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The popular U.S. Street Nationals in Bradenton, Florida kicks off our year-long same day coverage here on Dragzine with three action-packed days of heads-up racing action, and once again it’s all brought to you by the fine folks at Comp Cams!
There seems to be a large number of red Chevelles at the US Nationals. Chad Opaleski’s boasts a 541-in Hemi with a ProCharger F3 up front. The US Nationals is the 4th race out with the car, and his best time today was a 4.32 at 181 mph. “I’m slowly creeping up on it” Chad says.
If we need a bugout vehicle while at Bradenton, we’re jumping in Dean Vallese’s Zombie Wagon. Dean runs a 588-in big block Chevy with an Induction Solutions nitrous system on the car. He’s competing in X275 this weekend.
We witnessed more than one car come out of the burnout, and just stop running. Drivers held their hands up in befuddlement, and for Billy ‘Ticket Taker’ Driscoll, his beautiful Fox GT suffered the same fate. As of Friday night Driscoll feared the worse, thinking he had broken the crank. Go Pats!
This was Paul Major’s engine compartment when the day started. Unfortunately, as of Saturday night, the engine was out of the car, and in pieces.
Kevin Neil’s Pro Drag Radial Mustang boasts a BES-built big block Chevy on the spray with a Bradco 2-speed Turbo 400. The car made good use of its TRZ-prepped chassis on the last pass of the day.
Bryan Marrow brings a little bit of a different body style to Pro Drag Radial with his ’79 Camaro. He also brings quite a bit of power thanks to a FIG Performance Racing Engines-built bullet with a ProCharger F3 on board.
Scott Husted’s Fox couldn’t decide what it wanted to do during Friday’s test session. Scott says the car either wanted to spin, or go up on the bumper. Unfortunately, when it came back to earth he thinks it might’ve bent the driver side front lower control arm in the process.
One of the most detailed cars at the US Nationals is Rob Briscoe’s Nova. An arrow-straight body with clean lines, and a 632-in Chevy big block under the hood on the bottle – doesn’t get much nicer. Briscoe and the crew were checking the car’s transmission Friday night after the day’s test session.
If you read our news item on Jared Johnston’s Fox coupe you remember us mentioning the car developed a gremlin towards the end of 2014. During Friday’s test session, it appears Jared and the crew have that problem licked with a couple stout passes to end the day.
