Washington, Mo. - While it was a cold winter in most parts of the country, outside of St. Louis in the town of Washington, Mo. it was warmer than usual because of heat emanating from the shop of Andy McCoy Race Cars. That’s where the renowned race car builder was working on a smokin’ hot Plymouth Duster that through two races of the 2011 season is leading the ADRL Pro Extreme standings.
At the season-opening race in Baytown, Texas, Jason Hamstra piloted McCoy’s 1970-Duster bodied car to victory at the CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports. He blistered the Royal Purple Raceway track with back-to-back runs in the 3.60s in the semifinals and finals at better than 209 mph en route to the victory.
Hamstra followed that up with a runner-up finish last weekend at the Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II at Palm Beach International Raceway in Florida. He was on track to claim a second win but a broken part in the motor slowed the car before the finish line and Joey Martin drove around him in the last five feet.
“We knew based on how we closed last season that the car had a lot of potential,” said Hamstra, who ran the final two ADRL events of 2010 in the car. “The runs we made in Texas to open the season confirmed that fact and I’m convinced there is still plenty more performance for us to draw out. The car drives straight and true and is responding well to our changes.”
The 2009 Rookie of the Year had many suitors when he was looking for a ride late in the 2010 season and in consultation with his father, Kevin, chose to drive for Andy McCoy Race Cars. The decision has already netted a win and the elder Hamstra also believes better performance is on the horizon. “We only have about 25 runs on the car and we already have multiple runs in the 3.60s,” he said. “We are excited about improving on the numbers we have already put on the board.”
“Jason is a great driver and we’re fortunate to have him in our car,” McCoy said. “I’m so happy for him and his father. They are a wonderful family and I’m looking forward to running the full season with them this year.”
It was a busy off-season for McCoy in large part because of the growing popularity of his patented Duster design. In addition to other orders, McCoy built a new car being driven on the ADRL circuit by two-time IHRA Pro Mod champion, Mike Janis. He also generated interest from “Down Under” when he received approval for his cars to compete in Australia by the Australian National Drag Racing Association.
“We have been going at it pretty hard in the shop for quite a while and it’s gratifying to see our work paying off,” McCoy said. “I have some great people working with me and that makes the good times that much more enjoyable.”
At the season-opening race in Baytown, Texas, Jason Hamstra piloted McCoy’s 1970-Duster bodied car to victory at the CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports. He blistered the Royal Purple Raceway track with back-to-back runs in the 3.60s in the semifinals and finals at better than 209 mph en route to the victory.
Hamstra followed that up with a runner-up finish last weekend at the Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II at Palm Beach International Raceway in Florida. He was on track to claim a second win but a broken part in the motor slowed the car before the finish line and Joey Martin drove around him in the last five feet.
“We knew based on how we closed last season that the car had a lot of potential,” said Hamstra, who ran the final two ADRL events of 2010 in the car. “The runs we made in Texas to open the season confirmed that fact and I’m convinced there is still plenty more performance for us to draw out. The car drives straight and true and is responding well to our changes.”
The 2009 Rookie of the Year had many suitors when he was looking for a ride late in the 2010 season and in consultation with his father, Kevin, chose to drive for Andy McCoy Race Cars. The decision has already netted a win and the elder Hamstra also believes better performance is on the horizon. “We only have about 25 runs on the car and we already have multiple runs in the 3.60s,” he said. “We are excited about improving on the numbers we have already put on the board.”
“Jason is a great driver and we’re fortunate to have him in our car,” McCoy said. “I’m so happy for him and his father. They are a wonderful family and I’m looking forward to running the full season with them this year.”
It was a busy off-season for McCoy in large part because of the growing popularity of his patented Duster design. In addition to other orders, McCoy built a new car being driven on the ADRL circuit by two-time IHRA Pro Mod champion, Mike Janis. He also generated interest from “Down Under” when he received approval for his cars to compete in Australia by the Australian National Drag Racing Association.
“We have been going at it pretty hard in the shop for quite a while and it’s gratifying to see our work paying off,” McCoy said. “I have some great people working with me and that makes the good times that much more enjoyable.”
