NMCA & NMRA Drag Racing In Chicago - Destination Chicago!

Other than having been freshened up, re-dynoed, and changed to operate on E85, the 358ci NASCAR plant in Bowles' GT is the same as the day it thumped under the hood of Edward's Ford. With this engine, Bowles laid down a qualifying e.t. of 9.50, which qualified him seventh in a full field. That was with no power adder, too!

Here's the kicker: You can buy a Roush NASCAR engine just like this one for about $20K. This includes a thorough freshening and dyno testing. It also includes all accessories, such as ignition, distributor, alternator, water pump, pulleys, brackets, and engine dress. We did a little searching on the Internet, and found NASCAR Chevy engines for sale (complete, just like the one in Don Bowles' car) for as low as $12K from Muscle Motorsports (Huntersville, NC; 704-948-1040). We asked Bowles where our readers could buy a used Roush Ford engine, but he was unable to provide that information, other than to say we should contact Doug Yates (but gave us no contact phone).

If you're looking for big-block power in a smaller, lightweight package, and like the idea of something that stands out from the crowd, a refurbished NASCAR engine is just the thing. They're bulletproof, they're unique, they come fully refurbished and dyno tested, and dollar-for-dollar, they're the steal of the century.

	This '70 Chevelle SS haunts...        read full caption This '70 Chevelle SS haunts the streets of Loganville, GA, where its owner, Ken Weilbrenner (45), operates Southern Automotive Center. Running in the AA Nostalgia Muscle Car Class (10.0 index), this heavy Chevy benefits from a Bischoff-built 565ci big-block with Dart Pro 1 heads, Dart block, Victor Jr. intake, QFT 950 carb, COMP solid roller cam, and a Starnes-built Turbo 400 with a 5,000-stall 9-inch Competition Transmissions converter. Ken's gone as fast as 9.57/138 with a 1.32 60-foot time on a stock suspension with tubular control arms and QA1 shocks.
Over at the NMCA/NMRA trailer,...        read full caption Over at the NMCA/NMRA trailer, there's always an anxious crowd checking out the standings. Here, Joe Keller (Hubbard, OH) helps his dad, John Keller, check his qualifying position in Diablosport Renegade. Their '95 Mustang qualified 10th with an 8.90/153.	Spiro Pappas waits in his...        read full caption Spiro Pappas waits in his '69 Camaro for the rain to dry so he can strike fear into yet another competitor.	"I like to run my Cobra in...        read full caption "I like to run my Cobra in True Street when I'm not modeling," says 23-year-old Jazmin Newton (Davenport, IA). Here she signs a Bassani poster for fan Nathan Greer (8) of Henderson, TN.
What's not to love about a...        read full caption What's not to love about a street-legal, wheel-standing '69 Chevelle? Nothing, if you ask 49-year-old Clarence Harding of Lowell, IN. He's had this '69 since 1979. It runs 10-ohs in Open Comp (shifting at 7,300 rpm) using a fuel-injected 509 big-block with Brodix heads, a Gen VII DFI, an old ACCEL EFI intake, and a COMP solid roller cam. Other goodies include a Coan Turbo 400 (5,400-stall converter), a 9-inch rear with 4.10 cogs, and a trans brake.	Nostalgia Muscle Car is a...        read full caption Nostalgia Muscle Car is a naturally aspirated index class for pure muscle cars with slicks. Build your engine with common bolt-ons, and choose your index. Jim Sayre's '70 Camaro runs the 10.50 "A" class with a 14.7:1-compression 412-inch SBC with a Dart block, Brodix Track 1 heads, Super Victor intake, 1050 Pro Systems Dominator, .700-inch-lift COMP solid roller cam, a BTE 'glide (5,800-stall converter), and a 12-bolt rear with Strange 4.56 gears. It's gone a best of 10.27/133. Jim owns Sayre's Collision Repair in McCordsville, IN.	Car Craft sponsors Street...        read full caption Car Craft sponsors Street Race, a budget-oriented heads-up class designed for stock suspensions, radial tires, and a single, modest power adder, like a blower or nitrous plate. There's nothing modest about Jay Canella's '62 Chevy II (Antioch, IL). This screaming yellow zonker packs a 15:1 358ci small-block with a 300-shot Wilson nitrous plate. A pair of Brodix 23-degree Race Rite heads, a Super Victor intake, .550-inch lift COMP hydraulic roller, and a Holley 750 HP carb handle breathing chores en route to low 9-second e.t.'s.
If you're looking to get in...        read full caption If you're looking to get in a good cardio session, you can climb to the top of the Route 66 Raceway grandstands and take in the sights for miles around.		NMCA Nostalgia Super Stock...        read full caption NMCA Nostalgia Super Stock has all kinds of cool cars, like Dennis Gorrell's wheel-standing '66 Plymouth Satellite. A .030-over-440 has Edelbrock heads, an Edelbrock STR14 crossram intake with Edelbrock carbs, and an Erson solid. The sky is brought to you by a Jerico four-speed loaded with a McLeod Soft-Loc clutch in front of a 9-inch with 4.56 gears. Take a close look at the front bumper: It's a fiberglass piece painted with Dupli-Color Chrome paint out of a rattle can! Dennis tried it on a lark, and couldn't believe the realistic result.
		Les Bigelow (Louisville, KY)...        read full caption Les Bigelow (Louisville, KY) can always be counted on to lift the wheels of his '73 Camaro whenever he runs Open Comp. A 406ci small-block with Dart Pro 1 heads, a Super Victor intake, 1050 Dominator carb, and a .650-inch lift Lunati solid roller cam takes the elevator up to the second floor, while a Coan 'glide and a Dana 60 with 5.57 gears bolted to a ladder-bar rear suspension help get things moving forward.
We found Jim "Violation" Gollwitzer...        read full caption We found Jim "Violation" Gollwitzer (Roselle, IL) with his '64 Malibu in the car show. It's a solid car built on a budget with modest bolt-ons-and we'll be featuring it soon. Jim's small-block 350 has a Weiand 4-71 blower making 6 psi with ported iron "fuelie" heads, a solid roller .642-inch lift cam, and a Carb Shop 840-cfm carb. Power goes through a Turbo 400, then into a Ford 9-inch with a spool and 4.88 gears. Jim's got only $12,500 into it, and it's run a best quarter-mile of 11.72/113.	Looking for big-time street-legal...        read full caption Looking for big-time street-legal traction in a rugged radial construction? Look no further than Nitto's 325/50R15 Extreme Drag Radial, modeled here by part-time Nitto spokesperson Lauren Black. The 23-year-old model hails from Oak Park, IL, and specializes in sales and marketing.