Ron Rhodes rolled into South Georgia Motorsports Park for Lights Out 9 with a combination he didn’t have many passes on, requiring a good amount of testing to get much-needed data so he could get it figured out. Testing didn’t happen as expected thanks to Mother Nature’s wrath, so Rhodes headed into qualifying with limited information and was still able to smash the X275 small-block nitrous record with a spectacular 4.38-second pass.

The 2017 season was a quiet one for Rhodes since his 1968 Camaro sat silently waiting for its new engine combination. When he did get the parts needed to get the engine running, Rhodes was able to run some solid numbers but had trouble finding the sweet spot the new small-block liked. Ultimately, his season came to an early end due to a freak parts failure, so the winter months were spent regrouping and preparing for 2018.

Video Credit: Jmalcom2004

Before Rhodes was able to start laying down the power at Lights Out 9, he needed to solve a reoccurring handling issue. This required a trip to Lowe’s for materials and some good old-fashioned racer ingenuity.

“Last year we were having an issue with the car trying to drive hard to the left when it was in the right lane. I thought we had it fixed, but I was wrong. I ended up getting some plywood and a plumb-bob to see what the rearend was doing, and sure enough, it wasn’t square. It’s not easy to straighten a leaf spring rearend — we had to make a shim and weld it to the housing before we bolted everything back together. That quick fix solved the issue and it was game-on after that,” Rhodes explains.

After the trackside chassis tuning session, Rhodes was ready to make some quality passes to get his Camaro in the show. His first attempt to make the X275 field ended with a solid 4.50-second pass, which pleased Rhodes considering his lack of testing.

“I put a tune-up in the car that thought would run a low .40, maybe a .39 to see what the car would do. I hadn’t run this new setup in the kind of air we were seeing so, I had no idea what it would do. I really didn’t take into account how good the air was, so I got lucky there. Fortunately, the stars aligned and the car went down the track, cracking off that 4.38,” Rhodes says.

Getting the car to run this strong was the culmination of several changes that Rhodes made during the off-season. On the electronics side of things, he added the new AMS 2000 ET Maker controller to the car. He also added a new RPM Transmission to help put the power down more efficiently.

Besides adding the new AMS unit and RPM transmission, Rhodes turned to long-time sponsor Induction Solutions to help squeeze more giggle juice into his potent BES Racing Engines-built small-block.

“Last year this was a new combination and we made big changes to the nitrous side of the program. The motor is bigger and better so we changed the nitrous system around to make it more efficient and spray it more. The goal with this new motor was to spray it more so it could make bigger power. There’s no way around it: for us to keep up we needed more power. Steve at Induction Solutions was able to put together some big tune-ups that were good and clean, then it was up to me to make that all work with the rest of the parts,” Rhodes explains.

Being a part of the 4.30 club in X275 means a lot to Rhodes considering how hard it is to get there, and where he was able to do it.

“The feeling is just amazing to know we’re a part of this elite group of racers who have gone this quick. The faster this class gets, the harder it is to break those barriers, so anytime we’re able to do something like this it’s great. Being able to do it at an event like Lights Out in front of all the fans was just really special,” Rhodes says.

Video Credit: FreeLife Films

So, the $275 question is, does Ron Rhodes have more in the tank to push the small-block nitrous combination further?

“Sure, the car has some more left in it, and the only way to reach that potential is to make the car 60-foot harder. We went a 1.06 on the 4.38 pass and the car has been a 1.03 before, so the potential is there. The problem with the 1.03 60-foot time is you can’t repeat that often, so that’s why I’ve been trying to gear the car so it isn’t as 60-foot dependent to go fast. Power-wise, the car is at its limit, because the more we push it we are going to lose reliability, and that doesn’t win rounds or races,” Rhodes explains.

Rhodes acknowledges that he didn’t get his program where it is on his own and is thankful for the support he has.

“We are able to do what we do thanks to great companies like Induction Solutions, AMS, PTC, Mickey Thompson, VP Racing Fuels, BES Racing Engines, Optic Armor, Ultra Carbon, Santhuff, Calvert, Mac Fab Beadlocks, TRZ Motorsports, Ross Pistons, RPM Transmissions, Devane Carburetors, Go Lithium, TBM Brakes, Firecore wires, Spaghetti Menders, and Stainless Headers Inc. They all provide me with products and support that help keep the car fast.”

Ron Rhodes may not have won Lights Out 9 in X275, but he fired a very clear 4.38-second warning shot at the class to let them know he wasn’t going anywhere. With a full season of racing ahead, Rhodes is sure to give the entire class headaches and heartache at every event he enters.