The Horsepower Wars $10K Shootout is a competition where teams square off to see who can build the fastest drag car in 10 days with only $3,000 in cash and $7,000 in Summit Racing credit. We’ve had applicants from ALL over the country vying to see who would make it into the final list. And that has now happened.

This interesting and innovative competition has been made possible by some of the leading companies in our industry: Royal Purple, Comp Cams, TCI Transmissions, Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels, E3 Spark Plugs, Fragola, Diablosport, Mahle Motorsports, DynaBatt, ProCharger, Weld Racing, ARP, BMR Suspension, QA1, and of course, Summit Racing.

Today, we present the second team that comprises the final 10 runners for the Horsepower Wars $10K Drag Shootout.

Team Name: Redline Renegade Warriors
Driver: Dominic Friguglietti
Hometown: Bloomington, Illinois
Crew: Matt Bell, Chuck Burkhart, Greg Levey, Brian Edwards, Dominic Friguglietti

Our second finalist, Matt Bell’s name should be a familiar one to small-tire drag racing followers around the nation — the Illinois native has made his mark on the sport over the last decade, campaigning competitive and winning machines in NMRA Drag Radial, MX235, and most recently, Limited Drag Radial. The self-made business owner pilots one of the quickest LDR cars in the nation, and owns and tunes one of 235/8.5-inch tire racing’s quickest machines that’s piloted by $10K Drag Shootout teammate Brian Edwards.

This team’s successes as builders, fabricators, and tuners speaks for itself, but do they have what it takes to make the final three and ultimately, come out on top in this unique build-off?

Read more about Bell, Edwards, and their Redline Motorsports crew:

HW: Tell us a little about yourself

I am a hands-on business owner that enjoys racing and cars. I own a Ziebart franchise in which we do window tinting, detailing, Rhino linings, and truck and car accessories, and then I also own Redline Motorsports which is the performance side; with that I tune multiple cars all over the country. I am the largest independent Holley EFI dealer and race two competitive heads-up cars. One is in the Limited Drag Radial class and has been 4.14 at 190 mph with a 555-inch big-block Chevy and twin 88mm turbos at 3,360 pounds on a 295/60/15 M/T radial. The other is an MX235 car driven by my good friend Brian Edwards that we race in the MX235 class and has been 4.58 a 162 mph on 26 x 8.5-inch slicks at 3,150 pounds. I really enjoy working with lots of power and limited traction … that is what I really like to do.

I started racing index and bracket racing back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, then in 2007 I ended up purchasing an NMRA Drag Radial car and started heads-up racing. I was hooked and have never turned back. I won my first race in 2008 at Bowling Green while racing NMRA Drag Radial.

HW: Tell us about your team and their capabilities, experience, and background

I feel our team is well versed. We have Chuck Burkhart and Greg Levey who build chassis and cars each day and have years of experience with fabrication and welding. Brian Edwards and Domenic Friguglietti are well versed in engine assembly and overall component selection and mechanical and fabrication to make items fit and work. I myself am the tuner and know my way around the mechanical side, but we work as a well-oiled machine.

HW: What makes you qualified to win the Horsepower Wars $10K Drag Shootout?

We have the drive and motivation and have worked and learned what makes cars fast over the years. We won’t give up until our car is the fastest it possibly can be.

Team leader Matt Bell

HW: Tell us about a car you (and/your team) have built

We have built many cars for customers but our most recent accomplishment that we built from the ground-up with everyone on our team is the Limited Drag Radial car. That started as a shell and within a short time went to being a competitive car, has won several races and holds the third quickest pass in class history. We also have built a third-gen Camaro for Drag Week 2018.

Keep an eye out as we release the next finalist and work our way through the entire lineup of teams that will vie for a shot at this rough-and-tumble build-off!