Naturally-aspirated heads-up drag racing is the purest form of the sport. Racers don’t have a power adder to make horsepower, they have to maximize what their engine is capable of generating while optimizing the rest of their car. The MotorCity Muscle Challenge (MMC) is a N/A class that gives racers the chance to race heads-up under a straight forward set of rules.

Pat McGowan founded the MMC and was also responsible for bringing Milan Dragway’s All Motor class to life — it’s safe to say he lives for N/A racing. The MMC came to be after the All Motor class started to change into an all-motor version of Outlaw 10.5, and it started pushing many away from the class due to the cost. McGowan envisioned a class that brought things down a few notches and enticed racers to pull cars out of the garage, freshen them up, and go N/A racing again with minimal changes, that’s how the MMC came to life.

McGowan approached the MMC’s creation the same way he did the All Motor class: he wanted to keep things as simple as possible for the racers.

“The MMC is a heads-up, naturally-aspirated class that runs on a 9-inch tire. Racers are only permitted to use a 4150 carb with a cubic-inch rule designed to be more inclusive and economical to compete in. The rules are meant to promote competition by challenging the engine builder, driver, and suspension tuner every round, no matter what they bring, thus making a competitor do more with less, McGowan says.

The rules for the MMC couldn’t be too open, otherwise it would force the class into an expensive territory for racers in a hurry. McGowan and the MMC Rules Advisory Board have used a simplistic approach when creating the rules. Small-block combinations have a minimum weight of 2,950 pounds and can be a maximum of 440 cubic inches. If you want to run a big-block, you have to weigh 3,300 pounds and are allowed a max of 565 cubic inches. You can only use OEM-style heads and a commercial off-the-shelf cast aluminum intake. A P&G machine was purchased by McGowan so engines could be pumped to make sure everyone was following the rules.

There are additional rules, but they are fairly simple, and you can check them out right here.

“The rules were designed to be fairly simple and focused on what older classes were like in the NMCA, NSCA, and PSCA. That said, we put together a Rules Advisory Board where three people are responsible for officiating the rules as well as the adherence and enforcement of the rules. We police each other and are very fair, but do not accept breaking the rules (cheating), as it is proven that rules that aren’t enforced will kill a class,” McGowan says.

The MMC attracts a wide variety of cars thanks to its common-sense rules. Racers who used to compete in classes like NMCA Hot Street and others have made the transition to the organization. There are even bracket racers that are swapping tires, making a carb change, and coming out to do some N/A heads-up racing with the MMC. The MMC has run at several different tracks and in 2020 and it was a guest at two different NMCA events. In 2021, the MMC will have a total of six races: three with the NMCA, and the others will be run as a part of the F.A.S.T. series.

“It’s been pretty awesome to see MotorCity Muscle Challenge become part of the racing landscape. I love it when I’m sitting in the grandstands and see spectators with a MotorCity Muscle Challenge shirt, hoodie or ball cap walk by. Like Kevin Costner said in Field of Dreams… ‘If you build it, they will come’,” McGowan says.

If you’re interested in doing some heads-up N/A racing with the MotorCity Muscle Challenge racers check out the organization’s website right here. You’ll find the MMC rules along with contact information if you have any questions.