YNot Racing to debut second TAD with Mike Austin at the wheel in Vegas

YNot Racing to debut second TAD with Mike Austin at the wheel in Vegas
Car will be used to test torque converter combination

LAS VEGAS – After a horrifying crash at the season-opening O’Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals in Pomona, Top Alcohol Dragster driver Mike Austin wondered if that was how his driving career would end. While physically uninjured in the crash, the low budget privateer had doubts if he would ever be able to rebuild the car that was near totally destroyed.

However, the crash did make the veteran driver a free-agent just in time to land a ride in Jim and Annie Whiteley’s YNot Racing’s latest venture, a second Top Alcohol Dragster to test a torque converter combination, which will debut at this weekend’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Western Regional event at “The Strip” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to have this opportunity,” said Austin. “I have always wanted to work with these guys. Pomona was such a bad weekend for me. It started bad and ended worse. Crashing my car was such a tough pill to swallow. I didn’t want my driving career to end that way. It was coming to a point where I thought I might have to give up the thought of driving for a while and return to my roots as a Crew Chief.

“The last time I drove a car with a torque converter was back in 1995 when they first started the Top Comp class out here on the West Coast,” Austin continued. “I think the combination has a lot of potential. If it works it could really revolutionize the alcohol classes. We’re definitely going to give it our best try. I’m just really thankful Jim and Annie have given me this opportunity. I’m glad to be able to jump back on the horse.”

The car Austin will be piloting is the same car Whiteley campaigned from 2007 to 2010. Whiteley won 10 national events in that car, finished second nationally twice (2008 & 2009), fourth twice (2007 & 2010) and won three Division 7 Championships (2008-2010). The car will feature an engine combination that is nearly identical to Jim’s car, but will be fitted with a B&J Converter Drive and a 2 speed transmission. Darren Mayer will serve as tuning consultant for the car.

“That car was a pretty darn good car,” stated Whiteley. “We would have to make some pretty significant changes to the chassis to fit a three speed in the car, so we are going to see what we can do with a two speed. Hopefully we can make enough progress this weekend to learn something with it. I know Mike is pretty excited to get back behind the wheel, and I am glad that we were able to get a driver of his caliber for this project. Darren has worked with a lot of Pro Mods that are running torque converters, so we are letting him spearhead this venture. It is going to be very interesting to see what it can run.”

Whiteley’s Crew Chief Norm Grimes campaigned a converter-driven Top Alcohol Dragster for one season while working for Jack O’Bannon in 2005.

“We’re not really trying to compare a converter to what we do with the clutch,” cited Grimes. “We just want to see what the potential may be. I ran this type of combination back in 2005 when I was working for the O’Bannon’s, but it was a short lived deal and I really didn’t get a chance to develop it all the way through. I have always thought the converter deal has a lot of potential, with what was out there back then. Torque converter and fluid coupling technology has come quite a ways since then. It is definitely going to be interesting to see how it unfolds. This weekend we are just trying to get the car to go from A to B without any problems. Learning is our main goal.”

Top Alcohol Dragster will have two qualifying sessions on Saturday. Final eliminations will conclude the event on Sunday.

To find out more about YNot Racing’s promotional partners, visit the websites below:

RaceGoodyear.com - Goodyear's position as the leading tire maker in drag racing is unquestioned. The quickest, fastest and most powerful earth-bound machines in the world look to Goodyear for tires that generate enough traction to take advantage of their stunning ability to go fast in a straight line.

NGKSparkPlugs.com - When performance counts, the fastest teams on two wheels or four, on land or on water choose NGK Spark Plugs.

The team would also like to thank the continued support of J&A Services and Advanced Oilfield Services.

Contact: Pro Race Communications
Photos courtesy of David Smith