, and to be totally honest,”he said, “I wasn’t done driving a Funny Car. I thought again someday I might, but at the end of last season I was just done racing. I needed time off. So I got my time off.”
 
Worsham surprised fans first by leaving his dad’s team and joining the new Al-Anabi / Alan Johnson team as a Funny Car driver 2009. Then in 2011, he surprised by switching back to a dragster for the first time since 1995. After a dominating season that ended in the 2011 Top Fuel title, he abruptly retired from driving, moved to Kalitta Motorsports and became crew chief for DeJoria. So this 42-year-old who’s full of surprises had one more this off-season.

 For many who could imagine him only as a driver, the drag-racing universe is back in its proper orbit. Worsham said he joys both worlds.
 
“My entire adulthood, that’s all I’ve done [drive]. So I can see why people would think that,” he said. “And I hope someday I’ll go back to the crew chief thing again. But for right now, this is the position. And I’m honored and looking forward to it.”

Tommy Delago (left), who won the 2011 Funny Car championship with driver Matt Hagan, will assume the crew chief duties of the Alexis DeJoria-driven Tequila Patron Funny Car in 2013, along with Phil Huszar.

 
He had invested so much into DeJoria’s car and career that he won’t be much farther than an opinion away in 2013.
 
Worsham said he’ll be “helping out wherever I can. I don’t think it’s any one man’s job anymore. It takes multiple people. So whatever I can do to help out, I definitely will.”
 
DeJoria said, “He still wants to be a tuner. That’s where he sees himself. This was just something he was asked to do by the bosses and he made that choice. We were all just planning on keeping everything the same for next season. So it was a surprise to all of us, really. We didn’t know anything about it until we got to Pomona [for the final race if the year]. Mid-qualifying on Saturday, it was like, ‘Oh, OK.’  That’s when they talked about it. I didn’t know until after that.
 
“He’s still going to be working with Tommy and Glen on the tune-ups and with Nicky [Boninfante] and Jon O [Oberhofer],” she said, referring to the crew chiefs for the DHL-sponsored car. “So they’re still going to be crew-chiefing the cars together. It’s going to be awesome. I’m really excited about it,” she said. “I’m just really glad that Del’s still going to be involved. I absolutely love Del. My team loves Del. And working with him has been such an awesome experience. He’s so smart. It’ll be cool,” DeJoria said.
 
She said having a Funny Car teammate will elevate her performance.
 
“I don’t see the DHL car as a threat. I see it more as a teammate, When we’re up against each other on the line, that’s a different story,” DeJoria said. “But I think it’s going to be a tremendous help for myself and for the team, as well.”

Worsham, who last drove in 2011 when he won the NHRA Top Fuel championship at the controls of Alan Johnson's Al-Anabi Racing dragster, will pilot the DHL Toyota Funny Car driven since 2008 by veteran Jeff Arend.

She took a positive approach to having Worsham next to her on the track.
 
“It’s going to be an interesting change,” DeJoria said, anticipating that both cars “are really going to be set up exactly the same. I think he’s going to give me a lot more pointers, and [I'll] have more feedback with him being a driver. Yeah, unfortunately, I’m going to have to race him at some point, and that’s not going to be fun. Just to have him in my corner as another driver is pretty awesome.

“He’s going to do whatever it takes for the greater good of the team,” she said. “We’re just trying to build some really good, solid, stable information for both of these cars. We’re trying to make them be on the same page and run pretty similar so we can learn from each other.”
 
She said she’s also excited about having DeLago and Huszar on her team.
 
DeJoria was acquainted with DeLago beforehand because “he has had a relationship with the Kalittas. He used to work over there. He’s friends with Nicky [Boninfante]. I’ve known him for awhile, and I’ve seen what he did with Matt Hagan’s car, giving them the runner-up that year then the next year winning the championship.
 
“This season they didn’t do so well, but they learned a bunch, he was telling me,” she said. “And it’s not always going to be rainbows. You’re going to have tough times. That’s just part of life. They did learn a lot this season, and I think with what we learned, just putting their heads together — Del, Tommy, Nicky, Jon O — I think were going to do really well.”

 
Worsham said, “They’re pretty successful people. They’ve built themselves a pretty good set-up over there. With her [DeJoria's] second season of driving and them coming on board, I suspect her car’s going to run awful good.”
 
Huszar worked with John Medlen at John Force racing before moving to DSR, so he brings a wealth of sound training to Kalitta Motorsorts, too.
 
“He is intense,” DeJoria said. “He’s determined, so it’ll be cool. I’m excited about it. They’re very smart guys, very headstrong. They’ve been there, done that.”
 
DeLago said he and Huszar “are very excited about the opportunity of coming back to Kalitta Motorsports. Working for Connie is the best job in drag racing. He’s a pioneer in the sport and a great guy to work for. He’s always more than willing to try new things, and that’s one of the things I admire most about him.
 
“Our goal for the 2013 season is not to change what was already put into place on the Patrón Funny Car but be an addition and keep improving on what Del and the team have implemented this past year. And we look forward to being a part of a prominent and competitive team for years to come.”
 

For Worsham, the change is seamless. It’s almost like a homecoming.
 
“I’ve worked with Nicky Boninfante as far back as . . . Heck, I worked with him and his dad in 1990. Before I started driving, my dad had his own car, and he and his partner stopped racing after 1989. So I actually took my only job with Nicky and I worked on his dad’s car, the Raybestos Funny Car, when we hired Richard Hartman to drive it,” he said. “That’s when I got the call from my dad to come back racing. They had found a partner and they were going to build our car up again. The family car was going to start racing again.

“So Nicky and I go way back. We go back 25 years. There are a lot of friends here and a lot of us who have worked together before. It should — hopefully this will work out the way we all want it to,” Worsham said.
 
DeJoria and Worsham both expressed empathy for Arend.

“It’s unfortunate that Jeff is not going to be driving the car. For whatever reason, Connie [Kalitta] made a business decision, and this is what he felt was the right thing to do at this moment,” DeJoria said. “I know what they’re trying to accomplish, and that’s probably why they did it. I don’t know. I just kind of sit back and I have to back up whatever decisions they make, because you know what? They want to win. I support whatever they want to do.”
 

Jeff Arend, who had the unenviable task of filling the seat of the late Scott Kalitta after his tragic passing in 2008, landed a new full-time driving job with Jim Dunn Racing this week. According to Arend, the departure from the Kalitta team was on "good terms."

Worsham said he’d echo DeJoria:  “Absolutely, for sure, 100 percent.”
 

“I hope there’s no personal feelings. I hope he never — I’m sure he doesn’t . . . I explained it to him. I never set out intentionally to ever take his job or really even drive. It’s just kind of the way things worked out.,” he said about Arend’s situation. “It was all professional.   . . . There was no malicious intent. I don’t think anyone ever set out to do any harm or do anything bad to Jeff. Unfortunately it’s just the way it all turned out.”
 
He said he talks to Arend just about every day, as always.
 
“We’ve been friends for a long time, and he drove my car for me in 2007 — my blue Checker Schuck’s Kragen car. I referred him to Kalittas after Scott’s tragic accident in 2008,” Worsham said.
 
Connie Kalitta said, “We’re excited to have assembled this group to take our Funny Car program to the next level,” . “Jim [Oberhofer] and I have been talking about what to do to put our best foot forward for some time. And when these opportunities arose, I told him to make it happen. Everyone in our organization is very eager to get back out on the track again in 2013 and win races.”
 
Indeed, he has assembled one of the best groups to give DSR and JFR an exhaustive run for their money. And drag-racing fans are as eager to see what that means on the racetrack as they are eager to see if a mechanical monarchy develops off the track.
 
Word has filtered to the racing and Hollywood media that DeJoria is reportedly engaged to TV personality Jesse James. However, in an effort to steal at least a little privacy, DeJoria has been low-key about the relationship, even saying, if way too late, “I don’t want to name any names.”
 
“I don’t want to comment on any of that,” she said, despite USA Today, International Business Times, the Huffington Post, and a variety of online entertainment gossip web sites have published tweets she allegedly made regarding her relationship with James.
 
“But I am in a serious relationship and very happy. I’ll just leave it at that for now,” she said. “I still want to stay fairly vague.”
 
She had no problems broadcasting her intentions at the dragstrip.
 
“I’m very competitive. I want to win. I’m not out here just for fun,” DeJoria said. “Obviously I love what I do. I’m so passionate about it. But I’m here to win.”
 
The entire Kalitta Motorsports operation has re-tooled so she has a much better chance to do that.

Running on a fraction of some teams’ budgets, Kirk and Chris Williams won the Central Region Top Alcohol Funny Car championship over Kris Hool, 299 to 298. “You never think you’re having a good year while you’re going through it,” Williams said. “Then you look up at the end, and you won the championship.”

Williams got it by a single point, so a different outcome in any round anywhere all year, and Hool would have won the title. Both scored twice – Hool at Gainesville in February and late in the year at the rain-delayed Topeka event that was completed in Earlville. Williams won his first regional start of the season, in Denver, and at Earlville for what he considers the biggest win of his long career. Williams’ season ended one race later with a semifinal loss in Noble, but Hool, who’s been touring the country the past two years, had one race left, the Las Vegas event on the penultimate weekend of the season, where he needed to win one round to take the title.

Williams couldn’t bear to watch streaming video of the first round – he thought. “It drives you crazy when your destiny is in someone else’s hands,” said Williams, who won Division 5 championships in 2010, when he swept all five events, and also in 2002. “I told myself I wasn’t going to pay any attention to what was going on out in Vegas because watching it wasn’t going to change anything. Then Justin [Jacobsen] texted me that they were about to run first round and I headed for the computer. I had to watch.”

While Williams looked on helplessly, the championship was decided in his favor when John Lombardo beat Hool, 5.70 to 5.71. “What a relief,” Williams said. “It was a trying year. There are times when you question what you’re doing and why you even do this, but in the end it’s a lot of fun and it’s worth it. When you’re out here competing against Bartone and Whiteley and people like that, you know you’re not going to beat them a whole lot, but sometimes you can still be a pain. Every once in a while, you can still get ‘em.”

It may not have seemed that way to Williams, but he was a tough all year, reaching the semifinals five times, never falling in the first round, and winning both of his final-round appearances. The only bobble came at Topeka, where qualifying was slashed to one session. The abbreviated format cost Williams, who had to get off the throttle early on his only attempt and missed the cut at one of the toughest races of the year, with superstars Jay Payne and Tony Bartone, who were on their way to Indy for the U.S. Nationals, in attendance.

That race was postponed a week and completed in Earlville on the same weekend as the U.S. Nationals. Hool won, upsetting Bartone in the final, but Williams was right back in it a couple days later with a holeshot victory over Dale Brand in the final round of the regularly scheduled Earlville race.

“That was the highlight of the year,” said Williams, who thanked Lucas Oil for their support all season. “We never could have won the race if not for so many people coming together to loan us parts. I’m talking about outsiders with no vested interest, and there was no, ‘You’d better replace it if you hurt it.’ It was just, ‘Here you go. Take it.’ They didn’t have to, and they asked for nothing in return. One of the guys, we didn’t even know. It was amazing. I mean, how many engines out there can you pull a main cap off of and have it fit right in yours?”

Crew chief Chris Williams and the team, including Terry Brees, Martin Brees, Dan Murphey, and Justin Jacobson, got the car to run low e.t. to that point, 5.75, in a first-round win, and Williams edged Brand on a holeshot in the final, 5.79 to 5.75. In the end, it was enough to take the Central crown by a single point.

Veteran Lance Van Hauen finished third with several late-round finishes, including a runner-up to Lombardo at Tulsa. Mike Bell finished fourth in Vern Moats’ car, and Brand made the top five with two runner-ups and a semifinal finish in his only three starts all year.

“The car drove Chris and me nuts at times,” Williams said. “It was one of those years, and the motor was never happy. One minute the car would haul ass, and the next it couldn’t get out of its own way, and we never really did figure out why during the season. I guess we did just enough, but if everybody hadn’t banded together to help us in Earlville, we never would have won this championship.”

So Eckman clearly knows his way around a Pro Stock car, knows the nuts and bolts of it, loves the sport and the class, and knows how to drive one of the factory hot rods.
 
But he approached Steve Kent’s ’09 Pontiac GXP at Pomona like he was handling a newborn baby: carefully, respectfully, and as though he didn’t want to upset it in any way. He wasn’t just prepping the parts and pieces for another qualifying run at the recent Auto Club Finals at Pomona, Calif.’s Auto Club Raceway.

He was the driver — with a special mission that made him doubly proud to be behind the wheel for only the second time in 15 years. Himself a Vietnam War veteran, Eckman was carrying a remembrance of Army Spc. Bradley N. Shilling, 22, of Stanwood, Mich., who was killed Nov. 18, 2006, during combat operations in Baghdad while serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Affixed to the dashboard of the car were likenesses of three Congressional Medal of Honor recipients who served in the Vietnam War.

 
“It’s such an honor for me,” Eckman, clearly humbled, said of the chance to represent veterans on behalf of the Hot Rods for Heroes program.
 
Kent had told Eckman, “You’re my favorite veteran. I’m going hunting and you’re driving my car, representing the veterans.” With that, Eckman reprised his driving role from the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, which marked his first return to the sport since 1997.

 So this chance from Steve Kent that showed faith in him, that meant redemption, was a huge Thanksgiving celebration for Eckman weeks before the official holiday. It was a combination of Thanksgiving and Veterans Day observation.
 
It also ushered in the modern Pro Stock era for the appreciative and astounded Eckman. “It feels fast!” he said of the GXP, his eyes gleaming like a young boy with a new toy. “It’s a lot faster than when I left!
 
“We were in the low 6.90s (for elapsed times). We were going 198 (mph), hadn’t broken the 200 mark. My first run in this was a 6.68, 205. Oh my God — I felt like I was picked up by a jet flying by with a grappling hook!”
 
The chassis, Eckman said, “actually feels better” than he remembered them.
 
“The cars are a lot more stable than when I raced,” he said. “All the chassis are really well-built now, with safety in mind. A lot of safety things have been implemented since I drove. The seat is poured around your body so you fit tight in it.”
 
To bring some perspective to the time warp Eckman is experiencing, the HANS Device is a new piece of technology to him. “It’s a little confining when you first get in it, because you’re not used to all that claustrophobia where you can’t move, can’t do this . . . I’ve gotten used to it. That doesn’t bother me. It’s the speed I’m still getting used to.”

 
He said it’s hard to imagine that a run, from a complete stop, is over by the time a person can count to six. “And you’re doing 210 [mph]!” he said. “It’s hard to comprehend that. It’s pretty awesome.”
 

Team owner Steve Kent. Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

What might have been even more awesome was that Eckman made the field at Pomona in the No. 13 slot. He lost to first-round opponent V Gaines.
 

“It was real special to me,” Eckman said. “I told myself, ‘I’ve got to get this car down the track and get it qualified. Having this honor bestowed on me, I’ve got to do that.’ “

Eckman has for his entire drag-racing career been a mechanic, even when he drove, and he said the sport’s crew members and crew chiefs are underrated.
 

“There’s so much more technology now with the advent of the computers that have come into play here — and the tuning abilities. You’ve got to be really able to read the computers and know what to do. The guys really have got to be sharp,” he said.
 
Pro Stock cars long have had onboard computers, but today’s diagnostic hardware includes sensors that check the fuel-to-air ratio and the tune-up — and much more sophisticated equipment.

 
Eckman remained in drag racing all those 15 years. He worked for Kenny Koretsky and Tom Hammonds before hiring on with Kent and Rodger Brogdon.
 
“I just stayed out here with the race teams, using my skills,” he said. “So I’ve been staying busy out here, although I longed for that feeling of driving again.. I never thought it would come to pass, not after all this time.

Eckman's helmet signed by a number of veterans at the Auto Club Finals at Pomona.

“It was always in the back of my mind to do that again, but as I got older and time went on, I had to erase that. I erased that dream, you know?” Eckman said. “And lo and behold, here’s Steve, making that possible again.”

When the NHRA gave him the green light to renew his competition license, Eckman said, “I just jumped at the chance. It was very exciting, very thrilling.” He said he was nervous and eager all at the same time.
 
What also encouraged him was the positive response from the drag-racing community.

“Everything I have ever seen — Facebook, anything like that — was all positive,” he said.
 
Eckman did say he knew of a small number of negative reactions, but that those detractors didn’t bother him.
 
“They don’t know the ins and outs of everything that happened. There was very little negative response, very little. I did see one comment. One guy wrote, ‘Once a cheater, always a cheater.’ A guy responded to him and said, ‘You don’t know anything about what happened or how it happened.’
 
“Fifteen years is long enough,” he said.  
 
Eckman calls the Indianapolis and Pomona opportunities “token races,” figuring his magic-carpet ride wouldn’t last long. But despite the culture-shock of driving a Pro Stock car again, Eckman clearly was delighted.
 
“I called him afterwards and thanked him for giving me the opportunity” he said, “and his response was, ‘Oh, we’ll do it again next year!’ It sounds encouraging.
 
“It’s been terrific. Steve [Kent] has been really kind to me. He let me have these couple of races. This is a million-dollar operation. He calls me out of a 15-year hiatus to come back and get behind the wheel.
 
“That’s a special guy,” Eckman said. “I don’t know how to thank a man like that. What do you do?”
 
You make sure you’re up-to-date with the latest technology and prepared to race. Judging by Eckman’s performance at Pomona, he was.
 
And if Santa should slide down that repaired chimney, Eckman no doubt would ask him sweetly for a third car in Kent’s operation so he could be season-long teammates of Kent and Brogdon in 2013. Eckman said Kent hasn’t mentioned such a thing, but he added, “That’s certainly a good idea!”
 
After all, Christmas is a time for wishing and for miracles.

If social psychologists only knew it, drag racing offers a playground for fascinating case studies in human behavior. That such varied personalities, let alone drivers who represent all races and ages and both genders equally and without fanfare, can co-exist for a common goal should be motivation enough for scholars to hang out at National Hot Rod Association racetracks.
 
They could start with Jim Head.
 
The veteran independent Funny Car driver is an entertaining blend of direct and diplomatic, feisty and funny, strong and sentimental. He’s a rebel without a pause whose six victories have come in both the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes — although he speaks about the pro ranks as if he still were a grassroots, sportsman-level Comp Eliminator racer.
 
Jim Head never has met a banquet he liked or a legitimate debate with a sanctioning-body official he didn’t like.
   
He judges himself by the same yardstick he uses to measure anyone else’s contribution.
 
He has a unique definition of success, of being competitive — and it has nothing to do with the fact he’ll start the 2013 season with a 351-race winless streak.
 
He calls himself a mechanic, yet he has a civil engineering degree, owns a Columbus, Ohio-based general-contractor company that specializes in paving airfields, and is a pilot who transports himself to and from races. And he often talks about himself in third person.
 
He has a smile that could capture attention on a dentist’s billboard and a booming laugh but is stone-serious about safety in racing and aviation.
 
He teeters on the tightrope of driving longevity, often barking out mock-curmudgeonly, “I’m getting old!” but finding himself saying, “I am not willing at this point in my life to say that I can’t be competitive.”

He says self-effacingly that his peers consider him hopeless, but he’s just hopelessly devoted to drag racing — and to wife Tammy. But he’s a man’s man, a racer’s racer, and at age 64, he’s still doing it his way.
 
Yes, Jim Head, in racing parlance, is a one-off. And he’s just happy to be here, to be alive, He gives the credit to God and to Tammy.
 
“We’ve been together 26 years. Not only is she an integral part of the race team, but I’d be dead many years ago if she wasn’t a part of my life,” Head said. “Racing was killing me when I met her. It was literally killing me. It was a matter of time, and I knew it. And I saw the end of the line. I was going off a cliff, and I knew it. I was going to go off that cliff and die. And the Lord sent me Tammy. And it’s all been good since.”
 
In his pre-Tammy life, Head said, “I was a crazy-ass Funny Car driver. Single and going crazy. And all of the vices of the ’80s, I had ‘em all. And it just can’t go on. You have to have stability in the long run. I’d been married twice. Racing had run off the first two wives, and it was not pretty. Just ask people who knew me. They said, ‘That’s a Roman candle about to burn out.’ And I was. I was nuking myself. I was crazier than hell.”
 
Tammy Head, who’s just as shy as he is boisterous, “just settled me down,” he said. “And I’m a Christian. She brought me back to the church, and that’s a big deal. Without Tammy there’s nothing. Nothing. Without Tammy there’s nothing – but a burned-up cinder. And with Tammy I am what I am.

 
“People say, ‘Well, you’re still f—– up.’ And I say, ‘Yeah, I can relate to that! You’re probably right.’ But without Tammy there’s nothing,” Head said. “I’m a very successful contractor. My business would not have been successful, because you have to have a successful life to be good at anything. I’m not a very good racer, but I’m a great businessman. But she’s the glue that makes everything. Jonie Earp works on my race car. Tammy works on me! She doesn’t work on my race car. She works on Head! Head doesn’t exist without Tammy, not even a day.”
 And not even a day goes by without Head’s attention turning to his Toyota Camry and this racing life he has spun for himself.
 
“I tried to quit drag racing in 1999, and they gave me the Blaine Johnson Award. So I got an award for my efforts for safety. So I had to go to the banquet, and I didn’t want to go to the banquet. I don’t get along with the NHRA types. I don’t get along with banquets. I don’t like that stuff,” he said. “I had to make a speech. I was very emotional. I don’t know if people recognized that. I said these words: ‘I love all racers.’ People said, ‘Aw, Head, you don’t love that many people.’

“No, I didn’t say I loved that many people. I said I love all racers,” he clarified. “What I meant by that — real racers, real racers that have gone up and down the highway and worked on their tow truck, put tires on their trailer, crawled under everything they’ve ever owned and fixed it ’cause it broke and got to the next race and worked on their race cars and loved the sport enough to do those things with their own hands and their own money.
 
“Anybody can write a check. But not anybody can crawl under this trailer and work on the axle. That takes heart. That takes drive to want to get to the next race,” he said. “So what I meant — and no one understood it, I’m sure — was real racers. I’m sure I would upset people who think racing is about writing checks. And it’s not. Real racers, regardless of their financial abilities, race.

 
“And I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum. I’ve raced a fuel car when I had no money, let alone my Comp cars and my gas cars that I raced for 15 years with no money. And now I have a lot of money. But I’m the same racer I was when I had no money,” he said.

“I would do anything to make my car run better. Back then, in the old days, I didn’t have people who worked for me. Now I have lots of people who work for me. But they’re all of the same mold. All my guys are just hard-working individuals that don’t do it for the money, because I sure don’t overpay anybody. They do it because they love to race. They’re real racers,” Head said. “And out here there’s a lot of posers and there’s some real racers. I love all the real racers.”
 
They include J.T. Stewart and John Mitchell, his friends who passed away this summer (as did Head’s 88-year-old father). Head boldly has remembered Stewart on his car and in his pit and organized a party in their honor at the Pomona, Calif., season finale.

“One of my pet peeves around this sport is we forget about the people who got us here,” Head said. “And I don’t mean the Prudhommes and the Bernsteins of the world. I mean the J.T Stewarts and the John Mitchells, not the big-name guys but the guys who got us here. Ed McCulloch and I, we had our differences over the years but I really miss him. He was a great racer — those kind of guys: the guys who aren’t always out there trying to be famous, the publicity hounds. Ed McCulloch was a real racer.
 
“There’s really hundreds of ‘forgotten’ guys. I never knew any fuel racers until 1980 — none. I didn’t know they had the class until 1980, and I’d been racing since ’64. So for 16 years I had a sportsman gasoline-burning car. And then I switched to fuel and now I know everybody that’s ever run fuel since 1980. But prior to that, I don’t know their names like I should,” he said.

 
“I never walked to the starting line in my life to watch a fuel car go down the racetrack until 1980. I couldn’t care less what [they] were doing. I knew that they blew up a lot. I could hear the booms from back in the pits. And all that meant to Head was that his session of Comp Eliminator was going to be delayed another hour. It just pissed me off,” Head said. “And quite frankly it pisses me off  to this day. I don’t like it, and they ought to fix it.”
 
What Head indicated he especially would like to fix is his own performance level.
 

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

“My mission is to continue racing for the rest of my life and to whup up on every SOB here. That’s my mission. Now, I’m a long way from completing the mission, but that’s my mission,” he said.
 
What does it take to do that without massive sponsorship dollars?
 
“It takes tenacity,” Head said. “I love racing. I love it — a lot! And I am not willing at this point in my life to say that I can’t be competitive. My definition of competitive is being No. 1 qualifier and low E.T. every round. That’s my dream. People say, ‘What would satisfy you?’ Well, there’s only one thing that would satisfy me. I couldn’t care less what the numbers are. I want to be low E.T. every round of qualifying and I want to be low E.T. every round of eliminations.”

And win the race?
 
“I don’t care. I couldn’t care less. You see, that’s what people don’t get. I don’t give a s— about wining the race,” Head said. “Low E.T. four rounds of qualifying and low E.T. four rounds of racing. And if I’m runner-up, I don’t care. That would be nirvana. It doesn’t get better than that. What about if you won the race? OK, I guess that’d be a little better, but I really don’t give a s—. I’m a mechanic.”

Data-sharing is something he neither has craved nor has embraced.
 
“Some of my friends try to help me, but they always come back to the same conclusion: ‘You’re hopeless.’ Trust me, I’ve got some pretty fast race teams that come in here and try to help me. I’m not going to use any names. I’m talking about big-time Funny Car racers, and they all come to the same conclusion that I’m hopeless. And I would agree with that,” he said. “It is my deal. I try to copy and it didn’t work. I was copying for awhile, and I was dying. I went back on my own little mission and it’s a little better, not a lot, but it’s my own mission.”

His son Chad, 39, Al-Anabi Racing’s general manager, has performed well in his Nostalgia Funny Car that Del Worsham built, and Oct. 29 he earned his nitro Funny Car license in his Dad’s Camry. Both father and son have been coy about whether Chad Head will drive the nitro car in 2013.
 
“Stay tuned. I have no idea. We’ll see. I have no plans,” Jim Head said. “He has the ability to get in a fast car and acquit himself very well. He has proven that already. If he has any brains, he’ll be running from the thing and go do what he does. He is gainfully employed by Alan Johnson . . . and as far as I know, he’s going to continue to do that for a long time.”
 
He had just finished saying, “I don’t want to drive my car. I’m too old. I want to run my car. The driver is just a monkey.”
 
What he means is he wants to field the car, run the operation, but not necessarily drive.
 
“Anybody can drive these [cars]. You get in, you hit the gas, you hold your breath. It’s all good. It can be taught. In Chad’s case, he got it by osmosis. He was good when he got in. He’s always been around it his entire life. He absorbed the ability to be calm, cool, and collected and not do anything dumb. It’s not hard. But you have to have your wits about you. It’s not for everybody,” Head said.
 
He said he’s a “student of motorsports accidents, all of them,” as well as a student of aviation accidents. The reason? “I’m trying to avoid them,” Head said. “Either in the cockpit or standing on the starting line, watching another human being in my car, you’ve got to be pretty serious about that. And I am very serious about that.”
 
So what will be in store for Jim Head next season? Who knows? Only those who could get inside the head of Jim Head.

Image credit: Steve Fuhrman

In what would be a career year for most, Bill Reichert clinched a fourth straight North Central championship and at least third place in the national standings. If he stays second, it will be for a Greg Anderson-like seven years in a row, but when you’re easily the driver of the decade and still not far removed from five consecutive national championships, nothing less than another one is ever enough.

“Not winning it is definitely a disappointment, but we really wanted this regional championship too,” said Reichert, who now has 10 in 20 years driving a Top Alcohol Dragster. “There was a time when this one wasn’t looking too likely.”

With back-to-back losses in his first two regional starts, Indianapolis and Norwalk, the season got off to a wobbly start. Already out of mulligans under the new points format – best three of five regionals for national points, best five of seven for regional points – Reichert then swept the next three regionals, Maple Grove, Chicago, and Columbus, defeating Duane Shields at Maple Grove, 5.45 to 5.45, upstart Dave Heitzman at Chicago, and veteran Robin Samsel at Columbus.

“The third one, Columbus, was the one we had to have,” Reichert said. “That can be a tough place to figure out, but we knew what we had to do.” Comfortably ahead in the regional standings and out of races to claim nationally, Reichert’s Rislone Engine Treatment team headed to Bowling Green the week before Indy for one reason: to lock up another title. For the first time in five years he didn’t win, but a runner-up to East Region champ Rich McPhillips clinched the championship.

“That was one time losing the final wasn’t too bad,” he said. “You’d look at the track and the weather and know that you should be running .40s, but we were having a hard time running .50s. We were lucky to get out of there with a runner-up.”

With 351 points – more than any Top Alcohol Dragster driver in any region – Reichert outscored Norwalk winner Ken Perry by nearly 100. Jared Dreher, who won the Indianapolis event, was third, and many-time Division 3 champs Marty Thacker and Mike Kosky finished fourth and fifth, each surprisingly without an event win.

For Reichert, who won the first divisional he ever entered, the 1992 Division 3 meet at Union Grove, this North Central crown is his first in the regional era, sixth in seven years, and 10^th overall. He also won division titles in 1994, 1998, 2001, and 2004. The only thing better would have been a record sixth national championship. “You have to be realistic about things,” he said. “It seems like I’m always getting compared to Frank Manzo, but it’s not even close. If we’re able to hold off Chris Demke for second, that’ll be five firsts and three seconds since 2004, and that’s not too bad.”

When he’s back home in Alpharetta, Ga., Bob Vandergriff occasionally visits the grocery store to pick up some milk, eggs, bread, and the usual “Hey, Bob — are you going to run back up the racetrack the next time you win?!” inquiry.
 
You see, Tony Schumacher’s National Hot Rod Association legend was cemented in “The Run,” the evening in November 2006 when he won one of his seven Top Fuel championships in literally a do-or-die situation of nearly impossible proportions.
 

Bob Vandergriff, the man who beat him in the final round of last Sunday’s Big O Tires Nationals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, also has his equally memorable version of “The Run.”

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

In Schumacher’s case, it involves his U.S. Army Dragster. In Vandergriff’s, “The Run” is on foot.
 
Vandergriff has earned two career victories in 15 final rounds. Both times he has climbed from his car, left it sitting on the track, and run back up toward the starting line to meet his C&J Energy Services Dragster team, leaving a flabbergasted phalanx of photographers flatfooted.
 
It started last September at the Texas Motorplex, when he beat Spencer Massey in the final round and yelled over to Massey in the other lane, “Did I actually win?!”
 
Massey assured him, “You did, Brother!”
 
Said Vandergriff, “I just needed confirmation. Off I went to the starting line.”
 
Once he caught his breath and grabbed his pewter Wally trophy, Vandergriff bolted up the track, chugging away in his fire suit in the sweltering almost-triple-digit temperatures. About halfway back, the accomplished football and basketball player and golfer said the thought occurred to him that he needed to get back to his running regimen. “It’s a long way back to the starting line!” he said.
 
He had waited for years through 13 runner-up finishes to get the chance to celebrate, and he had planned to reunite with his team when the magic moment arrived.

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

“I always said that if I did win, I didn’t want to be down there by myself and have my guys jumping around all over the starting line and me down there hearing cricket noises all by myself,” Vandergriff said.
 
So he had arranged for a buddy, usually either Brandon Bernstein or J.R. Todd, to stand by with a scooter to give him a lift back to the starting line. But that day at Dallas, Bernstein had family plans in his hometown and Todd wasn’t there that weekend, Vandergriff was on his own, and he improvised.

No one ever had witnessed such a phenomenon, and surely retiring public-address announcer Bob Frey would count it among his craziest spontaneous play-by-play calls. Fans — especially independent-thinking, resourceful Texans — loved it, and so did those who saw it on ESPN or on Internet replays.
 
“It was worth it,” Vandergriff said. “It was something I’ve been waiting to do for a long time, and it’s something I’ll never forget.”
 
He doesn’t have to worry. People won’t let him forget about it.
 
“It’s funny,” Vandergriff said Sunday at Las Vegas after an encore run. “We did it the first time because it was something I waited so long for. I wanted to do something a little special. I didn’t want to be down there by myself.

 
“I had such a big response, even when I would go into the grocery store. People would stop me in aisle-ways and ask me if I was going to run back to the starting line again if I win. I think the expectation level is pretty high,” he said.
 
As he ran The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, close friend and three-time Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon approached him and gave him an “Attaboy,” then said, ‘It’s great you did that. But I won 12 races – let’s see if you can do this 12  times. I said I don’t think I would like to try.”
 
In all, Vandergriff said, “It’s great. The fans seem to love it. I love the support and the cheering running down the track. It makes it worth it.”
 
After he defeated tire-smoking Tony Schumacher with a 3.832-second, 324.75-mph pass last Sunday, he performed “The Run, Vandergriff-Style.” Along the way, he waved to the crowd, high-fived a couple of people, received his 10-pound trophy on the fly, and even changed hats for sponsor exposure before he reached crew chiefs Rob Flynn, Keith Stewart, Mike Guger, and the entire team.
 
This time “The Run” wasn’t a surprise. Neither was the fact he claimed the $50,000 victory, beating Dave Grubnic, Massey, and Doug Kalitta to reach his first final round of the season.
 
“We’ve had a great race car all weekend. Our car was pretty flawless,” he said.
 
Hiring J.R. Todd to drive a second team car, he acknowledged, was a smart move.

 
“J.R. Todd and that crew do such a great job. I think this is its [the car's] sixth race and it will run Pomona,” he said, referring to the season finale Nov. 8-11 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. “Every time it comes out, it is competitive. It helps our car so much on the information. They had a car that could have met me in the final,” Vandergriff said.

“They had a gear breakage in the second round. They made a mess. They teased me that I needed to win just to cover the parts bill,” he said. “It’s a great car and we are working hard to get it out here next season. When we can have two cars we can be pretty darn competitive.”
 
The independent team owner-driver had won only eight elimination rounds in the season’s previous 21 events. But he denied Schumacher a 70th career Top Fuel victory and seventh at Las Vegas.
 
“Anytime you race that team, or one of those [Don Schumacher Racing] cars, you know you have your hands full. It’s obviously a premiere organization in our sport. To be able to beat them, you have to beat the best. We were able to do that.”
 
He recognized that his only other victory came more than a year ago but echoed what other winners have said this season, that the level of competition is insanely intense this year.

“I certainly didn’t think it would take this long to win again,” Vandergriff said. “Everybody told me the next one would come easier, and I think they are full of it. They don’t come easy.”
 
He said, “You can’t see out of these cars, and the whole way down there I couldn’t see or hear [Schumacher]. You get these thoughts in your head and it’s amazing you can have that in 3.8 seconds. You keep wondering, ‘Where is he at? Where is he at? Where is he at?’ Then you see the finish line and the light comes on. Then you don’t care where he’s at. To beat that team is as good as it comes.”
 
Still, Schumacher improved from third in the standings to second. He heads into the showdown just 65 points behind leader Antron Brown, who lost in the opening round to Al-Anabi Racing’s Khalid al Balooshi.
 
Vandergriff joined championship contenders Ron Capps (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) in the winners circle.

 The Top Fuel championship battle is one Vandergriff said he’s anticipating.
 
“It’s going to come down to the wire, and I guess that’s how it should be. I’d hate for anyone to clinch here and make that last race anticlimactic,” he said. “I’m going to be as excited to see that final race as anyone.”
 
Maybe sweetest of all for Vandergriff was winning in front of his father. This was the first race Bob Vandergriff Sr. was able to attend since this summer. Vandergriff Sr. visited the doctor in August for what he thought was a minor heart issue.
 
“The next thing you know, they are cracking him open for a double-bypass [surgery],” Vandergriff Jr. said. “He’s been out since the Seattle race. This is his first race back. It’s great just to see him back out there. To see how choked up with emotion he was when I win one of these things is pretty special. I am just glad he could be here.”
 
And he was there to see “The Run” again.

In the cold darkness at Englishtown, N.J., under the lights at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, “Mustang Mike” Modeste is standing with his arms raised and outstretched, like some tall, willowy, charismatic preacher.
 
He has a quirky smile on his face as he says, “They call me Black Jesus. I’m glorified.”
 
Carrying on with the theme, he laughed as he said his X275-class-dominating driver and crew chief, Rich and Nick Bruder “have to go with my beliefs, because I will take you to the Promised Land.”
 
Although Modeste wasn’t exactly exhibiting much . . . well . . . modesty, he is a significant factor in the Bruder brothers’ streak of 11 straight X275 victories, 12 if counting Englishtown’s incomplete Shakedown Nationals in which Bruder had to share the payout with finalist Sean Ashe.
 
The perfect season came to an upsetting end Saturday evening at Atco Raceway in New Jersey, as Dean Marinis, of Whitestone, N.Y., sailed to an outstanding 4.733-second, 153.18-mph winning pass in the Super Saturday Drag Radial 275 final. Rich Bruder clocked a 5.198-second elapsed time at 132.35 in his wounded Mustang as  runner-up. Bruder did qualify No. 1 with what turned out to be low E.T. and top speed at 4.651 / 161.59.
 
That final run of the season notwithstanding, the Bruders and Modeste combined for a smashing season — smashing records and expectations — and Modeste claimed no small contribution.
 
“I’m pretty confident in what I do. I’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years,” Modeste, the six-time National Street Car Association champion, said. “These guys came with me racing. These guys came all over the country. So I’m just giving back now.”

According to Nick Bruder, “ninety-nine percent of the work is done by my brother and myself, at our house [at Edison, N.J.], in our trailer. He drives. He’s a great driver. He bails us out plenty of times. I tune with Mustang Mike. We keep him [Rich] playing, and Me and Mike are the ones who modify the tune-up.” He called Modeste “a very valuable guy.”
 
Rich Bruder said, “Watching him race, traveling with him, just being around other racers and [seeing] how they’ve succeeded drove us more to doing this. We just got more addicted to it.” The former 8.50 bracket racer said, “We had to get our name out there better and let people know we’re out here and we’re going to race.”
 
Everybody knows it now. Today the ’88 Mustang they field is the world’s fastest ProCharger X275 race car and one that Modeste labeled as “the most feared 275 car.” He said, camping up the rhetoric a bit, “Guys don’t even want to come out to the track sometimes to these events because we’re here. Bunch of cowards, yes, they are . . . bunch of cowards.”

But truly, Modeste isn’t the one key cog in the team machinery.
 
“It’s not just one thing that makes this whole program tick,” Nick Bruder said. “It’s a combination of everything.”

Brother Rich said, “We’re working on this car four to five days a week after a race to get ready for the next one. It takes a lot of time, and without your family standing behind you, it’s impossible to do. You’ve got to get everybody into it and enjoying it. It makes us work that much harder, too, to be successful. It just takes dedication and heart.”

 
Their father, mother, sister, sister’s boyfriend, spouses Tiffany and Angela, and children do everything from scouting their rivals to working on and fueling the car to driving the tow vehicle and lot in between.
 
“These brothers are totally dedicated to what they do,” Modeste said, “and the family is totally dedicated.” Their formula for success, he said, is no real secret: “All it is is just working hard.”

But if “adopted brother” Mustang Mike plays a unique role, it would be that of tweaking the competition. He said of the opponents, “I give them just a little at a time. If they go 4.70, I’m going to go 4.68, just to tease ‘em a little bit. When we need the power, we just turn it up when it counts.”

Then when curfew restrictions at The Shakedown Nationals forced a final-round draw with Ashe, Modeste immediately said, “We’ll probably take the check and give him [Ashe] the trophy. We’ve got tons of trophies.”
 
Cheeky? Yes. So what? Modeste can say that because, as Nick Bruder said, “We had to change our combo five different times this year because of rule changes. Different racers wanted to come after us. A lot of racers came after us this year, so we had to change our combo five different time. We won the majority of races, though.”
 
He said he felt sorry for John Sears, the East Coast outlaw radial class-guidelines guru who crafts the rules for the various series, because Sears has to try to keep parity. That’s particularly necessary because the X275 class is rooted in its relative affordability and tight racing.
 
“We’ve been racing this car for almost 10 years now,” Nick Bruder said, “and we’ve kept finessing it. We keep modifying stuff and going faster and faster and faster. Probably the past six years we’ve been racing some kind of X275. It was never as popular as it is now. Before, it was just local racing, racing for your entry fee.”
 
But the Lights Out III race in February at Valdosta’s South Georgia Motorsports Park changed everything. Rich Bruder drove his Mustang to the X275 elapsed-time record with a 4.65-second pass at 151 mph.
 
“That’s when everybody started freakin’ out,” he said.
 
Bruder lowered it to 4.55 (at 159 mph) in September at Maryland’s Cecil County Dragway. By then, the target on his back was clearly visible.
 
“A lot of drivers want to play head games with you,” he said. “You’ve got to block that out and just concentrate on what you’ve got to do behind the wheel. After you do it for awhile, once you start the car up for your burnout, everything goes away. It’s just you and the tree. It doesn’t make a difference who’s beside you.
 
“That puts more fear in a team, being consistent, than going up and throwing a Hail Mary pass, or a fast pass. Being consistent scares more drivers.”

Nick Bruder agreed with his brother: “You can’t worry about what people say about you. You can’t let it faze you. I just try to pick up my team, no matter what happens. I always try to stick up for my team if someone’s beating us up. I’m over the Internet. I try not to let our team get too bashed. I give it back to people sometimes. There are people who just try to tick you off, so it is what it is. When you break down, they got to you and they’ve won. You want to try [to keep] from getting your name too bashed. Besides that, whatever everyone else says, they say.
 
One thing people say about the Bruders that they want to correct is that they are twins. Rich Bruder is 31 years old, Nick 29, but Nick said, “My brother and I are best friends. We work at a commercial heating and air-conditioning company, along with our dad. Everybody thinks we’re twins. No one believes it when we say we’re not. People don’t believe it until we show them our [driver's] licenses.”
 
That’s a minor point. What they truly want is for people to think that they’re the team to beat at every event they enter. And that means their work, their attention to detail, never stops.

 
“There’s no time to sit back and relax, no matter how fast the car is,” Rich Bruder said. “Anything can happen. You’ve always got to be on your game.”
 
Being on their game has been the hallmark of this team. Even before the disappointing season finale at Atco Raceway in South Jersey, Rich Bruder said the group planned to regroup and prepare the car for another dominating season. But can they repeat a season such as this one?
 
“We’re going to try,” Rich Bruder said. “It’s a full plate to try to do what we did this year. You never could imagine [it]. We won 11– that’s a lot. It was definitely a good season. It’s definitely going to be hard to repeat. It puts a lot of spotlight on us. Just a lot of work to do.
 
“We’re going to go next year with the same attitude. We’ll see if we can get the [2013] season off to a great start in February at South Georgia Motorsports Park,” he said.
 
So did Modeste take them to the Promised Land? In one sense, yes, he helped lead the way. His hyperbole, his showmanship alone made others take notice: “I am the boss. What I say goes. That’s what we’ve been doing from Day One, and we’ve been winning. So why would you want to change?”
 
His passion spills out: I’m kind of a hothead. You question my words, I’m going to bark back at you.”
 
Nick Bruder said Modeste doesn’t always win the tuning disagreements. “Nah. Nah. It’s whatever’s best for the car,” he said. “That’s all that matters. As long as the car goes ahead, that’s all that matters. All that other stuff is B.S.”
 
That’s Nick Bruder’s hymn to teamwork — teamwork that produced a divine season of record-setting and improving, of 12 victories in 13 races. And that collective work was what really was glorified.

Ed Pink, often recognized as the “Old Master” of engine builders, was recently inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame. His expertise stretches across many motorsport disciplines, but EngineLabs was curious about his experiences with the rambunctious Ford 427 SOHC engine that ignited his early drag racing fame.

The Chrysler Hemi was a dominating force in NASCAR in the ‘60s when Ford developed the SOHC engine to compete on the high-banked ovals. But NASCAR banned the engine, so Ford  directed the bulk of the engine inventory toward drag racing where the Hemi was also ruling the top fuel dragster class. On paper, the SOHC had some features favorable to drag racers, such as no pushrods and a strong combustion chamber. Part of the Ford plan launched a memorable 10-car A/FX project through Holman-Moody, and many other racers like Micky Thompson and Dyno Don Nicholson raced the SOHC engine in their respective classes.

Ed Pink, center, confers with owner Lou Baney and driver Tom McEwen. (Photos courtesy of Ford Motor Co.)

The 427 SOHC engine came to Pink via good friend Lou Baney, who was running a Pink 392 Hemi in a fuel dragster driven by Tom McEwen. Baney owned a Ford dealership and wanted to showcase Ford power.  Although Connie Kalitta and Pete Robinson received early engines, Ford inked a bigger deal with Baney because of the dealership connection and Pink was in the business of selling race engines. 

“Connie and Pete just wanted to race. They didn’t want to build and sell engines,” says Pink who also counted Gas Rhonda among his SOHC customers.

SOHC motor’s weak link

From the start, Pink knew where to address the engine’s toughest shortcoming.

“The biggest problem was the cylinder block. It was maybe designed for a maximum of 750 horsepower,” explains Pink. “In those days we were doing 2,500 horsepower. The block was the weakest link. The task we had was to make it through four rounds of qualifying and four rounds of elimination without coming apart.

Don Prudhomme scored the biggest win for Pink and SOHC program at the 1967 NHRA Springnationals.

“Once we got the engine developed, it could beat the Hemi. But it was a difficult engine to work on,” adds Pink. “Being overhead cam, it wasn’t easy to repair between rounds. If you burned a piston at the track, you had to have another engine to put in the car or you went home.”

Pink needed about two months to build the first engine and get it to the track. Besides the block durability, another challenge was cam timing. The engine was based on a standard Ford 427 “hi riser” FE block, still with its standard cam core in the center of the block. The two overhead cams were driven by two chains: the first looked like a standard cam drive with a crank gear and a “stub cam” secured in the front two stock-location cam-bearings. Driven at half crank speed, the stub cam then drove a secondary chain around the two overhead cams. Pink had special chromoly chains made for the race engines, but the secondary chain was about six feet long had some flex, even with an idler gear and tensioner.

“The problem was that the driven cam was way ahead of the lagging cam,” says Pink. “One tooth on the gear was about 13 degrees. The way we ran the engine there was about a 7-degree split between the two cams.”

Pink could adjust the timing on each cam using special bushings that fit in the cam gear’s oblong mounting holes.

“It was really an on-going development from start to finish. One thing after another until it could go down the track without oiling the driver,” says Pink. “But we did get it to the point where it was formable force.”

Shining moment for SOHC program

Don Prudhomme replaced McEwen and led the team to its pinnacle at the 1967 NHRA Springnationals held at Bristol. Prudhomme posted the fastest qualifying time and became the first top fuel driver to break into ‘6s at a NHRA national meet. He also ran sub-7second times in three of four elimination runs (shut off early when opponent fouled in the other run). Prudhomme beat fellow Ford driver Pete Robinson in the final.

“That was definietly the shining moment for that engine,” boasts Pink. 

The program slid to halt when Ford closed its pocketbook for any further engine development.

“It got to the point where it was running so hard, every weekend the block would crack.  Ford gave us the block, heads and cam covers, but we had to make the rest.”

Ed Pink with good friend Ed Iskederian. (Photos courtesy of Holland Communications)

Pink resumed building Hemi engines and engaged in fierce rivalry with Keith Black in the top fuel dragster and funny car ranks.

“That was fun,” remembers Pink. “The tracks would have Black versus Pink races. Each of us would bring four customers. I was friends with him, but I wanted to beat him.”

Pink also branched out into Formula 5000, IMSA and IndyCar racing, including developing the Infiniti Indy V8 from the ground up when the old Indy Racing League (IRL) started.

“That was the most difficult project,” says Pink. “It was done with little money. I don’t think Japan had any idea of the scope of that project. But we finally got a win in Colorado with Eddie Cheever driving.”

When asked if there was one moment in his engine-development career that really stood out in terms of discovering a sizable chunk of horsepower, Pink points to a 4-cylinder midget engine based on the Ford-Yates cylinder head. Pink designed the fuel system and developed the cam formulas.

“I remember when we ran that engine on the dyno for the first time, it was about 60 horsepower better than any other midget engine we had done up to that time,” says Pink. “And we couldn’t wait to get it on the race track.”

Finally, when asked what what was the most “interesting” engine he ever worked on, the  answer was somewhat surprising.

“The Mercedes 3.0-liter straight-6 that was in the 300SL. We’ve done about half dozen or so for customers,” says Pink, noting the engine’s unusual canted-angle block design. “It was built in the mid-‘50s and had direct fuel injection and dry sump–technologies we use today. It’s very interesting.”

Semi-retired, Pink still serves as a consultant to Ed Pink Racing Engines and recently helped build an engine for a SEMA charity.

