Blicharz To Debut Beautiful 1968 Camaro In Small Tire Pro Stock

When Todd Blicharz was racing in NMCA Super Street more than twenty years ago, he readily relied on the big-block Chevrolet and nitrous kit under the hood of his Chevy II.

But over the years, he began paying attention to naturally aspirated combinations, and how much horsepower they were packing without any aid, and he became increasingly intrigued.

That ramped up when he began helping former NMCA Dart NA 10.5 and current Small Tire Pro Stock racer Jeff Ikard with his racing program.

“In helping Jeff Ikard the past couple of years, I learned a lot about naturally aspirated racing, and I got to know a lot of racers,” said Blicharz, who owns and operates Todd’s Rods in New Market, Alabama. “I was in awe.”

Inspired, Blicharz purchased a car three years ago to set up for naturally aspirated heads-up racing.

“I purchased a 1968 Camaro from a friend of mine,” said Blicharz, whose son, Austin, performs custom upholstery work at his own business, Cross’d Threds, which is next door to Todd’s Rods. “It had been sitting in a field since the late 1970s, and it was in terrible shape. I replaced all of the body panels before dropping the car off with Steve Matukas of Matukas Motorsports for all of the chassis and suspension work. He built a spectacular car, and I painted it.”

Meanwhile, Blicharz purchased a 20-year-old big-block Chevrolet engine that he found online, and turned it over to Huntsville Engine so the team there could work their magic on it.

“The engine was a fiasco, and Huntsville Engine did a great job with it,” said Blicharz. “It has a cast-iron GM block and heads, aluminum intake, and two carburetors by Gary Williams. I also chose a G-Force five-speed and Boninfante clutch, and Steve Matukas mounted the engine and transmission for me.”

Blicharz recently headed to his first test session with the car, and is looking forward to a bit more testing before joining the Small Tire Pro Stock series, which features cars with naturally aspirated combinations that run mid-7s to low-8s in the quarter-mile on Mickey Thompson 29.5X10.5 3062S ET Drag tires. The first Small Tire Pro Stock race of the year is part of Muscle Car Mayhem, March 19-21 at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Georgia.

“It was good to get to test the car for the first time,” said Blicharz. “This is a whole new ballgame for me, and I have a lot to learn, but the naturally aspirated thing is really intriguing to me, and tinkering with combinations really gets my blood going and that is a good thing.”

Blicharz, who is confident he will appreciate the challenge that comes with being competitive with a high-horsepower, naturally aspirated engine, acknowledges the professional polishing and other work performed on the car by Power House Customs, and the help he receives from his son, Austin, as well as Janet Elliott.

“I love doing this, but honestly, all of us Small Tire Pro Stock racers should question our sanity at our next meeting,” said Blicharz, with a laugh. “This is not easy.”

After the race in Georgia, Blicharz hopes to make the remaining five races on this year’s Small Tire Pro Stock tour, including May 22-23 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois, as part of Nostalgia Drag Racing League Route 66 Rockabilly Reunion; July 10-11 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indiana, as part of Nostalgia Drag Racing League Hot Rod Nationals presented by Ray Skillman Automotive Group; August 8-9 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, as part of Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series NHRA North Central Division 3 Divisional Race; September 11-12 at Darana Raceway in Ohio, as part of Nostalgia Drag Racing League World Nostalgia Drags and October 23-25 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, as part of NHRA North Central Divisional Division 3 Fall Classic.

“It is easy to see the extraordinary effort that Todd and his son, Austin, have put into Todd’s car, and how they have gone above and beyond with this build,” said Matukas. “Todd and Austin are meticulous, and the car is absolutely a work of art. I am so excited to be a small part of it, and I am glad to see Todd taking this car to Small Tire Pro Stock, because the class is growing and he will have a high-contending car.”

(Photos courtesy of Austin Blicharz)