After years of dedication to motorsports, iconic racer Paul Rossi is looking to give back. Rossi plans to make this impact in drag racing and wants to execute a specific objective.
Rossi wants to flatten the curve holding back drag racing’s youth from getting into the sport once they graduate from Junior Drag Racing. Plus he wants to relive the rush of competing in NHRA Super Stock.
“Motorsports has actually given me everything, all my dreams fulfilled, and now I am going to spend the rest of my time helping people with their dreams,” Rossi, a former high-profile Suoer Stock racer from the 1970s,” Rossi said.
Rossi has enjoyed a close relationship with Chrysler throughout his time in drag racing, enabling him to get his body-in-white Challenger.
Rossi plans to run the car in the Factory Super Stock classifications and mimic his iconic Super Stocker from the 1970s. He’s also looking to add second one in the future.
“I think maybe the fans would like to see the [theme] run again,” Rossi said.
Rossi will team with Geoff Turk’s Blackbird Performance, a leading Gen3 Hemi horsepower provider, to prepare the car along with Tony and Phil Mandella, with whom he considers some of the best fabricators in the business.
“They’re going to construct a real rocket ship, and Tony’s going to drive it,” Rossi explained. “And, of course, my colors will be on it, so I got a dream team. That makes me want to do it. Everything that’s in that car, from the power to the fabricated back half of the car, will be available in kit form. So everything in that car is an open book. It’s just that we’re going to run it like in the old days. We’re going to go on it; we’re going to test it, so you don’t have to.”
As Rossi sees it, it’s a way the former drag racer turned road racer returned drag racer can reinvent himself. Unlike the line from the comedy movie Talladega Nights that asks, “What do I do with my hands?”
“Stick them in my pocket,” Rossi said with a smile. “Yeah, I just got to try to, in some instances, stay out of the way. But I did have experience because you see, I went from [factory] drag racing [for] Chrysler to road racing,” Rossi explained. So we went into IMSA, and we won five world championships and 50 IMSA races. I also took on Pike’s Peak and won four times. And I didn’t drive any of those cars.”
Rossi believes the key to success will be driver communication, just like in those instances, which made him a champion away from the drag strip.
“Now I’ve got the chassis guy [Tony Mandella] sitting in the seat, so it can’t get any better than that,” Rossi said. “Then Geoff will be looking at [the combination] now with telemetry and the computers. I’m sort of the dinosaur in the group.”
Ancient or not, Rossi is just happy to be in the game again.
“I’m just going to take what I can get,” I think that there are just better people to drive than me, and I’m up in my 80s now. We don’t need to see if Paul Rossi will fall out of his seat. We just need to see if we can get down there and run the number we want.”
Whether he’s driving or not, Rossi still has a passion for drag racing that’s burning as bright as ever.
“I’ve always loved drag racing,” Rossi said. “I like the people in drag racing. I like to hang out with the people. I just love it. The only thing I’m sad about is that I’m trying to do what I can. I don’t see a real path for young people to get into drag racing like they used to. You used to be able to go down and buy a car off the showroom floor, drive it over to your nearest drag strip, and start competing. I don’t see a real nice pathway to get into drag racing at the moment for a young person. It’s very expensive, and it’s turned a lot of the older guys that were in it forever. Then, the price of entry goes up and up and up and up. So, I want to see an entry-level drag race program. That’s what I want to see.”
So, for the youthful aspiring drag racers, Rossi has a second car, and he’s not afraid to give someone a chance.
“I want to work with NHRA or anybody who will work with me,” Rossi explained. I also have a tour of the old car. I take that on a 20,000-mile tour around the country, including Canada, helped by Mothers Polish and Waxes. I’m an ambassador for them, and I’m proud of that. That gives me a chance to talk to young people, get them in the car, and show them the engine. I mean, it’s all period-correct stuff.
“I’m sure [NHRA will] come up with something where we can get [young] people back into drag racing again. It hurts my heart to see half the stands blocked off in some big races like Pomona and the Indy Nationals. I mean, that should not be.”
As Rossi sees it, a more substantial, youthful base will fill those stands in a hurry, and he’s perfectly content seeing them while standing behind a car or two.
