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In 2007 the PSCA came into
its own with consistently the largest Pro Street fields in North America.
Four of the top 10 qualifiers at the 2007 Street Car Super
Nationals (SCSN III) were PSCA regulars.
Combine the side by side 6 second 220+ MPH Pro Street action with
some of the most amazing small tire and drag radial classes and you have
the makings of one exciting and growing heads-up organization.
The 2008 season kicks off at "The Strip" Las Vegas Motor
Speedway with the 10th Annual Mickey Thompson Tires
Winternationals Jan 25th - 27th, 2008. Racers
are reeling with anticipation as to what we might see in 2008 and so we
decided to do a little preview of the monster performances expected this
year.
HUGHES PERFORMANCE
is
returning as class sponsor for the PSCA's top class, Pro Street.
 Their dedication to the PSCA has been phenomenal and their name is
becoming synonymous with fast heads-up racing.
Four time class and defending champion Ed
Thornton seems to have a target on his back as the troops are lining
up to dethrone the Black '57. The
headline news coming out of the Thornton camp is that he and his popular
crew (Doug Stewart, Tom "Mr. Clean" Esbri, Derek Luedtka
and Larry Kennedy) will now be part of a two car team led by last
years Pro Street runner-up John
Mihovetz and his company Accufab Inc.
John
Mihovetz ET Record Setting Cougar
Most are unaware of the financial commitment it takes to run one of
these cars. Thornton
and the team were scrambling at the end of last year to secure help for
2008. John and his Accufab
team provided some interim assistance toward the end of last season which
has evolved into a full season arrangement for 2008. "Accufab is making it possible for us to make all the
races this year as long as we don’t blow everything up" says Thornton.
While the consolidated team is plenty savvy in the tuning
department, they expect to have noted EFI guru Shane T. back at the races
for added insurance.
Both Thornton and Mihovetz are men of few words that let their
machines do the talking. However,
both are extremely competitive and know that their alliance will be needed
to defend their 1-2 finish from 2007. This
is especially true when contenders are armed and ready for battle with
insane blown alcohol mills and nitrous snorting mountain motors as
highlighted below.
One blower entry that is
always a threat to the turbo camp is long time Pro Mod racer John Scialpi. With a
history dating back several decades including a final round appearance at
the first World Street Nationals in Orlando and two West Coast Pro Mod
Championships to his credit, Scialpi is one of the most feared racers on
the west coast. This is a man
who is capable of building a complete car (bow to stern) by himself and he
can he drive with anyone.  John
has consistently been among the best on the tree and knows how to win.
Scialpi has used the off season to make a few chassis changes to
his infamous teal and white '57 Chevy.
In addition, the team has been working out the bugs of the new Hemi
combination that they introduced at the end of last year.
The Scialpi camp is a family affair as John's young sons Johnny
and Kenny are part of the crew and handle much of the between round
maintenance. Look for these
guys to sort out the Hemi and maybe spin that blower a little faster.
Couple that with a 50lb weight break given to this combination in '08 and we just might see the former ET record holder back in the record
books.
Gil Nevarez and the Sandlin Lumber sponsored '68 Camaro is another
team that is expected to step up in 2008.
This car is truly a work of art thanks Jon and Joel of West Coast
Racecraft.  Last year was highlighted by the team running in the
6.30 zone at Bakersfield's Famoso Raceway.
The
team did not miss a PSCA race in 2007 and most expect them to make a run
for the championship. Nevarez
posted a number of impressive performances in his first year driving a
blown alcohol car. This group
is fiercely competitive and they badly want to win a championship.
Gil is no stranger to winning as he is a two time PSCA Real Street
Champion. Look for some
big performances out of this camp in 2008. The
Team is currently seeking sponsorship to cover some of the huge costs to
run a Top Pro Street Car, if interested email the PSCA at mel@pscaracing.com,
he will get you in contact with Nevarez.
Kelly Bluebaugh and his WFO (World’s Fastest Organization) are
another team to look out for in 2008.
