With the dawn of a new season upon us, we offer our picks to win the Full Throttle and Get Screened America Pro Mod titles this season. There’s nothing scientific behind our choices, but simply an analysis of the prior season and the movers and shakers in the off season to formulate the racers we best feel have what it takes to get the job done in 2012.  If necessary come November, we like our crow cooked medium-well.

Top Fuel

Antron Brown

We know, we know. How in the world could we possibly pick against any car or team associated with Alan Johnson? The Al-Anabi team has won back-to-back Top Fuel titles with Larry Dixon and Del Worsham and this season they’ve brought on statistically the best leaver in the category in Shawn Langdon. The best reaction times coupled with the best car is a potentially dominating formula. Khalid Balooshi, also new to the team, represents a bit of a Wild Card, in that he’s an exceptional champion driver whose only shortcoming at this point is experience in an 8,000 horsepower dragster. But we feel pretty strongly that this is Antron Brown’s year.

In 2011, the former Pro Stock Motorcycle standout won six races and led the points as late as the Arizona Nationals in Phoenix in what was a spectacular season by any measure. Ultimately it was Worsham who pulled away to the Full Throttle crown, with Brown settling for third in the Countdown chase, a little over for rounds out. And that’s left perhaps no one more hungry than the soft spoken driver of the Matco Tools dragster.

Antron Brown had the second best season of his Top Fuel career last year, winning six races on his way to a third place finish in the standings.

Brown returned to form last season after a somewhat dismal 2010 season season when he claimed just one victory after a career year in 2009 that saw him earn six wins in 10 final round appearances, seep the “Western Swing,” and amass more round wins and a higher winning percentage than any other driver in the class on his way to a third place finish in the Countdown.

We’re well prepared to dine with a double order of the aforementioned crow when the sun sets at Pomona, but with a new package at Al-Anabi Racing to shake things up in that camp, we think the winning combination of Brown and crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald will finally break through with that first championship this year.

Funny Car

Mike Neff

You’ve got to feel for Mike Neff after he amassed more points than any other driver in Funny Car from start to finish last season and missed out on his first championship as a driver. Unfortunately, under the Countdown format, it’s not necessarily how you start, but how you finish, and in those six closing races to the season, Matt Hagan rose to the occasion in a way his foes could not. Frustrating for Neff no doubt, but that’s how the game is played.

Not only do we feel that the former tuner-turned-driver will bounce back to win the title this season, but we WANT to see him win it. While his counterparts are calmly being strapped into their race cars, Neff, donning his full firesuit and helmet, is making last-second adjustments to the tune-up on his own race car before frantically climbing in the seat and riding his own bomb to the finish stripe. In a time when crew chiefs have one job and drivers have another, Neff is a virtual throwback to the days when one man did it all, and we can’t help but respect that.

Liek Matt Hagan before him, Mike Neff will be looking to bounce back from a frustrating season that he dominated before falling short at the end.

In just his third season as a driver and with only one win to his credit in those first two seasons, Neff came out swinging in 2011, winning Gainesville and taking the points lead following a runner-up finish in Houston – a lead he wouldn’t relinquish until the second Countdown race in Dallas in September. Along the way, he earned four more wins, including the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. But first round losses at three of the six Countdown races and quarterfinal finishes at Reading and Pomona spelled disaster for a season with such promise. Like Matt Hagan, who returned to claim the title following a crushing defeat the year prior, we think nothing is going to stop Mike Neff in 2012.

Pro Stock

Greg Anderson

With four-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. returning to the class, there’s little doubt that the entire face of Pro Stock is going to change this year. The 52-time Pro Stock winner joins a stout crop of racers chasing the title, including young Vincent Nobile, who claimed three impressive wins last season and fellow Mopar driver Allen Johnson who’s a championship waiting to happen, along with Erica Enders, Rodger Brogdon, Greg Stanfield, and others.

Last season, the Summit Racing teammates of Greg Anderson and Jason Line returned to their dominant early 2000′s form, and although Mike Edwards snuck in to close the year sandwiched between the two Summit Pontiac’s atop the points sheet, the Ken Black Racing teammates were the class of the field. Line, the 2006 Full Throttle Pro Stock champion, won a career high six races and led the points in all but four of the season’s 22 races. Despite reshuffling the points for the Countdown, he built up an insurmountable points lead by the fifth race in Las Vegas to seal the title.

To say that Greg Anderson and Jason Line were resurgent last season would be understatement. While Line captured the title in convincing fashion, Anderson was right there with a season to remember of his own.

Anderson, meanwhile, found himself on a late season charge that included another Indy trophy for his mantle, and it’s that momentum that we expect to see carried into 2012 as the four-time series championship seeks redemption for a pair of seasons out of the top spot.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

Andrew Hines

The Indiana-based rivals of Vance & Hines and Hector Arana Sr. and Jr. put on a heack of a show in 2011, and we can only hope for an encore performance in 2012. Arana Sr., a former champion in the class, put his son aboard a identical Lucas Oil Buell in a move that paid unparalleled dividends. The second-generation rider rode to three-wins in his rookie season as he and his father waged a tag team war against the Screamin’ Eagle Harley Davidson V-Rods of Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec. A war won by Krawiec.

Armed with unrivaled resources in the two-wheeled division, the Vance & Hines riders are the preeminent favorites year in and year out, and that’s not likely to change any time soon.

Hines, the second of team co-owner Byron Hines’ sons to win NHRA championships, hasn’t claimed a title since 2006, ending a run of three-straight championships. But during the years between then and now, the second-generation rider has never been far outside the championship chase, scoring multiple wins each season, including a career best five wins in 2010. In 2011, he finished third behind Krawiec and Arana Jr. For a rider with that much talent on a bike that good, it’s hard to believe five years has elapsed without a title, and for that reason, Andrew Hines is our pick to slap the #1 back on the wheelie bars of his Harley Davidson next winter.

Three-time champion Andrew Hines hasn't won a title since 2006, but he's also never been out of striking distance. We think "hungry" is the word.

Pro Modified

Danny Rowe

Considering the question marks that surround the category after a number of off season changes, Pro Modified is a real crapshoot.

If not for a rough start to the season that left them with too many points to make up, the turbocharged entries from Roger Burgess’ R2B2 camp could’ve completely changed the outcome of the championship. While they faltered, the nitrous entries of Khalid Balooshi, Mike Castellana, and Rickie Smith did what no one thought they could do and mopped the track with their forced induction brethren.

Reigning champ Balooshi has moved on to the Al-Anabi Top Fuel seat vacated by Del Worsham, and tuner Steve Petty, the virtual mastermind behind the crushing performance of the R2B2 cars in the latter half of the season, has moved to Troy Coughlin’s JEG’S operation. To add to that, following a number of recent developments, no one really knows for sure if R2B2 will even field any cars this year.

As good a season as champ Khalid Balooshi had, he still finished only 31 points ahead of Danny Rowe, who failed to qualify twice. Eliminate those races, and the California native likely hoists the trophy. For that and other reasons, he's our pick in 2012.

The one constant in all this change is California native Danny Rowe, who put together a spectacular season that was second only to the one delivered by Balooshi. Consistency was the name of the game, and at the season finale in Las Vegas, the driver of the Sterling Bridge Camaro was the only racer with a shot at Balooshi for the crown. All that separated the pair was a round a half, and if not for a pair of crushing DNQ’s at Atlanta and Indy, Rowe would’ve easily waltzed his way right to title town.

Founded in 1983 and nestled in the small midwestern town of Boonville, Indiana, AFCO Racing Products designs and manufactures a full line of industry-renowned shocks, springs, and cooling components for the high performance and racing industry, with satisfied customers across the nation and around the world.

And while AFCO and Dynatech are both professional, nationally-recognized operations in every sense of the word, as you step inside their facility and converse with the individuals that make it all happen, you can’t help but sense the homegrown, almost local hardware store-like atmosphere. From the front office staff to those rebuilding shocks and welding headers, everyone is passionate about cars and about racing. Many are active or former grassroots area racers, and all have ties to the local racing community. Sure AFCO and Dynatech are national players, but they certainly haven’t forgotten where they came from.

The AFCO and Dynatech facilities are housed in two separate buildings, but share a common engineering and research and development department.

AFCO's shock assembly area

Shock Assembly Area

After arriving at the AFCO facility and engaging in the obligatory bench racing session with our tour guides, which included Drag Racing Product Manager Eric Saffell, it was time to pull up anchor and head out on our tour.

Our tour, which will wind through the AFCO facility and then a few short steps into the building that houses Dynatech, begins in the shock assembly area at AFCO, which contains several assembly and sub-assembly stages that are all utilized when a specific production run begins.

When the orders come in, the shocks are first assembled in an area that features a tray of shims, where engineers will retrieve the appropriate parts based on the compression stack and rebound stack requirements for the specific shock.

A fact pointed out to us while in assembly is that a large majority of the shocks that AFCO produces utilize deflective disk technology. Thus, racers can know they’re getting made-in-the-USA quality in the care of someone building it by hand and validating it. Deflective disk valving of course allows for complete tuning of the shock per the driving and handling needs, and is the latest in shock technology in the industry today.

The Dyno Room

Just a few steps from the assembly area you’ll find the impressive dyno room, where each and every shock is thoroughly tested for proper operation and specifications.

Utilizing a special dynamometer, AFCO translates all of the information during the process to a computer, where a graph is created, displaying the entire operation of the shock for members of the engineering team to review in real-time.

AFCO engineers keep studious notes on the testing information from the shock, which they can use for reference, should a racer call for information on their shock or send it back in for a rebuild at a later time. Along with testing each shock that’s manufactured, dyno testing is also a key element in the development of new shock designs and valve codes.

The Rebuild Station

As is more common with oval and dirt track cars, shocks will endure a lot of wear and tear through normal use, and over time, those shocks come due for a freshening-up, if you will. Along with numerous rebuild centers all across the country, AFCO technicians will disassemble and make any needed repairs to shocks at their facility, which can typically be turned around within one to two days.

The rebuilding station sees a variety of team's shocks that will be sent back throughout the season for dynoing and rebuilds.

Research and Development

After the dyno room, we make our way to the Research and Development area, where AFCO engineers develop new shocks based on the needs of their customers and the marketplace, aiming to create a unit that caters to the exact needs of both the professional and grassroots racer.

AFCO’s team of engineers will perform field tests at the track with several different shocks and collect data in real-time utilizing special data collection equipment, which can be played back and analyzed to make changes and improve the product.

In the field, AFCO's pro-type shocks can be easily identified with this special orange sticker on the shock body.

Radiator Production

AFCO Engineers hand-welding one of their many radiators

With units for everything from hot rods and muscle cars to dirt and oval track and drag racing, radiators represent an extensive part of AFCO’s business, and their radiator production area is a well-oiled machine of stations that churn out these popular units to the highest degree of quality.

AFCO’s aluminum coolant tanks – both of the single and double-pass variety – are designed and crafted in-house. Each radiator goes through a small group of stations where the tanks are fitted, spot-welded, finish-welded, and the distinctive blue AFCO logo painted on.

In addition to AFCO’s standard production run of radiators, they also produce custom radiators per a customers’ one-off specifications or in a small custom production run for a chassis builder to the tune of “a fair amount” per week. For that, a talented fabricator is assigned the role of mapping out the prototypes and crafting the radiators piece-by-piece from aluminum stock.

We've all been at the track and seen the blue-labeled AFCOm radiators, and this is where it happens.

Hop, Skip, And A Step To Dynatech

Just a few paces across the lot from the main AFCO facility is the Dynatech production facility, which is the next stop on our tour. And while fully expecting tube benders and welding stations just as you walk in the door, you’re met with one of AFCO’s other R&D departments; this one housing the company’s in-house supercharged 2011 Mustang GT  5.0L and 2011 Chevrolet Camaro test beds, along with a wicked ’69 Fastback Mustang with a 5.0L Coyote swap that Gateway Classic Mustang has brought over from Missouri to receive a custom set of headers.

Just inside the Dynatech building is the AFCO Research and Development area, where where exhaust, suspension, chassis, data acquisition, and other research and development work is carried out. AFCO presently has both a 2011 Mustang and Camaro that are used for R&D purposes.

It is this self-sustaining area where exhaust, suspension, chassis, data acquisition, and other research and development work is performed by AFCO’s engineering team.

The new Mustang and Camaro, both a large source of sales for the automotive aftermarket, are utilized on a weekly basis for testing of suspension and exhaust components. These cars are equipped with caster-camber plates, AFCO’s front struts, springs, Dynatech headers, and what’s known as a Stealth Quiet exhaust package.

While we were at AFCO, a slick '69 Mustang built by Gateway Classic Mustangs with a 5.0L Coyote swap under the hood was in the R&D area being fitted with a set of custom headers.

Dynatech’s Production Area

A line of completed headers hanging on a rack and ready for shipment provides a glimpse of what’s to come as we round the corner to the header and exhaust production area, where rows upon rows of racks with headers in various but organized stages of completion hang, ready for the next step in the manufacturing process.

As you step into the header productiona rea, you're met with rows of racks containing headers in various stages of the manufacturing process. A cool sight, indeed.

in beginning the process, the pipes that make up a set of headers are pre-cut to the appropriate length at a cutting station and then sent over to a group of bending machines, which operate to bend the tubes based on pre-programmed values for angles and length. Once shaped, the pipes are moved to this rather large work area, where several stations are situated around the perimeter of the room; each assigned to a specific model of production header programs.

At left is one of several welding stations that are assigned to specific production runs of headers. At right, you can see a comparison between an in-process header where tube excess has been left before being massaged down flush with the flange and welded on the cylinder head side.

At these stations, the header pipes, collector, and the flanges are welded together, with some excess left at the cylinder head end of the pipes. The pipes are spot-welded to the flange, and then ground down flush with the flange. They are then fully Tig-welded on the cylinder head side of the flange, which AFCO engineers have found to take away from the heat effected zone on the other side of the flange; thus reducing the possibility of cracks.

Polishing For Quality

Once finished, each header spends an estimated 30 to 45 minutes being meticulously cleaned and polished by hand – including removal of the unsightly weld ‘berries’ and weld smoke. The extra time and effort taken to perform such a process is but one of many steps taken by Dynatech to ensure a product of the absolute highest quality and worksmanship, and seeing this process makes one truly appreciate what goes into every part that rolls out the door.

With the makeover complete, each and every header that Dynatech produces is then checked for proper form and function at a station just outside of the production area. Here, a  technician bolts the header down to a work table set up for inspections, and armed with a checklist, works through the process of ensuring a perfect product. First, the flanges are checked with a feeler gauge to make for a perfect seal with the gasket, and then tolerances in various regions of the header design are checked to fit within 1/16-inch of the specifications set by the tight confines of many engine compartments. Finally, the entire assembly and all of the welds are run over by hand to check for satisfactory manufacturing and cleaning work.

Every header manufactured at Dynatech is checked for build quality. Everything from flange gap to fitment tolerances to the cleanliness of the finish is throughly chedked before being sent out the door.

Dynatech prides itself on producing headers of the highest quality on the market that fit right out of the box without beating and banging to install, and it’s in the design department and here at the quality checking station where that mission is made reality.

Back To The Beginning. Literally.

After having seen where the concepts are turned into physical product, we turn the pages back a few steps and conclude our tour by visiting AFCO and Dynatech’s extensive engineering offices, where a team of high performance-minded thinkers collaborate to continually conceptualize, design, draw, and test new parts and ideas.

New products designs go through an extensive process before becoming physical and pubicly available products, all beginning with 3D CAD concept designs by the AFCO engineering team.

But prior to any of this happening, however, the engineering and track support teams combine to research and observe the industry and speak with racers to determine a place in the market for a new product or a need for enhancements upon an existing design. From there, early conceptual drawings are made using all of the parameters found in their market research.

Engineers at AFCO utilize industry standard SolidWorks and Pro/Engineer Wildfire 3D CAD software suites to create three-dimensional designs and perform validation. Once the concepts have been created, engineers will go through a concept review with the sales team, and once a concept is decided upon, a design validation is performed to determine area where the product might fail in the field and any potential issues with the product before ever produced. Once those areas – if they exist – are discovered, the designs are tweaked to mitigate any risk before steps are taken to begin manufacturing.

With a design completed, a product then heads into the prototyping phase with 2D and 3D drawings on the computer, prototype the components on-screen, and then create a physical prototype. That part will go through extensive in-house testing  on the dyno and later, field testing on the race track. Although field testing will display any potential issues with the product, the engineering teams’ aim in every design is to handle problems before the prototype is ever machined.

And with that, our tour of AFCO and Dynatech has reached the finish line. To say that this facility and the operations that go on within its walls is impressive would be understatement. On our tour, we saw first hand what goes into the design of new products from the ground up, from the minute and highly technical details undertaken in the engineering department to the craftsmanship shown in the production area and the virtually unmatched attention to quality assurance should leave little doubt that any product purchased from AFCO and Dynatech is as solid a product as one can obtain. And they’re darn proud of it.

Jerry Bickel Race Cars of Moscow Mills, Missouri has always been one of the leaders in development of cutting edge race cars, and Randy Bryan’s new ADRL Pro Extreme ’70 Chevelle will not be an exception. Bryan’s stunning and sleek new Chevelle is another example of raising the competition to a new level. Having names like the iconic Mike Moran and Jerry Bickel in your corner can only be beneficial, and it definitely raises the expectations for Bryan and this new ride.

