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Goodguys Nashville PHR Street Machine Autocross - Music City MayhemThe rockin’ sounds of roaring engines filled the air at the PHR Street Machine Autocross in Nashville From the September, 2011 issue of Popular Hot Rodding By Daryl White Photography by Johnny Hunkins
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You can’t help but have fun at a big summer party. What makes a killer party, though? Lots of friends? Gotta have ’em. Loads of bitchin cars to jaw about? Now we’re getting warm. A killer spot to hop in your ride and do the autocross-cone dance with your buddies egging you on? We’re on fire now. So who better to throw the rip-roarin-est, root-tootin-est, boot-scootin-est party in the land than Goodguys? And what better spot to throw down than the rock ’n’ roll home of the git-tar, Nashville baby! The Goodguys Rod and Custom Association has always been known for their killer car shows and, by listening to their fans, they’ve also opened up their arms and welcomed all of us street machine nuts into the fold. During the 6th Annual Nashville Nationals held at LP Field May 20-22, anyone entered into the main car show had the opportunity to cruise back to a sectioned off autocross course and blow their car through a tight series of cones designed to test their cornering and handling ability. Popular Hot Rodding is so geeked about the autocross event, we’re sponsoring five of the races this season. To celebrate, we’re offering a custom embroidered winner’s jacket to the Street Machine driver with the fastest single lap time of the meet. Since the autocross event is still a fairly new concept to many of the event goers, it is always a little nerve rattling wondering how the turnout will be. From the beginning of the weekend on Friday morning though, it was evident that this was going to be one hell of a good weekend. A number of regulars were on hand laying down quick times in the low 33-second range, but there was also a large contingent of local and regional ’crossers who showed up, or just popped over from the main show area, to test the mettle of their metal. One of the cooler aspects of the PHR Street Machine event was that, yeah it was officially a competition, but there were tons of racers taking each others’ cars for trips around the track and helping tune the chassis. Tire pressures were tweaked, shock rates adjusted, and advice was given to the more novice drivers about alignment setup and the best ways to attack the corners. Amazing camaraderie in the pits like that is rarely seen at other events, and we were proud to be involved. Something else you don’t see every day: Passengers were allowed. On almost every run there was a smiling, laughing victim reaching for the “oh, crap!” bar while getting tossed around next to the driver. What a blast! Throughout the weekend there was a constant push and pull for the lead between Dallas winner Brian Finch of Hermitage, Tennessee, and Kevin Miller of Baldwin City, Kansas. By late Saturday afternoon, Miller had the lead covered by a solid three-tenths. Ever the competitor, Finch picked up the challenge and with his car set on kill, took the lead for the win, running a lap of 33.142 in his LS3-powered ’71 Camaro. Finch now has an even bigger target on his back with the other drivers taking aim for the next PHR shootout to be held at Goodguys in Columbus, Ohio, on July 8-10.
" And what better spot to throw down than the rock ’n’ roll home of the git-tar, Nashville baby! "
 The Nashville Nats Autocross...  The Nashville Nats Autocross course was set up in the southwest corner of the LP Field lot, where spectators had a perfect view from the shade under the Cumberland River pedestrian bridge. An amazing array of cars were represented, including everything from a stone-stock ’61 Ford Starliner to this trick ’72 Buick GS, belonging to Jeff Peoples (Madison, Mississippi). Peoples has taken his car to a number of events, making the Nitto NT-05 tires plead for mercy. Look for an upcoming feature on this true Buick-powered beast.  Kevin Miller (Baldwin City,...  Kevin Miller (Baldwin City, Kansas) threw everything he had at eventual winner Brian Finch. Miller’s LS1-powered ’69 Camaro stood out from the pack since most of his suspension wasn’t bolt-on, it was built by himself. Making his own front subframe, he was able to put the adjustable coilover shocks where they would work best. In the rear, he fabbed a two-link suspension with a Panhard bar that was obviously as good as anything out there. Corvette Z51 brakes were seen on a number of cars over the weekend including Miller’s, since the car has to stop as well as it goes.  Roger Minyard’s ’55 Chevy...  