Racing at Ford Expo 2009

Words by Jason Reiss
Photos courtesy NMRA

Every year over Labor Day weekend, the NMRA heads to storied National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, for their Ford Expo.  A race weekend filled with everything from ’56 Thunderbirds to 2009 Cobra Jets is a great weekend to witness, and this one was no exception. 

One of the larger stories of the weekend was the drastic change 2008 Pure Street Champion Brandon Alsept (shown) decided to make just before the race.  Alsept won the championship in the class last season using one of Ford’s Four-Valve Modularpowerplants, massaged to Pure Street specifications, and started out this year with the same engine as last.  But in the back of his mind, he had been considering a move to the Two-Valve Modular instead.  While many of you reading this may think, “but four valves make for a better-breathing cylinder head, why would he want to give that up?”  That’s where Alsept’s rigorous reading of the NMRA’s rulebook came in handy. 

When we talked to him, he explained, “I've been thinking about it for almost a year now, and since I'm not in any kind of points race right now, I figured I would get a head start on next year.” 

Curious about his motivation to take what seems (to the outside observer) like a step back, we asked what kind of advantage there could possibly be.  His explanation was quite simple, as he told us, “It’s attractive to me because of how the rulebook is written.  Based on the weight the car has to carry according to the rulebook, I think I can be really competitive with it.  Also, to hopefully avoid parts breakage – the Four-Valve is extremely complex, and we were turning 9000 rpm through the traps.  The Four-Valve was a bear in this class.  As far as cost, I think all the costs are fairly similar. I like being the person out there running the odd combination.” 

Alsept qualified second, and went on to win the race against the Four-Valve-powered ‘Farmer’ Steve Gifford for his first victory of this season.