Following a hiatus through the mid part of the 2021 season that saw it undergo a number of refinements, Dragzine’s Project BlownZ28 is back on the track in full force and proving the competitiveness of its Pro Line Racing “RED” engine combination.

After its grand coming-out at the Street Car Super Nationals (SCSN) in Las Vegas in the fall of 2020, BlownZ28 debuted in Limited Drag Radial (LDR) a season ago at Lights Out 12 in South Georgia, carding a number of strong 4.0-second laps in the very tough Limited Drag Radial class. A few weeks later, in absolutely prime atmospheric conditions — as in negative density altitude numbers — the car clicked off its first (and still only) 3-second run with a 3.95 at DuckX Productions’ Sweet 16. From there, the car spent some time on the sidelines as our team, in concert with Pro Line Racing, worked to increase the horsepower and improve the efficiency and durability of the big-block “RED” engine; new cylinder heads were developed, as well as a new camshaft. As always, some challenges were presented and overcome during this tireless R&D process, and when you want to do something right, with a vision to the future and not the immediate, you don’t rush it.

The car came back together last fall just in time to make some laps with the new and improved combo at SCSN, where it returned to form with a best elapsed time of 4.14 and was a definite contender for the Xtreeme Drag Radial crown before weather interrupted the conclusion of the race. Much the same fate riddled its 2022 debut, as the U.S. Street Nationals at Florida’s Bradenton Motorsports Park in January was “frozen out” before its completion. BlownZ28 did, however, clock a 4.08 there in testing.

And so Lights Out 13 was really the team’s first true crack at things in LDR trim and at East coast altitude and late-winter East coast conditions. Entered in two classes so we could get more runs under our belt, BlownZ28 crept its way back into the 4-teens and even the 4-oh’s, qualifying 19th in Radial vs The World at 4.076, and 21st in LDR with a little slower 4.137 at 181.01 mph. 

Both the car and the driver turned up the wick in eliminations, though.

After a 4.15 in round one, BlownZ28 went 4.047 in a round two win that was made possible by a huge .035 to .098 holeshot that allowed us to hold off Neil Hawkins’ much quicker 3.988 by the slimmest of margins. The weekend came to a close in the third round, however, on a red light to Eddie Harrison. But, the silver lining was the car proved the 4.04 was no fluke and that consistency had been found, as it went 4.033 in the loss.

BlownZ28 was, surprisingly, the only centrifugal blower car in LDR at Lights Out 13 — a fact potentially a result of less-than-favorable weight requirements for the combination. The PLR “RED” and ProCharger combination has proven it can deliver a lot of power — 2,830 horses to the wheels on a hub dyno — but weighs in 150-pounds heavier than other combinations making very comparable if not equal horsepower. Thus it indeed proves a challenge both in great conditions and on hot, greasy days. But it’s not a challenge were’ willing to give up on.

The team will return to action at the Sweet 16 and follow that up at the FuelTech Radial Outlaws race at Alabama International Dragway in April, and based on points standings in each, determine to chase one, the other, or both series for the remainder of 2022. We’ll have more updates on all of that and more in the coming weeks and months!