2006 Super Chevy Car Show Joliet Illinois - Romeo in Joliet

Tim Boggs of Fayetteville, OH, insisted on showing PHR readers his Chrondek Christmas Tree tattoo. We've never seen a starting line with that much hair. "This guy said if I ran a picture of his tattoo, he'd give me a cold beer. It was so hot, I couldn't refuse."-Johnny Hunkins

Erin Braasch-PHR's Miss Joliet Super Chevy Erin Braasch of New Lennox, IL, was kind enough to pose for a full-page photo while she waited for her dad, John Braasch, to run his '85 Camaro in the first round of Bracket One. "She doesn't actually win anything for this. OK, maybe we'll send her a magazine or two if she calls."-Johnny Hunkins

"Big" Tony Phillips is a crane operator for Union Pacific, and he put that talent to good use by lifting the wheels of his '65 Chevelle SS during Bracket One competition. A 14:1-compression 565-inch BBC pounds down 896 hp, which is good for 9.20s at over 145 mph (off the sauce) with weight around 3,300 lbs.

Sandy Stedman (Lisle, IL, foreground), hovers around Gary Karn's blown '70 Nova (Lockport, IL) at the car show. If she was more interested, she would've found out Karn's Nova has a Dyers 14-71 blower on a small-block 350, and that it has run a best of 10.50 in the quarter.

When Paul Evans (Peoria, IL) bought his '56 Chevy a year ago, it hadn't seen the light of day for 17 years. Prior to his owning it, the '56 had been a show car, but Evans (60) knew the shoebox wanted to run free. It now runs 14-ohs in the DOT class with help from a tunnel-ram 355.

This '75 Monza belonging to Clyde Biagi (Glenwood, IL) really got our attention, so we hung out until he returned a few minutes later. "I bought it brand new," says Biagi. "Had it since day one." The Monza has a nice 350 small-block and a four-speed. The original cost? $4,534.81. If you ever decide to sell it, we'll pay you full MSRP!

From high atop the grandstand, you get a great view of Route 66 Raceway. In the foreground you can see the manufacturer's midway. A little to the left is the car show area, then the pits. The grandstand in the distance belongs to the quarter-mile dirt oval where Jake and Elwood Blues honed their driving skills.

Cathy Belcher's '90 Camaro Nitro Coupe moves smartly off the line, but experienced tire shake a moment later. "We run a Powerglide, which doesn't have the adjustability of a clutch setup," says Belcher. "Tire shake is not good on a Powerglide." The only way to control tire shake, according to Belcher, is to soften-up the power through tuning. Her best ET to date is a 6.56/208.

We cornered Caitlin Walstra (22, Joliet, IL) in the COMP Cams booth looking at the FAST XFI display. We asked her if she knew what it was: "I have no idea what I'm looking at." One thing's for sure, fuel injection never looked so good before.

LS-engine guys know that Chicago is a hotbed for outrageous EFI street cars, so it's not much of a surprise to see John Reese's 2000 Corvette making 9-second passes. Reese (Cary, IL) has run a best of 9.78/138, which is a really big deal considering it's got a 4L60E trans, it runs on 93 octane, and passes Illinois smog. The combo puts down 760 rwhp from a 427-inch C5R block with an ATI F1R blower and a FAST LSX intake. Reese credits Finish Line Performance in Naperville, IL, for the deed. (You can contact them at www.flp2win.com or call 630-820-9294).

Now, for something really serious. As we started checking out Ray Gustafson's '67 Camaro (which has a 484-inch big-block, runs 8-teens with nitrous, and hails from La Porte, IN), our eyeballs latched onto Ashley Hawkins (24) of Portage, IN. Photography ensued. As we stumbled over tools and pit detritus snapping pictures, Ashley unleashed this gem and brought the house down: "I've never done this with my clothes on!"

Chuck and Cherri Romani of Silvis, IL, prepare their '66 Chevelle for some tough competition in the car show. The Romanis have had the car since '92 and it has just completed a three-year rebuild. In Joliet, the Romani's '66 took the honors in Outstanding Modified, Modified Chevelle, and OPG Best Chevelle.