Shawn Langdon simply wasn’t sure what to think. Al-Anabi/Toyota team manager Alan Johnson was pleased with his efforts, he had the respect of his peers, the media regarded him as a promising driver, and fans constantly sent him messages of encouragement.
 
But Langdon needed some proof he deserved all of that confidence.
 
The three Don Schumacher Racing Top Fuel teams spent most of this National Hot Rod Association season passing the points lead and victories among themselves, yielding a race triumph now and again to Morgan Lucas or Steve Torrence and once to Dave Grubnic. So Langdon’s continued winless streak — for the Al-Anabi/Toyota team that won the past two championships — flew under the public radar.

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

But as the Countdown approached, fans started to wonder what was going on with the Al-Anabi team, as talented Top Fuel rookie Khalid al Balooshi was just beginning to win eliminations rounds. Finally Johnson — the mechanical magician who has won Top Fuel crowns and set performance milestones with Gary Scelzi, Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon, and Del Worsham — spoke up.
 
He said he knew other teams were catching up to some of his tuning secrets and decided to raise the bar for his own teams. He found it distasteful to step back in order to leap forward, using such wording as “resigned to the fact” and “knew we were going to have to take our lumps.” But he also used language such as “this would pay off in the end” and “the top of our game when we got to Indy.” He even used the words “Countdown” and “win it” in the same thought. Alan Johnson knew it would pay off.
 
Meanwhile, Shawn Langdon stewed about his performance.
 
“I raced with the Lucas team for three years and we didn’t win. And I’m coming over here (to Al-Anabi/Toyota Racing), where you should win, and we’re not winning,” Langdon told WFO Radio’s Joe Castello. He said he kept asking Johnson, “Is there something I’m doing wrong? Is there something I need to change as a driver?”
 
He said Johnson kept reassuring him: “We’re heading in the right direction. Don’t change a thing. You keep doing what you’re doing. The car’s going to come around, and we’re going to be better. We’re going to be better than we’ve ever been.”
 
So when Langdon won the O’Reilly Auto Parts Nationals at Charlotte’s zMAX Dragway to kick off the Countdown — from his second straight No. 1 qualifying spot and in his second final-round appearance in the past four races — huge stacks of bricks slid off his shoulders.

He had won in his 87th race since turning pro. He had earned back-to-back national championships in the Super Comp class in 2007 and 2008, after capturing the Jr. Dragster national crown in 1997, yet this Top Fuel journey took longer than anyone expected.
 
“I’m really happy for the guys on the team. Their heads were never down, although we struggled a little bit early in the year. Everybody kept going with the plan of attack. I just listened to Alan all year and he said we’d be there in the Countdown. I wasn’t worried because those guys know how to win,” he said following his victory.

 Langdon this past Sunday called Johnson “a man with a plan” and said, “You never doubt Alan. That’s one thing I learned in the past, racing against him, and I’ve continued to learn being on the same team as him. He’s always got a plan. He’s always moving in the right direction, moving forward to progress this team to be better. He proved that today.”

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

 
The Al-Anabi/Toyota team built the victory exactly according to Johnson’s blueprint.
 
“We had a good car in qualifying, but we had a good car when it counted, in eliminations,” Langdon said. “This is just what we were looking for.”

Instead of being 80 points off Antron Brown’s pace, as he was coming into the Countdown, Langdon will open this weekend’s AAA Texas Fall Nationals near Dallas just 19 points behind new leader Tony Schumacher and only nine points behind No. 2-ranked Spencer Massey.

“Now we’re within a round of the lead,” Langdon said, his voice telegraphing the thrill of knowing not only that he could — he did — earn that first Wally statue but that he has an excellent chance to win the series championship.
 
“It just goes to show you how close everything is this year,” Langdon said. The competition level is out of control. It’s so crazy. It’s so tight. In the final round (at Charlotte), I beat Tony Schumacher by 10-thousandths of a second. The week before, I lose to Tony Schumacher by seven-thousandths of a second. I’m .046 and .049 on the tree, and I get treed both times. He’s like .035 and .033 on the tree. The competition level has risen so much in these last couple of years.”

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

 
Langdon said he’s “loving every second” of his victory “and hopefully the next one won’t take another 87 races.” However, he knows the task isn’t going to get any easier.
 
“It’s very important for us to follow the Charlotte win with a good performance this weekend in Dallas,” he said. “We’re in third place in points and a round out of the lead. But with only six races in the Countdown, it’s crucial for us to make every race count. If you have a bad race, you can drop down as fast as we jumped up. So it’s crucial for us to keep our momentum up.
 
“We made a great jump in points, but I really believe this championship battle will come down to Pomona with a couple of different drivers,” Langdon said. “It’s great to get the first win out of the way at the first Countdown event, but it’s no time to slack off. We have to keep working hard, keep getting stronger and keep getting better. The Al-Anabi team has a great race car, but we know the other guys in the Countdown do, too.”
 
He knows a handful of drivers not qualified for the Countdown do, as well. And one is his teammate.

“He may not be in the Countdown, but al Balooshi’s car is running really well now, too,” Langdon said. “So al Balooshi can definitely play a role in deciding the championship this year. Those guys could definitely win one of these last five races.”
 
Judging by the 100 or so text messages Langdon had on his mobile phone following his Charlotte victory, the fans are elated to see him in the knot of serious contenders.
 
“With all of the positive responses from the fans out there, it’s clear a lot of people were excited for us. I have some fans who have followed my progress through the years, but there are a lot of Al-Anabi Racing fans out there that want to see another car in the mix for the championship. A lot of people are also Alan Johnson fans, and they like to see him continue to do well and challenge for a third straight Full Throttle championship.”
 
Langdon’s Charlotte victory is just the beginning of another journey that already has taken incredible turns for the self-described “shy kid sitting in the back of the classroom” and “not the type to get up in front of a crowd.”
 
The Mira Loma, Calif., native said, “When I first was doing Jr. Dragsters, I just kind of did it with my dad. It was something we enjoyed to do. It was a hobby of ours. It always interested me. My dream when I was really young was being a professional baseball player. But in ’97, when I won the Jr. Dragster national championship, I changed my mind on that a little bit. I got a little bit more interested in the racing. I always enjoyed it, but it was fun when I started having better results.
 
“Once I started running Super Comp and I got out of high school and all that, it kind of got to the point where I thought, ‘You know, this is something I enjoy and something I’d like to do for the rest of my life,’ ” he said.
 
Still, Langston said, “I’d always get nervous taking winners circle pictures. I never wanted to be in the spotlight. I just loved to do what I was doing.”
 
Morgan Lucas, his Jurupa Valley High School classmate, certainly noticed that and offered him his first Top Fuel ride, saying, “He’s a machine when he’s in a race car. The guy won the last two championships in Super Comp, which to me is easily one of the toughest categories in all of motorsports. To win that class in back-to-back years is darn near impossible. That’s how good Shawn is as a driver. That guy will drive circles around anybody else in this pit area –better than me, better than a lot of people. He’s competitive.  He’s very well-spoken. He’s very respectful, very stand-up. He’s a kind-hearted person.”
 
Said Langdon, “It’s weird for me to accept that.”
 
Schumacher told him last Sunday after their final round, “I’m glad I was in the other lane for your first victory.”
 
So his colleagues and team boss respect him. The fans love him. And he’s a winner now — and a legitimate championship contender. And Shawn Langdon will have to get used to being in the spotlight.

Little in NHRA Funny Car driver Jack Beckman’s life has gone as predicted.

He was extremely bright and curious, yet he struggled through school. He was the picture of health as a retired U.S. Air Force officer, drag-racing instructor, and four-time sportsman champion with more than 50 victories, but he was diagnosed in 2004 with Stage 3B non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He beat the advanced cancer (drag racing all the while, though most chemotherapy patients take months regaining their strength), but the doctor told him he never would father children. Today he and wife Jenna have two: five-year-old son Jason and year-old daughter Layla.

Image: NHRA/National Dragster

So there Beckman was April 1, in third place in the standings and clicking progressively with crew chief Rahn Tobler toward a possible first Funny Car championship. All of a sudden, he found himself swirling in the messy vortex of chaos from the race hauler next door.

Don Schumacher Racing colleague Ron Capps, mired in eighth place, had failed to qualify his NAPA Dodge Charger at the Las Vegas race. In the aftermath, Capps’ crew chief, Tim Richards, and mechanic-extraordinaire wife Kim Richards walked away from the team. By midweek, Beckman not only had a new crew chief, but he had an entirely new crew.

The team owner flip-flopped Capps’ and Beckman’s operations. Tobler, assistant crew chief John Collins, and all of Beckman’s Valvoline/Next Gen Dodge mechanics walked a few feet over and donned blue and yellow NAPA shirts. Beckman inherited the NAPA crew that had achieved top-10 status but simply had fallen into some quicksand in early 2012. And Schumacher hired newly unemployed Todd Smith to lead Beckman’s gang.

While the dramatic switch might have appeared to be a panicked fussing over Capps at Beckman’s expense, some blithe disregard for the momentum Beckman and Tobler had at the time, Schumacher assured that wasn’t the case at all.

“That’s not taking anything away from Jack Beckman,” the team owner said. “Jack’s been an amazing driver who has done a great job for DSR forever, for as long as he’s been with DSR. That’s not taking anything away from Jack.”

Collins said after the change, “We still help Jack. We will not be leaving anybody behind.” Collins said  Beckman “gets it and he still has a very good car underneath him.”

Restoring order, Schumacher said, “Rahn will help Todd get adjusted to the Valvoline NextGen team and become acclimated to our DSR operation. Rahn will make the final decisions for at least the next two races. We have a strong enough organization that we can assist Todd, but it wouldn’t take him long to become familiar with DSR and the Valvoline team. He has plenty of background in our sport.”

Beckman crew chief Todd Smith, who stepped in for tuner Rahn Tobler after an early season shake-up in the DSR Funny Car camp. Image: NHRA/National Dragster

Smith, an Oklahoma City native living in Cooper City, Fla., had worked as a crew chief for Kalitta Motorsports, Darrell Gwynn Racing, Don Prudhomme Racing, and most recently for Kenny Bernstein Racing’s Brandon Bernstein from early in the 2010 season through 2011. While at Don Prudhomme Racing, Smith was co-crew chief for current DSR Top Fuel ace Spencer Massey. Smith had grown up in drag racing:  his father is two-time NHRA Comp Eliminator champion Charlie Smith.

Contrary to public prediction but perfectly following the Beckman Trajectory, Schumacher’s move wasn’t a death knell for Beckman’s championship chances. Together Beckman and Smith and the former NAPA team have in just 11 races won twice, posted a 17-8 elimination record that would be the envy of much of the class, and produced eight top-half starts that include nothing worse than the No. 2 qualifying position during the Western Swing.

Moreover, Beckman hasn’t lost any ground in the Funny Car standings. He remains third as the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series tour shifts to Brainerd, Minn., this weekend for the Lucas Oil Nationals. It’s the next-to-last race before the fields are set for the six-race Countdown to the Championship.

In the first three races with Smith, Beckman did have his own DNQ, at Houston, to break an 87-race qualifying streak that was the longest in the class. And he dipped to sixth in points entering the Topeka race.

Beckman naturally did go through a bit of soul-searching, saying, “When you have a streak like we did and it ends, it just completely deflates you. It completely resets your perspective and your priorities. Your priority is no longer winning the next race. It’s qualifying at the next race.”

During the first three races with the new team, Beckman’s Charger didn’t make two consecutive full passes in 17 attempts. At Atlanta, a first-round loss to rookie Courtney Force didn’t give the team any “Attaboys,” either.

But they triumphed at Heartland Park Topeka, in the next race, and again at complicated Denver — with  mith never before having tuned a Funny Car at mile-high, oxygen-deprived, challenging  Bandimere Speedway. That signaled that nothing can rattle Beckman as he battles for a title.

“I can’t say how much winning Topeka meant to this whole team,” Beckman said.

Words don’t matter, though Beckman has a million of them. The team’s chemistry and performance, including the contribution of assistant crew chief Terry Snyder, speak for themselves.

Smith uses far fewer words in a day than Beckman does. The two simply have different personalities. But they know how to converse with each other to get the job done.

“I feel really good,” Smith said. “The confidence level for me keeps getting better. We keep getting to all these different conditions and getting a handle on some of these weird scenarios. That, for a tuner, makes me really confident.

“I just couldn’t be any happier with this team,” he said. “Jack’s doing a great job of driving, and the whole crew has been pretty much flawless. They’re making my job easier. They do what they do and I do what I do, and it comes out good.”

Smith did admit, “I thought it would take longer. The fact that it came so fast, yeah, that has surprised me.

“I knew eventually I would get a handle on it. We just have a couple of issues that seem to bite us from time to time. All we can do is keep working on it until we can isolate how to make the right adjustments and go from there,” Smith said.

How they worked like a well-oiled machine at Denver was an outstanding example.

“Todd had never run a Funny Car on the mountain, but he is a very smart man and very calm,” Beckman said.

“He also has Terry Snyder as his assistant, and they work it like a partnership. The best crew chief and assistant crew chief tandems start thinking alike. It’s the unspoken stuff.”

According to DSR’s Tommy Johnson Jr., “That’s one of the things I’ve noticed about all these [DSR] teams is that [the crews chiefs and assistants] have perfect chemistry.  I see that with about every team we have here. The crew chief and assistant crew chief are very well matched. If a crew chief was unable to attend an event for some reason, I don’t think you’d see one of our cars miss a beat. About every car here, in my opinion, has two crew chiefs — just one of them has the title of assistant.”

Seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher knows, too, that the crew chiefs and drivers must harmonize. “The personalities absolutely have to match. The driver and the crew chief lead the team, and the energy they put out will carry the team.”

All those elements were in place at Denver.

“Terry had notes from when he’s been up here with a Funny Car before,” Beckman said. “Before our best run on Friday Terry made a last-minute call to Todd on the radio for a tire pressure change, based on the starting-line temperature. There’s too much information for one guy to handle. Having Todd work with Terry and Terry giving good input is a big part of what is making this team special.”

Image: NHRA/National Dragster

They have been working at the Brownsburg, Ind., shop since the Western Swing ended Aug. 5 at Seattle to front-half the Valvoline Dodge chassis.

“Typically we would like to take it out and test it one time, and right after the Brainerd race we are going to have a two-day test session in Indianapolis,” Beckman said. “We just don’t have the time with all the other teams in the shop to get the front half put on our car after Brainerd. I’m cautiously optimistic going into Brainerd.

“It basically just kind of sets everything back to zero runs on the car. There shouldn’t be any sort of surprises on it, though,” he said. “Our goal is to win a championship. So we feel like doing it now and running this chassis throughout the rest of the year gives us the best chance to do that.”

Maybe pairing Beckman with Smith and Snyder and the new team back in April gave them the best chance of all.

Atypical Seattle sunshine was slanting through the tall fir trees that ring Pacific Raceways following the O’Reilly Northwest Nationals. And riding through the grounds on the back of a pick-up truck, their feet dangling lazily below the dropped tailgate, were John Force and his daughter — Brittany.

No telling what the aspiring Top Fuel driver and her 15-time Funny Car champion were discussing. But odds were that the satisfaction that a woman has an equal chance against male drivers in National Hot Rod Association drag racing truly was starting to sink in for them. Brittany Force is testing this year, aiming for a debut next February.

But that Sunday, Aug. 5, belonged to Brittany’s sister Courtney, who had earned her first Funny Car victory, and to Erica Enders, who recorded her first Pro Stock triumph — and to local sportsman racer Megan Ellingson, the first-time Super Street winner.

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

Maybe it was appropriate that the historic results came at Seattle, in King County, in Washington State, home of a female governor, two female U.S. Senators, female sheriff, female Asian-community newspaper publisher, and a dozen female Olympic medalists from the current Games at London. At any rate, Force and Enders said drag racing is an environment that not simply tolerates women participants but offers equality.

The double victory on the professional level that day at Seattle — one in which Top Fuel winner Steve Torrence said he was more than happy to be an asterisk and the lone male to stand between Enders and Force — bolstered the two women winners.

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

“It really shows that there’s females in every category, and I think it’s only growing –  only more and more females will start coming into the categories and start competing and start beating up on the boys a little bit,” Force said. “It’s definitely been fun for me and Erica so far. I hope more females come in, and I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t.”

Enders celebrated the more broad-brush implications beyond her own personal achievement, saying, “There’s no reason why we can’t compete on this level.”

The Pro Stock driver is the one who had some news for Richard Petty several years ago when the NASCAR legend said auto racing is no place for women. Said Petty: “It’s really not. It’s good for them to come in. It gives us a lot of publicity. It gives them publicity. But as far as being a real true racer, making a living out of it, it’s kind of tough.”

Responded Enders, “There are some people that are stuck in the old day and that are chauvinistic and I think it just goes to show . . . their ignorance, “because we’re out here trying just as hard. And you know when given the opportunity . . . we can definitely prove ourselves. I think gender plays absolutely no role in what we do.”

Several years later, she beat NASCAR champion Kurt Busch in his NHRA Pro Stock debut at Gainesville, Fla. The day before their Gatornationals match-up, she said, “When you put the helmet on, everything’s equal. I don’t care if you’re Kurt Busch or George Bush. I’m going to do the same thing I do every Sunday. Hopefully, he will go back and tell his NASCAR buddies how tough it is to race NHRA Pro Stock.”

He did. And Robert Hight, Funny Car’s 2009 champion and current points leader, is one who long has recognized it. Several years ago, he said, “Every competitor is the same. A girl can do it just as good as I can.”

Enders and Force had a chance to share the winners circle at Chicago, but Enders had to go it alone with the men (Top Fuel’s Antron Brown and Funny Car’s Jeff Arend) that evening in June.

They have come into their own by different avenues. Like Enders, Force paid her dues in the sportsman ranks, racing three years in Super Comp and three more in an A/Fuel Dragster before spending a full year training for her pro debut. Enders burst on the scene but didn’t have a ready-made deal or an established organization to nurture her.

Just the same, Force said she appreciates all that her father endured and accomplished so she might have her special moment at Seattle. And Enders is grateful for every helpful gesture that has propelled her career to the point she can challenge for the championship — something Force has her mind on in her own class.

Said Force, “I watched my dad as I grew up in drag racing, so I watched him struggle. I saw him at the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. I know what my dad went through and how he fought for it. He really created an amazing team, and I’m lucky enough and fortunate enough to be able to work with those amazing crew chiefs and crew guys and fellow drivers.”

Her father took 15 years to earn his first victory. She took 15 races. And she said, “It’s really an amazing thing that I was able to get it so soon. It really is due to my crew guys and my team and really everyone at John Force Racing.”

Enders has been at the mercy of sometimes-fickle sponsorship deals and has learned about the side of the business that makes recording stellar reaction times and hitting shift points pieces of cake. And she has weathered the heartbreak of a broken car at the starting line in the final round, losing close races, red-lighting, and being tricked by malfunctioning electronics that said she won when she didn’t.  But those experiences have made her stronger — and she is beginning to cash in.

“But to be able to be back behind the wheel driving for a team of the caliber we have was awesome. It’s such a blessing,” she said, “and I’m trying to enjoy every minute of it, because I know how quickly it can disappear.”

In her comeback, she has taken nothing for granted and didn’t count on the promise of more victories being true. When she won at Seattle, she said, “You could see the shock on my face when I pulled around the corner. I was just shaking my head, like, ‘Unbelievable.’ I just tried really the past couple weeks in Denver and Sonoma, feeling like I’d let my guys down with the red light. I was able to redeem myself on Sunday. They put a great race car underneath me and that was the key to us winning Seattle.

“I didn’t even know what to say in my interview, and I think it came across very clear on ESPN that I was just kind of like stumbling for words,” Enders said. “It was unbelievable that we had worked so hard to get our first win — it took eight years — and then three weeks later we have our second one. It’s just a crazy feeling.”
Neither Force nor Enders is ruling out a championship run, but neither is getting ahead of herself.

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

“I’m a firm believer that there’s a plan bigger than mine,” Enders said, indicating such results are out of her hands. But in what she can control, she expressed confidence.

A championship, she said, “is definitely our goal, and for this season, absolutely. We’ve got the race car, we’ve got the team, and I’ve been driving really well. So I honestly, at the expense of sounding a little too positive, I think we can do it just as well as anybody else out there.

“And we’re actually gaining momentum. After our win in Chicago, and we’ve had such a consistent race car since then, been at the top of the page for incrementals and 60 foot and 330, and that’s something that’s a feat in itself to get a Pro Stock car off the starting line on a hot racetrack in the summer. So I’m trying to carry this momentum through,” Enders said. “We’ve got two races left before the Countdown, and we’re sitting sixth right now, less than one race out of fourth. I’m really optimistic about what’s to come, and I’m going for it. I put my money on us on Sunday.”

Likewise, Force knows she has a great-performing car and a smart team in crew chiefs Ron Douglas and Dan Hood. “Our Traxxas Ford Mustang has been running good, and we’ll be back out there. I think we’re just going to have to keep going after more and more wins, she said. “It definitely makes me feel a little bit more comfortable as a driver knowing that we have one win under my belt, and we’ll just go into it the best we can and try to stay focused.”

No matter what happens, when Brittany Force joins the mix of pro racers next year, few will doubt she has a place in the sport.

IndyCar teams– and their Pro Stock brethren in NHRA drag racing — especially guard against engineering espionage. Likewise, elite chefs — and sometimes paranoid amateurs in the kitchen — don’t like to share their recipes.

Donnie Walsh understands that. He has figured out his own recipe for success, at the moment in the NHRA Pro Care Rx Pro Modified Series.

He’s reluctant to divulge his specific special ingredients that have helped him improve in the past four races from semifinalist to runner-up to winner at The Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio. He also scored a Pro Street victory at the recent NMCA/NMRA Super Bowl at Joliet, Ill.’s Route 66 Raceway.

But the popular Fun Ford Weekend-rooted competitor stepped away from racing in 2007 to guide his and his father’s businesses (including D&D Performance) through tough economic times and “give them the attention they needed because without them we can’t do this kind of stuff.” He returned in March to debut in a Pro Mod at the NHRA’s Gatornationals.

He said he’d come back to the track only if it made sense. What made sense, Walsh said, “When we started talking about doing this and the people who wanted to do this, I felt that there was the recipe for success . . . and that if we went out and worked hard, we could find it.”

In another sense, Walsh knows the recipe really is pretty basic. As with any business, success comes from having quality personnel, quality equipment, and a positive outlook.

“I don’t think anything’s done without a good team,” Walsh said. And he has that for his 2011 Mustang that used to belong to Brad Anderson, along with plenty of support from the Anderson-Jay Payne group.

Harry Hruska, mastermind at Turbo Precision and of this effort, serves as crew chief,  and has a trusty crew in Justin Haddon, Chris Tumpkin, Carlos Tumpkin, and renowned driver-tuner-engine expert Todd Tutterow.

He had planned to run as a teammate to Payne, and that’s how his season began. But after the second event, at Charlotte’s zMAX Dragway, Walsh decided to split the set-up for geographic and logistical reasons.

“The only thing that ‘fell through’ was that they are in California and we are in Michigan and Harry is in Indiana,” Walsh said. “So the East Coast / West Coast thing made things too difficult. It made challenges — if we wanted to test or wanted to work with the car, it was with them in California. We felt it was in our best interest to have the car in our hands.

“There’s been speculation that there were problems, and there definitely weren’t,” he said. “We all get along really well.”

He said he has the technical and moral support from Anderson, Payne and Company but that it’s just not official.

“We still share information. They’re still very helpful to us. There’s still an alliance there. We just physically have the car,” Walsh said. “Even to this day, either Brad Anderson and his people can be found in our pits a lot or we can be found in their pits a lot. The whole Brad Anderson crew has been super helpful throughout the entire season. And after we won the race [at Norwalk], they were elated for us. They’re good people.”

So, too are the “people who make it happen,” Walsh said. They’re his sponsors: Precision Turbo, Walsh Motorsports, D & D Performance, John Meany/Big Stuff3, Ford Racing, AFIS, Red Line Oil, and VP Racing Fuels.

“To be honest,” Walsh said, “we’re just trying to make this all work however we can.

“This isn’t a big-money deal,” he said, acknowledging that his team is earning some attention lately, after adding his name to the NHRA Pro Mod winners list alongside two-time winners Rickie Smith and Danny Rowe and Charlotte victor Mike Castellana. Moreover, Walsh said he wouldn’t mind any new investors: I don’t think any team out there is not seeking more help.”

Technically, Hruska owns the team, but what makes it work is mutual respect and no real pecking order with the team. “When we decided to do it, the best thing was that everybody had a common goal — and that was to go out and try to win. It wasn’t a thing in who does what. We all want to win. Everybody involved respects everybody., and that makes a big difference in decision-making and moving forward with a program. We asked, ‘How can these people all give to this program to make it that way?’ ”

But the Wixom, Mich., racer who won his first race at age two and a half in a snowmobile going no faster than eight miles an hour is adapting well to his new assignment. It’s no surprise that Walsh is moving seamlessly from a small-block Ford to a Hemi, from a supercharged motor to turbocharged power.

After all, he’s nothing if not flexible and versatile. A few years ago, he started road racing for a lark, pulling Chris Tumpkin into the venture.

“We had just come off of winning three championships in a row at NMRA. We took the same approach to the road racing that we had done to drag racing and we learned a lot. And in the second year we won a championship,” Walsh said.

As for the “new” engine, Walsh said, “I have driven other turbo cars, so it wasn’t the first — it was the one with the most power. We just snuck up on the tune-up. The car, it’s not a whole lot different. We’ve worked on the car to make it a good car on race day. Turbo cars were known for a really long time to be fast cars fro qualifying but not such good race cars. Technology and people like Harry Hruska working night and day on turbocharger technology have made it so it’s good on race day, which we’ve proven in the past two races.”

However, Walsh isn’t strutting after his most recent achievements. “I’m a pretty humble guy,” he said, “and I know that you can do really well in motorsports and be really good at it. And the next weekend you can fall on your face. You pick yourself back up, try to figure out what went wrong, and try not to do that again. I hope that attitude helps us move forward at a pretty good rate.”

Walsh says he loves competing in the NHRA program: “Running that NHRA deal, that’s a huge deal for us.”

Its future is in limbo as it seeks a sponsor to replace Roger Burgess’ Pro Care Rx funding. But Walsh said he’s optimistic.

“I know that a lot of people are working right now to try to come up with a plan,” he said. “There are some good plans out there. Nothing is cemented. But there are some very good ideas on how to make this work financially. So that’s very positive.

“I hope that it can continue. The NHRA has given us a great place to race,” Walsh said. “I thoroughly enjoy racing there. I hope a program can be put together to keep it. I think we put on a good show.

“The spectators who come through our pits, what they’re so excited about is a Mustang against a Camaro, a turbocharged car versus a nitrous car, a blower car versus a nitrous car. Everybody can come into this and have something they like,” he said. “I think NHRA would lose something if they did lose the class. I’m not trying to say we bring the whole show. I’m just saying I think we’re a good part of it.

“The neatest part right now, to me, is that anybody in the top 10 can win this thing [the championship]. The field’s pretty close. It’s real close from No. 5 up to No. 1. Three rounds change everything,” Walsh said. “So when there’s four races left, that’s pretty cool. I think it’s pretty cool for us.”

The Pro Car Rx Pro Modifieds will race next at the August 29-September 3 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Raceway. But Walsh said he plans to race this coming weekend in the ADRL’s Dragstock IX at Charlotte’s zMAX Dragway.

“We’re there to learn. We’re testing a lot of things at ADRL. I don’t know how successful we’ll be, but hopefully we’ll be successful in learning a lot.”

Jay Blake has never let a little thing like not being able to see slow him down. Blinded in an industrial accident in May 1997, he has gone on to accomplish things that he might never have if he was just another mechanic and drag racer, things like inspiring thousands and changing people’s lives.

About the only thing the eternal optimist from Cape Cod, Mass., can’t do is drive his race car, which is fine with him – he never wanted to anyway. “The dream was never about driving,” Blake says. “It was always about working on the car.” He does more than just work on a race car, though; he’s the crew chief and owner of the Permatex/Follow A Dream Top Alcohol Funny Car, and for him, drag racing isn’t a hobby. It’s who he is and what he does.

“Speaking is just as rewarding as racing,” says Blake, who has been featured on CNN and the Today Show and in the New York Times and the Boston Globe. “In some ways, it’s more rewarding. I used to get nervous, and every once in a while I still do, but I enjoy it. I guess it’s like driving: It’s not something you just show up and do; you need to take time to get your head together and get psyched up. I like big groups the best. I’d rather speak to 500 people than 20 because I draw on the energy in the room. Sometimes, I can hear people’s reaction, and when there’s total silence, it speaks volumes.”

Blake’s story is a powerful one. He teetered on the brink of death following an industrial accident when he was 30 and woke up to find that he’d lost his vision and his sense of taste and smell. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he made the difficult decision to not just go on but to lead a life that convinced others that their dreams were closer to their grasp than they realized.

“People limit themselves so much,” he says. “We don’t look hard enough at what the possibilities are. If I could see, I’d be just another guy with an Alcohol Funny Car. Doing this full time makes me different from other racers. Plus, let’s face it: my story is different than the next guy’s.” Practicing what he preached, Blake formed his own race teams, first in Super Comp, now in Alcohol Funny Car, and, in the future, with a nitro car on the NHRA Full Throttle tour.

“For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to work on a fuel team,” he says. “No one was ever going to hire me, so I figured the only way to do it was to start my own team. I was going to go get 3 million bucks and have my own car, which, obviously, wasn’t realistic, so I went with what I knew, Super Comp, which I could afford. Only there would be 120 cars at every race, I blended in with everybody else, and I realized that I was never going to get any real sponsorship.”

Blake bought Frank Manzo’s championship-winning Dodge Avenger before the 2003 season, and just two years later, driver Dave Ray wheeled it to the team’s first national event victory, over Bob Newberry at the 2005 Houston event. Ray won the 2006 Gatornationals, where tuner Tom Howell guided the car to the No. 1 qualifying spot (5.57) and low e.t. (5.56), and finished the year with a victory at the Finals in Pomona. Current driver Todd Veney has won three divisional events since 2010.

“That first win at Houston was incredible, and the Gatornationals and the World Finals are two of the biggest races in the world, but the most rewarding part of all this is when you realize that you’ve actually made a difference in people’s lives,” Blake says. “When you hear that you’ve changed someone’s life, changed the way they view things…nothing is ever going to take the place of that. I don’t look in the rear view mirror too much. You need to look back sometimes and be proud of what you’ve accomplished and realize that what you’re doing is working, but you always have to keep going. As I tell people sometimes at my speaking engagements, you don’t have to get hit in the head as hard as I did to wake up and follow your dreams.”

Oh, Courtney Force remembers the Western Swing, even the 1992 version, when she just had turned four years old. How could she forget the famous, or infamous, incident in which her father showed his passion for National Hot Rod Association drag racing beyond any reasonable limit?

John Force had won the previous two championships and knew Cruz Pedregon was breathing down his neck in the Joe Gibbs-owned McDonald’s Funny Car. He was calculating points in every possible scenario as he drove the family up the California coast on what was supposed to be a vacation wrapped inside the Western Swing. Daughters Ashley, Brittany, and Courtney wanted Happy Meals for lunch, and to Force that was in the category of an annoying, if necessary, distraction. But he stopped and bought them Happy Meals.

As he shifted back into battle mode in his mind, he heard the girls merrily playing with their Happy Meal treats, which just happened to be miniature Cruz Pedregon Funny Cars. When John Force realized what they were chatting about, he whipped the car over to the side of the highway, reached into the back seat, and grabbed one of the little toy cars. He bolted from his seat, threw the toy to the ground, and stomped on it, grinding it into the asphalt. He looked up to see his wife’s mouth agape in some sort of mix between horror and disgust and his three little girls crying in the back seat: “Daddy just smashed our Happy Meal treat!” Snapping back to reality, Force explained, “I was in Vietnam in my head.”

Courtney Force gets it. She — the one Force always has referred to as “my wild child” –always was the one who got it. And now, exactly 20 years later as a 24-year-old rookie driving the Traxxas Ford Mustang, she’s in the middle of her own fight to be in position to win a championship. And she’s counting points.

She reached her second final round in three races this past Sunday at Denver’s Bandimere Speedway but lost to Jack Beckman, her instructor at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School and the man who signed her competition license several years ago. And even Top Fuel winner Antron Brown noticed Courtney Force’s frustration that she lost that race — by just nine-thousandths of a second.

Beckman, too, said, “Courtney’s going to get her first victory soon.”

When she does, she’ll become the eighth different driver to win an NHRA national event in a John Force Racing Ford Mustang and the third female winner in the Funny Car class (following Melanie Troxel and her own sister, Ashley Force Hood).

She almost did it in just her 13th race. Force Hood advanced to her first Funny Car final in her 20th race and won in her 27th. Their 15-time champion father reached the final in his fourth pro race, as did teammate Robert Hight. Mike Neff, yet another JFR colleague, was a finalist in his seventh race as a driver.

Courtney Force’s Denver performance moved her a bit farther ahead of friend Alexis DeJoria in their campaigns for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award that’s presented at the season’s-end banquet to the NHRA’s rookie of the year.

A comparison of the two leading candidates shows that Force is in sixth place in the standings, DeJoria 12th. Force is 0-2 in finals; DeJoria lost in the Bristol final round. Force has no failures to qualify and a surprisingly barely-above-.500 14-13 elimination-round record; DeJoria has two DNQs and 6-11 mark. Force has won their only two head-to-head meetings, at Houston and Chicago. Force has been to four semifinals, DeJoria two. Force has earned nine qualifying bonus points (gathering them in three races); DeJoria has two bonus points (accumulated in two races).

If this were a tennis match, the announcer would say, “Advantage, Miss Force.”

“Going to our second final in three races shows that I have a great race car. I have a great car and a great team,” she said. Ron Douglas leads the crew that includes brother-in-law Dan Hood.

Her race day at Denver started against Tim Wilkerson, who also has come on strong and is threatening to bump John Force from the No. 10 position and out of Countdown eligibility. So she did her father a huge favor in winning against Wilkerson. He chirped, “I don’t need her to win for me. I need to win for myself.” Nevertheless, he paid her back in the second round, when he beat longtime nemesis Cruz Pedregon. That, and her semifinal-round appearance, allowed her to leapfrog Pedregon in the standings as she moved from an eighth-place tie back to sixth.

Then Courtney Force advanced to the Denver final, beating another brother-in-law, points leader Robert Hight. She was trying to tame her own Mustang with a cylinder out, and he was in front of her until about the 800-foot mark when he suddenly had his own problems.

“There is so much on the line, because I want to be No. 1 going into the Countdown and I have to hold off a lot of strong teams,” Hight said later.

But on the track, she wasn’t worried about his circumstances. She had her own agenda. She wanted to win, and she drove around him at the last minute to do so.

“I drove this car as hard as I could. You never know what is going to happen on Sunday. I just kept driving it after it dropped a hole at the hit. Sometimes that’s game over but I just kept fighting it to try and keep it in the middle of the groove,” Force said. “I got it down there. I don’t know what happened to Robert, but I was able to drive around him for that win light. We are moving up in the points, which is exciting.”

Said Hight, “Courtney’s Mustang has really come around these last three races. It’s good to have all our John Force Racing Mustangs going rounds.”

Courtney Force is decidedly like her dad, in that she doesn’t take anything for granted. Although she’s 128 points ahead of 11th-place Tim Wilkerson, which equates to seven rounds of racing, Force knows she cannot assume with only four more races to go before the Countdown fields are finalized that she’s safe.

And this is where she always has wanted to be, in the thick of a drag-racing war, with a chance to win a championship. And she’s just starting to compete at the elite level after racing in the Super Comp and Top Alcohol Dragster classes. But she’s dreamed and daydreamed about it since she was in elementary school, doodling pictures of her racing alongside her dad when most other girls were doodling hearts accompanied by the name of the cutest guy in class.

She said she loves having that wheel in her hands and knowing the results are up to her. She appreciates her dad’s tutoring, but sometimes being in the car is as much getting away from him and everybody else as it is applying what he has taught her.

“Once my helmet’s on, Dad is still yelling at me. I’m strapped in the car, and I can’t respond back,” Courtney Force said. (Even when the engine’s off and he can respond to him, sister Ashley has to help her understand what he is saying in the first place. “She breaks down everything that Dad tries to yell at me. She translates a lot for me,” Courtney Force said.)

But that feeling of finally being a real drag racer herself is just sinking in for Courtney Force.

“When you’re in the seat of that cockpit, that’s when you know it’s all up to you. And everything that you’re going to do is what’s going to happen. You have full control of that race car and you’re going to make it do what you want it to do. This is a dream come true, when you sit in that cockpit and realize this is your Funny Car” she said.

“I’m lucky enough to have Traxxas on the side of it. And my dad being in the lane next to me, it’s very surreal. I’m in my own car. I’m not standing on the side, watching. It’s a lot different when you’re looking outside that little tunnel, out of the body of your car and thinking, ‘Man, this is all up to me.’ Everything that Dad has taught me, I’ve got to do the best I can do.”

She also is much like her father in that she breathlessly and rapidly loves to yack into the microphones at the top end of the track. And she’s as fun and entertaining, if not quite as over-the-top as he is sometimes.

“I don’t know if I’m that good in interviews,” Courtney Force said.” I do the best I can do. I think I’m just energetic. Half the time I walk away and think, ‘What did I just say to them?’ I don’t know — I’m so excited.

“When you get out of the car you just want to start explaining your run, how it felt, because it’s such an amazing feeling. You just want to share it with the fans. You want everyone to know you appreciate how lucky you are to be there,” she said. “It’s definitely a huge opportunity. I’m just having the time of my life.”

She’s making it exciting, too, for the fans — and, as planned, for her competitors.

After news almost one month ago to the day that the new owners of the FRAM-Prestone-Autolite brands will not continue sponsorship of the Don Schumacher Racing dragster that current points leader Spencer Massey drives, the Brownsburg, Ind.-based organization received another ominous piece of news that could affect its U.S. Army partnership with seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher.

The Army announced Tuesday morning that it has decided not to renew its sponsorship with NASCAR’s Stewart-Haas Racing as a primary sponsor of Ryan Newman’s No. 39 Chevrolet.

However, later Tuesday, John Meyers, director of the marketing support element of the Army Marketing and Research Group, offered some positive hints about what might be in store for DSR in light of the Stewart-Haas decision.

He said he was not privy to the exact time frame in which that might be finalized, but he did say, “I would hope days rather than weeks.”

Meyers said an agreement is not in place yet, “but I have full confidence that we will get all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed contractually. ”

The drag-racing community until recently had thought DSR might be immune for at least awhile from such speculation following the U.S. House of Representatives’ 281-148 defeat in February 2011 of Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum’s proposal to ban motorsports marketing from our Armed Forces. But McCollum has re-introduced the measure this year, seemingly oblivious to Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley’s detailed and logical explanation of why those partnerships are necessary and how the resources are allocated.

Freakley, the commanding general of U.S. Army Accessions Command, concluded his testimony before Congress last year by saying, “There’s just a lot of common ground between the teamwork, the power, the passion, the competitiveness and the patriotism that finds us overlapping one another.”

So with heightened drama between reality at the racetracks with recruiting results and the capriciousness on Capitol Hill with a pork-barrel-bloated Congress, DSR nail-biting resumed Tuesday with the Army’s decision regarding Stewart-Haas.

Even team owner Don Schumacher, whose entire racing operation since 2000 has embraced Army values and celebrated them in almost-incalculable ways, said in a phone conversation early Tuesday he doesn’t know what impact the NASCAR-related news will have on his teams. (Antron Brown’s dragster also carries the Army logo along with its Matco and Aaron’s signage.)

“I have no idea,” Schumacher said. “We don’t know any more than what has been put out there publicly by the Army at this point. All we’re doing is preparing our race cars to head to Denver [for next weekend's Mopar Mile-High Nationals] to perform as we normally do and try to win races.

“There are people above the people I deal with –the Pentagon, Congress — so I have no knowledge or intuition of what’s going to happen,” he said.

Schumacher said he had not spoken or received or exchanged e-mails with Meyers as of Tuesday around noon. “Nor have I gotten an e-mail from him or anybody with the Army at this point,” Schumacher said.

This latest wave of uncertainty is nothing new for Schumacher.

“It’s always a concerning situation, but I know NHRA and DSR does a great job for the recruiters and the Army brand,” he said. “Am I concerned about what’s going on in the political arena? Sure, it concerns me, but I know that we have done a great job for the Army.

“We will continue to work very, very hard to continue to perform for them in recruiting, appearances, race wins, and winning championships. And that’s all we can do,” he said.

Schumacher said gauging its recruiting efforts at the racetrack can be a complex process, because “it isn’t necessarily easy to track it all the way back to the racetrack or a high-school visit or a college visit that Tony makes with the show car, because the people in between want to take credit for it. It’s very difficult to trace that connection directly back to the race car / race team,” he said.

Nevertheless, Tony Schumacher and DSR have become synonymous with the Army since the Labor Day weekend 2000 unveiling of “The Sarge,” the black-and-gold U.S. Army Dragster at Indianapolis just before the start of the U.S. Nationals. Since then, they have done so much more than just host hundreds of ROTC students, recruits, soldiers, and Army brass at the races.

They have gone to boot camp. They have rung in the new year with soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. They have parachuted with the Golden Knights. They have laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. They have visited Fort Hood, Texas, in the wake of a shooting and presented one of Tony Schumacher’s seven series-championship trophies. They have joined the Army on occasions joyous and somber. They have lived the Army values.

An attitude like that, Don Schumacher said, is what makes this partnership “such a personal thing to Tony and really, the whole team. Every crew guy out there, myself included . . . being involved with the U.S. Army is very, very special. We’ve gotten to go places and do things and see things that I wish every citizen would do because it would give you a whole different feeling about these soldiers and what they’re doing for us and how committed they are to us — whether it’s a soldier who’s working out of a computer center here in the United States or the guy or the lady on the front line overseas. It is a remarkable relationship.

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

“Tony is a true professional at it. It comes from his heart. Nothing’s made up there. Nothing’s a script that he studies. It’s really what’s in his heart,” Don Schumacher said. “And it’s the same way with every guy who’s on that team. He has certainly got his heart involved with the U.S. Army. And that is where it comes from — it comes from his heart.”

Receiving a “discharge,” of sorts, would be a terribly sad occurrence, Don Schumacher said.

“It’ll be a very difficult day for all of us in the sport of NHRA drag racing, if that transpires,” he said. “But we all are aware that they were in the sport previously with Don Prudhomme years ago and they stepped away for a number of years and they’ve come back. The U.S. Army is such a special part of DSR that I hope they’re on board with us for the rest of our careers.”

The consensus in drag racing is that the partnership has been a perfect fit.

“We think so, too,” Meyers said.  “That’s what our metrics show. That’s why we hope to get that agreement finished here shortly.”

Massey understands Don Schumacher’s position, although his FRAM/Prestone relationship is nothing on the order of the Army partnership with his colleague. The Army is promoting a way of life, and FRAM/Prestone is promoting a specific product. Still, the principles are the same.

The young driver learned about the business of drag racing the hard way when sponsorship evaporation forced Prudhomme’s retirement and cost him a year from Top Fuel competition. So his word carried weight when he said a couple of weeks ago, “Our team and DSR cannot control the business environment ,and we only can control what we do. We’re having a great season and will continue to do everything we can to represent all our partners along with FRAM, Prestone, and Autolite the way great sponsors deserve.”

Massey said he was “surprised” to hear June 15 during the race at Bristol, Tenn., that FRAM would not be involved after this season.

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

“I’ve enjoyed our partnership with them. We’re disappointed, but it gives us an added incentive to win this year’s NHRA Top Fuel championship so we can share it with our friends at FRAM,” Massey said. “We finished second in points last year and almost won the championship, and this year we’ve won [four] titles and become the quickest and fastest Top Fuel Dragster in history.”

Don Schumacher said he was “saddened” to receive word of the FRAM sponsorship decision but said, “We plan on continuing to put everything we have behind each of our seven professional teams, including Spencer Massey and crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler, and their entire team to not only win the championship this year but to continue running that team in 2013.

“We pride ourselves at DSR on having several of the longest running relationships with great sponsors in all of motorsports. We offer unique opportunities with our full-service hospitality staff and equipment, along with in-house marketing, business development, graphic design, and public relations departments. And our fabrication and machine shops rival any in our industry.”

DSR’s longest-running marketing partnership is its 13-year stretch with Gates Belts and Hose, and the Army is second in longevity with 12 years. Matco Tools has been aboard for 11 years, Oakley for 10, Mopar for nine, Freightliner for eight, and Valvoline for six. Both NAPA Auto Parts and FRAM have been DSR affiliates for four years, and Die Hard has been with the organization for three. Aaron’s and Service Central are celebrating two years each with DSR.

Schumacher has not shown his hand regarding negotiations with a potential partner to replace FRAM and its associated brands. All he will say about that is that “I’m working on things, and ‘closeness’ is somebody’s perception. When I have something, I will make an announcement, and until then, I’m just working on it as hard as I can.

“Everything else is fine, to the best of my knowledge,” he said. “Actually, six of my seven teams are up for renewal in 2012, going forward to 2013. Some of those renewals have already been committed to. Everybody’s comfortable with where we’re at and what we’re accomplishing, and I’m comfortable with where we’re going. I don’t anticipate any real challenges or problems.”

He, of course, said he wouldn’t rule out any turn of economic events. “But just like we saw with the FRAM acquisition . . .things change,” Schumacher said. “That could happen with any one of our sponsors.”

He said he and his marketing team will “continue to work hard at attracting new sponsors and additional sponsors and renewing with the sponsorships we have. I’m blessed to have the crew chiefs and drivers and teams I have around me for my teams to perform at the level that my teams are performing at.”

The rest of circumstances, he knows, is beyond his control.

Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

That time when the scoreboard malfunctioned and cruelly teased Erica Enders that she had won at zMAX Dragway has been shoved to a dark corner of her history. That time when the car broke in the final round has been banished. Heartbreaks? Forgotten.

From this past Sunday on, since her long-awaited, historic, career-first Pro Stock victory — one that came with a marriage proposal from longtime boyfriend and racer Richie Stevens right there at Joliet, Ill., in the left lane at the finish line of Route 66 Raceway –  Enders has glowed.

“The smile isn’t close to being gone off my face yet,” she said. “It’s a crazy feeling, and it’s awesome that it’s finally happened.”

Ever since, the evidence has mounted that she has the love and respect of so many who have made her achievement extra-special. And this refreshed, energized Enders has made a conscious effort to appreciate not only the kind gestures of this past week but also to be grateful simply for the chance to follow her dreams at all, for the opportunity to compete in the Pro Stock class with the proper resources to be successful.

Her whirlwind fairy-tale that is blending into Friday’s start of the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio, stretches from Chicago, where she won in her seventh overall final-round appearance and first of this season, to New Orleans, where she makes her home with Stevens.

She had plenty of well wishes and “Attagirls” from folks at Route 66 Raceway, even before she unstrapped from her seat.

Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

“When I hit my chutes – I hit them before we crossed the finish line – I went straight from focusing on the end of the track to the wall where the win light is,” Enders said. “When I saw that thing come on, I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ My guys are screaming in my helmet. I’m like, ‘Thank you guys so much.’ They’re the reason why I’m able to do what I do.

“When I came around the track, the guys who are turning us off are all pumping their fists – all the Safety Safari guys were lined up around the corner, and the NHRA employees,” she said, remembering this day she said she “dreamed of  . . . My entire life.”

And she got a special phone call right away from her pal, NHRA legend Bob Glidden, who told her he was proud of her.

Enders cradled the Wally trophy she had pursued for two decades, since she was eight years old. She wouldn’t let go of it during her flight home Monday.

The party was just beginning back in The Big Easy. When Enders and Stevens, who recently won an American Drag Racing League race in the Extreme Pro Stock class, stepped off the airplane, greeting them were Stevens’ best friend and the young man’s girlfriend, hands full of an oversized “Congratulations” sign, balloons, and flowers. Waiting for Enders and Stevens outside was a limo stocked with Dom Pérignon champagne, courtesy of Stevens’ parents.

“That was pretty cool and unexpected,” Enders said. “Then we get home, and his sister had decorated the house, with a sign that said, ‘Congratulations on the two wins and the engagement.’ She also had flowers, a bottle of wine, and a card – and some wedding cake cupcakes. A lot of people have taken the time to make it special.”

And Enders, in the second season of her reprise with Victor Cagnazzi Racing, knows that soon her life will slide back into elapsed times and preparation for the $50,000-to-win K&N Horsepower Challenge (which she will start Saturday against Greg Anderson, her final-round opponent at Joliet) and round-by-round, thousandths-of-a-second decisions on hot, gooey, sun-baked racetracks. It won’t be all Dom Pérignon and soft, yummy cupcakes.