Bryan’s Chevelle is pretty slick, with its traditional Silver and black stripes paint scheme. Flawless of course. This Chevelle will be featuring a Mike Moran Motorsports billet, Hemi-headed 5.3 bore space engine, fed by Garrett 94mm twin turbo’s, stuffing enough boost in the big block to power the space shuttle. A Bruno Lenco transmission will ensure power gets to the pavement.

Bryan expects to be testing soon. The Chevelle will makes its debut at the ADRL season opener at Royal Purple Raceway, March 30-31 in Baytown, Texas for the ADRL Dragpalooza VII.

The Pro Extreme class has been completely dominated by the screw blowers, without question. However, now that we’re seeing more and more purpose built turbo cars like Bryan’s Chevelle, Mike Moran’s new Mustang, and former champion Frankie Taylor coming to join the dark side, things may begin to change. When will we see a turbo car in the 3.60′s? Can these racers qualify and go rounds? Is it a matter of time before turbo cars are the on top of the ladder and blower cars are trying to fight and claw their way back to the top?  The diversity of Pro Extreme is about to grow tremendously.

Image credit: George Bryce/Facebook

You’ve gotta’ appreciate brutal honesty.

George Bryce, the decorated crew chief, team owner, and founder of Star Racing has never been one to hold in his thoughts, as evidenced by his war of words last season with the Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team in regards to his perceived unfairness of the rules allowed to their Harley Davidson V-Twin engine program.

During his career, Bryce has worked with some of the finest riders to ever don a set of leathers, including the late John Myers, Angelle Sampey, Reggie Showers, Chip Ellis, and others. In doing so, Star Racing has amassed six NHRA championships, 78 national event wins, and 149 final round appearances. Simply put, you can’t have a conversation about Pro Stock Motorcycle racing without mentioning Star Racing. Despite his accomplishments, Bryce has been absent from full-time competition in the class for some years, and amidst voicing his opinion last season, indicated no desire to return to the NHRA until things (read: parity in the rules) changed. But in a post on Facebook on Wednesday, Bryce indicated just what it would take from a potential rider to get his red and yellow bikes back on the racetrack. And he certainly held nothing back. Read on for the full checklist.

Image credit: DragBike Live

Wanted: No Bull, No Baggage, 100% Dedicated Racer

Rider Requirements:
· 155 lbs suited max
· Bring money or sponsors
· Provide their own transportation
· No jealous husbands
· No mommies and daddies
· No wives and babies
· Must follow orders
· Easy to work with
· Must value their time & everyone else’s
· If any of these requirements are not met, please don’t apply

Star Racing will provide:
· Leathers
· Team uniforms
· 18-Wheeler
· Crew
· “Front of the pack” quality Pro Stock motorcycle
· Competitive edge & “no bull” racing atmosphere
· Training
· Duplicate trophies of wins
· 50% share of winnings
· The Opportunity of a Lifetime

We’re not sure how serious Mr. Bryce is with this post, but you’ve got to love his gloves-off attitude. If you’ve got some dough laying around and meet the criteria, this might be your gig!

Image credit: ADRL.us

Owning two similar Jeffers Pro Cars-built race cars – the plain black Corvette that won the Pro Extreme title and his colorful Corvette that was campaigned in Extreme 10.5 last season – allows Taylor the ability to try the new combination without fully committing to the switch and abandoning his trusty screw blower or swapping back and forth between the two. The popular racer has been making laps of late at Houston Motorsports Park near his home with the 526 cubic inch Hemi powerplant bolted up to a set of Bullseye Power turbos on alcohol.

Concrete numbers from testing of the turbo combo haven’t been overly publicized, but a couple of videos have have popped up on the internet of the Mad Man, including one in which a 4.87 elapsed time with a 1.0X short time is recorded, lifting some two seconds into the run. This, with a rumored 10-11 pounds of boost and ample timing pulled out to get a baseline tune-up. In the video above, those with knowledge of Taylor’s testing report a boost reading of 59 pounds (!) at the point at which you see the flash of flame from the left side intake to turbo tube being blown off. No doubt that Taylor’s goal is to get this “underdog” combo into the 3.50′s and keep the parts inside at the same time, and we can’t wait to see what not only he, but Mike Moran and others can accomplish this season with the hairdryers.

Although the car is raced exclusively overseas in the BDRC (Bahrain Drag Racing Championship), its entire construction was done right here in the states. Tuner Shane Tecklenburg along with Eric Luzinski handle the car’s constant engineering needs and improvements. Running in the Outlaw 6 cylinder class, the turbocharged, Methanol fed 2JZ powerplant has now proven to be enough to run at the top, right on into the 6′s.

Picture: SpeedHunters

In round 4 this week, Kanoo himself was piloting his stock suspension Supra, while well known Gary White took the wheel of the quicker car. Although Kanoo managed to nail a 2nd place qualifying time, he would be taken out by a transbrake issue in the first round, leaving White to get them in the winner’s circle. While in Round 3 the team ran their personal best 6.46, White made an even sweeter pass coming in at 6.41 at 211 mph, making it the quickest pass to date in a Toyota Supra-bodied car in the 1/4 mile. Unfortunately, the final elimination round was postponed until the qualifying of round 5. White and the Kanoo racing team will be looking to push this 10.5 machine even further to get under that 6.40 mark in the next event.

Whether they can get there or not is still a story to be told on the 1320, but if anyone is going to find the extreme limits of a 2jz Toyota powerplant, it’d be none other than the import masterminds at Titan Motorsports.

Image credit: John Force Racing

John Medlen is headed back home.

The 61-year old veteran crew chief, who is best known as one of John Force’s right hand men in his trio of championship-winning tuners during the 1990′s and 2000′s, confirmed on Tuesday that he will return to John Force Racing in the new capacity of Director of Technology and Safety. Late last week, it was announced that Roger Burgess’ R2B2 Funny Car operation, for which Medlen had served as crew chief for much of the 2011 season for driver Melanie Troxel, had shuttered its operations.

“I found out John Medlen became available over the weekend and I offered him a job to come back to work with us on safety. He is a leader in safety. I always wanted John Medlen back because he is like family. I am excited to have him back in our brain-trust. He will start immediately and he will get to work with the other crew chiefs building on a lot of the safety ideas we have worked on over the winter. We had a strong test session but we need to keep working on ideas and projects throughout the season. That is what Medlen will do for us,” said John Force, JFR CEO.

Medlen is a self-taught engineer that operated his own machine shop by the age of 20 and transformed an automotive repair facility into a custom parts fabrication business by 26. He later went work for Don Prudhomme and Chuck Etchells’ race teams before joining Force in an R&D role in 1996. He won the 2003 NHRA Funny Car championship with Tony Pedregon in 2003 and helped design and develop the BOSS 500 Ford nitro engine.

After Pedregon’s departure, Medlen’s young son Eric, an aspiring rodeo cowboy and experienced crew member on Force’s Castrol GTX flopper, stepped into the seat of the Castrol Syntec team machine. Together, the father and son duo won six races and finished fourth in the Funny Car standings in 2005 and 2006.

Following Eric’s tragic death in 2007 in a testing accident, the elder Medlen served as the “safety conscience” for the sport, heading up Force’s in-house safety initiative and safety research facility known as the Eric Medlen Project.

Medlen left John Force Racing in 2010 to join rival Don Schumacher Racing, where he served in various roles before moving over to work with Burgess’ R2B2 operation.

“I’m thrilled to be back here at John Force Racing. This is truly a family environment and I have missed it. From the time I walked in the door, everything has been the same,” said John Medlen. “The people, the hospitality; nothing has changed. We’re all looking forward to a great year racing four Funny Cars and going for that championship. I’m excited to be here and have the opportunity to be back in the family.”

Upon his return to the Force team, Medlen will oversee an expanded R&D program that focuses on safety and the further development of the BOSS 500 engine.

All images credit: Chuckles Garage

Scott Birdsall, the chief fabricator behind Chuckles Garage in Santa Rose, Calif. set off in 2009 to construct a period-perfect Gasser from the ground-up, beginning with a 1962 Ford Falcon that would adhere as much as possible to the 1965 NHRA rulebook.

Birdsall picked up the “beater” Falcon on Craiglist for a mere $200, and the project, known as “Strange Bird was underway. Plans called for spindle mounts, a 2/3 ladder frame, 9-inch housing, econoline straight-tube front axle, fender exit exhaust pipes, a 4-speed transmission, and a Buick Nailhead powerplant topped with a Littlefield supercharger and 2×4 four-jet carburetors. The hood would go and so would the interior, making this a REAL Gasser.

For the uninitiated, the Buick V8 Nailhead engines were introduced in 1953 as a replacement for the massive straight-eight engines. Hot rodders of the era began calling them Nailheads because the intake and exhaust valves were rather small and installed vertically. With a unique valve orientation and combustion chamber design, the engine had a very distinct upright look in terms of the valve cover angle.

The 401-inch Nailhead in this Falcon was originally a drag boat motor from the 1960′s. Birsdall fabbed up a custom blower manifold, had custom piston and rods made along with a stout cam from COMP Cams, installed custom valve springs, valves, and pushrods, and created the side exit headers in-house. Once complete and ready to fire, the growling mill sported original vintage Weiand valve covers, a  pair of Buick Wildcat Rochester 4-jets modified for use with the blower, a Nicson front engine cover/mount, and other custom goodies, all paired to a Buick ST400 transmission from a ’65 Riviera.The result is a look and a sound that’ll make hot rodders and racers alike salivate.

While we’d love to highlight the entire project here, we’ll just leave that to Birdsall, who took readers along for the journey in a Part 1 and Part 2 buildup of this Gasser over on the Jalopy Journal forum.

McLeod Clutches, a part of the high performance industry for more than 40 years running, has taken to the web with a series of videos on their McLeodTV video portal, outlining a number of different areas of clutch technology and clutch maintenance to customers.

Among the videos currently on the playlist at McLeodTV include a piece on how weight affects the functionality of the clutch, a look at Mag Force Straps, the advantages of using Hitachi-style mini-starters, proper maintenance in terms of oil levels in the transmission, the differences in metallic and organic discs, and the advantages of and the evolution of lightweight aluminum and billet flywheels. There’s some great information here, so be sure and check it out and bookmark McLeodTV for future videos.

If you’d like to learn more about McLeod, considered one of the leading manufactures of clutches for high performance street machines, log on to mcleodracing.com.

Additonal Videos:

How Weight Affects The Clutch
Mag Force Strap Drive Assembly
Mag Force Strap Drive Part 2
Starters
Advantages of Lightweight Aluminum Flywheels
Evolution of Aluminum Flywheels

Official Release:

Steering Column Press Release

Holcomb Motorsports is proud to announce the availability of three new lightweight Bolt –in Drag Race Steering Columns for S-10 Trucks (82-93 & 94-04) as well as the ever popular G-body Cars.

All columns are constructed of Chrome Moly tubing , with upper and lower roller bearings for effortless steering. We also include a Quik-Release hub and 3-5 bolt Billet Steering Wheel Adapter . Shaft can be trimmed to fit your desired position and we also offer Billet Steering Wheel Extensions in ½”-1.0” -1.5” and 2.0” thickness for us short guys.

The columns with Hub and Quik Release sell for $199.95.

Call us at 1-800-475-7223 or order online at holcombmotorsports.com

Highlights:

• Constructed of Chrome Moly tubing
• Comes with a Quik-Release Hub
• Shaft can be trimmed for desired position
• Billet Steering Wheel Extensions available

Images credit: Garretracecars.com

We know. Please, anything but another first-generation Camaro in Pro Modified.

Sure, the ’67-69 Camaro is perhaps even more played out now than the ’63 Split Window ‘Vettes were in the late 90′s and early 2000′s, but the fact of the matter is that body manufacturers have gone to great lengths to make these bodies aero-slick, and at more than 200 MPH, aerodynamics are your friends. Plus, they look great, even if there’s a million of them.

The beautiful piece that you see before you belongs to east coast-based Pro Modified racers Tommy and Roger Franklin and was built by Garret Livingston and crew at Garret Race Cars in Marble Hill, Mo. The finishing touches were recently placed on this work of art that features some of the latest tricks and lightweight components, including an ultra light Harry Glass body and a host of titanium components throughout. Stuffed between the framerails is an 864-inch, nitrous-huffing monster built by Eagle Racing Engines and transferred through a Bruno automatic transmission and Neal Chance converter setup.

Franklin is expected to campaign the new Camaro at a number of east coast Pro Modified events and selected ADRL races in the tough Pro Nitrous division.

Back in 2008 during the ADRL 1-800-G0-GUARD U.S. Drags at the Maryland International Raceway, Franklin rode out a wild, barrel-rolling excursion in a then-brand new Garret-built 1968 Camaro, virtually destroying the pristine new machine.

ProCharger customers have been among the dominant forces in the first two seasons of X275, and thus it comes as no surprise that the supercharger manufacturer has a square focus on what’s become a booming market segment all it’s own.

Although already well-documented in the racing community, ProCharger last week officially unveiled their new F-1X supercharger, which has been specifically designed and developed for the competitive X275 category. This newly released blower follows ProCharger’s recent complete redesign of the F-3 series and the launch of the all-new ProCharger RaceDrive gear drive unit.

The new F-1X supercharger shares many of the same design strategies and high efficiency of the new F-3 series blowers, capable of producing airflow numbers topping 2,000 cfm and boost numbers up to 38 psi. Below are the specifications of the new F-1X which we’ll no doubt see race wins and record performances from at races all over the country this season.

• Base HP Range of NA Engine: 375-550 HP
• Maximum Supercharged HP Rating: 1,300 HP
• Maximum Airflow: 2,000 cfm
• Maximum Boost: 38 psi
• Volute diameter: 10.5”
• Inlet Diameter: 5 inches
• Outlet Diameter: 3.5 inches
• Maximum Impeller RPM: 72,000
• Internal Step-up Ratio: 5.40:1
• Self-Contained Oiling: Yes
• Reverse Rotation Available: Yes

For more on the ProCharger F-1X and the rest of ProCharger’s complete line of high performance and racing supercharger systems, including the revolutionary new RaceDrive system, log on to procharger.com.

The NMCA’s Pro Street division has been a rather cyclical arena over the years, in that a particular racer or team will join the fold and capture a number of wins and championships during a short reign before handing over the torch to the next competitor down the line. Mentioned among names like Musi, Dantoni, and Christian, there have been few racers tougher under the NMCA banner than Vinny Budano, who won three straight Pro Street titles from 2005 to 2007 and came up just short of a bid for a fourth consecutive title in 2008.

The New York state native made his return to the NMCA last season with a brand new Camaro at the season opener in Bradenton, but sat our the remainder of the schedule and competed in Northeast Pro Mod events.

In a recent interview with L.I.E. Pro Mod TV with host Jimmy Biggs at the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Series banquet, Budano indicated his intentions to once again contest the NMCA Flowmaster Muscle Car Series in 2012, where his championship know-how could wreak havoc on the present “administration” of Joe Dunne, Chris Rini, Randy Adler, Vinny Demieri, and other series regulars. Simply out, Budano’s competitive presence is nothing but a good thing for Pro Street.

Per Budano, he and the “Boyz from NY” will fill in their schedule with NEOPM events and possibly some ADRL Pro Nitrous dates in 2012.

We’ve often seen tow vehicles decked out with the same paint scheme as the team racecars, some even have the same decals, and it’s not uncommon to see the race trailer graphics that match the racecar and tow vehicle.

Weld Racing's line of Truck, Dually and Trailer wheels are available now in 10 different classes and several styles. These options will allow racers to match their truck, trailer and race car wheels.

Until this point, it’s been difficult to match the wheels for your truck, trailer and hotrod. And let’s be honest here…in the past, trailer wheels leave a lot to be desired. While they have been satisfactory enough to do the job, trailer wheels have been plain, weaker than other vehicle’s wheels, and somewhat ugly.

Weld Racing has opened the doors to upgrading your plain Jane looking trailer wheels, as well as matching the tow vehicle’s wheels to the racecar and the trailer for complete attention to race team details in the new line of truck and trailer wheels.

Originally announced by Weld Racing LLC at the 2011 SEMA tradeshow in Las Vegas, Nevada, Weld Racing expected these wheels to be available in January of 2012. Hitting their target date, the Weld Racing line of aluminum Truck, Dually and Trailer wheels are available now and according to Weld Racing’s Director of Marketing, Gregory Smith, tells us that the response has been overwhelming.

Dually D54 black rear wheel with no lugs.

According to Smith,”These wheels are made in the U.S. and are available for single rear wheel trucks, duallies and trailer wheels in matching styles and finishes. The line offers 10 new classes and new styles in polished and black anodized finishes.”

Smith also told us, “the single rear wheel truck load ratings of 3,500 pounds using 44″ tires puts these wheels in a class of one.”

Highlights of Weld Racing’s New Line of Truck, Dually and Trailer Wheels:

• Forged aluminum construction adds durability and sheds the excess weight of cast aluminum wheels.
• Sngle rear wheel truck sizes are 17×8.5 to 20×14. Direct mount dually sizes are 17×5.6 and 19.5×6.75. Trailer wheels are 16×6.
• 5, 6 and 8 lug applications are available now.

