Carrying on a Family Tradition with a Nitro-Burning Front-Engine Dragster at Sick Powerfest!
There is nothing like the sight, sound and smell of a nitro-burning supercharged engine. Combine that experience with a front-engine dragster with a cool look and a lot of history, and it’s something you have to see to appreciate!
David Stewart is now the caretaker and force behind this front-engine dragster, a recreation of the original that was campaigned by the Perrenot family from 1958 to 1962 in Texas.
“I bought it from the original owner – driver Brian,” said David. “It used to be raced in the Dallas, Texas area, and Brian started driving when he was 14 years old.”
The car was a true family effort, and would be just a little bit different than the rest. “Everyone in the area that was racing front-engine cars had Hemi engines,” said David. “They were a big Ford family, and they said ‘everyone has a Hemi; we want something different,’ so they used a 430 cubic inch Lincoln engine.”
The crew included Brian’s brother Travis as the mechanic, girlfriend (and eventual wife) Vicky was part of the crew, and Brian’s father Fred funded the operation.
Summit Racing Equipment Sick Powerfest Presented by M1 Concourse comes to Pontiac, Michigan on August 11, 2023. For more information, click HERE!
The original car raced from 1958 to 1962. “They ran American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) in 1959-60,” said David. “One year they were the record holders in class, and the other year they were class champions.”
The original car was wrecked in Oklahoma City in late 1962, and although the family built a new car with a Cadillac engine not long afterwards, they didn’t experience the level of success with it as the previous car.
Fast forward to the early 2000s, and the Lincoln-powered dragster would once again play a part in the family. “When the cackle car movement started to come alive, Brian’s brother Travis got sick and passed away,” said David. “The Lincoln version of the front-engine dragster was the brother’s favorite car, so the family decided to recreate it.”
About ten later, David met the family, and eventually the family told David the car was destined for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Museum in California. “I knew we needed to keep it at events and campaigned,” said David, who eventually purchased the car in 2016.
“When we bought the car, I figured we’d just be taking it to Bowling Green for the NHRA event once a year.” But it has grown into a lot more. “I’m surprised at all the opportunities. From Memorial Day until October each year, we could do an appearance / race / event every weekend. So, we’re trying to carry on the history and tradition of the car.”
And just like original owner Brian did with his wife Vicky, David’s wife is a big part of his racing efforts. “I met my wife ‘Kacklin’ Katie because of the car,” he said. “I proposed after we fired it in 2021 at the NHRA US Nationals.”
When this car fires up, it has a very unique sound from other cackle cars. “The question we always get is how much nitromethane do we run in it,” said David. “The crew chief of our crew told us to bump it from 85-percent to 96-percent (nitro to alcohol mixture).”
Making that change, along with a couple degree of timing to the magneto, made a big difference. “It sounded like a totally different animal.”
Want to experience the sight, sound and feeling of a nitro-burning supercharged cackle car? It’s just one part of the epic Summit Sick Powerfest Presented by M1 Concourse, coming to Pontiac, Michigan on Friday August 11th, 2023!
A $5000 purse will be up for the grabs in the cackle car class, and there are dozens of people signed up to get a shot at the M1 Concourse burnout pad!
Summit Racing Equipment Sick Powerfest Presented by M1 Concourse also includes a HUGE burnout competition, AND drifting competition, with $5000 on the line for each! PLUS, a huge Car Corral and RC Drag Racing.
Want to participate or come out to watch all the action? All the information is available HERE!
Spectators: you can get special $10 general admission tickets thanks to Summit Racing!
Use the discount code summitracing when you pre-purchase tickets HERE!
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine and David Stewart.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com