She’s well aware of all that. And she appreciates both the testy and the tasty, for it’s the life she dreamed of.

“You don’t take it for granted when you’re doing well,” Enders said in March 2011 as she came from a program that simply didn’t match its resources to her talent, “but you forget how great it feels until you have it all taken away from you. And I want to focus on the fact you don’t take it for granted, because we have run well before and it’s exciting, and you kind of lose sight of everything until it’s all gone.

“I’ve had an up-and-down career in Pro Stock as far as qualifying and not qualifying and changing teams and manufacturers,” she said. “It feels great to still feel the love and to be paired back with a great group of guys. People are key to making a program work, and I’ve definitely got the right people.”

And she has the right equipment.

Cagnazzi, who gave Enders her first shot at Pro Stock success in 2004, said following her victory at Joliet, “This is the first time we’ve given her the car she deserves. She took it right to the winner’s circle. This is the culmination of a lot of years of a lot of work. She has been so close so often. She is an unbelievable driver. I couldn’t be happier.”

Said Enders, “Victor Cagnazzi gave me an opportunity in 2004 to come drive a Pro Stock car, knowing I had never let the clutch out on a race car before. I owe him and [wife] Brita the world. I mean, I had never driven a door car, let alone a clutch car, when I first started driving for Victor in 2005.”

What impressed Cagnazzi, even back then, was the former Jr. Dragster driver’s passion to race in the Pro Stock class.

“She’s got focus. She’s got the eye of the tiger. She wants to win,” Cagnazzi said. “That’s what we want her to do. Greg Anderson, one of the toughest competitors out there, to go toe to toe with him, I couldn’t be happier for the organization.”

Same goes for her crew chief Dave Connolly, who has won his share of Pro Stock races and still jumps behind the wheel of a factory got rod now and again. He said last Sunday, “It’s more gratifying standing behind the car. She did an awesome job. We knew this win was coming. It’s one of those things we knew was coming. She definitely put in her time and earned it. I can’t thank everyone enough. We have a really great team.”

The list probably could go on. But what’s so humbling for Enders is that she has a list.

“I have learned a lot of life lessons and lessons in the driving cockpit, as well,” she said. “Just the seat time that I’ve had has really made me a better driver. So I have learned a lot. I have become way more confident in the cockpit, and I’ve grown up a lot, too.

“I was 20 when I started. I’ve learned huge lessons, and I guess the biggest one is how quickly everything can disappear, no matter how hard you work at it,” Enders said. “This is something that I’ve dreamed of doing my entire life, and I’m blessed enough to be in the position to capitalize on that. But it can vanish in an instant, and I’m just going to enjoy it and do my job to the best of my ability. I’ve certainly got the team and the car and the motor that’s capable of winning races.”

Many drag racers and industry veterans have told her the victories will keep coming once a racer get that first one. But she knows she must earn any more Wallys that come her way.

“Winning is not easy,” Enders said. “I’ve had a lot of former champions tell me that once the first one comes, the rest will follow. I hope they’re right, but we’ve still got to work hard to get there.”

Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

Hard work doesn’t faze Enders. The Cypress, Texas, native, who studied marketing at Texas A&M, has worked at all aspects of being an elite race-car driver.

“I work out every day. I work with sports psychologists. I practice on the simulator, and I do everything that I can to better my game, because I know how important it is,” she said.

“And being on the marketing side of it and having to pay for my ride and my dad funding this deal for [a few] years . . . I know exactly how much every run costs going up and down the racetrack. It just puts that much more pressure on your shoulders to be able to execute everything to the best of your ability.”

But execute she did last Sunday, and it wasn’t lost on her that so many women had paved the way for her acceptance in the sport — or that she has been blessed so she might be a blessing to others.

“For pioneers like Shirley Muldowney and Shelly Anderson-Payne, they were my heroes growing up, and all the women who paved the way,” Enders said. “There are a lot of little kids who look up to me. I’m blessed enough to be in the position to be a role model for them through the Disney movie. I hope that they see me win and know that no matter what, anything is possible. You’ve just got to set your mind to it and follow your dreams. With hard work, anything’s possible.”

As she said that Sunday night, Erica Enders was smiling. And she still is.

In one sense, he can’t be.

He can’t be excluded from the NHRA Pro Stock fight for the 2012 championship, not when he has won two races, has a 16-8 elimination record, and has been no worse than fifth place in the standings. And the Penhall / Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP driver certainly can’t escape notice with that indescribably close victory over Allen Johnson a week ago at Bristol, Tenn., in the Ford Thunder Valley Nationals.

But Edwards is exempt from the mischievous mouthiness that Johnson, Jason Line, and Greg Anderson have started, uninvolved in the good-natured pranks that go on in the pits.

Actually, the other three, who rank above Edwards in the standings, don’t want to draw him into the silliness that they know is just mock trash-talking. They don’t expect him to engage in the name-calling and faux feuding. To witness Edwards suddenly start speaking sassy would be like hearing Billy Graham start cussing in the middle of a sermon.

“It’s hard to say anything mean about Mike,” Johnson said. “Mike and I are great friends, as are Jason and Greg.”

Neither has Edwards volunteered any outrageous remarks. Actually, as late as last Saturday morning, he was oblivious to this war of words that has caught on since Johnosn won the Topeka race in May.

“They can say anything they want. I didn’t know they were saying anything,” Edwards said before Saturday qualifying at Bristol.” That tells you how much I know about what’s going on out there. We’re just trying to catch up.”

He and his crew were keeping their eye last weekend on that goal of earning a fourth straight victory at Bristol Dragway, a feat few drag racers have achieved at any racetrack.

Bob Glidden won five straight times at Columbus, Ohio (1979-83) for the Pro Stock record. In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher has won four straight at both Indianapolis (2006-09) and the season finale at Pomona (2004-07). Funny Car’s John Force owns five consecutive Gatornationals victories (1992-96). Joe Amato grabbed four Top Fuel victories in a row at Denver, and the late Dave Schultz was indomitable at Atlanta in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class from 1990-96.

Edwards wasn’t so sure it would happen for him. “Those three race weekends went better than any one could script. I know it probably will not be the case and we will have to fight and work our tails off to walk away with the trophy again. I have a group around me that is not afraid to put that extra time and effort to make that happen, and behind the wheel I will do everything I can.”

He has qualified in the top half of the field at all 10 races and only twice started lower than fourth place. But he was intent upon racing well, not just qualifying well.

“It is all well and good to be fast in qualifying,” he said, but he add that he knew the key was to be “strong enough to get over the hump into the final and have a shot at the Wally.” He said for most of the season he has focused on “being faster when it comes to eliminations. We think we have fixed a few things and straightened out a couple other areas that will allow us to reach that goal. Now we just need it to translate into a summer run.”

He’s on his way after his Bristol performance.

Yet even Edwards didn’t know quite how to react to his unfathomable victory margin of less then one-ten thousandths of a second. That’s a difference of .0000 seconds, a virtual tie. It never had occurred in the final round of any event in NHRA history, never mind how difficult it was for any driver to pull off a fourth consecutive victory at one specific racetrack.

“I don’t even know how to describe it. Words can’t describe it. How do you describe something like that?” Edwards said moments after receiving his second Wally trophy of the season and 34th overall. “That was just unbelievable, four zeroes for the win margin. Hats off to Allen Johnson. They did an awesome job, too. It’s tough to lose in front of your home crowd.”

All he could offer by way of explanation was: “Sometimes it’s just your day.”

Said Johnson, “That’s Pro Stock racing at its best, When it’s your day, it’s your day. It just wasn’t our day. We’d rather shake the tires, hit the wall, do anything as to lose like that. We all thought we had it there. We done what we needed to do today. He just done a better job in the final.
“Somebody told me it was the closest race. We’ll get in the history books one way or another,” Johnson said with a gracious smile. “Biggest thing I hate is that I really wanted to give that to my dad for Fathers Day. And our whole crew, employees, everybody — we wanted to give them the excitement of a win here at home. But you know what? We’ll come back next year and keep clawing.”

Both drivers had tested earnestly at Bristol, because a victory there on the mountain meant so much to each of them.

Edwards, of Coweta, Okla., said, “We’ve struggled all year a little bit, and it seems like we come to this place and we get healed up. I love this old mountain. I could race ‘em all right here.”

But he has to come off the mountain if he is to add a championship to the one he earned in 2009. He and the rest of the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series tour will head to Joliet, Ill., for the O’Reilly Route 66 Nationals next week.

Fans and racers alike still will be talking about the “Miniscule Margin on the Mountain” when they get to Route 66 Raceway. But flying below the radar suits Edwards more.

“We’re just doing our deal and laying low,” Edwards said.

Johnson will keep on clawing, ever more mindful about Edwards being one of the contenders, not just Anderson and Line. And likely he’ll keep up the banter with the KB / Summit drivers. That, too, is fine with Edwards.

Even without Edwards’ amused encouragement, Johnson and Line — or Line and Johnson, if you prefer — have been entertaining with their verbal salvos.

The trash-talking is all tongue-in-cheek. They truly do want to thrash each othe ron the track, but they respect and like each other away from it.

Like pro wrestlers or boxers hyping their upcoming matches, they have poked fun at each other’s car manufacturer and hinted at a chance they might have a fistfight sometime beyond the finish line. The jousting continued at Bristol.

“I’m willing to shed a little blood for the cause,” Line said.

Would Johnson try to give him a knuckle sandwich?

“Oh, yeah,” Johnson said eagerly after grabbing the No. 1 qualifying position. “He thinks just because he’s bigger than me that he can whup me,” Johnson said. Johnson is a strong 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, and Line is 6-foot-3, 215 pounds.

But Johnson is an East Tennessee self-made mountain man, a scrapper one might not want to mess with.

“I’ve been trying to tell him that,” Johnson said.

It’s highly unlikely they ever would throw any punches. But likes to call Johnson and his fellow Mopar drivers (Vincent Nobile, V Gaines, and Jeg Coughlin) the peculiar name “rubber-cranks.”

Fired back Johnson Friday night, “I’ll show ‘em my d— rubber crank.”

Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

Anderson laughed and said Line must have made up the word. He didn’t. He says he didn’t, anyway. The term, Line said, “is a derogatory comment about Mopar’s engines. I didn’t make it up. I’ve heard people say that since I was a kid. It’s not very nice, but that’s what makes it a good insult.”

He smiled at that, proud of himself.

Johnson — who pooh-poohed Line’s label, saying, “A lot of people call Mopars ‘rubber-cranks.’ — has a name for Anderson and Line, too. But he isn’t going to say it publicly. The KB/ Summit duo knows what it is, though.

“I don’t think you can say it and be politically correct,” Johnson said. “I just say they drive those off-brand cars.”

During the Bristol weekend, Johnson had a surprise for Line and Anderson. He took a Traxxas radio-control truck, decked it out with Mopar stickers, sneaked it under their new Camaros, and rolled it out to their annoyance.

In the interest of clean journalism, DragZine cannot repeat what Anderson groused in response. But it rhymes with “one of a witch.” And on it goes with those two teams.

But Edwards is not out of their rear-view mirrors.

Johnson said, “I think we do have the best car [in the class] right now. We’re going to run up against a chain saw every now and then. We did with Mike in the [Bristol] finals. We could race 10 times and do that again and I’d win half and he’d win half. That’s how close Pro Stock racing is this year.”

The Greeneville, Tenn., native wants to join Anderson, Line, and Edwards in claiming an NHRA Pro Stock championship. Anderson has four, Line two, and Edwards one.

“We are embroiled in a bitter rivalry now with KB and Mike Edwards,” Johnson said. “I want to kick their butts so bad every time I go up there that I can’t stand it. Our team is the same way. We’ve learned how to win, and we like it.”

As for his vocal opponents, he said, “We’ve just developed this rivalry, and Mike [Edwards] has beaten on us a bunch, too. I’ve got my teeth gritted this year. I want to win this thing, and I’m not going to take any prisoners.”

Edwards is simply keeping his arms elbow-deep in his engine, his eyes on his computer data, and his mouth shut.

Larry Dixon is at a crossroads, but not in his racing career. No, his investment in racing shop spaces in Brownsburg, Indiana near those of John Force, Tony Stewart and Don Schumacher has given him a secondary vocation as a leasing agent. But that’s not the 50W racing oil that flows through his veins, nor the CH₃NO₂ (nitromethane) that gets him going each morning. It’s the plan he’s implemented to get back into NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing that has him moving forward, that occupies much of his thoughts and actions. We spoke with Larry last week while on a campaign every bit as important to him now as any of his previous NHRA Top Fuel championships – to find sponsorship for a team of his own.

Dragzine.com (DZ): When was the last time you weren’t racing?

Larry Dixon (LD): That was 1988 when I sat out without a job at the track. I was with Frank Bradley, before I started working for (Don) Prudhomme. I was renting a room for about $300 a month; now times are different and I’m married with three kids.

DZ: Are the racing shop spaces you own productive? How long can you afford to be away from drag racing?

LD: Actually, things are going very well. I mentioned the other day that as long as the teams that are leasing my shop space continue racing, I may need to find somewhere else to lease once my fuel team comes together. The economic downturn we experienced in 2008 was as bad as it was, and every year since then it got a little better. So it isn’t a matter of having to race to support my family as all my buildings are full.

Image courtesy Larry Dixon Racing

DZ: How are you keeping busy in the interim, while you’re waiting to get back on track?

LD: Besides keeping track of the real estate, starting a team takes a tremendous amount of planning and strategizing. I also have my kids involved in sports, and there are practices almost every night. What most people don’t realize is that I’m traveling more than I ever have, going to a lot of races and meetings with potential sponsors. I’ve only missed two races this season, and I’ve continued to have a presence at the track and in the media.

DZ: How would you characterize who you are, and what you’re doing?

LD: I try to stay focused, and remember that like a lot of other people out there, I’m just a guy looking for a very specialized kind of job.

DZ: What are you missing most about being away from the sport? Are you getting the feeling that you’re not keeping up with the technology?

LD: I miss driving most of all. The technology isn’t a great concern, as NHRA has stabilized the rules, and we know what to expect so at this point we’re only seeing incremental changes in ETs. The people I’m looking to hire are in the sport and still out there every week, active and competing with other teams. I’ve always believed that you’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with, and I hope that when the time comes I will have all the right people in place.

I’ve worked with some of the best crew chiefs in the business, and being able to call and have them help assemble the team is a great relief. After all, everyone wants to be aligned with a winner and our plan is to compete for the 2013 NHRA Top Fuel championship – not just go rounds.

DZ: Let’s talk about what you’re doing to stay sharp, mentally and physically particularly because some people don’t think of drivers as athletes.

LD: (Laughs) Well, there are some guys in racing that could hardly be called athletes, and they just go from race to race and drive the car. I do think that over time, their numbers are decreasing. Physically, what I’m doing involves three different programs – I do cardio to burn calories, I lift Kettlebells which is lots of repetitions to improve muscle tone, and then I have a trainer in town that runs me through a series of circuits to increase my agility and quickness.

Mentally, I call upon vision coaches to assist me. They work on my hand – eye coordination, and also eye exercises to focus on the task at hand. I was pretty good on the old

Larry working out, keeping in shape to maintain his competitive edge. Image courtesy Larry Dixon Racing

‘tree’, where you could look inside the bulb and actually see it coming on. We’ve been using the LED lights since 2003, and they just turn on, so any advantage with the old bulbs are gone. However, I still manage to keep myself in the Top 5 in reaction time among active Top Fuel drivers.

DZ: We’ve noticed the number of holeshot wins among fuel drivers this season. How important is it to drill the tree, to leave on your opponent? Do you feel it’s even more important than having enough horsepower to drive around them on the top end?

LD: With the track shortened to 1000’, every time sequence is that much more critical. We have one less sequence from 1000’ to 1320’ than we did previously, so as a driver you have to do everything you can to help your cause. There are definite advantages to drilling the tree. Driving around someone is getting harder and harder to do because the NHRA hasn’t changed our package for awhile, and our setups are becoming much closer to each others. With no new technology being allowed, what it has done is allow the back of the pack to slowly creep up. When that happened, it equalized the competition, and it means that anyone that qualifies has a chance of winning.

DZ: What has created the situation where you feel the time is right to field your own team? Is this the same scenario that presented itself after you left Don Prudhomme’s team?

Image courtesy Larry Dixon Racing

LD: I’ve always looked towards ownership, and you’re correct – I was considering starting a team of my own after being a part of ‘Snake’s’ for so long, but that’s when I got a call from Alan Johnson to drive for him and Al-Anabi Racing. There I collected my third Top Fuel championship, finished two points away from a fourth, and added 19 more wins to my total of 62, so my time with Al-Anabi was very rewarding. But things change, and we both agreed to separate.

DZ: What makes you want to go out, put everything on the line and compete for a fourth championship?

LD: It’s not only a desire to compete, but to compare myself with the best and to continue to excel. When I was coming up as a young driver, I looked at (the late) Scott Kalitta, Gary Scelzi, and Kenny Bernstein. Kenny Bernstein and I haven’t been the best of friends, but I learned a lot by watching him on and off the track, his fitness regimen and dedication to winning. When Kenny was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega earlier this month, I made a point to be there and to thank him for showing me what it takes to be a winner. For the better part of 10 years, my closest rival and chief competitor has been Tony Schumacher, and if nothing else he was the person I wanted to out-qualify or beat in that round.

From watching his pioneering drag racing father, to modifying and racing his own cars, then on to crewing for legendary Don ‘the Snake’ Prudhomme before becoming his driver of choice, Larry has no doubt already secured his own place in drag racing history, but this isn’t the end. No, it’s just the start of another chapter in a tale yet to be completed of one of the most dynamic, driven champions to compete in a ‘long’ drag car.

Etta Glidden said her husband Bob, the iconic 10-time NHRA Pro Stock champion and 85-time winner, and Warren Johnson were “dead-ass enemies who took shots at each other on the track.”

Still, she and Arlene Johnson didn’t mind their little boys, Billy and Rusty Glidden and Kurt Johnson, playing with one another. And one day not too long ago, Etta Glidden was looking at the journal she kept during Bob’s heyday, and she found a reminder that she and Arlene Johnson were quite the rebels back in the day.

Etta And Arlene: The Rebels

Although she said she couldn’t remember what their issue was that day so many years ago, they had something they wanted to say and they demanded an audience with NHRA founder Wally Parks. “Arlene and I got together and stormed the tower. We were hot about something. We talked to Wally and got it off our chests,” Etta Glidden said. She laughed. “I think, ‘Oh my gosh — I did that?!’ Sometimes I can’t believe I took the initiative.”

She described herself as “not particularly competitive,” yet as a young mother, she raced locally and won nine trophies in three years. Her own racing days ended when Bob Glidden had an accident. His injuries were minor, but the crash had a major impact on her. Said Etta, “Someone had to stay alive to raise the kids.”

That was a different era, when women weren’t allowed in the pits. So Etta Glidden said she decided to help Bob be successful, working on his car alongside him. (After all, they dated just one month before they married more than 40 years ago, and their first of three dates was at the movies. The other two were long nights fussing with his race car. So although she knew how to get the sanctioning body’s attention, she was happy in her supporting-actress role. “I’m not a chief. I’m a warrior,” she said.

Arlene Johnson is handy with a wrench, too. She learned how to service husband Warren’s race-car tires, change a battery and work on a carburetor — not a huge stretch for a farm girl from Minnesota. But she also adapted to technology and soon contributed to the team effort by interpreting data. She took her unofficial duties seriously, for son Kurt Johnson said he remembers not having time to eat breakfast at home and eating his cereal, using the dashboard of the family sedan as his table.

By modern standards, women might be sad to know that Arlene Johnson concluded, “I kind of stay back where I feel I belong.”

Heart Like A Wheel

Shirley Muldowney’s trailblazing in the sport is legendary, but few recognize that she was a mother with not only parental responsibilities but also a full-time job away from the racetrack when she defied the status quo by beating the hot shoes of her day and winning championships. She recalled how she had one more special consideration after February 1958, after the arrival of son John.

“He was barely out of diapers when we began racing at a local strip, eighth-mile,” she said, adding that she and husband Jack Muldowney “both hated to leave him with his grandmother when he was really little. He would cry his eyes out when we didn’t take him with us. Finally, it was just the three of us — every time we went to the track. John loved being there right from the first day. I have the most wonderful picture of him — still in a diaper — standing in front of my 1940 Ford Coupe. He’s holding a wrench in his hand which is almost as big as he was then.”

So while her life might have seemed glamorous — and it certainly was adventurous — few realize that she, too, felt the pull of motherhood.

Alexis DeJoria: Juggling Motherhood And Motors

Today’s female racer can have it all.

Many mothers have drag raced, including Top Fuel drivers Rhonda Hartman-Smith, and Rachelle Splatt and Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Stephanie Reaves.

But Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria, in the Tequila Patron Toyota, is the lone mother among current NHRA professional racers.

And the former Top Alcohol Funny Car team owner from Topanga Canyon, Calif., insists she is equally skilled at packing nine-year-old-daughter Isabella’s school lunch as she is packing the parachutes for her 7,000-horsepower, nitromethane-burning Tequila Patron Toyota Camry Funny Car.

“Mom’s at work when she’s at work. But when I’m at home I’m 100 percent home with her and I make her breakfast,” single-mom DeJoria said about her juggling act. “I pack her lunch. I take her to school, I pick her up from school. I make dinner. I’m a total, normal, 100-percent mom.”

Naturally she’s aware her job description and schedule aren’t necessarily mainstream or like those of Isabella’s friends’ mothers. But it seems normal for the two of them.

“Mom happens to work all weekend long and I’m home during the week,” DeJoria said.

DeJoria said she tries to bring her daughter to the races as much as possible. But, DeJoria said, “I don’t want it to interrupt her schoolwork, because education is the No. 1 thing, especially now that she’s older and there’s more work. If she misses a day, she’s so behind. So I try to be really careful, even though I bring the (home)work with me. I try to be fair and keep her on a good, regimented schedule.”

That DeJoria is breaking into the NHRA’s professional ranks when her daughter is older and a little more self-sufficient is coincidental. Mom attended Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School when Isabella was about two years old. “It just kind of worked out that way,” DeJoria said.

“Right now, I’m very much in that seat, and I plan to be here for quite awhile,” she said. “I love the fact I’m a mother. But if I were only a mom or only racing, I don’t think I would feel as complete as I do now, having both.”

Last fall, she had made her debut at Dallas and was scheduled to skip the Reading race. By the time she got to Las Vegas, she was champing at the bit to race again.

“I really wanted to be at Reading. I’m a racer through-and-through. It’s so hard being away from something I love for three weeks,” DeJoria said. “I absolutely wish I could’ve been there. I don’t want to watch it on TV. I want to be out there with my team!”

That fear factor always seems to be lurking for racing mothers. DeJoria has a different approach.

“In life there’s a lot of risks we take. Anything can happen, really,” she said. “Do I want to be really safe all the time and hide from danger? No. I want to go and experience life to the fullest in every way. And I tell [Isabella] that, too: Go experience life. Go have fun. Respect things for what they are, but don’t be fearful of trying new things.”

To do the opposite, she said, would send the wrong message.

She simply is like millions of other moms, mindful of directing her daughter in safe, healthy, and constructive habits.

“I try to keep her away from screens — Computer, phone, TV, any kind of screens,” DeJoria said of her boundary-setting. “She needs to be outside, playing, like all kids. And we need to be outside. It’s a positive thing for all of us.”

In her free time from the racetrack, she and Isabella ride their bicycles, go to the beach, and take hikes, among other activities. And that is what keeps both of them grounded.

Sometimes the mother-daughter schedule gets last-minute changes, and when that happens, DeJoria knows Isabella is in the care of family For example, DeJoria stayed at Atlanta Dragway the day after the Summit Southern Nationals and worked on her 60-foot times and reaction times in four test passes. Then she dashed out to Dallas at the end of the day to engage in her first Tequila Patron television commercial.

Dividing her attention between racing and motherhood, she said, “can be a challenge. But I love a good challenge. Life is a challenge. I love my daughter. I love racing. We make it work.”

No matter how much racing customs change and the sport evolves, one thing is certain: Every mother has her own style and carries it out in her own special way.

Senior wouldn’t just build performance products mind you, rather he would use them himself. Three weeks before Pearl Harbor and the start of World War II, he was clocked at the speed of 121.42 mph in his ’32 at Rosamond Dry Lake. But during the war Vic Sr. would stop building performance products and used his machinist skills for the war effort.

Vic Sr.

In 1949 Vic Sr. moved into his first purpose-built shop on Jefferson Blvd. At 5,000 sq. ft. it was equipped with a small machine shop, repair bays, engine dynamometer, a small stock room and office space. Throughout the 1950′s Vic Sr. would continue to set speed records and the Edelbrock name flourished.

But in 1962, at the age of 49, Vic Sr. would sadly pass away from cancer. His name and company would be passed on through his 27 year old son Vic Edelbrock Jr. Flash forward to 2011, and the Edelbrock name has become one of the most recognizable names within the performance industry. Their distribution center alone now covers over 65,000 feet.

Recently we got the opportunity to sit down and talk with the 76 year old Vic Edelbrock Jr about a variety of topics:

powerTV: Your father started the Edelbrock name, but what kind of man was he? How did he influence you and your work ethic?

Vic Edelbrock: “(laughing) Ha, well he would only say it once, and you better take note of what he said. He was German and he was very well liked by everybody, if he liked you then you had a real friend. He passed away at the age of 49 in 1962, I was fortunate because of the friends he had were really loyal to me, and really helped me get through that period.

He had an excellent mind for automotive engines. He only went to school to the ninth grade, because his fathers grocery store burnt down in Kansas, and he had two older brothers and they all had to go to work to support the family. But my father read a lot, he read a lot of books about the internal combustion engine.

A lot of his automotive experience came from the farmers who would buy a model-T, and they would want someone to pick it up for them and bring it to their farms. Of course there were no highways, there was just “dirtways”, so parts would just fall off the Model-T because of the roads. He was forced to be mechanically inclined to pick up the pieces and put them back together. So that was the start of him being able to work with his hands.”

PTV: Your father was very involved within dirt track racing, specifically midget racing, how did he get involved in dirt track racing?

Vic: ”When everybody came back from overseas, people wanted to see cars race. Because midget racing was going on before the war, it just continued after the war. You could go opening day to Balboa Stadium in San Diego where the Chargers use to play football, and if you won opening night which was always on memorial day weekend, you might come home with $15,000 in your pocket. The stadium would hold 32,000 and they would sell every seat.

My father got into midget racing before the war, then after the war he bought a regular car that had a frame rail in it that they called a “rail job”. Then Frank Kurtis designed a modern midget that was a very good looking car, that we happen to have it, and it is fully restored back to it’s original condition. My dad bought it new in 1946, it was number 7 of the Kurtis Kraft machines.

Midget Racing really grew out of Southern California, then moved to northern California before it moved to west. He eventually moved to racing Jalopy’s because more people wanted to see more cars crash. And if you raced a midget, you didn’t want to crash your midget because of how expensive it was to repair it.”

Edelbrock still has the original Ford V8 Kurtis Kraft Midget

PTV: Yeah well that and if you crashed back then, your chances of walking away were very slim.

Vic: ”Oh of course, they only had a lap belt. And then you had drivers like Rex Mays who didn’t believe lap belts. He was killed at Del Mar which was a horse racing track back then. But there is a photo of him that you can find where he’s upside down and he’s coming out of the car. It’s a really scary sight.”

PTV: How did your father come up with the idea to use the Flathead Ford?

Vic Sr. with Vic Jr.

Vic: “Well, it was never built as a performance engine. Obviously, it was built for low cost. In 1919-20 Henry (Ford) was making 2 million cars a year. So, he was busy making parts!

I don’t know how my father exactly came up with idea. I do know that he bought the ’32 roadster, that was the family car, I was born in ’36, and he bought that around the same time. It had a flat head in it, and of course he started playing with that. At the time everyone was using the 4-cyclinder inline Chevrolet engine. They really turned their nose down on the flathead.

I don’t know why he picked it up, obviously he probably didn’t like the idea of the 4-cylinder and wanted more cylinders and his only V8 option at the time would of been the Flathead Ford

Three weeks before Pearl Harbor, my dad had a roadster that almost went 122 mph. They didn’t have cylinder heads back then, Ford made a small combustion chamber engine design for cars sold in Denver and high altitudes to get a little more performance out of them. My dad would take those and screw around with the combustion chamber, and he ended up using methanol because he could get the compression up.

But when he went 122 (mph) people forget that the right hand would be on the steering wheel, but the left hand would be through the steering wheel pumping on a pressure pump. We still have that car.”

PTV: Really? How many cars do you have at Vic’s garage right now?

Vic: “Oh, probably around 35.”

PTV: Is their one car that stands out above the rest?

Vic: “My Dad’s roadster is everything, but the midget also means a lot. It has the original trailer, and my dad used to tow it with a Woody. Which my wife always wanted one of her own, so we bought one and restored it. Now we have the original midget, trailer, and a restored Woody which really mean a lot.”

PTV: Speaking of racing, Edelbrock is extremely well known throughout the performance industry, but it seems like the past 5 years Edelbrock has been focusing a lot of time at the motorsports arena.

Vic: “We have, mainly in the cylinder heads. When we started our cylinder head program back in 1992, I didn’t get in to the racing stuff where everyone was, instead I got into street performance. But we have really put an effort over the past 5 or 6 years to build strictly race application cylinder heads. A year ago at PRI we also introduced a brand new manifold design, which set the record books and we feel that the industry has changed because of it. We have the capabilities to make some very complicated pieces, and ensure that there is no shrinks or pulls in the castings.

Also, we are very fortunate to have Dr. Rick Roberts who studied at Cal Tech, and actually went to work for IBM when he got out of school. But luckily he was a car guy, and he couldn’t get away from the car industry. We’ve had a lot of fun over the years and are continuing to have a lot of fun.”

PTV: What is Edelbrock’s involvement with the new NASCAR EFI System? 

Vic: “Our manifolds have all been changed, but NASCAR mandates where all the nozzles are placed on the manifold. We are already the official manifold of NASCAR, and while we are still making our manifolds, we are not on any Fords this year. But we are on Toyotas, GM, and Dodges.

We are the only independent manifold manufacturer that has been approved for NASCAR use outside of the OE manufactures. We are really proud of that. A lot of teams are still manufacturing the manifolds in-house, but what they are finding is that we can do it at almost half the cost.”

PTV: We got to listen to Dr. Rick Roberts at this year’s AETC and he said that he still uses a CAD system when designing cylinder heads. But he said it was amazing to think that 30 years ago we were doing this with a T-square. What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the manufacturing process during your time building the Edelbrock name?

The biggest thing that has happened to the manufacturing process is the entire CNC process. It has allowed us to make cylinder heads at 1/3 the cost if we didn’t have these machines, and as of right now, we have over 90 CNC machines.

We are also vertically integrated so that everything is under one roof. We have very sophisticated equipment to measure our aluminum and make sure that it doesn’t have gas in it. Aluminum is the most gas filled metal there is, and you have to get that gas out of there. We closely monitor that and keep it in check.”

PTV: What advice would you have for someone that is wanting to work within the performance market, and become someone like Dr. Rick Roberts?

Vic: ”It depends on what their knowledge is, if they are a real gearhead, and know cars then they might not have to go to school. But if you’re not, and you need a little education, then I suggest you go to the various schools out there. Edelbrock is involved with the Ohio Technical College, which has the Edelbrock academy. They teach about using Edelbrock products, and how it can mean a job for you.

There is a real need for installers and programers across the country, but you need the education. Some of the schools like NTI, or Wyotech have great job placement aids also. Having the education really helps put you to the next level, take cylinder heads and camshafts, how many people know what overlap really is?

You take the camshaft, manifolds, cylinder heads, and that’s your induction system. That’s what’s responsible for NASCAR going from a 355 engine, say 20 years ago that only put out 650 horsepower to a 355 that puts out 900 horsepower today.”

Vic Edelbrock Jr. today

PTV: Speaking of NASCAR, one last question for you, what’s the biggest problem facing NASCAR today? What do you think needs to change?

Vic: Ha, well the restrictor plate!… I think right now, the racing at Daytona looks like two grasshoppers mating! I was very upset when I saw the first race at Daytona, I made a phone call to Jerry Cook of NASCAR who is a close friend of ours. When he called me back, after a couple of days I said, “what in the hell are you doing!” I mean this is ridiculous.

But now they are feeling it even more from the public. The public doesn’t like it, the racing is very boring. So I think they have to make some changes to where they are able to go back and draft the proper way, three or four in a line. The cars need more power to be able to slingshot like they did back in the old days. It might mean smaller engines.

Daytona is the biggest race of the year, when people watch it now, people fall asleep in the middle of the race. Once they bring that around, I think that will help improve not only Daytona and Talladega, which helps the whole atmosphere.”

At 76 years-old, Vic Jr. shows no signs of slowing down. For that matter, neither does Edelbrock as a company. 2012 is shaping up to be another great year for the historic company, and with a ton of new products for the performance and motorsports markets, it might be a year they soon don’t forget.

At first glance, John Force and Kenny Bernstein appeared to be thrust continually on the same stage for decades in some techno-twisted version of “The Odd Couple.”

And it has been hard to tell whether they’re hopelessly different or intriguingly alike. They appear to be a little of both. Either way, they seem to be linked to one another.

Along with NASCAR legend Richard Childress, they’ll be inducted together on Thursday evening into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega, Ala. Tony Stewart, 2011 Driver of the Year, and 2011 ARCA champion Ty Dillon also will be recognized.

“This is unique for me, to share the stage with a guy like Childress, a heavyweight in NASCAR,” Force said. “But to be up there with Kenny Bernstein, a guy I’ve always respected and admired and loved and raced with — a guy who ran the first 300 miles an hour . . . It’s great.

“It’s just unique, not to accept it for me and for my race teams but for my sponsors and the fans. And that is the accomplishment for NHRA: another stepping stone, to move us up that ladder to where we want to be.”

Image courtesy: NHRA/National Dragster

Bernstein agreed, saying, “It’s great for the sport, great fro NHRA drag racing. I’m very honored to be there with John. That’s kind of the icing on the cake, for me. John’s so important to our sport. And he has such an outstanding record. To be there with him, that’s really second to none.

“Richard Childress just happens to be a very, very close friend of mine, and I’m glad to be there with Richard. That means a lot to me.”

Force recalled the time he attended the induction ceremonies at Talladega (in 1996, when he was the first drag racer to be named Driver of the Year in all of American motorsports) and met Dale Earnhardt.

“It was just an unbelievable feeling to have him reach out and shake your hand,” he said. “Those guys are my heroes, too, but I’ve got heroes out here in drag racing.”

He named Bernstein and Don Prudhomme and said, “I love these guys. They were the stars I grew up watching. To get inducted with the greats who are going to be there, it really is quite an honor. It’s very humbling to get a chance.”

Both Force and Bernstein understand humble, for both came from modest backgrounds.

Force arguably bears more scars from growing up in poverty than he does from the polio that struck him a toddler.  He tells stories about growing up in California with his siblings in a trailer so tiny that “honest-to-God, you could sit on the toilet and shower at the same time. I slept on the couch, so I had to wait for my parents to get done watching Johnny Carson before I could go to sleep. And we didn’t have big Thanksgivin’ turkey dinners where everyone got around the table. It wasn’t ‘The Waltons.’ ”

Bernstein’s environment wasn’t as Spartan, but as a grade-school boy he learned to sell and present merchandise in dad Bert’s department store in Lubbock, Texas. “Everything was precise. If you weren’t selling, you were fixing the stock,” he said. “It was instilled in me from the time I was seven or eight years old.”

So both were self-starters in drag racing.

Bernstein is famous for using common sense and a show-and-tell approach to landing a marketing partnership contract with Budweiser that didn’t run its course until the end of the 2009 season. That 30-year marketing marriage was the longest in motorsports history, surpassing STP’s 28-year sponsorship of NASCAR king Richard Petty. Bernstein and the Prudhomme – Tom McEwen dynamic duo ushered in the era of Corporate America’s involvement in racing.

Bernstein began racing seriously in 1966, on the Texas Pro Fuel Circuit, supporting himself by selling high-fashion women’s wear. Later, he juggled his own NHRA driving career with managing his teams in IndyCar and NASCAR and for seven years operating 17 Chelsea Street Pub restaurants that employed 2,500 workers.

Force morphed what he called “a big, dumb ol’ truck driver” (because he used to pay for his racing habit by running a long-haul route) to entrepreneur extraordinaire. He owns, among other ventures, four Brownsburm Ind-headquartered Funny Car teams that have swiped every single victory this season, a Top Fuel team, and The Eric Medlen Project that’s dedicated to race-car safety technology. He also owns John Force Entertainment — complete with editing bays, filming studios, and a theatre — in his former shop at Yorba Linda, Calif.

Said Force, “It ain’t like I was a billionaire who walked in here and said, ‘I’m Howard Hughes, and I want to race.’ I had nothing’ — flat nothin.’ ”

He landed his first big sponsorship when he ran out of gas in Denver, down the street from the Jolly Rancher candies office, and begged executive Bob Harmsen for money to buy gas to get to the next race. He charmed Harmsen into a deal that lasted eight years and really introduced Force to the drag-racing world.

Bernstein always is neatly groomed, clothes pressed, every hair in place. Force often has been a hot mess of facial stubble, helmet-head hair, wearing firesuits with grime ground in so deeply that even the most professional dry-cleaner has to concede defeat.

Bernstein measures his words and uses precise grammar. Force spills out his heart, whatever is in it, whenever the spirit moves him, to whomever will listen. He often jabbed Bernstein, saying of their racetrack row of haulers, “Kenny has a big, fancy mansion. But he never gets to see it. He has to live in my trailer park every week.”

Bernstein is a walking Rolodex, while Force mangles names in a way that seasoned comics would envy. Bernstein is controlled, Force excitable. Said Bernstein with a laugh, “He’s hyper and upside-down on everything all the time. I’m hyper and upside-down half the time. So there’s a difference.

“We do a pretty good job at being the straight guy and the funny guy. We can get going pretty good,” Bernstein said. “John’s obviously a pretty smart guy, underneath all that farce that he puts out. He kind of acts like he doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about, but he really does.”

Image courtesy: NHRA/National Dragster

Bernstein always accommodated his sponsors and fans with grace but is private. Force acts as if he’s a best friend to each person in the grandstands — that’s why fans line up 10-deep or more at the rope line in his pits every second he isn’t on the track racing.

“He’s overloaded,” Bernstein said of Force. “He has a hard time telling people no. You can’t tell John a lot of advice. You can give it to him, but he won’t take a lot of it. Sometimes you wonder if you aren’t talking to that wall. I said, ‘There are only two issues that I’ve told you about several times, and you always forget them. Are you making money? And are you having fun?”

Entertaining the fans and media with outrageous yarns and crazy-talk, signing autographs with grand theatre never was Kenny Bernstein’s shtick. But it’s right in Force’s wheelhouse. “That’s my lifeline. That’s what makes John Force tick. This is my home,” Force said.

“And this is where I’ll go out. We’ll never have no big retirement party — ain’t going to do none of that. When I can’t cut it anymore, I’ll just leave. I’ll step over the fence and I’ll just be gone one day — if I don’t fall over dead,” Force said. “That’s how I want to go, because I don’t want to say goodbye.”

Bernstein has a soft side, too, and once said, “A lot of people misinterpret me. I care about people and I care about the sport, and I care about everything very deeply.”

They clearly love their children. Bernstein watched carefully when Ashley Force (Hood) began her racing career. “He doesn’t want to have anything happen to his daughter,” Bernstein said. “I don’t want to have anything happen to Brandon — don’t misunderstand me. But it’s different. I think that’s bothered John a lot. I think one flag goes up with a boy-kid and two go up with a girl. I just think he’s worried to death that he’s going to hurt his little girl. And that’s heavy. That’s heavy stuff there.”

He knows the anguish he went through — not to mention his return to the dragster after his first retirement to satisfy sponsor obligations — when Brandon Bernstein was injured midway through 2003.

Force said he doesn’t see any differences between himself and Bernstein. But Bernstein said, “We’re a lot different. We’re a whole lot different.” History can decide.

For right now, they both can agree, as did the voting panel for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, that Bernstein and Force are among the industry’s greatest treasures.

Veteran TV commentator Bill Stephens was trying at a seminar to impress on National Hot Rod Association drivers that they use their on-camera opportunities to generate some excitement. He urged them to translate the passion they have for drag racing instead of lulling the viewers into some nicey-nice nirvana.

Stephens said many complain that John Force gets too much air time on ESPN broadcasts. But, Stephens said, “Maybe he’s giving them what they want.”

Jerry Archambeault, NHRA vice-president of public relations and communications, said one racer getting a lot of TV time because he’s intriguing, real, and emotional is Antron Brown. Deadpanned fellow Top Fuel driver Bob Vandergriff teasingly, “It’s because he’s black.”

(That he is a black driver, by the way, rarely enters anyone’s conversation about Brown. In drag racing — which for decades has been color-blind and gender-oblivious and has welcomed Hispanic and Asian racers, as well — the only color that matters is green.)

Brown giggled and high-fived Vandergriff.

And that is Antron Brown. He giggles like a schoolgirl and high-fives and hugs his competitors. He’s an undeniable favorite, even among his peers. But he has a kill switch he flips on when he straps into his 7,000-horsepower, nitro-burning Matco Tools / Aaron’s Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing. He’ll say, “We want to rip each other’s throats out and steal each other’s candy” at the starting line.

This father of three bubbles with joy almost nonstop about driving a Top Fuel dragster. His description of what it’s like inside the cockpit is detailed and riveting.

“The best way I can describe a Top Fuel car launching,” Brown said, “is that when you’re sitting inside that cockpit, it’s going, ‘Puh, puh, puh, puh and it’s rocking back and forth and side to side. Once you hit that throttle wide open, the butterflies extend fully and it gets all that nitro in there. You feel this sensation in your belly getting really light and you feel yourself  floating up.

It floats you up at first where the tire hooks up and the car just curls up and you feel yourself going backwards and back and back. Then all of a sudden it feels like somebody hit you in the back with a sledgehammer. BOOM!” Brown said.

“Then all of a sudden you feel this rocket taking off, and just when you think you’re at your wits’ end because you can’t see and your vision gets tunneled at 150 feet, then all the power comes in and the clutch engages, and you go from being like this [sitting up straight] to being like this [forced down into the seat] where your head is down and your eyeballs are trying to roll into the back of your head,” Brown said.

“Everything’s going shaky, blurry, blurry, shaky, blurry, then all of a sudden it just clears up and you get beamed through this tiny hole like you’re in Star Wars, and you just went into warp drive. Then, before you know it, you’re hitting the parachutes and you’re at the end of the run. Intense, crazy, but we live for it every day.”

Brown can describe it that way because he has something almost as extreme to which he can compare it. He spent 10 years in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. He is the only NHRA professional competitor to make a transition from the bike class to Top Fuel competition, and so far he has 16 victories in each.

He got his start in the NHRA pro ranks with funding from five-time NFL Pro Bowl star Troy Vincent, the former President of the NFL Players Association (and current Vice-President of the NFL Player Engagement Organization, which enables players to be better citizens through personal growth and career development).

But the central New Jersey native, who passed up a college track scholarship from Long Island University, always had yearned for a shot in the Top Fuel class. His life took a detour through Miami and has wound up in the world’s auto racing capital, Indianapolis.

Today Brown is seeking his first championship and is a constant threat to the establishment. Actually, long before this fifth season in a dragster, he has become the establishment. DSR colleague Spencer Massey has dominated with three victories in the season’s first five races, but Brown won at Phoenix (Race No. 2) by beating seven-time champion Tony Schumacher. The trio has passed around the points lead, hogging it for DSR.

Already Brown has exceeded 400 elimination round-wins — no small feat, considering Schumacher is closing in on 600 and he has competed in 97 more Top Fuel races than Brown. But Brown pooh-poohs any comparison, despite being 8-2 against Schumacher, and three of those eight victories coming in final rounds.

“I’m just trying to catch up,” Brown said. “I’ve got 16 Top Fuel trophies. That man’s got 67. I’m just trying to catch up. They’re an incredible team, and you have to step up against an incredible team.”

With crew chiefs Mark Oswald and Brian Corradi tuning, Brown is stepping up against all of them. He hasn’t lost a first-round match-up in 31 events and has advanced to the final round in four of the season’s first five races (and was runner-up three times to Massey). Baytown, Texas, sportswriter Randy Cunningham put it this way: “Seeing his name across the elimination ladder has got to cause guys to just say, ‘Really? Seriously? What time is my flight home?’ ” . . . OK, all but maybe Massey.

As for the DSR dragsters not sharing the wealth right now, Brown said, “We have three strong cars, and we bow out against each other. That’s what really helps raise the bar at Don Schumacher Racing. We have a good, fun competition with each other, and that’s what pushes us to new levels to race with the other guys, because they’re coming, too.”

What Brown said he wants to do is be prepared for a brutal battle this fall when the six-race Countdown to the Championship begins. It might sound a bit early to be thinking about that, but hardly a day has passed since last November — when Brown missed out on his first series title — that it hasn’t been on his mind.

This early fortune is “a real huge statement for us, and we feel good,” Brown said. “But this is just a start. We all know it’s not how you start but how you finish. We came up short last year, and we want to keep on plugging away and overcoming adversity so we know what to do when that Countdown starts [after Labor Day].”

Image credit: NHRA/National Dragster

Brown is willing to work for what he wants. When he uprooted himself and moved to Miami to join Team 23 (for Vincent’s uniform number), he said, “In my mind, it was no time for failure. I moved away from New Jersey. I had to grow up. I had to grow up fast to actually take drag racing to that next level, where it was more than just a love for the sport, to where it was a job. But to be successful, I had to sacrifice some things in my life. And that was one of the things I had to sacrifice, being with family and friends, and put my whole focus on racing to get to that level to be competitive and win.

“I knew it was going to be a lot of hard work, and I’m a workaholic,” Brown said. “People say I have a lot of natural ability, and I probably do. But I do know that my work — the effort that I put into my work habits — I put that at a high level. I never underachieve — I always overachieve. You’ve only got one shot in life. When you have that shot, you’ve got to give it everything you’ve got.”

Brown said an added advantage was that his team “believed in me. So that gave me strength. I kept my head down and kept digging and digging. I wanted to be the best driver I can be.

“My deal is that there are more than 20 teams in Top Fuel, more than 25 in Funny Car, more than 30 in Pro Stock, and more than 30 in Pro Stock Bikes. There’s only one champion each year,” Brown said. “So what sets the difference from a team that wins the championship from a team that doesn’t? Everybody wants to win a championship, but it’s few and far between the drivers who put in the work that’s necessary and put their heart and soul in to make it happen. There’s a lot of people who want it. But what are they going to do to break away from the pack to make that want into reality?”

Vincent’s influence surfaces even today.

He used to ask Brown, “If you want to be of championship caliber, what are you going to set aside? What are you going to do different? What are you going to sacrifice?”

Said Brown, “It goes far beyond sacrifice. You’ve got to go out there and give it all you have. Every second we’re on that racetrack, we’ve got to give it all that we have. You can’t leave nothin’ behind.”

When Brown won the February Arizona Nationals at Phoenix, he said he found his thoughts drifting back to his days as a youngster in New Jersey, where his family raced at the sportsman level, mostly at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at Englishtown and downstate at Atco Raceway.

“I remember as a kid underneath the bleachers, playing in the sand, and saying, ‘Man, I wish I could race one of those nitro cars one day.’ It’s a big dream for me, where I came from.”

Drag-racing fans would be smarter to keep an eye on where Antron Brown is going.

Ahhh, Italy. The land of romance, rich cuisine, religion, Renaissance art, and breathtaking scenery…hallowed haunts of da Vinci and Michelangelo…birthplace of Lancia, Ferrari, and Lamborghini…home of picturesque beaches and mountain splendor . . . the perfect place to unwind with a goblet of Chianti, with background violins playing the soothing strains of Verdi and Rossini.

It’s also a pretty effective place to get away from the snarl of an 8,000-horsepower engine that gobbles nitromethane in ungodly gulps and a headache-inducing list of  responsibilities.

Morgan Lucas found that out this month.

The National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel driver and fiancée Katie Pallone took advantage of some rare time off from Full Throttle Drag Racing Series competition to travel to Italy for a vacation. And that, Lucas said, made his disappointing performance at last weekend’s Charlotte race more palatable.

Lucas had been on a magic-carpet ride through the first four races of the season, winning the Gatornationals and earning three No. 1 qualifying positions. He had been as high as second in the standings. All are exceptional achievements in a Don Schumacher Racing-dominated start. The three DSR drivers — Spencer Massey, Antron Brown, and Tony Schumacher have been selfish about advancing to final rounds, winning races, and leading the standings.

So Lucas, in his words, was trying “to ride the wave while it’s up.”

