Lingenfelter Performance Nationals

John Lingenfelter, a drag racer who understood the science of the sport like few others, founded the engineering and tuning company that still bears his name. In late 2003, he succumbed to injuries suffered during a crash on the dragstrip in October 2002.

A decade later—after time adrift without John’s guidance—Lingenfelter Performance Engineering (www.lingenfelter.com) is thriving as one of the premier houses of LS high performance. That’s due to another Lingenfelter who grabbed the helm: Ken Lingenfelter. He is a distant relative of the late founder, but the familial connection had little to do with his acquisition of the company. He was a customer who just happened to have the same name—and one with the means, ambition, and passion to kick LPE out of neutral and get it moving forward.

Last September, Lingenfelter Performance threw an event—the first-ever Lingenfelter Performance Nationals—at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, in Norwalk, Ohio, as a thank you to its customers, a celebration of John Lingenfelter’s spirit, and an excuse to go racing in the crisp, fall air. It was also a qualifying event for the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational, so many of the participants spent as much time dodging cones on the autocross course as tripping the timing beams on the dragstrip. There was also technically a car show during the event, but some nasty weather that blew through ahead of and during the weekend conspired against it.

The racers were working against Mother Nature’s schedule, too, but the cold front that blew in did wonders for e.t.’s, as the mine-shaft air enriched the intake charge of all the cars in the staging lanes. Nobody—not even owner/driver Mark Carlyle—however, was expecting the feat he pulled off during the event’s Saturday eliminations, running 7.09 at 212 mph in his turbo-fed ’07 Corvette Z06. If you haven’t been keeping up on quick LS cars lately, we’ll clue you in: Carlyle’s Vette still launches with a factory-style independent rear suspension on 10.5-inch tires. It is serious stuff he brings to the track, and his performance at Norwalk not only annihilated his previous best 7.22 e.t. but set a new benchmark for LS street cars, let alone IRS Corvettes.

Over on the autocross course, it was GM engineer Dave Michaels driving a Thomson Automotive-prepared ’11 Corvette Grand Sport who drove away with the trophy, eclipsing the performance of some truly trick Pro Touring machines. But it was too hard to counter the lightweight, well-balanced Corvette, which boasted ZR1 brakes and a few other suspension goodies—oh, and a Thomson-built 442ci LS7 that made about 700 naturally aspirated horsepower. The angry wail from that car’s exhaust made the other modified machines on the track seem corked-up rental cars in comparison—and we say that will all due respect, because the competition was hot. Michaels also nailed an 11.38 e.t. on the strip in the Corvette, which helped make him the Grand Champion for the OPTIMA portion of event.

Yes, a couple of late-model Corvettes reigned during the inaugural Lingenfelter Performance Nationals, but there were plenty of other great vehicles in attendance. Check them out.