Last week I was fortunate to attend the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race (PSMCDR) in Michigan. I’m also fortunate to be associated with the event as I am the announcer. My being in the tower means I have little opportunity to photograph the escapades on the track, but it does allow me to show you the human side because, after all, it’s not just the cars that are the draw—listen to the racers and hear what makes this the best muscle car event in America.
Bob Karakashian, Farmington Hills, MI, 1970 Plymouth Hemi’Cuda
I was born in Highland Park, MI, just blocks away from Chrysler World Headquarters. Maybe that is why I am a Mopar guy?
I started with PSMCDR since the very first one [in 1995]. I have been at every one since. I even have participated in pure stock-type races that Dan Jensen put on at Milan Dragway before PSMCDR.
What piqued my interest in the event was the ability to race and keep the integrity of my car. As time went on, the value of our muscle cars increased as the originality was retained. We could leave them as they left the factory, and still enjoy the performance they were born with.
The PSMCDR has made me take care of my car to a higher level. The cars that show up to this event are of the highest quality in terms of looks and performance. Instead of modifying or changing the features of my car, I try to enhance its performance and looks with much care. I do not want to change what Chrysler produced so wonderfully over 50 years ago.
I hope this event can continue for many years to come. Of all the car events I have experienced over the years, the PSMCDR is probably my favorite. It is a mixture of drag racing, car show, cruising, bench racing, and socializing. What more could we ask for?
Tom Hoover, Virginia, Max Wedge 1964 Plymouth Belvedere
I was born in 1964 and raised in suburban Detroit. My father worked for Chrysler during the Golden Era, beginning in the mid-fifties. We left Detroit as the auto industry collapsed in the late seventies. My work as an engineer has taken me to different parts of the country, with me currently living in the mountains of western Virginia near Roanoke.
My 1964 Plymouth Belvedere 426 Max Wedge first raced at the PSMCDR in 2010. I have raced seven times since then.
I initially began attending the PSMCDR and other similar events with my longtime family friend, Bob Karakashian. The cars raced at the PSMCDR represent the zenith of the muscle car period I witnessed as a boy. This appealed to me! There were two aspects that piqued my interest. First, given the rules, how do you choose and build the fastest car using the original parts required and the modern techniques available today? This is an interesting engineering problem to solve. Second, can you race the fast car you built consistently on seven-inch reproduction tires on a less-than-perfect track surface? This takes practice and experience. I’ve found it’s easier to build a fast car than it is to drive it well. That is what makes the PSMCDR special to me—you need both a great car and a great driver to stand apart.
My interest in the PSMCDR lead me to build a ’64 Plymouth for that specific purpose. Building and refining the car has been interesting and gratifying. Driving the car at the edge of what it can do on stock tires will always remain a challenge.
David Hakim, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, 440 Six Barrel 1970 Plymouth Road Runner
The PSMCDR has made a huge impact on my passion for muscle cars and driving them hard. My first event was in 2003. I’ve missed several over the years due to a myriad of reasons, but I came back last year and loved every moment of it. I forgot how much I missed racing at the PSMCDR.
I’ve raced street cars and all-out race machines for over three decades. I ran a 1972 Plymouth Road Runner in NHRA Stock Eliminator back in the 1990s, was the test driver on the Challenger Drag Pak development vehicle back in 2008, and even made a few evaluation passes on the 2019 Challenger 1320 mule car at U.S. 131 Dragway in Martin, Michigan. No two cars are alike—they all have their own nuances from how they handle in high-gear to proper launch techniques for the best 60-foot times. I currently race a 2015 Challenger Scat Pack in the NMCA Direct Connection HEMI Shootout. I will tell you, modern performance cars are great, but it’s the vintage muscle that tickles my senses. My bone-stock Challenger Scat Pack with its 392 Hemi will put my 1970 440 Six Barrel Road Runner on the trailer anytime, but the old Plymouth is much more fun to race.
