CHRIS HOLBROOK SET TO DEBUT NEW WHIPPLE SUPERCHARGED XTREME STREET CAR AT NMCA OPENER

by Jason Reiss    Fri, 2021-03-05 08:29

After several years campaigning in the NMCA's Factory Super Cars class, second-generation Michigan racer and talented engine builder Chris Holbrook is stepping into the Edelbrock Xtreme Street class with a brand-new car in for 2021.

Holbrook, whose proven talents have followed him through a multi-decade career, has competed and set records in IHRA Pro Stock and many other classes, including the Factory Super Cars class. Most recently, that program — which also crossed into NHRA Factory Stock Showdown territory — was based around the 5.0-liter Coyote engine topped with a Whipple 3.0-liter supercharger and earned him the 2020 class record at 7.626 at 183.89 mph during the NMCA World Finals at Indy. Earlier in the season at the US131 event he actually went quicker — 7.565 at 184.35 mph — but did not back it up.

Holbrook is looking for a new challenge; thus, he purchased this chassis from longtime customer Bruce Tronolone and has prepared it to debut at the NMCA's 2021 season opener in Bradenton, Florida. Building engines is his specialty, and over the last several years, the Coyote platform specifically has been a big focus for his Holbrook Racing Engines shop. However, the Factory Super Cars/Factory Stock package's limitations restrained him from showing off the full talents of his team.

In Xtreme Street trim, the New Edge Mustang uses a 329 cubic-inch Holbrook Racing Engines Coyote engine topped with a 3.8-liter Whipple supercharger. Holbrook Racing Engines has treated it to the class-legal tricks, including several race-oriented products that should provide the new engine a significant boost in power over his familiar FSC combination. "It's exciting since we can do things with this combination that we couldn't do with the Factory Stock program. It's nice to be able to find more horsepower within the rules. We can run any pulley combination, aluminum rods, a dry-sump oiling system, a bigger throttle body, any camshaft lift we want — it's open versus Factory Stock. The record is a 4.52, and I'm hoping we can claim that. You have to shoot for the moon," says Holbrook.

Holbrook looked at the FSC rules at 3,500 pounds, noted the differences of this new combination and class along with its prescribed 3,200-pound race weight, and believes those differences combined with the performance of the new combo will be enough to propel him to the top of the heap.

"We ended up going a 4.90 with that [the Factory Stock combo], so I think that we should be able to do pretty good with this," he said. The chassis, built by Team Z Motorsports in Michigan, has the latest and greatest class-legal parts underneath, but Holbrook will step away from the norm in one area and use 28x10.5-inch slicks from sponsor Hoosier Racing Tires instead of the class-favorite Mickey Thompson ET Street radial tire.

"I think we can outrun those radials, so it's going to be interesting to see what we can do with a bias-ply in a radial class. I think we can make it work," he says.

Other changes that will take time for him to get used to include a transbrake — which was not legal in Factory Super Cars — along with front-exit headers.

Holbrook is also receiving support from Weldon Racing Pumps and BigStuff3 and will be using the company's Gen IV engine management system to control the new engine combination.

While there will be new-car bugs to work out, Holbrook also says that nerves will also come into play for him until he gets comfortable in the new program.

"There are a lot of things that are different on it. Until I get in the car and make the first pass, I'll be a little nervous because of the newness of it. If you don't get nervous, then you're not human," he says.

To see that the human element still affects the psyche of a racer who has attained many records and has several championships to his credit is fascinating and a testament to the myriad of challenges faced by champion drag racers.

 

 

 
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