Having a deep love for anything car or racing related often starts at home. Jim Rose grew up in a family that spent time at the dirt track and watched drag racing on television, so his exposure to racing started early in life. That appreciation for racing, and growing up in the musclecar era, left a permanent mark on Rose in a big way. After all these years the passion for racing still burns bright, and Rose’s nine-second 1974 Plymouth Barracuda reflects that.
For Rose, the race track has always been a place to spend time with his family. “I’ve always been into racing, I participated in drag racing as a teenager and helped my older brother with his car when he raced. We loved going to our local track, National Trail Raceway, on the weekends to race his car, but when I got married and had children, they became the priority,” Rose says.
After his kids were old enough, Rose started looking for one of his favorite musclecars, the classic E-Body Barracuda. As luck would have it, his daughter actually assisted in finding his Mopar. “My daughter was in high school at the time and she actually found the car. She knew I was looking around, and a friend’s parents were divorcing, so the car was for sale. It turned out to also be a high school classmate of mine that I hadn’t seen since high school that was selling it,” Rose explains.
Now that Rose had his dream car in his grasp, it was time to start making the Barracuda his own. The car spent time on the streets when Rose first bought it, but the race track’s call was just too loud. Soon, the Mopar would get a roll bar and other go-fast parts for trips down the strip.
Currently, the Barracuda has a 495 cubic inch stoker motor that’s based on a Mopar Performance block. Inside the engine rotates an Eagle crank, Eagle H-beam rods, and Diamond pistons. The top end of the motor features a set of ported Indy Cylinder Head SR heads with T&D 1.6 ratio shaft rockers, a Comp Cams solid roller camshaft, lifters, and pushrods. Air and fuel is mixed inside a Pro Systems SV1 carburetor, then sent into the engine via an Indy Cylinder Head single plane intake manifold.
Rose has laid down a personal best of 9.64 at 138 mph with a 1.28 60-foot at the track. That’s not bad for a car that weighs 3,500 pounds with all the original glass, interior, working windows, and is still street legal.
For Rose, it’s all about having a good time, just like when he was growing up. “I just part-time bracket race for the fun of it. It’s a great stress release and meeting people at the track is truly rewarding.”