Weld Racing’s new product line of Truck and Trailer wheels offer the usual high quality forged construction that we’ve all come to expect from the premium wheels manufactured at Weld’s Kansas City factory. As more information and detail become available, we will get them published. For now, details on individual products in the Truck, Dually and Trailer product line can be found at Weld Racing’s Truck and Trailer Webpage.

Enjoy the photo gallery of Weld’s new line of wheels for dually trucks (Click on image to enlarge):

The late 60’s and early 70’s ushered in an era that will never be forgotten, especially in the automotive world. It was a time when gas was cheap, steel was plenty, and the era of the V8 was in full force. The “big three” produced a variety of muscle cars all touting big horsepower, burning rubber, and drive-in movies.

Today, we marvel at these creations. We collect, modify, and cherish vehicles that were once bought as day to day creature comforts. It’s an obsession that drives an industry solely dedicated to keeping an era once past, alive and thriving in the 21st century. So, as an enthusiast, it only makes sense to own a piece of this era and give it a rightful place once again on the road, track, or showroom floor.

This article will discuss the experience of owning a 40 year old car; a project that to restore it back to life, in honor of a great era.

'71 Dodge Dart Swinger 318... Lots of potential!

Project Poison Dart: ’71 Dodge Dart Swinger

It took nearly four months of searching in Southern California to find a decent Dodge Dart. We had $5,000 total to spend and wanted to find something in good shape, running and drivable. It’s easy to get over your head when choosing a project car, not to mention hard on the wallet. We chose the Dodge Dart for a couple of reasons.

Number one, we’ve developed into a die hard Mopar fan, owning a ’07 Dodge Magnum R/T and a new ’11 Dodge Durango. Number two, it’s a car that has some real potential without the big collector car price. And it fit in our small third car garage very nicely!

In 1971, the Dodge Dart Swinger 2-door hardtop was released with a 318, 340, and slant six engine and a factory 4-speed automatic transmission. In our case, this particular Swinger had the popular 318 V8.

The Dodge 318 V8 engine was produced in Flint, Michigan from ’67 to ’02. The 318 was not just limited to Dodges, but also powered Plymouth and Chrysler cars as well. The engine is remarkably efficient, durable, and proved to be Chrysler’s mainstay for many of its vehicles over the decades, including the Dart.

This ’71 Dart Swinger lived out in Pomona, Ca and belonged to a young man who often drove it back and forth to the beach with his surfboard. The overall mechanical condition of the car was questionable and it appeared it was maintained enough just to keep it running. It’s original B3 paint is covered up by a secondary dark blue paint job that looked as if it was done in someones garage. The interior is complete, the floorboards are solid, and the car is running. It’s the ideal car for someone looking for a restoration project without having to start from the ground up.

When Buying Your First Project Car, Make Sure To:

1. Determine your budget beforehand: How much money can you afford to spend?
2. Decide your build theme. Want a full-time racer or just a street/strip car? A restoration or autocross car? It’s up to you.
3. Write a list of cars that interest you. Don’t buy just anything. Do you like Mustangs? Pontiacs? Mopars?
4. Open your mouth. Talk to those who have cars that you like. Chances are, they’ll know where other cars are for sale.
5. Don’t fall in love with paint. Paint can cover a lot of ugliness.
6. The more stock, the better. Look for the factory radio, gauges, etc. If the owner has tampered with the wiring, chances are they’ve messed with a lot more.
7. Running or near-to-running condition is preferred but not mandatory. If it doesn’t run doesn’t mean it can’t ever. Don’t be discouraged.
8. Make sure you have the space to store and work on your car. Wrenching in your apartment parking lot is no fun.
9. Tools. You can never have enough of them and they never depreciate in usefulness.
10. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. You’ll be happier that you did it yourself.

Mandatory Maintenance

The Dart up on the powerTV Bendpak lift.

With 2012 marking the Dart’s 41st birthday, there are some elements of the vehicle that could use some careful inspection and possible replacement. With the objective in mind, we chose a select amount of maintenance and repair goals to kick off the project.

All of the work we performed on the ’71 Dart Swinger can be done within a day and is fairly simple. It requires a basic set of wrenches, a lift or jack stands, a used oil container, and a good set of gloves.

While it may be maintenance, we still get to play with some pretty fun parts that mingle the old with the new. Synthetic lubricants were not readily available back in the day and neither were the advancements in air filter technology that we have today, so it’s going to be some what of a performance upgrade as well.

Since we’re obviously making this the first of many stops to the shop for this project car, we also made sure to get a baseline on the dyno. With a 128 horsepower and 192 ft. lbs of torque, we were pleasantly surprised that the car, over 40 years, only lost about 15 horsepower. Not bad!

The '71 Dart on the dyno at the powerTV garage spat out a decent 128hp and 192 ft. lbs. of torque.

Royal Purple lubricants ready to replace the original OEM oils used in the Dart.

Replace The Lubricants

This was a no brainer. It’s commonly a best practice to replace the fluids in any vehicle you purchase, especially a older one simply because you can never count on the previous owner to adhere to regular scheduled maintenance. We opted for Royal Purple for the Dart’s engine, transmission, and gear lubricants.

Check out the nasty gear and transmission oil from a 40 year old car!

Replacing the lubricants in a '71 Dodge Dart Swinger with Royal Purple lubricants.

For the engine oil, Royal Purple recommended their Royal Purple HPS Series Synthetic Motor Oil. Royal Purple HPS Series motor oil is specifically formulated to maximize performance and meet the demands of high performance and modified engines. It’s fortified with a high level of zinc/phosphorus anti-wear additive and Royal Purple’s proprietary Synerlec additive technology. We used a 10W-30 viscosity oil.

Royal Purple ATF transmission oil.

We got a hold of Royal Purple’s Max Gear synthetic gear oil (75W-90 weight). Max Gear is an ultra-tough automotive gear oil. It’s designed to maximize power and provide unsurpassed protection to heavily loaded gears.

It makes gears run smoother, quieter, cooler and longer without overhauls. We’ll get to the details and steps we took for replacing the gear oil later in the story.

The last lubricant is set aside for the Dart’s 904 Automatic transmission, Royal Purple’s Max ATF Transmission Oil. Max ATF is a synthetic, high-performance, automatic transmission fluid. It’s low co-efficient of friction and high film strength help to dramatically reduce heat and wear.

Additionally, Royal Purple claims that their Max ATF is more oxidation stable than other transmission fluids for longer fluid life. Automatic transmissions generate a great deal of heat. It’s a must to replace the transmission oil on the Dart to ensure an extended life for the 904. More than 90 percent of all automatic transmission failures are caused by overheating; a 20°F reduction in fluid temperature can double the life of the transmission.

The engine mount was completely split in half causing some serious vibrations.

Engine And Transmission Mounts

The ’71 Dart has nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to the mounts for the engine and transmission crossmember. However, after 40 years, the mounts on this Dart are shot. The passenger side engine mount is completely torn apart and the driver side is not in much better shape. The transmission mount is cracked and crumbling away. Definitely a good move to replace these.

The engine and transmission mounts are readily available at most auto-parts stores. Since the Dart uses fairly generic style mounts, it was easy to find and they were even in stock at NAPA for under $8 a piece. Not only are these very easy parts to hunt down, but replace. Using simple hand tools and a floor jack, you can swap out your engine mounts and cross-member mount within a couple of hours.

Replacing the engine and transmission mounts is a must for a 40 year old car. The easiest way of accomplishing this is with a floor jack and a wood block to prop up the transmission while changing the cross-member mount or each side of the engine swapping the motor mounts...or you could use a two-post lift like we did.

K&N Xtreme Air Flow Top Filter specially designed to breath from all angles.

Air Filter

The previous owner of the ’71 Dart Swinger had completed some small modifications and improvements under the hood. The air filter assembly, valve covers, and ignition had all been replaced some time ago and dressed up the engine a bit more than stock. However, the air filter assembly seemed like it had seen better days. Rust and chipped paint plagued what was once a nice looking assembly from Mopar.

We turned to K&N for a new filter and assembly. Since the car only has a two-barrel carburetor, the more air flow we could give the engine, the better. K&N’s 14 inch diameter X-Stream Air Flow Top (which includes both the filter and assembly) fit the bill. All we had to do was simply drop it on the top of the carburetor.

The K&N Xtreme Top Air Filter fits nicely on the Dart's 318.

The K&N XStream Air Flow Tops replace the top of your existing round filter and add a new dimension to engine breathing by feeding your engine all the air it can use. Not only does the K&N XStream add filter area, it actually redirects airflow inside the filter to pull in more air through the side pleats for even greater performance efficiency.

They are washable and reusable just like other K&N Air Filters. Cleanable and reusable, the XStream Air Flow Top filter delivers outstanding engine protection and comes in a wide range of applications. Sizes include 9, 11, 14 and 16-inch diameters. The 14-inch tops are available in anodized black, red, blue or chrome trim ring. I chose the chrome trim.

A compression test will tell you the pressure and the consistency of the pressure inside each chamber.

Compression Testing

To make sure the 318 V8 Wedge engine is in good working order, it’s a good idea to check the internals, specifically compression.

A compression test will tell you if your engine has good compression or not.

An engine is essentially a self-powered air pump, so it needs good compression to run efficiently, cleanly and to start easily.

As a rule, most engines should have 140 to 160 lbs. of cranking compression with no more than 10% difference between any of the cylinders.

Low compression in one cylinder usually indicates a bad exhaust valve. Low compression in two adjacent cylinders typically means you have a bad head gasket.

Low compression in all cylinders would tell you the rings and cylinders are worn and the engine needs to be overhauled.

With a good average all within range of being normal, we could rest assure that the Dart’s 318 engine had some life left in it and will survive long enough to get us to and from the shop until we decide the direction we go with in terms of a new powertrain.

Other Filters, Gaskets, and Cleaning

The final maintenance is pretty standard and should be done for all vehicles you own in your lifetime.

Cleaning the carb is going to help solve our starting problem allowing fuel to flow freely into the intake.

Replacing filters, gaskets, and regular cleaning will keep the wear and tear of the vehicle to a minimum and extend the life of the car dramatically. For the Dart, the valve cover gaskets, transmission filter, and carburetor needed some attention specifically.

The valve cover gaskets were worn and cracking, so a simple replacement was needed. These are also something easily attained at a local auto parts store. With new transmission oil, it’s also a good idea to replace the transmission filter.

We purchased a Hastings transmission filter online and it should last the transmissions remaining lifetime. The carburetor on the Dart is a two-barrel that seems to be in decent shape, however, it looks like it had never been cleaned. So we added it to the list of items to be cleaned.

Replacement gaskets are a inexpensive yet important step to take to keep your car running smooth.

The carburetor was at the top of the priority list for some cleaning. The Dart’s 318 was having some trouble starting up cold and we suspected the injectors could use a good run through. With carburetor unmounted from the intake manifold, carb cleaner and a steal brush were used to clean large build ups of dirt, dry fuel, and excess engine grime.

Ready To Run: Driver’s Perspective

Typically, when we would go to start the Dart, it would take at least five to six turns on the key along with pumping the gas to get the car to start. With everything checked off the list for the maintenance project on our ’71 Dart, it was time to reap the benefits. Once the car was lowered down off the lift, she fired right up! We can now drive it with piece of mind knowing that the car has some durability left.

We’re still working on the plans for the car. There are so many directions to take it, so luckily all we have to do is pick out the ones we don’t like and then go from there. Here are some different options we’re considering in terms of the overall look of the car and it’s purpose. Maybe you as the reader can provide some insight!

Dynatech’s SuperMAXX header system for the 2011 Mustang 5.0 has been making waves in the Coyote world, known for their direct bolt-on fit and OBD-II compliant hi-flow PowerCAT converters. It features extra thick .375-inch flanges and all stainless construction ensure a long life, while the long 1 7/8-inch primaries with a 3-inch collector aids in making over 20 rwhp on a BOSS 302 we recently tested (see the article coming out soon). The dramatic increase in power along with superior construction make this system a must for the Mustang 5.0 owner looking for the most from their car.

Whenever you add more boost to your car, cooling becomes extremely important. Whether it be on the street or at the track the warmer the car runs the more timing gets pulled. Next up is AFCO’s 2007+ GT500 heat exchanger that boasts 350% more cooling area over the stock exchanger and fits without cutting.  Keeping continuous air across the fins of the heat exchanger help in lowering inlet air temperatures, as this will also prevent you from losing power due to heat soak.

The addition of two 10-inch Spal fans along with a larger core means a higher level of cooling can be achieved. The intercooler pump is mounted to the middle of the exchanger with the according hardware and the fan wiring piggybacks to the factory harness.  This install can literally be done in less than two hours

LS swaps are commonplace in classic cars, sand rails and race cars, but how about an LS-powered vintage inspired dragster? Dode Martin completed the LS powered slingshot rail in a mere 14 months, but what makes this even more impressive is that Martin the is the third oldest driver holding a valid NHRA competition license.

At 82 years young, Martin is now able to drive any NHRA approved vehicle running 7.50’s or slower, after obtaining his license at the Barona 1/8-mile drag strip in northern San Diego county. “The Dragmaster Trainer,” is the name of Martin’s new rail that pays tribute to the old school rails. Despite having an old school appearance, the freshly built dragster features modern safety components and was built to be competitive, versus simply being a showpiece.

According to the video description posted on Vimeo, thanks to LS engine and the 170-inch wheelbase “The Dragmaster Trainer” is considerably safer than the longer rails that Martin campaigned in the 1960’s. Despite the windy conditions, Martin made several passes at the January 28^th 2012 test-n-tune at Barona, eventually dipping into the low 6-second range at the 1/8-mile track. Sure, low 6’s are not blisteringly fast, but when one is going for their NHRA license there are procedures to follow before the license is granted. Making several incremental passes is all part of the game and Martin should be congratulated for his driving skill and dedication to the sport.

Images courtesy of Woodburn Dragstrip

The Woodburn Dragstrip in Woodburn, Oregon holds the distinction of the fastest track in the state of Oregon. The track is a host for the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the NHRA “King of the Track” in late September and many other events throughout the year. Recently however, Woodburn Dragstrip was inundated with water. During the week of January 16th, the only passes down this west coast track would’ve been in a row boat.

In a three day span, rainfall pounded the state of Oregon. From January 17th through the 20th, the state received enough rain to represent over 80 percent of the monthly total. The track has been dried out, and damage was almost nonexistent. The most damage to come from this was all of the comedians that are out of work. Several hilarious comments coming from the Facebook community, such as bass boat races, paddle tires, and a popular favorite,”looks like the tide is in.”

With the track coming out unscathed from the flooding, it should be business as usual for the Sunday, March 4th for Test and Tune. The first major event of the season is the 39th annual Baxter Auto Parts/ BI-Mart Season Opener on  May 19th and 20th. This event will feature Top Alcohol Dragsters, AA/Supercharged, Pro Nostalgia and NHRA classes. Track operators and workers certainly have and will continue to work their tails off to get the track back in top shape and we’re sure the local racers, spectators and all the attendees of future events know that they have top notch host at Woodburn.

The forecasted rainfall this week isn’t expected to be as torrential as it was earlier this month, although it’s sure to create plenty of troubles with the already saturated grounds in Oregon. Hopefully this time, Woodburn Drag Strip can keep their head above water.

Taking the time to allow a clutch to properly break in is one of the most important things you can do to insure that it lives a long and grippy life inside your bell housing. “Professor” Will Baty, from Centerforce explains, “Just driving around town, taking it easy for about 500 miles is the best way to seat a clutch in. Not 500 miles on the freeway, or going out drag racing. We want the clutch to be heat cycled as many times possible without over heating it, and with minimal power applied. The clutch disc has high and low spots on the friction material, and you want to reduce the high spots and embed the friction material to the pressure plate and flywheel. You want to create a nice even surface on the disc.”

Simple, right? No highway driving and no beating on the clutch for the first 500 miles.

If you want to get the most out of you clutch, and have it last as long as possible, you need to break it in properly.

Now, if you get impatient and decide to get rough with the clutch before it’s been properly seated, there can be some pretty bad consequences, the worst of which is glazing the disc. And no, we aren’t talking about covering it in the sugary goodness that donuts have on them.

Baty says, “When a disc is glazed, the friction material is essentially polished smooth because the driver was too hard on the clutch before it was properly broken in. Once a clutch disc glazes, it loses its friction. It’s very much like sanding all the grit off of sand paper or a tire losing all its tread; it’s slick and won’t grip very well. Once the friction is gone from the disc, there is no getting it back, and you’ll have to replace the disc if you want your clutch to work properly again.”

Notice those shiny spots on the friction material? Yeah, that's not good. Someone got a little impatient and went drag racing with this clutch before it was properly seated, and glazed it.

That’s it for this class, but in the next installment of Centerforce University we will go over flywheel design and how to pick the right one for your car, so stay tuned!

Hamstra, who previously campaigned a family-owned machine in the Pro Extreme ranks, teamed with McCoy in the fall of 2010 just prior to the Dragstock VII in Rockingham, arriving with a screw-blown powerplant protruding from the hood of the former Pro Nitrous ’70 Duster that Thomas Myers had driven earlier in the season. As the 2011 season dawned, Hamstra and McCoy became a formidable pair – the team to beat in fact – scoring two wins and some impressive consistency on race day to score the Pro Extreme title. With McCoy’s decision not to partake in the 2012 ADRL season and Hamstra unable to put together a driving deal, the young ace has chosen to sit on the sidelines and resume his successful partnership with McCoy in the future.

