Head’s up grudge match doesn’t show the times, but anyone can see this Corvette makes monster power.
The video above comes to us from the National No Prep Racing Association YouTube channeland it features a great drag race between a C3 Corvette and a second generation split-bumper Camaro. In a battle of these two Chevy performance cars from the 1970s, the Vette looks like it would be the quicker car if only the driver could keep the nose down. However, with the wheels in the air and fire pouring from the headers, the driver can only watch the Camaro drive away.
The Competitors
Unfortunately, there is no information accompanying this footage, but we can learn a few things from the video.
The car in the far lane is a Corvette from the latter portion of the C3 generation, with the molded front fascia and the high-arching fender lines. It appears to have the top of a supercharger sticking up through the hood. If nothing else, we know that it is likely a big-cube V8 with some sort of forced induction or nitrous oxide. Many of these no-prep beastsare making thousands of horsepower and we expect that this Vette is no different.
In the near lane, we have a Chevrolet Camaro from the second generation, sporting the familiar split-bumper front end design. This car also clearly has a monstrous V8 and it sounds like this car is relying on a turbocharging setup.
The Action
The video begins with the Corvette doing a fairly subdued burnout, staying behind the starting line while the Camaro does a pro-style burnout, smoking the tires well past the starting line. After the Vette waits for the Camaro to back up to the line, the two stage and when the green lights drop, both cars rip away from the line.
The Corvette quickly pulls into the lead, but a short distance after the launch, the front wheels come way up. The driver tries to stay into it, but we can see the fire at the end of the headers go out as he lifts. At that point, the car slams down, sparks spraying from under the front end as the car bottoms out on the track surface.
From there, the driver tries to get back into the throttle, but the Camaro is just too far ahead to catch.
"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.