It came crashing down at Concord, N.C., at the Four-Wide Nationals (and a format he never was crazy about to begin with). He qualified his GEICO/Lucas Oil Dragster No. 14 at zMAX Dragway. That showing was more reminiscent of his 2011, when he failed to qualify three times and started from the bottom half of the order 15 times.

He was lucky to make the field at No. 14, at that. He came from outside the lineup in his fourth and final qualifying chance, and jumped in with his first complete pass of the weekend.

“For whatever reason, we just couldn’t get a handle on it,” Lucas said. “We got behind the 8-ball early and never really got back around it. I’ve never had a lot of luck here [at zMAX Dragway]. It’s not any particular person’s fault. It’s just a rough weekend for us.

“We had a lot of good ones, and I’m sure everybody else is going to have bad ones, too,” he said. “It’s one of those things where we’ve got to get back on top of it. This was just a bad weekend. I’m not going to hang my head about it. It’s just one of those things we’ve got to be able to recover from.”

He said his and Pallone’s trip to Italy “was a good place to press reset. I probably would’ve been a lot more ticked off after this weekend had I not been to Italy first.

“Italy was one of if not the most fun vacation I’ve ever had,” Lucas said. “It was a really cool, neat place. There were a lot of fun people that we met. We just had a great time. I can definitely recommend it to anybody who wants to take a really fun, romantic, all-around great vacation.”

To refocus on his job and what he needs to make next week’s O’Reilly Spring Nationals at Baytown, Texas, pay off, he and his team remained in suburban Charlotte to test. Part of his mission was to right the team ship, and part of it was to be ready when the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff begins at this same racetrack in September.

“We’ve got to keep working,” he said after losing in the opening round Sunday. “We’ll test and hopefully come up with something good so when we come back here in the fall for the Countdown, we’re on our A-game.”

It’s way too over-reactive to say Morgan Lucas’ season is in ruins. But if Italy can turns its ancient ruins into fascinating history, so can the Top Fuel driver with a strong 2012 foundation.

Medlen, who adored children, asked, “Can I babysit Autumn?” Hight replied, “No. She’s kind of new.”

That protective quality is what makes Hight, regardless of his status as Force’s son-in-law, the perfect choice as President of the multi-team organization. Force announced the 2009 Funny Car champion’s new role in January 2011. And Hight is almost like a guardian to whom Force has handed his precious baby.

At least 20 NHRA professional racers are owner-drivers, but none has the breadth of responsibility as Hight. Far, far beyond the scope of a family perk, Hight’s job is to preserve the empire that rags-to-riches Force painstakingly has built, in his own words, “from flat nothin’.”

Being The President Of John Force Racing

Each morning Hight arrives at around 6:30 at the Yorba Linda, Calif., shop that houses corporate offices and the John Force Entertainment multimedia arm that Ashley Force Hood guides. That’s so he can communicate with the personnel — including his Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang crew — at JFR’s Brownsburg, Ind., headquarters as their day is beginning three time zones away. “I feel honored – this is what John wakes up for every day,” Hight said. “He wakes up to make his company better, to make NHRA drag racing better. And God forbid if something was to ever happen, he put me in a position to do this.”

Selling comes naturally to Hight, whose parents owned a clothing store in Alturas, in Northern California. “During summers I would work in there. I can sell things,” Hight said. “I’ll tell you what makes it easy … it’s pretty easy to sell John Force Racing. You have a pretty good product you’re selling. It’s a known product. It’s a little tougher to go to a company that knows nothing about drag racing. You have to educate them on what you’re selling them. But companies like Freightliner and Auto Club, they already know and understand drag racing and motorsports. They understand the value.” And for JFR, Hight said, “…has a good history, a winning history. It’s pretty easy.”

Success Comes From Teamwork

JFR has 17 series titles in the past 22 years, 15 from Force. Hight has one, and Tony Pedregon scored the first of his two while under the JFR banner. That added dimension in Hight’s repertoire of skills has given him the confidence to grow with public speaking and weighing in on business decisions that affect the organization’s four Funny Car teams and its lone dragster operation. Part of his comfort is in knowing his gifts, “It’s hard to live up to how John gets up and entertains. I’m not an entertainer. We have different styles.”

Hight said he doesn’t feel any weight on his shoulders, for he doesn’t feel alone. “There are so many people here who make it so easy,” Hight said. “There are so many good people everywhere you look, and they’re all a part of it. I’m just lucky to be a part of it is the way I feel. If there’s a project, a car show, a sponsor function, you name it, everybody jumps on it, tackles it, gets the job done and moves on. We still go to John for advice. We go to Bernie [veteran crew chief Fedderly] for advice. Guido [crew chief Dean Antonelli] is really hands-on for a lot of things other than the race car. Collectively we make decisions that are best for the company.”

In 1995, all Hight knew was he had to go to Canada for a match race and work on the clutch of Force’s Funny Car. The next race was at Denver, where he learned he officially was the team’s new clutch specialist. “We won that race, and John gave me the trophy,” Hight said.

Ten years later, he had stepped up as the driver of one of Force’s Funny Cars and he won that race at Denver. “So I gave John the trophy for that,” Hight said. “I got to repay John.”

Hight has repaid Force many times over. He has served as facilities manager of the team’s Yorba Linda property. He married Force’s eldest daughter Adria – who has been John Force Racing’s longtime chief financial officer – and they made “the boss” a grandfather in 2004 with daughter Autumn. Hight began his driving career in 2005 and earned rookie-of-the-year honors, then won the 2009 Funny Car championship. In 2007, when Force sustained multiple fractures and other injuries in a crash at Dallas, Hight even attended to Force’s grooming needs during an extended hospital stay.

Leading The Way In 2012

Through it all, Hight has given up nothing of his competitive edge. This season, he has been the shining star of JFR and the Funny Car class on the racetrack. Force and Castrol teammate Mike Neff squared off in the season-opening final round. Force won, then Neff led the points for a couple of races. But it has been all Hight, winning three consecutive times in the first four races, qualifying No. 1 twice, posting a 12-1 round-win mark, and leading the points heading to the April 13-15 4-Wide Nationals at Charlotte. Remarkably, but still true to form, Hight is humble about his place in the class.

Crew chief Jimmy Prock and assistant Eric Lane head the team, and Hight said, “That’s what really is the best part of the job, working with my team, and working with Jimmy. I still love the race car part of it and seeing things get built, organizing what gets built and prioritizing.”

Traditional Schooling Wasn’t For Hight

His parents wanted him to go to college and settle into the corporate world. He complied for awhile, attended a junior college and, Hight said, “…basically went through the motions. This is what I really wanted to do.”

Hight said he wished he had been exposed to more engineering classes but said, “I always wanted to learn. I would go back to the shop and work on the blower dyno. Eventually I wanted to learn everything about the car. That’s important if you want to be a crew chief, and I definitely think it’s important as a driver to know how it all works.” Just the same, Hight said, “I have to realize there’s more to this job than just driving the race cars. There’s fulfilling your sponsorship obligations and treating this like a business, making sure it’s an everlasting entity. We’re going to keep going. But you don’t ever look at anything we do here like it’s a job. You don’t look at the clock. When you do look at the clock, you say, `Man it’s already 5 o’clock?’ A lot’s going on, and we’re all enjoying what we do.”

Hight said he and Adria “…try to get all that [business] done during the day so that when you get away, you get away. Still…whatever it takes, we do.” Working without stress, counting work as a joy, is a luxury not many corporate heads can claim. For Hight, it’s merely a logical step.

The company, Hight said, “Is not going to grow, it’s not going to get any better, unless you make it better. John wakes up in the morning and he works all day on deals and making things better. He lives the company. I really believe what John believes, that you have to live it.”

Right now, Robert Hight is living it up.

A name and a word most famously recognized in global pop culture as the fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe series and brought to life by Robert Downey Jr. on the silver screen, it’s also a term utilized by the World Triathlon Corporation to describe what’s arguably the most intense physical test of a man or woman on earth as an endurance competition unlike any other that stretches the bounds of the human body. And it just might be the only term suitable enough to describe a drag racer who sets out on an unheard of journey that exploits the capabilities of man and machine.

57-year old Randy Seward may not wear a suit of gadget-infested armor or run, bike, and swim ungodly distances in succession, but what he’s accomplished is nothing short of surreal in the drag racing world.

Although a plan hatched long before being shared with the online community that would ultimately find itself glued to his adventure through their computer screens, Seward unveiled his mission to drive his eight-second Ford Mustang from his current home in New Mexico all the way to Bradenton, Fla. to compete in the Nitto Tire NMRA Spring Break Shootout at the Bradenton Motorsports Park – an 1,800-mile, one-way drive from his departure point. The sport has seen some impressive displays of street-ability escapades, but nothing quite like this.

For a scrapbook of images from Randy’s three-week adventure, check out the large gallery of images located at the bottom of the story.

The Car

Image courtesy: Race Pages/NMRA

Seward purchased the Mustang that completed the long haul adventure in 2007, beginning as a four cylinder coupe for the bargain price of just $1,800 on eBay. Immediately, he set out building a high-powered engine from scratch and overhauling every part and piece necessary to make it a quarter-mile screamer and a capable daily driver to boot.

A result of evolution over a number of years, Seward’s 1991 Mustang LX features a 363 cubic inch powerplant, outfitted with a Prime 1 crankshaft and rods bolted to CP pistons with a 9.0:1 compression ratio, TFS high port aluminum cylinder heads prepped by Champion Racing Heads with Ferrea valves and Crane Cams rocker arms, and a custom mechanical roller COMP Cams piece. The engine is topped with an Edelbrock Performer II intake with a Haltech fuel injection setup through a BBK 75mm throttle body, fed by a pair of Garrett GT3582R turbochargers and fueled by two Aeromotive Pro fuel pumps drawing from the stock fuel tank.

The power is delivered through an automatic overdrive transmission built by FB Transmission mated with a PTC converter through an aluminum driveshaft to a nine-inch housing with 3.25 gears sporting axles and a spool from Strange Engineering.

The entire package rolls on a set of Weld Racing Draglite wheels, stopped by a set of a Strange four caliper brakes up front and Baer dual calipers on the rear, and riding on Strange front struts and shocks and adjustable rear shocks. Other modifications to the suspension setup have included TRZ upper and lower front and rear control arms and a custom anti roll bar. TRZ also mini-tubbed the car to allow for the transition from a 295 radial to a wider 315 for added road and street-going traction.

A Ford aficionado and enthusiast dating back to his teenage years, Seward’s 1991 Mustang is the second such pony car he’s had the pleasure of owning, driving, and transforming from a four-cylinder weakling to a twin-turbo sleeper. In 1992, as the Fox body Mustangs were in their heyday, Seward ditched his plan to put a stroked 427 side-oiler in the Cougar he had, and in his own words “stole” his wife’s 1985 four cylinder Mustang coupe to convert it into a street and strip car. Seward built a 302 short block with TS heads and the works, upgraded the rear end, added a pair of Garrett turbos, and went racing. Unfortunately in late 1994, shortly after being featured in MM&FF Magazine, the ’85 was stolen and later stripped of its parts; some of which Seward was able to recover. For the first time in 20 years, the car buff was without a performance vehicle, and another 13 years would pass before the itch came to take on this new project.

A Florida native who’s called New Mexico home for the last year as part of his work as an engineer and project manager at the Holloman Air Force Base, Seward won True Street at Bradenton back in 2010 in the LX with an 8.66 average and shortly thereafter, set off one of his first long distance treks to the Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga. – roughly 1,000 miles round trip – where he garnered runner-up honors with an 8.87 average elapsed time. That trip was followed by another 1,000-plus mile trip to the zMax Dragway in North Carolina. Seward garnered a frenzy of media attention around the Ford Mustang enthusiast community for what he’d accomplished, setting in motion the goal of navigating even further distances.

What motivates such adventures that others wouldn’t even attempt with their own cars?

“I never really wanted to have a trailer and a truck available, because that’s the only thing they’re used for is going to the track and back,” said Seward. “And to add to that, it’s a lot of work to have to load the car up, unload it, make a couple passes, and go through it all again. Basically, it’s just more fun to drive the car to the track, bring a few essentials along, adjust the air pressure, go fast, and drive it home. It’s a challenge, but there are things you can do when you build the car with long distance driving in mind to make it drivable.”

Long Distance Preparation

Seward cites choices in camshafts, the size of the intake manifold, using turbos rather than a naturally-aspirated combo with a large cam, a strong rear end housing with an overdrive transmission, and other elements. “It’s really a combination with a dual purpose as a race car and a street car.”

He also utilizes a redundant ignition system with both a crank trigger and dual-sync distributor and an MSD 6AL for the street and a Digital 7 for race use that can be switched on going down the highway should one fail.

Seward devised his plan in December of possibly driving the car to Bradenton to compete in the NMRA season opener, and while the idea of such a trek had always been in mind, he admits there were certainly some things to address before hitting the road. With a career best 8.49 carded last November in Houston, winning certainly wasn’t one of the issues.

“It wasn’t like I’d never considered driving the car a long distance before, it was just a question of, you know, that’s a lot further than any distance I’ve driven before, and how hard will I run it when I get it there. One of the biggest questions in my mind was how I was going to manage the situation, being 2,000 miles from home.”

Putting his problem solving skills as an engineer to work, Seward set about figuring out what he needed to do to make the trip a success and how to accomplish it in the time frame he had to work with before the event. If everything could be checked off the list in time, the trip was a go. At that point, the transmission was pulled and rebuilt and the engine gone through with a fine-tooth comb to ensure everything was ready for the grueling test ahead.

A Google Maps view of Randy's 1,800-plus mile route from his home in Alamogordo, NM to the Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida.

A week and a half prior to his planned departure, Seward spent four consecutive 18-hour days in his shop getting his Mustang put back together and ready for the trip to the Sunshine State. This left roughly one week to drive the car around town and to make some laps at the local track to ensure that everything checked out and was functioning properly. “I put about 250 to 300 miles on it just driving around making sure it didn’t overheat, that the transmission was fine, and things like that,” he said.

A visit to the El Paso Motorplex revealed an issue with a solenoid in the transmission that was quickly repaired the same day, but a subsequent 120-mile trip to the small Arroyo Seco Raceway in Deming, NM – with a gravel return road and all – netted a handful of off-pace but solid runs without any breakage or mechanical issues. Following that outing on the Sunday prior to departure, Seward was confident his twin turbocharged machine was ready for the drive and that any on-track performance issues could be diagnosed and rectified upon arrival. The Hoosier radials were swapped for a set of Mickey Thompsons for the drive, and the coupe was ready.

Bradenton Or Bust

And so it was, on Tuesday, February 28 – two days prior to the opening of the gates in Bradenton – Seward nestled down into his Kirkey race seat, rolled the engine over, pulled out of his driveway in Alamagordo, NM, and set off for Bradenton or bust. The proverbial 10 pounds in a 5 pound sack, Seward had armed himself with a survival kit and essentials including a small flashlight, extra plugs, wires, a cell phone charger, laptop power adapter, and a small Craftsman toolbox with the tools to complete nearly anything the car might need.

The sign of a true old school road warrior, Seward also packed his sleeping bag so that he could pull over to the side of the road each night and sleep on the ground next to the car. “The big factor with me when I take the car on the road is that if its not with me, it can get stolen or vandalized. If I stop at a hotel and go inside for a few hours, my car is vulnerable to theft, and so I’d rather sit in the car and sleep upright or on the ground then ever leave it for any extended period in a parking lot.”

Seward headed east on I-20 towards Dallas, Tex. and made it clear to Mississippi on the first day before pulling over at an exit to sleep at around 1am for roughly four hours, before climbing back into the seat like a seasoned truck driver. He then picked up I-59 toward Mobile, Ala. and onward to I-75 toward Tampa. An uneventful trip, Seward arrived at his destination in Orlando by 5pm on Wednesday afternoon with 1,800-plus miles in his rearview mirror. Once there, he changed the oil and repaired the solenoid in the transmission and got the car on a local chassis dyno, as had been previously planned. Once on the dyno, Seward packed up and made the relatively short drive down to Bradenton late Wednesday night, where he slept overnight in the spectator parking field outside the track gates.

In the days prior to leaving for Florida, Seward had posted on the Yellow Bullet forums of his intentions and it didn’t take long for the story to whip into a frenzy. “The Bullet” has a reputation as the most raucous of online message forums for drag racing, but it’s also a tight-knit community of folks that will bend over backwards to do a fellow racer a favor, and right away, Seward received countless offers of places to stay or seek help – should he need it – along his route.

Back Home Yet Far From Home: The NMRA Spring Break Shootout

With all of the attention that his adventure had already received by way of the internet and Yellow Bullet in particular, Seward awoke that Thursday morning and hardly made it into the line and through the gate before he was met by interested spectators, journalists, and other members of the media who had caught word of this extraordinary effort.

“I was sitting in line outside of the track waiting to get in for about five minutes, and the NMRA crew came over and interviewed me, asking about the trip and how everything was going. Once I was in the gate, a lot of people that I’d never even met came over and congratulated me on making the drive. As far as everyone was concerned, the fact that I’d completed the drive and just made it there was a victory in itself.”

The only snafu in a relatively uneventful drive to Bradenton was a broken alternator support bolt that gave up the ghost just 50 miles outside of Orlando. Nothing a few zip ties can't handle for a short time.

While the trip to Bradenton had been rather uneventful, the weekend didn’t go quite as smoothly. Not at first anyway. Seward fought an issue he had difficulty diagnosing, first focusing on the spark plugs and then the wires believing one or both to be faulty. Everything checked out, but a comparison of the fuel maps between a prior race outing and this one on his laptop displayed some vast discrepancies. Seward keyed in the fuel numbers from that tune from last season and instantly cracked out an 8.9-second lap, followed by an 8.70 aided by some added boost percentage. Following the obligatory 30-mile cruise and back-to-back-to-back passes required of True Street competitors, the undisputed all-time Long Haul award winner ceremoniously topped off his incredible story with the overall title with an average elapsed time of 8.93 seconds.

A Last Minute Double-Dip

Seward had planned from the outset to compete in True Street that Saturday and begin the journey back to New Mexico on Sunday morning. However, after the exceptional outing at the NMRA event, the last-minute decision was made to leave the car in Florida, fly home for two weeks, and return for the NMCA season opener there on March 15-18. This was made possible in large part to family in the Orlando area, who assisted in making airline reservations and provided a safe and secure place to keep the car during those two weeks.

Perhaps more-so than the outcome of the True Street competition itself, the focus of this trip was simply surviving, bringing himself and his race car home safely and in one piece, and proving that such an undertaking could be done. Now back in New Mexico without his car and his round-trip mission postponed, Seward found himself full of anticipation during those two weeks to complete the journey for which he had started.

Don’t Eat The Crawdads – The NMCA Season Opener

Seward arrived back in Orlando on March 15th and returned the car to the dyno at Real Street Performance in Longwood, Fla. before heading to Bradenton. There, a crack in the intercooler was discovered and quickly repaired. Much as he had two weeks before, Seward made a late night run down to Bradenton and set up his one-man camp in the field outside the gates at the track.

Randy won his second straight outright True Street title at the NMCA opener with an off pace 9.51 average elapsed time.

There’s always a point where the story turns interesting, and Friday night following time trials at the NMCA event was that point. “On Friday, I made a couple of great passes and the car ran fine, so I decided to leave it alone and relax and get ready for the competition the next day,” said Seward. That night, they had a cookout over at the GM tent with barbecue and crawdads and I had myself a pretty good meal. I woke up in the middle of the night not feeling too well and by about six in the morning, I was really sick. I spent the rest of the day recovering from food poisoning and didn’t eat anything but a banana and a breakfast bar the entire day,” Seward said with a laugh. “Nobody knew it, but I was sick all day during and after the race.”

A second consecutive overall True Street victory with a 9.51 average elapsed time following consecutive passes of 8.89, 9.45, and 10.19 surely served as an antidote for a day that could be summed up as an anecdote. But the story gets more interesting yet.

Finishing What He Started

Seward began his journey home that evening with his True Street hardware in tow headed down the long road back to New Mexico. Before he could even make it out of the Bradenton area however, he found himself driving back to the track with a small “miss” in the car traced to the distributor. But without a spare, the trip went on in hopes that it wouldn’t fail entirely.

Seward made it as far as Tallahassee on Sunday morning before, as he jokes, “thing really got interesting.” Right after filling up the tank and getting back on interstate, the engine went silent.

“I couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t start. It wouldn’t even communicate with the laptop. I thought I had it solved and made it down the road about eight hours and at around midnight, I pulled off an exit in Louisiana and the car died again. I tossed out my sleeping bag and slept right there on the side of the road and got up early in the morning and realized the fuel pressure diaphragm had a leak in it and was letting fuel into the sensor line between it and the intake.”

That afternoon, Seward made it just beyond Forth Worth, Tex. before running smack dab into a line of heavy rain and thunderstorms that brought his trek to a crippling halt. Because as you can imagine, four figures in horsepower, drag radial tires, and rain don’t make for a great combination. “I drove as long as I could but eventually it was raining so hard that it wasn’t safe to keep driving down the road with the drag radials,” explained Seward. “But honestly, it wasn’t any safer on the road with cars zipping by at 80 miles per hour as it was just driving the thing. I limped it down the road to a parking lot and almost got the car stuck in the mud it was coming down so hard.”

By this time, after more than three weeks as one of the most talked-about threads on the Yellow Bullet forum, Seward’s journey had developed a huge following of supporters urging him on – as if urging a runner trying desperately to make it to the finish line of a marathon – and the assistance came pouring in around the clock. Forum members jumped to offer their support, using weather maps and traffic cameras situated along the route to provide Seward with information regarding the weather on the road ahead.

On Second Though, Radials Can Do Everything

But the closer he got to the end, the more challenging things became. Any by challenging, we mean traversing through late winter snow in New Mexico as he neared the mountain city of Cloudcroft.

“There’s a webcam set up in Cloudcroft that’s pointed at some of the businesses and roads in town, and I got some of the forum members to tell me what they saw. There was snow covering the ground and it was actively snowing at the time.”

Seward pressed on through the mountains until the wee hours of the morning, but the combination of the treacherous road conditions, a lack of cell phone reception, and dangerous sub-freezing temperatures should the car break down provided him his one and only hotel stay of the entire trip in the town of Artesia – just two hours from home – which was graciously paid for by a forum member.

Randy stopped to wave to all of those following on the internet via the webcam located in the small snow-covered town of Cloudcroft, NM on his return home.

“Pushing through under the circumstances was not only uncomfortable, but borderline dangerous, so I got to stay in a nice bed for free that night thanks to this gentleman.”

On the return trip, Seward made it within a couple of hours of his home before encountering late-winter snow that slowed his progress but proved that drag radials can do more than previously thought.

“Surprisingly, the car actually had some traction in the snow. I don’t think it’s much different than a regular tire in the snow, because almost any typical tire tread gets packed with snow and you basically have whatever the rubber can do by pushing the snow out of its way. I had to drive up a small hill and back down in Cloudcroft in the snow and really didn’t have any problems.”

Seward arrived back where it all started in Alamogordo the Monday following the race, feeling full of accomplishment yet longing for the open road once again, “It was a combination of a relief because I made it like I said I was going to do and I was very successful in winning both races, and I could finally relax, but if you’ve had a good adrenaline high, now you’re coming off that high and you’re disappointed that it’s all over.”

Seward had thrived on the cult-like following his escapade had created and the encouragement of those following his progress, and as stated in a forum post during the return trip, “…it was almost like they were all there with me.” Any time that he had troubles, a handful of Yellow Bullet members in the area were ready at the drop of a hat to lend their assistance. All told, Randy used in the neighborhood of 50 to 90 gallons of fuel each way while averaging a rather impressive 16 to 20 miles per gallon depending upon the driving conditions.

“I’ve Got Something Much Bigger In Mind”

Having just completed one of the most impressive feats this sport has ever seen, you might wonder if and how it could be topped. Randy Seward has already done the wondering, however.

The how, the when, and the financials of it all are nearly as fresh as these words on your screen, but Randy shared with us with his vision for something much more extraordinary: a 72-day cross country trip up the west coast and across the nations heartland to the northeast and down to Florida, with stops at some 30 to 40 dragstrips along the way. Not a trip for the faint-hearted, and a test of man and machine beyond anything most of us can comprehend.

“Last year, I drew up the itinerary and planned on doing it this year, but finances caught up with me and those plans changed. But throughout this extended adventure, I want to visit as many tracks as I can, intermingle with the local racers and do some good-natured heads-up racing, offer a chance for followers in different areas to come out and visit, and really get everyone involved to a much higher degree. But it really comes down to whether I can financially swing it.”

Whether this true outlaw with an unorthodox yet refreshing approach to the sport is able to pull off such a vision, his mark has already been made with the successful completion of an adventure approaching 4,000 total miles that captivated tens of thousands of followers and re-wrote the very definition of what a street and strip machine is and what it should be able to accomplish.

There are no villains here, but if drag racing ever had its own unpenetrable Ironman, it’s certainly Randy Seward.

New year, new team and new paint kick things off for Klugger/Fiscus Racing for 2012. Photo Courtesy Josh Klugger.

Dragzine: What are your plans and goals with the fresh PLR engine for 2012?

Klugger: The main goal is to win some races, Secondary would be to set a record or even be the first to the 4.20′s.

Fiscus: The new engine is basically the same setup as last year with the exception of a new port design for the heads and a Berry Billet Intake. From our initial testing the first weekend at SGMP, not only does the new intake save weight and look great but it also evened out the individual cylinder temperatures. With no individual cylinder correction, the EGT’s were closer than before which had as much as 10% individual cylinder correction. We have a lot of testing to do but want to be very consistent this year while continuing to run the big numbers.

Dragzine:When and how did you decide to team up with Kevin for the coming year?

Klugger: Kevin and I have had a partnership for several years now with Hurricane Performance out of Orange Park Florida. We were talking about future plans in drag racing and both have a similar goal, and that will take a large financial commitment. So around November we started to talk about merging our race programs, which would help us both. We can share knowledge between the two of us; I can learn from Kevin on some of my weak points and vice versa. We were as close to team mates as you could be in the past but ran separate cars, shared tuning information, parts, and tools, so this was just a logical step.

Fiscus: Josh and I have been friends for many years racing together and I’ve talked about forming a combined team for a few years and it just made a lot of sense this year with the money it takes to field a top car now.

Dragzine:  How did you get started racing, and when did you decide to move to the Drag Radial scene.

Klugger: Actually I got started in early 2000 running a few index classes in the NMRA and Fun Ford. I ran in the Mod Motor class mainly. After doing that for a couple of years I decided to build an NMRA Drag radial car. I believe the first year I ran the full series was ’05 and ’06. In ’06, I decide  that I couldn’t take off from work for as long of a time period, so I switched combos from a Mod motor to a pushrod motor and started running all the outlaw events.

Fiscus: My addiction and love for drag racing started the first time I took my 2003 Roush Mustang down the track which was a 13-second ride. Fast forward a few years when I bought a turnkey Drag Radial car and went 7.90’s the first weekend in the car. I got my license and the following weekend scored a runner up in the 2007 U.S. Street Nationals. In ’07 and ’08 I ran the NMRA Drag Radial series and was nominated for Rookie of the Year and finished 3^rd in the points in 2007. In 2009 I put a SBF Proline motor in the car and held the 1/8 and 1/4-mile record for a time with a 4.60 and 7.06 respectfully. I also was the second racer to ever run a six-second pass on radials and the first with a small block. I took most of 2010 off planning my return with a Proline BBF and did that ever pay off. In February 2011 we were the first car ever to enter into the 4.30’s and lowered the record to a 4.33.

The engine used last year was simply freshed and updated for the 2012 season with the biggest change being a new billet intake on the Gen II PLR 632. Photo courtesy Josh Klugger.

Dragzine: We know having your car stolen was a big setback and disappointment. Has there been any progress on finding it or making an arrest?

Fiscus: The theft of my car was a HUGE setback – and still is – as well as a valuable lesson in life. There’s still an investigation going on. It’s been expressed to me that they’re pretty sure who it was and the players involved. As far as recovery, it’s a very interesting thing that not one part has shown up from the car. To this day I still get phone calls from Australia, the islands, and the states with people wondering if it’s my car. They usually follow up with pictures. If and when the car shows up some where they will be caught; there are too many people that know that car, from chassis tuners, to engine builders, to tuners, and racers.

Dragzine: Who and what is Hurricane Performance?

Klugger: Hurricane Performance was started 3 years ago by myself, Kevin Fiscus, and Jason Combs. It’s located in Orange Park, just outside of Jacksonville. We started out with primarily building street cars with turbo setups, or superchargers. We have since grown and have a few heads up cars on the horizon “if all goes as planned.”

Dragzine: How do you feel about the Radial vs. The World class with allowing pretty much any chassis and the controversy over what is or isn’t stock suspension.

Klugger: First, Radial vs. the world is actually a pretty neat class; it really has nothing to do with the kind of chassis. It really levels the playing field with the tires and who can make what work on that given day.

Second, as far as what is or what isn’t stock suspension, I don’t think it really matters. From a Ford stock-type four-link perspective, I feel it works just as well with a stock-type versus a traditional four-link. I don’t think there is a need to make people run a three-link or an IRS just for safety reasons. I’m sorry, but if we’re running 1/4-mile out the back I’m not one who would want to go 230+ on a three-link.

Fiscus: For one or two races a year I love the idea but also like the idea of racing my fellow racers on the same tire on the same track.

The first runs of the year were done at South Georgia Motorsports Park, home track to the north east Florida based team.

Dragzine: Given the steadily increasing performance of the top cars in the class, who do you think will be the first to run 4.20′s? And do you think the speeds and ET’s are getting out of hand, especially relating to the cost to be competitive.

Klugger: Actually Kevin was the first to the 30′s last year, and at the end of the year we should have gone 20′s; however the stars didn’t align. I think with the added power the new engine is making and with some advances from Proformance Racing Transmissions (Dave Klaput) I think it will happen sooner than later. I also think you’re going to see a plateau in the 4.20′s and then you’ll see other cars catch up. It’s not as much about buying newer and better stuff at this point, but more about refining what you already have.

Fiscus: As far as the first to the 4.30’s, it was myself last February and we (Fiscus/Klugger Racing) plan to give it all we’ve got to be the first to the 4.20’s early in 2012. As far as the speeds and ET’s, I feel they’re a natural progression in any form of motorsports. The longer and harder you work with a given power plant and tire you should naturally be getting faster with the knowledge you gain from your past experiences.  The cost associated with staying on top is one of the reasons we formed this new team for the 2012 racing season.

Holley is a company that truly defines automotive performance. Founded in Bradford, Pennsylvania in 1896 by two brothers as a vehicle manufacturer – they quickly turned to carburetors in 1904. By 1905, they were based in Detroit, and before long they were churning out innovative carbs for the Model T. Within 20 years, they owned over 50% of the world wide OEM carb market. Moving to Bowling Green, Kentucky in the mid 1950s, and acquired by Colt Industries in the late 1960s, the company owned the performance carburetor market with an iron first.

The company struggled under the debt load. In 2008, Holley filed for bankruptcy, and then later in 2009 for Chapter 11 protection, but the company was starting to get it’s sea legs. In the last 4 years, Holley not only emerged from bankruptcy protection, but has seen a complete resurgence. With innovative new products like a complete line of LSX parts, a new EFI system, new racing carburetors, and even a new NASCAR-spec throttle body, Holley is now manufacturing parts that people want to buy.

However, more impressive than the products, is the team of gear heads Holley has quietly assembled. Led by new CEO Tom Tomlinson and VP of Marketing Bill Tichenor, Holley has brought in a mix of industry veterans, racers, and enthusiasts like Robin Lawrence, John Sonnefeldt, Liz Miles, and Ricky Best.

Tom Tomlinson is no fool. A gear head and true enthusiast himself, he knew that he needed a crew that was used to having grease under their fingernails. We decided to take some time out of our normally hectic schedule to chat with Tomlinson, and see what the past, present, and future has in store for this company with more than 100 years of performance history.

Tomlinson: “I actually have a little background on that. I had really fallen in love with the LT1 engines, and when the LS1 was first introduced I thought “Oh no, I can’t believe GM is abandoning this engine I love so much!” So I actually went out and bought a ’97 Firebird Formula coupe so I would have one the last LT1 engines. I obviously had a lot of fun in that car over the years, but somewhere in between I actually got to drive an LS car and I thought “Oh my gosh this is unbelievable.”

So that had led to the love of the LS engine.In fact, I had started an LT1 swap into an El Camino, and I halted that in mid-progress to go the LS route. And you know, one thing led to another and I’ve had a bunch of LS cars now. It really just is the engine of our time, the new Chevy Small Block, if you will.”

LSxTV: What LS cars have you yourself owned? Any favorite engine in the LS series?

Tomlinson: “Well as far as LS-cars, my first one was a 1999 Corvette fixed roof coupe. I have also had a 2005 Z51 C6 Coupe, a 2007 Z06, a 2004 GTO, a 2004 CTS-V, and a 2010 Camaro. I also had a 2003 Silverado that had a blower on it. But ironically, I finally went back and bought a 1999 Formula Firebird with an LS, because I’ve never had an LS1 4^th gen. That’s what I’m playing with right now. In terms of engine favorites, my LS7 I would have to say is the most fun I’ve had so far. I haven’t had the opportunity of owning an LS9 or LSA yet.

The Z06 was such a fantastic car, and even on a hot day I would take that car to the drag strip and click off 11.80’s all day. It’s just an incredible car. We’re actually using an LS7 block with an LS9 blower for another Holley project that we’re working on, a 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix. Haven’t driven that yet, but that is probably going to be my favorite. But at this point, based on what I have experienced, the LS7 is my favorite so far.”

Project G-Force is a 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix that will be getting an LS7 engine topped with a supercharger from the LS9 in addition to a host of other modifications

LSxTV: Wow, that Grand Prix sounds like a cool project. Can you tell us more?

LSxTV: Holley has a lot of new LSX parts, how have you guys tried to stay ahead of the curve on LSX engine technology?

Tomlinson: “Our role in it has been in a couple of areas. Obviously some of the basic modifications to any engine including getting more air in and out. The throttle bodies, headers, and exhaust components certainly have been part of what we’ve been doing But the LSx motor has become such a popular motor to swap into vintage chassis, into just about anything frankly including imports and classics. I’ve even seen people putting LSx motors into a Rolls Royce. They’re going into everything. So we wanted to offer our customers parts that make it easier, that solve problems with swapping LS motors.

That has led us to the oil pan that we did, and that fits a wide variety of chassis. We have some engine mount plate kits to give the customer the option of where they want to engine to go in the chassis. We’ve got some swap headers we’re excited about. But with the revitalization of Holley’s portfolio, we’ve been focusing on the Holley brand and Earl’s, but we’ve got the great Hooker brand too, and we’ve got great things in store for the Hooker brand, starting with LS-powered vehicles.”

Holley's LS Swap Oil Pans allow modern engines to fit into classic chassis without clearance issues.

LSxTV: What LS engine seems to be the most popular with your customers, and what parts are they buying?

Tomlinson: “It’s hard for me to say which specific one is the most popular. There are a lot of people building low-buck engines — just picking up junkyard 5.3 liter engines, and making 400+ horsepower. Those engines are very popular with a certain set of budget enthusiasts. There were so many LS2’s out there in GTOs, Corvettes, and CTS-V’s – that those remain popular.

And now with the new Camaro, parts for the LS3 are very popular as well. As far as parts go, headers remain popular, and our coil covers that give LS engines that big block look have been popular. It’s amazing to me that if you paint them orange it gives the engine a vintage look, and if you paint them black or grey it gives them a modern look. The swap oil pans are popular too, and we’re working on a lot of other parts for the LS as well.”

LSxTV: For a company known for its carburetors, you’ve had a lot of success working with the new Dominator, Avenger, and HP EFI systems. Can you tell us about the EFI options for the LS engines?

Tomlinson: “We’re having tremendous success with the Holley EFI systems. It’s a fully self-learned style system,, and it’s just amazing how quickly it self-learns. We have an EFI system that is fully compatible with the LS motors. It’ll run a a 4l60 or 4l80E automatic transmissions no problem. We’ve got guys with modern cars like the guy running the Texas Mile that did over 200 mph in his Corvette. He was shooting for 250, but the car broke a wheel at speed and you may have seen that video. We’ve had success with high horsepower cars, and it will run a distributor less ignition, the drive-by-wire. It’s a very good solution for the LS motor.”

LSxTV: As you’ve already mentioned, LS engines are extremely popular for vintage vehicle swaps. What platforms are you focusing on to make these swaps easier?

Tomlinson: “As far as individual platforms, there are obviously some platforms from the 1960’s that are very important, and a lot of our parts have been built for those. But we’re taking a look at some of the newer platforms that have come along. This would include the G-Body. We built the E-Rod El Camino and I’ve already mentioned the ’87 Grand Prix with the LS7 motor and LS9 blower. So we think the G-bodies are coming along. We also just completed a late A-body, a 1974 Chevelle wagon. Some other platforms that we think will be coming along will be the late 2^nd gen Camaros and Firebirds from ’74 to ’81. There are lots of swaps going into Corvettes, including C1’s, C2’s, and C3’s.

Those are the platforms that come to mind, but we’re also doing a Nissan 240sx kit right now. It’s a swap that has come hugely popular with the import guys. It seems like you can’t pick up an import magazine these days without seeing an RX-7 or Nissan 240sx LS engine swap. We’ve even seen it in some of the Lexus cars. We’re also focusing on trucks, three generations specifically; the 67-72’s, the 73-87’s, and the 88 on up, there are all opportunities in all of these platforms.We’re also working on a swap kit for the early A-bodies.. the 64-67’s. We’ve encountered some issues with those, as the steering gear is different on those then some of the later cars and we don’t have a solution for that yet. But we’re looking into it now, but right now the steering gear interferes with the oil pan.”

This '74 Chevelle Wagon is one of the odder vehicles Holley is making LS swap packages for. This particular project car has a 6.0 liter LS truck motor for now, but the wagon will serve as a test platform for future Holley products.

LSxTV: What is your favorite feature of the LS engines? What new parts are you coming out with?

Tomlinson: “The LS motor just makes incredible power with the tried-and-true pushrod setup. I love the simplicity and robustness of the LS motors. The simplicity makes it affordable to modify, and the robustness is why you can make 1,800 plus horsepower. What would I change? Technology moves on, and I’ve noticed that direct injection seems to be incredible technology. It makes big horsepower, big improvements even in fuel mileage, and I think a direct-injected LS would be awesome.

I think GM really needs a 454 LS block that’s in aluminum too. In terms of new parts, we’ve got our new Hi-Ram intake with a modular design. It has a number of different tops. You can use an EFI top with a front-mount throttle body. You can also use a top for dual 4150 Holley carburetors. And there’s also a different top set up for 4500 carburetors. And either of those can also take an EFI throttle body and use the manifold for fuel injection. We did that because we noticed there were a lot of guys spending a lot of money on these hi-rise sheet metal intakes, and obviously a cast design is a lot more cost effective so it allows us to get a part to more people.”

Holley's modular Hi-Ram intakes can be fitted with carburetors or fuel injection system while saving customers money over a custom sheet metal design.

LSxTV: Sounds like you guys are working on a lot of really cool things over there. Thanks for talking with us. Any parting words?

Tomlinson: ”Stay tuned, we’re going to keep working on getting out more LS-related parts from Holley!”

Born and raised in Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, Ongais transitioned from surfboarding to motorcycle racing by the age of 14, and after a tour of duty with the United States Army in Europe – a tour in which he was first introduced to sports car racing – moved to Southern California following his discharge and began working for the legendary Roland Leong and his Dragmaster AA/FD team. At 2, Ongais was determined to make a full-time career of racing, and little did the racing world know what was to come.

Ongais began offering his services to speed shops all over the drag racing hotbed of Southern California, earning occasional rides from the likes of Mickey Thompson and the Beaver Brothers. During a pass in one of Thompson’s dragster, he recorded the fastest pass ever for a Ford-powered machine. As his knowledge expanded from each race team that he worked with, so too did his desire to step out and form a race team of his own.

Ongais debuted his own AA/Gas dragster at the 1964 Winternationals and downed Thompson for the eliminator title, 8.39 to 8.53. He added a win at the Hot Rod Magazine Championships at Riverside to his resume later that season, where he famously pushed his crippled dragster across the entire quarter mile by hand to a elapsed time of 1 minutes and 35 seconds to remain in contention. He towed the dragster, known as “Chevy, Too” all over the country, utilizing little more than bystanders at each track to help push the car. He was victorious in the NHRA, AHRA, and UDRA that season, eventually finding himself as the No. 1 ranked Gas dragster in the nation. But it was a dominating season in 1965 driving the Ongais-Broussard-Davis AA/FD that set his superstar career in motion.

In 1968, Ongias teamed up with the formidable Thompson and the pair proceeded to shatter 295 national and international speed and endurance records at the Bonneville salt flats with a pair of Thompson’s famous Mach 1 Mustangs. Thompson transitioned the combination over to the newfangled world of Funny Car racing, putting Ongais behind the wheel of a Mach 1 flopper, built by Pat Foster and powered by Ford’s classic SOHC Hemi powerplant. The result was a truly dominating season in 1969, winning the Bakersfield March Meet, the Manufacturers Meet, NHRA Springnationals, and the Nationals at Indy, along with virtually every match race that he attended.

Image credit: 500legends.com

Ongais eventually parted ways with Thompson, ending up in the seat of the Vel’s-Parenlli Jones racing team in the early 1970′s. There, he droves both a Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car at the same races.

It was in 1974 that Ongais embarked on a driving career outside of drag racing, beginning with a dominating season in the SCCA and a solid outing in Formula 5000 the following year. In 1976, he made his first start in the Indianapolis 500 and in 1978, was the fastest car in the field at the 500 before mechanical problems ended his bid. In all, Ongais qualified for ten straight Indy 500′s, with a best finish of fourth in 1979.

His driving career also took him into the sports car world, where he competed in such prestigious events at the 24 Hours of LeMans and 24 Hours of Daytona, and and in 1977 and 1978, drove for Interscope Racing and Team Tissot Ensign in the elite Formula One series.

Ongais made a comeback in 1996, finishing seventh in the Indy 500 driving for John Menard in the car that young Scott Brayton had been tragically killed in during qualifying. He made another Indy attempt in 1998 but withdrew following a crash in practice and called it a career shortly thereafter. A legendary career that began on the quarter miles of Southern California. He remains the only professional driver to win in drag racing, open wheel, and sports car racing.

Courntey Force with Traxxas President Mike Jenkins. Image credit: NHRA.com/National Dragster

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 finally get a chance to show what she can do on the big stage as the driver of an 8,000 horsepower Ford Mustang Funny Car sponsored by Traxxas, the world leader in ready-to-run radio-controlled vehicles.

Courtney, 23, will make her professional driving debut Feb. 9-12 in the 52nd annual Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. and will compete for NHRA Rookie of the Year honors.

“For Traxxas, Courtney represents more than just a female driver on the track. The family that she comes from has been racing and she’s been a part of racing all of her life. She’s not just another girl at the racetrack, she’s a girl that has real DNA and John Force DNA embedded in her and it shows,” said Mike Jenkins Traxxas president. “Take a couple of minutes and talk with Courtney; you’ll see the competitiveness that comes out in that girl. She’s going to represent our company and our brand. She’s been a top pick for us for a very long time- we’re proud to have her on.”

After winning her first NHRA national event in Top Alcohol Dragster in 2009 and earning “Top Agent” honors in the marketing contest that fueled Ford’s Fiesta Movement introduction in 2010, Courtney spent the better part of last season testing in a Ford Mustang Funny Car following selected Full Throttle tour events.

“Courtney proved she has the same competitive drive that’s made her father successful, working her way through the Super Comp and Top Alcohol Dragster ranks,” said Jamie Allison, Director of Ford Racing.

“We’ve only seen a small portion of what she’s capable of achieving,” Allison continued, “(and) we’re happy to welcome her officially as a member of the One Ford Funny Car team in 2012. It’s something we’ve all anticipated and we are very excited and happy to have her on the Ford team.”

Courtney with newly-named crew chief Ron Douglas. Image credit: NHRA.com/National Dragster

In preparation for her debut in Pomona, Courtney will continue to test her new Traxxas Ford Mustang this month at the Palm Beach International Raceway in Florida. Ron Douglas, who tuned Ashley Force-Hood to second and third place points finishes and a pair of Mac Tools U.S. Nationals crowns, has been named crew chief for Courtney’s rookie run, and will share tuning responsibilities with veteran Scott Wible.

“The preparation of the car is our No. 1 priority,” Douglas said. “We want to make sure the product is right before we ever take it to the starting line. We make sure the car is prepared properly and safely – that’s priority one. Then we’ll decide how we want to attack the racetrack.”

Like older sister Ashley, Courtney developed her career path to the professional ranks much in the same way, taking an auto shop elective in high school, graduating from Cal-State Fullerton in Communications, and honing her skills in Super Comp and Top Alcohol Dragster before spending a full season testing a fuel Funny Car.

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.

For years, fans of the Aeroquip Performance Products Heads-Up Series and Holbrook Saturday Shootout Series at Milan Dragway in Michigan have watched as Bowles tweaked his combination and ran a series of 8-second passes.

After stopping the clocks at 8.02 at a No ET Nationals event at Milan Dragway last October, he felt he could run even faster, so he turned up the wick for the following pass and let it all hang out, and when he pulled up to the ticket booth afterward and track employee Keith Zieske asked him how fast he wanted to run, Bowles responded with a hopeful “7-anything,” prompting Zieske to shake his hand and flash the timeslip that read 7.95 at 177 miles per hour.

This summer, in the warm Michigan air, he collected more 8-second timeslips for his efforts, but fall’s cooler temperatures once again brought the boost and while driving his car to the semifinal in the VP Racing Fuels Drag Radial class in Milan Dragway’s Aeroquip Performance Products Friday Night Heads-Up Series on October 7, he ran 7.99 in the first round of qualifying and 7.97 in the first round of eliminations, marking his second and third trip to the 7-second zone.

As impressive as that is, what fans will likely remember most is Bowles yanking the wheels, carrying them a long distance and stopping the clocks at an 8.03 in the third round of qualifying. While the nighttime dew found its way to his windshield in the semifinal and forced him to lift, the outing was a successful one for the driver who predicted this week before that he would go faster at this race.

The car has come a long way since the days when Bowles was often forced to pull to the side of the road to feed oil to its tired stock engine. Now, he is confident that mid- to low-7.80s are next, and the head and intake work he had done over winter, coupled with his tuning skills, will make him one to watch this season.

“Jon does a fine job with his car and with his program, and he has a good time with it,” said Trace Meyer, fellow Drag Radial racer. “I was very happy for him when he ran 7.97. It was a big milestone.” Read on for more about Bowles of Adrian, Michigan, a maintenance technician at PPG Industries, who used to get his kicks mud-racing a Jeep CJ7 with a lift-kit and big tires at abandoned gravel pits and on closed roads.

DRAGZINE: The car is a clean machine, inside and out.

Jon Bowles: “When I bought it about ten years ago, it had been used and abused. It had a stock 302 cubic-inch engine and a five-speed transmission, and I raced it like that, with some simple bolt-ons, then I used nitrous for a little while, and it ran 11.70s with nitrous. That was the first year I had it, and then the second year I had it, I put an automatic transmission in it, and a ProCharger D1R and it ran 10.70s and I was street-racing with it.

We had gotten kicked out of the race track for going too fast without a cage. In the third year, I put a cage in it and decided I didn’t like how the car looked, so we started working on the body and did paint and it snowballed from there. We completely disassembled it and restored it and it took us two years. We had repaired the bottom, inside, hood, frame-rails and trunk. Rod Calvin helped me do all of the body work and paint about six years ago.

DZ: What is your current combination?

Bowles: “It’s old-school. It’s a 347 cubic-inch small-block Ford built on an 8.7 deck Dart block with Diamond pistons, Oliver billet rods and I have the old-style Wil-Burt Street Heat High Ports, an 88 mm Work turbocharger that I have had for five years and Big Stuff 3. The car has the original 8.8 rear-end, though it was heavily modified three years ago by Chris “Noodles” Hemmeter at Behind Bars Race Cars. In fact, he built the rear-end, exhaust, intercooler and the rear suspension.

Dave Zimmerman from Team Z Motorsports built the 25.5 Funny Car cage two years ago, and I run his front suspension and I added his wing to the car this year. Dave has helped me out with a lot of stuff.”

Bowles: “Yes, they just did the work in March. When Trace Meyer took his engine to them, he took my heads and intake to them at the same time. They do good work. In fact, they did my heads five or six years ago, back when I first put the car together.  I bought those heads from the original owner, but they’re part of my family now.”

DZ: Many of your friends, including Jason Lee, Trace Meyer and Chad Doyle, run supercharged-combinations in their Mustangs, but you chose a turbo-charged combination.

