Championship Drag Racing

Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals
Pomona, CA
(November 3-6)

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Rickie Smith Skull Gear Chevrolet Cobalt Pro Stocker

Las Vegas, prerace: Nobody goes to Las Vegas expecting to lose, but the reality is that those glittering casinos and towering hotels are built on a foundation of broken dreams. Pro Stock drag racing can be just as cruel as the roulette table, inevitably producing one winner and 15 also-rans on race day.

The Skull Gear Dart Pro Stock team has improved its odds for success at the upcoming ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals. A successful test at the Texas Motorplex following a first-round loss at the O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals has boosted the outlook for the final two races of the 2005 season.

"I was disgusted with the car, but it wasn't the car's fault," said driver/crew chief Rickie Smith. "It was my fault.

"I had the car and clutch setup messed up," he explained. "We made some changes and the car responded right off the bat. I think that we could run two or three hundredths better at Las Vegas, and that's a huge improvement in Pro Stock. Our Texas test was definitely a worthwhile day at the track."

The Skull Gear team tested with its proven DRCE2 engine combination. The new "hybrid" DRCE2.5 was already on its way back to the Dart engine shop in Michigan.

"We'll probably run the new motor in Las Vegas," Smith revealed. "It has enough horsepower that if we'd made any kind of run in Dallas, we'd have run a 6.68, and that would have put us in good shape."

The team's new engine combines a proven DRCE2 block with the new DRCE3 cylinder heads – hence the "DRCE2.5" designation.

"When we dyno tested the new engine after Dallas, it was a little stronger than before we raced it," said team owner/engine builder Richard Maskin. "We need to move peak power up a couple of hundred rpm. The engine has a lot of grunt downstairs; if we move the power upstairs with a new manifold, I think the engine will run a little better."

Improvements in the car and engine won't be readily apparent in the raw numbers at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway because of the altitude on the Nevada desert.

"Las Vegas is similar to Denver because the setup and the air are so different there," Smith noted. "It's easy to get lost at an altitude track. I feel we have the clutch and car combination on the right track – we just have to make sure we have the right gear and tune the motor right."

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