Lingenfelter COPO Camaro sets record of 8.64 at 159.12 mph

Lingenfelter Performance Engineering has set the record for the world's fastest COPO Camaro just four days after picking up the drag car from General Motors. Lingenfelter ran their COPO Camaro during the company's inaugural Lingenfelter Performance Nationals event held Sept. 21-23 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.  

The Lingenfelter COPO Camaro made an 8.64 quarter-mile pass at 159.12 mph this past Sunday, Sept. 23. After receiving the car and making a couple test runs as delivered by GM, the team made a few modifications - including installing a Lingenfelter LNC-2000 Adjustable RPM Limiter and Timing Retard Controller and changing the calibration - before running the record time.

"Chevrolet Performance built a great car and with a little bit of Lingenfelter magic we were able to pull extra power out of it," said Ken Lingenfelter, owner, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering. "At Lingenfelter, we're experts at LS engines, and what we were able to do with the COPO Camaro in four short days is an extension of the experience and commitment we make to the LS package. We believe there is more power left in this COPO Camaro, and we know our performance team will get it."  (courtesy Lingenfelter Performance) [9/24/2012]

John Force wins inaugural Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Funny Cars

It couldn’t have turned out better if it had been scripted. In front of a capacity crowd at the Texas Motorplex and against Ron Capps, one of his toughest foes, John Force won the Inaugural Traxxas Nitro Shootout Funny Car race and the $100,000 winner’s purse. With that check, all of which will go into an John Force Racing employee bonus fund, Force has now personally won $1,160,500 in bonus money in his career.

Force outran Capps, who had been the quickest Funny Car all day, in the final 4.218 to 4.223. At the finish line Force’s Castrol GTX HIGH MILEAGE Ford Mustang had half a car length on Capps’ Dodge Charger R/T. Force trailed at every increment of the race except at the finish line.

“The $100,000 goes to my employees. I don’t take any of it. It is not about money for me it is about winning, the fans and the sponsors,” said Force, a 15-time Funny Car world champion. “Traxxas putting up that hundred grand is good for our sport. It is good to have money out here that can help the teams”

After a tough first round Force was the only John Force Racing Ford Mustang still in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout. Courtney Force made the second quickest run of the first round but unfortunately she was paired up with Capps who made the quickest lap of the session. Robert Hight and Mike Neff both smoked the tires, leaving Force as the lone JFR Mustang versus two Don Schumacher-backed Dodges and the Kalitta Motorsports Toyota driven by Jeff Arend.

The win Saturday was just another example of Force stepping up on the big stage and getting the big prize. In 1999 he won the single biggest payday in NHRA history, taking home $210,000 when he defeated Bob Vandergriff’s Top Fuel dragster at the Winston Showdown in Bristol, Tennessee. He has won multiple 50th anniversary events as well as the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide event in Charlotte.   (Joe McHugh photos) [9/24/2012]