Ryan Stevens’ Camaro sets the world record for a naturally-aspirated 5th gen car with a stock bottom end.
The 5th generation Chevrolet Camaro is a common site at any drag strip in the United States. Many of them are modified to run far quicker than stock times, but none of them have run as quick as Ryan Stevens without a stroker setup or some sort of forced induction. The video above comes to us from the Gwatney Performance YouTube channel and it features Steven’s Camaro setting the world record for the quickest naturally aspirated 5th gen car with a stock bottom end – laying down a 9.96 at 133 miles per hour.
Ryan Stevens’ Camaro
Ryan Stevens and his 5th generation Camaro previously held the record for the quickest naturally-aspirated Chevy muscle car from that era. We don’t know what his previous record time was, but he set that record with a 416-cubic inch engine. This season, Stevens has removed his stroker motor and replaced it with an LS3 with a stock bottom end in a quest to set the record for the quickest NA, stock bottom end 5th gen Camaro in the world.
He achieved that record on just his third run with the setup.
The Build
Under the hood of Stevens’ red Camaro is a fresh LS3 with a fully-stock bottom end. That engine is equipped with a set of GPI Ported LS3 Cylinder Heads, a GPI Low Lash Solid Roller Cam, a CID Intake and the components needed to run E85. The car also has an FTI Performance TH400 Transmission with a Circle D 8-inch torque converter, a set of 3.91 gears and sticky tires to make the best use of the available power.
The Record Run
On the third run with this new, stock bottom end setup, Stevens and his Camaro laid down a 9.96 at 133 miles per hour, making his Chevy the quickest naturally-aspirated, non-stroker 5th gen car in the world. On the record run, Stevens pulled a 1.354 60-foot time and he got to the eighth-mile marker in just 6.302 seconds.
Best of all, with this record being set on just his third run with the new setup, it seems likely that some seat time could yield even quicker ETs as the season progresses. In the meantime, Ryan Stevens and his muscle car hold the world record for the quickest naturally-aspirated 5th gen Camaro with a stock bottom end.
"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.
