300ft Wheelstand into The Wall!? Monte Carlo SS Grudge Race!

While most of the automotive world was focused on Indy for the 2017 PRI Show, there was one huge grudge event taking place in Orlando, and ironic location considering Orlando wis the former home of the PRI show. No Guts No Glory is a de facto last hurrah for the racing season for most everybody, at least amongst those who didn’t go to Indy. Sure, there are a few other races taking place between now and the end of the year, but besides Project X Productions’ Winter Meltdown on New Years Eve weekend in San Antonio, nothing this late in the season even comes close to NGNG. As always, Hans from Free Life Films was on hand to capture all of the action and the pass he caught below was one of the highlights of the event!

The video opens with the two cars – a pair of Chevrolet Monte Carlos – idling in the prestage beams. In most cases, this means the race is about to start, but these two drivers decide to engage in a bit of mental warfare by trying to force each other to roll into the staged beam first. Procedurally, it doesn’t matter which car stages first, but many drivers prefer to stage second, while many others prefer to play head games and force the other driver out of his comfort zone. This war of wills is what is known as a burndown.

After a few tense moments, the driver in the near lane relents and decides to stage first. As soon as he goes in, the other Monte Carlo jumps into the beams and the green light falls. Both drivers release the transbrake and uncork the horsepower under the hood, and the car in the near lane launches into a massive wheel stand, sending the nose high into the air. Eventually the rear bumper drags the track, pushing the car a bit to the right. The driver, likely seeing out his window that he was still very much in the race, keeps his foot in it while the nose returns to earth.

Just as the nose touches back down, the car hits the wall with a glancing blow, enough to disqualify them from the race. As soon as the cars cross the finish line, the crews near the starting line start hammering out the details for a “run back” or a rematch. Would you get back in a car after it smacked the wall like this just a little while earlier in the day? I can’t say definitively, but if that’s what the people want to see, why not give it them what they came to see?!