A Little No-prep Racing Action, Including the Well-known 1968 “Reaper” Camaro and a Wicked 4th Gen Pontiac Firebird.
This amazing drag race video features a clash between a couple of built F-bodies – including a 1st generation Chevrolet Camaro and a 4th generation Pontiac Firebird. The video doesn’t include any details, but from the Street Outlaws website, we know that the Reaper Camaro is packing a big block Chevy fitted with a big nitrous oxide setup. As for the Pontiac Firebird, we know that it has a nitrous setup paired with some sort of monster engine build, in what looks like it might be an older NHRA Pro Stock car.
These two badass Chevrolet muscle cars are squaring off at the Winter Meltdown event at Edinburg Motorsports Park, which is a “no-prep” event designed to simulate street racing conditions in a safer setting. Basically, these are purpose built race cars doing battle on as poor a footing as possible and the result is one thrilling drag race.
After all of the pageantry that you would expect from a Street Outlaws-type drag race, including a burnout by both the Firebird and the Reaper Camaro, both cars carefully stage for the race. The Reaper vamps a little, purging the nitrous system over and over, creating big clouds of vapor above the car and getting the crowd ready for a great race – and that is exactly what they get.
When the green light drops, the Firebird jumps out to a big lead as the Camaro in the near lane is late to leave. However, as the Camaro comes blasting away from the starting line, the Firebird runs into traction issues and when the driver is forced to lift – the Reaper blasts past for the narrow win.
In the end, the loose footing that comes with no-prep drag racing played a big part in the traction issues which helped to make this drag race so exciting.
"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.