According to McCoy, the championship-winning ’70 Duster will be sold this season and a new ’69 Chevelle is already on the drawing board for when he and Hamstra return to the track in the future.

Although in years and decades gone by, winning a championship would put racers and teams at the heights of their careers, but in this day and age of economic uncertainty, success on the racetrack doesn’t mean another season is a given, nor is it guaranteed to interest prospective sponsors.

Images credit: Click Click Boom Photography

Many have argued that Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Md. has the best Outlaw street car program in the country. Their argument will be even stronger after the 2012 season, as Cecil has stepped up their program to another level. The biggest thing to hit outlaw street car racing has been the X275 class and it’s been a major hit at this track. X275 will be back and it’ll have big and a little brother classes alongside it. That’s right, there will be three radial tire classes this season with Ultra Street, X275, and Outlaw Drag Radial.

Ultra Street is a class developed as an alternative to the popular X275 category. The cars will carry more weight and have more restrictions on the engine and the power adders. Power adder entries will only be allowed to run on a Mickey Thompson 275/60R15 tire. Area racers are very excited about this class and many have stated that they will be racing in Ultra Street.

X275 should still have a strong following with more jaw dropping E.T’.'s popping up on the scoreboards. With all the chatter on the message boards, X275 should continue to have full fields and lots of action.

The wildest class at this event has to be Outlaw Drag Radial.  The car counts have been weak in the last few years but they’ve gotten a lot stronger recently as many cars were being built and numerous projects have been completed. The track manager has been negotiating with sponsors to try to bump up the payout in this class.

Outlaw 10.5 is the king of this event and the Mid-Alantic area is a haven for these high-powered machines. Full fields are the norm for this class and that should continue this season with racers gunning for that $5,000 purse.

Outlaw Big Tire is back for 2012 with help from some sponsors.  Heavyweight big tired backhalved and tube chassis cars run in this class, and they come packing a lot of horsepower for these races.

The Index classes at Cecil County also draw plenty of cars for some extremely tight racing.  The three index classes include 8.50, 10.00, and 11.50.

There is also the Pro Dial class and Pro Street and Super Street.  Pro Dial is run on a .500 pro tree and is a dial-in class reserved for street appearing cars.  Pro Street is a full tree dial-in class for street legal cars. Super Street is the same as Pro Street except it is for non-tubbed cars on a DOT tire.

On going improvements are continuing to be made to the track as it has been repaved with concrete to the 1/8 mile over the winter.  There are eight Street Car Shootout events on the schedule this season and one of them is the famed Yellowbullet Naitonals.  Check out some of the wild action if you have the chance.

Images courtesy: kocbracketseries.com

The King of the Coast Bracket Series has been a big success over the last eight seasons and will continue in 2012 with six scheduled events. One of the most unique things about this series is that it pits door cars against door cars and dragster against dragster for the first four rounds – something that many racers think is a great idea. Gulfport Dragway in Gulfport Mississippi will host all six events this season. Although Gulfport is a quarter mile track, the King of the Coast series will race race on the eighth-mile.

The classes are Pro Electronics, Pro Footbrake, Sportsman, and Jr. Dragster. The Mississippi Gulf Coast has been expanding over the last 20 years or so and is home to many casinos. For those gamblers that would like better odds than the casino, they can bring their drag car out to these events and try their luck (and skill) at $4,000 or $5,000 for a days work on the track. Many of the series regulars are from Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana.

The race is a Saturday and Sunday deal with parking and a test and tune on Friday night. As with many big money bracket racing events, there are some wild types of side races and wagers going on. For example, at this event there is a Tournament of Champions, Calcutta, Kinpin, and a Wild Card.

The Tournament of Champions takes the top 32 racers and places them together in the field that comes with a catch. The top sixteen earn a first round bye and the top eight earn a first and second round bye, creating a rather interesting race program. Separate races are run for the electronics and the footbrake classes.

A Calcutta is where a racer puts some money in the pot at the beginning of the event. At the end of the event the racer that is in the calcutta and has gone the most rounds wins half of the pot, while the other half goes towards the series points fund.

The Kingpin award goes to the racer with the most money round appearances in the season. The Wildcard, meanwhile, is a chance a racer can purchase. If your number is called, you advance right into the third round.

At the second race there will be a 5.70 Real Street class and a 4.90 Heads-up class run. If you’re looking for some fun in the sun you might want to head down to the coast and try your luck.

2012 Huntsville Engine King of the Coast Schedule

Event 1- Feb. 10-12-Gulfport Dragway
Event 2- Mar. 23-25-Gulfport Dragway
Event 3- May 4-6-Gulfport Dragway
Event 4-Sept. 28-30-Gulfport Dragway
Event 5-Nov. 9-11-Gulfport Dragway
Event 6-Nov. 30-Dec. 2-Gulfport Dragway

Sunday morning and ready for eliminations which are underway now. Gotta love the winter season here in Florida, while we are racing the rest of the country isn’t even open for business yet. Check back through the day for updates. I will have some morning notes coming after first round is completed.

Special thanks goes out to Mickey Thompson for sponsoring DragZine’s event coverage. Check out their great line of tires at www.mickeythompsontires.com.

We kicked things off right on time this morning with the staff on the line for the national anthem and look forward to a great, safe day of racing.

Top qualifier Jason Rine was half the first pair out this morning for 7.50 index, he took the loss however.

Buddy swaps out some new skins for Scotty G. this morning at the Mickey Thompson trailer. He had a single as Bobby Dodrill wasn't able to make the call in the Miss Misery all wheel drive blown Chevy pickup.

Jason Gatlin from ATF just wrapped up designing of a new bolt together converter. He debut the piece here this weekend and has several racers lined up for development and testing.

Eric Secaur is here running the JW Winters trailer this weekend. they have parts available here on sight and mentioned to me they are releasing a new TH 400 transmission case soon.

Round One Results

Ari Birchfield and Corey Swanstrom were the first pair down in X275 with Birchfield's nitrous not activating in the loss to Swanstrom. The Mustang is owned by Enrique Perez.

Barry Mitchell skied the front early in his run, still managing a 5.07 to take out Troy Fredrickson's Procharged Camaro.

Brian Keep and Clint Lonon had the tightest run of round one, keep got the win driving around Lonon with a 5.10 @ 137 to Lonon's 5.21 @ 142.

Ray DeGiovine made it through round one and will face Brian Amendoloro in an all Nova matchup for round two.

Neal Watkins put up a 5.59 in the first round with his big block Chevy powered Elky. The father and son team is based out of St. Pete, Florida.

Willard Kinzer set low ET in round one with a 4.48 @ 181 on a single, Chad Opaleski could not make the call this morning.

Klugger put down a 4.53 @ 181in his win over Scott Husted, earning high mile per hour.

Class founder Mike Schmidt had a single in round one running a 4.66 @ 155.

Jeff Lutz lost the tires at the hit, slowing to a 6.28 in a loss to Dave French.

Robert Abbot managed a 4.33 @ 176 with his blown 2002 Camaro in his win over Bryan Markiewicz. Hooked up and Gone Race Cars handles the tuning and chassis set up.

Adam Flamholc got beat on the tree by Jon Adams but had the power to come around him on the top end with a 4.03 to Adams' 4.13.

Tim Tindle got into tire shake and had to pedal the car against Jimmy Keen, who ran a nice 4.07 for the win.

Round Two Results

Final Results

This makes three in a row here at bradenton for Mr. 7.50 Matt Cummings. He won last October's ODRC event, the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals and the again here this weekend. the father and son team is based in Palmetto, Florida and runs a mild 468 ci. big block Chevy built by Ralph Stenger, who also handles their trasmissions and rear end work.

Mark Mullen earned the runner up position driving the family S-10 for son A.J. who has re-enlisted into the armed forces and is away for training.

Fourth qualifier David Lacey put his 72 Vega in the winners circle running a 6.503 @ 103 against John Fernandez. Lacy runs a 383 SBC based out of Palmetto, Florida and is a frequent racer here at Bradenton and sister track Sunshine Dragstrip in St. Pete.

6.50 Runner up John Fernandez is based in Tampa with his 88 S-10 pickup.

Jack Collins left first in the X275 final but popped a head gasket early in the run handing the win to Drakeford.

Event winner Walter Drakeford is based in Clearwater, Florida with his Real Speed Racing shop. He qualified number two and getting through round two and three with a matching .009 reaction time, getting a holeshot win over Barry Mitchell in round two with his best run in eliminations. He met with Snowbird Outlaw Nationals winner "King Jack" Collins who lost a head gasket in the final before the 60 foot.

Event runner up - Jack Collins runs out of Rocky Point, North Carolina with his 1988 Mustang.

Cape Coral, Florida racer Terry Duffy took home the 5.50 trophy this weekend with his 79 Cutlass after Wesley Lee pulled up just .005 too early for a foul start.

Number one qualifier Wesley Lee is always a top contender no matter the class he is racing, he had some tight packages during the day but fell victim to himself in the final in the Bill Lee Race Cars 96 Mustang. Bill Sr., Bill Jr. and Welsey all have extensive experiance in both cars and racing Harley's out of their full service shop in Palmetto, Florida.

Limited Street/Radial Tire winner Scotty Gaudagno turned it up for the final against Josh Klugger running a 4.48 @ 160, matching earlier low ET by Williard Kinzer who slowed to a .63 against Scotty in the second round. He runs his own fuel injected big block on nitrous, built in his Spring Hill, Florida shop. The Jet Blue crew is Frank, Mike and Anthony and they are always a top contender weather running Limited Street on true ten fives or with the big tires in Outlaw 10.5.

Josh Klugger pulled driving duties this weekend for the Fiscus/Klugger Racing Mustang. The first race out with the winter changes and a runner up finish is good so far for the newly formed team.

John Schroeder is glad he made the haul from Stanford, Connecticut with his 2002 Camaroearning the win in Outlaw 632 this weekend. Improving performance through the day he met with Mike Schmidt in the final and got the win on a double foul start. Scotty G. helped out tuning the car today and the engine is going back there to be freshened up on the ride back.

Outlaw 632 runner up Mike Schmidt runs out of Sunrise, Florida with his 2002 Camaro and runs a Nelson Competition 632 ci. big block Chevy under the hood. He ran as quick as 4.63 today to get around Eddie Whitlow in the second round after getting edged out on the tree.

Frank Meshaw had a wild ride this afternoon getting out of shape and winding up in a scary situation on two wheels after the 330 cones. he did a great job on the save, and a lot of good fortune as well. Based out of Palm Bay he and Peg Fratena make as many area evets as possible between NMCA events. Lucj went his way in the final against Candido Sanchez who lost traction early in the run allowing Meshaw to drive by. Sponsors and help for the team include TRZ Motorsports, Hank Hill's Hooked up and Gone Race Cars, Chris Nelson from Nelsom Competition, Jason Gatlin from ATF Transmissions and Mickey Thompson tires.

Outlaw 10.5 runner up Candido Sanchez is based out of Miami, Florida with his 2000 Camaro formerly owned by Bill Futch. The 615 ci BBC was built by Oscar Rodriguez from PRD Engine Development, who was on hand this weekend helping out Sanchez and other customers. Special thanks to Carlos Zaldivar and crew for the helping hand.

Terry Coyle (far lane) was dead late on the tree but managed to pull out the win running a 3.92 in the Pro Mod final against Adam Flamholc.

Terry Coyle made his first trip to Florida and came home with a win with his K&B Race Cars 57 Chevy. He normally runs in Kentucky and Ohio Valley quick 8 events. The car has a roots blown Brad 6 providing the power running consistant low 3.90's all day.

Adam Flamholc first raced here at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals last year earning a runnerup finish. The Swedish team is now based here and will be running assorted Top Sportsman events along with the ADRL series. He made his best run of the day in the final, a 4.033 @ 163 after qualifying with a 3.97.

Melanie Troxel, the fan favorite drive that’s been behind the controls of almost everything in the sport with wheels on it, confirmed via her Facebook page on Friday that effective immediately, team owner Roger Burgess has ceased operations of the Funny Car portion of R2B2 Racing.

Said Troxel:

“R2B2 Racing is shutting down the funny car operation as of today. We are all very sad about the news, but as John Medlen says this is just the end of one chapter, a new one starts tomorrow. I have had a wonderful 4 years with this team, and am very grateful to Roger Burgess for the opportunities he provided. I will continue to work on sponsorship and have spoken with several teams about adding another car. Keep your fingers crossed for me, and I will keep you posted on how its going.”

Troxel, who piloted both the In-N-Out Burger Funny Car and R2B2′s “Silver Bullet” ’53 Corvette Pro Modified entry, will not drive for the team in 2012 as she searches out new marketing partners and driving opportunities for the future. There have no reports to suggest that Burgess and R2B2 will not continue their Pro Modified efforts, although which cars the team will campaign and who will drive is unknown. Tuner Steve Petty, who helped carry R2B2 drivers to wins at 4 of the series’ 10 races last year, recently took his talents to Troy Coughlin’s JEG’S operation for 2012.

Troxel’s In-N-Out partnership, which continues back to her days competing in Top Alcohol Dragster, only covered a part-time schedule in 2011, while the remaining events were run without major sponsorship. Thus, the lack of a major full-time sponsor has brought an abrupt end to the R2B2 Funny Car operation, and leaves Troxel, veteran crew chief John Medlen, and the entire crew without work in a season that begins in just two weeks.

Troxel had a rather tumultuous beginning to the 2011 campaign, failing to qualify at the first first five races of the season before turning the corner under the guidance of Medlen. The former Top Fuel winner claimed her only Funny Car win at Bristol in 2008.

Chuck DeMory Jr. is bringing a little of the “street” back to NMCA Pro Street in 2012.

The second generation racer, whose competed in the Nostalgia Pro Street category for the last two seasons with his stunningly gorgeous ’68 Mustang, is set to make the transition up the proverbial ladder to the Pro Street category this season, where his trusty naturally-aspirated big block combination will give way to an F3 supercharger from ProCharger. Unlike most of his soon-to-be counterparts in the series’ preeminent category, DeMory Jr.’s ride remains the flesh of a production vehicle: steel quarters, roof, A-pillars, and the like. No narrowed, chopped, and scaled carbon fiber here.

“Dave Werremeyer from ProCharger felt confident that between the ProCharger F3 and the crank drive unit that debuted at PRI, our current combination and racing experience, ProCharger would be in the Pro Street winner’s circle, and we’re confident we can manage the power that the ProCharger will provide through the big tires and Jerry Bickel chassis,” Demory Jr. said in an FSC interview. “The car is very unique in the fact that it was a true street car, not a Pro Modified car with a narrowed carbon-fiber body. It has steel quarters, roof and A-pillars, and it will have a new look because we’re ditching the large hood scoop and fiberglass front end for a lightweight carbon fiber front end with a cowl hood.”

The 640-inch big block Ford in DeMory Jr.’s Mustang features Thor Gen 2 heads, and will soon carry a custom EFI manifold from John Marcella at Marcella Manifolds, with dual fuel rails and oversized throttle bodies, fed by a Waterman Lil’ Bertha fuel pump and dual Precision injectors. The engine conversion is being performed by Kris Nelson of Nelson Competition Engines. The supercharged mill will be backed by a Proformance Racing Transmissions-prepped three-speed mated with a Coan billet aluminum converter. Drag Radial champ Jason Lee and Patrick Barnhill of PTP Racing will provide the tuning calls, utilizing a Big Stuff 3 engine management setup.

DeMory Jr. hopes to make his debut in Pro Street in Atlanta or Maryland, the second and third stop on the NMCA schedule.

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.

Holley went on through the 1970s and 1980s as an automotive powerhouse – especially in performance. The iconic Holley Double Pumper was a favorite for hot-rodders and racers alike – powering street cars, NASCAR, and NHRA Pro Stock racers. In the 1990s, Holley ran into challenges, with the onset of fuel injection and more modern performance upgrades like power adders coming into favor. In 1998, a group of investors bought the company, and invested over $100 million in popular brands like Nitrous Oxide Systems, Weiand, Hooker, and Earl’s Performance.

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.

LSxTV: Tom, what you’ve done with Holley has been pretty amazing. How did you know to hitch Holley’s star partially to the LS engine?

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?

Tomlinson: “Yeah, I think it’s gonna be. It’s going to be a serious Pro-Touring style car with an Art Morrison frame under it. It’ll have a six-speed and big wide tires all around with 265 tires up front and 335 tires out back with Forgeline wheels. I can’t wait to drive it, it should be quick.”

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!”

Yahoo!’s autoblog Motoramic managed to get one of the first rides in a production Camaro ZL1, and naturally they headed straight to the drag strip to put up some numbers. Any guesses on how fast the ZL1 makes it down the quarter-mile?

Justin Hyde of Motoramic got a chance to sit behind the wheel of the Camaro ZL1, and we give him props for readily admitting that he has never been down the drag strip before. Even so, Hyde was able to take the six-speed manual-equipped Camaro ZL1 down the 1320 in 13.5 seconds at 107 MPH. That’s about the same time as an average Camaro SS.

