Bruce McConnell And Doug Driggers Run 4s In A 1946 Dodge Truck

Michael Johnson
June 9, 2015

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Drag racing is a car-dominated sport. Trucks, on the whole, aren’t as aerodynamic, and frankly, as cool as many popular cars chosen as drag vehicles. Therefore, when a truck does pull down awesome elapsed times, it’s definitely news-worthy. And when the truck in question is a 1946 Dodge, with the aerodynamic qualities of a closed barn door, one must take notice.

In sports it is said, the tape don't lie. In drag racing, the time slip don't lie, either. A 1.25 short time, combined with a 4.96 at 148 mph  makes for a stout 275 racer.
In sports it is said the tape don’t lie. In drag racing, the time slip don’t lie, either. A 1.25 short time, combined with a 4.96 at 148 mph makes for a stout 275 racer.

Truck owner Bruce McConnell, and driver/builder/tuner Doug Driggers from Arizona Race Company recently made it into the fours at Wild Horse Pass Raceway in Chandler, Arizona. Specifically, the truck ran a 4.96 at 148 mph with a 1.25 short time. That’s quite an accomplishment; one that didn’t happen overnight.

Mopar guys can stop reading now; the all-steel truck benefits from a 400 small block Chevy engine displacing 406-inches with a Precision single turbo, AFR 245cc heads, and a Doug Driggers/Arizona Race Company custom cam, and a Hughes Performance Pro Series Powerglide with the Pro Mod option, 1.58 gear set, and Pro Series billet torque converter. Hughes’ Pro Mod option is a stronger input shaft and wider band offering, capable of supporting 3,000 horsepower.

This pass was made using Mickey Thompson 275/60 drag radials, and the plan is to continue refining the truck down into the 4.60s. Just imagine this truck back east in cool, fall air…it would probably run 4.60s off the trailer.

It takes a lot of power to move this brick through the air, especially at 148 mph in the eighth-mile. A lot of trial and error has paid big dividends in improving the truck's performance. McConnell and Driggers hopes even more fine-tuning results in a further reduction in elapsed times.
It takes a lot of power to move this brick through the air, especially at 148 mph in the eighth-mile. A lot of trial and error has paid big dividends in improving the truck’s performance. McConnell and Driggers hopes even more fine-tuning results in a further reduction in elapsed times.