Jeff Miller Ready To Debut Bumblebee 2.0 At The Sweet 16

Finding the bleeding edge in Radial vs The World racing is what has pushed the class so far in such a short amount of time — the problem is when you get there, progression in the class stops. Jeff Miller found the limits of his Camaro known as Bumblebee,  so he has rolled out a fresh new version of the car.

Bumblebee 2.0 is ready to sting the competition at the Sweet 16 this weekend in Radial vs The World.

Miller has been racing Bumblebee for nearly a decade, and it spent part of its time in Radial vs The World trim. After running every boosted combination available and pushing the Camaro as hard as he could, Miller ran into a wall — Bumblebee had maxed out its potential on performance and it was time for a change if he wanted to be a player in the class.

“This new build came about because of the opportunity to purchase the chassis and the fact that we’ve always wanted to run a smaller car that’s more aerodynamic. The old Bumblebee is still way overweight for Radial vs The World even with the screw blower rules in place. This new car is 12-inches narrower and over 400 pounds lighter. We’re looking forward to taking advantage of the better aero and a more competitive weight for the class,” Miller says.

The new Bumblebee began life as a Jerry Bickel Race Cars machine that had been crashed. Miller was able to pick up the chassis for a good deal and began the rehabilitation process. He also updated the body to the newer and smaller 2017 model. Sticking out of the hood is 526 cubic-inches of Honeycutt Engines and Machine Hemi-power with a PSI screw blower on top that’s controlled by a Holley EFI system. Behind the engine is a Neal Racing Transmission two-speed TH400 transmission and ProTorque lock-up torque converter. Putting the power to the ground and new to the car is a full set of QA1 shocks.

At the Sweet 16 Miller wants to reach the 3.60s with the Bumblebee 2.0, and based on the initial testing he thinks that’s very possible.

“We really want to see how far we can push this new car with our combination. The original Bumblebee is nine years old and was built to run a 4.70s class — it wasn’t built to do what we have been trying to make it do. This new car is closer to being a purpose-built radial-tire car. We’re working with a new shock company and our engine builder is trying a new program to see what it can do. It’s a new engine program but it’s not new parts. With this new car, we’re able to keep the front end down a lot easier than the old car and that alone is going to really help us,” Miller says.

The new Bumblebee is going to be set up for Radial vs The World duty a majority of the time but Miller might also sneak in some Pro Modified races, as well. Since the car is so much lighter he also plans on taking a swing at the 275 radial-tire record again, too. Don’t think the original Bumblebee is going to be put out to pasture, though, as Miller is still trying to sort out what he wants to do with the car.

“The old Bumblebee is still around … we’re thinking about putting the steel body on it and run some no-prep with it. We’ve had some ideas but we just can’t really decide what to do. I don’t want to sell it … Patrick and I built it so it’s got some sentimental value,” Miller explains.

Radial vs The World could have another member of the 3.60 club this weekend at the Sweet 16. Make sure you check out the Bumblebee website and Facebook page to follow the team’s progress at the Sweet 16 or purchase the pay per view right here.

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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