Brandon Lewis has driven everything from Top Alcohol Funny Cars all the way to a true 10.5-inch tire car, and no matter what he has raced, he’s been a threat to win. Now, Lewis is set to debut his wild Larry Jeffers built Chevrolet Bel Air at the PDRA Mid-American Indy Showdown in the Pro Extreme class, where he’s ready to shake things up and get a win.
Seeing Lewis behind the wheel of anything fast is really no shock to his friends and family — racing has always been a part of what he does. Dave Lewis, Brandon’s father, started racing in 1968 at the famed Orange County Raceway in California in a front engine dragster, so it was only fitting that Brandon took over the racing duties from his father.
Lewis experienced his first big success in 2009 when he won several events and ultimately was able to secure the Top Alcohol Dragster championship for Division 4 that year. Later, Lewis decided to jump into the door car world and started Outlaw Pro Mod and small tire racing before he got back into a front engine dragster. But, the need to drive a Pro Mod drew him back to doorslammer racing and soon, Lewis was back wheeling a blown Pro Mod in races across the Midwest.
For 2017, Lewis commissioned Larry Jeffers Race Cars to build an immaculate 1957 Chevy Bel Air Pro Mod. Powering the new car is a Miner Brothers engine that uses M5 for fuel, and gets its 65 pounds of boost from a giant PSI C-rotor screw blower that’s 128 percent overdriven. Backing the motor is a Bruno/Lenco combination with a converter from Neal Chance Racing Converters. The timing for the motor comes from a PowerGrid MSD unit with a DMPE Fuel Management System making sure it’s getting plenty of fuel. The finishing touch of the car is an eye-catching wrap from Chris Davis at Kryptonite Kustomz that gives the car a unique look.
Lewis already picked up a win earlier this year at Tulsa Raceway Park so it’s clear their new car is working well. Lewis and his team haven’t competed with the PDRA of late, but they’re confident they have what it takes to go rounds at the Mid-American Indy Showdown.
“The new car is doing what we need it to do and showing some serious potential. It will be great to run with the PDRA since the organization is so racer-friendly,” Lewis says.
The Pro Extreme class attracts so many Pro Mod racers like Lewis because of how close the competition is. “Our car is a great fit for the class since they allow the bigger blowers and other things we use in our combination. The racing is always fast in the PDRA so we will need to be on our game for sure if we want to go rounds,” Lewis explains.
You can see Lewis make his PDRA Pro Extreme debut with this radical Chevy this July 13-15 when the Mid-American Indy Showdown takes over Lucas Oil Raceway. All of the action will be broadcast live RIGHT HERE on SpeedVideo.com all weekend long! This live feed is brought to you by Strange Engineering, Jerry Bickel Race Cars, ProCharger, Royal Purple, Design Engineering, Ronald McDonald House Charities, CV Products, PRW Industries, and Driven Racing Oil.
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