example.com - corvette

I've been told that from the outside our Jerry Haas-built '63 Corvette looks violent and difficult to drive, but it's actually quite smooth. My car owner, Nick Mitsos, and his sons Chris and Paul have a good handle on the clutch and chassis, and as a result I don't have to abort too many runs. As a general rule, if I can get the car into 3rd gear without it shaking the tires or getting out of shape, it will go straight to the finish line under power.

Once I got used to driving the car, I had to learn how to cut a light. Our car leaves the starting line so hard that it's a challenge not to red-light on the fivetenths full Tree that we use in Comp. I've made a couple of trips to Frank Hawley's NHRA Drag Racing School in Florida, and I learned a lot about how to concentrate and remain focused. I've also talked to a lot of Pro Stock guys about driving and how to set up the car. Once you understand how the starting line works, you can make the necessary adjustments needed to cut good lights. I didn't win the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, but I'm proud of the .011 light I cut in the final against Glen Treadwell. Our team did the best it could, and I couldn't ask for much more than that.

The other driving challenge I face is judging the finish line at more than 210 mph. On most runs, I have to lift early in order to keep from getting a Competition Index Control penalty. Unless I'm racing against an A/Dragster or an AA/Pro Mod car, I get to leave last, which is a big advantage. I can look out the windshield and watch the whole race unfold in front of me.

Against most opponents, if my front end is near their rear bumper by the 1,000-foot mark, I can lift off the gas and let my momentum carry me to the finish line. It's hard to lift when you're not ahead, but after you do it a few times, you realize it's an effective way to race and not kill your index.

Even though I didn't win, reaching the final of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals was a thrill. When I got to the final against Glen Treadwell, I knew I was in for a fight because Glen reached the final without losing any index and I had lost a full tenth. When we got to the 1,200-foot mark, I knew I was in trouble because Glen's car was still pretty far ahead, and even though I was closing in fast, I knew I wasn't going to catch him. At the event, I beat some of the best racers in Comp, including Michael Johnson, Steve Ambrose, Al Ackerman, Robert Bailey, and John Mihovetz. and that's a full day's work in anyone's book.

The 2005 season isn't over yet, but we're already looking forward to 2006. We have a new Jerry Haas-built '63 Corvette on order, and we expect to take delivery of it in a few weeks. Our game plan is to spend a week or so testing in Florida in January before heading home for the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals in Pomona.

The new car will incorporate several new features that we've learned from racing our current car, and we think it will be at least five- to six-hundredths quicker. That would put us in the 6.4s under the right conditions, which is quick enough to run with just about anybody in Comp. In addition, the new car will have a paint scheme that should attract a lot of attention. You'll have to wait until the Winternationals to see it, but if you like the way some of the wild Pro Mods are painted, you'll probably like our new car.

example.com - corvette

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