It seems like not a day goes by without us getting wind of more and more racers taking the plunge and ordering an NMRA class-legal sealed Coyote Stock engine. Oklahoma’s Andy Johnson is one of those racers – he competed in the Pure Street class back in 2002-03, but stopped racing for a variety of reasons. We heard he took the plunge for a Coyote Stock engine and caught up with him to discuss his plans.

Dragzine: Why Coyote Stock ?

Andy Johnson: For a long time I’ve wanted to get back into some sort of heads-up format and have always been a naturally aspirated guy. I knew that no matter what I built, it was going to have a third pedal in the car. I was looking at Mean Street for a long time and even toyed with the idea of doing something in the new NA 10.5 class but my wallet isn’t fat enough. I was talking with my friend and chassis builder Mike Duffy about Coyote Stock and we both like the idea of everyone having the same sealed engine. No weight break for this cylinder head, this number of cubic inches, or that style transmission. It is truly a driver and chassis tuner class. And most of all it is heads up racing – no break outs here.

DZ: What sorts of challenges do you expect to meet ?

AJ: It’s been at least 8 or 9 years since I’ve done any form of serious drag racing and I’ll need copious amounts of seat time, as well as practice staging the car. A lot of the guys in the NMRA series are experienced veterans and I’ll definitely have my work cut out for me.  I anticipate a lengthy learning curve with the diaphragm clutch. Fortunately for me, technology has changed, and as Pure Street racer Jimmy Wilson reminded me, lots of others have paved the way in this department. Unlike before, I have a better budget and more time for the R&D it will take to get the clutch package correct.

Andy is quick to mention the unquestioning support from his wife Sandee, along with the assistance he’s gotten from many friends and folks in the industry; legendary chassis builder Mike Duffy, Roger Arens, Chris Uratchko, Jimmy Wilson, and Stephen Johnson. In addition, he mentioned that Coyote Stock reigning champion Joe Charles was instrumental in talking him into making this commitment – just yesterday he dumped $10,000 into parts including the spec engine, control pack, and a number of other components that will be needed for the build. The car should be entering Mike Duffy Race Cars within the next two months for a 2014 debut. This class just keeps heating up!