Old School Cool: David Perkinson’s Jerry Bickel Built 1955 Chevy

The Perkinson Racing team, led by the father and son duo of David and Randy Perkinson, are making old-school cool again with their new 1955 Chevy Bel-Air from Jerry Bickel Race Cars. Going with this iconic body for the build was an easy choice for the Perkinson family as it provides great style, stands out at the track, and will provide a performance advantage.

Jerry Bickel Race Cars was chosen by the Perkinsons to kick off the build process. In the ultra-competitive world of Top Sportsman racing, it’s critical to have a car that can respond, and as Jerry Bickel is known for building some of the best door-slammers in the world, the choice was easy.

According to Randy, after surveying what was in the lanes in terms of body styles, it made the choice of going with the 1955 Chevy an easy one. “I was standing in the staging lanes with dad at Capital Raceway and we were just looking at all the cars in the lanes. We counted 17 Camaros and we decided the new car had to be different than everything else.”

The new car will be powered by 825 cubic-inches of Buck Racing Engines power. The 5.3-inch bore space engine uses a Dart billet block and heads with four stages of Switzer Dynamics nitrous providing the added power. An M&M Transmission TH400 and non-lockup torque converter will rest behind the engine. For electronics, the ’55 Chevy will use a K&R Pro Cube delay box and MSD Grid system. The highly-detailed paint job was laid down by Jeff Hoskins.

When the Bickel-built carbon fiber Bel-Air rolls into the lanes in PDRA Top Sportsman trim it will be supported by the Perkins Racing family once again. Randy’s wife and children help with the operation and receive assistance from his cousin Buddy and crewman Robby Langord. Car owner David handles all of the chassis setup. On the engine tuning side of things, Randy will receive additional help from Pro Nitrous standout Chris Rini.

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About the author

Brian Wagner

Spending his childhood at different race tracks around Ohio with his family’s 1967 Nova, Brian developed a true love for drag racing. Brian enjoys anything loud, fast, and fun.
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