No matter what the uninformed might tell you, the quarter-mile drag races are a form of motorsport art. They involve a lot of hard work, ample preparations, and just a few moments of awesome inspiration.
Plus, they do have a way of giving us that feeling of ‘always expect the unexpected’ during different stages. For example, the videographer behind the Race Your Ride account on YouTube brings us the cool dragstrip story of Tim’s ‘69 Chevy C10 and its cool Byron Dragway deeds, which are slightly different than your usual quarter-mile pass.
In drag racing, the competition surface is prepared for the absolute best traction and grip, but on many occasions, the inexorable laws of physics still win. In those moments, a couple of things can happen: some form of wheel slip if the tire is not grippy enough or a wheel stand – the act of lifting the front wheels (sometimes way up high) in the air. This is why powerful racers have wheelie bars.
But dragstrip enthusiasts know how to love and cherish these interesting moments when the vehicles are enveloped in a cloud of burnout smoke or with two wheels cutting through the air at unforeseen heights. So, there are even such things as the World Power Wheel Standing Championships, and they have been around for quite a while.
The 27th annual edition took place on October 3rd, 2022, at Byron Dragway in Byron, Illinois, and this is where Tim’s 1969 Chevy C10 shined like a bright star – or maybe like an upright rocket that is ready to blast off! Anyway, the vintage pickup truck is a genuine sleeper monster, as it features a 565ci BBC (big-block Chevy V8) under the hood and almost pristine looks, save for the humongous tires at the rear.
By the way, there’s a nice walkaround and a few nice passes to begin with, but we can all just jump to the 4:40 mark because that is when the cool action unfolded. As such, one of the wheelies attempts to snatch the competition’s glory almost went haywire as the brawny C10 ended on just one wheel for a fleeting moment. Luckily, the driver kept calm and performed a flawless save, so no one was injured – perhaps not even the truck (aside from the expected suspension damage)!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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