Aeromotive Fuel Systems founder and president Steve Matusek hoped to be racing in the NHRA Pro Mod series by now.

Instead, he’s still waiting for a new 500-cubic-inch Pro Stock-style motor to come from the Roush-Yates fold of NASCAR fame.

“I was talking to George Gable, the general manager over at Yates, and he said they have Justin Humphreys’ motor on the dyno now and we’re next in line,” Matusek says. “They’ve started on the block and heads and are working on it right now.

“We’re hoping that by October, maybe the end of September, we could get that new engine into the car and start testing with it. And you know how it goes, if we get out there and feel we can be competitive with it we’ll definitely take advantage of that and race it by the end of the year.”

Aeromotive Fuel Systems founder and president Steve Matusek hoped to be racing in the NHRA Pro Mod series by now.

Instead, he’s still waiting for a new 500-cubic-inch Pro Stock-style motor to come from the Roush-Yates fold of NASCAR fame.

“I was talking to George Gable, the general manager over at Yates, and he said they have Justin Humphreys’ motor on the dyno now and we’re next in line,” Matusek says. “They’ve started on the block and heads and are working on it right now.

“We’re hoping that by October, maybe the end of September, we could get that new engine into the car and start testing with it. And you know how it goes, if we get out there and feel we can be competitive with it we’ll definitely take advantage of that and race it by the end of the year.”

But with a brand-new, double-frame rail 2010 Mustang built by Larson Race Cars ready to roll in his shop, Matusek and his Lenexa, Kansas-based team want to go racing now.

“So we made the decision to change direction and adjust the chassis to put our Mod motor in and enter the car in Comp because we feel like we have some unfinished business with the Mod motor,” he says.

Last year’s 322-cubic-inch Modular engine carried a pair of 80-millimeter turbos, but with no turbo size limitation in the Comp class, Matusek and crew are going up in size this time around.

“The car was built for the 500-inch platform and that package allows for 91-millimeter turbos. We already made the tailpipes to come out of those turbos and we’re really trying to incorporate the tailpipes into a ‘zoomie’ type look. So once all that work was done, it was all tied to the new turbos with the V-band clamps and everything else and the changeover of turbos would’ve meant a lot more fabrication, so we’re going to try to run the same 91-millimeter turbos with the Mod motor that we were going to use for the Pro Mod configuration,” he explains.

Current plans call for some brief testing before entering the NHRA Div. 5 race at Heartland Park Topeka late in August, then the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis the first week of September. Matusek emphasized, however, he’ll be making the switch back to the car’s intended NHRA Pro Mod configuration as soon as possible after the Rousch-Yates piece arrives.

And though Matusek remains a strong supporter of the ADRL series, he does not foresee entering any of their races with his new car. Between the eighth-mile race distance, no minimum weight rule and turbos relegated to the ADRL’s cut-throat Pro Extreme class, it’s practically impossible to build a car that can race competitively in both series, he says.

“With everything that goes into building a turbo car, it’s tough to even get those cars to NHRA weight, let alone as light as those ADRL cars,” he points out. “When you’re giving up three-hundred pounds, especially in an eighth-mile format, it’s very difficult to compete.

“The other thing with us is that we look at the rules package and we build to beyond whatever it calls for. I mean, we’re putting titanium shields in this car behind the roll cage and behind the driver’s compartment and we build the car absolutely as safe as possible, but when you do that you add weight to it. For instance, some guys only run one fire bottle and we won’t do that; I mean, my safety and my life is more important than any race, so we’re just not going to go there.”

Matusek was forced to the sidelines by injury for most of 2009 and this year he’s been helping his daughters and friends with their racing, including 21-year-old Amanda, who’s currently sixth in NHRA Div. 5 AA/SA points and her friend Katie Peters in an Aeromotive-backed 5.4L Cobra Jet-powered Super Comp dragster.

“It’s been fun being able to spend time with them and focus on that, but now I’m getting the itch to get back out there myself,” Matusek says. “The car will probably just be in black primer at first, but we’re just looking forward to getting it out there and having some fun.”