Bil Clanton is following in his father’s tire tracks with the construction of a ’69 Camaro Pro Mod.

Back in the ‘70s, Ralph Clanton and his similarly-bodied “Big Money” ride ruled the roost at outlaw eighth-milers scattered throughout the Southeast before a devastating rollover accident at Winston County (AL) Dragstrip put a premature end to his racing career.

But son Bil (there’s no second “L”), kept the “Big Money” moniker alive, most recently on the familiar, fan-favorite ’53 Studebaker he’s campaigned the last eight years or so from his Rome, Georgia, base.

“The Studebaker is for sale,” Clanton declared less than a week after winning an outlaw Pro Mod race with it Nov. 6, at Emerald Coast Dragway in Holt, Florida. “It’s time for a change. We just need something lighter and a little more aerodynamic.”

Bil Clanton is following in his father’s tire tracks with the construction of a ’69 Camaro Pro Mod.

Back in the ‘70s, Ralph Clanton and his similarly-bodied “Big Money” ride ruled the roost at outlaw eighth-milers scattered throughout the Southeast before a devastating rollover accident at Winston County (AL) Dragstrip put a premature end to his racing career.

But son Bil (there’s no second “L”), kept the “Big Money” moniker alive, most recently on the familiar, fan-favorite ’53 Studebaker he’s campaigned the last eight years or so from his Rome, Georgia, base.

“The Studebaker is for sale,” Clanton declared less than a week after winning an outlaw Pro Mod race with it Nov. 6, at Emerald Coast Dragway in Holt, Florida. “It’s time for a change. We just need something lighter and a little more aerodynamic.”

A brand-new Hairy Glass body was delivered to Clanton’s race shop just last week and he plans to start bending and welding pipe very soon in order to have the new car ready for next spring. He cautions not to expect a titanium-filled featherweight, however.

“I may do some small parts like the pedals, but I can’t afford a lot of that stuff. We’ll just do the best we can.”

A three-time winner in the ADRL’s Pro Extreme class, Clanton said, “if we can get it light and fast enough,” he plans to enter the new Camaro in two or three ADRL events next year.

“We definitely won’t run the whole circuit, just the races that aren’t too far away that we don’t have to fly in and can drive to,” he said. “Other than that we’ll run that Southern Outlaw Tour deal and whatever other outlaw races they have here in the South.”

As far as replicating the Stude’s distinctive look, all Clanton could confirm is that the new car would be “similar” in appearance, giving longtime fans something familiar to look forward to.

“We’re working on the design now. I know it’ll be red, white and blue, and have the bird on it somewhere,” he said. “And it’ll still be ‘Big Money,’ we can’t ever get rid of that.

“And you never know, we may go back to the Studebaker later on,” he added. “I’ve got a spare body here that I can cut up and do some work on to design a different car. I’ve just got to get this new one built first.”

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