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Just pure Chevy power!
Among the top qualifiers at the Street Car Supernationals in Las Vegas was the poppy red ’07 Jerry Bickel-built Pro Street GTO of Frank Tamez. What was different about it was the lack of a power-adder, no turbos, no nitrous and no supercharger, just absolute cubic inch muscle power with a mere $87,800 price tag!
Tamez was able to qualify twelfth (6.428) in the 32-car Pro Street field sporting one of Sonny Leonard’s new monster motor of all big motors… a dual carb, naturally aspirated 892 cubic inch Hemi-Chevy behemoth. According to Sonny, the 5.500 stroke engine makes 2,058 horses at 7,900 RPM and 1,440 pound feet of torque at 6,800 RPM.
In eliminations, the Yakima, Wash., racer took a win in the first round with a 6.433/217.28 MPH pass to a red-lighting Frank Maggio, but lost a second-round battle on the starting line to John Mihovetz and his turbo-assisted ’02 Cougar by giving up .584 at the green light. The hard-charging Hemi-Chevy GTO made the best pass of the weekend with a strong 6.388/217.74 MPH charge to the Cougar’s 6.411.
It was a solid debut for the big motor, and with this kind of performance we’re sure to see Leonard taking some orders at December’s PRI Show for a couple more of these monsters of Pro Street. (Tim Marshall photo) [12/1/2008]
Pro Mod racer Ware’s daughter featured in calendar for charity
Eddie and Christine Ware's daughter Katelyn has become an integral part of a vitally important fundraising effort for the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center. Born with congenital heart defects, Katelyn is featured in the Cooper Heart Project calendar, the sales of which will directly benefit the Sibley Heart Center.
Ware had a great season on the JEGS ProMod Challenge in his Disturbed Motorsports Firebird, winning his first NHRA race when he captured the crown at his hometown track of Atlanta Dragway. But for all his accomplishments on the racetrack, nothing compares to the joy he experiences every time he looks at his "miracle baby," who is healthy and happy thanks to the exceptional efforts of the Sibley Heart Center medical team. Katelyn underwent two open-heart surgeries, one to repair three of her five congenital heart defects and another to replace her aortic valve with a mechanical one.
The photos used in the calendar page devoted to Katelyn show the best and the worst of times. The main photo shows a perfectly healthy Katelyn at 10-and-a-half months of age, while the inset photo portrays Katelyn in her most fragile state.
Calendars can be purchased directly through Christine by calling her at 770-241-7110. The donation is $20 per calendar plus $5 for shipping and handling. For more information on the Cooper Heart Project, visit http://heartproject.weebly.com/calendar-pages.html. [12/1/2008]