Going into 2015, California Hustler nitro funny car crew chief Ronnie Swearingen made many changes to the Paso Robles, CA based entry owned by longtime drag racer Don Nelson. One of the first outward changes in performance for the racecar was an increase in the mile per hour column, topping 250 mph during qualifying for the Good Vibrations March Meet.
At the 45th annual Firebird Raceway Ignitor driver Robert Overholser set Top Speed of the meet at 248.52 mph after qualifying in the fourth position at an adjusted altitude of over 4,500 feet. Overholser finished in the semi’s after experiencing hard tire shake off the starting line in his match with event winner Steven Densham.
Next is the Summer Send Off at Utah’s Rocky Mountain Raceway on June 5 & 6, where crew chief Swearingen and the California Hustler will meet a strong field of a dozen AA/FC’s led by Heritage Series points leader Steven Densham’s Camaro. Densham is on a streak of two final round wins this season with seven consecutive round wins in the Series.
In addition to the upcoming Saturday Night Nitro events at Auto Club Famoso Raceway, the schedule for the California Hustler ’77 Firebird has expanded to include an IHRA Nitro Jam event held at legendary Spokane County Raceway on July 11 & 12 and will end the racing year with the 24th annual California Hot Rod Reunion in October.
