Shop Tour - Hardcore Drag Racing

This is the second car we are featuring from Manson Myles , it is a 1968 Dodge Dart 270.  The car will be on display at the Summit Racing store in Atlanta , Georgia   March 15th 2021 . The previous owner was Pat Moore from North Carolina.  His dream was to build a street strip machine that was respected and feared.  After 2 blown engines and some health issues he simply wanted something he could drive and unloaded the car in a trade to his good buddy David Robinson.  Before David got too attached to the car, Manson talked David into selling it to him.  As soon as Manson Brought it home he began the work of completing Pats dream.     The engine is a  fresh short block with 10.5:1 compression,  and a  Hughes camshaft with over .550lift bumps the valves. Manson installed aluminum Eldebrock heads with mild port work and 1.5 roller rocker arms.  Topping off this high winding small block is an Eldebrock RPM intake manifold....

            Mike Hepp Racing (MHR) is a local Bucks County professional Sportsman Drag racing team that has been giving back to the community since it's conception in 2012.  MHR's focus has been and will continue to be battling the drug and alcohol epidemic throughout the United States. Through their racing for recovery program. Mike stated that they are the only race team in the U.S. with such a program.   Since 2012 they have helped hundreds of people suffering from addiction get treatment for the disease and reunite them with their families and overcome addiction. MHR provides resources such as detox inpatient treatment, housing and employment to anyone looking for help to overcome this deadly disease.     As a young man Mike Hepp never thought his life would spiral out of control to almost death. He has in effect been lifted from the scrap heap and brought to a level of life that is more wonderful as each day passes....

Fragola Performance Systems is headquartered in Southington , Connecticut. (USA) In 1973 Frank Fragola  started  F.F. Screw Products as a job shop that was run as a part time operation with 1 employee. Within 4 years, it changed to a full time operation with 10 employees.  In 1982 after years of doing job shop components for many large companies they decided to start making their own products and that is when F-K Bearings was started.  At that time they were operating both F.F. Screw Products and F.K. bearings in two separate buildings that were approximately 36,000 square feet combined. In 1999 they formed Fragola Performance Systems after many of their customers kept inquiring why they didn’t manufacture fittings for the racing industry. They are now housed in a 80,000 square foot building with 35 employees .Their sister company F.K. Bearings is across the street from them with their own 80,000 square foot building with 55 employees. All of the companies are...

       From St. Petersburg , Florida Eric Morrison and his Blown Alcohol Dodge Avenger F/C When Eric was bracket racing a he noticed few Nostalgia Funny Cars started  showing up at Bradenton , From that point on he was hooked. He said he had to own a Funny Car. And as soon as possible he made plans to sell his truck and acquire a Funny Car body chassis . When Eric purchased his new chassis it came with a 1933 Bantam body.   He ran it like that for a while and later on installed a 1986 Mustang Body that he purchased from Larry Reep in Austin ,TX. He ran the car in the "Dixie Classic Funny Car Series" in a naturally aspirated configuration for a year until he built a blown & injected Chevy on alcohol. He also employed a Powerglide for the shifting duties. Eric stated he ran with that group at tracks throughout the South East. At that time other car owners took notice of  Eric's driving abilities ,  Which led him to drive for another team briefly...

     We are the first one's in the United States to feature this Austin J4-Morris Minibus.   Thank you Alison for sharing it with us and we look forward to featuring your other builds.    Alison Carr is from the city of Cornwall in the United Kingdom. Along with her husband, they enjoy building Hot Rods and Street Machines so much that they have over a dozen in their collection . I told them that I would love to share them all , as some of them are quite unique such as this spectacular example we have here . Alison said the van started life as a Austin J4/Morris Minibus, it's quite similar to our Dodge A100 or Ford Falcon Econoline's of the 1960's They gave It a heavy roof chop & installed  suicide doors. The rear cargo doors were welded solid. She stated they also sectioned six inches off the bottom half .  During the roof chop the windscreen was made in two pieces to give the front end some character. Other body mod's include inset tur...

                                                                      If Darth Vader Had a Hot Rod this would be it !     Al Levine is from Great Neck, New York,but you can say his sinister looking 1963 Plymouth Savoy could be from the Death Star . This is a car that any movie villain would want . The car is black on black with minimal bright work which blends in quite nicely on the streets of New York .   What else does that villain want you ask ? How about so much power you can't keep it under the hood .   The power in question comes from a BDS Stage 3 10/71 Supercharged 540 cube Hemi .     Even Darth is impressed with the mighty Hemi !   The engine is a Mopar Mega block with forged 4.5 stroke crank swinging  Diamond pistons with a 4.380...

           Keith is from Peyton, Colorado and this is his 1970 Mustang . He states it's a home built race car that started life as a plain Jane stock 302 , with a C4 transmission.  He built the Mustang in his two stall garage.  He first back halved it and installed a 429 with a C6 transmission . After battling cooling issues he decided it was time to go to a fully TIG welded tube chassis and take the car even further.   He stepped it up with a 514 cubes, The bigger power started breaking the C6 so Keith went to a Powerglide transmission.  Fast forward to today,  Keith is now running an A460 block that’s 598 cubes , with SCJ heads that have been ported & larger valves were installed .  A Trick Flow intake and a Pro Systems 1250cfm Methanol carburetor finishes off the top end . The Powerglide is long gone, and now a turbo 400 handles the shifting duty's and a Hughes 5,500 stall converter keeps the engine in it's sweet...

  The Late Great Jan Gabriel Jan 25th, 2020 by Mike Salemme                                             Who doesn't remember hearing Jan Gabriel's voice growing up in the 1970's & 1980's. He was the first one to come up with the Sunday , Sunday , Sunday catch phrase. Other track promoters soon copied it,because it packed the grand stands .         In 1968 Ben Christ, the track owner of the U.S. 30 drag strip in Hobart,Indiana wanted to advertise and make it known that his tracks were open on Sundays.  After dismissing nearly 50 announcers because they weren't vibrant enough,Gabriel's announcing was picked as the iconic tagline. The spots ended with "Where the great ones run!", read and echoe...

      This Duster bodied Nitro Funny Car is also a '27 Fuel Altered based out of West Palm Beach , Florida .  Michael Harrigan is the owner and Crew Chief  & Chris King is at the controls . Chris has been a full-time firefighter for 23 years, the last 10 in The Windy City.  He assigned to  Special Operations Heavy Rescue.  Some of his work includes going into fires in collapsed buildings, and pulling out people trapped under rubble, saving people in elevators,  & SCUBA diving into Lake Michigan.     King has dreamed of being a drag race driver since he was a kid "growing up at Great Lakes Dragway .  He went to all the Labor Day races & every nitro and jet-car show 'Broadway Bob' had," he said. "I've always wanted to get to the big leagues, and a few years ago he decided that it was   time to get a Top Fuel license .     Chris earned his Nitro Funny Car competition license in Paul Richards nitro f...