How To Frag 11 Engines In Five Races
When Lance Armstrong wanted to prove he was a freak of nature by competing in a seventh Tour de France bicycle race, the world (at least Americans) couldn't wait to see how their hero would do again. When Tim Hendricks nabbed the Cheap Street championship title last year, spectators, followers, and Tim himself looked to the new season with confidence and optimism.
Until the racing began. When the Cheap Street class was reborn in 2005 as Street Race, its laid-back rules seemed like a second win for Tim would be a no-brainer. With fewer restrictions and therefore more mechanical freedom, Illinois-resident Hendricks went with a completely new engine combination in his '95 Firebird matched to a chassis that seemed ideal for the class. But the 357 Chevy small-block has been nothing but problematic (while the chassis has been nothing but golden), and Hendricks has been struggling this season. "Honestly, I don't know why we're burning it up. We're burning up pistons as fast as we can put them in." The burning he refers to? Eleven motors in five races. "Last year we went the whole season on one, and we won the championship."
Even more frustrating has got to be that the cars that are running this year aren't any faster than Hendricks was last year. Each race ends in a question mark for him, but it's all part of the raw and gritty existence in a real-world class like Street Race. As Hendricks says, "Don't assume you're going to jump in and it's easy-it's not. Obviously I was the fastest there was last year, but I can't outrun last year. To get the right combination is the big thing."
Despite the disappointing start, Hendricks has a good attitude and points out that he likes the variety of the Street Race competition and that "it's an affordable head-up class. I'm not going to say it's cheap, but you should be able to run a class like this without hurting a lot of stuff."
For more information about the Car Craft Street Race series, visit fasteststreetcar.com, or to sign up, call 866/694-3475.
'New Hampshire still doesn't have an adult seatbelt law.
The Unknown Comic
Forget Superman, Batman, and Hawk Girl. Any comic book that stars a '68 Camaro has got our immediate attention. But then so does anything doodled that has bad words and women drawn better than Jessica Rabbit (yes, Doug, we've been reading your diary). The Ride, Vol. 1 is a collection of five tales that each feature the Camaro as the lead character or plot point. But we aren't kidding-if you can't handle your comics with an edge, you better stick to coloring books. This 128-page absorbing collection has chicks, gunplay, and even a story told in Chinese called "Language Barrier." We were on the edge of our toilet while reading "Big Plans." And just like with a DVD, there's bonus material, such as pin-ups, character designs, and commentary. It costs $9.99 and you can learn more by visiting imagecomics.com.-Tori Tellem
'Some NY dude just had a six-organ transplant.
Enter The Car Craft Magazine Dyno Drags With Mustang Dynamometers!
March 18 in Chicago, 50 cars hand-picked by the editors of Car Craft will battle until the crankshafts hit the ground to lay down the facts once and for all about who has the most brutal rear-wheel horsepower of anyone in the land. It's the first ever Car Craft Dyno Drags presented by Mustang Dynamometers, and it will go down during the new Autorama show at the International Exposition Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
The competition will be broken down into five classes of 10 cars each: Naturally Aspirated Big-Block, Naturally Aspirated Small-Block, Power Adder Big-Block, Power Adder Small-Block, and Unlimited. Full rules and details of how it will all hash out will appear on CarCraft.com, so we're just giving you some advanced warning to start considering your entry and figuring out how to convince us to pick your car for the show.