The D/D letters on Brian Browell’s NHRA Competition Eliminator dragster obviously signify his class, but they could just as well stand for Doubly Different, since his machine stands out from others in Comp.
Difference No. 1 is the engine – a Chevy V-6. Difference No. 2 – a five-speed transmission. Put the two together in a 2008 McKinney chassis, and Browell’s 1,340-pound machine is the only D/D in NHRA racing. A few other Comp dragster racers run V-6s, but with automatics.
Browell, 55, a Lafayette, Indiana resident since 1987, likes the exclusivity. “The V-6 is unique, and we like to do something that’s a little different,” he said. “I run a clutch car because I’m old school and hard core, so to me a racecar needs to have a clutch.”
The D/D letters on Brian Browell’s NHRA Competition Eliminator dragster obviously signify his class, but they could just as well stand for Doubly Different, since his machine stands out from others in Comp.
Difference No. 1 is the engine – a Chevy V-6. Difference No. 2 – a five-speed transmission. Put the two together in a 2008 McKinney chassis, and Browell’s 1,340-pound machine is the only D/D in NHRA racing. A few other Comp dragster racers run V-6s, but with automatics.
Browell, 55, a Lafayette, Indiana resident since 1987, likes the exclusivity. “The V-6 is unique, and we like to do something that’s a little different,” he said. “I run a clutch car because I’m old school and hard core, so to me a racecar needs to have a clutch.”
Ever since Browell began racing in 1981 in his native Canada, he has run stick-shift dragsters. His first, a C/D with a straight-6 Chevy, was purchased from Californian Rich Koerner. In 1984-86 the car was raced with Georgians Jim Headrick and Cotton Perry. With Headrick’s engine and Perry’s driving, the team won the Springnationals in Ohio and Le Grandnational in Canada back to back in 1985.
Browell, with five career national-event wins and eight runner-ups, resumed driving in 1987, the same year he switched to a V-6 because Chevrolet promoted the engine and in-line parts were hard to obtain. Chevrolet gave Browell heads and blocks.
At the 1993 U.S. Nationals Browell’s pit was visited by the legendary Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, who told Browell his carburetion set-up of a Dominator and a half never would work. “But, we made it work, and that’s what’s on the car today,” he said.
That interaction led to Browell putting a Jenkins engine between the rails. The 264-inch bullet, which is zipped to 10,300 RPM, puts out 700 horsepower that has resulted in a best time of 7.10 at 185 and 7.17/184.04 national records on a 7.79 class index.
Working with Jenkins and his staff nearly 20 years has been “an excellent arrangement,” Browell said. “Whenever they tell me something they give out no false numbers or false hope so you don’t have to go to the track wondering what it is.”
Completing the drivetrain are an East West Engineering clutch, Liberty transmission, and Indy Gears 5.38 rearend. Those components and everything else on the dragster are massaged by Browell and his wife Debbie. “This is not a high-maintenance car, but we still spend a lot of time staying on top of things and doing prep work before we go to the track,” he said. Such effort resulted in 2010 as Browell’s best year by placing fifth in national points and winning his first Division 3 season title.
Browell’s stick car showcases one of his two Lafayette businesses, Browell Bellhousing. It produces aluminum and steel bellhousings and related components for drag racing, tractor pulling, and land-speed competition. Acquired in 2001 from Murf McKinney, the business complements Browell’s Custom Machine Shop, which does fabricating, and CNC milling and turning.
Taking over what Chevrolet discontinued, Browell also manufactures V-6 blocks and heads, which are available to the public. They will be in a new engine of his own next year that could propel his dragster into the 6s.
Thus, Browell’s march to the beat of a different drummer never stops.
