Fireball Camaro and Birdman Firebird pack more than 7,000 horsepower together.
This wild drag race comes to us from the YouTube account of the National No Prep Racing Association and it features a 5th generation Chevrolet Camaro taking on a 4th generation Pontiac Firebird. Of course, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill GM sports car, with both cars packing built engines and thousands of GM horsepower.
The Competitors
If you follow the world of no prep racing, there is a good chance that you are familiar with both of these cars. The video above showcases a race between the Fireball Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird of James “Birdman“ Finney – two of the quickest and most powerful GM race cars on the scene.
Birdman’s Pontiac is powered by a 622-cubic inch big block Chevy fitted with a pair of 98-millimeter turbochargers that help this car send more than 3,000 horsepower towards the rear tires.
The Fireball Camaro is powered by a smaller 572-cubic inch mill, but with dual 102-millimeter turbos, this car is said to offer somewhere in the area of 4,500 horsepower.
Needless to say, with 4,500 horsepower in one car and at least 3,000 horsepower in the other, these cars are capable of running with the NHRA Pro Stockers, but on the slick track of a no prep event – it is all about putting that power to the ground.
The Battle
The video begins with each of the turbocharged GM race cars cleaning off their tires, covering about half the track in the process. After the Camaro and Firebird each back up to the starting line and stage, the engine speeds soar, anti-lag systems engage and bump boxes allow the cars to carefully inch into the second beam.
When the green lights drop, the Fireball Camaro gets away from the line a little cleaner and that is all that the team needed to knock off the Birdman and his wicked Pontiac.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
