The drifting bellows of smoke from a well done burnout. The sweet aroma of spent racing fuel. The wonderful orchestral arrangement of a V8 with an abundance of duration and overlap idling through the lanes. The sight of original Detroit muscle in all its glory and splendor. Ah, the experience one can only get from a visit to the pits and staging lanes of a real class car drag race. And then, without warning... you’re hooked. Just like that.

Its hard to recall my first experience at the track since my father was racing before I was born. You see, I was born at a time when class racing was the only form of drag racing there was. There were were no “brackets”, no dial-ins. Just- first one to the finish line wins. This is when picking the right combination was EVERYTHING, and oh boy did he. Winning was such a regular occurrence for me growing up, if he didn't win I said “why didn't you push on the gas harder, you always win?”.

As a toddler at the track (I’m told by both parents), I would be siting on a blanket in the street tires stacked along the chain link fence, while he raced on the slicks that were in the car with us (one in the trunk and one in the back seat with me) on the ride to the track. The other kids were either at home, or crying in their mothers arms from the “noise”. me?, no way, I was grinning from ear to ear wanting more. In fact later on when I was a few years older (maybe 5) many times late at night when the car was on a trailer and we came home (from winning, of course) if the guys were trying to silently roll the car off the trailer and push it into the garage, I would protest loudly to hear the car one last time, even though it was usually after midnight. Man, I love the sound of real race cars.

And now, as Dylan said, the times are a changin’. There are now all sorts of drag cars and “classes” out there, it’s even somewhat mainstream on cable TV. But for me, there remains only one true race car- After hours and hours of “bench racing” it’s the hand selected, and meticulously crafted and maintained “CLASS car”, be it Stock, or Super Stock. Nothing even compass to these real race cars. And now, it seems the racing gods have smiled upon us once again and we are returning to a time I can faintly remember when the factories in Detroit threw their might and “muscle” around and built cars just for us. Just like the 60‘s coveted Central Office Production Order vehicle, or now famously named- The COPO. Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge have now fueled fresh fire and the Big Three are all actively playing this great game. You can choose from a COPO Camaro, a  factory Cobra Jet or supercharged Super Cobra Jet, or a Dodge Drag Pack. 

NHRA has even created special classes just for these new Factory Race Cars called Factory Stock and Factory Superstock. But hey, what is it really that makes these cars so special? I’m glad you asked. 

You see, these cars MUST follow a very specific set of rules. The parts must be from the factory (mostly), the car must weigh what it was when shipped from the factory (no lightweight or missing interiors) these are real cars. In fact, if you saw one on the street, aside from the wheels and tires, and thunderous roar of the open exhaust, you would never know what lies beneath. The engines must use blueprinted parts specific to the car that it shipped with, no special race only components. No major suspension mods, bolt on only. Once you look deeper into what you are NOT allowed to do, it is simply amazing the horsepower and elapsed times these vehicles are able to achieve. 

There is more, a lot more than I just covered. So much more that over the next few months we will have many detailed articles and videos on the anatomy of these great cars. We will be talking to the teams, drivers and engine builders that make these machines perform to incredible standards. 

As we prepare for the 2023 season, we wait with earnest hope and expectation that we will again see greatness from the few willing to rise to the challenge of this great class of racing. We hope you will join us for the journey, as we return back to the roots of class racing with Factory Stock. 

You can COMMENT ON THIS FEATURE ARTICLE HERE