Roger Minyard’s ’55 Chevy (Bowling Green, Kentucky) may not have been the fastest one around the track with it’s basically stock suspension, but it epitomized the whole point of Goodguys adding an autocross feature to their shows. Taking a breathtaking show car like this and actually driving it hard takes guts beyond just parking on the grass beside a tent. Cars like this were meant to be driven.  Kevin Miller (Baldwin City,...  Kevin Miller (Baldwin City, Kansas) threw everything he had at eventual winner Brian Finch. Miller’s LS1-powered ’69 Camaro stood out from the pack since most of his suspension wasn’t bolt-on, it was built by himself. Making his own front subframe, he was able to put the adjustable coilover shocks where they would work best. In the rear, he fabbed a two-link suspension with a Panhard bar that was obviously as good as anything out there. Corvette Z51 brakes were seen on a number of cars over the weekend including Miller’s, since the car has to stop as well as it goes.  Hometown favorite Brian Finch...  Hometown favorite Brian Finch of Hermitage, Tennessee, made more laps than anyone else in attendance, driving no fewer than seven different cars by our count. He built the LS3-powered ’71 Camaro at his shop, Hot Rod Transformations, using a full complement of Detroit Speed & Engineering front and rear suspension components. With five Goodguys Nashville Autocross wins to his name so far, he was the one to beat.  Pitted with the other Cumming,...  Pitted with the other Cumming, Georgia, crew, Jim McDaniel piloted his ultraclean ’55 Bel Air to very respectable 36-second laps through the cones. As a previous PPG Dream Car award winner, you’d think McDaniel would be timid about blasting around corners. No, sir! He must have had a special PPG anti-dirt coating on his car because between rounds with the hood popped open, it looked like it had never even been started. A polished 434 small-block making 545 horses mated to a TKO600 tranny pushed the car around the track.  The Juicy ’67 Camaro, belonging...  The Juicy ’67 Camaro, belonging to Brad Grainger (Cumming, Georgia), sported a nasty growl, thanks to the Magnuson supercharger on an LS3 making 584 horses to the wheels. He’s owned the car since high school in 1978, though we don’t think the Boze Mesh wheels were on it then. A Chris Alston front and rear suspension help him get around the track, his wife says, “Spider monkey fast!”  Bucking the high-power trend...  Bucking the high-power trend of the weekend, Shane Davenport (Milton, Tennessee) brought a very sharp knife to this gunfight. His ’66 Chevy II with a 230-cube inline-six mated to a T5 may look stock, but he built it to handle with CPP upper and lower control arms hooked to stock disc brakes. A Heidts four-link out back with late-model F-body disc brakes put the whoa down. Wheelsmith smoothies modified for stock hubcaps, along with the mild-mannered dark blue paint, complete the Clark Kent look.  Since moving his hot rod business...  Since moving his hot rod business to Nashville last fall, Jesse Greening has been knocking out some killer custom cars. He brought customer Seth Wagner’s (McHenry, Illinois) dark blue ’64 Chevelle out to beat on. The 678-horse LS7, built by Schwartz Extreme Performance, punished the tires via Hotchkis suspension parts, and the Wilwood brakes stopped the car at the end of its 37-second laps.  Bringing out what is traditionally...  Bringing out what is traditionally known as a drag car, Raymond Higginbotham (Blountsville, Alabama) showed what a mild, low-budget ’69 Chevelle is capable of. Higginbotham’s only chassis mods were adding coilovers, a Hotchkis rear sway bar, and some Nitto tires, but the 396-powered Chevy finished right in the middle of the pack, thanks to smooth driving technique and not trying to overpower the track.  Inspiring terror in the other...  Inspiring terror in the other competitors, Robbie Pritchard (Franklin, Tennessee) demonstrated the peak of GM suspension design with his stock ’71 Buick Riviera. Might be overselling it just a little here. Looking at the front whitewalls, with the car rolling to the right during a left-hand turn, the car is demonstrating an increasing amount of positive camber, exactly the opposite of what an autocross needs. Nonetheless, Pritchard was a great sport, and the crowd cheered whenever he took his car on the track. Thanks for the entertainment, Pritchard!  In the dare-to-be-different...  In the dare-to-be-different category, Ken Hiebert and his wife drove their ’72 Triumph TR6 down from Canada and whipped up on most of the class, thanks to some LT1 American iron injected under the bonnet. Light weight and high power are always a good formula for success in autocross. It also doesn’t hurt to have modern Cobra R wheels with 245/45R17 sticky tires holding it to the tarmac.  