Readers Rides: Kevin Thompson’s Bracket Warrior ’79 Camaro

We’re back this month with another Reader’s Rides here on Dragzine, showcasing some of the awesome machinery that our readers the world over are hammering up and down the quarter-mile. This month brings us a classic Camaro hailing from none other than the state of Montana, where despite drag strips being few and far between, drag racing is still alive and well.

The second-generation Chevrolet Camaro is, to this day, still among the most popular body styles found in the grass roots bracket racing wars at strips all across the country, and just one such example is Kevin Thompson’s 1979 model Berlinetta. The Berlinetta, which replaced the Type LT package for the ’79 model year, sported a custom upgraded interior, a dual pinstripe treatment on its exterior, and a number of other enhancements that made it Chevrolet’s luxury-level performance car — complete with a suspension package designed for comfort.

Of course, comfort and luxury aren’t exactly at the top of Thompson’s list, because after all, this is a race car.

Said Thompson, “The car started out as a street and strip car, but the more I raced it the more it became just a strip car. Insurance and the highway patrol were really starting to like me. The car has basically been stripped of all of its interior — if I did not need it to go straight and fast an eighth-mile at a time, it got removed.”

Under the hood of Thompson’s machine is a 468 cubic inch, stroked big block Chevy, with rods and a crankshaft from Eagle, paired with Keith Black pistons, a Lunati .620 lift camshaft, and cast Bowtie heads ported and polished and filled with Lunati components, all delivering a 13.8:1 compression ratio. The mill is topped with an Edelbrock single plane intake manifold sporting an 850cfm Holley carburetor. Out back you’ll find a stock 10-bolt Chevrolet rear end housing with a spool and 488 gears spinning a set of 29 x 10.5 Mickey Thompson slicks.

Although Thompson has never had the car or the engine on a dyno, he puts the horsepower estimate in the 450 to 500 range — enough to push the Camaro to a best of 7.24 at 94 MPH in the eighth, while competing in the footbrake Pro class at his local track, Phillips County Motorsports Park in Malta, Montana.

Thompson has been competing behind the wheel of his pride and joy for five seasons, and although happy with the current performance level, shared with us that his ultimate goal is to put the car consistently into the 10’s on the stock suspension package.

Whether your race car is a show winner or just showing it’s age, we want to see it! If you’d like to have your ride featured here on Dragzine in an upcoming Reader’s Rides, simply “like” us on Facebook and send us a direct message with the story of your ride and a complete list of specifications. Remember, the more details, the better. Be sure to include at least one high resolution photo of your ride with your submission. We require that all photos be your own works or come with direct written permission from the original photographer in order to published.

About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
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