Automatic transmissions tend to dominate the drag racing world. Their consistency often makes them ideal for racers looking for repeatable results and fast times. However there are still those out there that prefer to row their own gears, and produce consistent results doing it. The NMRA and Tremec have once again teamed up for the 2013 race season for the Tremec True Street class. At the NMRA Spring Break Shootout in Bradenton, Florida this past March Tremec True Street also included the Tremec Stick Shift Shootout. This was a battle within the regular True Street competition to see who was the best at rowing their own gears with a Tremec equipped transmission.
To the victor go the spoils, and in this case the grand prize up for grabs for the winner of the Stick Shift Shootout was a brand new Tremec T-56 Magnum XL transmission. At the end of the day the two fastest manual transmission equipped True Street competitors were Jeff Smith and TJ Fox.
It was Fox in his Fox-body hatchback verses Smith in the Terminator Cobra, battling it out in a best of three runs. The first round easily went to Smith who ran an 11.01 to Fox’s 14.42, Fox obviously had an issue launching his car during that opening race. Round two went to Smith as well with an 10.92 to Fox’s 11.15, giving Smith the victory, and negating the need for a third round race. For his efforts Smith took home a brand new T-56 Magnum XL and bellhousing.
True Street competition is always tough, and Fox says he fought issues with the car all weekend from brakes, to clutch problems. Regardless as is evidenced by the video this event was not only popular but an outstanding competition overall.
True Street is index style racing, meaning competitors are facing off in index classes based on their ET’s, so if you bring out a 12 second car, you’re not faced with an eight second car knocking you out in round one.
The Tremec True Street index winners for this event were:
- Chris Parisi: 15 Second
- Gerald Kelly: 14 Second
- Jack Stonehill: 13 Second
- Chalon Hoffert: 12 Second
- Kelly Rollyson: 11 Second
- Robert Uremovich: 10 Second
- Scott Boda: 9 Second
- Randy Seward: 8 Second
Congratulations to all the class winners and to Jeff Smith for winning the first ever Tremec Stick Shift Challenge.