The recent five second runs by Jim Halsey and Mike Castellana might just be scratching the surface of the newfound performance increases by nitrous doorslammers, this according to their respective engine builders. Gene Fulton and David Reher admit newfound gains in the five-inch bore spaced, nitrous-injected engines will quickly propel the bottle rockets through the 5.9-second realm and into the 5.80s at a rapid rate.

According to Fulton, engine builder for Halsey, the 5.80s are already in the bag and if the season were one month longer, we’d see them.

“Nitrous Pro Modified still has piece to go and it can go quite a bit further,” Fulton added. “It’s just a matter whether there are people mechanically inclined enough to make it happen and people financed enough.” Drag racing’s leading nitrous engine builders say 5.80 runs on the horizon ...

The recent five second runs by Jim Halsey and Mike Castellana might just be scratching the surface of the newfound performance increases by nitrous doorslammers, this according to their respective engine builders. Gene Fulton and David Reher admit newfound gains in the five-inch bore spaced, nitrous-injected engines will quickly propel the bottle rockets through the 5.9-second realm and into the 5.80s at a rapid rate.

According to Fulton, engine builder for Halsey, the 5.80s are already in the bag and if the season were one month longer, we’d see them.

“Nitrous Pro Modified still has piece to go and it can go quite a bit further,” Fulton added. “It’s just a matter whether there are people mechanically inclined enough to make it happen and people financed enough.”

Reher added, the 5.80s will be high numbers and beyond that point, gains will likely return to those of the past in steady small increments.

“It’s not going to be deep in the 5.80s,” Reher explained. “These advances come slow. I am saying high 5.80s; you might see freak conditions and see something different. We aren’t going to just bomb our way through there. The power curve is going to get flatter. A lot of times the chassis and other things have to be evaluated. E.T. is gained in other places other than just the engine. There’s gearing, transmissions and clutches and the overall way the power is applied. All of that has to be learned. Each time you take a step forward, it gets tougher. It’s going to go from walking on a sidewalk to walking on a razor blade in terms of tolerance.”

The level of the increase will also determine on the amount of competition. The more the better as far as Reher is concerned.

“They’ll just beat on each other,” Reher added. “The better they run, the more people will push each other.