On his second try, Hyde rows his way through the gears to a 13.1 at 113 MPH with the launch control on, which is better but still far from what the ZL1 is capable of in experienced hands. GM estimates a quarter mile time in the 12-second range, with a 0-60 MPH time under 4 seconds with a better driver (no offense, Justin…)

Based on the fact that a 113 MPH trap speed is usually associated with elapsed times deep in the 12′s, and the knowledge that 113 MPH is weirdly slow for a 580 horsepower car (our own 385 RWHP Project Y2k traps 111, for example), we’re gonna call a mulligan on this one until somebody who knows what they’re doing gets behind the wheel of a ZL1. It’s easy to be a keyboard warrior when it comes to a car you’ve never driven, but we would be very surprised if the ZL1 isn’t an bottom-twelves ride straight out of the box on drag radials.

But is that fast enough to keep up with the 2013 Shelby GT500 and its 650 horsepower? We’re sure to find out soon enough.

In the fall of 2010 at the World Street Nationals in Orlando, the former Chevrolet Monte Carlo of Mike Moran sustained heavy damage in a high-speed excursion with the guardrail with new driver Rick Fleck at the wheel, leaving a true piece of doorslammer racing history in battered ruins and it’s very existence in peril.

Less than a year and a half later, this iconic machine has returned, albeit not to the  race track but instead to Racing Junk, where someone will have their shot at owning it. Per the ad listing, the Larry Larson Race Cars-built Monte Carlo has been complete;y rebuilt following the crash and is being sold ready-to-race with a turbocharged Small block Ford powerplant paired with a triple-disc clutch, titanium can, a B&J 3-speed transmission, and FAST’s CFI engine management setup. Looking little like its former self in an all-white paint scheme and a more modest look, the Monte is a double frame rail car with a full floater rear and the works. It’s not a 5-second player, but it’s no slouch either.

For those unfamiliar with its history, this is the very car that doorslammer legend Mike Moran tirelessly pressed on over the course of a number of years to become the first turbocharged doorslammer into the five-second zone, despite being a car that was never meant to go that quick. On March 12, 2009 in South Georgia, Moran got the job done, running 5.97 at 251 MPH.

Although it may not effect the ultimate selling price of this machine, there’s no doubt that this is a desirable piece of drag racing history and someone is going to own it.

The 9-inch housing from Ford, more than half a century old, has a removable carrier that allows for quick rear gear changes, which is just what the doctor ordered for a racer that’s at the track and doesn’t have a lot of time to spare. And because it doesn’t have any carrier breaks, you can run virtually any rear end gear ration on the market without the added expense of properly-sized carrier ratios. Plus, they’re plenty tough.

So, say you’re building a race car and you want not only a 9-inch, but a custom one at that?

Moser Engineering offers a wide array of options on their Built-to-Order Stamped Housing and Axle Packages, which is built the way you want it in just two business. Yeah, two days.

These 9-inch housings are constructed from Heavy Duty housing cores and utilized seamless steel tubing measuring 3-inch OD and 1/4-inch wall thickness. they’ve got new brackets, new housing ends, and new bushings. the Bolt-In housing and axle packages include custom alloy axles ((28, 31, 33, or 35 spline), bearings, studs, and heavy duty retainer plates.

Based on the vehicle make and model, Moser Engineering offers a long list of options to choose from in the selection of your custom 9-inch housing, from widths and pinion offsets, spline count, bolt pattern, bearing type, stud type, and a number of other elements. You simply choose your options and Moser will fab it up in just two days, right here in the good old US of A.

For more on Moser Engineering, log on to moserengineering.com.

Denny Terzich's wicked "Project Sick Seconds" Camaro. Image courtesy of Aeromotive Inc.

Despite the many major “street legal” and “street car” drag racing series and standalone events that are out there, the whole concept of actual street-able vehicles that could make a seven or eight second pass just as easily as they could drive to the grocery has been largely lost. But if there’s a single defining event in the world of street legal drag racing – and perhaps in the entire grand scheme of the sport – it’s Hot Rod Magazine’s Drag Week.

Earlier this week, the Hot Rod team gave the public a sneak peak at the 2012 Drag Week schedule, which will once again bring the finest street machines in America and from around the globe together right in the heart of the nation.

Drag Week 2012 will run from September 9-14, and will actually kick off at a track that was recently on it deathbed. The Tulsa Raceway Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma will serve as the starting point with the first day of competition, followed by a trip south to Billy Meyer’s Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Tex. outside of Dallas. Day three will take the rolling convoy of horsepower to the Thunder Road Raceway Park in Gilliam, La. before heading northeast to the newly rechristened Memphis Motorsports Park in the land of Elvis Presley. To conclude the week, competitors will embark on a 400 mile cruise from Tennessee to Oklahoma, right back where it all started four days earlier in Tulsa.

Like last year, a number of highly touted challengers are expected to tackle Drag Week, not just to Larry Larson’s overall champion title, but in each of the wide-ranging number classes? Might this be the year we finally see an all-six second performance at Drag Week? We can’t wait to find out.

Image credit: Chris Ellington/Facebook

The feasibility of 4.60′s this season remains to be known, but long before racing even begins in many regions and a full month before the first major X275 race at Redemption III the South Georgia Motorsports Park, the barrage on the record books has already begun.

As confirmed by Sears himself on Tuesday, X275 competitor Barry Mitchell uncorked a killer 4.78 during what’s believed to have been a new tire test at the Bradenton Motorsports Park ahead of this weekends U.S. Street Nationals. Mitchell this year is campaigning the gorgeous and state-of-the-art Fox body Mustang built by Racecraft Inc. and driven last season by Chris Ellington. Mitchell accomplished the feat utilizing the supposedly disadvantageous nitrous small block – albeit rumored as a rather large small block – combination.

After Rich Bruder set the official mark at 4.80 during the Shakedown at E’Town last fall, Ohio native Kevin Neal ripped off a 4.785 with during qualifying at the Outlaw Radial Revolution last fall on his way to victory, setting the mark for everyone to chase when the 2012 season begins. Will that number fall this weekend at Bradenton?

The design of a hollow stem valve is pretty straightforward in that – as the name gives away, they feature a stem void of the stainless, alloy, or titanium material that makes up the rest of the valve. What are the advantages to this?

As was discussed in a previous technical article with Ferrea’s Zeke Urrutia last year, the lighter that a valve is, that much better and efficient the entire valvetrain can operate. Retainers, lifters, and the camshaft all adapt to a lighter valve better, producing vastly improved harmonics. This results in a valvetrain and therefore and engine as a whole that’s more stable and with a much smoother power band.

Said Urrutia “if you look at the durations of the power bands, whether it’s on a dyno or a spintron, the windows are shortened up a lot closer because you’re getting to that point that much faster with the lighter valves. If you take just the valve spring for example combined with a titanium or light stainless valve, the spring would see a lot more life because the mass driving the spring is the valve and it’s that much lighter. Thus, the spring doesn’t have to work itself as hard.”

As is pointed out in the ad above, hollow stem valves are some 22% lighter than conventional stainless alloy valves, creating a lightweight option for hardcore racing engine builders.

To learn more about Ferrea Racing Components and their extensive line of valvertain components and accessories, be sure and visit ferrea.com.

If you’re a regular reader, you know that we can’t pass up a good Mustang-on-the-dyno video, especially when said Mustang has twin turbochargers and puts 1,156 horsepower down at the wheels. Crank up the volume, this beast sounds badass.

This Mustang, built by Excessive Autosports and owned by a gentleman by the name of Eric T. is special for several reasons. For one, there aren’t that many New Edge Mustang drag cars rolling around these days, as many racers have switched over to newer body styles. Then there is the fact that this particular ‘Stang has been tuned to run on E98 ethanol.

E98, as you might guess, is 98% ethanol. Besides being a sustainable fuel that is grown, rather than drilled for, E98 ethanol packs a higher octane rating that allows engines to run higher compression. In high performance engines, this usually translates to more power. And E98 is also cheaper than C16 race fuel, allowing for more money to be spent on power adders.

But you don’t care about all that, do you? You’re just here for the sound of an 1,156 horsepower Mustang, right? Enjoy that ethanol-fueled fury, you stinkin’ hippie you.

However, unlike other Official (insert term here) of the NHRA announcements that have no real benefit to the racer or the fan, this one does.

In addition to all of the typical things that go along with the designation as an official sponsor, including brand integration, multimedia rights, broadcast features, interactive site displays and the like, the sponsorship agreement with Traxxas brings back the lucrative Top Fuel and Funny Car shootout bonus programs that were an annual part of the series schedule for so many years. Both of the specialty race-within-a-race programs will be sponsored by Traxxas, which will provide $260,000 to fun the two programs that will award a shiny $100,000 bill to the race winners.

Without proper funding in place, both of the NHRA’s specialty races that were such a part of the annual U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and the World Finals at Pomona and later the second Las Vegas event were discontinued. The U.S. Smokeless Funny Car Showdown at Indy was last contested in 2008, while the Technicoat Top Fuel Shootout was last held in 2007 in Vegas. the specifics of these programs, including the location of each race, will be announced at a later date.

“It’s absolutely incredible, actually,” ADRL President Tim McAmis said. “We never dreamed the ADRL SuperCar Showdown would draw this kind of attention in such a short period. The ADRL staff went from hopes of a good response to devoting all our time to answering phone calls and e-mails from sponsors, racers and even the manufacturers themselves. Everyone is thrilled with the fact eliminations for the class will be conducted on Saturday night at our events in front of the prime spectator crowd. They love the close relationship we plan to build with the dealership outlets. Everybody wants to be involved with the ADRL SuperCar Showdown.”

Although initially believed to be a category focused on the race-bred machines being offered by Ford, Chrysler, and Chevrolet, for Stock and Super Stock competition, those involved in the creation of the SuperCar Showdown indicate this is anything but a class centered solely on the Detroit creations.

“The initial excitement of the announcement centered on the thrill of seeing the Fords, Dodges and Chevys waging war,” said ADRL announcer Bret Kepner. “However, nowhere in our original press release did we state the ADRL SuperCar Showdown would be restricted to American cars. In fact, we have spent an inordinate amount of time to determine how many vehicles worldwide could actually be represented in this series and we’ve uncovered more than 60 different factory-produced cars that could compete in the class.”

Image credit: Autogesport.com/Teamspeed.com

McAmis, Kepner, and class racing standout Jeff Teuton have pored over the wide-ranging vehicle makes encompassing virtually every automaker around the globe, using a manufacturer horsepower rating of 400 horsepower as their estimated target to remain competitive alongside the factory race cars from the “big three.” What they’ve come up with is a list of vehicles ranging from $34,000 Ford Mustang GT’s to the $2.6 million Aston Martin One-77 and $2.7 million Bugatti Veyron.

The Veyron will indeed run 9.80′s in stock trim, but realistically, it’s unlikely that anyone will be willing to modify a $220,00 Porsche 911 GT2RS or their AWD Cayenne crossover, a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Lamborghini, Bentley, or Ferrari, but it’s nice to know that the option is there. If necessary, we like our crow cooked medium-well.

To view the entire list of possible makes and models for the ADRL SuperCar Showdown, visit adrl.us.

Those vaguely familiar with the online auction giant eBay know the site as the source of virtually anything and everything at often grossly discounted prices, all accomplished using in an e-auction format. but as eBay has evolved over the years, it’s also become a storefront for businesses to sell their products using the “buy it now” method much in the way they’d buy from the online store within a website, rather than in a virtual auction.

Holcomb Motorsports, founded in 1993, is among the growing number of automotive businesses adding an eBay storefront as a components to their online purchasing department, where a number of their hottest deals and catalog items can be had in just a few clicks of the mouse.

Among some of the products currently being offered on the Holcomb Motorsports eBay page include UPR’s ’99-04 CAI kit, Proform’s 302 Oil Sump Pickup, an 8.8″ pinion install kit, aluminum radiators, fabricated SBF valve covers, 8.8″ 35-spline Moser Engineering axle lug kits, Racequip full-face helmets, TCI Fastgate shifters, and much more.

For information on Holcomb Motorsports and to view their extensive catalog of products, log on to holcombmotorsports.com or call 1-800-475-7223 to order via phone.

Images credit: Joe Copson

Only yesterday, when featuring the brand new LSX Outlaw Drag Radial machine of Mike Meeks, did we discuss the coming-out-of-the-woodwork of the late model Chevrolet Camaro, and that point set the stage for an updated look today at one of the most popular and anticipated fifth-gen builds to date.

In May of last year, we first highlighted the early phases of Pennsylvanian Joe Copson’s downright incredible Outlaw 10.5 Camaro build underway at the Michigan area Gilsbach Racecraft facility, and since that time, great strides have been made in bringing the project to a completion.

When we last looked at Copson’s machine, the chassis was largely complete and work was underway to modify the Camaro body – with it’s overly gargantuan front fenders – to create a more appealing look and stance. But today, this piece is a rolling and painted work of art that’s drawing ever-closer to its on-track debut.

Copson opted for a unique paint color from the portfolio of famed car designer Chip Foose known as Terracuda Pearl, delivering a high-class look to a vehicle that’s the very definition of craftsmanship. From the refined body lines to routing the turbo piping and various lines through the framerails and chassis, to modifying the intercooler to better fit the whole package, what the team at Gilsbach Racecraft has done with this Camaro is nothing short of astounding. In the opinion of those of us here at DRAGZINE, this thing is almost too nice to actually race. Almost.

Competitors flock to the state park to take part in the various classes competing for trophies, cash, test-n-tune and even grudge racing. All of the traditional NHRA safety rules apply, but there are a few additional safety requirements that are mandatory for the ice drags. In the “Two Wheel Drive Nailie” Open Door-Slammer class the 2010 record is a 6.405 at 124.20 held by Suzt Schulz. Do the math and that is still considered a decent time for a full body car, but when you consider the surface of this 1/8 mile track is ice, it seems rather insane. For those watching the “Open Wheel Drive Nailie” class these racers pilot their racecars into the mid 5’s on the icy track. For those traveling to Wisconsin in the winter months a trip to the Merrill Ice Drags should be added to the travel itinerary.

When we first began on 666, the vision for its final result was one of humble intentions. We aimed to build a wicked Fox body that was right at home on both the street and the strip, incorporating many of the “race” elements into the suspension and drivetrain, while maintaining some level of drivability, as well. But as would be expected from a group of editors with deep roots in drag racing, 666 gradually took on a new form.

The 408ci Small Block Ford that we had in the car gave way to an all-aluminum 427 from Dart, along with TCI’s new C4 transmission, new suspension components, and other changes. Throughout the build, we’ve taken this Pony car from the 13′s to the 12′s, down to the 10′s and finally, after more late nights and busted knuckles than we can keep track of, into the nines. And while the nines were a big mission of ours,  we’re drag racers, and we’d be in defiance of the code of a drag racer if we just stopped there. And so our project matches on, where we turn our attention next to the fuel system. For that, we’ve again teamed with Aeromotive, whose fuel system components can be found front to back on our Project 666.

666′s Current Setup

Regular visitors to StangTV and those following the progress on 666 may know what the current spec sheet looks like on this car, but to get you up to speed, a couple of years back, we installed Aeromotive’s then-new Stealth fuel tank, which satisfied our needs at the time with 800 horsepower potential, compatibility with EFI or a carburetor, and no losses in street-ability or fuel capacity.

The Stealth system featured an OE-designed fuel tank with a fully-contained, sump-style fuel pump and filter located within the tank. Because of its mounting point that drops down two inches from the lowest point on the stock tank, it proved to have ideal fuel pickup on acceleration and an optimum gravity pickup point – something not previously possible with aftermarket fueling options on the Fox body. But as we take more of a full-on race car approach to 666, it was time to take a full-on race approach to our fuel cell.

Aeromotive’s New Stealth Fuel Cell

Aeromotive's new six-gallon Stealth fuel cell, which was originally designed to be standard hardware on the Ford Cobra Jet Mustang, is an aluminum, racing-style cell with an internal A1000 fuel pump.

From The InsideAeromotive’s 6-Gallon Stealth fuel cell features an internally-mounted Eliminator or A1000 series fuel pump, with an internal baffling system that keeps a column of fuel t the pickup point to eliminate slosh. 

As a race car, the new Stealth fuel cell offers 666 a number of advantages; it’s lightweight, it has a decreased fuel capacity, is designed for drag racing, and carries the option of a couple of Aeromotive’s top-notch race fuel pumps. Constructed of aluminum, the tank holds six gallons of fuel and offers many of the same advantages of the larger 15 and 20 gallon tanks, with the exception of carrying a street-style sending unit. Very much a universal design, the Stealth tank is a sump-style part with Aeromotive’s A1000 fuel pump – or the option of the Eliminator fuel pump – built right into the tank. It also features an integrated baffling system to keep a column of fuel at the pickup point to eliminate fuel slosh issues.

“Right before we began production on the first generation tanks, we began working with Ford on the Cobra Jets, and they said, we want you guys to do the fuel system,”  explained Aeromotive’s Jesse Powell. “We decided it would be best to do an in-tank version, so that you don’t need an externally-mounted fuel pump. The engineers loved it and we collaborated to arrive at the six gallon capacity. This Stealth tank has now been standard on the last two iterations of the Cobra Jet and can also be found on Chevrolet’s COPO Camaro concept.”

The smaller, universal six-gallon capacity of the new aluminum Stealth fuel cell is perfect for our Project 666, which has become a real strip warrior in recent months. The new cell offers many of the advantages found in the larger OE-style tank, but uses an aftermarket sending unit.

