(Photos by Joe Grippo) – The 2016 NHRA Dutch Classic at Maple Grove will be remembered for many things but perhaps the most significant thing that people came away from the race with was the knowledge that someone out there is going knock a factory stocker into the 7s and it is going to happen sooner rather than later. At this race it was guys like Chris Holbrook and David Barton slugging their way into the bottom eights with their Cobra Jet and COPO respectively.
These cars are changing the face of modern drag racing. Their popularity has been embraced by the NHRA, NMCA, and other promoters who see the value in factory looking cars running single digit elapsed times with the wheels up and their engines thundering. There are now like dozens of variations on these cars when one takes into consideration every engine and transmission combo that has ever been offered but there’s nothing like seeing two of them in the same class hammering on each other heads-up.
Love them or hate them, factory built drag cars are apparently here to stay. The limited edition models get sold as quickly as they can be offered to the public. Why? When you see them in person or in these photos you’ll know why. They’re bitchin’!
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