One of the top nitrous cars in Hughes Performance Pro Street, WFO
is again planning to tap into the brain trust that is the father of Pro
Mod, Charles Carpenter. Bluebaugh
became a regular on Carpenter's crew last year and is likely picking up
some points from this legendary racer.
According to their website the team is also in discussions with
Auto Trader Magazines for possible sponsorship.
The team's crew chief, Deborah Woodard, has been busy promoting
WFO and helping Kelly get the car ready for the '08 race season.
They are looking for a repeat of the 2006 season when Steve
Paulauskis drove the WFO prepared car to a PSCA Pro Street Championship.
Jay Syverston owns and drives the Ex-Danny Rowe '37 Chevy Pro Mod.
The car sent a huge message about the potential of a screw blower 
during qualifying at SCSN III when Jay pedaled the beast and still laid
down a 6.55 @ 217 MPH.
John
Scialpi's presence is felt here as the he delivers the car and crew to
each race while Jay (who resides in western Canada) just flies in to
drive. We all know that
with Scialpi behind this project it will be fast but the question is can
they figure out the new combination and gain the consistency needed to put
back-to-back runs together. Only
time will tell if Jay and his team have what it takes to win rounds.
No matter what happens the expectation is that the car will make
some very memorable passes down the quarter mile.
Bob Griffith is expected to be driving his Ex-Kirk Kuhns Viper in
about 4 races this
season.. As the elder statesmen in the class at
63-years young, he plans on having some
fun and stirring up the points chase for the class regulars.
Bob qualified #9 at SCSN III with a strong 6.51 @ 218 MPH and
is looking for low 40s and possible 30s in 2008.
Since the author of this story is the crew chief on this car, the partial
schedule will allow more time to write for the PSCA and help out some of
the other racers that have helped Griffith Racing over the years.
Speculation is that 2007
SCSN III runner-up Jimmy Mock
will make a serious run at the Pro Street Championship in 2008.
The jury is still out on whether Mock Motorsports will make the
move to a screw blower as the new rules allow. 
However, many believe that the fun loving boys from Yorba Linda, CA
are headed in that direction. Late
last year Jimmy was still on the fence about incurring the expense
necessary to change his beautiful '51 Chevy over to a screw.
Nevertheless his crew chief, Mike Robeck, has spent several years
on Jay Payne's alcohol funny car crew and thus has significant
experience with screw blowers. Screw
or Roots expect that the Mock pit will be at full tilt and the boys will
be having fun laughing it up Jimmy Style!!
Go visit their pit and you will see what I mean.
In the #9 slot last year
was Dave Dedrickson out of
Bloomington, California. Dedrickson
posted some impressive  numbers in early '07 qualifying 3rd or
better in the first two events. This was followed by a series of catastrophic parts failures
which sidelined the car much of the season.
His beautiful silver Pontiac Firebird is powered by a
nitrous fed 737 CID Sonny Leonard Hemi.
The car has so much potential and Dave is an outstanding driver who
usually nails the tree. Look
for the silver bird to return to the top of the ladder in '08.
Rounding out the top 10
from last year was Karl Wilson
who campaigns the only Roots blown small block in PSCA Pro Street.  Karl is best remembered for his first round win over the #1
qualifier Randy Walker at the 2007 World Finals where Karl laid down his
first ever 6-second pass. Karl
and the team had made consistent progress with their small block Corvette
and we all know they are capable of an upset.
Other cars to watch in '08 include Team Hairston who
began to sort out their amazing new Pertronix sponsored GTO toward the end
of last year. With help
from famed turbo guru and long time friend Kenny Duttweiler and car
builder Jerry Bickel, Jim and his boys Clint (driver) and Jake (crew
chief) made a case for small block twin turbo power.
This was evident when they nailed down 6.40s in qualifying #5 in a
field of 44 cars at SCSN III. Giuseppe
Gentile and his Turbo People tuned Mustang is currently undergoing an
update which is said to include the newest generation Mustang Body.
Giuseppe and crew easily adapted to Pro Street in 2007 highlighted
by their top 10 qualifier at SCSN III.
