Drag Radial Racers

Words and photos by Ian Tocher
11/26/03

Drag Racing Online recently had the chance to check out a few Drag Radial entries and quickly realized that beyond the BF Goodrichs on the rear wheels, there's a great deal of variety in this class. With single- and dual-stage nitrous systems, superchargers, and turbos in evidence, it was evident the choice of power adder wasn't the deciding factor in this class -- it's all about the tires.

"The tire is the limiting factor," the National Muscle Car Association's Patrick Budd explained. "It doesn't matter how much power you have, with no four-links, ladder bars, or wheelie bars allowed, it's back to who can tune the whole package the best instead of just who builds the most horsepower."

Making the class even more appealing to hard-core fans and racers, it's a heads-up, no-breakout contest of reaction times, hard launches, and top-end speed. It makes for an interesting show. Here's a quick look at a few of the entries at the Inaugural Drag Radial Shootout presented Nov. 14-15, by Jones Racing Enterprises at the eighth-mile Brainerd Optimist Dragway, near Ringgold, GA.

Owner: Richie Stine Hometown: Woodsboro, MD Car: 1971 Chevelle Color: Teal/white stripes Weight: 3,600 lbs Engine builder: Brian Roche Carb/Intake: Holley 1400 cfm/Dart Heads: Dart 360-degrees Cam: Comp Cams Roller Pistons/Rods: J&E/Lunati Oiling: Melling Ignition: MSD Digital 7 Headers/mufflers: Lemons/Flowmaster Transmission builder: F&B Performance

Torque converter: Pro Torque Shifter: TCI Differential: Ford 9-inch Rear gear ratio: 3.89:1 Chassis builder: R. Stine Brakes: Wilwood Wheels/tires: AlumaStar/BFG Interior: Stock Color: Black Gauges: Auto Meter Chute: Deist Best ET/speed: First day out with car; qualified #9 with 5.987 at 123.05 mph