Bowles: “I just like to be different, and now that I have a handle on it, I wouldn’t change it for anything. It just took a while because I was breaking engines, but two winters ago, I had Chuck Noonan at Performance Machining Racing Engines go through the engine and fix everything, and once the engine stopped breaking, we started making progress and I started getting more aggressive in the tune and I was able to work on figuring things out as far as what the car liked and didn’t like.”

DZ: You mentioned you use Big Stuff 3. Do you do most of your own tuning with it?

Bowles: “Yes, I do, but Jason Lee, Trace Meyer and Chad Doyle help me if I have a struggle.”

DZ: Toward the end of last season, your car was going faster and faster in the Drag Radial class at each of the Milan Dragway heads-up races. We’re two races in this season. How’s it going so far?

Bowles: “I didn’t make the first race, and at the second one, my distributor broke and the car just quit in the burnout box, in the first round of eliminations. Deano and Baldy pushed me back, and it’s always just spectacular when you’re broken and pushed in front of the stands.

Of course, all of this was after I got a flat tire after my first qualifying pass. I missed second round of qualifying because I was looking for a set of front tires to borrow, and then Jim Adams, another racer who lives across the street from the track, loaned me his old Draglite wheels and tires, and we bolted them on and I made the third qualifying pass, when I ran 8.10 at 177 miles per hour. That was with the same tune-up that was in it from last October.”

DZ: You recently took part in the Pritchett Brothers’ Ultimate Outlaw Shootout at Milan Dragway.

Bowles: “Yes, I qualified seventh out of thirteen or fourteen cars. For the first qualifying pass, the car did a hard wheelie and went toward the wall, and for the second qualifying pass, it went 5.31 in the eighth-mile, and in the third round of qualifying, it went 5.29 in the eighth-mile and it went the same thing in the first round, like a bracket car, but I lost to Keith Groves with a fantastically slow light.”

DZ: Which additional races will you take part in this season?

Bowles “I’m going to continue to race in the Drag Radial class at Milan Dragway’s heads-up races and in the Diamond Pistons’ X275 class at Milan Dragway’s Saturday Shootout Series, and we’ll probably go to Georgia for Donald and Amanda Long’s big race, Outlaw Radial Revolution, in October.”

Bowles: “It’s not out of the question, but the Drag Radial class is really fast right now. Jason Lee has been 7.54. I’ve got a lot of testing to do to go as fast as they’re going.”

DZ: Is it true that you have no qualms about driving your 7-second beast on the street?

Bowles: “It’s happy to be driven! It still has license plates and power windows and power doors and backup lights. It’s got everything and I made sure of that on purpose. People look at you like you’re this side of nuts when you’re driving it on the street with a parachute on the back, and rather than getting any thumbs-up, I just get a bunch of stares.”

DZ: Stickers for your business, TubingJon.com, can be found on many race cars. What does TubingJon.com offer?

Bowles: “I offer any aluminum tubing, including the tubing itself and any accessories, silicone couplers and aluminum down-pipes for turbos. Almost all of the turbo cars have aluminum exhaust. I’ve been doing it for about five years. I’m a plumber and pipe-fitter by trade and I was laid-off and I was putting my car together and I wasn’t going to pay the long dollar, so I started looking and it snowballed from there.”

DZ: We saw a post on yellowbullet.com in which you told Josh Henline you were looking forward to dragging his “roach” down track. No love for your fellow heads-up racer. What’s up with that?

Bowles: “That was nothing! You should see us on Facebook! But really, Josh is a good guy who would do anything to help someone, and it’s all in good fun.”

DZ: Who helps you with your car?

Bowles: “Mark Henry helps me all of the time, but Chad Doyle, Trace Meyer and Jason Lee help me out a ton, too. They’re the best friends a guy could have, really. Chad and I have done a lot of work to the car. He helped me mini-tub it and we mounted the intercooler and did all of the rear suspension in my garage and then in Chad’s garage. I don’t do well dropping the car off just anywhere because I’m too picky. I have also received help from Oliver Connecting Rods, Cometic Gasket, Inc., Mickey Thompson Tires and Fasco Employment Solutions.”

DZ: Where are you when you’re not at the track?

Bowles: “I like to go snowmobiling with my wife, Jolene, who has her own snowmobile, and our sons, Noah, 9, and Parker, 5, who play baseball. Noah made the all-star team for Sand Creek Little League for the third year in a row, and we play tournaments every weekend until August.  I don’t have a whole lot of free time because I coach Noah’s team, but we have a lot of fun, and I’m a pretty lucky guy.”

His team also pioneered the use of the chain-driven ProCharger F-3R supercharger and are in fact the only team to be consistently successful with that setup.  Because of his starting line consistency, the nickname “Mr .400” was thrust atop Walsh’s shoulders, and over the years Walsh Jr. earned the reputation for being a standout player whenever he showed up to race.

But he has been mostly out of racing over the last couple of years; once the NMRA dropped the Pro 5.0 class from its program, Walsh was essentially left with nowhere else to race.  Walsh decided to bow out of Pro 5.0 when the car count was dwindling and the economy didn’t have a great outlook.  Don decided his father-and-son businesses – D&D Performance and Walsh Motorsports – needed his focus through those difficult periods, so the car was just pushed into a corner.  Then the Extreme 10.5-style classes started to take off, and Walsh’s home track in Milan, Michigan, created an 1/8th mile Run What You Brung class.  The decision was easy for Walsh, Jr. to dust off the car, repair it, and make a few hits, which he did with success last season.

Now, however, it’s time for Walsh, Jr. and his team to take a quantum leap.  Dragzine was able to scoop an interview with Walsh just hours after he made the decision to partner up with some of the top names in doorslammer drag racing today with a deal to drive a state-of-the-art Pro Mod in NHRA competition.  Walsh’s longtime friendships with Harry Hruska of Precision Turbo and Engine and John Meaney of BigStuff3, and a new relationship with Brad Anderson and his team has led to this opportunity between the four to send Walsh down the quarter-mile next season behind the wheel of a 2011 Mustang built by Don Ness.

This stunning bit of news comes amid the knowledge that Walsh will be stepping away from the small-block supercharged Ford power he’s come to grow and love, and right into a Brad Anderson Hemi topped off with a pair of Precision Turbo’s latest and greatest Pro Mod turbochargers. Walsh is excited at the possibility of working with such an incredibly talented team of professionals and shared his thoughts with us.

Dragzine: Don, you left racing back in 2006 and really didn’t do much with it until you repaired the car just recently.  Why the long layoff, and why the decision to come back now?

Don Walsh, Jr.: “With us in Pro 5.0, I felt like we had achieved everything that we could with the rules given to us each year, and it became a losing battle with what was done in the rules towards the end.  The last year we raced Pro 5.0, we saw the rules as an uphill battle that we probably could not win, but with winning three championships I felt that it was wrong to not give it our best shot for one more year.”

DW, Jr.: “I’ve always said that if it made sense for us to get involved again that we would.  This is the first opportunity that we’ve had where it makes sense.  I feel like the team as a whole is a recipe for success, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

“We partnered up with Brad Anderson and Harry Hruska, and we’re going to run Brad’s 2011 Mustang alongside Jay Payne in a two-car team.  Jay is going to run the Camaro with a blown engine, and we’ll be running this twin-turbo car as the second half of the team.  I’m sure we’ll be able to learn from both cars, and be able to use data from both cars. The car was finished last year and Jay tested it, but decided to focus on his car last year, so this car got parked.  We’re bringing this car out this year with intent to run the full NHRA schedule.”

DZ: Do you think it will be a challenge for you going from a supercharged to a turbocharged car? The starting line process is very different, so do you expect any difficulty adjusting?

DW, Jr.: ” It will be different for sure, but we are working to make the package in the new car as consistent as we can on the starting line.  I’ve driven other turbo cars in the past, one with an auto, one with a Liberty, so I don’t really have any concerns with getting up to speed.”

DZ: Have you been testing at all yet? When do you expect to debut the car?

DW, Jr.: ” I have not driven the car yet.  We’re going to start our testing process in February wherever the weather is good.  Right now the rules aren’t even out for the class yet, so we have a bunch of questions right now.  The car is sitting in pieces waiting on the rules – as soon as we have those we can finish it up and get ready to go.”

Other than the fun to be had, taking your hot street car to the dragstrip on its daily driver tires is nearly a useless exercise. Even high performance street tires must still be engineered to meet marketing parameters designed around long life, ride quality, noise, and fuel mileage. They are a total compromise between those factors and ultimate traction. Combine that compromise with a light car and a significant amount of power, and you’ll just be spinning the tires for at least the first 300 feet of the track, probably more, making a low e.t. impossible and testing data virtually useless.

Now, if you want to cut a decent 60-foot time on the dragstrip, you must have either dedicated slicks or, at the very minimum, a good set of drag radials. But just mounting a set of slicks to your car will not take you to the Incremental Timeslip Promised Land; there’s a lot to know about drag tires in order to get the optimum performance and life out of them. Where do you set the pressure? How do I know they’re still good? What are those screws doing in the fast guys’ wheels?

Talking with Carl Robinson on how to go fast on a drag tire

Mickey Thompson has been leading that tire category for longer than we can remember, especially when it comes to the street/strip or heads-up drag racing like you see in the NMCA, NMRA, PSCA, ADRL, and more, so we went to them (specifically, M/T’s Carl Robinson) to answer our Top Ten questions concerning drag slicks and radials. Here’s what they had to say.

Regardless if they are slicks or drag radials, Mickey Thompson recommends breaking your tires in at the track.

Carl Robinson: “There is really no break-in procedure. Using the tire in its intended application will “break” a tire in. Tire life can be negatively affected if you do an excessive burnout with the thought of “breaking the tire in,” though some professional classes pre-run the tires in order to shed weight and stabilize tire circumference.”

DZ: What is the best way to determine what pressure to run, or where does M/T feel the sweet spot is?

Robinson: “We like to refer to the pressure as an “operating range” versus a specific number. The way to determine the best operating range for your car is by testing at the track. There is typically a suggested range based on a couple of telltale parameters, such as weight and horsepower. Talk to others that have comparable set-ups. After establishing a base pressure you must start to document key parameters. Note what racetrack you’re at, the ambient temperature, relative cloud cover, and track temp. These key factors will establish the trends required to maximize your performance with tire pressure.”

DZ: Should I run tubes in my slicks, or not?

Robinson: “Over the last few years, racing tire tubes have taken on a new role. Originally developed before the integration of an inner liner to capture the compressed air within the tire, we now find significant benefits from installing tubes in tires ranging from 26.0/10-15 to the 33.0/10.5-16W tires used in the Pro Extreme series of the ADRL. The benefit comes from the support the tube provides. The tube keeps the tire round, and round is fast! However, there are always exceptions to the rule. Not all will see the same gains in performance. Cars running heads-up with high horsepower-to-weight ratio numbers benefit more than the dependable bracket-style race cars. Bracket cars can benefit from the consistency of the tubes’ air retention throughout a long day of racing. For some, the benefits outweigh the erosion of performance due to the additional weight of the tube.”

The wheel screws need to be understood as having a relationship to both safety and performance. Related to safety, if the choice is made to use tubes inside tires mounted on conventional wheels, you must use a minimum of 12 screws per side to secure the tire from rotating on the rim.

Robinson: “The wheel screws need to be understood as having a relationship to both safety and performance. Related to safety, if the choice is made to use tubes inside tires mounted on conventional wheels, you must use a minimum of 12 screws per side to secure the tire from rotating on the rim. This is required on all bias-ply racing tires to prevent immediate air release from tube failure. M/T does not recommend the use of wheel screws with radial tires.”

“Performance benefits have been discovered through the use of additional wheel screws. Take an opportunity to notice a small visual detail on your rear tire package. Many of us have looked over pictures of our car and critique the position and shape of the tire. Did you notice that the wrinkles in the sidewall line up with your wheel screws? So from this it was understood that more wheel screws equals less wrap-up in the tire and wheel package. This reduced wrap decreases 60-foot times and driver reaction times.”

Bead lock wheels provide benefits in safety and performance. From a rules point of view, a standard of 200 mph speed (in the quarter mile) has been set as the guideline for bead lock use.

DZ: And how about the same question regarding bead locks?

Robinson: “Bead lock wheels provide benefits in safety and performance. From a rules point of view, a standard of 200 mph speed (in the quarter mile) has been set as the guideline for bead lock use. The concern is that the tire, through centrifugal force, is trying to come off the bead seat. Wheels screws do not retain the tire on the bead seat—they stop rotation. The clamping system of the bead lock secures the tire and prevents rotation at the same time.

“Bead locks also have a direct effect on the way the tire is held, meaning it affects the tire much in the same way as wheel screws. Tire wrap-up is minimized. There is also a change in the potential growth-rate of the tire when clamped in a bead lock.”

DZ: Slicks don’t have wear indicators, so how do you know when they’re used up?

DZ: What is the recommended way to store tires, and how long of a shelf life do they have? In other words, if I have a set of slicks sitting in the garage for 4 years, un-mounted, are they still good?

Robinson: “Generally speaking, we prefer to store tires in a cool and dry environment mounted on wheels with 3 to 5 psi, off the ground and away from any UV A or B light. The reason we would want them mounted with air in them is to prevent the tire from shrinking in size. The physical parameters are avoided to prevent the deterioration of the designed properties of materials and chemicals in the tire. Four year old tires? Are they good? Well, if they were purchased with a specific goal in mind, like “we planned on running 10.5 inch tires,” then no. The tires are smaller now and you will not get them to grow back to the original size. Will they go down the track? Maybe…”

The way to determine the best operating range for your car is by testing at the track. There is typically a suggested range based on a couple of telltale parameters, such as weight and horsepower. Talk to others that have comparable set-ups.

DZ: Tire growth at the top end obviously affects the overall gear ratio, and needs to be considered when setting the car up. But for reference, how much does a 28×10.5 ET Drag slick grow at 150 mph? 200 mph?

Robinson: “That’s a tough question, one that has as many variables as those that ask. The best way to determine the answer is to run the car and reverse-engineer the numbers. That compensates for the converter or clutch slip percentages and a bunch of other factors. One very sharp racer once told me if you put 30 psi in the tire, that will reflect your max tire growth. It worked for him!”

Robinson: “Despite all the rumors surrounding radial tire growth, we need to clear the facts on this. Radial tires do not grow. They may change shape due to centrifugal force but the components inside the carcass of a radial tire do not allow for any growth. They are circumferentially-wound steel plies. The plies or belts are not opposed at an angle as in a bias tire.”

DZ: What’s the highest mileage you’ve ever heard reported from a Drag Radial? Not fuel mileage, but actual number of miles driven on the tire?

Robinson: “We have heard from 3,000 to 5,000 miles driven as the high average in mileage. I like to reserve the question until the consumer has “used-up” a set or two due to his fascination with extraordinary traction!”

In the world of Ford and Mustang drag racing, few individuals have earned the accolades of Justin Burcham. The founder of Justin’s Performance Center, better known as JPC Racing, in Millersville, MD, a former NMRA champion and now part-time racer, a sponsor of several NMRA competitors, and the man behind one of the industry’s elite horsepower factories – Burcham and JPC Racing have become virtually synonymous with Ford Mustang drag racing. powerTV recently sat down with Justin to learn more about his introduction to racing, his current and future racing endeavors, and the foundation and evolution of his business.

powerTV: How did you get sucked into the addiction of Mustang drag racing?

Justin Burcham: “It was when I was a teenager that I really took a liking to speed and got into cars. I had some friends that lived nearby that were into drag racing, and they had a Vega that they’d take to the track and race. I’d tag along with them and before I knew it, I was hooked. I just couldn’t get enough of the sounds, the smells, and the speed of it all.”

PTV: Was your family involved in your formative years in cars and racing?

Burcham: “My family was really never into cars, believe it or not. My mother was a principal for the school system and my father works in finance, and so it wasn’t ever a family thing that was passed down to me. I always had a fascination with speed though. It was the rush of going fast, and drag racing will certainly give you that.”

The JPC Racing nine second, 850 RWHP 2011 Mustang

“I actually had a Pontiac Trans Am when I was in high school. I’d done all kinds of work to it, including installing nitrous oxide, and I raced it on the street and at the track. Once I got out of high school, I started working on cars at a repair shop before moving on to work for an engine builder. I started working there as an apprentice sweeping floors and cleaning blocks – essentially I was working for free – and spent a couple of years working my way up through the ranks. Before long, I was porting cylinder heads, machining engine blocks, assembling engines, and performing dyno tuning. At the time, I was only about 20 years old. Working at the repair shop, then then the engine shop, and all the while having Mustangs on the side to play with was what really got my fire burning.”

PTV: How did the founding of JPC Racing come about?

Burcham: “During the late 90′s and into the early 2000′s, I was working with high performance marine engines, building big block and small block Chevrolet’s, and also worked on cigarettes, fountains, skaters, and other types of boats. I ran the service department at a marina and built, rigged, tuned, and tested the boats, and then raced my Mustang on the weekends.

During that time, my name had gotten out there to people in the area from my side work with the Mustang’s and soon, I was working on cars out of my house and selling parts here and there while working full time at the marina. I had developed the idea for the business and even had a name in mind, but it wasn’t until 2001, around the time that I first went heads-up racing, that I finally incorporated the business. So it all really came together at once.

I made a lot of great contacts in the industry by competing with the NMRA and that opened several doors for me to supply and sell parts, and in the last ten years, it’s snowballed into what it is today.”

PTV: JPC is housed in a pretty impressive facility today, but did you have pretty humble beginnings?

Burcham: “We started out in a 1,200 square foot building that had a 600 square foot showroom in the front and a shop in the back that had a seven foot ceiling and just one bay. On one side we had parts and on the other we had the single bay to work out of. I didn’t have a lift, so for the first four years that we were in business I was working on my back with jackstands and a jack.

We later expanded and took on two additional units in the strip mall that we were in and finally installed lifts. After that, we really started to see the  growth and took on more work. Along with the lifts, we purchased our first dyno in 2005, but prior to that, I’d been renting a dyno when we needed one. Even at that point, I was still doing some of the work out of my house because we had so much overflow at the shop.

When we took on the two extra units we were at 3,500 square feet, which was both the first and second floor combined. Today, we have nearly 13,000 square feet in all.”

PTV: Have you always been a Ford man?

Burcham: “I’ve always been partial to Ford’s because I like the Mustang, but I’m one of those people that’s into anything that’s fast. Sure, I’m a diehard Ford guy in the sense of supporting Ford and Ford Racing; everything in our driveway is a Ford. But I’ve worked on, driven, built and tuned a number of GM and Mopar products. I don’t turn my nose up at people that drive Chevrolet and Chrysler vehicles. I’m into horsepower and speed, and if someone pulls up with a 600 cubic inch big block Chevrolet that makes 1,500 horsepower, they have my respect.

Of course, owning a speed shop in this day and age, you can’t turn anyone down. You have to take what you can get and you have to be diverse and able to work on anything and everything; so that’s always been my motto. We’re best known for the Ford’s because we race them and that’s primarily what we work on. If you were to walk into my shop any day of the week, about 85 percent of the cars we’ll have in there are Mustangs.”

PTV: Does a significant amount of R&D go into the products that your company builds and sells?

Burcham: “When we see a void in the market or inferior products on the market that don’t work, we try to step in and fill that hole or try to improve upon what’s out there. From an R&D standpoint, I’ve always had a number of companies that send me parts and say, ‘we just came out with this: can you make sure that it fits; can you make sure that it works; can you test it on the track and make sure that it doesn’t break?’ So we have a chance to work with a variety of different products on the market. We’re always trying to push the envelope on these cars, and so it all falls into place.”

“When I bought my ’05 Mustang, there weren’t any parts available for it. So we had to manufacture our own fuel system and numerous other parts. So, we definitely perform a lot of R&D, testing, and retrofitting at JPC.”

PTV: What challenges do you face in keeping up with so many cars on a race weekend, while occasionally getting behind the wheel yourself?

Burcham: “It’s tough, but it was certainly tougher in the mid-2000′s when I had ten sponsored cars to take care of when I went to the track. I’d try to help everyone with advice, line them up, and make sure they had everything they needed. Today, most of the racers that we back can run their own program. When Tommy Godfrey ran Factory Stock, he had a really good handle on his program and needed minimal input. And Bruce Hemminger, Brandon Alsept, and Ryan Hecox all run their own programs for the most part now, so it’s not near as much work as it once was.”

The JPC-backed NMRA teams of L to R: Ryan Hecox, Tommy Godfrey, and Bruce Hemminger.

PTV: Do you take more pride in your own racing accolades or in seeing your customers succeed?

Trying to run the business and race is a combination that just doesn’t work. You could ask anyone out there that’s tried to race heads-up and operate a business and they’d tell you the same thing. For those that compete in the index and bracket classes, it’s a little easier to do because the performance of your vehicle doesn’t matter to the same extent. But in heads-up racing, you’re always testing, always trying to think outside the box, and you’ve got to have your head in the game 100 percent.

I told myself years ago when it started getting busier at the shop that if I couldn’t compete at the highest level, then I didn’t want to compete at all. I don’t want to put my car in the lanes and say, ‘hey I’m here,’ because that’s not who I am. If I’m going to be out there, I want to win, period.”

The JPC 3-Valve S197 is a mean competitor in True Street, boasting solid single digit runs.

Burcham: “Basically, I’m challenging myself. I get enjoyment from limitations and boundaries being placed in front of me and overcoming them. It makes me feel complete as a person, when there’s something that I believe I can conquer and then go out and do it. It’s a sense of accomplishment.

When I was racing, I wanted to be the world champion and the best in the world at the class for which I competed. I’m very driven and passionate about winning, and to me, breaking a boundary or being the first to accomplish a feat that no one else has ever done is another way for me to exercise my competitiveness. While my time with the business has kept from being able to compete the way that I’d like to at this point in time, I can go out with a new platform and try to be the first or the fastest at something.

Attaining goals make my life complete and worth living. I always have to challenge myself because I’m not one of those that can just sit on the couch and watch television. I can’t have idle hands: I’ve always go to be working or doing something.”

PTV: Of all the performance milestones you’ve achieved, which one stands out most to you?

Burcham: “The 3-valve in the eights stands out the most. That was a really, really tough and long road to achieve that goal. Of every mission that I’ve gone after, I spent the most time trying to knock down that eight-second wall with my ’05 Mustang. I actually spent a week in Florida by myself, like a gypsy, traveling around the state from track to track just trying to knock that wall down. It was wintertime in Maryland and Florida was one of the only places where tracks were open, so I headed down there and went from Moroso to Bradenton to Orlando and back and forth between them. I kept driving around the state trying to click off an eight-second pass, and it didn’t happen. My wife finally called and said ‘get your ass home’. ”

A couple of months later I went to a shootout in Englishtown and ran a 9.05 and the balancer came off the engine, doing some damage to the crankshaft. Following that run, I knew I was really close to getting there. After that I called Jesse Kershaw at Ford Racing and told him that I needed an engine, to which he responded that he had an Eliminator short block in stock. I promised him that if he sent it to me, that I’d put it in the eights. He said, ‘yeah right, we’ll see.’ So we were going from a 322 cubic inch engine to a 281.

Jesse shipped me the engine and a couple of weeks later we went to Maryland International Raceway and ran an 8.89.”

PTV: Is there a really heated competition between speed shops to break performance barriers that the public doesn’t necessarily see or understand?

Burcham: “I’d be lying if I said that claiming records and setting benchmarks doesn’t help from business standpoint. It’s not just a challenge we take on, there’s some business to it. Anytime you can claim that you were the first to do something, people automatically deduce that you must be better than the next guy, that you must know more, or anything else one could extrapolate from that.

But there’s definitely a rivalry there to be the first – it’s something to hang your hat on. Other shops have tee shirts and such stating they were the first to do this and the first to do that, and the people may not know all the details, but they see the press and it makes the phone ring. It’s certainly a case of race on Sunday, sell on Monday. Our goal is to be better than the competition and we want to beat them, so if they’re doing something that we’re striving to accomplish and they do it first, we lose. And we don’t like losing.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCbSSHCmGuY

We have some mutual customers with other shops and occasionally there are things said that get back to you, and that can sometimes create a bit of a grudge. I used to do a lot of street racing, so I enjoy the smack talking and seeing who’s better on the racetrack. For the most part though, I get along with most of them. People out there probably think I have got to hate JDM, Brenspeed, or whomever, but it’s not like that at all.

PTV: So what’s the next milestone on the radar for JPC?

Burcham: “I’d like to get my 2011 Mustang into the eight’s with the factory manual transmission. It’s got the Tremec Magnum six-speed, synchronized, regular old drive-it-to-work transmission in it, and it’s been my goal to put it in the eight’s in that configuration. I could probably throw an automatic transmission in the car and do it, but to me, that’s not a challenge. I’d rather dump the clutch, bang some gears, see an eight-second run pop up on the scoreboard, and still be able to drive the car on the street. I don’t have a lot of time to drive it because of the business, but I’d like to be able to say that I drive an eight-second stick shift car on the street. I think that’d be pretty cool.”

PTV: Do you have the desire to get back into racing full-time, or are you content with your current role

Burcham: “I’d definitely like to race on a regular basis again at some point in time. The new Coyote class that the NMRA is proposing is definitely an interest to me because it would be heads-up and a driver and tuner class, and I think it’d be really competitive with a lot of participation from the racers. I love heads-up racing, and it’s not something that you can just get out of your system by not going to the track. So, I definitely have the urge and I’m sure at some point I’ll get back into it, but right now I really need to focus on the business, because if that doesn’t succeed, then there isn’t any money to go racing.”

There is perhaps no one in the high performance Mustang arena more methodical in their approach to excellence in every facet of their racing business and racing efforts and the pursuit of victory than Justin Burcham. And he’s got the championships, world records, and a legion of satisfied customers to back it up. And we here at powerTV believe that as along as the almighty Ford Mustang roams the earth, Burcham will be under the hood, tirelessly working to make it faster than the competition.

Carl and his faithfull Border Collie, Peggy Sue.

DZ: Carl, I’ll start off by asking you what made you come to this decision?

Weisinger: Well, it really is simply a business decision. I went back and forth with this for months, but feel like it’s the right thing to do. With the national economy clearly in such turmoil and the local economy taking a big hit, losing 7,000 jobs at the Cape after the conclusion of the Space Shuttle program, I feel things are just very uncertain for the event in this climate. Travel costs are up and committing the resources for many racers is becoming more and more of a problem. I really don’t want to hold the World Street Nationals if I’m concerned it won’t be the premier event racers and fans have come to expect through the years, so I decided to postpone the race until next year and revamp some things.

DZ: I see in the press release you mention too many classes and too many rules. Are you thinking about switching up the classes for next year?

Weisinger: I’ve thought a lot about what to do. Some classes have split and developed so many rules you need a lawyer to figure it out. Not with our rules but some other events. I think it’s better to keep it as simple as possible, especially for a single event like we run here. So with that in mind, we’re pretty definite on Super Pro Street, Heavy Street, Extreme Import and I’m looking seriously at an 8.50 index class next year.

I’ve always been impressed with that class at Dave Hance’s Shakedown At E-Town and feel it allows many different cars to compete with each other that normally wouldn’t have that opportunity, and it still allows for fast and exciting racing. Off the pace big tire cars, Drag Radial cars and Outlaw 10.5 cars can all race and have fun doing it in that class. Plus, the class would feature a $10,000 to win payout. While it’s not all about the money, it never hurts to have a good pay day in addition to the jackets, trophies and gifts.

Mixing with the fans and placing bets at the World Street Nationals, always a good time and full stands.

DZ: Wow, so no 10.5 or Drag Radial in 2012?

Weisinger: I wouldn’t say that positively at this time. The Outlaw 10.5 class has struggled with car count in recent years with really only a handful of competitive cars, including here with only nineteen entries last year. I would say it’s a wait-and-see attitude right now for Outlaw 10.5. We may take a much harder look at the 275 class, but, at the World Street Nationals, running eighth-mile only means one is half way to the finish line.

DZ: The NMCA, NMRA and other series’ car counts have faced significant drops: do you think the economy is killing the series or are bigger picture things at work here?

Weisinger: The overall economy is of course a factor.  But, the individual racers’ financial status is also. This eventually always happens with true heads-up drag racing, regardless of the class. As I may have stated already, there’s also just too many races for all of them to survive.

DZ: On the topic of the economy, besides racer expenses, what other economic factors weigh your decision?

Weisinger: Really, there’s just a sour atmosphere and uncertainty in the country and across the world right now. People are unhappy with government, both national and local, they’re unhappy with the President, services and wages are being cut, people are losing benefits and jobs. I almost feel having the race would be like a birthday party at a funeral. I should also say now that I’m considering waiting until after the election on November 6th next year to hold the race to see how things shake out.

Carl and Diane Weisinger after taking out three hemi cars for the SS/BA class win at Indy in 1991.

DZ: How did you get started in drag racing?

Weisinger: I bought a ‘40 Plymouth coupe in 1961, and it was my very first car: a 6 cylinder stick shift. In June of ’61 I raced it for the first time and got beat by a VW bug. The car had sat for a while and a leaky rear main seal got oil on the clutch. A friend and I took a week to change it out because we barely knew what we were doing. I took it back to the track for the next race and beat the bug this time, came home with a trophy, and I’ve been at it ever since.

DZ: Great story, so how did you get started working in the business?

Weisinger: I started working at Orlando in 1972. I paid to get in and would work the front of the lanes pairing up cars, checking seat belts, ans things like that. Back then the racers just picked who they would race; it was a game in staging with some folks hanging back. One night the action had just stopped and I went to the front of the lanes and pointed a pair of cars to the burnout box and which lane to go to and they did it.  They thought I worked there and did what I said. It was quite a while before I became part of the crew. My first “pay” was getting in free.

DZ: When did you get involved with race promotion then?

Weisinger: I promoted my first race at Lakeland Dragstrip in 1976. It was the first bracket race in the southeast to pay $1,000 to win. I was hoping to make maybe $2,000 on it but ended up making about $9,000 after I paid everyone but the winner double what I had posted. Even the track workers got double. $9,000 was as much as I had made the whole year prior. After that I wound up managing the Orlando Speed World track, had a bracket series at different tracks and then went to the Jackson County Sports Park in Oregon for five years.

I had extensive experience racing and thought I knew how to run a track; turned out I knew a whole lot less that I thought, but it worked out and I got experience doing it. Then in 1985, I got a call from Dick Moroso. He had just leased the Miami/Hollywood track and wanted me to come down and run that facility and Moroso as well and I did that through mid-to-early ’86.  My heart was always really in the Orlando track though. Billy Herndon and I got together on a deal and I was back in Orlando. I was working for Billy when he sold the track to the Hart family from New Smyrna. They had absolutely no interest in running anything except the stock car track and I signed a lease with them the day after the sale closed. Billy had fired me several times anyhow and with the lease I felt more secure.

Randy Weisinger is 42 years old now and the same age Carl was when he began leasing Orlando Speedworld. With Carl considering retirement and interested parties looking to take over the track operation we wonder what part Randy will play in the tracks future.

DZ: That’s certainly a rich history, how do you see the future of drag racing right now?

Weisinger: That’s tough to say; there’s a beginning and end to everything, which is not to say there is no future, but new things will come along and old things will cease within the sport as they always have. As for me, it’s no secret that I’m wanting to retire soon. The natural progression would be for my son Randy to take over the deal and run with it. But, Randy has been here for over two decades as well and he may want to do something else. Randy is 42 years old and regardless of what has happened from injuries to arguments with me – and we’ve had some real doozies – he has never missed a race day here.

Ironic, but 42 is exactly the age I was when I signed the lease back in 1987. I personally don’t owe anyone a dime and got my first Social Security payment last month. I’ve never played a game of golf which I’d like to try and I want to spend more time messing with my small collection of cars. Dan O’Connell is updating a 600-cubic inch Camaro I have, there’s a 69 Camaro SS/BA car of mine my friend Tom Callis has been running, I finished a SS/JA ’64 Plymouth last year, we’re working now on a 1965 Plymouth Hemi car, three 1940 Plymouth Coupes and a couple other smaller projects. I may not have enough available time to retire.

DZ: Retire?  Care to expand on that?

Weisinger: Our options are open at this time. There are several people that have contacted me about buying our extensive inventory of equipment and taking over the lease. There are a lot of dreamers out there; a lot that can talk the talk but can’t walk the walk.

Mr. Weisinger with the famous Orlando girls in the tower media center.

In a new partnership seeded by Forth Worth-area engine builder Hans Feustel, Wolfe has teamed up with Houston native and car owner Charlie Osborne on a project aimed initially at the ADRL Extreme 10.5 category, utilizing what was originally a Rick Jones-built Pro Stock Chevrolet Cavalier that will of course feature some of Wolfe’s own enhancements.

“We’ve pretty much cut the car off from the firewall forward and it’s all going to be brand new. We had to get the motor and turbos and everything in there, so we sort of started over so we wouldn’t have to work around what was already there,” explains Wolfe.

Motivation for the new mount will come from a 5.300″ bore spacing bullet with twin Precision turbos on alcohol.

“It’s a really nice deal, and we’ve got some really nice parts. It’s going to have billet everything, and it should run circles around the engine we had in the Mustang. Hans is building the engine, and he’s actually going to be the crew chief on the car, so that’s going to work out real good. I’ll still do what I do, but he’ll take care of the engine and tuning.”

Wolfe has been pulling his share of late nights attending to the new machine, and he, along with Osborne and Feustel, hope to have the car on the racetrack and ready for its debut by late August or September.

“It’s hard to pinpoint that because we’ve got a lot of things that have to come together. We should have it finished up here in the next month, and I would hope we can get it out by September. we want to try and make it by the end of this year, and then take a run at it next year and run the whole [ADRL] circuit.”

With the screw blown combos of Dan Millen and Frankie Taylor dominating the Extreme 10.5 category these days, some might think a turbo combination would have a tough row to hoe, but if anyone can make it happen, it’s Wolfe.

“It’s not unattainable – it can happen. You’re going to have to be on your game, but I don’t expect to do any less. Turbo cars are notoriously slow to the 330, so that’s what we’ve got to figure out. We’ve got some plans and some ideas, so we’ll see what happens. If they work out that’s fine, and if they don’t, we’ll come up with a new set of plans and if those don’t work, we’ll come up with another set,” Wolfe explains jokingly.

While sights are presently set on the tough 10.5 eliminator, Wolfe led on to possible big-tire plans in the future, along with an interest in eventually campaigning in the NHRA Pro Modified series.

“A 5.300 motor isn’t legal for Pro Modified, but we’re going to build a 5-inch motor and I wouldn’t mind doing a little NHRA-legal Pro Modified stuff. If we can make it run to the 330, I wouldn’t mind running Pro Extreme, so that’s what we’re going to work on with the 10.5 stuff.”

DRAGZINE: You really burst onto the scene in the Pro Street ranks, but where did you get you started in the sport?

Chris Rini: “I didn’t get involved in racing until around 2000. I built a street car and went to a couple of car shows with it, and that gets really boring really quick. Everyone stands around talking about how fast their car goes, so one day I loaded my car up on a flatbed trailer, and took it up to Lebanon Valley to see what it’d really run. That car kind of started the disease.”

“I went back a couple more times and they threw me out because I had a street car with no roll cage, no chute, no anything. We went 12.20 the first weekend out with DOT tires and full exhaust. I came back and put some nitrous on it, removed the exhaust, installed some slicks, and we went 10.20 without a cage and only a helmet and a pair of gloves.  I may have bought a jacket. I made one or two runs and they ripped off my armband and said ‘you’re done,’ because the car just wasn’t legal.”

DZ: So how did you go from street car to race car?

Rini: “I bought a back-halved, purpose-bult race car in 2002 and that was my first real race car. It was a low nine-second, high eight-second car and I’d just take it up to the track and run test ‘n tune to see how fast I could make it go. That was really my only goal. At that point I realized up in the Northeast there’s really not any heads-up racing, at least not until the Northeast Pro Mods thing got moving.  There was nothing within at least five hours of here, and so after running that car for a couple years, I bought an older Dodge Avenger and the only place I could bracket race and run fast was Top Sportsman.

” I started out racing Top Sportsman in Division 1 and ran there for a couple of years, but it just got kind of old putting a dial-in on the window and hitting the brakes at the finish line. My first year in Top Sportsman we just worked on getting the program figured out, because I’d never bracket raced before. We built a pretty fast car using an older chassis, and my second year in the class we finished fifth in the division, and my third year – which was my last in Top Sportsman – we finished third. But until 2000, I’d never even done a real burnout on a race track.”

DZ: How did you end up in Pro Street?

Rini: “During my third year in Top Sportsman, we went over to the NMCA with the same car to see if we could be competitive in Pro Street, and we were pretty consistent, but obviously we weren’t near as fast as the rest of the field. We were bottom-half qualifiers, but we had a lot of fun. I was actually invited over there by Vinny Budano, who was the reigning Pro Street champion at the time. They were looking to boost the car count and wanted some good cars and people who were interested in following the series. We ran a couple of the NMCA races up in the Northeast that year and the following season we started campaigning in Pro Street full-time.”

DZ: When you’re not racing, you operate your own business there in New York, correct?

Rini: “I opened up my business, Chris’ Automotive Center, when I was 20, after putting together some money from family and what I had in the bank. I took over an existing three-bay garage, and started out just doing some auto body work. It was just me and one helper, and before long we had another helper and I was working seven days a week if necessary. I had just one truck at the time: a twenty-five year old flatbed that used as much oil as it did gas. It was just humble beginnings where I did everything.”

“Within a couple years, I had developed a strong customer clientele, had added a couple other guys, and we outgrew that three-bay garage in three years. I moved the shop to a nine-bay garage here in Carmel and it was a dump, but it had a lot of potential. Other than the four walls and the roof, that’s all that’s left of the original building. Now, we’re a full service shop that doesn’t sub out anything. We’ve got seven tow trucks, 17 employees, and we do everything in-house, which isn’t too common in my area.”

DZ: How would you describe the current state of Pro Street racing?

Rini: “Pro Street is awesome, and we have a lot of fun there. The quarter mile format doesn’t bring in a lot of the southern racers unfortunately, but we run at some great, national event-quality tracks. I think the class is certainly growing despite the economic situation, but the guys that have the equipment already have the equipment, and their costs are just the weekend, so hopefully racers continue to show up.”

“We’ve got a lot of regulars and there’s a couple new racers that have come aboard this year and hopefully will join in as the year progresses. There are a lot of IHRA Pro Modified guys that don’t have anywhere to race now and we’re hoping they’ll come over and race Pro Street. The rules have been sort of laid back some to allow a Pro Mod car in without many changes, and that makes it a little more appealing to those guys.”

DZ: so do you feel that Pro Modified and Pro Street are finally becoming one in the same?

Rini: “I think they’re almost identical, especially the way they’ve laid out the rules. We used to be required to run headlights, taillights, a horn, and other things, but that’s not the case anymore. The Pro Street rules now are pretty well mimicked off of NHRA Pro Modified, with a couple of weight changes. But it’s nothing extreme.”

DZ: Do you see a time coming when Pro Modified racers will cross over and run with the NMCA?

Rini: “I don’t know why they wouldn’t. The rules will let them right in and the tracks are as good as anything they race on. The payout is decent, and if they need a place to race other than the NHRA, there’s another venue they can compete. It’s a great testing ground and they’d probably be treated better than they are in the NHRA. Most of those guys aren’t doing it for the money, it’s just about being treated well and having some fun.”

DZ: Do you ever wish that you could step back 10 or 15 years and race alongside, Musi, Christian, Reiger, Dantoni, and others?

Rini: “Sure I’d love to race some of the old-timers. I’ve really enjoyed seeing those guys come back out. Pat came back and that was great. I always tease him and tell him I can’t wait to line up alongside him and beat a legend. And Tony Christian, as old as he is, is still racing.”

“When we go test early in the year at open test sessions like at SGMP, we get to run alongside guys like Shannon Jenkins and Mike Castellana, and that’s great. At one point, you just read about those guys in magazines. When I was a little kid, I found a HOT ROD Magazine and I saw Tony Christian in there when he was in his heyday. It was definitely in black and white. Tony and Pat are really great guys, and I think in years past the rivalries were really personal because they were trying to do it as a livelihood, but now we’re friends with all the guys we race with in the NMCA.”

DZ: A big part of your success is testing. We’ve heard stories of you making 10-15 runs a day prior to a race. How often do you test and how big of a role has that played in where you are today?

Rini: “Our involvement with ATI has been a big deal for us. We go try out a new transmission or converter design or make some minor changes, and their new parts have about a 99% success rate, but the only way to find that out is to test. ATI has been behind me since the Top Sportsman days, and that’s been a real feather in my cap in moving forward.”

“I used to try testing one solid weekend a month or at least one day before every race we went to, and sometimes that would give us the edge that weekend. You’re always testing at a different racetrack in a different environment, but the things you try to see if they’re working you can apply during the race or in qualifying.”

“I just love testing. Of course I love racing and that’s really what it’s all about, but testing is the search and discover. But it’s a lot of work; you wear a lot of guys out that help you and you wear out a lot of parts and every run is an expense. And you might make four changes and their all in the wrong direction, but that’s what it takes to excel.”

DZ: What have been some of the major engineering milestones in your racing programs that has really helped you success?

Rini: “The Superglide 1, which was the first high-horsepower transmission that ATI ever made was what started it all. I’d broken three transmissions in one weekend at a Top Sportsman race where ATI was displaying on the midway, and Jim Beattie came over to me and said, “I’ve got a transmission that won’t break behind that thing.” And I told him, “everything that I’ve got is broken.”

“Jim sent me a Superglide and told me wouldn’t cash the check until I was happy. We used his transmission with another manufacturers’ converter – which he wasn’t happy about – and within the next three events we won a race. So I called and told him to cash my check and he said he’d do me one better and send me two of his converters. Right off the bat we picked up four mph, and three-hundredths on the first pass and we never looked back.”

“But our involvment with and the knowledge we’ve gained from people and companies like Charlie Buck, Speedtech Nitrous, Jerry Bickel Race Cars, and others is the kind of stuff you need t win races. To go out there and run fast once or twice doesn’t do you anything. It’s being able to go out there and go six rounds and qualify well and focus on racing and not focus on fixing things.”

DZ: Are you continually doing R&D to better your racing program?

Rini: “We try a lot of new things with Charlie that we research and test on the dyno and on the car, and we’ve done quite a bit of R&D with manufactures that I’ve gotten involved with that come out with products that aren’t on the market yet. Right now we’re running the Octobase, which is a new nitrous controller that’s got a lot of advantages over our older controllers. We’re also involved with XS Power and their lithium battery development.”

“I think our R&D kind of keeps us ahead of the pack. We get to work with developers and tell them how we feel and how changes could be made to make it better. Sometimes it hurts to be in the land of the unknown, and other times it helps you.”

DZ: If the NHRA’s ban on lockup-style converters  was lifted, would you run NHRA Pro Modified?

Rini: “I can say with 100% certainty that we’d run there. And I don’t even understand why they have the ban in place. I think they just don’t understand it. A clutch car is locked up at the finish line, so why would a lockup converter not be allowed in Pro Modified in this day and age? I want to race there, but my primary sponsor is ATI and they make what I use and it helps my cars’ performance to have it in the car. But I’d be there in a heartbeat if we could get that rule changed.”

“Is it in there because they just don’t know any better, or because they don’t want automatics over there? Because honestly, the lockups help an automatic-equipped car compete in that format. It doesn’t offer any more advantage than if I put a clutch in my car. It just aggravates me because I can’t get a straight answer out of anybody.”

“I know NHRA is pretty sensitive about their oil downs due to time restrictions and scheduling, and I know in the past they’ve proven that they weren’t reliable and blew up and oiled the track, but we’ve made 400 runs between this and my previous cars with ATI transmissions and converters and never dumped a single transmission on the race track.”

“The advantage with an automatic car over in the NHRA is that they go down the track 9 times out of 10. This is all about entertainment and if you want to please the crowd, you need cars that go down the track, because eople want to see something pass by at 230 miles per hour and not shake or smoke the tires.”

DZ: Obviously you have a home with the NMCA, but you must have though about a full-on ADRL?

Rini: I think the ADRL is a great venue with an awesome environment, and I think it’s also the next level for financial exposure. To run with those guys that are the best of the best with unlimited funds, you’ve definitely got to put more money into your program, test more, and be willing to go out and wear your stuff out and replace it. And the costs just keeps rising. I’d love to run all of the ADRL races, but it’s a lot of time and expense for the travel, and if I had more money to work with, it’d certainly be an easier decision.

“If I went there, I’d want to be competitive. I don’t want to show up and just qualify. Right now, we’re running a Powerglide, which is a little bit of a disadvantage, but as we get a little faster and something falls into the schedule that’s closer to home, I’d love to run with them. I’d love to do a full-on ADRL program, it just takes a little more money and I think we’ve got to work on getting a little closer to the mark.”

DZ: Do you have any aspirations to advance up the drag racing ladder? Say, NHRA Pro Stock?

Rini: “Honestly, I’d love to try anything in drag racing. I think Pro Stock would be great, as would Pro Modified over in the NHRA, if we could get in there. I think the NHRA is a great place to race; they provide national exposure and the tracks are killer. I think it’d be fun and I’d like to run at Charlotte, but they won’t allow our combination to run right now.”

DZ: Your swim in the Hudson River has been well documented the last couple years. Do you still get a lot of fans that come up to you and ask about that event?

Rini: “Oh, definitely. That’s still a regular thing, although it happens less now than it did before. Sometimes they even still mention it when we roll up for qualifying.  But I guess the exposure was good either way you look at it.”

DZ: It takes blood, sweat, and tears to be a champion.  How do you make that happen?

Rini: “I do whatever needs to be done. If that means driving through the night to get to a race, test before a race because we’re not confident in something we’re trying, or we need to find some more speed and elapsed time, I’ll do whatever it takes to win. We’ll test all day somewhere and load up and drive twelve hours through the night to be at a race track, and if we don’t qualify or don’t run well, I’ll leave there and head to another track to test so we know we’re ready for the next one. Whatever needs to or has to be done, we’ll do. Thankfully, I’ve got great people and great manufacturers behind me.”

“We recently broke a driveshaft in qualifying and we changed everything but the engine that weekend and then we won the race. We go to the track with two of everything and we do what it takes, even if that means working through the night to fix something. We’re not just there for the barbecue.”

As anyone that’s ever lined up alongside the ATI-backed machine will attest, Chris Rini is as motivated and determined to excel as anyone in the sport and will admittedly only stop short of changing the race car at an event in order to do so.  It’s that kind of personal drive that’s made Chris the man to beat in the NMCA Pro Street realm, and suffice it to say that regardless of the venue, the ATI Performance team will be hurtin’ some feelings for years to come.

His father, Bob Stange, founded what would later become Strange Engineering in the early 1960′s, turning his side job as a machinist into a full-time business. His love for the sport and commitment to excellence forged a niche in the racing community that has made the Strange name virtually synonymous with the industry, and Jeff has followed right in his fathers footsteps.

The second-generation driveline and suspension stalwart entrenched himself in both the family business and the racing world from a young age. He would prove himself ready to take the reins and carry the Strange name into the future. We caught up with Jeff in Orlando, Florida, and took some time out to learn more about the man behind the Strange Engineering name that racers the world over have relied on for so many decades.

PowerTV: Strange Engineering is such a familiar brand to drag racers today. Hoe and where did your Dad get the idea for the company?

Jeff Stange: Like a lot of guys in the 1950′s, my father was a car enthusiast and he started making parts for himself and then for his friends - from complete chassis to chassis components. He really made a wide variety of parts, which was very common in that time period, because junkyard parts would just flat-out fail. A good friend of my father’s, Bob Summers, was out in California, and he actually worked with my dad, and helped him manufacture axles.  Bob was already making them on out on the West Coast, so they started making axle shafts out here for racers in the midwest and East coast. From there, Strange really just grew from word of mouth, and here we are today.

Jeff speaks with customer and chassis builder, Scott Weney, at a trade show in Orlando.

PTV: So you were you literally born into the axle business and the racing industry?

Stange: Yes. I grew up right in the middle of it and I was always at races when I was a kid. After school, I’d go to the shop and hang out or do my homework there until my father was done at Strange, which was often pretty late. As the years rolled on, I got into other sports, but I was always around the factory and the people. So my interest was not only the racing and the love of the sport, but the manufacturing side of it, the care that goes into making products and the importance of satisfying the customer. Racing is a very now market, you know, our customers want their parts now and they want them right. They expect a lot and I was raised to make customers happy. So to me, because my father was always that way, his slogan was… “whatever it takes to satisfy.” Ptting your customer firstas always important at Strange.

PTV: Your last name is Stange (pronounced Stang-ee), but the company name is Strange. Now, what’s the back story on that?

