The Full FX - Chris and Rick VanWerden Building a Tribute Factory-Experimental Dodge to Compete in Drag-and-Drive Gasser Classes
A familiar sight at numerous drag-and-drive events since he got his start in 2018, Chris VanWerden and his 1967 Chevrolet Nova clock 10-second times while maintaining a factory-fresh appearance.
A big part of getting Chris into cars and racing is his father Rick, and the duo is now building a new car with plans to debut it in drag-and-drive action in 2025.
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“My dad has joined me on all the drag-and-drives that I have participated in thus far,” said Chris. “He was the one that got me into muscle cars at a very young age.” At that first event, Midwest true street drag weekend, Rick and Chris discussed constructing a car with a different vibe than his Chevrolet Nova.
“He asked if I would be interested in building an A/FX (Factory Experimental) build,” Chris said. “Kind of a day two car reminiscent of Bud Faubel’s car; pretty basic with a cross ram HEMI engine, and keeping it true to how the original 12 cars were built.”
Rick found a shell of a ’65 Dodge Coronet in 2018, Chris did the altered wheelbase and roll cage, while Rick tackled the body work. “Spending many hours and driving many miles in the nova gave way to many conversations on what to do to the A/FX to make it a hopefully competitive entry,” said Chris. “My dad has restored three b-body Mopars, and I have built a few race cars over the years, so we knew what it takes to build something from basically nothing.”
But throw in the problems they faced in getting the car completed, including Covid, parts shortages, and chromoly scarcity all resulted in the build taking a little over years to get to this point, but they can see the finish line.
The ’65 Coronet will sport an all-aluminum 605 cubic inch HEMI engine, with a Hilborn injection that has been converted to EFI. A 3-speed 727 automatic, with a Gear Vendor Overdrive, will sit behind the potent mill, and Chris plans to drive while father Rick will handle co-pilot duties.
“Rick loves being my co-pilot, and our drives along the highway and byways during the events are a great way for us to spend time with each other doing something that we both enjoy,” Chris said. “We would like to get it on the road this fall for some testing to be able to go to Sick Week 2025 with it.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Chris VanWerden.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com