Stevie Fast and Marty Stinnett Rip Off Back to Back 3.75’s at No Mercy 8
To a casual racing fan, this probably just looks like two cars running the same elapsed time at the same event, but in actuality, it shows a huge part of what makes radial racing so much different than many other forms of drag racing. Yes, these cars did run the same elapsed time, at relatively close trap speeds, but what makes this so badass is how drastically different the cars are, inside and out.
The first car out, the supercharged late model Camaro of Steve “Stevie Fast” Jackson, is the first professionally built chassis designed from the ground up for radial racing. The RJ Race Cars-built chassis hit the scene with a splash after Jackson joined South Georgia Motorsports Park’s flying cars club in his beloved “Shadow” Mustang, ripping off the quickest radial pass in history earlier this year at Keith Berry’s WooooStock event. It’s tuned by top fuel crew chief Phil Shuler, with help on the tune also coming from Stevie, and with tuning consultant Billy Stocklin helping with the team’s pro mod effort, it’s likey he’s lent his expertise to the radial ride as well. That, my friends, is a brain trust brimming with knowledge, and it shows every time they show up to a race.
The second car could not be more polar opposite. If you walked up to Marty Stinnett’s black Fox Body coupe, there’s really nothing to tell you if the car runs low 6’s in the 1/8th or 3.70’s. The car looks great, don’t get me wrong, but it’s the epitome of unassuming. And while Jackson is known for his legendary trash talk, Stinnett quietly thanks his sponsors, his crew, and God for everything in any interview he gives. That’s not to say Marty isn’t loved by the fans just as Jackson is, he has a massive, loyal following who love his ability to just flat out get it done while always remaining humble and approachable. If there has ever been a man who is the epitome of “he’ll give you the shirt off his back”, it’s Marty. His Mustang is powered by a twin-turbocharged small block Chevy built by Jeff Burns and tuned by Southern Speed Racing’s Wade Hopkins. Stinnett’s ride began it’s life on an assembly line in Dearborn, Michigan as somebody’s daily driver, and while it’s undergone a great transformation, but is still very much a Mustang at heart.
So you see, that’s why I personally love radial racing so much. You have two drastically different cars driven by very different drivers, and their times differ by only a few thousandths of a second. This is possible because of the awesome rules laid out by Donald “Duck” Long who over the past 10 years has been the guiding force behind the growth of the radial world.
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