Stange: In the 60′s and 70′s, as my father became better known in the industry, he had a lot of articles written about the parts he was making.  Rather than putting Stange in the article, they kept writing “Strange” by accident. So everything was Strange Engineering and Strange this and that. So, when he incorporated, he named the business ‘Strange’ simply because it was easier than to fix the writers’ mistakes. It wasn’t a play on words, but just the fact that the name was misprinted so often.

PTV: You’ve taken over your Dad’s company – a company where you’ve literally grew up at – and really supercharged its growth. What have been your greatest challenges?

Stange: For me, it was the culture change. I went to a 4-year college and graduated in three years; so I went through school pretty quickly. I did have some offers to work for large companies like Hewlett Packard, but I decided that this – our family business – is what I really wanted to do. I guess the biggest challenge was the culture that was at Strange at the time, and changing that culture. As I grew into the business, I still performed different roles for three or four years - whether it was managing production, marketing or working with engineering. The main challenge was forming the culture into what it needed to be in order to grow. At that point – and this would’ve been around the early 1990′s – things were getting a little stagnant.

PTV: A lot of great companies in the racing world are hurting. Has the downturn in the economy had an effect on Strange?

Stange: Quite honestly, we run a pretty lean show, so we’re very generous with some of our expenditures. But, we’ve always run a pretty efficient ship manufacturing-wise. So for us, I didn’t really have to make many changes, but the economy did effect us. We were down about 6% in 2009, but this year we’re up about 6.5%. Strange kept a focus on new product development, because we knew that eventually we’d come out of it. At the time, we were looking to move to a bigger building, but we put that on hold. So, some plans changed, but we found ways to become more efficient.

Despite heading up the daily operations of Strange Engineering, Jeff admits to having a strong interest in the engineering and design side of things. Here, he assists in the programming of an aluminum strut being prepared for machining.

PTV: Strange is a company deeply entrenched in racing history. have you raced since getting involved in running the company?

Stange: I did Frank Hawley’s drag racing school and the Bondurant School when I was in my 20′s, but I just kept myself involved in the family business and that’s really what I do twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I tell that to a lot of friends of mine that are chassis builders. I have no idea how they can run their business and race. I truly have a lot of respect for our racers, because it’s a lot of time and dedication to invest and I just couldn’t dedicate that amount of time to both racing and my company. I live and breathe Strange, which in some way is also living and breathing racing. I travel to quite a few races during the year, which I’ve been doing since I was 20. I still enjoy it, and while I don’t get to every NHRA race like I used to, I do try to get out there, to see our customers and see what’s going on in the market.

PTV: You literally grew up at Strange. What kind of jobs did you have as a kid?

Stange: Before I was ten, I was already helping out with filing and things like that in the office. By the time I was thirteen, I was working at Strange on a regular basis during the summer. I did everything from digging ditches outside, to cleaning the bathrooms and the shop – you name it –  whatever it took. Then I graduated into broaching and milling using an old, redundant mill. I just did a lot of odd jobs and grew my knowledge in a hands-on way. Plus, it was good money during the summer for a kid and I really enjoyed the work and just being involved with cars and my Dad.

PTV: What are some challenges that you often experience in the R&D phase when you work with racers and chassis builders in the field?

Stange: I think the key for us is to get people that we can really trust. We have a lot of people that we work with. For instance, we do a lot of work with Warren Johnson and it’s important to have a person that gives you feedback as he does. Not just complaints, but legitimate feedback and suggestions. Its very important for Strange to work with people out there, really racing our parts because we’re not on the racetrack ourselves.

Engineering-wise, we have a tremendous amount of expertise, but we’re not at the track day-to-day, actually racing. We go to races and speak to racers - the best feedback we get is from racers and chassis builders. Our growth comes from these relationships and listening to what they have to say, and that provides us the path that Strange needs to follow.

PTV: What role do you personally play in the development and design of new products?

Stange: I have more of a marketing background, but I’ve picked up a lot of engineering knowledge over the years. My father did a lot of engineering, although he never went to school for it per-se. But we both have a lot of hands-on experience and, of course, a staff of engineers. But if I see a market that I want a specific product for, I’ll lay out what I want that product to do and provide some conceptual ideas. As it progresses, I certainly work with the engineers on a lot of the details. I look at Strange products like jewelry – I want them to not only be functional, but I want them to look like a race car part.

PTV: Do you enjoy the technical side of the business?

Stange: I love it. It’s always funny with our engineers, because I’ll do my research and come in with these new ideas that they’re unaware of, ususally in the manufacturing and design processes. I definitely love the engineering side. We used to work near Northwestern University and I’d go over there and buy mechanical engineering books to read, but now with the Internet, I can go online and get a wealth of information. I certainly don’t have the mechanical talent that our engineers have, but I think that part of the business is fascinating.

PTV: You make race parts, street parts and everything in between. What’s involved in the design of something as extreme as a rear end for a Top Fuel Dragster?

Stange: Honestly, it is not a profit maker at all. Fuel racing is really a love and one that my father had with those cars from growing up with them in the 60′s. Really, for Strange, its a process of nonstop research and development. A true race car part is something that’s always on the edge, because you want it to be as light as possible. And sometimes we step over that edge. But for safety’s sake, we try to stay well ahead of any safety issues, so that if we did have a failure, it wouldn’t be a catastrophic one. As well, a lot of the processes and technology that we use in those products trickle down to others that we manufacture.

Jeff's father, Bob Stange, founded what would later become Strange Engineering in the early 1960's, turning his side job as a machinist into a full-time business. Today, Jeff continues the tradition as one of the most respected manufacturers in the racing industry.

PTV: Nitro racing is a dangerous business; for the racers, officials and even the fans. Is there some inherent risk for a manufacturer like yourself to be involved?

Stange: There is, but there are so many customers in the nitro ranks that we have connections with, that we don’t want to just walk away from, and that’s what keeps us involved. It’s really not about the money, but the people that use our products having faith and trust in us. It’s also to continually advance our sport. We’re always looking at ways to handle situations where a lug nut might be left loose, something isn’t torqued properly, a wheel isn’t seated, or the lugs are starting to elongate. We actually have a new lug design that’s going to be mandatory in the NHRA next year and we’re hoping to push that through for Pro Modified as well.

None of us like to see catastrophic failures or harm to racers and fans, but these are race cars and things are going to break. I don’t think there’s any miracle cure, so we just have to keep making things better, as we have for the past 45 years. People in this industry are becoming more pre-emptive. As far as safety goes, I’m always pre-emptive. I’ll never take off that last quarter-pound if I don’t believe it’s structurally sound.

In any industry – even something as passion-driven as auto racing – heading up a major company can often become a case of pencil-pushing and bean-counting, with more interest in the bottom line than the product. If you spend just one moment with Jeff Stange, you will quickly find he is anything but. He is passionate about every facet of the business, the advancement of technology in the sport, and continuing the tradition his father built. It is a true labor of love for the sport and the people within it - a determination and commitment to excellence that is sure to carry Strange Engineering well into the future.

Moran first burst onto the drag racing scene at the very first HOT ROD Magazine Fastest Street Car Shootout with an eight-second Pinto station wagon, and in 1994 debuted his “Casper” 1994 Camaro that would come one of the most iconic cars in street legal drag racing history. After a stint with nitrous oxide that aided him in waging battle with the likes of Pat Musi and Tony Christian and earning the title of first Pro Street car run in the sixes and over 200 MPH, Moran switched to turbochargers for good in 1999. His business, Moran Motorsports in Taylor, MI, had been building turbocharged engines for years, and the swap was motivated by business as much as horsepower.

In 1994 Moran debuted his "Casper" 1994 Camaro that would come one of the most iconic cars in street legal drag racing history.

After having his infamous quad-turbo big block and subsequent twin turbo big block engine combinations banned from competition right off the bat, Moran embarked on a new mission to reach the five-second zone with a new twin turbocharged ’99 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. After several hard fought years of single-handedly leading the turbo revolution, including lobbying for the inclusion of turbos in NHRA and IHRA Pro Modified, Moran achieved the landmark goal on March 12, 2009 with a 5.97 at 251 MPH in Valdosta, GA.

At the conclusion of the 2009 season, Moran placed his record-setting Monte Carlo for sale to focus on the development of a new race car and engine combination, and with those plans inching closer to fruition, DRAGZINE sat down with the turbo wiz to learn more about the race to the five-second zone and what the future holds for his business and his racing career.

DRAGZINE: What would you consider to be your greatest achievement in the sport?

Mike Moran: It’s a close race between bring the first turbo car to break the five-second barrier in Pro Modified and six-seconds in Pro Street. Both are milestones, and they’re certainly at the top of the list. With the five-second achievement, I was trying a lot harder and it took a lot more time – around four years – and it was certainly harder fought to accomplish.

DZ: What were some of your greatest challenges in reaching the five-second zone?

Moran: With the six-second street car effort, I had a lot of people that I could go to for advice. With the five-second goal, there had been plenty of blower cars to do it, but with the turbo car, there was no one to ask. You’re the one leading the path, and there’s no one to ask “am I doing this right?”. There was a lot of trial and error, plus we were doing it with an old nitrous motor that was less than optimal.  The chassis consisted of an old Pro Stock car that was pissed off having to cope with that much power. The car kept breaking everything under the sun because it just wasn’t designed for it, so it was a fight – a hell of a struggle.

DZ: So you’d really just stretched the limits of the Monte Carlo?

Moran: That car had no business doing what it did, because it just wasn’t designed for that much power. The car never made a full throttle pass; there was always pedaling involved. It tore up three different rear ends and snapped an axle one time at Rockingham, where I almost crashed the car. We’d tear up one part, fix it and then it would break something else. The Monte Carlo just wasn’t meant for power like that. But I couldn’t afford to go build a Pro Modified car, I had to make what I had work.

DZ: You essentially pioneered turbo Pro Mod racing. Did you expect it to take off the way it has?

Moran: No, I didn’t think it’d happen this quick. I told everyone that it’d be ten years before you would see a lot of cars with turbos, and we’re not quite at ten years yet and already half of them are there. It was a long and arduous process paving the way for turbos in Pro Modified and I know many others have followed in my footsteps. Originally, I sat down with a clean slate with [Kenny] Nowling and we made the rules. We were the only car involved in the class; the first turbo car to run in Pro Modified, period. There wasn’t even another one being built. A year later, it was Annette Summer and I, in which neither one of us could run well. Then again, look at what we were working with; we had cars that weren’t meant for what they were doing.

There were a couple of achievements that I set for myself. First was becoming the first turbo car in the fives because, in my driving career. Secondly, and I said mark my words – and I told this to the guys at IHRA and Kenny Nowling [with the NHRA AMS Pro Modified series] – that in ten years time, that turbos will be the power adder of choice. And we’re on our way; we’re about 40% of the way there.

DZ: Even when you were fighting tooth and nail with your combination, you were still confident that this was the way of the future?

Moran: Most of my struggles were with the car, and there are some shortcomings on the turbo cars as far as short times, but with some of the new technology out there, I knew it would come to it. If enough people are doing it and it’s fast enough, people will start building parts for what you’re doing.

These cars still can’t be beaten on the back half of the track – turbocharged Pro Modifieds run about as fast as a Top Fuel car in the back half. They pick up around 57 [MPH] out the back, and that’s a statistic that most people don’t know. Those cars cross the finish line at 330 miles per hour, but they run 275 to the eighth mile. They always pick up around 55 in the back, but it’s nothing for a strong car to make up 50 or more. The first time that someone ever told me that statistic, it was Tony Christian. Most race cars pick up 40-47 in the back half, but turbo cars are the exception to the rule.

DZ: Would you say that your “dirty work”, so to speak, made it possible for other turbo racers to come in and run well?

Moran: I’d rather refer to it as the trickle down effect, because that’s how it was put to me. People send me links to forums all the time and that’s exactly what people are saying. All of these guys now are running pretty fast, but they had the trickle down effect from what we were doing when nobody was doing it. They didn’t have six year learning curve like me; they had a year at best because they were able to take advantage of the prior six years. We didn’t hide it from anybody, and they knew what we were doing. They got to watch, and when they knew it was close enough, they jumped in.

DZ: Tell us a little about your new racing effort.

Moran: The first car is being built by Jerry Bickel and it is going to belong to a customer. It’s going to be a situation where I’ll drive the car for the first season to get it worked out for them, and then I’ll look at building a car of my own. I’ve got another car being built right behind that one, and honestly, as long as these guys let me build their cars and supervise them and figure out what needs to be done for the combination, I don’t know that I’ll ever build a car. As much as I’d love to build another one, these guys are giving me the artistic freedom to do whatever I want, and that’s what I like. The only reason I built my own car was because no one was letting me use my ideas on their car. But I don’t have that problem right now, so really, I’m living a dream.

DZ: Do you enjoy the driving aspect, or would you be perfectly content standing behind the race car?

Moran: I do enjoy the driving end of it, but I like tuning as well. If I were just to work on making them fast, I could do a lot better job then doing both. It’s definitely an ego thing; I mean you like to go fast, but I’ll be okay if its one of my customers, as long as its my stuff. I’m happy with that.

Do I like driving and the the thrill of it all? Hell yes, I’m an adrenaline junkie. I’ve had a lot of fun doing what I’ve done, and I’ve got to be realistic about it. I just don’t have the money to run in a series for a whole season, so I’d usually go hit two or three races with my car and that was about it. I enjoy my business and getting to tune for other guys and get paid for what I’m doing.

In a perfect world, if I had a big sponsor paying all the bills and I had the money, I’d race a full season anywhere. But the reality is that I have a business that I love that allows me to think outside the box, and then use this knowledge to make my customers succeed in their racing program. And of course, I have to pay the bills, so I have to drive on a part-time basis.

DZ: Was the five-second chase hard on you financially?

Moran: It was very tough, because we were always chasing so many different things. We spent a lot of money on theories, because we couldn’t just call someone up for advice. We had to explore theories and see what worked and what didn’t.

If I had to go out and build a five second car tomorrow, I could do it for a third of the money I had in the Monte Carlo, because two-thirds of the money was spent on development that we didn’t know would work or not, and they didn’t. Now that it’s been done and there’s a template, it’s no problem.

The Monte Carlo was rebuilt and changed in different ways three different times, and we spent that money three times when it could’ve been spent once. We even lengthened the wheelbase. Most people don’t cut the front of the car off unless they wreck it, but we cut it off to lengthen the wheelbase because it wasn’t stable enough. There was a lot of wasted time and money in it.

DZ: Despite the tribulations of that car and the high costs of reaching your goal, what motivated you to keep tirelessly forging ahead?

Moran: When we got it to the point of running in the 6.0′s and teens, I was very close to a breakthrough, and if I took six months to a year break building a car, I’d have been last into the fives. So I was forced to push a limited car. We had to make it work, even though it was really past the point of being safe. We just had to push on, because someone else would’ve beat us to it. By the time we got to the low sixes, everyone had taken notice and started to say “hey, we know what he’s doing; he’s doing this and that and we know what he’s using for a rear gear and everything.” Well all they had to do was build it once rather than three times. We just knew that we couldn’t take a break.

DZ: Why did you opt for the Mustang body, and what are some of the design cues that you’ve incorporated into this version?

Moran: To be honest, it was mostly my partner, Bart Lemieux. He kept suggesting that we go with the Ford and I told him that we’d have to do a lot of work to get a body where we wanted it. We could do a Chevrolet body and I could have an aerodynamic body the way I wanted it, right away. He convinced me to talk to Joe King and Jesse Kershaw at Ford Racing and because they’re right here by the shop, they’d stop by every two weeks and ask “are you ready yet?” I told them if they were serious we’d sit down and talk, and we did. I told them I was going to run my own powerplant and it wasn’t going to be a Chevy, Chrysler or a Ford. I was going to design my own motor, but we’d put the Ford name on everything. We were going to have completely reshape the body and so they were going to have to supply a couple Pro Stock bodies and work with me on some parts.

It was a Pro Stock body that they were offering, but I needed a Pro Modified body, so we were going to have a year just in the development of a body. When we came to that agreement, I said okay, and that’s why we ended up going with Ford. They’re friendly guys and would stop by and talk to me on a regular basis and it seemed like a natural fit.

DZ: So tell us about this new engine you are designing?

Moran: We’re building a new HEMI-based engine that has a lot of our own ideas incorporated into it. I’ve been working with Danny Jesel and Charlie Weston to develop a whole new block platform that uses, what we feel, is some pretty innovative thinking. It’s been designed strictly for turbocharged alcohol, so it’s going to be really easy to maintain. We basically created the best of a Ford, a Chevy, a Chrysler, and everything I’ve learned in my 25-plus years of building engines.

I left myself a wide open platform with it; I can go as large as 770 cubic inches and as small as 500 and still have a nice package. I kept it at a reasonable deck height; not too tall, not too short, and by doing this, we have a platform that can really fit anyones needs.

The customer receiving the first car already owns the engine that was in the Monte Carlo and so we’re going to run that until the new engine is complete. We actually already have the first three MRE HEMI motors that will be built sold, so I wouldn’t even have one of my own until next year.

DZ: When do you expect to be back on the racetrack?

Moran: We’re tentatively saying July, and we’re comfortable saying that unless things take longer than expected, which everyone knows can happen when starting a new program.

The nose of the Moran-designed Mustang body at right, features a much smaller frontal area than the Pro Stock nose at left.

DZ: Where do you plan on racing?

Moran: We’re targeting the ADRL. That’s why my engine combination is the way it is. We don’t have any visions of being super competitive from the get-go, we just want to go out there and work on developing the low end performance that we lack against the blower cars.

We’re looking at it as a new challenge, and I really like the ADRL from the standpoint that they’re just outside-the-box thinkers. You can do whatever you want, just bring it and I like that. That’s what got me off the streets and into the NMCA. It was bring your car to Memphis and let’s see who’s got the baddest car, and it was heads-up racing. That was 1992 and I’d never seen it before. With class racing where there’s all kinds of specified engine regulations, weights, and things like that, no one is rewarded for any sort of outside thinking.

DZ: Although you’d sold it and moved on, was it tough to see the Monte Carlo torn up in the crash last fall?

Moran: Yeah, I felt really bad when I saw it. I’d been through a lot of hairy moments with that car at 250 miles per hour. That car was only designed to run 205, and I ran 252 with it. Everytime I pulled the chutes, it’d lift the rear wheels three feet of the ground because the location of the pull point was great for Pro Stock racing, but it was too low for Pro Modified. It’d dance around on its nose guardrail to guardrail, but I always able to get it under control.

Ric Fleck purchased Moran's record-setting Monte Carlo last season and went for a wild ride in Orlando during qualifying at the annual World Streetnationals last fall.

I thought to myself, “I don’t know how many times I’d been close to crashing that car and saved it somehow.” I guess it was a lot of luck and the grace of God, and some good driving. And then to see it go out and get balled up into the wall 300 feet out, I was just sick. But the guy was okay, Larry [Larson] did a great job building the car, and it did what it was meant to do it; it saved the driver.

DZ: At present, the ADRL Pro Extreme class doesn’t contain a single turbo car. Is it possible for these cars to compete, or does the nature of the turbo simply rule you out in the eighth mile?

Moran: There are ways around the current disadvantage. The ADRL doesn’t limit you within reason, and because we can do whatever we want, I’ve got a couple ideas that I don’t want to let out of the bag that I think exist that someone just needs to go out there and try. So that’s what we’re going to do.

Initially we won’t be competitive, but I’d like to think after a full year under our belt, we can be. Conservatively, I think we can run 3.70′s and then we’ll see where we go from there.

DZ: In Outlaw competition, would or could the quad turbo setup be viable today?

Moran: I think John Meaney [of BigStuff3] and I learned a lot from that whole program, and if anything, you’d be at a disadvantage with more turbos. The pulses per turbo aren’t enough to get the wheel speed that you need. The more pulses you have, the quicker you can get turbine speed, and when we cut it down to two pulses, we had a hard time getting it to make boost.

Back then, I built a really killer big block with a short stroke and we were spinning 9,200 RPM on the chip, just to get it to make the boost we needed before it left the starting line. That’s higher than most people shift. So we learned that with two turbos instead of four, the energy from the other two pipes could be put into one and now its easy to get it to build boost.

We definitely learned a lot from it back then, but I don’t think that’d be the way to go now.

DZ: What challenges do you face trying to run a business, build a new race car, and campaign a race season?

Moran: The biggest challenge is getting any sleep. There’s no time for sleep when you’ve got all of that on your ticket. I’d sleep two or three hours tops, and when I wasn’t doing one of the three, I might sleep for five or six hours. But when you’ve got everything going at once, there’s just no way that you can be a normal person.

The racing has always taken a backseat. I put all of my customers first and the racing has always been the thing that faltered. I could be mad at myself, but at least I didn’t have anyone else mad at me.

For Mike and his team, the road to the five-second zone was a long and arduous task, but in the end, their tireless efforts paid off with a place in the history books that no one can ever take away from them. And along the way, they opened the floodgates for turbocharging in Pro Modified and ushered in a whole new era for the Pro Modified category. And now, armed with a blank slate to carve out on an entirely new racing program from the ground-up, the future has never looked brighter for Mike Moran and his Moran Motorsports business.

Images courtesy: Steve Matusek/Aeromotive Inc.

Aeromotive Inc. President and founder Steve Matusek made the long-awaited debut of the new twin turbocharged Rough/Yates engine combination in Pro Modified at last weekends NHRA O’Reilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals in Houston, and despite coming just a few hundredths short of making the show, he and his team view the maiden outing as a clear success.

“The really exciting thing from our perspective is that the valvetrain isn’t moving around, the engine is happy, the bearings are happy, and the car is responding to the changes that we made,” Matusek explains.

The Aeromotive crew opened qualifying on Friday afternoon with a tire-chattering and pedaling 6.623 at 222.25 miles per hour, but made some changes between rounds and came back out in the later session to improve significantly to a 6.236 at 235.89 that was good for 15th on the provisional qualifying sheet. In Saturday’s final session, however, Steve was bumped from the field and like many others in the class, couldn’t get ahold of the starting line on his last attempt and was unable to improve.

“Unfortunately on the first pass, we had a problem and lost power to the boost controller, so we were behind the eight ball after that session,” explained Matusek. “On the second run when we went 6.23, that really should’ve been our first run. And if that had been the case, it would’ve put us in a much, much better position because the track really went away on the third pass. But all in all, we were extremely happy with how the car is performing and how its responding when we make changes. We changed rear end gears, transmission gears, and different boost strategies between runs, so we’re not even close to having a baseline yet, but we’re a lot closer.” After their earlier debut was scrapped to tend to issues regarding the brand new, untested engine combination, Matusek and company shook the new machine down at  nearby Tulsa Raceway Park before green-lighting the trip to Houston.

There, Steve made four passes down the race track, with the goal in mind of reaching a different point in the gear change with each successive attempt. On the first pass, they simply wanted to get the car into second gear, and did so with a coasting 7.20 elapsed time. On the next two passes, he took the car halfway through second gear and then into third gear. On the final run, Steve clicked it at 1,100′ and recorded an impressive 6.31 at 222 miles per hour.

Explained Matusek, “We tried to test in Houston some weeks back and we just had problems. I mean we had problems that we had to address, and we just weren’t ready yet. So we had to redo some things on the car, change some things around, and unfortunately, we lost the first two races of the year, but that’s what happens when you go into a new engine program. If you go in with a cookie cutter-type engine combination and other peoples’ power, you don’t have these kinds of issues, but at the same time, it’s a lot more fulfilling to us to take some new programs, partner up with some new people like Roush/Yates, and do things that no one has ever done before. And that’s why we’re so excited about this program.”

In the development of the new race car and engine combination, Aeromotive has developed a one-of-a-kind prototype fuel pump for such an engine, capable of moving  21 gallons per minute. Based on the results seen not only at Houston but during testing, Matusek and company see ample potential in the new engine combination and in their new 2010 Ford Mustang. “The ratios that we had in the car weren’t what we wanted, and we’ve got a lot more power that we could put in it,” said Matusek. “We were basically at 35 pounds of boost, so we didn’t have much power in the car. It was a very fat tuneup with no timing, and a very, very loose clutch setup, so there are a multitude of areas that we can go to to throw power in it. But it was more important for us initially to just get the car from A to B and start making laps and accumulating data so that we could project a strategy going forward so that we can go faster, as opposed to blowing the tires off because we’re trying to rotate the earth.”

Matusek’s biggest concern going into the Houston event wasn’t the performance of the car or whether or not the team made the qualified field, but rather, that they could bring everything home in one piece and be ready to forged ahead with the combination. “It’s not like we can call an engine builder and say ‘hey, we hurt it and we need a sleeve and a piston’ or something like that. This is the only engine like this in existence, and until we feel comfortable that we have a good combination that we feel can be reliable and durable enough, we’re not going to build another one. So it was a real testament to what’s been done so far, because we can’t go out there and get aggressive with it until we know it’s going to live. Right now we’re feeling a lot more confident with it, but we’re still going to continue to sneak up on this thing and see what it can take.”

Although spectators come Saturday afternoon, Steve and his team did pick up a little hardware to commemorate their first weekend in Pro Modified. So impressed were the NHRA officials with the ingenuity and keen attention to detail put into the Aeromotive Mustang, that the team was honored with the prestigious Best Engineering Car award. “We’re excited. We entered Atlanta so that’s going to be our next stop, and we’ll probably head to Tulsa and test again before that, but we’re extremely excited about what we’ve seen so far.”

Moving ahead, the Aeromotive team’s goal is to continue shaving that valuable elapsed time away, and Steve believes it would be a huge step in the right direction for their program to qualify at Atlanta in two weeks. From there, they’ll enter the car in Competition Eliminator in Topeka and pull out all the stops to entertain their employees and their families at their home event before embarking on what they hope to the balance of the NHRA Pro Modified schedule.

And after their first experience in the always-exciting world of Pro Modified racing, suffice it to say that Steve and the rest of the Aeromotive and Roush/Yates team are looking forward to what the future holds.

“This is as excited as I’ve been about racing in the last few years,” states Matusek. “We have something that I think is really competitive and we’re anxious to get back out there. The Pro Modified guys are great to race with. Sure there’s competition out on the track, but there’s also a camaraderie there, and we felt fortunate to be a part of that. These guys seem to have a different kind of bond, and it’s neat to be around.”

“Hopefully we can go some rounds and win some races; that’s ultimately where we want to be.”

Paul “Scooter” Brothers, President and co-founder of COMP Cams and chairman-elect of the SEMA board of directors, is a good guy to get to know. Involved in multiple forms of racing for practically his whole adult life, he currently leads a performance parts empire, yet remains one of the easiest guys to talk to in the business. It turns out that the head honcho of COMP has quite a few racing stories that you’d never think a CEO of a major corporation would tell you, but we think you’ll find that Scooter is no ordinary CEO. He’s a racer at heart, always has been, and always will be.

powerTV: OK, first of all, let’s get the question about the nickname out of the way…

Scooter Brothers: The name came from the lady in the hospital the day I was born. I don’t remember it personally, but I’m told that I was “scooting” around in the little basket they put me in, so she named me. And it just stuck. I should probably make us some really noble story, but this is as far as I know, the truth.

PTV: Let’s talk about more recent history. Over the years, you’ve been involved with racing of all kinds and at all levels, so you’ve got a bit of perspective on the topic. Are the more “colorful” part of racing – the rivalries, the shenanigans on and off the track, the personalities – a thing of the past?

SB: The last 20 years or so has been relatively cookie-cutter. When things got more refined and more professional, people got to be less of the “characters” they used to be. In the old days, it was not unusual to have some pretty big-time arguments – things went on that were a lot more cowboy-ish than you’d put up with today. It wasn’t unusual to have somebody threaten somebody else, “If you don’t let my guy win…” There’s just a lot of crazy things that used to happen, and today you can’t get away with that kind of stuff. In the early days you did what you had to do.

PTV: Do you have a few stories that come to mind about the old days? What was it like racing then? What stories can you share?

SB: <Laughing> OK, I’ll tell you a couple of funny stories, and then one that has stuck with me for my entire life that was really a life lesson. I’ll start way back, back in the early days of drag racing in the ‘60’s. Things weren’t very complicated back then, you know. They had very simple drag strips and a lot of things were approximated, and it just wasn’t a real nice setup over all. There were weeds everywhere and racetracks were basically put wherever they could be.

I remember one night where we had stock classes running, and they had big spots and some of the old racing cars were ’50 Oldsmobiles, so they were really slow, and they would get longer handicaps than some of the faster cars. So when they’d leave the starting line and be running down the track there’d just happen to be someone laying in the weeds right at the photo cell at the finish line, and just to “make sure” the cell was working he might’ve reached his hand out to trip the beam before the cars went by.

PTV: Just to make sure?

SB: Well, you know, you never know about those things. We always called it a hot dog wrapper blowing through there. Well, one night it got a little mixed up and the beam light got tripped early and the guy that was racing him saw the win light come on when he was only about 1000 feet down the track. He knew something was going on then! That’s one story that I wouldn’t have wanted to let out of the bag 40 years ago, but maybe nobody is still alive that remembers it happening. We’ll just say that I knew the guy laying in the weeds pretty well.

PTV: So, was it you?

SB: <Laughing> You’ll never know, but I wasn’t fat then like I am now and it was easier to lay in the weeks, I’ll say that!

PTV: Sounds very suspicious! Were you aware of any other “suspicious” activities that just happen to take place at races where you were in attendance?

SB: Oh, maybe. I do remember one other time we were out doing some oval track racing on the dirt races and I was supporting the engine of Billy Moyer, an Iowa guy, and this was in ’84 or ’85. Billy was and still is a National star and we were racing down in Lubbock, TX. He was in the front row and while they were going around on a warm-up lap he had a plug wire fall off.

We had always said back then that if the lights had gone out at the race track that it’d be a bad thing, and no one would know what to do. So, I happen to look up and there was a switch box by the lights, and all of a sudden the lights went out and the track went dark. The cars had to stop while they were figuring it out, so we went out on the track and put the plug wire back on.

PTV: Wow, what are the odds that the lights would just go out like that?

SB: Well, you never know, but they put a lock on that handle after that!

PTV: You had mentioned that there was one story that was a huge life lesson for you. What was that?

SB: Well, this is the one that I’m most proud of and it’s about John Lingenfelter. John and I were really tight. We had raced and traveled together, and he was a really special person. He was the kind of guy that would do anything, and I mean anything that he had to do to win a race.

The story that I want to tell you was back in 1977 or ’78. John had a super stock Corvette that was by far the fastest car anywhere, and this was before they had break out racing or anything like that. Basically the fastest car would win the race. We were at Indianapolis at the U.S. Nationals and this was on Monday morning, the day of the eliminations. They used to give the super stock cars a time trial first thing in the morning.

Well, he went up that Monday morning for his time trial and while he was doing his burnout the entire side of the engine block pulled out. He got around to the pits but had no spare engine. He lived in Decatur, IN which was maybe a little under 100 miles from there. It was about 2 hours before the first round started when all of this happened. For most people that would have been it, but John had seen a helicopter giving rides to spectators over the track, so he went and found the helicopter and had the guy fly him to Decatur so he could get a spare block. He landed in the middle of the street, ran in, grabbed the new block, and started prepping it in the helicopter on the way back.

While he was gone, a group of us racers got together, pulled the engine out and tore it down. In other words we had the crank, rod, and pistons laying there and we had everything as prepared as we possible could. We went out and borrowed ring compressors so that every piston had ring compressors on them. We had everything completely ready for when John got back. 45 minutes after he landed, the Corvette was in the staging lanes! It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. There were actually some pictures taken by Rick Vogel who did a series of pictures for Car Craft. It proved to me that you can do just about anything if you set your mind to it.

John Lingenfelter campaigned his super-successful Corvette for several years which would pave the way for the Corvette performance parts that Lingenfelter Performance is known for.

PTV: Could you say that was one of those life lessons that never seem leave you?

SB: It hasn’t and it never will! I guess it’s something that I’ll never forget. When they had John’s funeral, there were a bunch of pictures of his racing accomplishments in the foyer, maybe 100 pictures or so. We were all milling around out there and saw the pictures of that day and the memories came flooding back. It was really pretty cool.

One topper to the story was that when John went up to the starting line with the rebuilt engine the carb started to flood over. It turns out that when someone had put a bolt in the rubber fuel line to block the fuel while we pulled the engine, he just happened to choose a bolt that had a little piece of silicone on it. No one ever noticed. That piece of silicone came off of that bolt and eventually got stuck into the needle and seat in the carburetor. John couldn’t race.

The entire place knew that the race would have been his had he been able to run. I’ve never seen what happened next to this day, but the NHRA let him come back and make a run by himself during the U.S. Nationals just to show how fast he could of run, and he ended up racing way faster than anyone else. It put the icing on the cake and proved what would have happened had he been allowed to run.

Something else that stuck with me was that there was maybe 25 or 30 of us working on John’s car to get it ready, and every single one of us decided what to do to get the job done fastest. That’s the most fun thing about racing is that the people that compete against each other on the track help each other in the pits.

PTV: So you may have tweaked the engine in the pits that ended up beating you!

SB: Yes! Absolutely. But everyone sees that in racing and that’s what makes great. There’s no question that as far as someone learning values and learning how to work that it’s a hell of a training tool. It’s a great life lesson and had about as much impact on me as being in the service.

PTV: You had mentioned to me before the interview that the last car you raced personally was a Camaro that you and John Lingenfelter prepared together. Since racing has had such a huge impact on you, is it something that you miss doing?

SB: You know, people ask me if I miss racing all the time, but I just tell them that I never stopped racing. I actually race every day. I just race companies instead of cars. My partner is a lawyer, and he hasn’t practiced in some time, but I have grown to know that lawyers race just like we do on a racetrack. If you look around at successful people in business, they all race against the guy next to them, whether he’s in the next lane, or across the courtroom, or somebody else on the midway. We all race our competition. And I tell my guys that it’s not always necessary to play fair – we have to use whatever we can call an advantage. In some cases, that’s what a racer does. Fair means one thing, but as you get closer and closer to the competition and business side of things, it means a little something different.

PTV: Scooter, these are fantastic stories. It’s incredible how much racing has shaped your life. Thanks so much for sharing.

SB: It was my pleasure. Anytime!

]]> http://www.dragzine.com/features/interviews/unbelievable-racing-stories-with-comp-camss-scooter-brothers/feed/ 0 http://www.dragzine.com/files/2011/02/222-400x265.jpghttp://www.dragzine.com/files/2011/02/222-300x199.jpg http://www.dragzine.com/features/interviews/granatelli-reuniting-with-ford-modular-combo-for-psca-in-2011/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=granatelli-reuniting-with-ford-modular-combo-for-psca-in-2011 http://www.dragzine.com/features/interviews/granatelli-reuniting-with-ford-modular-combo-for-psca-in-2011/#comments Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:54:10 +0000 Andrew Wolf http://speednik.com/?p=19733

J.R. Granatelli. Image credit: SEMA News

Longtime Mustang drag racer and performance parts aficionado J.R. Granatelli, president of Granatelli Motorsports, has announced his intentions to pursue building what would be the quickest and fastest Ford Modular-powered Mustang to date for the 2011 season and beyond. Granatelli will work closely with Aeromotive’s Steve Matusek, who carried the Ford Modular banner before selling his car to step up to the next level of doorslammer racing.

“Steve is moving up to Pro Modified and so along with Ford, we’re going to carry on and build a PSCA-style car and continue to promote the Mod motor. So basically we’re building a Mod motor Pro Modified car. Along with PSCA, we’ll also run it in NHRA Competition Eliminator,” said Granatelli. “We’re never going to be able to compete on the Pro Modified level with a Modular motor. We’re not going to make 3,200 horsepower, but we know we can make about 2,500. And that’s plenty, but it’s probably going to take a solid 5.85 to 5.90 every round this year to be competitive and our combination just won’t be enough.”

Aeromotive President Steve Matusek has helped to carry the Modular engine torch for the last handful of season and is readying for an NHRA Pro Modified venture in 2011 with the help of Roush Yates Engines.

Granatelli continued, “I think where we shine and stand to get the most exposure and do the most damage with a shot to win every race is the PSCA, where the car only has to weigh 2,400 or 2,500 pounds with a Mod motor and we can run 5.90′s to 6.0′s. And with that kind of performance over there you’ll be able to win a lot of races.”

The new ride, which will be draped in a 2011 Ford Mustang body, will receive power from a 5.4L-based, 331-cubic inch powerplant sporting a set of 80mm turbochargers out front. The mega horsepower mill will then be backed by a Liberty five-speed transmission. The chassis is currently under development and the debut is estimated at late spring for testing, with a full-on effort planned for late 2011 and the 2012 season.

J.R. describes this as a “no budget” effort that will have all the best parts and pieces for the rare Modular combination that he’s made waves with in other drag racing ventures in the past. In the early 2000′s Granatelli transformed an eight second Modular-powered Mustang into a six-second runner in the NMRA’s hit Pro 5.0 category, putting the combination squarely on the map and creating plenty of chatter regarding its surprising competitiveness. But later, rule changes in the class coupled with a loss of support from Ford hampered those efforts and Granatelli traded in the Modular engine for a conventional combo. Since that time, both John Mihovetz and Matusek have campaigned the Modulars with rousing success and now, Granatelli is excited to be reunited with Ford and carry the Modular banner once again.

Granatelli campaigned this Fox body Mustang in the NMRA's Super Street Outlaw class for a short time in 2006 and 2007. Image credit: Racecraft.com

“The Mod motor kind of died. But Matusek decided to go NHRA racing and wanted to get some exposure for the Mod motor and obviously he one-upped us, because a lot has changed between 2001 and 2010. COMP Cams developed better camshafts and better rocker control, along with the advent of the GT block from the Ford GT. So Steve was able to go super fast.” J.R. indicated he’s gone outside the automotive realm for sponsorship on the new car, with some backers already signed and negotiations ongoing with others. “We’re in some great sponsorship talks right now and thats all that I can say at this point. It should be good, but I don’t want to jinx myself. This to me is like my lust ‘hurrah’. I’m 40 years old and I’ve got an 18-year old kid who wants to drive. So I’d like to drive the car a little bit and then hand the car over to him and say okay, here it is.”

This new format would offer fans two opportunities over the course of the weekend to see the main event, which would include a booked-in lineup of Top Fuel dragsters, Pro Fuel dragsters, Prostalgia Nitro Funny Cars, and an assortment of exhibition vehicles to round out the program. This announcement was met with heated criticism from the series’ longtime diehard fans, media, and racers who weren’t keen on this new idea that, for some, took away the venue in which they had long called home.

However, with a debut season in the books that saw eye-opening crowds at nearly every venue, in addition to some exciting racing, there’s little doubt that the IHRA is truly on to something with their new venture. And along the way, the series managed to appease many of those early naysayers that all but wrote the series off last winter. DRAGZINE sat down with the IHRA’s Manager of Media and Publicity, Larry Crum, to learn how the series and Feld Entertaiment grade their first season and what’s in store for the future of the fledgling new Nitro Jam program.

Dragzine: Now that your first season under the new Nitro Jam format is complete, tell us your thoughts and how you grade the season overall?

Larry Crum: “In my opinion, I would say the first season would have to be around a B-plus. And the reason for that is, with the new format, this was very much a test year. We obviously enacted the new format, and we expected some success with it right off the bat, but not as much as we had. We had a great year, a lot of big crowds, and a lot of support. We also got a lot of attention with the new format. We experimented with some stuff, and it’s opened us up to try some new things next year. We plan to add some new classes, and our schedule, while we haven’t released it yet, is an expanded schedule that has a couple more events with three new markets. It’s opened a lot of opportunities and a lot of eyes to the series. But there is still a lot of room to grow, a lot of things to try.”

DZ: What were some things that you learned in this first season that you could or plan to implement changes to improve in 2011?

Crum: “We plan on adding more variety next year, for one. We started this first year with the three classes that we had just to sort of establish a base of what we wanted to go forward with, by adding more nitro classes. Next year we plan on having more classes on the schedule. And some of the thing like FanFest; we had certain parts of FanFest that really took off and so we plan on doing more of that. It was more of a ‘lets see how this works out,’ and it was a huge success. Particularly the nitro warmup’s that we have during FanFest. Because we used this year as an experiment on what worked and what didn’t, it has allowed us to go forward next year with a much bigger version of what you saw this year. We plan to continue growing it each year. Whether that’s more classes, more variety, or just adding more to the overall package.”

The cars and stars of the IHRA competed before eye-opening crowds at events all across the country under the new Nitro Jam format in 2010. All images courtesy: IHRA.com

DZ: What do you say to the detractors that said this format couldn’t and wouldn’t work?

Crum: “We did hear a lot of that, obviously. There’s nothing wrong with people being used to the old format and the way things used to be done – we still want their support as much as possible. But you almost have to say that times are changing. What we did wasn’t working – it just wasn’t working for us. So, we needed to branch out and find something that was our little niche in the market. And the new format turned out to be that thing. We knew it would be successful, we just didn’t know how quickly it would take off. There’s nothing against the traditionalists, and we had a lot of them that said it could not work and would not work that came out to races and said “you know, I don’t necessarily like the kind of racing you’re doing, but I had a lot of fun.” And that’s really the whole point of it. It’s not just a race, it’s a spectacle, and it’s a lot of fun. That was the point of our new deal – to make it fun again.”

DZ: What has been the response from the competitors, track owners, and promoters with one season in the books?

Crum: “For the most part, it’s been very positive. We had some new tracks come onboard in the off-season and we have three new markets in 2011 that we either haven’t been to in a while or never been to before. We’re even going to a new track out West next year. Some of them, like Rockingham, it just didn’t work out for. We knew that in some markets, the event just might not work, it’s as simple as that. And so we decided to take the events to new markets where the series could have a chance to grow and flourish.”

We’ve had several tracks that even we didn’t expect to get phone calls from saying; Wow, this seems to really be working, what’s the secret?’ We have some very big tracks that are not IHRA-sanctioned right now that are very interested in what we’re doing and have been in talks with us about things for the future. So overall, it has been a very positive response.”

Pro Fuel racer Bill Evans competes before a packed house at the Rockingham Dragways' Spring Nitro Jam.

DZ: Why was the traditional format no longer working for the IHRA?

Crum: “Our fan attendance was down, our car counts were down, and the economy was a huge factor in deciding a lot of these changes. And combining the economy with the fact that when Feld Motorsports came onboard, they are a very entertainment-oriented company. They loved what we were doing – I can honestly say that despite outside perception, Feld loves the sportsman portion of what we’re doing – they love touching our membership base all over North America.”

“They wanted to leave the sportsman portion as it was, but they wanted to grow the entertainment portion. And with the traditional format not exactly working for us, we decided to go forward with a new plan, a new direction. Let’s keep the core of the IHRA, and take the rest of it and make it as much entertainment and fun as possible. And that’s what’s worked – just getting away from what wasn’t working and trying new thing to make the series grow.”

Pro Modified, a longtime staple category created by the IHRA in 1990, was included at select events on the 2010 Nitro Jam tour.

DZ: Was there a “plan B” so to speak if this format didn’t take off?

Crum: “The one thing that we always want to get across is that if Feld Entertainment were ever to just say this isn’t working anymore and drop us and the professional racing went away, the IHRA would continue to exist in its sportsman structure. We want to make it clear that we are sportsman first, and the show is just the added element to it.”

“In terms of a Plan B; not really. It was more a case of we expected this to work and we knew this could work. People love seeing these cars, and they love nitro, the jets, the fireworks, and the whole spectacle of it. So we sort of went in to it saying,’This is what we’re going to do and we’re not going to look back.’ We’re going to go all-in this year and see where it takes us. Obviously it worked out for this year, and it’s by no means a perfect system and it’s still a work in progress. But for the first year, we’re very pleased with the direction it went in and we hope to continue to grow for next year.”

Prostalgia Funny Car competitor Mike McIntire Sr.'s McAttack '69 Camaro at Palm Beach International Raceway

DZ: Much has been made of the parting of ways with the staple Pro Modified and Pro Stock categories that put the IHRA on the map. Are there any talks of bringing these classes back into the fold?

Crum: “Obviously, we continued to have Pro Modified racing at four or five events this year. We still talk to those groups, and right now there isn’t a plan to bring them back into the fold as a full-time class, but we’re continuing to work with different Pro Mod groups all across the country. We still love that kind of racing, and it’s very much a part of the IHRA, and when we works with the tracks to set up the individual events, a lot of them have said that’s what they want to be a part of their show. We have worked Pro Mod into some of them, and while it’s not on the schedule to bring them back full-time, it’s always a possibility to have the, at different events.”

DZ: You had large crowds at virtually every race, but would you say that your demographic has shifted from the diehard fan to those coming out to see their first drag race? And if so, can you maintain those customers at the same venue year after year?

Crum: “Sure, we’ve absolutely seen a shift in the balance. At different tracks, it’s been a different mixture, I guess you could say. Some of the events we’ve had a lot of our diehard, core crowd out, and others we’ve had a lot of brand new faces. And a lot of the brand new faces have come in not knowing much about our sport.”

“We’ve conducted surveys at some of the events this year and some have been our diehard crowd and some the fans who either saw a commercial on TV and thought it looked like fun, or knew a little bit about drag racing and liked the price points. But, we’ve definitely seen a shift, with a lot of new fans. As well, we’ve seen a lot of families, which was one of the keys this year with the FanFest and the short time schedule. We had an incredible increase in attendance from children this year from any other year in the past. We had a lot of kids. And that’s something that we hope to continue to grow.”

The IHRA's new Fan Fest was designed to give fans a chance to interact with the stars of the series, and included autograph sessions, christmas tree competitions, and other activities, concluding with "Thunder in the Pits," in which every nitro car in attendance fired their cars in unison.

“The idea is that we don’t want to go into the same event every year with the same exact show. I think we can continue to draw out the new fans and bring the ones that maybe aren’t diehard fans that came out this year. I think we can definitely bring them back next year, based on a different variety. Our idea is to make some changes to show every year. We’ll still see many of the same classes, but we’ll also bring some new ones with different size car counts and some new headline attractions. And sticking with a variety and adding in the price point, I think we’ll continue to draw new fans and bring back the ones that saw a great show the year before.”

DZ: Are Feld Entertainment and the IHRA committed to giving sportsman racers a venue with which to compete?

Crum: “Oh, definitely. The idea is that we want the IHRA to have its identity as sportsman first. And we stress that in everything we do. We want to make sure that all of our sportsman racers know that Fled is very committed to this. We have members of the Feld organization come to many events during the year and they love the reach, they love the family atmosphere, they love everything about sportsman racing. The Nitro Jam event is our way of putting on a show, but the sportsman racing is still our core. And Feld Entertainment is definitely 100% behind the sportsman part of what we do.”

DZ: Will we ever see the IHRA return to a standard race format with true qualifying fields?

Crum: “With the way it’s working right now, I think it’s going to stay the way it is…for now. There may definitely be some tweaks or changes to the system and the way we do it now, but as far as returning to the old format, there is no plan right now to return to the traditional format.”

Bruce Litton and Bobby Lagana square off during the Salt Lake Nitro Jam at Rocky Mountain Raceway

DZ: Where do you see the IHRA in 10 years?

Crum: “Our goal is to make the Nitro Jam brand as recognizable as NASCAR or Monster Jam. We want to see Nitro Jam stickers on the back of peoples’ cars. We want people to immediately recognize the brand Nitro Jam. We hope to continue to grow this, to reach out to new arenas, new venues, and continue to bring in new classes and new talent. We just hope to grow the series to where it can become a nationally-recognized and I think that’s something we can achieve with the reach and the help of Feld Motorsports and the Feld Entertainment Group.”

In Conclusion

Whether the new format tickles your fancy or not, you have to hand it to the IHRA and Feld Entertainment for stepping out of the comfort zone of traditional drag racing shows and trying something truly unique to help grow not only their organization, but the entire sport. With tens of thousands of new fans flocking to these events, many of which are introducing a new generation of followers to this great sport, the scope of what they are accomplishing with this exciting new venture is immeasurable, and we look forward to seeing what’s in store for the IHRA and Nitro Jam in the years ahead.

Ask around in the business and you’ll hear Chris Alston, Sr. called a lot of different things: innovator, leader, inventor, opinionated, strong-willed, and probably a few more terms not often heard in polite conversation, but “boring” is definitely not on the list. More than twenty years after setting out on his own to found Chris Alston’s Chassisworks, he’s currently at the helm of a business that dominates multiple sectors of the aftermarket, and he did it without compromising his core belief in building and selling products he’s proud of, and nothing else. We recently got the chance to talk to Alston (though to be honest he did most of the talking) and find out what’s on his mind.

Dragzine: Everybody knows you now for the company that bears your name, but you actually started out in the racing aftermarket long before you started Chassisworks. How did all that get started, and why did you end up striking out on your own?

