Those that know me are fully aware of how much I enjoy drag racing. I was lucky enough to be involved in the sport for over two decades and once it’s in your blood, there’s no escaping it.
And those reading this blog have probably sorted that I really enjoy spending some time each evening, trying to produce a perfect shave.
So I thought it was appropriate to post some pictures of a drag car that is sporting a brand-new sponsor.
The images below are of a Fuel Funny Car owned by John Force Racing and driven by Mike Neff. And the new sponsor on the car is none other than Old Spice.
After one session of qualifying at the National Hot Rod Association’s 2008 season-opening WinterNationals in Pomona, California, Neff is qualified number four at 4.850 seconds and 321.65 MPH. And yes, that is elapsed time and speed in 1320 feet. These Funny Cars are not so funny, eh?
This video is of a pretty good friend of mine, Brian Browell. I worked with Brian for several years and wouldn’t trade a single one of those memories for anything.
I was fortunate enough to have been a part of this racing operation for more years than Brian probably would have liked and we raced all over the U.S. and even raced a few times in Canada.
The car is an NHRA Competition Eliminator gas dragster that runs in the D/Dragster category. It is powered by a 90° V-6 Chevrolet engine, running two carburetors and gasoline. The car utilizes an air-shifted 5 speed, clutchless transmission. The chassis was built at McKinney Corp Race Cars and has earned a Best Engineered Car award. Brian now runs the car out of his own shop, Browell Bellhousings.
Well, I don’t want to admit my age (fifty-three), but for three decades I have been aching to build my own T-Bucket roadster. What is a T-Bucket, you ask?
Well, it is a replica of Henry Ford’s venerable Model T Ford, minus a lot of body parts and with a lot more horsepower.
Back in April of 2007, I drove to Wallingford, CT to visit Total Performance a shop that produces an after-market T-Bucket kit. The little beauty above was on hand for me to drool over. After a couple of hours of chatting, a down-payment on a complete kit leapt out of my pocket and into the coffers at Total.
I wish it were otherwise, but being a man of modest means, I am still paying off the kit. I hope to have my hands on everything within the next few months and I am starting to get anxious to get started on the build.
I’ll post about the progress, from time to time. If you’re remotely interested in street rods, come visit our T-Bucket Forums and see what some other bucket-heads are planning.
