NMCA Xtreme Street Drag Racing - Wretched X/S

Fred Bunn competes in Xtreme with a factory-appearing '69 Camaro that wouldn't get a second look at the local test and tune night-until it unraveled a low 8-second run at over 170 mph! From the outside, the Camaro looks like a warmed-over street car that might be a 9-second player, until you notice the details. Upon further inspection, the truth comes out, thanks to the funny car cage, a parachute, and beadlock rear-wheels. Your mind will play tricks on you as you inspect this car. The aforementioned components show there is more to the story, but a peak around the interior reveals a minimum amount of gauges and a factory rear seat. If there is one car to describe Xtreme Street, it is Bunn's ride.

"The car looks sedate, but don't count him out. Bunn is capable of unleashing a fast run at any time," commented class sponsor Ricky Best, the motorsports and media relations manager at Vortech Superchargers. Bunn's best time to date has been an 8.18 at 171 mph, but there is more lurking under the hood. Bunn relies on a 522ci big-block Chevy with a Speedtech fogger system. The engine has the potential to run in the 7s, but Bunn is easing into the combination, thanks to the true 10.5-inch tire rule.

The team has been working on getting the car to leave without spinning the tires or standing the Camaro on the rear bumper. The best 60-foot time thus far has been a 1.29 seconds, which is getting it done for a car that tips the scales as much as Bunn's ride does.

From performance to appearance, Bunn's '69 Camaro is the quintessential Xtreme Street entry.

Like Steve Cagle, brothers Jamie and Jake Stanton moved from the highly competitive naturally aspirated eliminator, NMCA Pro Stock, to the nitrous-gulping and supercharged world of Xtreme Street. This year, the Stanton brothers unveiled an amazing '02 Camaro that was built by Jake at his side-business, Pentagon Race Fab. The Camaro replaces the Stanton team's previous two rides, another '02 Camaro and a '70 Chevelle, the latter of which had become a cult-classic in the NMCA racing circles. The family owns a body shop, and the detail of the current Camaro shows the dedication and effort of Jake and Jamie.

But it takes more than a good-looking ride to get noticed. Speed rules in the fast-paced world of NMCA racing. They turned to Bischoff Engine Service (BES) for a potent big-block engine, and they squirt it with a shot of nitrous, courtesy of Nitrous Pro Flow. "Since we're restricted to a 0.044 nitrous jet, rather than waste time and step up each time out, we just threw in the biggest nitrous jet we were allowed and started tuning from there," commented Jamie, the driver. Their theory isn't half-bad, considering that in just seven runs on the new car their best time is a 7.97 at 176 mph.

Jamie estimates that the engine produces over 1,500 hp with the nitrous flowing. That kind of power is sure to keep his brother Jake, the crew chief, busy as he adjusts the four-link and custom/adjustable suspension components. The power isn't the problem in the equation. "People expect us to go fast right away. But the truth is we ran well within a few runs, but we are still learning the car and learning the nitrous," added the former Pro Stock champion.

The brothers know they have to do more testing before becoming a threat in the competitive world of Xtreme Street, but it is a challenge they are looking forward to tackling.