The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway has drawn the attention of two prominent companies traditionally associated with NASCAR as they team up with Funny Car point leader Paul Lee. The trend of NASCAR entities transitioning into drag racing is becoming increasingly common, with team owners like Tony Stewart and Rick Ware joining the ranks and Rick Hendrick emerging as a major sponsor.
Greg Fornelli, owner and president of Stock Car Steel and SRI Performance, shared his enthusiasm for drag racing, highlighting the team’s growth and recent expansion into this new market.
“We opened a shop in Indianapolis six years ago to get into this market,” Fornelli said. “Our Mooresville shop has been around for 30 years in NASCAR, and we’ve since expanded into dirt racing as well. Drag racing has been amazing for us, especially with our strong nitro program.”
Ron Brock, the strategic business manager for Daido Metal USA, explained how the company’s involvement in various racing formats, including IndyCar and Formula One, led them to drag racing.
“NHRA is a huge part of the racing culture in North America,” Brock noted. “It’s a completely different world, and the engineering challenge of supporting the performance demands of an 11,000-horsepower nitro Funny Car is intriguing for us.”
Dusty Cole, who works with Daido Metal USA on performance racing, emphasized the importance of addressing the needs of the drag racing community.
“We aim to improve reliability and performance for our engine customers by solving any issues they face with bearings and the oiling system,” he explained.
Kashiyama Motoro, an application engineer at Daido Metal, explained the challenges of designing parts capable of withstanding the extreme conditions in drag racing.
“When we first started designing for 11,000-horsepower engines, I thought, ‘Are you crazy?’” Motoro recalled. His experience has shown that while drag racing presents unique challenges, it is also a thrilling market ripe for innovation.
As these companies transition from NASCAR to drag racing, they bring a wealth of engineering expertise and a commitment to excellence in motorsports.
As Fornelli put it, the collaboration embodies the spirit of racing: “We’re all about teamwork and innovation, and that’s what keeps us moving forward in every racing discipline.”
