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Once the buck for each component was carved, molds were splashed and parts created, Haas and his crew built the first example (Larry Morgan's car), which then went to the brand-new AAWT (Aero and Acoustic Wind Tunnel) at Auburn Hills before going to work.

The first Stratus body is being mounted by Jerry Haas' crew in St. Louis. This side view shows the configuration of the mold for the entire body.

Jerry Haas employee John DeFlorian (shown here) was instrumental in the design and proper assembly of the Stratus Pro Stockers

To date, the Stratus Pro Stock has not won a major event, though Allen Johnson's car qualified at its debut in Houston. Gene Wilson's machine was part of the quickest Pro Stock field in history at Englishtown. The biggest challenge in the ultra-competitive class

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is the time needed to adapt a new chassis to existing set-ups, and the fact that some of the engines from other makes have recently benefited from better top end horsepower. To that end, only Wilson's Stratus was racing at Englishtown while the teams sorted out horsepower issues with the tried and true Neons. Nonetheless, the Neon will be legally outdated by the end of the 2003 season, so the teams will be working hard to get the Stratus models into winning form.

"We believe that we were equal to or better then everything out there aerodynamically with the Stratus," states DeKoninck in conclusion. That fact should have a big bearing on who is in the winner's circle when the smoke clears.

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