Longest Wheelstand
Brian Ambrosini, '74 AMC Gremlin
Brian Ambrosini has been a fixture at the Byron Dragway World Power Wheelstand Contest since the beginning. His bright-orange Gremlin is well known for going vertical and sliding on the rear bumper. Normally, Brian would go up with a fast, hard launch. The last couple of years, it seems Brian has been trying to get a longer total distance by bringing the front end up a little slower. The Gremmie hit the bumper at about 100 feet and got great distance in the first round. For the second round, he put a more violent tune-up in his car for the classic Ambrosini wheelie. The car went up hard and came down hard. His first run was long enough to earn Brian the Longest Wheelstand title. As usual with anything that's judged, there was some disagreement about who had the best overall wheelie, but Brian doesn't worry about all the drama. He brings his family to help him crew, moving through the pits like a bright-orange school of fish. That's what Brian is there for.
Best GM Wheelstand (Fourth Place)
Greg Broshous, '63 Chevy II
Last year, Greg Broshous told us, "I had one of the best times ever. I'll be coming back for sure." Greg brought his '63 Chevy II Gasser back to Byron to see if he could have as much fun as last year. Greg runs a 408-inch stroked small-block Chevy with Dart heads and a shot of nitrous. He puts on a great show, speed-shifting the Chevy II with the bumper dragging and sparks shooting everywhere. On Greg's last run, the landing was more than the front axle could deal with, folding the left front wheel under the car on impact. He was awarded Fourth Place in the GM category for the effort.
This is our favorite.
Best Ford Wheelie
Jason Carr, '92 Mustang
Jason Carr's nitrous-injected, small-block, Chevy-powered '92 LX Mustang took flight around the 450-foot mark last year. He won Most Photographic Wheelie, a title that cost him around $22,000 to repair. He rebuilt his Mustang over the winter and came back to see if he could beat his distance from last year without destroying his car.
Jason's Mustang left the line in a beautifully controlled manner. Once it got into its bumper-dragging position, it cruised around 400 feet straight as an arrow. He landed it without any drama and made it look easy, winning Best Ford Wheelstand.
Wheelstanding 101
Did you look closely at the front axle on Greg Broshous' Nova? See where it's been beefed up to handle the landings? Most drivers use a big shot of nitrous or an extremely loose torque converter to get the car to bring the nose up. Once the car begins to lift, it is important that the suspension angles are correct so the instant center moves toward the front of the car, rotating it around the center of gravity. If the tires touch the body or the suspension binds, you are going to hit the pavement hard. If the axlehousing rotates too far past zero pinion angle or the axle wraps and unloads, the car is going to come crashing down. Once in the air, look to the left to avoid hitting the retaining wall and keep your foot on the floor. That's all there is to it.
Do this next year!
Byron Dragway
Byron, IL
815/398-1060
byrondragway.com
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