Couple Giuseppe's past championship driving experience with the
resume of Job Spetter and Turbo People and this will be a car of the
future. Heads-up street car
racing pioneer Mike Bowman
returned to the west coast race scene in 2007 after being on the road with
the NMCA for several years. All
engine development on the twin turbo BBC was redirected with the help of
Kenny Duttweiler and Jason Pettis. The
team made tremendous progress capped off by a season finale win at the
World Finals in Fontana. Pro
Mod Standout Kirk Kuhns has
sent his '41 Willys off to Jimmy Rector’s shop and will drive it in the
AMS Staff Leasing NHRA Series on Danny Rowe's two car team.
However, Kuhns enjoyed racing with the PSCA so much last year that
he is putting together a '59 Corvette for west coast action. The car is an Ex Torkelson '59 Corvette and should be ready
for action by the second or third race.
Let's not forget about the blown '55 Chevys of Monty
Berney and Bob Bunker Jr.
These two are fan favorites and are very capable of winning rounds
and races in Pro Street. Finally, we definitely cannot overlook the hard
charging El Camino of former PSCA Pro Street Champion Randy
Walker. Walker was the
top qualifier at the World Finals with a stout 6.44 and has recently
enlisted the services of Charles Carpenter to enhance the team's already
lethal program. Other notables that will throw a monkey wrench in the 2008
championship chase include Tony
Kane, Jeremy Hanger, Bob Towne, Jim Knight, Dan Myers, Mack Moffat and Randy Hagerty
The PSCA has the
best looking cars!!!!
Tony
Kanes' Awesome Pro Street Camaro!!!
ACCUFAB INC. OUTLAW 10.5 appears to be picking up steam as naturally
aspirated, nitrous and turbo combinations appear to have equal chances to
win in 2008. Car counts
are expected to return to the 2004-05 levels when it was common to have
12+ cars at an event.  With no significant rule changes for 2008, the Outlaws have
had time to build new cars and develop their existing programs without the
risk of obsolescence. Last
year's champ Ron Weems and his Toy Factory Team is returning to defend
their title with their naturally aspirated Grand Am.
Rich Zehring will also return in the Nova to lead the nitrous
contingent who includes crowd favorites Mary Baltzell, Rod Oxford and Slim
Zeinaty. The twin turbo entry
of Greg Seth-Hunter will use Job Spetter tuning in an attempt to dethrone
the N/A and nitrous contingent. Late
last season, the PSCA got a glimpse of Import standout Ron Lummus.
Ron and Bothwell Motorsports debuted their new twin turbo Garrett
sponsored '07 Mustang to rave reviews and a runner-up finish in Phoenix.
Let's also not forget about the centrifugal blown guy, Chris Kephart's
Vortech powered 1962 Impala with a 509ci BBC is no joke and will go
rounds. Word is that three-time PSCA Outlaw 10.5 champ Doug Sikora will
make a run at the '08 Championship after a four-year absence from the class.
A small block nitrous combination will power the new Sikora Mustang
and will likely be a contender the moment he cracks the throttle. Rumor also has is, that SCSN III Outlaw winner
Dale Moznik will be making the long trip from Canada to play with PSCA
regulars several times in 2008!
Ron Lummus' Outlaw 10.5 Twin Turbo Stang
Greg Seth-Hunter has the power
to win!!!
BORLA
PERFORMANCE XTREEME DRAG RADIAL is a heads-up class for all types of
vehicles. Rear suspension may utilize ladder bar or four-links (no full
tube chassis). Legal combinations include the use of nitrous oxide,
supercharger, turbocharger and normal aspiration at different weight
breaks for parity.  All entries must compete on a must compete on a 12-inch
wide (or smaller) DOT approved, Drag Radial Tire.
Extreme Drag Radial is a class that has emerged through the
combination of last year's Real Street and Xtreeme Street classes.
The class has been successfully test marketed at the SCSNs
and will allow many former class racers to run their combinations all year
in preparation for the same class at the SCSN IV this November in Las
Vegas.
