Old-School Mopar® Muscle Still Rocks!
2 years ago Gallery Racing
If one had to describe the annual Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race (PSMCDR) to a “non-gearhead” person, you’d compare it to a Civil War re-enactment but with muscle cars and not muskets or cannons. And while the competitors who climb into these machines sit on vinyl-clad high-bucket seats, grasp plastic steering wheels and stare at the fake wood appointments lathered on the dashboard, they still dress in modern duds and check the weather app on their smartphone to see the air temp and density altitude readings that impact an engine’s output.
Unlike some historic re-enactments, drivers and their friends at the PSMCDR don’t dress in period costumes as this once-a-year events draws in over 130 participants and thousands of fans that pay homage to the golden era when Detroit’s automakers pulled out all stops in building cheap high-performance for the expanding youth market. If you’re looking to recapture those days, the visceral sound of ground-pounding big-blocks and high-spinning small-blocks combined with the aroma of high-octane leaded gas rolling through the pits, the PSMCDR is where you need to go each September. It can send you back in time to your high school days, even if your old, tattered, varsity letter jacket doesn’t fit anymore. For the die-hard spectators who come out to this high-powered pilgrimage, just sitting on the old, rickety, wooden bleachers at the Mid Michigan Motorplex (the home of the PSMCDR for decades) and listening to the squealing bias-ply begging for mercy provides even more ambiance. If there was a common theme from the folks wandering through the pits admiring the rare and unique machines, the phrase “I had one just like that!” was heard often, followed by “Should never have sold it!” Well, one can’t cry over spilled milk, and besides, chances are you could’ve wrapped your muscle machine with its marginal tires and brakes around a telephone pole while Led Zeppelin II rocked out from the eight-track tape player.
Now, before you think the PSMCDR is just a venue where aging boomers go to do their last burnout and get that final time slip before they’re forever homebound and maxing out their Medicare benefits, think again. At this year’s race, there were many racers under 40 duking it out for bragging rights. If you win your shootout, you get next to nothing other than personal satisfaction and for these racers, that’s good enough. But more important, we are witnessing a shift to a younger generation that loves vintage muscle cars despite the fact by the time these guys and gals were born, all semblance of Detroit’s golden era of performance cars had already become a faded memory for their parents or even grandparents.
“This is my second Pure Stock race and I love it,” said 17-year-old Caroline Straub, a high school senior who has her male classmates scratching their heads. Her family hails from Pierson, Michigan (just a stone’s throw from the Mid Michigan Motorplex in Stanton), and is a humble drag racing dynasty. Both parents have run some serious classic muscle cars for years, so it wasn’t a “forced march” to have their young daughters get behind the wheel, mash the gas pedal and go wide open throttle down the quarter-mile. “This year, I’m racing an original paint 1972 Duster 340. We had some struggles in the beginning getting things sorted out, but the car is coming along great and is fun to drive,” said Caroline. Since this is a family affair, Caroline’s older sister, Adrianna, who was featured in DodgeGarage last year, has had more drag racing seat time and provides her younger sibling many helpful hints. “One thing Adrianna and my parents have stressed is if you’re going to do it, put your all into it. There might be some rough patches along the way, but it the end, it’ll be worth it!” Based on what we saw of Caroline’s Duster 340 at the PSMCDR, she’s taking that advice like a fish to water.
We also saw a few other competitors at this year’s PSMCDR that looked as if they’d get carded for buying beer. The cars they were flogging down the strip were Mopar® icons of the muscle car era, a 1970 Challenger R/T with a 426 HEMI® engine under its optional fiberglass hood, and a 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda with a hard-charging 440 Six Barrel V8 contained in its quivering Shaker Bubble. These rides may have been “old-school” muscle, but the guys racing these rare machines represent a new generation of young racers gravitating toward vintage muscle cars.
Luke Krooswyk, pilot of the Torred ‘Cuda, is only 37 years old and calls Southwest Chicago his home. “It’s the most fun car event on the planet,” exclaimed Luke. “It’s a car show that goes. Many of my friends who are my age are into muscle cars. My friends and I all got into this together and we all like speed and horsepower. This is a great crew of people here; I’ve had the most fun at the Pure Stock drags than any other drag strip I’ve been to because the people are so special!”
Luke’s buddy, and fellow Mopar muscle racer, is Eddie George who’s also 37 years young. He loves racing vintage muscle and his HEMI engine-powered Challenger R/T is at the top of the food chain. “My dad got me into cars when I was young and because of that, I also started coming to Pure Stock drags years ago. The Challenger I race is brute as it’s a four-speed car but it’s fun to drive and compete!”
For the seasoned veterans of the PSMCDR, the competition is always brutal, exciting and fun. “I had a great weekend at the Pure Stock Drags as it’s always nice to catch up with many old friends while making new ones,” said Paul Petco from South Lyon, Michigan. Paul usually goes into battle with his 1970 Plum Crazy Challenger R/T that’s powered by a blueprinted 440 Six Pack, but at this race, he brought out his equally impressive 1971 Duster 340 wearing its original Tuxedo Black paint.
“My little Duster 340 was running great despite having less-than-ideal track conditions. With a 340 small-block, there’s less torque so launching off the line is easier. My best run of the weekend was a 12.19 ET and the car has a best 60-foot time of 1.71 seconds. It might even be a new Pure Stock record for 60-foot performance. During the shootout, I was paired up with a 1974 Pontiac Firebird Formula powered by a stout 455 Super Duty engine. These things are fast, and my opponent’s car was well sorted out. The racing was so tight, I didn’t know who got to the finish stripe first until the win light came on in my lane. I’ll can tell this, I’ll be racing at the Pure Stocks as long as they have these events!”
Check out our awesome and massive photo gallery of the classic Dodge, Plymouth and even some AMC vehicles, along with attendees and participants having fun and enjoying that high-horsepower time warp that makes the 2022 Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race one of the best events of the season!
