First 5th generation Chevrolet Camaro to run a 9-second quarter mile sets the record back in 2009.
Since the 6th generation Chevrolet Camaro has been introduced, we have looked at a great many examples of the new muscle car storming down the drag strip. We have talked about the first 6G Camaro to run in the 10-, 9- and 8-second range. For today’s Throwback Thursday, we look at the first 5th gen car to make a 9-second pass.
This black 2010 Camaro SS belongs to a guy named David Brooks. Rather than the stock LS3, this Chevy muscle car is powered by a 427 cubic inch LSX crate engine. That engine is fitted with an F1R supercharger from ProCharger and the monster motor is mated to a 6L80 automatic transmission. We can also see skinny front wheels and tires, and wide slicks on lightweight rear wheels. If we had to guess, there might be some suspension work done as well.
The sweet grumble of the big-cam 427 is unmistakable as the supercharged Chevy enters the staging beams. When the green light drops, the driver spends a second making sure that the launch is perfect before heading down track.
The Late Model Racecraft-built Camaro screams down the track with the automatic transmission quickly popping from gear to gear. As the blown 427 Chevy crosses the line the scoreboard announces the new record: 9.98 at 144.23 miles per hour. Making this the first 5g Camaro in the 9s and, at least for some time, the quickest 5th generation in the world.
"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.