Either of the fuel pumps – the A1000 or the Eliminator – can perform in anything from a 300 horsepower carbureted application to an EFI motor making 1,700 horsepower, so all of our bases are covered from a fuel delivery standpoint with this new setup.

And as any drag racer will attest, it doesn’t require a 15 to 20 gallon, OE-style tank or fuel cell to driver to the staging lanes, make a pass, and drive back the trailer, or even to make a couple of late round, round-robin passes. A compact, six gallon fuel tank such as this is perfect for a racing application like our Project 666. “This tank is really the universal version of the original Stealth tank; the second generation, if you will,” says Powell.

The Stealth fuel cell sports an A100 Micron stainless steel fuel filter, return line provision, a pair of AN-08 vents with rollover valves for rollover ventilation, and a standard 12-bolt flush mount lid assembly. Internally, the cell design sports a “box” that contains the fuel pickup and filter and also the return that, even when low on fuel, is always overflowing with fuel – much like a garden hose being run into a cup. This maintains a continuous flow of fuel at the pickup at all times.

“With this design, you’re not uncovering the pickup when you’re turning left or right, hard braking, or hard acceleration, and it keeps positive pressure on the inlet to reduce vapor lock problems,” explains Powell.

Aeromotive Stealth 6-Gallon Fuel Cell Features:

Eliminator Fuel Pump (internal) – P/N 11104
• 100 Micron Stainless Steel Fuel Filter
• 6.2 Gallon Capacity
• Return Line Provision
• (2) AN-08 Vents with Rollover Valves
• Standard 12-Bolt Flush Mount Lid Assembly
• Natural Aluminum Finish

Out With The Old, In with The New

As is commonly done with a car such as ours where the original trunk is still fully intact, we’ll be relocating the new Stealth fuel cell to the trunk rather than under the car where the current Aeromotive OE tank resides. But in order to do so, we’ve got a little work to do to make preparations. Before we can get to the installation, however, we need to remove the old tank, which is little more than a process of removing the return and supply lines from the filter and pump, removing the filler neck assembly, disconnecting the sending unit lines, and undoing the straps that hold the tank in place under the car.

We've opted to use the recessed spare tire compartment in the trunk to mount the new fuel cell. With a pair of 3/4-inch square tubing welded parallel into the compartment, we then welded a pair of L-brackets to the opposite sides of the tank, which will rest on the square tubes for mounting.

From there, we turn our attention to the trunk of 666, where we’ll need to fabricate a pair of mounts to firmly place the tank and bolt it down to. Sean, our resident fabricator and mechanical wiz, took a pair of 3/4-inch square tubing, sized them down appropriately, and welded them parallel to one another down into the recessed spare tire compartment in the trunk. Two L-brackets were then welded to the lower edge on each side of the tank with two bolt holes cut through each. The tank could then be placed on the 3/4-inch rails and bolted down.

Then it was matter of modifying our plumbing configuration to reach the tank – now in the trunk – using the supply, return line, and sending unit wire that we already had in place. To accomplish this, a pair of fuel line bulkhead fittings were placed in the floor of the trunk.

Here's the fruit of our labor, with the new lines re-routed through a pair of bulkheads in the trunk floor to the tank and the stock sending unit wire, also re-routed through the tank from the undercarriage of the car. Armed with a pair of rollover vents, we've optioned to seal one off, while routing the other out through the floorboard of the car.

On the supply side, the hose was cut to place a new inline fuel filter on the line, and then both the supply and return lines were connected to one side of the bulkheads, while a new pair of fuel lines were connected to the trunk side of the bulkheads and run up to the new Stealth fuel cell. As mentioned above, we re-used the sending unit wire, and only had to re-route it up through the trunk to the new tank. Lastly, because we only need one of the two rollover vents that come standard on the Stealth fuel cell, we capped one of the AN fittings off, and with a loop in the line as is common, routed it out the floorboard of the car.

While the switch from our previous OE-style fuel tank to this legitimate racing tank from Aeromotive may be a rather small ingredient to the whole picture, the result of our work on this, the brains of the fuel system, brings 666 one step closer to it’s performance potential and true identity as a race car. Along the way, we gained some added performance potential with the awesome A1000 pump, reduced some weight from the car, and improved our level of safety a touch with the optional two rollover vents. Now it’s time to fill up and hit the track!

On February 25-26, the Race & Performance Expo returns to St. Charles, Ill. – this year expanded to encompass two buildings at the beautiful Pheasant Run Resort.

The Mega center at Pheasant Run will once again house the eve-growing Race & Performance Expo, featuring displaying exhibitors from many of the top names in the racing and aftermarket industry, from Edelbrock, Auto Meter, and Comp Cams to Steve Schmidt Race Engines, Hurst Shifters, and B&M – plus many, many more. Differing from other performance aftermarket shows in the industry, the Race & Performance expo is open to all high performance enthusiasts, allowing what organizers describe at the true grass roots racer, engine, or chassis builder to meet one-on-one with manufacturers and distributors for the parts they need and the questions they’d like to ask.

The DuPage building, meanwhile, will be hosting the Circle Track Expo, bringing together exhibitors the likes of JR Motorsports, Allstar Performance, Roush-Yates Engines, Moroso, and many others for Late Models, Sprint Cars, Modifieds, Midgets, and more.

In addition to manufacturers and distributors, a number of tracks and sanctioning bodies will be present to answer questions, educate potential racers, and get those racers signed up. The Race & Performance Expo will also feature 30 high schools going head-to-head in the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge, featuring intense and entertaining competition culminating in victory and a trip to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas for the competition finale later this year.

Along with a number of informative seminars, providing expert knowledge of performance driving and safe driving skills, advanced track driving techniques, cylinder head and intake porting techniques, and much more.

Seminars:

•  Performance Driving & Safe Driving Skills
• Advanced Track Driving Techniques
• Suspension Power: Tools You Can Use to Go Faster
• Addressing fuel compatibility concerns with the right hose
• The Science of Sealing
• Performance Cooling 101 – Don’t get Beat by the Heat
• Cylinder Head and Intake Manifold Porting Techniques

This year’s Race & Performance Expo, a one-of-a-kind consumer and trade show, will feature over 300 booths and more then 200 manufacturers and motorsports retailers, hosting over 10,000 hardcore racers, street performance enthusiasts, engine builders, and fabricators. Within the more than 200 exhibitors who are slated to be at the show will be Performance Retailers providing the products you need there and then, so bring your wallet.

The Hot Rodder's of Tomorrow Engine Challenge is always an exciting show to watch on Sunday.

The Race & Performance Expo began in 2008 and a huge success from the very beginning, drawing exhibitors and attendees from across the country in its first two years on its way to becoming the largest High Performance Expo of its kind in the Midwest.

The 2012 Race & Performance Expo and Circle Track Expo will be held Saturday and Sunday, February 25-26 at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Ill. On the Race & Performance Expo website, you’ll find a complete listing of show times, vendors, floor layout, maps, and additional show information. Admission to the show is just $10, and the parking is free. Mark your calendars, bring your walking shoes, and come ready to buy!

Back before I had kids, I used to daily drive a 68 Mustang in the summer heat in Texas. It was bad enough that the car didn’t have AC, but the real insult is that when I would stop for gas I knew it was going to take me a while to get the car to start back up. I chalked that up to a quirk of a car from the 60′s. The thought that the issue with starting might be related to heat soak never entered my mind. I always associate heat soak with forced induction applications, not NA cars.

Edelbrock has posted up a very interesting tech tip that helps drivers of carbureted vehicles figure out what is causing an issue where the car might not start back up easily. If after driving the car for a while and then shutting the car off and then within the same hour you parked the car, it is hard to fire back up. heat soak could be the issue. The heat from the hot engine block and exhaust can soak into the carburetor and fuel lines making it hard to fire the car up. Thankfully, Edelbrock has some tips to fix this problem if you have it.

Edelbrock says that the first thing you need to do is be sure your fuel line is routed away from the hot exhaust and engine block. Once you ensure that the fuel line routing isn’t causing your heat soak issues you can turn to a spacer between the carburetor and the intake manifold. You don’t want just any spacer though; you want to get one that is made from wood fiber laminate or black phenolic plastic. Aluminum spacers offer little help according to Edelbrock. You will also want to be sure that you have the hood clearance for a spacer as well. Naturally, Edelbrock offers a full line of spacers so check out their wares and see if they might fix your hard start issues.

It’s only been about three seasons in the making following the re-launch of the iconic Chevrolet Camaro, but we think it’s finally safe to say that GM’s flagship fifth-generation muscle has arrived on the drag racing scene as the 2012 season dawns. Consider not only the imminent production of the COPO Camaro concept, but the current construction and testing of a number of Pro Modified, Pro Stock, Outlaw 10.5 and other Camaro-based machines, and the numbers certainly show that the new-age Camaro is no longer a niche model in the straight line sport.

Among those planning to debut the sleek new Camaro’s this season includes LSX Drag Radial competitor and 2011 LSX Shootout series champion Mike Meeks, who’s trading up his eye-catching F-body Trans Am for a brand new 2012 Camaro for battle in the growing number of LS-specific events.

Images credit: Mike Meeks

Meeks is building his new machine from a body-in-white from Chevrolet (you eyes aren’t deceiving you, it’s indeed yellow and not white) around a chassis that fabricator and ADRL Pro Extreme standout Joey Martin turned around in just a scant six days time. As you can see in the images, enough material is removed the body to convert it into a race car to build a smaller, second car from. Per Meeks, the 440 cubic inch, LSX-based nitrous powerplant from the Trans Am will be transplanted into the Camaro, delivering the power to run down into the sevens in the quarter mile.

Meeks expects to be on track in the next three to four months with the new machine. The GM Performance Parts LSX Challenge Series, part of the NMCA Flowmaster Muscle Car Nationals, kicks off March 15-18 in Bradenton, Fla.

So it is that we bring you this beauty of a Chevy Vega station wagon found for sale on RacingJunk. Gorgeous is the right way to describe this Vega, which as it turns out was purchased brand new and immediately converted into a drag racer.

This Vega station wagon has a cool history attached to it, and comes with complete paperwork and documentation backing up the cool story behind it. But let’s get down to the goods under da hood. This Vega packs a destroked small-block Chevy V8 with a full compliment of racing parts, and is backed by a Tremec 5-speed transmission.

Unlike so many other Vegas, this one has been cared for, and is in mint condition. That it is a station wagon is only a bonus as far as we’re concerned. There isn’t an asking price, but we doubt this Vega would go cheap. How much would you pay for this old econobox wagon with a rich racing history?

Images: RacingJunk.com

Check out this ’67 Plymouth Belvedere we found on RacingJunk. The current owner states that when he purchased the car, it was proclaimed to be an ex-Sox & Martin car. Although the car currently wears GTX emblems, it is actually a Belvedere ll that was converted into the higher-trim-level GTX clone. The car has a 518-inch Wedge engine was built by legendary engine builder Clay Smith.

A built 727 TorqueFlite transmission with trans brake changes gears and delivers power to the factory Dana 60 rear end. The car itself is believed to be an original four-speed car, and the pedals are still in it to prove the claim.

While no original GTX or the Sox & Martin car it was once claimed to be, this '67 Belvedere still has what it takes to be competitive.

The seller also mentions that when he bought the car, it may have been thought to be one of the rare factory RO23 “Body in White” race cars that ‘Ma Mopar put out as a drag race-only package. Also the current seller mentions the car has a rare VIN number, but it’s not visible in the advertisement, and he has no documentation to back it up. So yeah, there’s yet another claim…

The car has the looks of an old nostalgic super stock race car, but it would best serve as a good bracket car, or an excellent candidate in the Super Street 10.90 class. On the motor, the car runs low tens  at 130 mph, and the car is equipped with nitrous, but the owner has yet to use it. Putting aside all notions that it is probably not one of the rare factory drag cars, it is definitely a well-built turnkey bracket car that is well worth the asking price of $12,900, a very inexpensive way to go drag racing.

These new formulas that VP has concocted for 2012 have a slightly higher octane level and specific gravity, while maintaining the same vaporization and energy content of the previous blends of fuel.

“We do not anticipate any tuning changes will be necessary,” said Steve Burns, VP’s Director of Research & Development. “Performance could possibly improve because of the higher octane and racers can expect more detonation protection. Pro Stock engines in particular have evolved since we first designed C25 and increased demands on the fuel. With C25 being a spec fuel, this reformulation will not change the balance of power in Pro Stock, but should help with engine life.”

Once the NHRA season begins at the Winternationals in Pomona, Feb 9-12, these new fuels will be available for purchase, however they may not be used in competition at that time. Beginning on March 7, the new 2012 formulas will be permitted by the NHRA Technical Committee. All formulas from prior to 2012 will be allowed for use until December 31, 2012.

Once available, the new formulas can be ordered from VP’s Regional Distribution Centers, of which locations and contact information is listed on the VP Racing fuels website at vpracingfuels.com. For all of your technical questions regarding these new formulated fuels, VP’s Tech Support staff may be reached at 812-878-2025 or dragtech@vpracingfuels.com.

West, an underdog competing in his low-budget “Banzai” entry, had captured everyone’s attention as the upset story of the NHRA Summer Nationals on that hot, summer day, taking down No. 1 qualifier K.C. Spurlock, heavy-hitter Mark Oswald, and a tire-smoking Tom Hoover in the semifinals to advance into the final round, where he’d face fellow budgeteer racer Chuck Etchells. Neither driver had ever won a professional title at an NHRA national event, making this pairing a story in and of itself.

The Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, now headed into its 47th year, is one of the drag racing’s most historic facilities, and it remains as one of the quickest, fastest, and safest racing surfaces in the sport. But it’s had more than its share of sheer misfortune – incidents that could’ve happened anywhere – and that final round in 1990 ranks as one of those.

Just beyond sixty feet, fluid under the rear slicks of West’s Banzai flopper causes it to take a hard right turn into the guardrail with an impact so severe that it knocked the Chandler, Ariz. native unconscious. What transpired was a scene of horror, as the battered Funny Car continued down the right lane, picking up speed the further it went. By the time West reached the vantage point of the top end cameras, it became clear that this was a runaway situation. In a scene that’s graced virtually every “And They Walked Away” and other crash-filled highlight video since, West’s entry struck the guardrail at the end of the racing surface, catapulting the chassis into the trees in a fiery impact. Despite the sudden an ferocious head-on hit, West escaped with only minor injuries. Soon after this incident, West took his talents from inside the drivers seat to out in front of a race car, becoming one of the sport’s most well-respected and tenured crew chiefs.

While testing at the Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida on Thursday in preparation for the upcoming NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, journeyman driver Richie Stevens piloted Allen Johnson’s J&J Racing Mopar Dodge Avenger to the quickest unofficial pass in Pro Stock history at 6.466 seconds at 212.51 MPH. That run improved upon a stellar 6.48 recorded earlier in the week. The current official NHRA national record is 6.477 seconds set by Jason Line in Reading last fall.

“We’ve really worked hard on the car during both test sessions this off-season,” said Johnson. “We have the car working really good down low and it turned into a spectacular run. We learned a lot during the test this week that we will work on in the shop before we head west.”
Stevens, who currently calls the ADRL Extreme Pro Stock ranks his home, is subbing this month in testing for Johnson, who continues to heal from off-season surgery to repair his right bicep. Johnson is scheduled to test at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway February 3-5 before heading on to Pomona.

“We’ve really worked hard on the car during both test sessions this off-season,” said Johnson. “We have the car working really good down low and it turned into a spectacular run. We learned a lot during the test this week that we will work on in the shop before we head west.”

While Toyota may not be the first company we think of when it comes to performance cars, the once-awesome Supra has left quite a mark on the racing scene with its excellent turbocharged inline-six engine. So it isn’t all that surprising to find that someone has taken the Supra’s turbo motor (called the 2JZ) and dropped it into a drag-racing Fox-body Mustang. Excessive Autosports are the madmen behind this beast.

We’re all about American muscle, but one must give credit where credit is due, and the Toyota 2JZ motor is simply an exceptional engine. This stock motor, with stock cams, cylinder head, and an upgraded turbo/fuel system, is capable of running niness in the quarter. Of course it helps that the Mustang itself has been gutted and packs a TH400 automatic transmission. Even through the slushbox though, this engine makes over 750 wheel horsepower. That’s impressive no matter what car brand you’re loyal to.

We love when Mustang guys think outside of the box, and while a 2JZ swap was undoubtedly complicated and expensive compared to a bolt-on 5.0, it is also undeniably awesome in a weird sort of way. What kooky, off-the-wall engine would you drop into a Fox-Mustang, given the chance?

Our friends over at Holley Performance sent us over this video – which you’ll also see featured in the latest edition of the Holley Gearhead News online newsletter if you’re subscriber – of an engine build that Morris complete and tested last year. This gargantuan beast is a 526 cubic inch Big Block Chrysler based upon a Keith Black engine block, paired with B1 cylinder heads and a powerful F3-139 blower from ProCharger with a Supercharger Store gear drive setup. Knowing a great product when he sees it, Morris has utilized Holley’s electronic fuel injection system with 42 and 160 lb/hr fuel injectors.

In a more high-boost, race configuration, this bullet pulls a staggering 2,113 horsepower and 1,505 ft/lbs of torque at just over 7.300 RPM, and makes i the neighborhood of 1,500 horsepower without so much as breaking a sweat.

