![]() ![]() “Harvard Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, people would drive their hot rods with the end-cap headers. “I was raised in Orange County, California, and that was the hot rod capital of the world in the late 50s,” he said. ![]() The engine isn’t large by Top Sportsman standards – a 582 cubic-inch, 18-degree motor with a single four-barrel carburetor – but it runs strong enough and consistent enough to win bracket races.īlair, who has been a car enthusiast for as long as he can remember, certainly has an appreciation of the Corvette. It was built for Pro Mod competition before the conversion to a Top Sportsman car. “I got back in the car and my reaction times were good and saw everything was still working.”īlair found a good fit with the racecar, a 1996 VR1 Corvette with a Wally Stroupe chassis. “I didn’t race again until about three years ago when I found this Top Sportsman car,” Blair said. He’s glad to be back behind the wheel of a racecar after taking a 16-year hiatus when he sold all his equipment. Now 66, he’s leaving everyone else in the dust.īlair, who currently calls Spicewood, Texas home, is the Top Sportsman points leader in the International Hot Rod Association Summit Sportsman National Championship. Like many other classes, there are certain rules and guidelines racers must adhere to in order to compete.As Marty Blair approached age 50, he wondered if the sport of drag racing was passing him by. Competitors are laying down up to 1000 horsepower to a tire with dimensions that might only be 28" x 11.5". These are relatively new to the drag racing scene, but offer some incredibly exciting and sophisticated racing. Racers are not allowed delay boxes in this class.Ī category growing popularity is the Drag Radial class such as Outlaw x275 and Outlaw 10.5. They race off a full, five-tenths tree and the class has individual indexes. These include mountain motors with an array of power adders such as superchargers, turbochargers and nitrous oxide, and can use different types of fuel for their application.Ĭompetition Eliminator is another class that features a wide variety of machines including Gas Dragsters, Street Dragsters, Econo Altered Dragsters and door slammers that can run numerous engine combinations. Pro Mods have sophisticated tube chassis and four-link rear suspensions, but are allowed more body, chassis and engine modifications. Competitors use electronic timers and throttle stops to run as close to the class index without breaking out. The cars run a variety of combinations of engines, chassis and bodies. Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street are all heads-up index classes (8.90, 9.90, 10.90). They utilize the full range of electronic aids to hit their dial in times and the breakout rule is enforced. The minimum weight of the vehicle will vary based on engine size and power adders. Top Sportsman and Top Dragster competitors employ any configuration of an internal combustion motor allowed, varying from naturally aspirated, supercharged, turbocharged or nitrous to run in the 6 second range at speeds up to 200 mph. The one thing they all have is common is that they are built to accelerate as quickly as possible in a straight line for 1320 feet while rolling on four tires. These purpose-built race cars have an incredible variety of chassis, engine and body style configurations including dragsters, altered, roadsters and full body cars.
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