In the dare-to-be-different...  In the dare-to-be-different category, Ken Hiebert and his wife drove their ’72 Triumph TR6 down from Canada and whipped up on most of the class, thanks to some LT1 American iron injected under the bonnet. Light weight and high power are always a good formula for success in autocross. It also doesn’t hurt to have modern Cobra R wheels with 245/45R17 sticky tires holding it to the tarmac.  In a tribute to the ultimate...  In a tribute to the ultimate road racer, Mark Donahue, Mark Whitlock brought this ’69 Camaro Sunoco Trans-Am tribute car. Scott Mock built the car using the latest in LS2/T56 technology. The chassis really works, thanks to DSE front suspension and a custom three-link in the rear. How good is the chassis? It was the 19-year-old’s first time around the track, and the car finished Third overall. Maybe it’s the car, maybe the magical No. 6, but this kid looks like he has a future.  Another local, Steve Merryman...  Another local, Steve Merryman (Watertown, Tennessee) brought his bright red ’66 Chevelle out sporting an Edelbrock-headed 468 roller, hooked to a Tremec T5. Detroit Speed suspension was the theme for the weekend, and Merryman took advantage using their front and rear chassis components. On the cusp of 35-second lap times, the Chevelle ended up with a solid Top 10 finish.  In a tribute to the ultimate...  In a tribute to the ultimate road racer, Mark Donahue, Mark Whitlock brought this ’69 Camaro Sunoco Trans-Am tribute car. Scott Mock built the car using the latest in LS2/T56 technology. The chassis really works, thanks to DSE front suspension and a custom three-link in the rear. How good is the chassis? It was the 19-year-old’s first time around the track, and the car finished Third overall. Maybe it’s the car, maybe the magical No. 6, but this kid looks like he has a future.  A favorite throughout the...  A favorite throughout the weekend, Jason Thompson (Mt. Juliet, Tennessee) pushed his totally stock suspension ’72 Olds Cutlass Supreme to the limits. The big tires rolled over in the corners, then blew traction on the straights, thanks to the nearly unlimited torque of the big 455 Olds. He admits some home-porting on the heads and a Crane cam might have helped the torque just a bit.  A favorite throughout the...  A favorite throughout the weekend, Jason Thompson (Mt. Juliet, Tennessee) pushed his totally stock suspension ’72 Olds Cutlass Supreme to the limits. The big tires rolled over in the corners, then blew traction on the straights, thanks to the nearly unlimited torque of the big 455 Olds. He admits some home-porting on the heads and a Crane cam might have helped the torque just a bit.
| Nashville Results Street Machine Autocross |
| Driver: |
Car: |
Best lap: |
| 1. Brian Finch |
Chevy Camaro |
33.142 |
| 2. Kevin Miller |
Chevy Camaro |
33.350 |
| 3. Mark Whitelock |
Chevy Camaro |
34.461 |
| 4. Ken Hiebert |
Triumph TR6 |
34.772 |
| 5. Mark Turner |
Chevy Camaro |
35.038 |
| 6. Bill Howell |
Dodge Charger |
35.351 |
| 7. Brad Coomer |
Chevy Camaro |
35.413 |
| 8. Tom Farrington |
Chevy Chevelle |
35.921 |
| 9. Steve Marryman |
Chevy Chevelle |
36.085 |
| 10. Albert Melchior |
Chevy Camaro |
36.186 |
| 11. Jim McDaniel |
Chevy Bel Air |
36.289 |
| 12. Mark Turner |
Chevy Camaro |
36.451 |
| 13. Jeff Peoples |
Buick GS |
36.745 |
| 14. Tim Slager |
Chevy Camaro |
36.985 |
| 15. Raymond Higginbotham |
Chevy Chevelle |
37.591 |
| 16. Seth Wagner |
Chevy Chevelle |
37.750 |
| 17. Keith Keele |
Chevy Camaro |
37.805 |
| 18. Kirby Kennedy |
Chevy Nova |
37.977 |
| 19. Tim McGilton |
Chevy II |
38.068 |
| 20. Shane Davenport |
Chevy II |
38.703 |
| 21. George Poteet |
Chevy 300 |
38.944 |
| 22. Mike Cornelius |
Chevy Camaro |
39.210 |
| 23. Bart Morrison |
Chevy Camaro |
39.217 |
| 24. Jason Thompson |
Olds Cutlass |
40.282 |
| 25. Bill Baird |
MG-B |
40.334 |
| 26. Greg Callahan |
Chevy Chevelle |
40.410 |
| 27. Brian Kellison |
Pontiac GTO |
40.607 |
| 28. Lloyd Gaskins |
Chevy |
40.716 |
| 29. Vic Torasso |
AMC AMX |
41.114 |
| 30. Wiliam Vandiver |
Pontiac GTO |
41.436 |
| 31. Steve Legen |
Corvette |
41.608 |
| 32. Bobby Jackson |
Datsun 510 |
41.706 |
| 33. Michelle Harvey |
Chevy Camaro |
41.787 |
| 34. Alan Hutchison |
Ford Starliner |
43.100 |
| 35. Robbie Pritchard |
Buick Riviera |
43.101 |
| 36. Nathan Cook |
Mercury Comet |
44.397 |
| 37. Roger Minyard |
Chevy 210 |
45.082 |
" Popular Hot Rodding is so geeked about the autocross event, we’re sponsoring five of the races this season. "
| Remaining PHR Autocross Events |
| Columbus, OH |
July 8 - 10 |
| Indianapolis, IN |
September 16 - 18 |
| Del Mar, CA |
November 25 - 27 |
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