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GREENVILLE, SC – Alan Pittman will be the first to tell you that the season so far has gone pretty much the way he imagined it would. With a new car, new team, and two years away from active competition to deal with, the chassis builder from Greenville, South Carolina, knew that the learning curve would be daunting.
Armed with that knowledge, and doing their best to maintain a firm grip on reality, Pittman and team owner Mel Bush set out to design, build, and race one of the more unique vehicles in the Pro Modified class. Their 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air “bubbletop,” bristling with supercharged horsepower courtesy of engine builder and fellow Pro Mod Competitor Carl Spiering, was an instant hit with IHRA fans.
After winning a national event in just their third race of the season, however, the team began to struggle. Looking back, their quick success may have been in reality a case of beginner’s luck. Thinking they had thwarted the dreaded “new car blues,” they overlooked a number of seemingly minor problems. As a result, it all caught up to them when they failed to qualify in Edmonton, Alberta, and Milan, Michigan
By going back to the basics, however, Pittman and his crew have slowly brought their bright red machine up to its full potential, confident now that they have a quick, fast, and, most importantly, consistent race car.
“We’ve got a very competitive car now,” said Pittman. “We spent a lot of time on the engine dyno at Carl’s shop several weeks ago, and we found some more horsepower.”
Proof of that was the impressive performance Pittman turned in at the last event in Martin, Michigan, two weeks ago. He laid down a solid 6.135-second, 230.06 mph pass during the first qualifying session, and came back with a mark of 6.143, 229.70 in the third session.
Pittman ended up in the No.3 spot in the quickest Pro Mod field in IHRA history, which had a bump spot of 6.188. He went out in the first round of eliminations, but in this case the lessons learned on the track outweighed the results in the win-loss column
“We needed to sacrifice short-term success for long-term reliability,” Pittman said. “It was tough, but we’ve done it. We’ve got a different car now. It has always gone as straight as a string, but now we have the power to go with it.”
Pittman’s sleek classic Chevy will be taking to the track this coming weekend at Norwalk Raceway Park in Norwalk, Ohio. The event, the Skull Shine World Nationals, is the eighth race on the 2006 eMax IHRA Drag Racing Series schedule.
Pittman Confident Total Package Now In Place
GREENVILLE, SC – Alan Pittman will be the first to tell you that the season so far has gone pretty much the way he imagined it would. With a new car, new team, and two years away from active competition to deal with, the chassis builder from Greenville, South Carolina, knew that the learning curve would be daunting.
Armed with that knowledge, and doing their best to maintain a firm grip on reality, Pittman and team owner Mel Bush set out to design, build, and race one of the more unique vehicles in the Pro Modified class. Their 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air “bubbletop,” bristling with supercharged horsepower courtesy of engine builder and fellow Pro Mod Competitor Carl Spiering, was an instant hit with IHRA fans.
After winning a national event in just their third race of the season, however, the team began to struggle. Looking back, their quick success may have been in reality a case of beginner’s luck. Thinking they had thwarted the dreaded “new car blues,” they overlooked a number of seemingly minor problems. As a result, it all caught up to them when they failed to qualify in Edmonton, Alberta, and Milan, Michigan
By going back to the basics, however, Pittman and his crew have slowly brought their bright red machine up to its full potential, confident now that they have a quick, fast, and, most importantly, consistent race car.
“We’ve got a very competitive car now,” said Pittman. “We spent a lot of time on the engine dyno at Carl’s shop several weeks ago, and we found some more horsepower.”
Proof of that was the impressive performance Pittman turned in at the last event in Martin, Michigan, two weeks ago. He laid down a solid 6.135-second, 230.06 mph pass during the first qualifying session, and came back with a mark of 6.143, 229.70 in the third session.
Pittman ended up in the No.3 spot in the quickest Pro Mod field in IHRA history, which had a bump spot of 6.188. He went out in the first round of eliminations, but in this case the lessons learned on the track outweighed the results in the win-loss column
“We needed to sacrifice short-term success for long-term reliability,” Pittman said. “It was tough, but we’ve done it. We’ve got a different car now. It has always gone as straight as a string, but now we have the power to go with it.”
Pittman’s sleek classic Chevy will be taking to the track this coming weekend at Norwalk Raceway Park in Norwalk, Ohio. The event, the Skull Shine World Nationals, is the eighth race on the 2006 eMax IHRA Drag Racing Series schedule.