I compare the PSMCDR to a Civil War reenactment but, instead of muskets and cannons, we do battle with vintage muscle cars. I’ve been labeled a Mopar guy my whole life, but I love all muscle cars. From the obligatory 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6, to the 1971 AMC Hornet SC/360, they’re just cool. We’ll never see this variety of muscle cars ever again. And the fact the owners are flogging them down the track is even cooler. Let’s face it: in Europe they have vintage races with million-dollar classic Ferraris, Maseratis, and Porches, banging fenders and trading paint while many in the U.S. treat their mass-produced assembly line machines as if they’re some rare diamond or painting. That’s why the PSMCDR is such a cool event, and anyone who loves Detroit Muscle should put it on their bucket list.
I grew up in Grosse Pointe, and my summer weekends were spent cruising Gratiot Avenue. When clock struck midnight, we headed down to downtown Detroit to race our cars. The Motor City street racing scene back in the 1980s was so well-organized, Big Willie Robinson would’ve been envious. Despite this, I did some reckless things during that period of my life. Later, when I was hired into Chrysler as the Mopar Performance Parts Manager, I continued to drive like a teenager and treated every stoplight encounter with a performance car as the Super Stock finals at the NHRA U.S. Nationals. Marriage and kids finally curtailed that irresponsible driving behavior, so I did the car show scene and cruise nights for a while, but being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic or sitting on a lawn chair bored me to death. I wanted to race my Road Runner in a heads-up format and the PSMCDR was the perfect answer. After talking to my good friend and PSMCDR veteran Bobby “Mr. Six Pack” Karakashian and following his exploits, I was sold. He applied his knowledge to my 440 Six Barrel while the late Jack Irons did his suspension magic.
Like any form of motorsports, there’s a bit a cheating and pushing the rules, and the PSMCDR is no different, but I don’t care. It motivates me to work harder and try different things. I simply focus on my own car and less on what the guy pitted next to me has. Last year, I was dealing with a driveline vibration issue that resulted in transmission tail shaft-housing carnage, but that’s racing. I’ve made it a habit of working with some great folks in this hobby such Bob K., Dave Dudek, Joel’s on Joy, and Mancini Racing. The thing about the PSMCDR, win or lose, is hanging out with good friends while racing your car makes for an enjoyable experience. It sure beats sitting around the house on a September weekend.
Rick Jones, Blissfield, MI, 1971 AMC Hornet SC/360
This is my first year of racing a car but I have been a spectator for 5 years. I have really enjoyed watching them and hanging around with Joe Pinsenault with his 1970 AMX for my first few years, but I didn’t have a car that was exactly pure stock. I have a Rebel Machine and Hurst SC/Rambler, but both have dealer-installed Group 19 performance parts on them. In the meantime, I was restoring my ’71 SC/360 Hornet and figured it would be a great candidate with which to participate.
Attending as a spectator inspired me to work a little harder to finish the Hornet. I ended up using the PSMDR rulebook as a guideline to set up the car.
To me, the event is really something, like a parking lot Pure Stock cruise-in coupled with street racing, especially on Friday’s test and tune (reminds me of the mall cruises and downtown street racing of the 1970s). And the people are great. Zero know-it-alls or big egos. The spectators are pretty cool, too. Lots of questions and compliments. It is an absolute blast regardless of whether you’re spectating or participating!
Luke and Michelle Krooswyk, New Lenox, IL, 440 Six Barrel 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda
The first year racing our own car was 2018, and we’ve raced every year since then. I (Luke) had been a spectator since 2008 with Michelle joining a few years later and, once I had the opportunity to take some friends’ cars down the track, I was hooked and wanted to build a car of my own to participate. We had an opportunity to buy this ‘Cuda 440, and that became our main pure stock car starting in 2022.
It’s awesome to see people use their muscle cars for performance like they were touted in all the vintage magazines and advertisements—while car shows can be fun, they don’t showcase the sounds and V8 power like you can at a dragstrip. It’s an incredible spectacle to see a variety of all makes of muscle cars in the various colors that are in top-tier condition, and the owners are out mercilessly flogging them.
