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Goodguys 15th PPG Nationals Columbus, Ohio - Doin’ It Slideways!The Popular Hot Rodding Street Machine Autocross hits the Goodguys 15th PPG Nationals in Columbus, Ohio From the November, 2012 issue of Popular Hot Rodding By Johnny Hunkins Photography by Johnny Hunkins
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The heat topped 100 degrees well before noon on Saturday, July 7—just ask anybody there and they’ll tell you it was definitely not a “dry” heat. To those local car nuts who missed being at the Ohio Expo Center & State Fairgrounds for the Goodguys 15th PPG Nationals, the elevated mercury was a convenient excuse to stay at home. Too bad for them; the resulting low attendance made for a wide-open venue that rewarded those who did brave the tarmac. The Pro Touring proponents who lined up to challenge the short yet tricky autocross circuit quickly found out that the record-breaking heat was more of an inconvenience than a hindrance to performance. No heat-related mechanical failures were seen on the Street Machine autocross, and the elevated temperature only seemed to accelerate the deposit of grippy rubber over the course. At stake was a nicely embroidered Popular Hot Rodding jacket—the irony of which did not escape those who faced the scorching 151-degree asphalt. Perhaps we should’ve put up for grabs a couple of tickets to the local water park—at least we might’ve gotten a Mopar or two to partake. Unlike the other four PHR Street Machine Autocross events this year (Del Mar, Texas, Nashville, and Scottsdale this November, in which the fastest qualifiers in each are the automatic winners), the Columbus event has a run-off elimination for the four fastest cars—those being the ’63 Corvette of Mark Rife, the ’70 Camaro of Josh Leisinger, the ’66 Mustang of Kenny Edwards Sr., and the ’72 Corvette of Danny Popp. Popp showed handily why he is considered the best in the biz when he “popped” off a best lap of 33.757 seconds during time trials. That performance later translated into a win during the four-car elimination run-off. Speaking of lap times, we’ve been asked if the autocross length is consistent from track to track, the same way a quarter-mile dragstrip is. While it would be nice to be able to compare performances at one venue to those at another, each autocross is different due to terrain and space constraints, so lap times can only be compared to lap times at the same course. The PHR Street Machine autocross, however, was not the only autocross action happening at Columbus Goodguys on the weekend of July 6-8. The Street Machine of the Year (SMOTY) competition was also underway, and this competition requires all cars up for the award to be driven through the course at a pace of the car-owner’s choosing. The lap times of these cars are recorded, but do not enter into the scoring equation for the competition; their participation is only meant to prove that the cars are performance worthy. Nevertheless, the fastest car through the course for the SMOTY competition was the “Producer” Mustang, a ’66 fastback built by Ringbrothers and owned by Gary Bauers. The Ringbrothers Mustang ran the course in 35.579 seconds, and also outright won the SMOTY competition. Look for a feature on this magnificent car in the near future.  Josh Leisinger grabbed the...  Josh Leisinger grabbed the keys to mom’s ’70 Camaro for a few hot laps under the baking sun. This show stunner has a beautiful matte-silver paintjob with much custom bodywork. It was running in the Vendor class with a 500-inch LSX plant and DSE suspension.  We get all nostalgic when...  We get all nostalgic when we see a ’64 GTO, and this Muncie four-speed car owned by Brian Kellison (Lawrence, Kansas) had our interest piqued. Yes—it’s Pontiac powered too! The 455 has ported 6X heads, a COMP cam, and a six-pack carb setup. A full complement of RideTech suspension goods helped it string through the cones.  Remember when we printed a...  Remember when we printed a photo of Sam Matchett’s ’55 210 Chevy in the February issue with our Indy coverage? We had no info on it then—but we do now. We discovered that Matchett’s got a 400ci Dart-based small-block—one of our faves when it comes to power and reliability. Suspension bits include a Unisteer rack-and-pinion, PST bushings, and Danchuk disc brakes. Matchett says it runs high 12s down the quarter, thanks to a 3.54-geared Dana 60 and a BorgWarner four-speed manual trans.  Remember when we printed a...  Remember when we printed a photo of Sam Matchett’s ’55 210 Chevy in the February issue with our Indy coverage? We had no info on it then—but we do now. We discovered that Matchett’s got a 400ci Dart-based small-block—one of our faves when it comes to power and reliability. Suspension bits include a Unisteer rack-and-pinion, PST bushings, and Danchuk disc brakes. Matchett says it runs high 12s down the quarter, thanks to a 3.54-geared Dana 60 and a BorgWarner four-speed manual trans.  When you see Jeff Beitz’s...  When you see Jeff Beitz’s ’69 Chevelle wagon the first time, it’s impossible to not fall in love with it. This big green machine not only looks gorgeous, it flat-out hauls. Yep—hauls the family, hauls the groceries, and hauls ass too. A 502 Ramjet EFI crate motor moves the beast through a Tremec TKO 600 and a 4.11-geared 12-bolt. Flat cornering is gratis RideTech suspension pieces while braking is handled by Wilwood platters.  Ever wanted to know what the...  