Combining Classic Lines with Twin-Turbo Power, This Pontiac Firebird Looks to Spread Its Wings for a Sick At The Rock Appearance!
The popularity of the drag and drive event format has brought thousands of people from the tests and tune side of drag racing to get to experience what many consider the next level of the street and strip combination of fun.
But drag and drive has also caught the interest of many a heads-up racer as well, and this ’67 Pontiac Firebird of Jim Trettel also marked his re-introduction to the sport.
The newest class to the Sick At The Rock Presented by Motion Raceworks event is the Sick Street Car Challenge class - $32,000 in payouts are up for grabs!! This two-day drag and drive format class has categories that appeal to some of the quickest rides, but also consistency and reaction times too! 32 different categories have $1,000 to award in each, and we’ve come up with some good ones to give every competitor a shot at some money. It all takes place at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina April 10th - 12th, 2025! For more details on Sick At The Rock, and the over $50K in payouts, CLICK HERE!
“My wife and I raced the NMCA (National Muscle Car Association) circuit from the mid-90s into the early 2000s,” said Jim. “We raced a 1965 Pontiac GTO with a 440 cubic inch Pontiac and a Jerico four-speed manual.” After taking a couple decades away from the sport, this first-year Firebird would be his ticket back.
“I had a really pristine ‘68 Firebird that was just too nice to make into a race car,” said Jim. “My brother had this ‘67 in the process of being restored, so we cut a deal to swap them. I then enlisted my brother-in-law Nathan Chesler of Cage Rage Fabrication to build the 25.5 SFI-spec chassis, suspension and turbo kit. The rest has been done by me with the assistance of Ashcraft Racing Engines for the machine work and Mike Hamilton of FineTuned for the base tune.”
That turbo kit was needed for the LS-based powerplant currently residing in engine bay, all 439 cubic inches of it. Based on a LSX iron block, it houses all aftermarket internals, with a pair of Air Flow Research LS3 cylinder heads and an air to water intake based on a modified LSA blower lower casting. “I did that so that I could keep the factory style flat hood,” Jim said.
Giving the LS an extra boost is the pair of Precision Turbo & Engine Gen 1 76/75-millimeter ball bearing turbos. The potent powerplant is mated to an ATI close ratio Turbo 400 3-speed transmission, coupled to a Gear Vendors Overdrive unit.
Jim has had success on the drag and drive trail with the Pontiac, scooping up class wins at Southeast Street N Yeet, Heads Up Hustle, and most recently, the Super Street Big Block Power Adder class win at Hot Rod Drag Week. Sick events have not been kind to the Firebird, and Jim hopes to change that at the new Sick At The Rock event Presented by Motion Raceworks.
“It took me about a year to sort out the car and make it reliable,” Jim admitted. “I really like the concept of the 2-3 day events, and am excited to attend Sick at the Rock. Don’t get me wrong; the big-name events are great, but they take a lot of preparation and time. The shorter events are much easier to schedule your life around in my opinion and allow newcomers to try the sport and sort out their combos. I really think that these shorter events are going to be what grows the sport.”
Jim feels he might have a tough time battling for a category win, but he’s coming to lay down some quick laps. “I like how the awards are structured,” he said. “It gives a lot of people a chance to win something. My combo qualifies for the fastest of the fast categories, so assuming some of the heavy hitters show up my chances are slim, but you never know. I’d like to turn in a 4 second average; that would be a win for me.”
Can Jim Trettel soar in Rockingham and claim his share of the $32,000 up for grabs in our Sick Street Car Challenge class? Does he have enough for Quickest Turbo, Quickest 275 Radial, or Most Consistent?
With all four of our major Sick The Mag events sold out, Sick At The Rock Presented by Motion Raceworks is one of your last chances to compete in a Sick The Mag drag and drive in 2025. Can your street car vie for a share of over $30K in prize money? CLICK HERE to find out more about our upcoming Sick At The Rock event, April 10th through the 12th, 2025 at Rockingham Dragway.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine, Motion Raceworks and Jim Trettel.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com