Thanks to my experience at PSMCDR, I spend a lot more time thinking about performance: how the car runs, how it drives, little tweaks or ideas I may have to make it faster. I ultimately start to make decisions that impact streetability a bit, like if I want to run the compression ratio at a class-legal level that requires leaded racing fuel and a gear ratio that isn’t highway-friendly. The ‘Cuda has a 440-6 with 11:1 compression and 4.10 rear gear, and while we drive it around town, it’s not a long-distance driver. And, because everyone asks, the six-barrel 440 is actually very friendly to drive and not difficult to tune. The carbs are really close to factory calibration.
You don’t need the fastest (or even a fast) car to have fun. Come out and experience muscle cars in the way they were meant to be enjoyed!
Paul Petcou, South Lyon, MI, 1971 Plymouth Duster 340
I grew up in Ford Country—Dearborn, Michigan—but am a Mopar guy. I think 1997 was my first year, though I have been racing for approximately 30 years.
The types of restorations and the quality of the cars drew me in. Cars that could be high-point show cars were being run down the dragstrip, and these guys were flying! Looked like a lot more fun than feather dusting at a car show.
PSMCDR has changed my outlook on the cars and hobby. I began by focusing on making my car faster, which became so much fun. And trying to get my Polyglas GTs and redline bias-ply tires to hook up.
Also, meeting many people that have the same interests is great! The people that drew me in and welcomed me like family make this even so right—guys like Bob “Mr. Six Pack” Karakashian, “COPO” Pete Simpson. Dan “T-37” Jensen, “Shifter” Jimmy Johnson, Casey “W31” Marks and, of course, you, the voice of PSMCDR. just to name a few. Many of us would meet up at tracks and test/tune and hang out. The PSMCDR brings rivalry, competition, and camaraderie—it’s a great mix! The people and friendships make this event. It’s so much more than a drag race/track outing.
If you own a muscle car, enjoy burning rubber, getting sideways, and using your car the way it was intended to be used, then this is the event for you. It’s an addiction!
Chris and Lara Smetana, Dyer, IN, 1968 Pontiac Firebird 400
My first time racing was in 2007 after spectating since 1999 and realizing this is what I wanted to do with my 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass S W-31. Lara has been spectating and/or participating since 2008. I initially discovered the event thanks to coverage of the 1998 event in Muscle Car Review.
Thanks to the event, I have a better appreciation for all makes, and I have toyed with buying other vehicles to participate. In fact, that’s where the 1968 Pontiac Firebird 400 came into play—Lara wanted to go fast, so the hunt began. We bought the car in January 2017 from a friend and fellow participant. In addition to the 400 HO Firebird, I’ve also raced my 1970 Pontiac Tempest GT-37 400 4-speed plus the Olds when the restoration was finally completed. I also had a good friend let me borrow/race his 1979 Pontiac Trans Am 400 4-speed when the rules for model years was expanded.
Rusty and Patty Small, metro Kansas City, 1969 Hurst/Olds
I first appeared at PSMCDR in 2004. Have attended probably 15 of the 20 years.
I remember first reading about the event in Musclecar Review in articles written by Tom Shaw. I was getting ready to start building my car and I always wanted to be able to race as well as show it—this was right up my alley!
I must laugh at folks at car shows boasting about the how the car is supposed to run and how they have built their motors to a certain level, but they have never taken the car down the track. I know mine is not the fastest, but I have taken down several cars who should have showed me their taillights! Learning more about my car and racing has been a great addition to my love of the hobby. Going to normal car shows is now difficult due to my experiences at the track.
I have managed to meet and become friends with some of the finest people across the country because of this hobby. The ones who race have a passion that far exceeds the traditional car enthusiast. I am proud to know these people, race them, and call them my friends!
[Editor’s note: Rusty’s enthusiasm led to the creation of Rusted Tires, which can provide you any tire being reproduced, whether for your show car or if you wish to have the best bite for your powershifting buck if you plan on joining the PSMCDR.]
Source: www.classiccars.com