Past class champions like Roger Holder, Rich Hoyle, Steven
Short and Matt Schmidt are geared up to compete in the new combined class.
The contender list is huge as hitters in the DOT arena like
Walt Brock, Bert Heck, Scott Oskas, Slim Zeinaty, Bobby Frye and Bill Dunaway are expected to make a
run at the Championship.
Can the 2007 Real Street Champ
figure out them Radials??
Matt Schmidt is focused and
ready to challenge!!!
MICKEY THOMPSON TIRES
WILD STREET is
a heads-up class for any and all types of vehicles from 60's muscle cars
& Pick-ups to late model Mustangs and Camaros. This class is limited
mainly by a small Drag Radial Tire (275x60x15). Frame rails
both front and rear must retain stock configuration, ladder bars allowed
but with a slight weight penalty. Just about any single power adder is
allowed, including the use of nitrous oxide systems, centrifugal or roots
superchargers, and single & twin turbocharger combos.
Wild Street was the subject of some exciting changes over the off
season. The former PSCA
stock suspension/DOT tire class known as True Street was consolidated into
Wild Street as many were able to simply mount a drag radial and fit the
drag radial class requirements. This
consolidation is expected to result in larger more competitive fields as
the True Street class brings some major players including past champions
like George Raygoza and Manny Figueroa to the mix.
2007 Wild Street Champion Levi Hanna and runner-up Dave Bowman
dominated much of last season and plan to do battle for the 2008
championship. Contenders
Artis Houston, Jason Hacker, Kevin Wallauer, Dee Pfnister, Slim Zeinaty,
David Schwarz, Bob Kopp, Team NRP and many others will combine to make
Wild Street insane in 2008.
2007
True Street Champ should fit right into the Wild Crowd!!!
Manny will miss the opener,
but watch out at Fontana!!!
It took all season, but Artis
Houston made a statement at the
Finals!!!
EDELBROCK
HOT STREET is a heads-up class
for all types of vehicles. Rear suspension may utilize ladder bar or
four-links (no full tube chassis). This class is for naturally aspirated
machines that compete on a Mickey Thompson (29.5 x 10.5 Slick or 30 x 13.5
ET Street)  or any other brand as long as the tire is not larger (height
& width) than the M/T. Hot
Street has brought extremely tight competition to the PSCA similar to that
of NHRA Pro Stock racing. Taking
the win light is often decided by thousandths of a second and reaction
time is key. Don Bevers and Adrian Duron battled it out last year for the
championship and are both expected to return in 2008. Class standouts include Bryan Cobbett, George Mitchell, Dan
Bott II, New ET record holder Jon Bundrant, Vic
Brum, Michael Valentio, Dan Stanley, Craig & Carl Gustafson, Shannen
Blowers, Scott Schoonover & Chris Madsen
The AMP Stang is going to be tough to beat in 2008!!!
Can a big block complete against
all the pesky small blocks??
Vic Brum might have a little something for them ;)
 DEEDS PERFORMANCE LIMITED STREET is a heads-up class for all types
of vehicles from 60's muscle cars to late model Mustangs and Camaros. This
class is limited to  Small Blocks only.
Suspension, both front and rear, must retain stock configuration.
Legal power adders include the use of a nitrous oxide single plate,
centrifugal type superchargers and 80 mm or smaller turbocharger. All
cars compete on a DOT approved 28 x11.5 ET Street Tire.
2007 class champion Gary Brandt dominated the
field last year but is expected to be challenged fiercely by 2007
runner-up Craig Williams. Other contenders for 2008 include Tony Polatano,
Jeff Gorman, Taro Martinez, Russ Delia, Scott Albright and newcomer
Parrish Williams. Many of these amazing vehicles are expected to dip into
the high 8-second zone during the 2008 season.
Craig Williams is hungry!!!!
Russ
Delia made huge steps in 2007 with a turbo combo
2008 marks the PSCA's
10-year Anniversary and the PSCA has many special things
planned throughout the race season, including higher class purses and the
introduction of some very coveted custom trophies..
Bracket,
Index & Open Comp Classes will be added in shortly!!!!
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