While Holley is certainly best known only for their classic, industry-revered carburetors, today they offer a complete high performance racing EFI system that’s used by muscle car fanatics and champion drag racers alike. To learn more about Holley EFI, be sure and visit holley.com.

Official Release:

Six New and Improved Carburetors from Demon

Dahlonega, GA: Demon Carburetion has introduced 6 new and improved four-barrel carburetors in the following sizes: 650, 750, and 850. Known as Speed Demons, each size is available in two forms: three are equipped with mechanically operated secondary throttle plates; the remaining three with vacuum-operated secondaries.

Vacuum-operated secondary throttle plates are ideally suited to engines with automatic transmissions lacking high-speed stall converters. Alternatively, carburetors with mechanical secondaries are preferable for vehicles with manual transmissions or automatics with higher stall-speed converters, operating at 2,500 to 2,800rpm. Vacuum-secondary Speed Demons are instantly recognizable by the red billet aluminum cap on the vacuum pod.

Speed Demons are classified as general performance entry-level downdraft carburetors. Featuring down-leg boost venturii, they replace most standard square-flange carburetors on engines with camshaft durations of up to 240 degrees @ .050in of valve opening. The 650 model performs at its best on mildly tuned engines with displacements of 302 to 427cu in. The larger 750 Speed Demon works exceptionally well on 393 to 477cid engines and excels on mildly tuned engines from 427 to 455cu in. The largest carburetor of this new Speed Demon range, the 850, is particularly well-suited for operation on big-block crate motors, ranging in displacements from 488 to 540cu in.

All vacuum-secondary Speed Demons are supplied with electric chokes. However, mechanical-secondary units have provision for optional choke mechanisms. If desirable, these can be purchased in either manual or electric styles. Both vacuum and mechanical Speed Demons are supplied with an integral kick-down mechanism that accepts Ford’s transmission linkage.

Other key upgrades include Demon’s billet metering blocks and base plates complete with Idle-EzeTM, a useful air valve that allows you to set the idle speed without disturbing the throttle plates from their correct location. Throttle plates are mounted on Teflon®-coated throttle shafts. Crucially, four-corner idle circuitry, high-flow choke tower, and power valve backfire protection are provided to complete the package. Finished in silver die chromate, Speed Demon tuning parts are interchangeable with similar carburetors of other manufacture.

Highlights:

• Available in 650, 750 and 850 configuations
• Each size available with either mechanically operated secondary throttle plates or vacuum-operated secondaries
• Classified as entry-level performance carburetors
• Feature billet metering blocks and base plates with Idel-EzeTM technology
• Tuning parts interchangeable with similar carburetors from other manufacturers

We found this YouTube video of a laced-together “Top 30” dyno fails into a brief six-minute video. There’s lots of destruction and “dumbassery” going on in this video, though it looks to us like the import guys got the worst of it. Gee, we wonder why…

Why does a dyno run go wrong? It can be hard to say. The opening video of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution flying off the dyno appears to be from a lack of straps on the front of the car. Rookie mistake. But other video clips are not the fault of the dyno operators, but rather the car itself falling apart or blowing up, like the combustible Shelby Mustang at around 90 seconds into the video.

The import boys no doubt have their work cut out for them, operating often with front-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicles, obviously inferior to the popular rear-wheel drive setup of American muscle cars. But the domestics are not immune to accident or “asshattery,” as the smokey Corvette around the 3-minute mark shows.

If you’ve got six minutes to spare on your lunch break, watch this whole video…and maybe double check the tie-downs on your own ride next time you head to the tuning shop.

The Pro Slammers series, or PSDCA if you can remember all of those letters, was recently announced, delivering yet another exciting series to the state of California once known as the hotbed of drag racing. The new series will being together some of the finest doorslammers and Pro Modifieds on the West coast, with combinations ranging from turbochargers, nitrous oxide, and superchargers at some of the state’s premier facilities, including the Sacramento Raceway, Infineon Raceway, and historic Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield.

Per the Pro Slammers release:

Bret Williamson set a Sacramento Raceway track record in his Team Eagle Motorsports Studebaker a couple years ago and looks forward to competing for the first Pro Mod Slammers championship. The well known Renteria Brothers will also be competing with the rest of the heavy hitting teams from the west coast. Not only will fans get to see Pro Modifieds, the Pro Slammers also feature the Radical 6.90 Slammers and the 7.60 Slammers, which are both 1/4 mile index classes. The PSDCA will get their season started on March 24-25th at Famoso Raceway which is only a few weeks after the March Meet, so the weather should be great and we expect to see some good numbers from these guys.

The inaugural Pro Slammers schedule begins March 24-25 at Famoso and concludes back there in Bakersfield September 22-23, with six race dates settled in between.

Track Date Event Name

Famoso Raceway March 24-25 Summit Series

Infineon Raceway April 14-15 Summit Series

Sacramento Raceway May 4-6 NHRA National Open

Sacramento Raceway June 1-2 Door Car Shootout

Sacramento Raceway June15-16 Funny Car Fever

Sacramento Raceway August 3-4 Famous Fox Hunt

Sacramento Raceway Sept. 14-15 Governor’s Cup

Famoso Raceway Sept. 22-23 Summit Series Finals

The guys over at Calhoun Racing are putting together a new combo for the new season. With the help of GForce Motorsports, this once Outlaw True Ten Association Ultimate Street and Texas True Ten 5 Extreme Street champion machine is being transformed into a hopeful Outlaw Drag Radial contender.

Coming up from a stock suspension car fitted with UPR and QA1 components, it previously turned a best of 5.08 at 139 MPH with a 1.16 sixty-foot. It was powered by a Kuntz built, nitrous-powered, 434-inch small block Ford topped with Glidden Victor heads and a single Dominator. It ran on two kits thanks to Steve Johnson at Induction solutions and put the power down through a JW-cased Powerglide and Moser 9-inch rear end housing.

The 440 cubic inch, twin-turbo powerplant soon to power Calhoun's Drag Radial machine.

After the season was over, the team decided to take 2010 off to start the transformation into the radial car they wanted. Chris Calhoun began by taking the car down to the bare bones to start fresh from the ground-up. Racecraft Inc. was called upon to handle stuffing the new suspension going into the car with in-house and QA1 components. Deciding on power early on, a twin turbo small block Ford was the choice. HK Racing Engines is the shop behind the 440-inch SBF that’s being fed by a pair Garret Pro Mod 88mm turbos with Tial stainless housings. Using the same Glidden Victor heads as before, Calhoun had Greg Good do some extra work on them to prepare for the boosted setup. To do so, a figure eight style O-ring was installed in the head and custom valve guides were made to house the Inconel exhaust vales and titanium intake valves. Then the block was prepped with O-rings to create a double O-ring setup to contain the boost. A custom, billet runner sheet metal intake was fabricated by Beck to house the Moran billet 235lb injectors and Wilson 105mm throttle body.

All that pressurized air is fed through the car thanks to Rick Stevens Race Cars and is cooled by a Precision 3000 air-to-water intercooler with a custom water box. Fuel management is controlled by Big Stuff 3 and an AMS 1000 boost controller paired with a Racepak setup helps keep everything in check. The man behind the tune-up’s and getting this whole setup put together is Don Bailey of DCB Enterprises. Before getting the engine stuffed in the car, Don and Chris got together with the School of Automotive Machinists for some naturally-aspirated dyno pulls. Hopes are to push this car to the front with some 2,500-plus horsepower.

In addition to the new powerplant, the car has received updates front to rear. The Moser rear end was treated to 40-spline axles and a 3.89 gear. Strange dual caliper brakes were then fitted to help stop this beast. The JW-cased Powerglide was updated with a new valve body and a Hughes gear set. For the 2012 season, Chris plans on running in the Outlaw True Ten Association and the ORTC’s Outlaw Drag Radial class.

Chris wants to give big thanks to Calhoun Construction and GForce Motorsports for sponsoring the build, Don Bailey for the tuning, Greg Good and Kuntz for the head work, Rick Stevens Race Cars for fab work, Judson from SAM for the dyno time, and HK Racing Engines and Erik Koeing for the bullet.

Images courtesy of DallasRaceway.com

Following an all-too-familiar trend, Dallas Raceway Park in Crandall, Texas announced last week that it would be closing its gates. The announcement on the tracks website stated the closure was due to “hard economic times and financial reasons.”

Dallas Raceway joins a number of others struggling tracks across the nation. Tracks that had been around consistently for decades have shut down left and right, while others are threatened by housing developments, a seeming lack of interest, or an economy that seems trapped in a downward spiral.

Dallas Raceway was refurbished in 2009 with an all new concrete dragstrip, a 3,600-square foot tower complete with a control room and suites, a massive hospitality center, 13-and-a-half acres of paved concrete pit parking, air-conditioned bathrooms, showers, and even a game room, plus a 24 million gallon lake stocked full of bass and catfish. As a result, many fans of the track believe that this one is too good to be left in the dust.

Rickie Jones, the 24-year old son of esteemed chassis builder Rick Jones and an already tough and accomplished racer in his own right, could be pulling some double duty behind the wheel for at least the early stages of the 2012 racing season. Jones confirmed that an abbreviated return to the NHRA Pro Stock ranks remains a possibility, in addition to his sophomore season in the ADRL’s Pro Nitrous category.

Jones had quite a tumultuous and rather forgetful ending to his 2011 racing season, wadding up his Quarter-Max sponsored 1969 Camaro when he got upside down during his semifinal bout with Shannon Jenkins at the ADRL World Finals in Dallas, but with a new season dawns a new start, and the young Jones is looking for an even brighter 2012.

This week, Rickie has joined a number of other Pro Stock competitors at the Bradenton Motorsports Park down in Florida for testing, turning laps in the Elite Motorsports Pontiac GXP for what could be a part-time return to the factory hot rod class as early as Gainesville.

Jones competed in Pro Stock for the better part of three seasons, reaching three final rounds during that period. He qualified in his professional debut at Gainesville in 2008, and in 2009 advanced to the Countdown to the Championship, recording a runner-up finish in Las Vegas and closing the season 10th in points. Competing in just 15 races in 2010, he finished the season 17th in the standings.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Summit Racing Equipment had signed on as the primary sponsor for Jones’ ADRL effort in 2012, thus expanding the associate sponsorship role that the mail order giant has had with Rickie since his Pro Stock debut.

According to the a press release issued by Holley, last year’s LS Fest saw a 51% increase in the total number of participants. Along with the increase in participants and attendees, the overall number of vendors increased as well. With consistent growth over the past two years, the 2012 LS Fest is expected to draw more participants, vendors and attendees thanks to the sheer volume of hardcore LS action.

For 2012 the LS Fest will include the Autocross, Countryside Cruise, Drag Racing, Drifting, Dyno Challenge, an Engine Swap Challenge, Show-N-Shine and the Speed Stop Challenge. Like previous years, anything with LS engine between the fenders, under the hood or rear-mounted is welcome to take part in the wide array of activities. Whether you are interested in show or go, the 2012 LS Fest has something for LS lover along with the entire family.

MSD Ignition’s Atomic EFI kit created some serious buzz at last year’s SEMA show, especially among the vintage muscle car fans. One of the biggest selling points of the new MSD EFI system was in the simplicity of installation while gaining the latest in electronic fuel injection technology.

Ramping up for the demand took a couple of months but now MSD Ignition is announcing that the Atomic EFI kits are shipping to speedshops and dealers across the nation from the MSD facility in El Paso, Texas.

While the demand has already been tremendous, MSD is kicking the enchantment  up a notch by offering a free MSD 6A ignition with the purchase of the Atomic EFI system for enthusiasts purchasing the EFI system between January 1st and March 31st.

Anyone thinking about upgrading their ignition system or fuel delivery will certainly want to take advantage of the offer and upgrade both systems at the same time.

According to the folks at MSD Ignition, the goal behind the development of the Atomic EFI system was to design a worry free system to replace carburetors with modern fuel injection technology and that was easy enough to install and setup in less than a weekend.

From what we have seen and heard, the Atomic EFI system hit the target goal dead center with users commenting on the ease of installing and the “fire and forget” style of tuning that the self-learning system incorporates.

MSD's Atomic EFI throttle body has a clean, sleek look with all the modern technology in an easy to install kit. (Photo from MSD Ignition)

Additional comments about the Atomic EFI system ranged from the classic design of the wet flow fuel injection system to the simple addition of two external sensors and minimal wiring involved in installation.

We can agree that if tuning carburetors, routine maintenance like cleaning fuel bowls and jets or if a slightly to rough running engine is not your thing… then the Atomic EFI will eliminate those issues and you’ll probably want to take off your carb, put on the Atomic and enjoy your ride.

Features of the Atomic EFI System:

• Internal fuel rail. MSD designed the fuel rail as an integral part of the throttle body assembly for sleek appearance and a single fuel line connection.
• Annular rings for fuel delivery. This setup allows for optimized atomization of fuel which results in a great air/fuel mixture to each cylinder.
• Standard mounting. The Atomic EFI throttle body is a direct bolt on replacement for square bore carbs and accepts the same linkage as most of the standard carburetors.
• Throttle Body inlet blades are 1.75″ diameter and ride on roller bearings for smooth pedal transition.
• Internal ECU. The Atomic’s ECU is designed as an integral part of the throttle body, reducing wiring. The TPS, MAP, IAT and fuel pressure sensors are incorporated in the ECU, further reducing external wiring.
• 80 pound injectors. Injectors are sealed between the housing and cast fuel rails for sealing. A stainless steel ball and seat ensure maximum internal sealing.
• The TPS sensor is an automatic, self calibrating, non-contact sensor. No contacts to wear out, so it’s a worry-free unit.

To find more information on Atomic EFI’s great performance specs, get details on the free MSD 6A, or see just how easy installation truly is go to www.AtomicEFI.com.

Lensman (and Editor Mar’s brother) Scott Gearhart was at Bradenton on Tuesday afternoon taking in some Pro Stock testing and sent over a collection of photos. Among those testing early this week include Erica Enders, Richie Stevens, Vincent Nobile, Shane Gray, Mike Castellana, and others. Check out the gallery below, and keep it here to DRAGZINE for more news as testing continues around the state of Florida.

The golden age of drag racing is now long behind us, and those who can still remember with fondness and clarity are fewer in number every day. It can be hard the gauge the influence of any particular drag racer or engine builder on the whole sport, but there can be no doubt that certain individuals left an indelible mark on the sport of drag racing.

One cannot doubt the contributions of the mechanically-crazed Jim Lytle Jr., a man who is perhaps best known for driving some ridiculously powerful, multi-engine drag cars that redefined the sport. Hemmings Auto Blog has a nice piece on Lytle’s contributions to drag racing.

What caught our eye, however, was Lytle’s quad-engine Big Al IV, a drag racing hot rod with four, yes four Allison airplane engines attached to a custom frame.

Not only that, but it had all-wheel drive, and for reasons beyond our grasp, the control cabin was a small Fiat coupe with the roof chopped and a section cut out to fit Lytle’s helmeted head.

It is said that officials from Mercury noted the flip-up body of one of Lytle’s earlier Allision-powered creations, helping lead to development of the first “funny cars.”

Not that it was ever actually driven; Big Al IV was supposed to run at the Bonneville salt flats, but the proper gears would have cost more than the whole rest of the drag car combined. Today all that is left is the frame, which is in the process of being restored (using dummy engines.) Hopefully Big Al IV will be put on display on day as a testament to the determination and influence one mad drag racer can have on the whole sport.

The NHRA Technical Department this week approved the Camaro body design for use in NHRA competition, thus delivering a new body to the category to replace the aging Chevrolet Cobalt and the now extinct Pontiac GXP.

Although no longer directly involved in Pro Stock in terms of financial and/or research and development support of the race teams flying its banner, Chevrolet did supply a production Camaro SS to Five Star Bodies for creation of the molds for the new Pro Stock body, and also graciously allowed time to be spent in their wind tunnel.

The Camaro SS body is tentatively schedule to make its official debut in Pro Stock at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. March 8-11. One of the teams that will be fielding the new Camaro this season are Ken Black Racing teammates Greg Anderson and reigning series champion Jason Line in their Summit Racing Equipment machines.

“We’re very thrilled with the opportunity to race muscle cars again in Pro Stock,” said Anderson. “It goes back to what that they ran when Pro Stock first started. We’re sure that the fans will be excited as well.”

The Experts

We listened to two highly respected authorities in the field, Dr. Dmitri Kopeliovich, Research and Development Manager of King Engine Bearings and Bill McKnight, Team Leader of Training at MAHLE Clevite, as they educated us on bearing technology. Between Kopeliovich and McKnight, there is over a half century of experience in engine bearing technology. Needless to say, these guys have seen it all.

Engine Bearings Have A Story To Tell.

Rebuilding a blown motor may end up being a habit unless you take the time to diagnose the problem. According to Clevite’s Bill McKnight, “If a mechanic merely replaces a damaged bearing in an engine without determining the cause of it’s failure, over 99% of the time he will be subjecting the replacement bearing to the same cause that was responsible for the original failure or distress.”

Abrasive wear occurs when a harder material is rubbing against a softer material and can take place with or without foreign bodies present.

We take McKnight’s statement to mean that if you are doing the same thing without changing anything other than the consumable parts, don’t expect a different result. If anything, you should always be looking to improve your engine’s performance, so reading the wear on your engine bearing is a necessity in order to make your engine program better.

