CP Sportsman

SPARCO AND OPTIMA BATTERIES STEP UP FOR THE ‘FLINGS

IHRA ANNOUNCES TELEVISION PACKAGE WITH ESPN

NHRA LUCAS OIL EVENTS TO AIR ON FOX SPORTS 1 AND FOX SPORTS 2

ENCORE - REMEMBERING THE WAYNE COUNTY OPEL

10-22-07opel.jpgIn a never-ending search for the proverbial “unfair advantage,” racers have chased speed secrets since the sport began. No matter how well they’re running, everyone knows a trick engine combination, aerodynamic advance, soft weight break, or even a simple loophole in the rules can keep them a step ahead of the rest.
 
If ever there was a case of applying those principles and succeeding, the Opel GT campaigned by the Wayne County Speed Shop in the late 1970s and early ‘80s fits the bill. The car’s existence and success is a classic case of looking at the rules for a given class and building a better drag racing mousetrap for it.
 
“We were probably the first people to look at the class and say, ‘If you built the right car, you could beat a lot of people,’” Wayne County’s Mike Sullivan said.
 
The result was a Modified and Competition Eliminator standard-bearer that delivered 11 NHRA national event wins, a class championship, and numerous divisional meets into the hands of Dave Hutchens, the late Larry Kopp, and Todd Patterson between 1979 and 1987. This at a time when those eliminators featured heavy hitters like Cotton Perry, Garley Daniels, Terry Hoard, Coonce and Clark, Paul Mercure, Danny Townsend, and many more.
 
Sullivan, who built the team’s cars, didn’t necessarily have to go a different route to rise to the top. The ’23 Ford B/Street Roadster he and driver/engine builder Dave Hutchens were running at the time was already a national event winner in Modified.

TESTING RACEPAK'S NEW HEART RATE MONITOR

BME INTRODUCES DRAG RADIAL CONTINGENCY PROGRAM

 

OLD MODIFIED CORVETTE STILL BANGS THE GEARS

It was their car, and when the title is in your name – you can do most anything you want.

Let the record reflect, the car they chose to cut up and then rebuild into a race car was a 1966 Corvette Stingray hardtop convertible.

This unpardonable sin was committed in 1978.

NEW PRODUCT: HOLLEY EXPANDS MR. GASKET CHROME ALUMINUM WATER PUMP LINEUP

 

Holley Performance Products has expanded its Mr. Gasket Chrome Aluminum Water Pump line, which complements the other chrome accessories in any engine compartment for a true show-car look. Developed specifically for Big Block and Small Block Chevys for both short- and long-style applications, they're lightweight, with dual mounting-bolt patterns to accommodate both early and late model engines.

NEW PRODUCTS: STROKER CRANK AND ROD KIT FROM LUNATI

 

The Voodoo® 383 Stroker Crank and Rod Kit from Lunati® combines high-quality components with an affordable price. Each kit includes a 3.750"-stroke Lunati crankshaft, 6.000"-long “stroker” H-beam connecting rods, and premium main and rod bearings.

NEW PRODUCTS: NEW LIGHTWEIGHT STEERING COLUMN FROM IDIDIT

 

ididit, in collaboration with Detroit Speed, has developed a new, innovative light weight steering column called the Pro-Lite. Take the Pro-Lite on the track, off-road or to any other competition and know you’ll never sacrifice function for performance. Coming in under 6 pounds, the Pro-Lite is half the weight of a standard ididit column and is potentially an even greater weight savings compared to typical OE columns.

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