Brad McBride Racing

 

                                                    Brad McBride is the builder and driver of this 1963 Type 3 Fastback, known as Blitzkrieg. Photo credit Jason Reiss/PDRA

 

Brad McBride is the builder and driver of this super cool and fast Type 3 Volkswagen. Brad has been around racing his whole life. His father owned land that's now the pit area beside Piedmont Dragway in North Carolina.

His father raced a roadster and later raced a top alcohol funny car called the Starr Rider well into the 1990's. So you could say it was in Brad's DNA that he was destined to be a drag racer.

We asked Brad how he started racing and what his earliest memories were. He stated the first thing he raced was 20" Schwinn 5-speed bike when he was 12 or 13 years old.  Even early on he was a fabricator and equipped the bike with wheelie bars and a parachute. He used and old mattress spring as a launcher and sewed up the chute and pack himself. 

 

 

Brad would race the other 'track-kids' before the main event started. When he turned 15, he built his first Super Comp dragster. It took him 3 years to save enough money & gather the parts needed. During this time he was also on the road with the funny car team, so having free time to work on the car was next to impossible. When Brad finished high school he finally had the time to go racing. 

Before Brad got bit by the (Volkswagen Bug) he raced a domestic favorite. While he was dating his wife Brandy, her father had a 1970 Chevrolet Nova.  

Brad would race the Nova weekly in a foot brake class and had lots of fun with it, going to many semi and final rounds with it. He told Brandy that if could win enough each week to cover expenses, that he would continue racing. Brad was successful and he  was able to compete the entire season.

Brad also raced Super Comp dragsters, and he drove a blown Top Alcohol Dragster. During 2021-23 he tuned an A/Fuel dragster to a career best of 5.25 @ 273 MPH at Zmax Dragway. Wow! What a step up from the Nova. 

  

 Let's get the lowdown on this killer Type 3.

I asked Brad if could go into detail of what makes Blitzkrieg tick and this is what he shared.

Blitzkrieg is a 1963 Type 3 Fastback, it was not available in the USA at the time until it was introduced for the 1964 model year. This strip demon is powered by a modern V.W. 2.8 liter VR6, it's commonly found in the 2001 MK4 Golf and Jetta platforms.

The engine spec's out at 183 cubic inches. It's filled with Icon pistons from UEM and utilizes an 8.5:1 compression ratio keeping it boost friendly. The boost is courtesy of a Borg Warner Air Werks S400 turbocharger. So far this sounds like a straight forward build but this is where it gets interesting.

Backing up the VR6 is GM Powerglide transmission connecting to a Ford 9-inch rear end. That's right, Brad converted this rear engine commuter car to a front engine beast. Brad stated that this was his first ever full chassis build and the NHRA certified the car to 6.0 seconds.

He fabricated the all the parts to make this combination work since he started with a front wheel drive engine. Brad made the adapter and flexplate to connect the Powerglide, he also fabricated the intake manifold, exhaust header and the fuel system. Brad also designed and machined a custom cylinder head that he plans to run in the 2025 season. 

 The best time he has run in this car was a 4.79 @ 145 MPH  but he plans on going faster. The car is very consistent running 4.80, 4.81 and 4.82's in recent outings.

Brad is very talented, he designed and painted the interior himself. The tin work was painted to look like vintage road signs & this inspired him to start a sign business. 

                                                              In this view you can see the GM Powerglide transmission.

 

                                                                      The patina look paint job and vintage sign interior works well with this Type 3.

 

Brad raced all over the east coast of America and even Canada when he followed his father on the IHRA circuit. His main focus has been with the PDRA, which runs at( Galot Motorsports Park in Benson, NC) (VMP in Richmond VA) (Summit Motorsports Park at Norwalk, OH) (US 131 in Martin Michigan) and MIR in Budds Creek, MD.  But his favorites are US 131 and his home track of Zmax Raceway.

 

We asked Brad if there were any race wins or records he would like to mention. 

Brad said the PDRA has some of the baddest cars on the planet and he was honored to win Best Engineered Race Car at his first PDRA event at Darlington Dragway. Other accomplishments include running a 4.79 in the 1/8 mile making his car the quickest stock-block door car powered by a VR6 engine back in 2021!

But his favorite win was at the V.W. Nationals at Mason Dixon Dragway, he wanted to win that race for his friend Lilly who passed away 2 weeks later from cancer. 

When he started with the A-Fuel team, the car had only ran 5.40's in the quarter mile, but he was able to tune the car down to 5.20's and had a semi final finish at Zmax.

 

Brad would like to thank some special people :

His wife Brandy, who keeps him grounded and helps him by encouraging him with his dreams and goals.

Adam Dalton has been a huge help this year with his journey with the PDRA, and his knowledge of the VR6 engine has allowed him to focus on other things. 

Brad also thanks Brian and Todd Younce of Younce RV, Rob Enders of Shaeffer Oil, Doug and Dustin Smith. United Engine and Machine, Lubrisyn HA for people, Borg Warner Turbo and Tom from Everything Euro.

Brad's future goals.

 His dream is to make a living at what he loves, Racing!  It was what he was created for.

At a young age Brad wanted to race a Top Fuel car but he would also enjoy racing in Pro-Stock or Pro-Mod, but he wants to get the Type 3 into the 4.60's in the 1/8 mile as well.

  Brad said that he enjoys helping others succeed, wheather it be in racing or life in general. For the last 20 years in their free time Brad and Brandy lead missions to Guatemala. They help educate children and try to fulfill their needs weather it's helping the sick or building homes.

Thanks Brad for sharing your story with us, we look forward to updating your story as your journey progresses.

Photos courtesy of: 

Brad McBride Racing 2024

Jason Reiss/PDRA

 

 

 

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