Chuck Bartholme Is Going Outlaw 275 Racing

It’s been a couple of years since we’ve seen Chuckie Bartholme competing on a regular basis, as business and life always seem to get in the way of a good racing career. You might remember Bartholme as the first NMCA Xtreme Street racer to bust into the seven-second zone, a feat he performed a number of years ago at the NMCA’s season-opening race in Bradenton. After taking some time off, Bartholme is ready to go racing again and has spent time this winter upgrading his program to be competitive in the Outlaw 275 arena.

“It’s easier for me to get into Outlaw 275, as the rules make sense and it fits in with where we should be racing. The car fits right into the class, but I have to completely re-do the engine, power-adder and transmission program. It’s going to be a 427 cubic inch piece with Edelbrock SC-1 cylinder heads, and we’ve got a new ATI transmission and Neal Chance converter for the car, and we’re going to be running a Vortech V-28mm 123 supercharger,” he explained.

Bartholme has long been aligned with Massachusetts-based tuner Mike Dezotell of Mike Dez Racing, and it’s with his support that Bartholme will be back at the track. His longtime association with Dez also led him to veteran engine builder Steve LaPointe of Steve LaPointe Racing Engines, who is also on board with the new program and has all of the engine parts in hand to get the project ready for a 2013 debut.

“Mike and I sat down and talked about a lot of different ideas for this season. With the way that my business runs in the summertime, it’s good for me to race in the fall and spring diehard – that’s when our opportunity is. We’re expecting to be somewhere in the 4.50’s once this deal is all finished up and running,” Bartholme explained.

The top runners in the class are solidly in that range, but with the racing experience behind his program, Bartholme is expecting to be competitive right out of the gates. Dez will be tuning the car again, and Bartholme feels that it will be fun and challenging going up against the best in the business in his chosen class.