Chris Alston, Sr.: “It’s a great story. I started a business with my brothers in 1975 called Alston Racecar Engineering. In 1987, we had a thermonuclear, ugly divorce that revolved around the fact that we had extremely divergent personalities, needs, and wants. It’s difficult to keep them all focused on the same thing. We were the most successful chassis parts builder, ever. And after 12 years of working like dogs to become so successful, peoples’ priorities changed. Personal stuff that should have been left at home, it all percolated up to the top.

We started that company as very young men, not understanding that partnerships are hard to hold together. The fact that it was so successful and lasted so long was a miracle. But at the time you just wonder why it’s not working. You do something for a long time and your priorities in it change. Basically what happened was that the two brothers who worked there (the third was a silent partner), myself and my older brother, we don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things. But it was an excellent combination because he was a very good promoter and knew how to sell stuff, and I am basically a mad scientist and invented just a phenomenal amount of things in the drag race world that are industry standards. That was a real good combination, but as you get successful and get money, some people lose sight of where they came from and what their contributions were. As I grew up, I spent a lot of energy figuring out what my brother did that was important to the company. So I had some understanding of what he did and had some respect for it. But he never spent any time trying to figure out what it was that I did in my part of it.

I basically ran the entire daily operation, I invented all of the stuff, and I was responsible for manufacturing it. His contribution was that he was responsible for selling it. I learned how to sell parts, but he never learned how to manufacture them. You know how when you look at something you don’t understand, it looks easy? He never had any respect for my unique skill. He never realized that the success was a combination of incredibly cool products manufactured in a way that they were affordable, coupled with a strong selling method. A very substantial rift opened between us and I left in 1987.

I started my own company doing the exact same thing, and we ended up as the kind of competitors where we couldn’t even cross each other’s path in the hall – that kind of thing. It was just bad. Really bad. So here we are 23 years later, and I still own the largest manufacturer of chassis parts in the country and they went bankrupt 15 years ago. So that’s my version of the story.”

DZ: The Chassisworks catalog has evolved quite a bit over that time, from mostly hardcore drag chassis parts in the beginning to a lot of bolt-on and street-oriented items today. Was that an intentional thing, or just the way market demand took you?

Chris Alston, Sr.: “We always built drag race cars and Pro Street cars. It’s really comical to me that people think Pro Touring cars (and I hate that phrase, by the way) are a new thing. Cars were built to handle years ago, and personally I built Trans-Am cars, so I understand that market. But Pro Touring cars were just a natural growth from Pro Street – completely hand-built cars, and in the old days people just wanted them to accelerate, but they had to be really fast and stop really good, and now you expect them to turn, too. It isn’t some brand new thing. It isn’t even a monumental shift. We built cars like that in the late 70’s. It’s just that what has really happened in the market is that the whole awareness of the musclecar is based entirely on the fact that as people get older, you want what was cool when you were in high school. The whole Pro Touring/G-machine market is the 100 percent natural progression of the aging of the marketplace. Those are the people who would have built street rods if they were 15 years older. But the problem is that if you grew up with 60’s muscle cars, you have no affinity for a ’32 Ford. That’s just an age-driven thing. So there already was an established market to completely build everything on a car, and as the market desire moved to muscle cars, people think it’s a new market segment? It’s the natural progression of the street rod market.”

DZ: So that explains how the core business got started, but it doesn’t really explain how you got into so many different markets – making shocks, doing exhaust, all the different race, street, and truck stuff. What’s the story behind that?

Chris Alston, Sr.: “Every brand we have is the direct result of a giant problem. You can imagine that if you were the largest chassis producer over several market segments, you’d have a phenomenal need for shock absorbers. We use thousands of shock absorbers a year just in our own products, and we have some really unique requirements that a shock absorber manufacturer could care less about. I want to be able to offer different valving sets in shock absorbers that are the same size, and I want different kinds of mounts – a lot of them that you’ve never seen anywhere but in our product line. I want to be able to have bases that are different, that have extensions machined in them to help clearance. And the manufacturers are like, “We don’t make that!”

We were working with an American shock manufacturer, and we were by far their largest aftermarket customer for this one specific shock they made. They got up one day and redesigned it, and never bothered to call me. Somehow a quarter inch of travel had magically disappeared. Their attitude was that it didn’t really matter, but it mattered a lot to me because that was one of the coolest things about it was that it gave us more front end travel than anybody else. Now, it still does, just not as much as it used to, and they didn’t give a damn. So I filed that away, and getting into the shock absorber business went from being number seven or eight on the list to being number one.”

DZ: Is that something that happened a lot, where you got into those different areas to get control of what components were going into your products?

Chris Alston, Sr.: “People don’t understand that in the automotive aftermarket, the parts you buy constantly change. I’ve been subjected to this way too many times. I’m buying a caliper from this guy, and now it doesn’t fit because they changed something. I’ve had that happen with every part we buy from another company in our industry. They decide to change something, sometimes improve it, but usually just make it for less money, and that kind of thing makes a guy like me crazy. If you buy a chassis from anybody else, what you get is some welded up tubing and a bunch of stuff that they bought from somebody else that goes on it. If all those vendors are constantly changing and modifying their stuff for whatever reason, eventually parts don’t fit on your car any more.

So I want to make a front clip, and I decide that I want to use a particular rack, and I am buying it from some other company. Time marches on, and that company goes out of business, or he has to lower his price because his competitor has gone to China… A perfect example is the Pinto rack, which is on everything. The original Pinto was the first real American car with rack and pinion steering, so they promptly dried up. Some enterprising person found out who made the racks for Ford in Europe, and got them to make racks for them. They were nice, as nice as an OE rack can be, and they were selling them and doing OK, but then some weasel decided “hey, we can sell racks too, but since the factory will only sell them to one guy, we’ll find somebody else to make them.”

The quality of the rack headed down, and a few years later, there are even more competitors, and you’ve reached a point where you can buy a Pinto rack at such an unbelievable price that you wonder how the hell they can even make it for that, let alone get it over here in a box. When you start taking it apart and dissecting it, it’s just trash. In the gear world, there is a standard for gear quality, and the quality in these racks is worse than the lowest standard. The best part is that because they were overengineered in the beginning, and the gears are turning pretty slow, you’d never know it needs to be in the dumpster. So anyway, that’s why we started making racks. We make a high-end part. I don’t need a $119 steering rack. I need a nice one that’s a few hundred bucks, so we make one.”

DZ: Hot rodding and racing was built on stuff like that, though – taking OEM pieces, mixing and matching, and putting it to purposes the factory never intended. But you’ve taken the time to design and manufacture almost everything yourself rather than taking a parts bin approach when you could have. What’s the reason for that?

Chris Alston, Sr.: “Even a Corvette spindle is built to a price. You can’t race on it because the wheel bearings fall out. It’s a nice and top of the line for what you can get from an American automobile manufacturer, but it’s not top of the line in the car manufacturing world. We have literally hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in engineering software, and when you tell people that they just don’t believe that it’s true that you can spend that much on software to make parts.

We make a lot of stuff different from everybody else, because that’s the way they should be made. For the longest time, we were the only company that made brakes that didn’t make your track width wider than stock, because we put a lot of effort into it, or we made the spindle to go with them. That’s what you get when you buy from us. We’re extremely aware of the entire system and its configuration. Right now, if you buy a whole front suspension from us, we don’t make in our factory the actual coil spring, and we don’t make the calipers, and that’s because Bill Wood of Willwood and I go way back, and I don’t have much trouble with his stuff. Who else can even pretend to make that statement? Nobody.

We’re also the only manufacturer who can say that every part on our front suspension was designed by us, using new software in the last 10-15 years. We don’t have anything on our fronts that came on a car you could have bought from a dealer. There’s a huge reason for that. It’s extremely difficult to design all the little parts that the other guys can get from someone else, and that’s why they don’t do it.”

DZ: It’s easy to understand how you go from the chassis parts business to shock absorbers, but what about stuff like branching out into building your own headers and exhaust components?

Chris Alston, Sr.: “We use a phenomenal amount of exhaust components, plus so much of it isn’t made the way it needs to be made to fit good. The biggest problem I have, and the reason we make headers for our clips, is that most people make headers that drag on the ground. Well, why do they drag on the ground? It’s easier to make them like that. It all came down to the fact that we consume a lot of components, and we make them for two reasons – so we can get what we want, and so we can keep our customers’ cost down. It’s hard to mess with us on price, because we have very good control of manufacturing costs for an elaborate product. That puts us in the enviable situation of being able to sell a superior part for a similar price to something ordinary.

That’s not to say we don’t have any outside help – we have some companies that do machined parts and stampings, but they’ve been vendors for us since the stone age. But nobody makes as much of what they sell as we do. Things people don’t even think about. Chassisworks has, maybe 150 different custom boxes. It’s attention to detail. If you buy my part, it’s going to magically fit in the box we ship it in. It’s designed so that the part isn’t messed up when it gets to you. Those are the kinds of things we do that set us apart. Another example is that we’ve always had good instructions. If you buy our bolt-in rear suspensions, some of those are 30-35 pages long. Our bolt on front clip instructions are over 100. The biggest instruction sheet for a front clip my competitors have is 6 pages. We have 113 in one and 136 in the other. Not because we think people are stupid – if we explain exactly how it’s supposed to go on the car, exactly how to align it, exactly what all the options are, then you’re going to have a much better chance of ending up with something you’re proud of.

DZ: With as large as the business has gotten, most of it has to be cataloged, off-the-shelf parts now. Do you still do any one-off work?

Chris Alston, Sr.: “We do a ton of custom stuff, but we don’t really build cars – we make a lot of custom parts out of things we already make. We have a huge amount of custom rack lengths, stuff like that. One thing that we are really big in is making custom shock absorbers with different kinds of mounts. In the coilover world, you have basically two choices – you can get a spherical bearing or a poly bushing in it. We make about 15 different end effectors for shocks, and it’s all based on us needing a shock that did that. A huge amount of our shock absorber production goes private label to other companies because we’re really strong in making exactly what you want, without having to buy four billion of them.”

DZ: It’s been a rough couple of years for the entire aftermarket, and I’m sure Chassisworks is no exception, especially considering you’re kind of on the high end of the spectrum. How’s business lately?

Chris Alston, Sr.: “Because we are extremely diverse, parts of it are up, and parts of it suck. I wish that less of it sucked… It’s very difficult to be around as long as we have and still grow in a recession. Some guys can if they’re small and new, but it’s hard to grow if you’ve been around a long time and already have a huge part of the market because more of your customers go away when it goes bad than a guy who just started. Some segments of the market are in huge, just unbelievable trouble. I’ve been in business since the early 70’s, and this is my fifth recession. It’s probably going to be the worst one, and I think that if you’re under 30 and you’ve never lived in a down economy, or worked in one, you need to understand that it will get better. Some parts will come back, and some won’t. That’s just the way it is. But I think that all the companies that are going to be around are doing the same thing we are – making boxcar loads of new parts, moving forward the same way we do when things are good. Because eventually people will want to buy again, and you always have to be looking forward to the next big thing.”

DZ: Speaking of the Next Big Thing, how has the way you do business changed since 1987?

Chris Alston, Sr.: “The biggest change is the Internet. It’s amazing that you would believe something from somebody who you can’t meet and have never seen. You have to remember that every time you ask a question, you’re getting a reply from someone who’s willing to answer. Some of them are well qualified, but the vast majority are idiots. There’s no way to be an accredited “Internet Answering Man.” We get stuff forwarded to us from time to time where somebody’s had a problem with our product, and the question is always, “Where’s the part of this where he called us and we wouldn’t help him?” He never bothered to.

One of my favorite stories has to do with a guy who called in and was having trouble with his shocks. He calls up and says, “I was dumb and didn’t put the transport bags under my dragster and they got beat to death driving 1500 miles home, and I need to get them fixed.” I told him it was his lucky day, because I was going to give him the “you’re not a lying MF’er” discount and I would fix them for free. Some of these guys say, “I wasn’t doing nothing and the top fell off and all the oil came out!” and it’s caked in mud and grass and sand.”

DZ: Any new stuff on the drawing board you can tell us about?

Chris Alston, Sr.: “We’re really heavily involved in several things. We’re expanding our Ford products into the S197, 2005-up Mustangs. We’re making more bolt on clips for more years of Camaros. We have some full frame stuff for more of the middle-60’s cars that we’re working on. We’re expanding our rack and pinion line, and we’re actually developing a line of supercharger drives. We have this cute little thing with a gearbox in it that will let you attach your Procharger to the front of your engine and drive it that way rather than through a belt. We’re not the only company who makes something like that, but we needed one for one of our factory racecars. We actually make them for big block and small block Chevy, LS motors, and small block Fords right now. We don’t advertise them, and you have to kind of know somebody here to get one right now, but in a year it will all be finalized out and we’ll start advertising them.

We don’t normally talk about what we’re doing very often. A lot of guys say that they’re going to do something and then 15 years later, you can finally get one. By the time we talk about it, it’s done, or so close to being done that it’s practically the same.”

Charlie Booze, Jr. is the poster child of NMRA’s Hot Street Class. With three championships in the all motor class, most NMRA followers will agree that no single driver has done more to grow the class than the hard working racer from Marion, Pennsylvania. Always a Ford fanatic, Booze’s drag racing career started back in 1988 with his first pass down the 1320 in a four speed 1970 Mercury Cougar. Booze’s father Charlie Booze, Sr. was a longtime drag racer and encouraged Charlie and his brother Brian to pursue their passion to race, and to run Booze Brothers Performance, an automotive performance shop in their hometown.

Since the beginning of his racing career, Booze has taken a methodical approach to drag racing and is known for making oddball combinations go fast, winning races, and ultimately earning multiple championships. He is also a student of the track, taking time between rounds to study the conditions and how cars in other classes are performing.

In the early days, Booze campaigned a 4-door Torino at local tracks around Marion and eventually in the NMCA’s Top Stock class. After racing selected events in Top Stock for four years, he set out on the full tour in 1997 and won his first class championship after winning six of seven events. With a championship now under his belt, Charlie was hooked to go after more.

After a few years of racing and winning in big cars in the NMRA and NSCA series, 2002 was the first year Booze was introduced to the world of racing the smaller and lighter Mustang. That year he tuned the Hot Street Mustang of Joe Johnston on the NMRA tour. Working on eight-second land yachts taught Booze the art of engine tuning and suspension set-up so it was a natural that the switch to the Mustang platform came easy. That year, Johnston won the NMRA Hot Street Championship and the success gave Booze all the incentive he needed to switch to the Hot Street class.

Changing Classes

Longtime engine builder and Ford engine guru Jim Kuntz encouraged Charlie and brother Brian to make the switch over to Hot Street. Kuntz recognized that the naturally-aspirated small block Ford market was where the action and notoriety was. In 2003 Booze commissioned chassis builder and friend Matt Wirt to build the car that was affectionately known as the “Freight Train”. In a mere 80 days the team built the car and made the first race of the NMRA season.

Jim Kuntz has worked with Charlie and Brian Booze since their early days in racing. “I knew Charlie since he was running the 4-door Torino in Top Stock,” recalled Kuntz. “He was running the 460 engine, and I started doing cylinder heads and camshafts for him.”

In 2003, the Booze brothers learned a lot about how to win and lose races in the competitive class. By the end of the season, Booze just about won the championship, with the title decided at the last race of the year in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Shane Long won the 2003 title, but Booze would come back hungry the next year and set the class on fire.

In 2004 Booze made NMRA history by winning the Hot Street class at every NMRA National event and went on to win the NMRA Hot Street and 2004 Pro Edelbrock Pro Stock championships. In 2004, Booze won 13 events and had three runner-up finishes with a 55-4 round win ratio, a feat that is quite the accomplishment considering the number of races and stiff competition. Booze again repeated the NMRA championship in 2005 and 2006, and established himself a the man to beat in the class.

“Familiarity and knowledge of the car has paid huge dividends for us,” said Booze. “These cars have gotten progressively faster and faster since the first time we raced in NMRA Hot Street in 2003. We started out running 9.20 ET’s and now we are almost running 8.20’s. So it’s really the same car, and a second faster.”

No Shortcuts to Victory Lane

Having owned the car for eight years is a big plus, and the car was built right the first time instead of adding on tubing or cutting out metal for weight reduction. From the beginning, chassis builder Matt Wirt built a 25.5-spec cage to make the car legal to run into the 7.50 range. Booze credits being competitive all those years and in 2010 a result of knowing what the car needs to run quick.

“In NMRA trim this year, we dropped the weight 150 pounds across the board to comply with the rules in NMCA,” said Booze. “They made those changes to try and get more crossover from the NMRA cars. Naturally, we were the only ones to run 8.50’s in NMRA last year and we’re used to dropping weight out of the car to run NMCA Pro Stock or the RAM N/A Regional Shootout. So the powers at large decided ‘why does this class have to weigh so much more than the other classes?’ and they want crossover, so we were already prepared for the NMRA weight. That’s why there’s the big step up in ET’s. We just looked the car over and got it ready for the season. That being said, we are always looking for something. You get pushed and you’re always trying to improve your program.”

On the topic of pushing, the Hot Street and Pro Stock class is filled with some big money programs from names like Roush and Baskin. For 2010, several new cars are in the works, but Booze has no plans to retire the familiar red 1992 Mustang Hatch. “Folks always think that I have the coin but I have the same old clunker that I’ve been racing for eight years,” said Booze. “It’s not always a lock, knowing you car is going to work out. At Bradenton this year, I made the wrong call and missed it in the finals. The track pretty much stunk all weekend. It had its good moments but it was never better than it was at the end of that weekend and that run. I had made changes to the car to adapt to a crummy racing surface and it changed on us. In the Bradenton NMRA finals we screwed up and gave the race away to Blankenship. It was ours to lose.”

Being pushed by the competition is something Booze welcomes. When asked about some of his Hot Street rivals’ new combinations, he says he has only heard of new cars from gossip at the racetrack. Per Booze, “On the NMRA side we’ve seen reports of Ben Mens redoing his Fox-body Mustang for Hot Street and the Baskin team building a 2010 Camaro for NMCA Pro Stock competition. With Baskin, those guys have two or three Camaros now; one was Bruce Michael’s car and the other two were Jamie Stanton’s cars. I heard rumors that they might build a Mustang to race NMRA, but with anything like that I say knock yourself out.”

Familiarity also comes to mind when Booze talks about his engine combination and engine builder Jim Kuntz. “We treat each other like a father/son or uncle/nephew type deal,” said Booze. “We’ve always been naturally aspirated and it’s simpler, yet challenging at the same time. We break parts but I look at the nitrous guys and some of the power adder cars being really hard on parts. Now the turbo guys never seem to break a lot, but the NOS or supercharged guys wreck all kinds of stuff.” While Kuntz will build boosted engines and happens to build the engine of four-time NMRA Super Street Outlaw Champion John Urist, naturally aspirated engines are his main focus. He enjoys the challenge of finding more horsepower the old fashioned way.

If it Ain’t Broke…

When talking about Charlie Booze’s combination, Kuntz is happy with the direction of the program. “Charlie’s 400 cubic inch engine is something we’ve been working with for the past five years and we just keep updating it. It basically has the same block and heads for the past four years.”

In regards to their main Hot Street challengers from Roush Competition Engines, Kuntz welcomes the rivalry between what the calls ‘just two good old country boys.’ “He’s a Kentucky country boy and I’m an Arkansas country boy,” joked Kuntz. “We really don’t have business competing against Roush, Bischoff and Kaase, but a country boy like myself is going to find out a way to win every once in a while.”

For Kuntz, Comp Cams has been a vital part of his engine building program. “Comp Cams is a really good bunch,” said Kuntz. “We work with James Fry and they have a lot of good cam stuff for our program. In this business you kinda learn what works and what doesn’t, and their cams have always delivered. Plus, being so close to Memphis, their one-day service really helps.”

“Comp Cams is in everything we do, from our crate engines to our niche work, which is helping someone build a motor that wants to win a class, set a record or win a championship. We’re big on helping racers come up with a new innovative combination, especially the Ford stuff, and Comp Cams helps us with new cam profiles and other parts. From Charlie’s Hot Street engine to Ron Anderson’s or Brad Meadow’s NMRA Pure Street cars to Jeff Colvert’s NHRA SS/G record holder – Comp Cams has helped us with custom grinds for all those engines.”

The Five “P’s”

One of Booze’s bits of advice for being a championship contender is prep work before the race. He goes by the motto, ‘Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.’ “At the track I don’t want to thrash that hard,” said Booze. “I thrash at home so I can go to the track and sit around, watch the track conditions and concentrate on the racing. There is an occasional race that I may have to swap an engine or transmission at the racetrack but we try to go to the race with a prepped car.”

Booze also admits that he would be nowhere without a data recorder on the car. He’s used one ever since it was built and Booze is always reviewing run data. “If you’re not drawing run data after each run you’re wasting your time,” said Booze. “I tell everyone to get a data logger – today they are as cheap as 500-600 dollars and it’s hard not to use with today’s technology.”

While Booze has always had focus on making his own program a championship contender, he has been a sounding board for other Hot Street racers looking to step up. “A lot of us still watch our pennies and try to get the most out of what we can buy,” stated Booze. “I don’t mind helping other racers because that’s my business and I’m always trying to help.”

Booze was instrumental in working with Neal Chance Converters on developing a torque converter for Hot Street and Pro Stock cars. “We started developing that converter for N/A cars back in 2005 when Marty approached me about helping him,” recalled Booze. “No one really saw him as a N/A converter guy. He had the Outlaw 10.5. and Pro Street market covered. He was the mastermind; I just gave him some feedback but he was able to build a fantastic piece.”

The Neal Chance unit is so popular it’s the hot ticket in the class with Baskin, DeMayo, Bowles and Blankenship running them. The Booze and Neal Chance relationship has delivered the converter manufacturer some new customers and moved the class forward.

Crossovers aren’t just limited to within the world of drag racing, either – Kuntz also builds Brian Booze’s Dirt Late Model engine for the past four years in addition to late model dirt engines that run all over the country. When asked about technology transfer from dirt track to drag racing, Kuntz sees a lot of crossover that has helped his program. “We learn about the power from the drag race program and we learn about the durability and the drivability from the roundy-round stuff,” Kuntz explains. “I think if somebody just does one and not the other, they are not going to be as good of an engine builder as they could be. I think doing both really opens your eyes to two different worlds, and it’s really helped us.”

From drag racing to dirt racing the relationship between Kuntz and Booze Brothers Racing has paid dividends to both clans. “The Booze family is a very good bunch of folks to do business with,” said Kuntz. “They are really good people and very smart and ultra-competitive. They have helped showcase our products for years and I appreciate the relationship we have.”

The End of an Era?

After not running the full season in 2009, current plans are run as many races in 2010 as time and money will allow. At the first two races of 2010, Booze scored a win at Bradenton in NMCA Pro Stock and a runner-up in NMRA Hot Street. “Weather and help will play a big part in making events,” said Booze. “Ultimately I want to go to these races because we have a good product, and win as much money as they have up for grabs. The economy has dwindled but I have a good car that I don’t have to put a bunch of money into from year to year or race to race to be competitive.”

Anyone who’s spent more than an hour on the internet has been shocked and surprised by something they’ve found, but when you visit a website with the motto, “Where the weak are killed and eaten,” you’ve been fairly warned. That’s the tagline for Yellowbullet.com, the brainchild of Monty Mikho, and one of the most active drag racing message boards online. With more than 30,000 registered users, Yellowbullet is the 24-hour, 7-day hub for racers from as far away as Australia and the Middle East, and if it’s happening in the world of straight-line competition, it’s being talked about in the forums.

Intentionally advertising-free, Yellowbullet is about more than just tech, news, and bench racing (though there’s a constant flood of both good information and trash talk) – politics, guns, hunting, and even cooking all have their own sections. But as you might guess from the tagline, it’s a rough-and-tumble environment where nobody pulls any punches, and everyone’s free to have their own opinion, as long as they’re ready to be told exactly how wrong they are.

We sat down with Mikho to find out how a hobby site grew over just a few short years into one of the most influential gathering places for drag racing on the web.

powerTV: If somebody who’s never heard of Yellowbullet.com asks you what in the hell is going on, what would you say?

Monty Mikho: “I would tell everyone to keep away, to be honest to you (laughs). I think the word is out on the Yellow Bullet. I think the community has built up itself. People coming around now are probably just there to post up that they are angry with a manufacturer, they got screwed, or got robbed. We see that more and more frequently; that is why I closed it for awhile. We started getting idiots that would come on and register with multiple names and create all sorts of problems. The idea of the site was to be responsible for you own actions. You don’t run into a court room and yell at the judge – you have common sense not to do that. But if you are going to bash someone, make sure your name is on it or underneath it so they know who to come to. Then I started getting a crazy amount of emails from people that genuinely wanted to contribute, and that is why I opened it back up.”

powerTV: So how did you create Yellowbullet.com, and why?

Monty Mikho: “Yellowbullet started out as a car website. Like any other racer that you know, we started out just having a car site, trying to get sponsors and just seeing what was going on. My personal reason for starting the site was visiting the other message boards and mixing it up and having a lot of fun. Sometimes a little bit of contradiction or a disagreement would happen, tempers would flare, and someone would tell me to go get lost and share my opinion somewhere else. Some guy from one website even told me if I thought it was so easy, ‘start your own website.’ Being the computer dummy that I am, I had no idea how to do that but I started looking around and sure enough there was an icon in Windows for [Microsoft web creation application] Front Page. I double clicked on it, and holy shit, it started a website! Then the bulletin board was added and we were on our way from there.”

powerTV: How do you get from a little web page about your car to a monstrous message board with a thousand or so people looking at it at any given moment?

Monty Mikho: “We’ve never really asked for people to come aboard. I know a couple of people that went out and solicited the site. But after a little while the word got out and it grew quickly after that.”

The titular "Yellow Bullet", Mikho's 1970 Camaro Z28, in action at Milan Dragway.

powerTV: Where did the name Yellowbullet come from?

Monty Mikho: That’s the darndest thing. One of the members on the website had a site name that I wanted, smallblockpower.com. I was asking him for the name because he wasn’t really doing anything with it, but I knew there was no way he was going to do that. I just started looking for names and Yellowbullet popped up. It was the name I was using for my car at the time and it stuck when we got the bulletin board up. After being the site address for a while it just stayed.

powerTV: The forums are a pretty vigorous free-speech zone, and users can’t delete their own posts, or even edit them after more than a couple minutes elapse. Moderation is kept to a bare minimum, and people really have to work at it to get their username banned. That’s gotta lead to some interesting situations… What sticks out in your mind?

Monty Mikho: “I actually did get served with papers about three years ago. It gets you out of your shoes and shakes you up a bit. It wasn’t even a member of the site; it was a eBay seller that sold a lot of product. What happened was someone bashed him, but the bash wasn’t that bad. But since the board got pretty popular, when you searched the guy’s name in the search engines, that thread came up at the top every time. It would come up as ‘Don ____ is a *&@#ing crook.’ He obviously wanted to get that removed and hired an attorney to do so, though it took him a year to get the paperwork served. I basically got a letter that said I had 14 days to comply, and we did. The funny thing is, it had still even been there for a year.”

powerTV: Who were some of the original members of the site?

Monty Mikho: “Jimmy Biggs was there from the beginning. Ray, who posts as 7DMach1, was another one. There were several of them and I’m sure I’m leaving out several important people but everybody that has been part of the site has really helped. The site isn’t really from me starting it; it’s from people liking it and pushing it forward.”

"If I had unlimited funds I would have a big fishing boat..." - Monty Mikho

powerTV: When you go out to the races, do people actually recognize you and come up to you like you’re a celebrity?

Monty Mikho: “I don’t know about all that (laughs). You get that sometimes, though it is kind of embarrassing – I just want to fit in with the crowd. The members have just made the board what it is, and I have nothing to do with that. You know, there was a concern. I am putting this race together now with [Pro Mod racer Jim] Halsey and there was some concern that people were going to come and burn the place down. What I explained to them is that the people on the internet are like the beer drinkers – they become assholes when they drink beer. Well, the internet is the beer for these guys, though when you go the dragstrip, these guys are overly nice. You know, I met Jeremy Glass, probably the most hated guy on the internet. He really a super nice guy – but behind the keyboard he becomes an asshole.”

powerTV: Speaking of putting on races, do you really hate eighth mile racing or is it all a ploy?

Monty Mikho: “(laughs) I love racing altogether, I really do. If it comes down to racing, I would race eighth mile. But if it comes down to watching, I want quarter mile. The NMCA tried to go to an eighth mile format a number of years ago and it was just a flop up north. From a racer’s perspective, you would have to be an idiot to say you wanted to go the extra distance. You save the parts and its definitely scary getting down the back half. I know a lot of people say that you’re just driving the back half of the track – the people that say that have never driven down a race track. The back half is where your brain is thinking the most and where it goes wrong, and I know that’s is where it goes wrong for me (laughs).”

powerTV: Back to Jim Halsey for a second, if you don’t mind. How did you end up with that big Yellowbullet sticker on the side of his Pro Mod Camaro in 2008?

Monty Mikho: “A lot of people were under the impression that I paid him to do it. It’s really odd. I got a call from Jim Halsey out of the blue – I did not even know the guy or have a direct relationship with him. I knew he ran Cecil County Dragway and had seen his Pro Mod Camaro on the internet. That’s all I knew of him. Jim calls out of the blue and asks me where he could buy a really big Yellowbullet sticker. I asked him what he needed it for and he said he wanted to put it on the side of his car. I said that I can’t really afford that, and he told me he wasn’t asking for nothing and he actually wanted to buy the sticker. I told him if he was going to stick it on the side of the car for nothing I would buy it. So we argued back and forth and I went to a local printer and had two big stickers made the size he wanted. I met him down at Milan Dragway and it was a phenomenal experience. It’s heart moving to actually see your stickers go on the side of a Pro Modified car. At that time he was number one in the Pro Mod points. So he put them on originally for one race here in my hometown of Detroit, and after that plans were to remove them. We’ll, after putting the stickers on he was seeing more and more Yellowbullet members walking up to the car and talking. He had never had that many people walk up and introduce themselves. He decided to leave them on for the rest of the year. After that, several Pro Mod guys started emailing me for sponsorship. In reality, there was never any money in the deal.”

Wearing one of the popular Yellowbullet T-shirts is a good way to meet new people at the track - here, Outlaw 10.5 racer Jim Monson demonstrates what his mugshot might look like if he was arrested in one.

powerTV: There are some users on the board with thousands of posts, and of course new people joining all the time, and they’re not always the kind of hardcore racers that first filled out the ranks. How do you make sure Yellowbullet caters to both groups?

Monty Mikho: “It’s like any small group of people. I’m in the machine tool business and any time you work in a small shop, you become like a small family and you get along pretty good. With any outside influence or a different view, it’s a natural to beat up on people. As the message board expands, like anywhere else, you’ll see that spreading out. The people that are used to being at the top of the list like to express their opinion. To a new guy, it can leave you a little left out and some folks won’t put their opinion out there as much. The core group of people are the bread and butter of that site and I don’t want that to go away. Nowadays seeing the caliber of people that are coming in combined with the caliber of people that we did have, it’s not really balanced to a racer/non-racer ratio anymore.”

powerTV: Yellowbullet has become a hub for information and news about heads-up racing, and it seems like you’ve been doing a lot to help promote the growth of the sport at a grassroots level.

Monty Mikho: “Having done it for a couple of years, we are all about promoting heads-up racing. I have not done it as of late but the site has always been about people promoting themselves and the series they race in. That’s what the whole concept of the site is. The whole drag racing community has always been about helping one another out. We’re not a very, very big bunch, so any resource we can have and use is beneficial for everybody.”

Though the Yellowbullet.com home page has links to photo galleries, videos, and the sometimes-open YB store, all the action happens on the forums.

powerTV: There’s always a bit of a divide in the real world between heads-up drag racers, and the guys who run index classes or brackets. Do you feel like that’s an issue on the board, too?

Monty Mikho: “We’re really open to any type of racer that wants to participate on the site. While heads-up racing is popular, I’ve street raced and bracket raced and I’m open to anybody that’s racing and having fun. Who cares what they are doing or what they are driving or how fast they are going? We are open to everybody. I know on the board some of the heads-up racers kinda look down on the bracket racers and the bracket racers look down on the heads-up racers. I really enjoy having the bracket racers out there [at the track] because it gives us a little more time to get prepared for the next round. If you talk to the bracket racers at the track you can get a good read on how good the track is so there is a lot we can learn off them as well. The heads-up stuff is rather expensive, so when i can’t afford that I just take my little truck and go bracket racing.”

powerTV: If you had unlimited funds, what racing class would you run?

Monty Mikho: “If I had unlimited funds I would have a big fishing boat (laughs). For a racing class, I always wanted to run Top Fuel. The adrenaline rush driving a Top Fuel car would exceed what I have experienced so far. If funds were unlimited, it would be a Top Fuel car and I’d be choking up on the nitromethane.”

powerTV: Who were some of the drag racers you followed back when you were getting started in the sport?

Monty Mikho: “My favorite racers growing up were the C.A.R.S., Inc. guys like Rick Dyer and Danny Scott. I have a friend that works for C.A.R.S., Inc. so I’ve always been attached to their cars. Those guys are what got me to the track, rather than being a young punk racing his 15-second car on the street. The car I built was modeled after one of their cars. By the time I got it done it was a 9-second car, and that streetable set-up became a thing of the past. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world to get it done, and when I hit the track everyone else was running in the 8-second zone.”

Like a lot of racers growing up in Michigan, Mikho was inspired by the "all steel" Fastest Street Car Shootout C.A.R.S., Inc. team.

powerTV: So what does the future hold for Yellowbullet and its users?

Monty Mikho: “My plans are to make it as beneficial as I can for the racers. Make it a site where they can promote themselves. That’s the reason the site was started in the first place. I don’t charge anybody any money to post their company name and banner on their signature. If they want to look for sponsorship through the site, that’s great. A lot of people have been successful in that. I get a lot of ‘thank you’ letters as well as some ‘screw you’ letters. The racer resource side of the site I’d like to harness so people can benefit from being a member, either by sponsorships or classified ads. What better time than right now with the economy to have a site where the racer can sell themselves and help themselves out? It would make me happy. The front page, a lot of people ask what I’m going to do with that. I’m just not talented or smart enough to really move that forward. I’d like to use that front page to try and move racers forward with their programs. We’ll see what happens to the front page.”

powerTV: Did you ever think the site would get this big in general?

Monty Mikho: “Never. As a matter of fact, I only started the site to say a few things and shut it down, but then it just kept growing. It is the freedom – the ability to express yourself there. People knew me from all around the net for posting on message boards and that I have been pretty outspoken, getting banned from one place to another. People see that and they think they can have the same freedom here.”

Yellowbullet's association with Jim Halsey's Pro Mod Camaro brought thousands of new visitors to the YB site. Photo Credit: ADRL

powerTV: With so much web traffic, there has to be the temptation to cash in, but you’ve steadfastly stayed away from selling ad space. You will take donations but you aren’t about the banner ads, and you pretty much let people promote themselves and their businesses without much interference. What’s the deal there?

Monty Mikho: “I am a small business owner as well, and I think everybody should be given the opportunity. And then there is the small guy that might not always have the budget. I have a lot of members that have started businesses and been successful with them, knowing they always have the freedom to post up what they want free of charge. There is some good and bad that goes with that. I have seen some sites that have gone bad by governing what is being posted because a sponsor might not be happy with it.”

powerTV: With as big as it’s gotten, how has managing the site affected your “real life” and business?

Monty Mikho: “It becomes more and more work and less enjoyment for me than when the original site started. In the beginning, I got to enjoy the site along with everybody else, but now it becomes more of a job. There is always a middle point with the site, and it has gone past the middle point with me because now it’s more work than enjoyment. I can still post my garbage just like everybody else, but other areas of the site consume a lot of time. I never really let it interfere with my business, and I work on the site when I can.”

powerTV: With the popularity of Twitter and Facebook, what effect do you think those social media sites will have on the traditional message board?

Monty Mikho: “I wish I could tell you about Twitter and Facebook. I know they exist but I have no idea how they work. With Facebook, the guys I went to high school with ask if I have an account. I’m just not into that thing. The message board always seems to work for me and that’s what I stick to.”

powerTV: How do you feel the site has changed since you first started it?

Monty Mikho: “Obviously things have changed over the years. The overall thing is that it’s more popular. It’s probably the same amount of idiots there percentage-wise; just the numbers are bigger now, so the idiots are more apparent.”

powerTV: Has anyone tried to buy you out and run YB themselves?

Monty Mikho: “Yeah, I actually had a bunch of people that came in about 1.5 years ago that wanted to buy it. Though what it comes down to is, will you be happy with that? The members have been buying the site [with donations], so why not let them keep the place they built?”

When talking about the pioneers of Fastest Street Car racing, the name Pat Musi will most likely be brought up. But even before he made a name for himself as a Pro Street Champion with the NMCA and NSCA circuits back in the 1990s, Musi raced against the likes of Warren Johnson, Bob Glidden, Lee Shepard, and the rest of the NHRA Pro Stock legends of the late ‘70s and ‘80s.

Now he’s returned to the NMCA wearing a crew chief cap, and has already tuned one of customers, Joe Dunne, into the Scorpion Performance Winner’s Circle. Musi is a smart racer, engine builder and crew chief, and you can bet when one of Musi’s cars shows up to event, the other competitors know it. Talk with Musi for a bit and you can tell he still has the passion for this sport and he even mentioned he’d like to run his rival Tony Christian again in a match race if the NMCA will organize it. Will it happen? We sure hope so.

Interview with Pat Musi

Fastest Street Car: How did your career in drag racing begin and at what point did it escalate into Pro Street type drag racing? Was it a gradual progression?

Musi: “Started racing in 1969, got into Pro Stock in 1974, and Pro Street in 1994.”

FSC: Making a thousand horsepower has become pretty common these days, was there a time in your career where you remember when 1,000 seemed unfathomable?

Musi: “We were making around 790 with a killer 360 inch big-block in the late 1970s in Pro Stock and then when we went to the 500 ci engine, that’s when everyone was trying to make that 1,000 horsepower number. I remember we had like 980 going into the first race at Pomona, but we were right at the 1,000 horsepower mark in ’81. Forget about that, what about the displacement these days? We’re up to 903 cubic inches and we’re working on one now that’s over 1,000 cubes.”

FSC: Do you miss the old days of Pro Street?

Musi: “Absolutely, however, letting the turbos win by the rule book ruined the class in my opinion. Back then, they (the old NMCA) were underestimating the turbocharged combinations and [Bob] Reiger was what I call a ‘rulebook racer.’ He had enough money to look at the rulebook, pick a loophole combination and come out and win with it, he was also good when it came to sandbaggin’ too. Meaning, until we pushed him hard enough [got our cars running quicker], he wouldn’t have to show what he had. My suggestion back then was, ‘why don’t you put enough weight on the turbo cars so we know what they got?’ But we all were fairly certain about what he made. When we barely had 2,000 hp, he had 2,500, and you’re not making up 500 horsepower on the track. And then to top it off, he had a small-block weight break, so he was lighter than us, it was a joke.”

FSC: You’ve been working with Joe Dunne lately, how is that going?

Musi: “He’s one of the guys that really stepped up to the plate and became a customer. He’s a good driver and I really enjoy going to the races with him and his car is fast. We just went to a Pro Mod race, at only 45 pounds lighter than the NMCA Pro Street rules, and went 6.23 at 221 mph. We figured out some suspension issues, I knew something was wrong because we had to take too much power out of it to get down the racetrack. We try to leave with the most power we can, if you have to crutch it, you’re doing something wrong. You have to race the racetrack, so if you have to crutch things for a bad racetrack, sure, but you shouldn’t have to pull power at every race. You have to make the car work with the maximum amount of power available if you want to be fast.

FSC: You actually have been driving a bit yourself lately, right?

Musi: I’m actually building a car that will be heading overseas. I also have another good driving deal for next year. I’m going to race a car at least four races at Curacao Dragway, in the Netherlands and then probably two or three in Aruba. But to just jump into the NMCA Pro Street deal now with all the automatics, turbos, blowers, doesn’t make sense for me. I understand they have to leave it open for the car counts, but it’s not for me. I liked Pro Stock, you don’t have all the gadgets they do in Pro Street now, it was pure, move you foot not your finger

FSC: Are there still some guys in this sport that you would like to line up against one day?

Musi: “Vinny [Budano] got to run me in Atco after a year off and he wasn’t happy. I would love to run Tony again. The thing about me is, some people have said in the past, ‘you don’t want to run this guy, or you’re a cryin.’ I ran Warren Johnson, I ran Don Nicholson, Ronnie Sox, Lee Shepard, I’ve beat them, they’ve beat me, I am not afraid to race anybody, but I refuse to be beat when I’m already beat by the rules. I’d like to have a match race with Tony Christian I think we’d have a big draw.”

Dan Millen is the NMRA Pro Outlaw 10.5 Champion and record holder, along with many other championships in different racing series’ since 2001. Dan and his line of Ford Mustangs have gotten him to the point of 9 different championships and event wins along with 6 different records. One of the records being an ET of 6.66 @ 218 MPH.

Not only is Dan Millen winning races over here in the United States, but now he is winning them in different countries. The ADRL (Arabian Drag Racing League) is another series Millen is starting to compete in.

The ADRL runs as many as nine events at the Qatar raceway including: Pro Mods, Pro Bike, Super Street Bike, Street Bike, Outlaw 10.5, Top Sportsman, Super Street 8c, Super Street 6c and 7.50 index. Millen was able to bring home a victory in round 5 of the ADRL Pro Outlaw 10.5, and we got a chance to sit down and speak with him on the win.

Q&A With ADRL Outlaw 10.5 Round 5 Winner Dan Millen

PowerTV: How hard was it to get your car over to Qatar?

Dan Millen : Well I definitely have to thank Sheikh Khalid for getting my car over there, I called the guy that he deals with over here and it was a real simple process. It was a lot easier than I initially thought. I was expecting it to be a real drawn out process but as long as you have your paperwork in order it’s no big deal. So we took the car to JFK in New York i gave him my paperwork, it was all scheduled, and it was about a twenty minute process.

PowerTV: Besides the car did you have to ship any of your equipment over there?

Dan Millen : What I did was shipped my car and three boxes. My tool Box, an engine, and miscellaneous parts that I would use for my car.

PowerTV: What was everyone’s reaction to seeing your car?

Dan Millen : I’ll tell you, the people over there are very appreciative of everything. They were happy to see us over there, and a lot of people were surprised we were there. But I got to know some pretty good guys from over there, and when they were over in the States testing, they convinced me that I needed to come back to were they are from and race.

PowerTV: Was your overall experience good, both on and off the track?

Dan Millen:It was an awesome experience, I actually can’t wait to go back. I went there for three weeks, then went back on February 7th and plan on going back there again very soon. It really is a great place.

PowerTV: In the future do you see yourself building a car and leaving it over there for those races and also having a car here in the States?

Dan Millen: I did sell my car over there, so I do plan on building a new car for next year. I do want to start racing the full series over there, that would be awesome, I don’t know what is going to happen in the immediate future but I can see that happening. The people that are over there are very very nice – I couldn’t have been treated any nicer, and it wasn’t like they just treated me nice, they treated everyone nice.

PowerTV: Were the rules any different over there than in the NMRA/NMCA?

Dan Millen :Yeah, we were 100 pounds lighter over there than here, but other than that the rules were the same

PowerTV: How was the competition in Qatar?

Dan Millen : There was only five or six cars in our class and honestly, I only won one of the first four races I went to, so the competition is pretty good. Anybody can win over there – it was anybody’s race at anytime. We did qualify number one twice I believe, and that really played in favor for us but anyone could have qualified number one that is how good the competition was.

Recently, I had the esteemed pleasure of chatting with Paul Major for a few minutes to complete our latest interview. Over the past year, I had seen Paul and his crew at the races several times, and did this interview – but never had the opportunity to actually meet him.

I can tell you that it is on my list of things to do in 2009. After speaking with Paul, I have come to feel like I have known him for a long time. He is a sincere person in everything that he does – whether it’s inside his record setting LSX Drag Radial Car – his true love for his family. Major hails from Fort Solonga, New York, and is a successful businessman as the owner of PM Construction and PM Maintenance, both well established in the Long Island, New York area.

This is his story.

Paul Major shares the joys in his life with his wife and three children, as well as his extended family in the drag racing community. Major was like any other high school kid: he had a love for cars and was into street racing. His first car was a 1972 Monte Carlo that was packed with nitrous, running in the high 12’s with a small block nitrous combination, it fed his fever early.

Eventually, Major found his way to the drag strip for some legal racing, and his obsession just went from there. Suddenly, today, he finds himself in this midst of a mid-life crisis (as he calls it) – deep in the mix of things as a top racer in Outlaw Drag Radial and probably the most feared LSX racer in world. Let us tell you though, he’s not just a racer, but a Corvette guy through and through.

That’s why this scene, depicted below from the 2008 LSX Shootout, was a difficult one for him to experience. In some ways, it almost less about the race, and more about the car.

Let’s take you back to 2001. Corvette fever kicked back into high gear with the purchase of a 2001 Quicksilver Z06. Yes, the same car as you see above. His friends and fellow racers kept him in the loop with all the local Vette racing action, which lead him into racing the Corvette Challenge events at Raceway Park.

The classes at Englishtown evolved quickly, and soon Paul was the front runner with his LS-based Z06, with the rest of the pack falling behind in a hurry. Over the last few years, with the encouragement from tuner Job Spetter, Major jumped to the dark side: his Z06 has gone from serious street/strip car, to one of the most feared LSX race cars in the world competing in the fast growing Outlaw Drag Radial classes.

We talked to Majors about what will this year will bring, and look back on the highlights of 2008:

LSXTV: Paul, please tell our followers about your car and the combination that you run as one of the top LSX Racers in the World?

MAJOR: “The car is a 2001 Z06 Corvette that has been completely set up to compete in Outlaw Drag Radial. For power, we use a World Products Warhawk 454 cubic inch motor that has a lot of great parts on the inside. A Sonny Bryant crank is used, along with components from Competition Cams and all Jesel valve train.

For the heads we use Performance Inductions, and a manifold from them will be used on the engine for this year as well. American Racing prepares all the parts for the headers and exhaust system. The new setup as a whole is very similar to what we ran last season (twin rear-mounted turbochargers), but there just may be some changes in the works for the later part of the season.”

LSXTV: In the future do you see the LS based power plants becoming the premier choice as the small block Chevrolet has been for so many years?

MAJOR: “There is no doubt that the LSX stuff makes crazy power. I would put it up against any setup out there. The prices (for LS-based parts) have come down considerably from what it was a few years ago, and with that happening you will see more and more of these setups coming out. There is more LSX aftermarket stuff coming into the picture, and with the money we have spent to get where we are – I wouldn’t go back. The guys that have been successful with the LS stuff are able to be counted on one hand. In a small block world with the turbo technology that is out there, I don’t think that you can beat LSX power.

LSXTV: What kind of power are you making with your LSX7 Warhawk 454 and twin turbos?

MAJOR: “Last year, we saw around 1,900 horsepower on the dyno at the rear tires. With the few updates, it should be slightly more. We never really turned up the combination on the dyno. We switched transmissions this year to try and solve the problems that we had last year, and hopefully no more fires. It is a Rossler Turbo Glide, which is basically a Turbo 400 that has been converted to a two speed. It really gives a lot of options to what we can do with the setup as well as being much stronger than the previous transmissions.

LSXTV: Tell us about the rear twin turbo system? Is it effective? Why did you choose to go this direction?

MAJOR: “The rear mount turbo setup was our way to deal with the lack of room in the C5 Corvette. As a result, we moved everything out back and it alleviated the car from being so nose heavy when we originally set the car up with a single 106mm turbo. We dealt with some issues early on, but with some testing those problems were solved. In time, we went to the twin 88mm turbochargers, and that’s where we are at now with the setup. Of course, we have something new in store. But we will save that for the next article! Being able to place the weight over the rear tires with the intercooler, and all (that staff) that is back there now — it really helps to balance out the car.”

LSXTV: Can you tell us about your current chassis configuration and the updates that were recently done by DMC Racing.

MAJOR: “Dennis at DMC narrowed the rear, and notched the rear frame rails to help get rid of the problem that we were having staying in the groove. The rear stance of the car was so wide, we were having a hard time staying in the center of the track, and ultimately loosing traction. Also, we added a floater rear that was fabricated using the exact same suspension setup we had used previously. The rear housing was fabricated by Skinny Kid Race Cars and it is truly a piece of art. Dennis also added in some more bars in the back to stiffen the chassis up.”

LSXTV: What do you think about the controversy that surrounds your Corvette’s non-stock IRS suspension?

