After High Speed Crash, This Turbocharged Blazer is Out For Redemption At Sick Week
Carl Stancell would never profess to have the prettiest Blazer out there, but it was sure one of the quickest. As for the beauty side, well, that was made even worse after a wall-crunching pass at Gainesville Raceway at last year’s Sick Week.
The ’84 model known as ProBlazer had previously completed Hot Rod Drag Week in 2014 and 2021, finishing in the top eight in the Unlimited class with a best pass of 8.17 during the 2021 event.
Those performances came by way of a twin-turbocharged 5.3-liter LS engine, a Turbo 400 transmission, and ‘small by-class-standards’ 275 radial tires.
For Sick Week, Stancell immediately snagged a spot in the top ten with an 8.76 at 151 mph after the first day in Bradenton, and made the trip to Orlando and Gainesville without incident.
After having trouble on his first pass at Gainesville Raceway, Stancell lined up for a late afternoon pass, hoping to collect another 8-second time slip.
The run started with a good wheelstand, but unfortunately the Blazer started to leak fluid just past half-track. Stancell tried his best to save it, but the Blazer went nose first into the wall.
Thankfully, Stancell emerged unhurt, but the damage put Stancell out of competition for the rest of the week. “It was heart wrenching,” he said. You can see the crash in the video below.
Stancell has completed the rebuild, and vows to be ready for another season of drag-and-drive competition in 2023, starting with Sick Week.
“I want to complete it,” said Stancell about Sick Week. “We did not last year, and I have to (WILL) redeem myself.”
“I love drag racing and getting out and cruising,” Stancell continued. “It is a great experience being able to drive thru the country sides in these hot rods.”
- Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Motion Raceworks.