Drag Week hero Frank Saponaro is going to have to start charging Cecil County Dragway an appearance fee if he keeps up with his high flying antics at the Rising Sun, Maryland strip. His awesome twin turbocharged Nova wagon spends a lot of time at Cecil and so far it has generated more than its fair share of wild wheelie videos from the track. Running on a set of radials, the car really works. Having watched it for five days straight at Drag Week and seen Frank really put the screws to it on the last day prompted me to call him a lunatic. This video backs up my opinion.
What you are going to see here is a unique high flying view what it is like to ride on the roof of a Chevy Nova wagon after it dead hooks to the track, climbs the ring gear, and refuses to come down again until after the eighth mile clocks. Frank says that he literally tripped the half track timers with the rear tires of the car. Watch this video and you will believe him.
Also, note how wet the roof gets. It must have been a misty night at Cecil County or something because by the time he gets the thing hauled down, the road is soaked to the bone. Obviously the car is not going to melt in the water but getting something stopped on a set of skinnies up front and not exactly “all weather” drag radials in the back could have gotten interesting.
Frank built this car himself and he did a damned fine job. He’s also doing a heck of a job as an amateur wheelstander pilot. A couple more of these and he’ll be considered a pro!