MAJOR: “As for the controversy, you know I truly don’t understand it. You have Florida, and drag radial is big down there, and always will be. Now with the growth of the 275mm Radial classes, the rules will have to loosen up a lot (for Radial racing). I see with all the new cars that are being built from the factory, and you have the guys that are wanting to build them to race the class, but they come with independent suspensions that are not suitable for the horsepower that is needed to be competitive.

Racers shouldn’t be excluded because of what car they choose to run. You can’t close the doors to the class, or it will hurt the class. It all comes down to if there is a advantage for these setups. Is there? I wouldn’t think so, because you look at these stock suspension racers that are going low 1.20’s in the sixty, and they are faster than these true ten five racers on 4-links and slicks. So there is no advantage to my setup or any other that is out there.”

LSXTV: On the performance side of things do you feel that your car sixty foots well and if not what can be done to improve it?

MAJOR: “Oh, my car is probably the worst sixty footing car out there. It has to be. I think last year our best was a 1.28, with a 1.30 average. That is one of the main reasons we had DMC narrow the rear, and try to keep the car in the groove. With that being done, we should be able to really get after it on the starting line. Compared to any stock F-body out there, if you were to measure from the center line, my car was seven inches wider than them. We are close to where we need to be, but compared to a Mustang we are still much wider. Realistically, if we can get a 1.25 sixty we can definitely get to the 6′s.”

LSXTV: Who is responsible for the tuning on your car and what is the fastest e.t. and mph to date that you have been?

MAJOR: “Job Spetter. He is “the man” — we are very fortunate to have him be a part of our team. Aside from being a tuner, he is a teacher as he has taught me a lot through the years, and I can even get through some of it on my own. Also, we have Chris from NRG that comes out to help us.

The entire team puts forth a lot of effort, and I am thankful to have them all being a part of this with me. As for the times, we went 7.23 at the Shakedown last year, and 208 mph in Orlando. I think the 208 was a one hit wonder, so I say we are a consistent 205 mph car because we have ran that at like five different tracks.”

LSXTV: Just to find out a bit more about you, What do you like and dislike the most about drag racing?

MAJOR: “Drag racing as a whole – I love it, I couldn’t do it any other way. I have to be out there to run all out, all the time. It’s all about pushing the limits to see what we can do. As to what I like the least, well I guess I do get tired of all the cry babies and the whining. It all seems to surround the controversy of my car. But overall, I love to be around the majority of the people in this sport because they are all so willing to help. It is always a good time but when you look aside from the keyboard warriors, it is a lot of fun.”

LSXTV: Who would you say that is your biggest rival?

MAJOR: “I don’t have any rivals…really I don’t. I love the competition. There are a bunch of great guys out there. I would rather see a guy like Dave Hance sell the Pro Mod, and stick with his drag radial car. We have a good car, and it is a consistent 205 mph car. Dave has been 220 mph at three different tracks. That’s real. There are so many others that will be pushing hard once their combinations are done. All these guys are working hard at it, and deserve what they get.”

LSXTV: Are Outlaw Drag Radial cars going 200+ Mph Safe?

MAJOR: “Well, you know I feel a lot safer just because of the tire that we are on. As far as a guy that is going to go 200 mph, it has to be a car that is built to do so. You just are not going to throw something together and do that. The racers that want to compete at that level are running good parts and there is no junk in that level of performance.

With the whole 25.5 and 25.2 dilemma, I wouldn’t even dream of going as fast as we have with any less than what we have now. We may run across some cars that are not up to specification at the 1/8 mile events, but for the most part everyone has taken the initiative for the safety of themselves and others. I do everything in my power possible to know that I am going to come home to my family at the end of the day. I think the majority of the guys feel the same way.

LSXTV: What was it like to win Orlando after the loss of your good friend Leo Barnaby, and to be able to dedicate the win to his daughter Jenna?

MAJOR: “It was great. We got back from Memphis with a toasted car, and we were on a mission. We needed a ton of parts and on the way home, I was on the phone with Leo. I told him we had a lot of work to do, and I wasn’t going to miss Orlando again. We didn’t go the year before, you know, with (with the problem of) keeping the heads on the block, so we didn’t make the trip.

Leo got on the ball with Chris at NRG, along with many others — scrambling for parts all over the place. Then, it was like I got the call about what had happened to Leo (he was killed in car accident) and I was just blown away. Not only did I lose a friend, but there were parts at his shop that we needed. Leo’s competitive nature is what made me the way I am .With this happening, it was no doubt that we had to get this car back together and make to Orlando. We had a strong car when we got to Orlando, and we chased around the tune up and it all came together to come out with a win for Jenna.”

LSXTV: With that being said would you consider 2008 as a success?

MAJOR: “Without a doubt. It was a very exciting year, and we made a lot of progress with the setup. Performance was where we needed to be, come the end of the year. Along the way we made some really great friends. I am so excited about 2009, I just can’t wait to get out there and get racing. What we did last year was a definite motivator.

LSXTV: With constant rule changes and new classes, where will we see Paul Major in 2009? What are your goals for the season?

MAJOR: “One thing is for sure: I want one of those 6-second jackets this year at the Shakedown. We are going to have to work on that six second pass real early in the season, because we know there are tons of people shooting for that, and are well capable of doing so. Right now, our sights are set on running the entire Drag Radial schedule at Cecil County Dragway, as well as a few of their limited ten five events.

Dave O’Donnell and Jim Halsey have created a great place to race, and a awesome series with the Street Car Shootouts and now with the new 275 classes and limited 10.5 they show why they have a premier racing facility that will continue to give us a place to race. I also plan to support the 1320X series, and will run as much of that schedule as possible, unless there are conflicting dates. Shakedown is a definite, and we will go back to Orlando to defend our title. Plans are also to go back to Vegas as they have a great thing going out there and a awesome facility as well.”

LSXTV: Will the Shakedown field grow this year?

MAJOR: “I really hope to see more support from the drag radial racers at the Shakedown race this year. It was disheartening to see how many of the northern racers headed south to Orlando and Bradenton, but there was no support from the south at our races. Dave Hance deserves more credit than he gets, and if we don’t see this happen I would hope a lot more people wouldn’t go to Bradenton. If they won’t support our races, we shouldn’t support them. They have the no Paul Major rule down there so I don’t have to worry about it.

LSXTV: To wrap this all up, What do you feel will be the drag radial record will be next year this time?

MAJOR: “I can see them running 228-230 mph, and it all depends on who steps up their combinations to the big block twin turbo setups. You should see the low 6.80’s with just two or three in that range. I never imagined we would be where we are at now, with two racers in the 6′s already. My prediction was that we would have to wait to see this happen at Shakedown in October. With going from the 7.18 that Hinzman, ran to the 6.90’s, in a few months – it is crazy. I ask myself – where will it stop?

Jim is a busy man. He spends his time running his Fort Lauderdale, Florida based Able Car Rental company, tending to his family, and racing his car while constantly tweaking and adjusting his parts and combination to make sure he stays competitive.

We were very pleased that he took the time to answer some of our questions and tell us a little more about himself.

Jim, how did you become interested in Drag Racing?

Actually, my first trip to a drag strip was in high school. I had my mother’s Dodge Dart slant six. I didn’t go to race, I just went to watch at La Place Drag Strip in Louisiana. It’s a small drag strip just outside of New Orleans. I went with a couple of friends, they had big cubic inch Chevelles, Corvettes… mainly Chevy’s. The muscle cars of the late 60’s and 70’s.

I didn’t really see myself being able to participate at that level at that age. I was barely in high school…probably about 15 years old. They had a wide range of street cars. At the time I didn’t know what they were but there were Altereds and big tired cars. The main thing was they were mainly GM style cars. All the really fast cars were GMs.

Did that trip make you want to race?

From that point I thought it would be something I would be interested in, but I didn’t quite know how I would fit into it. It wasn’t until much later that I decided that I wanted to get involved in some form or fashion. I met Ron Cox through some friends and he had his red stick shift 95 Mustang that he was getting prepped and ready to race in Super Street Outlaw. I told him that I would like to be part of his pit crew, or basically go to the races with him.

So I spent a year going with him to different events around the country. Some were Fun Ford, some were NMRA. That was the end of ‘99 and beginning of 2000. At the time I owned a 95 Cobra R I bought through a Ford Dealership in Hollywood.I bought it because I knew it was going to be the last pushrod Mustang period and definitely the last Cobra R.

I had the car and had been driving it and doing little tweaks and different things to it, but I really didn’t have any idea of racing it, although I had taken it to a couple of the All Ford races at Moroso. I got spanked pretty good by another guy with a Cobra R. That basically made me want to go faster. After he beat me I went over to his pit and looked at his car and saw the little tricks and things he had done to his car that definitely made him faster.

How did you hook up with Ronnie Crawford?

I met Ronnie Crawford through Ron’s son, Mike Gillette. Mike had a pretty fast street car, and we used to run around in the streets with that. I would bring out my Cobra R and Mike had a blown Mustang that he would drive on the street every day…it was about a 900rwhp car. So we hung out a lot.

Eventually in 2000 I went to Ron’s first NMRA race in Columbus and I was definitely shocked at the quality and size of the field, the speeds and the number of cars competing.

Lynch was there with a nitrous car and Bill Devine was there in Pro 5.0. I believe Jim Summers was there. The Scranton brothers had brought out “The Silver Bullet” for the first time and were running Pro 5.0. They were pitted right next to Ron Cox. I remember the line of people “oohing” and “ahhing” over “The Silver Bullet”.

That was the race that I finally made the decision that I wanted to do it. I thought I could be competitive, I thought I understood it, and I made the decision based on what I saw at that race that I wanted to participate.

So you decided to take your street Cobra R and get it ready for full on drag duty?

We had a lot of work to do to the Cobra R to even think about getting it competitive. I went through a lot of variations of transmissions and motors and blowers and different things until I hit on a combination. Back then I was just like everybody else. I was just following the leader. I just wanted to go fast and I never thought that I would be able to race on a high level with these guys. I just wanted to go out and be competitive and go a few rounds.

I never dreamed when I started this thing that I would have any real success. I just thought it would be something that I would like to do, that I would enjoy doing, and would have some fun while I was at it.

It was a steep learning curve from our first race. We couldn’t make a pass without losing a blower belt. We had potential, but we had a lot of little issues that we had to sort out.

I was at a test session at Moroso and broke a transmission. Somebody had mentioned that Jason Gatlin of The Automatic Transmission Factory (better known as ATF) was a good transmission guy. So I went and met Jason and we got to talking. I started telling him what I wanted to do and he was interested, even though he had a car at the time.

A look under the hood of Jim’s original ’95 Cobra R shows almost no trace of its original 351W factory engine. Here you can see it has been converted over to a Procharged, Yates headed Super Street Outlaw contender.

What happened at your first NMRA race in 2001?

First race I am pretty sure I went out first round against Chris Derrick. It was funny because we would be on a good pass and about 1000 foot I would lose my belt. So even though my times were decent, maybe 8.20’s, my miles per hour were real low. I think some people thought that we were sandbagging and that for whatever reason we weren’t showing our hand.

I guess nobody realized that we were shredding belts at 1000 foot. In the car it looked like black snow was coming through the car from the belts. I think we made one clean pass where the belt stayed on, and we qualified 5th or 6th. After that, I was buying belts. Travis Franklin was selling me all his spare belts as we were going through the event.

What did you do after that race to prepare for 2002?

That’s when ATF and I started doing a lot of testing. We started getting a more professional attitude about it. We started looking at the belt alignment, the tension issues and putting on idlers to get rid of the slap. We started realizing that once we got the belt issues ironed out we started snapping crank snouts and stuff like that.

So you got the belt issues figured out but other parts started to break?

Correct. We started doing a lot more testing and a lot more R&D and buying the best parts available, making sure that once we found a problem we addressed it. During this time I was working with Ronnie Crawford trying to get a better combination, better parts, better cam profiles and different things that we felt we needed. And it just went from there.

Jim came out to his first NMRA race in 2001 to a packed crowd at the Bowling Green Finals.

Were you ready when the 2002 season began?

We went to Bradenton NMRA and I lost first round. I think we were still fighting issues with the transmission at that point so we changed converters.

We went to Reynolds, and in the first round of qualifying it was nice dense air and we ran a 7.80 that pass was faster than Millen’s 7.89 record at that time. That’s when I got discovered. That was a pretty big deal at the time. We made it to the finals against Murillo and lost, spun the tire.

How was the 2002 NMRA season as a whole?

I think we finished in the top 10 that year. We had parts break and various things we went through, but we were definitely moving in the right direction. We were starting to realize the potential of the combination.

I think we went to every race that year. We had finally got to the point where the motor and tranny were dialed in, so we were fighting chassis issues. We were king of the power wheelies. It made for some dramatic launches so I never knew when it came down which way I was headed.

The car was definitely a handful to drive and definitely an issue every time whether the car would come down straight or go left or right. It was famous for either going into tire shake or spin while the wheels were up. Tire shake wasn’t too bad because I knew I was coming down immediately. Tire spin was bad because it would come down very hard and the chassis would unload, then I would be all over the place.

I remember thinking that these cars are really hard to drive. (Laughs) I didn’t understand how these guys could drive them consistently. I never knew from pass to pass what to expect. I basically had one out of three possibilities every time I let go of the trans brake, and two out of three were bad.

You got rookie of the year because obviously you went from nobody to setting the record and a force to be reckoned with….

To potentially somebody…that was a cool race at Reynolds. I got acknowledged by people I really respected. People who I always held in high esteem seemed to recognize what that 7.80 pass represented. At the time I didn’t even realize it, because I didn’t know enough to know what an accomplishment that was. But I remember getting big props from Donny Walsh and Doug Mangrum and the Pro 5.0 guys. They were impressed with that.

The Outlaw guys were probably not too happy, but I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, I guess if the Pro 5.0 guys are giving me props that must have really been something!” We had been working really hard and I always thought the car was capable, but the pass was itself didn’t seem special. The car stayed down and behaved itself and it seemed like a pretty uneventful pass.

I remember Jimmy Dahl rode his 4 wheeler all the way down to the end of the track, walked up to me and shook my hand and I was like “what was that for?” He goes, “man, you just ran a 7.80!” I said “Seven Eighty what?” and he says “Seven EIGHT EEEEE.” So I say again “Seven Eighty WHAT?” He goes “SEVEN – POINT – EIGHT – OH!” and I go “OH!” I remember thinking after that “Wow, not bad.” (Laughs)

It seemed like a different time. In ’02 and ’03 the fields were pretty full. There were more possibilities then. The turbo thing was really starting to catch on. I think in ’02 Murillo won the championship. George Gallegos told me that he went over to Murillo’s trailer and Mike was staring at the computer and George asked him what’s up with that white car. That’s what I was then: “that white car.” So, Murillo is looking at his computer and he says to George, “I don’t know what’s up with him, but I am looking at my computer and I don’t see any seven eighties in this tune up!” (Laughs)

“King of the power wheelies.” Jim amazed the Outlaw field at the Reynolds NMRA race in 2002 with a record setting 7.80 pass.

You did better in ‘03 but didn’t win the championship, correct?

At the end of ’03 we finally got a handle on a lot of different things. In ’03 we had finally gone to the Blue Thunder heads. In ’02 we were still running Yates heads. We started realizing that we had a lot of power on tap that would have destroyed the Yates head, but didn’t seem to bother the Blue Thunders.

At that last race in ’03 we had the chassis sorted out, the tune sorted out – and a 50 cent rotor shut down the whole operation. We knew at the end we had a lot of potential that we were just now able to tap into. Jason found it in the tune and the chassis. On one hand it made it more comfortable for me, but on the other hand we still had 50 cent parts that would break. We had worked our way from one end of the car to the other.

In ’02 I had some good times, but in ’03 I started getting serious about it. We started getting our ducks lined up for ’04.

Was ’04 a really successful and dominating year for you?

Jason had made some converter changes and we had tested at Moroso the weekend before Bradenton, at that hot nasty track, with me pedaling most of the way down the track and the car would run 7.70 to 7.80. Manny Buginga had been testing over at Bradenton before the race and he had run a 7.66 so that was all the talk of the internet.

We showed up Thursday night at the test and tune, and it went right down Broadway. I clicked it off about 1200 foot and it ran a 7.55 and the world changed.

’04 was basically the year we either beat ourselves or broke. We never really ever got outrun in ’04. I take that back. I think I lost on a hole shot to Zack Posey. I had mechanical failure or driver failure, but the car itself never got outrun.

We had turned it down and kept turning it down until we got to Chicago. We won Reynolds that year with a hurt motor. We had pinched a ring land and it was pumping smoke pretty bad. I think I even had mismatched tires. I was still able to win.

Kansas City the car shut off because a connection came loose on the battery. That was our own fault, shoving the charger on too hard. In Maple Grove we blew up blowers left and right.

I won Bradenton, Reynolds, Chicago and Season Final Bowling Green.

Jim’s ’95 Cobra R dominated SS Outlaw in 2004. Jim was able to capture the championship and then sold the car to focus on 10.5W tire racing.

In Chicago you went 7.508 at 186.54. Urist was number two at 7.658. How good did that feel, and did it set the pace for 2004?

I actually raced against Urist on that pass. I think that’s the day Urist decided to put a blower on his car. (Laughs) We won that race and I had a broken intercooler. Every time I would go up on the brake it would take a big gulp of water and stumble like crazy coming off.

I think some of my lights were .150 to .250 range because I couldn’t let go of the trans brake until the engine rpm would come back up. We couldn’t figure out what was going on, but once it cleared up the car would run real good.

How did you feel after winning the NMRA Super Street Outlaw Championship?

I felt like we had finally accomplished what we had set out to do. I thought we dominated. If it were not for some untimely parts breakage we probably would have won maybe five or six races, which would have been pretty outstanding for that time. It was definitely time to move on.

What made you decide to move up to another class?

I had already bought the Bullet in the winter of ’03. I didn’t really know if I was just going to park the white car and race the Bullet, but there was actually a point in time that we were dumb enough to think we were going to race both cars at either the same events or different events.

But knowing how much work it took to run one car, well, we dismissed that idea pretty quickly. We knew we couldn’t compete in the high level with both cars without having a traveling circus. So we decided to sell the white car and concentrate on the Bullet.

The old Scranton Brothers “Silver Bullet” was resurrected by Jim to start racing in 10.5W tire classes. The car originally sported the same turbo setup that the Scrantons used. However, Jim later switched back to the tried and true Procharger based engine.

What happened in 2005 and 2006 after you decided to race the “Bullet?”

We were trying to get the Bullet to run as a turbo car. I thought we gave it a pretty fair shake. We tested a couple of times with it. It seemed like we would get a handle on it and it would get away from us and then we would get it back. The decision was made to convert it back to the blower, since that’s what we knew and that’s what we were comfortable with. That’s what we could be competitive with.

We did some local races in ’05. Raced a couple of times in Bradenton and Orlando with a turbo. We yanked that out and went to what we knew.

The car was state of the art when it came out for what it was in 2000. It was ahead of its time. By ’05 and ’06 it was woefully inadequate for what we needed to do. The car itself was well built structurally, but it was heavy.

You have to realize it was a championship-winning car…they (Scranton brothers) won every race they raced with it in NMCA. The way things are evolving so fast, you have got to constantly re-evaluate and upgrade and change things to maintain any kind of competitive advantage.

2005 was testing with the turbo. 2006 was putting the supercharger combination back on the car, sorting it out and seeing if we could be competitive with it.

Jim stopped by to show me his new Wilson Manifolds sheet metal intake. The cast manifold was limiting power because of unequal air distribution to the corners. The sheet metal piece allowed him to open up the tune.

In NMCA Atlanta of ’06 you showed up and qualified with a 7.21 at 197. Were you ready for 10.5W tire racing?

Atlanta we thought we were ready. On a test and tune pass the car I think ran a 7.06 just prior to qualifying. We snapped the input shaft and buzzed the motor, which dropped a valve. Later on that year we raced at Orlando and the US Nationals.

In ’07 you qualified #2 at Bradenton with a 7.09 at 203 with Millen at 7.08. Were you making progress?

Yeah. We won Bradenton because Markwiecz was broke in the final. I ran a couple of 7.14’s and 7.17’s.

We also ran NOPI that year and won Texas and Phoenix. And we made it to the finals in New Jersey.

Jim’s intercooler exploded, ripping the roof off his car at this NMCA race. His diligent crew was able to patch it back together in time for the next pass.

You wont the championship in 2007. Did you dominate like you did in NMRA in 2004?

No, not at all. As a matter of fact, I was outgunned in the end. I was equal in the beginning, but by the end I was outgunned. Basically I just had enough of a lead that I managed to hold on. If Spiro wouldn’t have crashed in Ohio and fixed the car, no telling where he would have been.

What happened in 2008?

2008 had the same combination, but we had changed the…well, I had some rules issues concerning the chain drive and the removable nose so we had to address those issues.

It sounds like some people complained about the legality of your car in 2007. Were you in a gray zone?

Yeah, I would say I was. I mean, we are all in a gray zone. But yeah, I was close to the edge as far as rules, although nothing that offered a competitive advantage.

Like the chain drive – they needed an SFI certification. Well, guess what? There is no SFI certification for a chain drive. Nobody ever created one. Procharger started to get one and then they went away from it. We put a lot of R & D into that chain drive and basically had to toss it after we perfected it.

Hold your ears when Jim does his burnout. People have said his car sounds like a “huge mountain motor” when in reality it barely topped 400 inches.

Was the chain certification requirement a safety rule?

Yeah it was a safety rule thing. As far as I can tell I never took out anybody in the third row, so I don’t think it was unsafe. In the spirit of the rules I had to change. I realized that I couldn’t win that battle. I had to convert to a direct drive because I really had no option. This changed the position of the blower, the radiator, the steering rack, pretty much the entire front nose of the car.

You have to always sort of evaluate the letter of the rule and the spirit of the rule. The intent versus the spirit of it, and you’ve got to be able to differentiate from something that is well meaning and valid versus well meaning and inane for lack of a better term.

There are rules that strike you, like the removable hood is cosmetic. There is no competitive advantage. Everybody basically has a one-piece front end. A removable hood is an illusion. I didn’t have one so we had to create one.

The chain drive was something that required a lot more work and a lot more effort, yet I felt in the spirit of safety I had to address it. We addressed them both. One was a cosmetic easy fix. The other was a mechanical reengineering of the whole front of the car, and we didn’t know how the car was going to react as far as movement of the radiator and replumbing the cooling and stuff like that.

This cool transparency that Jim and ATF supplied was shot with the nose on and off the car. Note the direct drive blower and relocation of the front accessories.

How would you sum up the 2008?

Suck city! I used up all my luck in 2007.

It wasn’t bad. We ran the first and the second and the third six-second small block passes with a blower car, and we did it in less than ideal conditions on less than ideal tracks. It gave me some ideas on the mechanical side of the combination of what I could do to increase the longevity, while maintaining the power level.

I have seen some things now that I hadn’t seen before that made me address items that I thought were holding us back. We got the chassis sorted out. I think we are going to have the motor sorted out pretty soon, and we are working on some things with the transmission that I think are going to be fruitful.

What do you have planned for 2009?

Basically building on what happened in 2008 as far as the structural integrity of the block with the addition of a billet block. We are going to do a converter with Marty Chance. Jason has developed a new input shaft and pump stator to replace what we were breaking. We broke six of them at the end of 2008. We hadn’t broken that particular part in over two years. We broke six in four races.

We are kind of evolving the whole program. We are getting to the point in the program where whatever part we need to evolve, we now make it ourselves. This is a big help. ATF can manufacture anything now. We can draw it and make it out of plastic. We can look at it and measure it. Like for gear tooth and pitch, stuff like that for input shafts, we can make it and actually examine it, install it, look at the clearances with the spacing and everything and see if we need more or less.

We are at a point where we are evolving into areas where we are manufacturing parts, where before, we could only buy off the shelf. We are using the car as a test mule to not just build the part for ourselves, but if we don’t break them, and market them, then nobody else should break them either…I am sure.

What’s been the highlight of your racing career?

Probably the first SS Outlaw Championship. That would probably be the time I felt I accomplished something I set out to do. At certain points along the way I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do it. It really gave me a sense of accomplishing a very difficult task.

Always a respected competitor, Jim has become an important fixture in the Heads Up racing community.

What was the low point?

I have thought about that. There really isn’t one. To be able to do what I do, you know, have a car and be competitive in this venue and this world is an accomplishment in itself. Like I have said before, for every car you see on the track there are ten cars that got started and never finished. So just that alone is saying something.

So yeah, as a racer, I can’t really say I’ve had….I have had momentary low points. I’ve had disappointments from problems I solved that I really didn’t, but overall I don’t have any great disappointments.

You stuck with the small block supercharged combo while other combinations seemed better. Why?

Well, like I have said, I don’t think we have exhausted the possibilities. I think that the origin of the sport was with a small block. I think that with all the technology and advancements that are available to the racers today, until you have completely exhausted all possibilities and all tuning issues and questions, chassis issues and questions…I don’t think the small block has reached the point yet of not being competitive. I believe it needs certain advantages, i.e. weight breaks, etc. etc..

But I still believe that the small block in the right hands will always be competitive.

Do you like the small block blown combination’s weight advantages?

When available. I honestly feel like if you haven’t given your combination at least five years of R & D then you haven’t really worked your combo to the 9th degree, to its infinite possibilities. That’s my opinion. What I have learned and how long I have worked the combination and what I feel is still possible is a minimum of five years of tweaking, checking all the mechanical possibilities and improvements, tuning issues, and chassis issues.

I think a lot of people don’t look at the whole combination either. I think that sometimes there are literally tenths of seconds left in chassis and transmissions that don’t ever get looked at and evaluated because it’s easy to put in a big block with twin turbos and basically run the track backwards. Leaving soft and letting the turbos pull the car through the back half of the track instead of the front half of the track.

My theory of drag racing is that you need to run hard in the beginning of the track because that makes the combination of tune, chassis, and race track conditions more equal across the board. I see that turbo big blocks by their mph and by their incrementals run the second half of the track much harder than the first half of the track. That kind of eliminates the need for excellent chassis balance, ability to read a racetrack…especially at the starting line it is not as critical.

It basically allows people to not have to address tuning issues, chassis issues, tranny issues. There’s no doubt they are making horrific power, it just seems like they should be capable of more. If they were having to leave hard like if they were a nitrous car or a blower car, then they would have to pay more attention to the chassis.

Jim’s Mustang is powered by a Small Block Ford 9.5 deck Windsor engine with a hair over 400 inches of displacement. It features Blue Thunder heads, a Wilson Manifolds sheet metal intake, Procharged big boost, and a ATF transmission.

What do you think about the recent trend of 1/8 mile racing? Does it even things out more?

Absolutely. It’s a great equalizer, especially if they are not addressing the front half of the track there is no time to make it up. Cars that can leave hard are going to run the eighth mile in relatively close proximity to the turbo cars or the nitrous cars.

What has been your best 1/8 mile time?

The best we have ever gone is a forty flat. We have done it a couple of times, and I think that with some transmission tweaks we are incorporating right now, the car is capable of mid to low thirties.

Where does that put you against your competition?

As far as a small block combination it puts me right at the front. As far as an alcohol screw blower, it puts me in the back. It all depends on the application. For a small block blower car to run mid to low thirties in the eighth, I personally will consider that an achievement….a large achievement.

What weight was your car for those types of times?

The eighth mile races around here I am basically required to run 2800lbs. I can get my car much lighter.

Did you run the forty flat at 2800 pounds?

Actually, I was at 2850.

If you were the guy making rules for W tire racing, what would you change? Would you go to 1/8 mile to make things better?

Don’t give me that power. That’s a tough question because no matter what you say there is going to be somebody not happy with the answer.

1/8 mile racing is safer for the drivers, less hard on the parts. It equalizes the advantages turbos have over most combinations, but I don’t know how it looks to the fan. I wonder if the fan enjoys a four second race or not.

It seems to me that everything appears to be pretty close but there’s no pulling around them on the big end like quarter mile racing offers. From a driver’s perspective I enjoy quarter mile racing. From an owner’s perspective I enjoy eighth mile racing.

I think you have a lot of different biases and different perspectives depending on where you are: from the driver’s seat, from the stands, from the starting line, or in the tower. The racing would appear close to the untrained eye. But I personally enjoy quarter mile racing from a driver’s perspective.

As far as the rules, it’s hard to say because everything evolves so quickly that by the time the rules makers come around its too late, the cat’s out of the bag. I do see that all the sanctioning bodies are trying to get a handle on the new combinations out there.

ORSCA and other sanctioning bodies that used to not allow certain combination weight breaks are offering it because it’s a sport and a business but you have got to have something that has appeal to the fans, the person in the stands.

You have got to have something that is dramatic that has different combinations that people can root for so that it’s not all big block turbo all the time. It’s not all screw blowers on alcohol all the time. There’s a reason people like to watch racing. It’s because they can identify with a particular car, or a particular combination, or a particular motor, or a particular power adder and that’s what makes it interesting. That’s what people come to see and root for, whatever their emotional attachment is to a particular car or a particular combination.

If somebody runs away with it, it takes away from the entertainment value. In this economy, in this day and age, you have to have something that appeals to the people in the stand, which is wide varied.

I don’t envy the rule makers. I see where they have a real problem on their hands because you can’t cater to one particular combination or style or you’ll lose your appeal.

Jim and his crew have set the car up to run the front half of the track as hard as possible, netting him some astonishing 1/8 mile times for a small block combination.

With NASCAR and NHRA making rules so that cars are so similar, do you this type of racing is more appealing to the fans?

I think NASCAR and NHRA have a problem getting into a comfortable rut. While it seems to be working, they are losing their origins and where they came from. NASCAR came from southern boys and moonshiners with cars that people could identify with and relate to and drive home from the track in.

What you see now, there is no way to identify with the car on the track. There’s no way to identify with the drivers who all seem to have the same cookie cutter look and corporate speak routine whenever the camera is on them. It might be nice for mass marketing appeal, but who do you identify with? Who is your favorite driver? What is your favorite car?

And I think with NHRA, they kind of suffer from the same problem when they are afraid to bring in new ideas and new classes and give people something new to get interested in. It is kind of a rut, but it’s a comfortable rut and when you get so big it’s not easy to change.

That’s the beauty of heads up racing and grass roots racing. It has the ability to adapt and to change and it’s not caught up in the same vicious cycle of regurgitating the same things over and over again. Of course, the NHRA would point out that Sportsman racing was killed by cars going faster and faster, well-financed teams dominating, and that’s why they bracket race at the sportsman level.

But I think what we have today is a new dynamic. Heads Up racing is definitely what people want to see and we offer them something to identify with. We offer them something they can recognize, power adder combinations that they are familiar with. And the technology in heads up racing is actually far advanced from what’s in an NHRA pro stock car.

Last year you showed up with “Scorpion” on your car and trailer. How did that transpire?

Jason heard in the beginning of 2008 that Scorpion was looking for a car to sponsor and they were involved with NMCA in sponsorship of the PRO class. We had known the marketing director for a while. I was familiar with their products. We met Rob, the owner, and he stepped up and sponsored us and it has been a lovely experience.

For everybody out there who thinks sponsorship is such a wonderful thing, it carries some serious responsibilities and I don’t take them lightly. It’s like another job on top of the job you are doing there at the racetrack. You are representing a company. You have to be attentive to the needs of the company. You have to project yourself as a person that the company would want as a spokesman and a representative at the racetrack, and it’s a lot of work. It really is.

We handed out a lot of brochures, t-shirts, hats, talked to a lot of people and helped promote the Scorpion name in a fashion that I thought they would be happy with.

Did you choose to be with Scorpion because of their sponsorship of the NMCA Pro Street class?

I knew they were a local company that was looking to expose their products and services to our form of racing. I knew that they made a very, very high quality product. I knew that they would benefit by the exposure that they would receive.

Of course, no one would have dreamed that the Pro Street class would have been as big and popular as it was. They basically gambled going in not knowing what would happen, whether the Pro Street class would even show up in 2008. It was probably one of the best years that I can remember for Pro Street as far as car counts and ETs. I think the class was definitely the flagship class of the organization.

I thought that they were extremely fortunate to grab that sponsorship when they did. Nobody could have known going in what to expect to happen, especially with the demise of Pro 5.0. I saw a thread on the internet – “it was the end of big tire racing as we knew it”. Ironically, it was the rebirth. It was a re-emergence of the class and the people in the class.

Scorpion was there at the right time to be able to cash in on what was a great year for Pro Street.

Will we see Jim in Pro Street some day? Jim says it’s a definite maybe.

Speaking of Pro Street, do you have any plans to step up again?

I wouldn’t mind it. I have to admit, there is definitely an appeal to the big tire cars. There is something about those guys, the Mickes and the Budanos. There is definitely something there that appeals to me.

Whether at this point in my life I would be willing to make the financial commitment or not is hard to say. Probably not with the economy the way it is. Had I been in this position maybe three or four years ago, perhaps.

I wouldn’t close the door entirely that there wouldn’t be a possibility at some point in the future. I am definitely interested, but at this point in time I have my hands full with what we are doing right now. So that would be a maybe. (Laughs)

If some sponsor came along and said they were paying for the whole thing, you just had to pick a class to run, which class would you pick?

It would be Pro Street. No doubt. If I had a complete free ride I would build a Pro Street car. Definitely go that direction. It just appeals to me on so many levels. It really does. It is basically all out warfare. That appeals to me.

Along the way who were the people who have helped you get to where you are today in racing?

First and foremost would be Jason Gatlin, of Automatic Transmission Factory. We have kind of grown together in the sport. If you told us where we would be seven or eight years from then, I doubt either one of us would have conceived it. He is the number one reason that as a driver I am able to get in the car and be totally comfortable.

These cars are dangerous…eighth mile, quarter mile, whatever it is. And when you get behind that wheel you have to have a level of confidence, a level of comfort, to be able to drive them. Whether this part was tightened down or that part was tightened down, whether this part is going to fail or this bolt is going to break. You have to put that out of your mind. You have to be able to go up to the tree and rest assured that everything is going to work out, even though there are several hundred moving parts which any could fail at any given moment.

When he lines me up I only have one job to do and that’s drill the tree. That’s a very comfortable feeling to have. That gives the driver a comfort zone that he can concentrate on, just getting the car down the track, cutting a good light, doing his job, and I can rest assured that everything else in the car is taken care of.

I know people that try and do everything and it amazes me that a racer has that ability, to have the mechanical part of it, the tuning part of it, the chassis part of it, and just the regular service part of it and still be a good racer. They are few and far between, but there are people that can do it and my hat is off to them.

For me Jason is the reason I can pull into the tree comfortable 99.9 percent of the time. There have been times I didn’t know what was going to happen when I let go of the trans brake, but I would say 100% of those times everything was fine.

Also of course there are the crew guys. David, Danny and Patrick all from ATF. A great bunch of guys.

David is probably the best or the most willing to do whatever is necessary, as far as tearing out a transmission, tearing out a rear end, pulling out a motor, breaking down a motor and driving the rig. The boy will do it at the drop of a hat with a smile on his face and never complain. David is in charge of the tear downs, freshening up of the motors, and rebuilding of the motors.

Danny is new to the game. He is a recent Wyotech Graduate. He is learning quickly how to help with the car. He does some of the fabrication work and welding on the car and round to round maintenance.

Patrick is in charge of the starting line routine, also helps with the round to round maintenance, fuel and ice checks, video filming, in car camera, picture taking and driving the rig.

And then there is Procharger and Scorpion of course.

My wife Janet, daughter Jessica, and everybody at Able Car Rental that put up with me when I’m in race mode.

I saw a documentary one time about big wave surfers. They say that just before they are ready to go surfing they are insufferable to be around. It struck me. Drag racers are kind of the same way. Once we are out there in the car everything’s all calm and fine, but all the anxiety and the drama and the thrashing that leads up to it must make us pretty miserable people to be around.

So I thank my wife, daughter and all my employees for being able to put up with that.

Jim’s crew is an important part of his success and he is quick to credit Jason and ATF for their work. Scorpion and Procharger have also been a big help to his racing program.

Anything else we should know about your racing program?

Just that I think we will have something this year that should be the culmination of five years of R & D as far as motor, transmission and chassis.

Do you plan on running the whole NMCA season in 2009, going for the championship again? Or are you going to do something else?

That kind of remains to be seen. I think we are probably going to have to take it on a race-by-race basis. A lot of it is going to be determined by how well we do and how the recession rolls on, or doesn’t. It’s looking like my worst-case scenario is to stay around and race locally. I think that Bowling Green and Bradenton are definitely on the dance card. Probably ZMax, and possibly Chicago. But, unless we recapture some of our racing luck from ’07, it is hard to say at this point.

So if you end up winning a lot of races it might prompt you to go to more?

Yeah, exactly. It all depends on if all these issues that we think we have dealt with work out for us, then yeah. If we have some early success, we may be able to run the whole circuit. But, I am cautiously optimistic, as always.

In what might be the toughest class in all of Mustang doorslammer racing, Urist has climbed to the top and stayed there, despite a grueling commute from his New Mexico home to the east coast race venues, streaks of bad luck that would have been season-enders for any other team, and the constant pressure of competition in a class that is seeing low sevens at 200 MPH on a true 10.5-inch tire. Urist always has something interesting to say, so here at the start of the 2009 season, we thought we’d ask him to take a look back, and a look ahead.

Visit Nitto Tire’s John Urist Microsite

Three years, three consecutive Super Street Outlaw championships. Are you worn out?

No, I don’t think so. It feels the same as it does after every season; I’m glad it’s over. I can get back to concentrating on keeping the lights on around here, along with everything else. I think that’s one of the things for me – I view every year as a challenge and something I look forward to

Back in 2000, you came out of virtually nowhere, and in the years since you’ve almost become the public face of the NMRA’s racer community. What’s it been like?

It started out as a hobby, something that I wanted to do; I always enjoyed cars, and then I got involved in drag racing. My father wasn’t involved at all, so I didn’t have a foot in the door, so to speak. I basically did it all myself and decided that this was what I wanted to do, and the last ten years have been great. Things have gone basically the way I wanted – we didn’t have success at first, but we’ve worked on it until we’ve gotten to where we wanted to be.

What about before coming into the NMRA? You were just a college student at the time. Where did you get your experience?

I was in the engineering program at my school, but then I switched to management and got a degree in business management. At the time, I was building custom headers and cars for local people, and I’ve always enjoyed being hands-on. That’s when I decided to give it a try being in business for myself, and that’s when I started Urist Racing and started doing some Mustang and street-car fabrication and race-car stuff that catapulted me into what we’re doing today.

The experience has come from many sources. When I started out, I learned from good friends of mine that had been racing and working on Mustangs for years before I started. Mike Abdalla was racing back then, and I was able to pull information from those friends, and then just used trial-and-error over the years of trying different things and doing research; reading the different articles in the magazines, stuff just like what you guys are writing today just trying to gain the information and build upon it. You can’t beat hands-on experience, so we were just taking it to the track to see what we could do.

You’re so remote from the epicenter of the NMRA, being all the way out in New Mexico. Do you feel like that hurts you?

It definitely does. We basically haven’t been able to test for ten years, because the elevation difference is so great. We have a local track, but it’s at 6000 feet of altitude. The horsepower of the car is different because of that, which affects how the chassis works, so we’re not really able to test. We basically have to show up at the track and go from there, or we’ll drive to Phoenix or Oklahoma City to test. There’s minimum of at least an eight-hour trip for us every time we want to go to the track, which is different from those guys who can just make an evening of it and can get to and from the track and test every weekend. We have to work a bit harder to have everything together when we show up.

Having run all three combinations, were any significantly easier or harder than the rest in terms of maintenance/upkeep or tuning?

I would say that the supercharged car will have more engine maintenance, while a turbocharged car will definitely have more transmission and torque converter maintenance. Not necessarily breakage of the parts, but an attention to detail while inspecting everything between rounds and races, because they put an added strain on the car. You need to make sure you’re checking everything all the time.

How difficult is it for you and the rest of the team to coordinate keeping the car at the top of the heap?

We have a great team that pays their own way. Our budget is not what I believe most people think it is – our crewmembers are dedicated to helping our team win. They come to the racetrack early, where everyone meets up and we get started working on the car to maybe get a couple of test runs in early. We try to make sure we’re ready to go on Friday. Everyone knows the car real well, and we try to take that into consideration when we’re making plans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK18lZQgQVo

What about the crew? The Hellion gang is legendary for its work ethic. How do they make it easier for you as a driver?

I think they understand that everyone has a certain job that they need to get done in order to be successful, and they don’t expect everyone else to do that. They work together to make sure that all of the maintenance is done so that I can spend time looking at the computer and the tune from round-to-round so I can make changes. When you have a crew that’s seen pretty much every scenario that you could have at the racetrack with the car, the information that you get from them is very important. If they see a crack in a pipe, or something else that’s wrong, they’ve seen those parts and potential failures for years already, so they know what to be looking for. It keeps the car running and it keeps us having fun at the racetrack.

I start with all of these ideas, but I couldn’t follow through without all of the support that I get. When I started, it was my grandmother and my family, and since then it’s been my partner and my team and all of the friends and sponsors that support what we do. I couldn’t have gotten to this level without the help and support of all of those people combined and I think it’s definitely shown.

Is there a set routine that your team follows every single time down the track?

Absolutely. We have a process that we try to follow every time. Obviously, there are times where it doesn’t go the same way, if you have to repair the car between rounds, or weather, something like that. There are many factors that play into it, but everyone stays calm and collected, and that makes its way through the team all the way to me. We just show up and try to make a good pass.

Take us through a run in a Super Street Outlaw car.

It’s pretty similar to most runs that anyone would make in their racecar. Once we tow to the lanes, I usually don’t get out of the car. I started that after watching Mike Murillo sit in his car while waiting to run. I remember watching him sit in the car instead of getting out and walking around, so I basically started staying in the car as well. I believe that’s the best way to stay calm. Once I get the car started and pull to the line, Nate gets me through the burnout box and we wait and see how much time the other guy needs. One of the big things is that we race in the summertime, and staying hydrated with all of the gear on becomes an issue. Heat and humidity definitely play a part. Your body temperature will play a part in how you feel at the starting line, so I try to keep that as consistent as possible. Once I make the run, I pull the chutes, go around the corner, and hope we won.

Did you find it a challenge to step right into a brand-new car just before the season began?

Oh, definitely. It was the biggest challenge that we’ve had. My previous car had been a work in progress that we had maintained over the last seven years – it took us that long to really have success with that vehicle. I saw a possible performance advantage to going to the new car, so we tried to build one for the last year and on top of that keep it a secret, for the entertainment value. It’s amazing how well everything went as planned with the new car. We decided that we were going to do a bunch of updates that we had realized needed to be done with the old car and were able to implement those right into the new one; maintenance and safety issues were at the forefront of that.

It worked out perfectly. The first race we had a few bugs, but given that we were able to put it into the 7.50’s and win the first event out with it made it easy for me to consider it a success. We focused on making it easier to work on, and I felt that the performance advantage of less surface area with the Fox car made it worthwhile to build. Mainly, the biggest thing was to modernize our program. There are always inherent things with certain cars that you can’t change unless you start from scratch. We took a championship car [the ‘00 Saleen] and applied all of the things we had learned with it to this one [the ’93 notchback]. I thought we were at a disadvantage with the old car, and we built this one in order to try to stay ahead of the curve.

How much different is it to drive this car compared to the chassis you were in before?

Driving is much different. From where I sit to how it feels sitting in the driver’s seat, it’s completely different. The vision in the older cars is better – you’re sitting much higher in relative position to the top of the door. Where the hood is positioned, the steering wheel, it’s just a different car. When you’re used to the same car for seven years like I was with the Saleen, you’re just used to certain things being a certain way. The new car is 180 degrees different from the old one as far as that ‘feeling’. That took some getting used to – I’m still getting used to it, and where everything is located and how we drive the car.

Do you think there’s a limit to the 28×10.5 tire?

There will never be a limit to it – as long as you can make more power you’ll always be able to go faster. However, I do think that there’s a pretty good threshold on how fast you can short-track at a certain weight. One of the things that people haven’t touched on over the years that I think is important is track prep and technology at the racetrack, not necessarily the car. It seems like every year we’re getting on better and better racetracks – companies like VP that are doing their best to create traction compounds; track owners that want to have a reputation for the best track around, that all makes the tracks better. When the tracks are better, we go faster. That’s part of what makes it fun. This year we’re going to have to learn a new track, too, by going to ZMax in Charlotte – that’s one of the tracks nobody’s been on yet. We’ll have to see how it goes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkPeRTThjwo

Who handles the tuning on the car?

I handle all of the tuning. We’ll talk about track conditions and make changes round-to-round, but I make the final changes on the computer for the car.

Some of the most legendary drivers in the street-legal arena have ‘made their bones’ while piloting an NMRA Super Street Outlaw car. What’s kept you coming back to the class instead of moving on to something else?

I think that some of the other drivers have decided that they succeeded and wanted to move on, or wanted to go faster. I’ve just promoted wanting to go faster with the class that I started in. I feel that Super Street Outlaw is the basis for many of the classes in the NMRA today. Drag Radial, for example, and some of the other ‘street’ classes are really just derivatives of Super Street Outlaw. You know, a full bodied car with windows and glass, with no huge tubs and a small tire, so it looks like a normal vehicle, and then you just put a large engine in the car that makes tons of power to see how fast you can go. These other classes have basically gone with out rules, no engine restrictions or anything.

I feel that the challenge for me is to work within the class that has restrictions; if everyone’s handed certain guidelines, you really have to work that much harder, and it’s that much more scientific to figure out how to go fast with those constraints. I’ve enjoyed the challenge year-to-year, and with all of the racing we’ve done over the years on this tire I feel like we have a pretty good grasp on how to make it work.

Where did the idea for Hellion Power Systems come from?

Hellion is the first song on the Judas Priest album ‘Screaming For Vengeance’. During the time that Urist Racing was my main focus, I had been asked to build a lot of custom race turbo kits. I was getting a lot of phone calls about the turbo kit companies that were in business at the time, their products, the wait times that people were experiencing when ordering from them, and I knew I could do it better. I decided to build street-car turbo kits the way that I wanted to build them, the way I thought they needed to be done, which was to have them fit and be in stock when people wanted them. We worked with Bassani Manufacturing to meet that need, and basically that’s what we’ve gotten into and I really enjoy it. It came out of a need that had been there for years. We’re ready to take it to the next level.

Where do you find the time to actually work on the car? Your business must keep you pretty busy.

That’s just our work ethic. If it’s really early in the morning or late into the evening, we’ll do what we have to do to get it done. Everyone trusts everyone else to work on the car, so it’s not just one person that can do a particular task – one person can do many things, so that doesn’t hold us back. As a team, we spend most of the time getting the car together, but I’ll stay until 1 or 2AM if needed to get the car ready without impeding on business and daily operations that we have going on over here. If there’s some free time during the day, we might work on it from time to time, but it’s usually either between 6 and 8AM or after 5:30 when the shop shuts down and we’ll work as late in the evening as we have to. Most of the racecar preparation is done by me before we get to the track, and the maintenance is done by the entire team at the track. We used to bring the car home between races, but with fuel costs the way they were last season the car never came home all season. We did all of the maintenance on the road, and Nate and I even changed engines a couple of times that way.

Is there anything left for you to achieve in SSO? Also, do you plan to switch to Pro Outlaw 10.5 at any point?

I can’t say what we’re going to do or not do. We’ve worked with Nitto Tire on the development of their new 28×10.5 drag slick, which fits right into Super Street Outlaw. Also, since we run the two-car team with Dwayne [James] driving the Pro Outlaw 10.5 car, we’re looking to gain some data and experience with that car and class. You never can tell what the future brings. We tend to go on a yearly basis – I don’t tend to view my success on a long-term outlook like many people tend to do. We just love doing it, want to be successful every year, and be challenged while doing it. That’s by racing other people that are very good at what we do, and that’s probably the biggest challenge.

How much does the time and travel affect the personal life?

I think any partner that’s going to support a racer really needs to understand the racing and what it involves. I don’t think you could take someone that’s outside this circle and throw them into it to where they’ll understand the need to work until midnight on the racecar, or the need to drive all night to make it to the race, the sense of urgency and desire that it takes to be successful at this. I’ve had many people around me in the past that appear to enjoy it, but I don’t think that they understand what it’s about. Even after me being very clear, they still didn’t understand.

Anyone that supports one of our racers and travels along, as far as a wife, girlfriend, or family, those people are very important. My immediate family, my parents and my sister, they’ve grown up with me and know what it takes, and that’s why they are the most important part of my support system race-to-race. They understand the needs and they’ll always be there for me. Even with my friends – I’ve had friends that have come and gone as far as race support goes because it’s so difficult.

What does the future hold for John Urist?

Racing, production, development of new turbo systems, development of new racecar parts and excitement. With the economy being up and down right now the future is always somewhat uncertain, but you’ll always have competition of people wanting to race at different levels, and we’re going to try to meet those needs here or there.