It’s All In the Family, as Father and Son Compete in Second Drag-and-Drive At 2023 Hot Rod Drag Week
Some automotive enthusiasts can easily point the finger at what got them into the sport, or the car hobby altogether; family. That’s the case for Jason Stanford, who can credit his father Joe for getting him into drag racing as soon as he had a license.
The father and son duo recently completed their second drag-and-drive event together at this year’s Hot Rod Drag Week. The popular event has been on Jason’s bucket list for a while, and when a southern route and tracks were announced near his hometown of Gremen, Georgia, he decided to take the leap and participate.
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“I wanted to give Hot Rod Drag Week a try, and thought my car could be competitive in Street Machine Eliminator,” said Jason. “It was also a great excuse to race at some great tracks I have never been to.”
The decision to participate came after participating in the 2022 edition of Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, where Jason drove his dad’s 2011 Camaro to a third-place finish in the Dial-Your-Own (DYO) class. “My father has a 1969 Camaro and a 2011 Camaro SS,” said Jason. “My first car was a 1991 Camaro.”
With Camaros being a way of life in the Stanford family, it made since that Jason would compete on Hot Rod Drag Week in a Camaro, and Jason chose a 1996 Chevrolet Camaro, a car he picked up two years prior.
The Camaro already sported a host of modifications, including a 6-liter LS swap sporting an Edelbrock LS3 intake, a Nitrous Outlet Stinger II plate nitrous system with 150 horsepower shot jetting, and a Quick Fuel Technology black diamond 850 cfm carburetor.
The engine is backed with the Turbo 400 3-speed automatic transmission, connected to a Ford 9-inch rear end with 4.11 gears, a Strange center chunk, and Moser axles. The suspension has been augmented with a slew of items from BMR, including a torque arm, subframe connectors, transmission cross member, driveshaft loop, rear sway bar, control arm relocation brackets, and rear adjustable lower control arms. QA1 adjustable coil over struts take their place in the front, and Afco adjustable coil overs sit on the rear.
The car required some sorting from when Jason purchased it. “With the help of my friend Rod Lenz, we got the fuel and nitrous systems working properly,” said Jason. Once everything was working properly, the Camaro posted a best time of 11.41 on the motor, and an 10.08 on the nitrous system.
So, Jason figured it was time to put it to the test. “I started the week Saturday by running out of gas 1/2 mile from the exit on I-20 in my truck pulling my car to Darlington, South Carolina,” said Jason. “Fortunately, Chris Thompson was about 5 miles behind me. He stopped and gave me a ride to the gas station and back to my truck and trailer. On Day 1 at Darlington Dragway, I ran a 10.35, which was 2 tenths slower than I was hoping for, but we decided to take it and hit the road.”
Not long into the drive to Rockingham, Jason uncovered some issues. “Thirty minutes after leaving Darlington on Monday, we realized the transmission blanket was dragging the ground,” said Jason. “Later that night, the road was so rough our number 4 spark plug rattled out and was dangling on the end of the wire creating a massive exhaust leak.” Stopping at a Fort Liberty #8 fire station, a couple firemen helped the father and son get back on the road.
Following a single 10.20 pass at Rockingham Dragway, the Stanfords got on the road, and ran into their next issue. “In the heat of the day, we were only able to cruise about 45-50 mph as a result of the 4.11 gears, making the engine want to overheat,” said Jason. “We tried 3 bags of ice stuffed around the motor, which didn't help much.”
A stop at a local auto parts store provided an electric fan, bringing their fan total to three in an effort to keep the car cool, and cruise closer to 60 mph to their next destination, Bristol Dragway.
At Bristol, Jason continued the ‘one-and-done’ idea intact with a 10.36 pass being enough, leading Jason and Joe to hit the road early. “While leaving the first checkpoint I decided to do a burnout, but I forgot I left my cellphone on the roof,” said Jason. “About a quarter mile down the road, I realized it was missing and my dad called it. A really nice guy saw it come off the car and picked it up out of the street undamaged, so we went back and grabbed it.
After a good laugh, I did a second smaller burnout leaving the checkpoint again. We made our turn up the road, and 2 semis had the road blocked, so I turned right on a side street thinking I could go around them. That road took us, you guessed it, back to the bowling alley checkpoint.” Jason decided not to do a third burnout, and just cruised on to Carolina Dragway without issue.
“At Carolina Dragway, we struggled to get my nitrous bottle heated up due to my battery for the heater being dead,” said Jason. He got it warmed up just in time by using a jump box, and ran a 10.35 at 137 mph, his best speed ever.
Once again with the ‘one-and-done’ proved fruitful, and the Camaro was on the road back to Darlington Dragway, where Jason ran a 10.19 on the last day, putting him seventh in Street Machine Eliminator, and qualified us for the bracket race.
“In the bracket race, I promptly broke out first round with my quickest run ever, a 10.08,” said Jason. “Going into Hot Rod Drag Week, I knew the week was going to be a struggle, but we battled through it. I'm very pleased that the car made it through the week with only minor damage.”
Now the question is, what will the father and son do for their third drag-and-drive appearance?
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Jason Stanford.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com