When a bearing is replaced, it’s important to take a close look at the old bearing and diagnose any problems. Understanding what type of wear the bearing is experiencing cam help a technician solve any future problems before they ever exist to a point where engine damage can occur.

King Engine Bearing’s Dr. Dmitri Kopelivoich explained the most common types of wear associated with engine bearings:

Abrasive wear. This is surface on surface wear. It can also be three body wear when a particle is involved, like when a camshaft lobe is being ground flat and the particles make their way through the oil system.

If there are only two rubbing parts involved in the friction process the wear is called two body wear. In this case the wear of the softer material is caused by the asperities on the harder surface.

If the wear is caused by a hard particle (grit) trapped between the rubbing surfaces it is called three body wear. The particle may be either free or partially embedded into one of the mating materials.

Adhesion wear is a result of micro-junctions caused by welding between the opposing rough surfaces rubbing on the counterbodies. The load applied to the contacting surfaces is so high that they deform and adhere to each other forming micro-joints. The motion of the rubbing counterbodies result in rupture of the micro-joints where some of the material is transferred by its counterbody. This effect is called scuffing or galling. Eventually this will cause the seizure of one of the bodies by the counterbody.

Adhesive wear. This is when the two surfaces begin to fuse together or bond and pieces are torn off of one of the surfaces and bonded to the other.

Fatigue wear. Can be caused by cycle loading, gasous bubbles forming in the oil or particles which attack the bearing material and low oil pressure.

Corrosive wear. Wear that is accelerated by corrosion or oxidation.

Erosive wear. Wear caused by impingement of particles which remove fragments of material from the bearing surface.

McKnight breaks down the wear factors even further by saying that MAHLE Clevite’s analysis have shown “45.4 percent of bearing distress is caused by dirt. 12.8 percent is caused by misassembling the components, 12.6 percent is due to misalignment, 11.4 percent of bearing problems from insufficient lubrication with only 8.1 percent from overloading.”

Bearing Installation issues

Using the data collected over the years from King Engine Bearings and MAHLE Clevite, several issues have been identified relating to installation of the bearings. Knowing these problems exist are valuable in eliminating future problems in your next engine build.

Dirt on either side of the bearing can cause problems.

Dirt. Dirt is an engine’s worse enemy! When it comes to bearings, take every effort to remove any presence of foreign material from the bearing back and the housing. Wipe down the bearing surface after installation.

Reversed position of the upper and lower main bearings. There is a common mistake that should not be made, even by the most rookie of engine builders. According to Dr. Kopelivoich, it happens more than you would think.

When a bearing has failed due to oil starvation, its surface is usually very shiny. In addition, there may be excessive wear of the bearing surface due to the wiping action of the journal. In the most severe cases the bearing surface will be smeared or scratched and torn. The bearing will begin to turn dark blue to black in color. Probable causes for this condition are misassembling main bearings and lubrication system not primed before start up (Dry start)..

Dry start. Using assembly lube and priming the oil system before attempting the first start on a fresh engine solves this problem.

Misalignment and distortion. Remember when the machinist asked if you wanted the main bearings housing line honed and you saved a couple extra bucks by skipping that procedure? One word: DON’T. Have the bearing housings checked and also have the individual components checked to make sure the connecting rods are not twisted, the crankshaft is not distorted and all components are within specifications.

Misalignment and distortion problems can come from bearing cap shift, bent crankshaft, bent connecting rods or bearing housing distortion.

Presence of abrasive particles on shaft surface or in oil passages. If you are replacing your engine bearings, it’s likely that you have taken the extra time to have the block steam cleaned. It pays to have the machinist do a good jet wash and pay attention to the oil passages. When the crankshaft comes back from being ground or balanced, make sure the machinist runs that through the cleaner too.

Crankshaft journals ground out of shape will cause serious problems with bearing failure.

Out of shape grinding of crankshaft. Oy Vey! Use only trusted machinists with a good reputation. Nothing is worse than letting a new machinist try their freshly learned skills out on your crankshaft only to have a hourglass, tapered or barrel shaped journal. If it is not too bad it can be ground undersized but many times the only solution is a new crankshaft.

Installing New Engine Bearings

One of the most frequently asked questions that bearing manufacturers get is: “How much clearance do I need for my connecting rod bearings or main crankshaft bearings?” A very good question but not an easy one to answer. The importance of bearing clearance is almost self evident. Because the rotating shaft rides on a film of lubrication, the greater clearance between the rotating shaft and the bearing means that there will be less oil surface contact. Less clearance means almost certain engine death without the proper amount of lubrication to support the rotating shaft.

Torres starts by measuring all the journals on the crankshaft and recording the measurements.

Engine application, lubricant selection and operating conditions all play a crucial role in clearance. There is no “one size fits all” rule. Checking with the crankshaft, rod or camshaft manufacturer or working with your engine builder is the best practice for determining what your bearing clearance should be.

We checked with our local machine shop, Torres Performance and Machining, and talked with shop owner Joe Torres about measuring bearing clearance. Torres had some handy tech tips that help get accurate and repeatable results when measuring bearing clearances.

Using the measurements from the crankshaft journal, Torres zeros out the bore gauge to measure the bearing in the housing.

According to Torres, climate control is important. “In the inland empire region of Southern California we have large temperature swings from morning to mid day and again from mid day to evening. Different metals expand and contract at different rates in relationship to the temperature, so it’s important to have a climate controlled clean room to perform the assembly and measure clearances,” said Torres.

“It’s also important to have a set procedure. Doing the same thing, the same way, for each cylinder will ensure precise and accurate measurements. This goes for using the same assembly lube on the entire bearing set all the way to using the same torque wrench to tighten the bearing caps,” he added.

Main bearings are installed in the bearing housing and the caps are torqued down. Torres says that the bearings, caps and housing must all be clean of debris and oil free.

Torque wrenches and bore gauges are precession measuring devices that can lose their ability to accurately measure things like torque and distance, especially if they are dropped or abused. Making sure that the equipment that is used for the assembly is in current calibration can go a long way to achieving perfect results.

Torres explained the procedure his crew uses for engine bearing replacement: “We began by tearing down the engine and taking a close look at the parts that we removed. Engine bearings specifically can tell us a lot about the engine. When the block is cleaned and machined, we measure each bearing housing and document the measurements so that we know what we are working with. We don’t even order a set of bearings until we get the crankshaft so that we can measure the journals and order the right set of bearings the first time.”

Torres uses the bore gauge to measure the installed bearing's inside diameter.

When the bearings arrive, Torres says that the crew does a complete dry assembly using plasti-gauge to verify the bearing clearances. According to Torres, “we usually use the bearing manufacturer’s tolerances on bearing clearance because each crankshaft manufacturer has their own way of grinding journals. The bearing manufacturers have a pretty solid set of specs when it comes to clearances for each application.”

Torres rechecks the clearance using plastigage. After laying a piece of the plastigage across the journal, Torres installs the bearing cap and torques it to appropriate torque specs. Removing the cap shows that the plastigage has been smashed to the height of the oil film clearance. Torres uses the gauge supplied with the plastigage to check the dimension for proper clearance.

Problems and Coatings. Can you just “cover it up”?

There has been a lot of information floating around for several years about coatings. The more we find out about coatings, the more we like them. Here’s what our expert’s had to say about the subject:

McKnight: “We find our customers have strong feelings about coatings. They either love coated bearings, or wouldn’t use one if it was given to them free!

Almost all bearing coatings provide an anti-friction layer to the bearing and are intended to increase the bearing life in very marginal oil film conditions by preventing the transfer of the bearing face material (babbitt or aluminum) to the crankshaft. These marginal oil conditions can exist under heavy operation loads seen in racing and performance engines, but also may be present when an engine in a street rod is started for the first time after sitting all winter. Since damage to the face material of a bearing is permanent, this protection is deemed a good thing by coated bearing advocates.

Detractors of coated bearings point out that the coating layer, some .0003″-.0004″ thick, wears away, increasing the bearing to crankshaft clearance. Increased bearing clearance on performance engines concentrates the firing load on a smaller area of the bearing, increasing both the pressure on the oil film and the likelihood of bearing failure.

Both sides are dug in pretty deep, hence our offering of both coated and uncoated performance bearings.”

An uncoated H series bearing on the left and a coated H series bearing on the right.

Dr. Dmitri Kopelivoich: Coatings can help to eliminate or reduce metal-to-metal contact between the bearing and the journal surfaces during start-up and the initial period of bearing operation. Coating promotes conforming of the bearing surface resulting in lower wear of the bearing material.

Components of coating have excellent anti-friction properties (very high seizure resistance, low coefficient of friction, embedability, conformability). However, coatings are a sacrificial layer. They can wear fast under high load (metal-to-metal contact). When the coating is removed by friction, the bearing clearance is increased by the value of the coating thickness. Therefore, coatings should not be too thick (not more than 0.0004”/0.01mm). Coatings have no effect on bearing load capacity.

The Final Word.

Like we explained in the opening, there’s more to engine bearings than meets the eye, and we’ve just scratched the surface of engine bearings. When it comes to checking, buying or installing these half shell bearings, details can mean the difference between a high performance engine that lasts or one that eats itself up in 20 minutes. The bottom line is; a little extra effort, knowledge and attention to detail pays big dividends once the engine is under the hood.

Racers are eligible to compete in the shootouts regardless of the brand of axles they use, but of course, there’s money in the line in the form of contingencies for those using Moser Engineering axles.

The North Central NHRA Moser Sportsman Shootout will take place at the 2012 JEG’S Northern SPORTSNationals, and the South Central event will culminate at the 2013 JEG’S Cajun SPORTSNationals. Each shootout will award a total event purse of $15,000, with each winner pocketing as much as $5,000.

To earn their way into these lucrative shootouts, racers will compile points at select NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and NHRA National Open events, with the top two points earners in each class comprising 14 spots of the 16 car field, with the remaining two positions being filled via a random drawing from among the qualified racers.

“Moser Engineering has long been one of largest supporters of Sportsman racers with our contingency and specialty programs that reward excellence in the sportsman ranks,” said Rob Moser, president of Moser Engineering. “These racers have proven to be a major key to Moser Engineering’s success over the last 25 years. At the same time we have also been a big supporter of NHRA’s sportsman with our contingency programs.”

Moser continued, “In recognition of the strength and value of NHRA brand we are launching a new sportsman program to reward the best sportsman racers at the divisional level. The “Moser Engineering Sportsman Shootout” will be a continuation of this philosophy. Anyone familiar with the Moser Engineering sportsman programs in the past will be excited to know that this will start out with 2 divisions initially with the intention of expanding to all 7 Divisions. In a time of reduced payouts and a pullback of some corporate sponsorship we want the heart of drag racing to know that it is recognized and appreciated.”

For more information on Moser Engineering, their sportsman shootout programs, and their extensive catalog of racing components, be sure and visit moserengineering.com.

The American Drag Racing League’s blockbuster announcement late last week that it would become the first series to introduce a heads-up eliminator for the popular late model factory muscle cars has been the talk of the town. Reviews of the ADRL’s decision have been mixed, depending on which side of the proverbial coin you’re on, but the class racing crowd, both those who own these modern machines and those simply invested in the growth of Stock and Super Stock racing, have given the concept praise.

The new eliminator is the brainchild of not only ADRL President Tim McAmis and his staff, but longtime announcer Bret Kepner and noted Bayou-bred class racer Jeff Teuton, who knows a thing or two about contesting heads-up events through his former involvement with the IHRA’s now defunct Top Stock category.

Without a set of rules released upon the announcement, interested competitors and fans have been speculating on which cars and combinations the ADRL plans to allow and how they’ll maintain parity to abstain from another Top Stock debacle where spending gets purely out of hand.

Image credit: RedlineDodge.com

According to Teuton, the preliminary plan is to utilize the Stock Eliminator version of the popular Drag Pak, Cobra Jet, and COPO Camaro vehicles, running on 9-inch tires under the NHRA’s current rules structure. Naturally-aspirated V8′s will run at 3,250 lbs., V10′s at 3,450, and supercharged V8′s at 3,650.

In Teuton’s own verbage, “All of these weights are subject to adjustment, but any adjustment will be with a fine carving knife, not a fire axe.”

In Stock Eliminator trim, the Drag Pak Challenger and Ford Mustang Cobra Jet have proven quite competitive with another over the eighth-mile, with elapsed times right in the 5.90′s and 6.0′s.

Loyal fans of the Ford and General Motors brands have long had a traveling circuit to call their own, collectively bringing together racers, manufacturers, and fans of their beloved brands in events that capture the national spotlight. In 2012, the diehard Mopar crowd, certainly not without a number of dedicated events across the country already, will have a new venue in which to compete.

On Saturday, May 19, the Texas Motorplex will officially launch the inaugural event in the newly-announced Mega Mopar Action Series, which is operated by the very same group of national event track owners that acquired and manage the Super Chevy Show and the resurrected Fun Ford Weekend series. These events will naturally feature drag racing, car show, and a swap meet for fans of the Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth brands.

In its inaugural season, the Mega Mopar Action Series will host four events, beginning in Dallas before moving on to the mile-high city of Denver to the Bandimere Speedway (Sunday June 3), followed by a stop at the Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa. a week later (June 9-10), and concluding at the Virginia Motorsports Park near Dinwiddie, Va. (September 22-23).

Mopar Action Magazine has played an extensive role in the development of the Mega Mopar Action Series.

“We had the opportunity to work with Lex Dudas at Maple Grove Raceway in 2011 to put on a Mopar Action branded event, which was a great success,” said Mopar Action’s Advertising Director, Brett Underwood. “The opportunity to work with more of the national caliber tracks to operate a series tied to the publication is very exciting for our readers and advertisers.”

Each of the four tracks hosting events this season have held Mopar-only events in the past, including the Texas Motorplex, the site of “Mopars at the Motorplex” for the last 15 years. Contingent upon the success of the national series in its first year, the plan is double or even triple the number of events in 2013, possibly equaling the 12 events apiece that the Super Chevy Show and Fun Ford Weekend currently host.

Owned by Mike Arsenault, the ’70 Sport Satellite is equipped with an all aluminum 588cui Mopar engine. The World Products block features B1 MC Heads, a 4.5 Callies crank, Crower billet steel rods and BME pistons. The car also makes use of a two-stage nitrous setup for extra power.

Aside from the engine, the car is virtually stock with a factory front end and stock brakes, although it is equipped with homemade Cal-Tracs, an anti-roll bar and roll cage. Surprisingly, the Sport Satellite pulls wheelies on just street radials.

The mid-size Plymouth does more than just pull wheelies, however. The car is also capable of impressive quarter mile times, hitting the end of the track in just 9.77 seconds on the engine alone and 9.21 seconds with nitrous.

We could hype about how cool this Sport Satellite is, but the video speaks for itself. Be sure to check out Arsenault’s impressive behemoth of a vehicle as it lifts its front tires sky high in the video above.

As you will remember from a few months ago, we caught up with the guys from SAM at the LSX Shootout in Indianapolis, where they were on their way to dominating the All-Motor class of the event. But they didn’t stop there. In this video from High Tech Corvette, the students from SAM take their all-motor 4th Gen Camaro down the quarter mile in what is believed to be the fastest time ever recorded for an all-motor, naturally aspirated LSX-powered Camaro. The SAM Camaro’s 433 cubic inch LSX pushes the 3130 pound car to a stellar 8.12 at 170 miles per hour. Making the run all the more impressive, the SAM 4th Gen still utilizes a stock-style suspension to harness all that brutal power from their N/A LSX, and it’s a 5-speed!

We are extremely impressed, but yet somehow not too surprised that the SAM students should be the ones to hit this mark, because when a bunch of folks who spend that much time studying how to make the baddest race engines on the planet even better get together to work on one single car, the results should be nothing short of epic. Check out SAM School’s website for more info on how you can get started on your own Ivy League automotive education.

“It’s really exciting to kick off the season as the champion with Aaron’s on our car,” Hagan said. “They have the ‘Lucky Dog’ and I sure hope he brings me some luck.”

Aaron’s  will be the primary sponsor on Hagan’s flopper at 13 NHRA national events this season, and primary sponsor of teammate Antron Brown’s Top Fuel Dragster at four events on the 23-race Full Throttle Drag Racing Series tour. At 17 total races, this extends the involvement of Aaron’s with Don Schumacher Racing by two events from their debut season in drag racing last year, when they spit time between Jack Beckman’s Funny Car and Brown’s Top Fueler.

“We enjoyed amazing success with our DSR partnership in our first year working together,” said Ken Butler, Aaron’s Chief Operating Officer.”We came so close to winning the Funny Car championship with Jack and the Top Fuel championship with Antron, and are really looking forward to what 2012 will bring us.”

According Schumacher, it was his sole decision to move the Aaron’s brand over to Hagan’s Funny Car. Beckman, who finished second to Hagan in the points standings last season, will carry the Valvoline NextGen colors this season.

“There are wonderful people at Aaron’s, and I’m glad they’re still with DSR,” Beckman said. ”Don is brilliant with how he runs the biggest team on the NHRA tour and has been able to sustain it out here for a decade and win nine championships. He does the right thing for our sponsors and marketing partners.”

Diehard meanwhile, which remained one of drag racing’s most forward-thinking marketing partners even during this offseason, has stepped down to an associate sponsorship role after Hagan carried them to second and first place finishes in the standings in the last two seasons.