Ever wanted to know what the difference is between a totally freshened stock suspension and a modern suspension such as one from DSE? We found out when autocross expert Brian Finch jumped into Bill Howell’s “new” 351-Windsor–powered ’69 Mach 1. It ran a best lap of 41.788 with Finch driving the wheels off it at 10/10ths. When compared to DSE’s ’66 Mustang with a typical lap time in the mid 33-second range, you can see they aren’t even close. Bill Howell says he’ll be stepping it up soon!  Cheryl Herrick was running...  Cheryl Herrick was running the Jet-Hot Performance Coatings ’67 Nova hard in the Vendor class, putting the LS1 engine and T56 through its paces. A mix of RideTech and TCI suspension pieces work well with Wilwood binders—the whole point of which is to test out different Jet-Hot coatings in the heat of autocross battle.  Also running in the Vendor...  Also running in the Vendor class was Ryan Matthews piloting the Detroit Speed & Engineering ’66 Mustang. The pony is DSE’s test vehicle for a completely new line of Mustang suspension components, which was revealed to the public for the first time at Columbus. We’ve taken a close look at these parts, and the DSE system is the most significant suspension—short of a complete custom-fabbed chassis—that has ever been offered for a Mustang. PHR will be bringing you the details in a tech story soon.  The ’68 SS/RS Camaro is arguably...  The ’68 SS/RS Camaro is arguably the sleekest production ponycar ever produced, and Ray Thompson has done a wonderful job taking his to the next level with DSE suspension pieces, a TKO 600 five-speed, Baer disc brakes, and those sexy Torq-Thrust wheels and Nitto NT05 tires. Motivation is from a 383ci small-block.  There’s no rule that says...  There’s no rule that says guys with stock suspensions have to stay on the sideline, and Steve South’s ’70 Buick Skylark was one of those cars on the move in the Columbus heat. Steve’s a traditional Buick guy with a 455 Buick mill, but he has gotten up to date with an EFI system from Holley, and a Tremec five-speed overdrive. This thing’s also run a best of 11.63/116 in the quarter-mile!  A mix of RideTech, SPC, Global...  A mix of RideTech, SPC, Global West, and Bilstein chassis parts are a dead giveaway that Mike South has built his ’68 Camaro over a longer period of time instead of all at once. Mike says his crowning achievement is building a custom center console and swapping the drivetrain for an LS1 and a six-speed overdrive.  Don Figliozzi’s eye-popping...  Don Figliozzi’s eye-popping Aqua Blue ’61 Buick bubbletop got our heads swiveled around in a hurry. It’s mostly old-school with a 413ci nailhead Buick motor and Turbo 400, but it does have a Gear Vendors overdrive and RideTech suspension, giving it a much appreciated dose of streetability. We almost bought a bubbletop Buick for a project earlier this year, but the bosses said “no.” Figliozzi’s car made us feel sorry all over again.  Brian Finch built this ’70...  Brian Finch built this ’70 Chevy Nova for fellow Hermitage, Tennessee, resident, Mark Turner, and let’s just say it’s got everything it needs to live comfortably at the top of the lap-time chart. The Mast-built LS engine with Holley EFI channels twist to a Tremec six-speed and Moser 9-inch rear with 3.50 gears. The suspension is all DSE—natch—with brakes from Wilwood.  Owning a “survivor” car may...  Owning a “survivor” car may seem like a big deal to some, but Lynn Denlinger has owned this ’72 Camaro Z28 RS for 32 years, so it doesn’t seem like such a biggie to him. Lynn has, however, developed an affinity for the stock suspension, so the mods are pretty sparse, making concession only under the hood with a set of AFR heads and a bigger cam.  Nobody tries harder to play...  Nobody tries harder to play with the big boys than Al Noe and his ’67 Camaro RS/SS. We see him here hanging the rearend out as he dials in just the right amount of opposite lock. Noe works at Trick Flow Specialties, so his 388-inch small-block naturally has TFS heads. RideTech shocks, control arms, and four-link work with Baer Track brakes on Stielow spindles to make this an E-ticket ride.  Prior Street Machine autocross...  Prior Street Machine autocross winner, Mark Rife, had his ’63 Vette running hard with a number-four finish and a spot in Sunday’s run-off competition. Rife is an exercise in smoothness that most other competitors can only dream of reproducing. Of course, an LS7 powerplant, Tremec five-speed, RideTech adjustable shocks, and a complete C4 suspension help too.  Columbus was the first time...  Columbus was the first time we laid eyes on Kenny Edwards’ ’66 Mustang. We don’t know where this car has been hiding (Smithtown, New York, actually), but he nearly put it on the pole for Sunday’s eliminator round with a fantastic 33.883-second lap. We were so impressed, we invited Edwards to the Muscle Car of the Year competition the following day. Look for more on it in the December issue.  Cars running time trials in...  Cars running time trials in the PHR Street Machine Autocross on Friday and Saturday were eligible for the Sunday eliminator round—provided they could post a lap time in the Top Four! This ladder shows how the Sunday eliminator went down, with Danny Popp and Kenny Edwards Sr. facing off in the final round.  When the dust settled, Danny...  When the dust settled, Danny Popp earned the PHR Street Machine Autocross jacket by posting the top lap in qualifying (a 33.757), then making it to the final round of eliminations to beat Kenny Edwards Sr. We’ll also point out that Popp has a wicked “new” set of old wheels—a homebuilt ’72 Corvette with a 355ci small-block, M21 Muncie four-speed, Wilwood brakes, and Van Steel suspension components.
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