Massive Monte

text and photos by Jeff Burk

Maybe it is because the “footbrake” cars generally run for less money than the electronics classes or that there used to be a lot of slower cars running in these classes, but whatever the reason, the cars that participate in “footbrake” racing sometimes are viewed as second class. But that view couldn’t be more wrong. As proof of that we want to introduce you to Alan Whittaker and his massive 1972 Monte Carlo.

Alan’s Monte is one of the DRO staff’s favorite cars. You see, it is regularly street driven with mufflers and real! D.O.T. street tires on all four corners, an automatic trans and it will run low tens at over 130 mph. And this land barge weighs in at a portly 3800+ pounds.

Alan is a member of the Whiteland, Indiana gang that includes Mustang racer and engine builder Billy Glidden. Most of the members of that “gang” can be found competing in the street classes of NMCA and NSRA where, in many cases, delay boxes are barred and the racing is heads-up.

Whittaker’s Monte was a regular on the Hot Rod / NMCA tour in 1999 competing in the Factory Street class where it ran a best of 10.17 / 135.95. The Monte ran that number using a Glidden Racing Engines’ single four barrel, 509 inch Chevy crate motor.

Despite its stock appearance both inside and out, the Monte Carlo is definitely a real race car in disguise. The Monte Carlo’s cast iron rat motor makes 706 hp and 824 lbs. of torque burning racing gas.

One of the keys for a successful bracket / street car is getting the horsepower to the ground, especially when using over the counter, treaded BFG P275X60R15 tires! In order to do this Alan and his friend Bill Glidden did what any successful racers do - they tried a lot of different drive train combinations. One of the first changes Whittaker made was to install a ‘glide in place of the three speed turbo 400. Although conventional wisdom says you need the low gear of the three speed to get a heavy car moving, Alan figured out that made the treaded tires just spin, hence the two speed with the higher first gear, which they backed with a 10.5-inch converter.

NMCA rules require a near stock suspension in the factory street class but do allow custom shock absorbers. Alan ended up with 12 way adjustable shocks on all four corners and says they have been very effective. The pair was able to coax steady 1.60 sixty-foot times out of the 3800 lb behemoth. The whole combination is so efficient in preventing wheel spin that Alan was able to race the entire 1999 NMCA season on just one set of the BFG tires.

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