Sometimes, a race car carries a whole family’s history on its shoulders. Carlos Sanchez rolled into No Mercy 16 with exactly that – a stunning new FT-700 Powered 1969 Camaro, built as a tribute to his father’s legendary “Parties Over” car from the early ’90s.
This 1969 Camaro is special. Carlos said, “This one has, you know, some sentimental value behind it because we’re bringing back the parties over Sanchez Racing with his original kind of style 69.” But the tribute car is packed with modern firepower: a brand-new Proline 4.9 Hemi, a screaming Harts supercharger, and the latest FuelTech FT700 ECU keeping it all in check. With Jamie Miller handling the tuning, the team was ready to shake down a completely fresh build.
Starting with a totally new car, especially a blown alcohol setup, is never easy. Carlos admitted, “You know, the first one or two times were a little nerve-wracking.” They smartly put the car on the FuelTech hub dyno before hitting the track, a move Carlos highly recommends. He stressed, “Always put it on the hub dyno,” because it helps catch small issues like “fittings coming loose, things that are overlooked when you build a car so quick.” That prep paid off immediately.
With just five passes before eliminations began, the Camaro started showing its potential. Carlos stated, “She’s looking promising,” early on. That turned out to be a massive understatement. The brand-new car shocked everyone by marching through the field, round after round, all the way to the final. Carlos announced, “Made it to the finals. Brand new car. Six passes on the car. Able to make it to the finals.”
They didn’t quite seal the deal, experiencing tire spin in the final round. But Carlos kept it in perspective. “We spun in the finals, but it’s okay,” he said, adding, “It’s a learning curve. It’s only seven passes on the car.” Reaching the final at a major event with a completely new build is a huge win in itself. The debut of this FT-700-powered 1969 Camaro proved the combination is deadly serious right out of the box.
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