The Camaro you’re looking at can lay claim to some pretty significant barrier-breaking performances in the world of LS-engine racing. Most notably among them, being the first stock-suspension LS-powered car in the seven-second range. Now, Steven Fereday and Josh Leford, co-owners of LateModel Racecraft, have set their sights on breaking another significant barrier with the Camaro: becoming the first (legal) drag radial-equipped car in the 4.0 second range. 

Power for the LateModel Missile will come in spades by way of a ProLine Racing Engines Stage 3 481X mill and a pair of 98mm Precision Turbo & Engineering turbos — a combo conservatively estimated to produce 4,000 horsepower. Of course, all the power in the world is useless if you can’t get it to the pavement, and that’s where LMR has a secret weapon in tuning wizard Josh Ledford. Fereday and Ledford have worked as a cohesive unit pushing LMR’s aging twin-turbo Firehawk well into the 4.30 range, and now the duo plan to make a legitimate run at the 4.0 radial barrier with their Camaro.

The chassis itself is undergoing a massive overhaul at Rick Stevens Race Cars, where it will be updated to a 25.3-certification and receive a full complement of carbon fiber to ensure the team can “get SUPER light” according to Ledford. “We’re expecting to be able to weigh 2,700 pounds with Steven in the car”, Ledford predicts. The Camaro will wear all carbon fiber body panels except rear quarters, and will even feature carbon fiber floors to help with the all-important weight savings. Josh and Steven also plan to swap the radials for ten-five tires at times so they can run some true 10.5 races and even anticipate doing some grudge racing occasionally.

With this combination of ProLine power and light weight coupled with Fereday’s driving skill and Ledford’s tuning capabilities, expect LMR to be squarely in the race to 4.0’s when No Mercy 5 rolls around in September.