There were more stick shift drag cars at the 2014 Chevrolet Performance US Nationals than I had ever seen in one place before. I’m not sure how I missed this awesome Les Mayhew video that he made for CompetitionPlusTV during the race but somehow I did. Thankfully I stumbled across it while seeking suitable Parting Shift footage for today and boy does it deliver. More than just a collection of footage, there are some cool interviews and fun stuff to see in this video. The long time super stock stick racer tell Les why they still do it the hard way and why they’d never consider doing it any other way. This is a cool video because it takes those interviews and intertwines them with footage of cars leaving the line at big RPM, guys pulling the shifter handle inside their cars, and the beautiful noise that comes with all of it.

Racing anything successfully in super stock is really difficult. Some of the most well known sportsman racers in the country compete every weekend in that class and you have to be both a great mechanic to have a fast car and a great driver to hit the starting line and finish line with precision during eliminations. The guys running in the super classes have one job, the guys running super stock have several. The class has an old school feel in some ways but it is at the bleeding edge of modern engine technology in others. When you hear the small 300 inch small blocks leaving at 8,000 or the even smaller 270-290ci engines leaving at close to five digit RPMS, the hair stands up on the back of your neck. It really is that good.

This is as fine a Parting Shift item as we have ever run to close out a Friday here at BangShift so enjoy!

PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE SOME GREAT STICK SHIFT ACTION AND RACER INTERVIEWS FROM THE 2014 CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE US NATIONALS –