The Backbone of Drag and Drive
“Slow Cars...are an integral part of the drag and drive community” Keith Turk
Let’s face it. We all started with what would probably be considered “slow” by today’s internet standards. However, for anyone that has driven a 10-12 second car or truck, you know... they sound great, do great burnouts and are relatively reliable when it comes to these brutal drag and drive events.
For several years, racers with averages in the 12 Second ET range (12.00 to 12.99) have made up the largest grouping of competitors for the entirety of the sport. We believe it’s true that racers may start in this category, so they can compete relatively reliably for their first event. Then, as we always do, we begin the upgrades…..ultimately making the car less comfortable, less economical, maybe less enjoyable..but likely exponentially faster!
This is exactly the case with our featured racer and vehicle.
Andrew Dopita may well be the 12.00 Index King after his performance at 2018’s Rocky Mountain Race Week (RMRW), where he finished with a 12.005 average for the week. 12.005…..across five days of racing. 12.005….with tracks like Topeka (KS), Ozark Raceway Park (MO), Thunder Valley (OK) and Great Bend (KS). I have a feeling this record will stand for a very long time…..
Andrew Dopita and the 12 Second truck
With an average like that, we had to ask Andrew all the questions…..
But before we talk about the car that he ran so well in, let’s take a minute to learn a little about the man himself.
What made you start racing?
My old man was into hotrods since long before my childhood. He had all the cool stuff from his era: 69 Camaro DZ302, A 70 Chevelle SS, 66 Impala, and more. Unfortunately none of those cars stuck around when I came to be since dad had to think about diapers and minivans lol, but the one I remember most from being a kid was the 65 Elcamino that floated around between all my uncles and my dad. Me and the o’l man did a little bracket racing when I was growing up and it definitely got me hooked.
Who inspired you to build a hot rod?
I’d say the inspiration behind my current day hotrodding would be my old friend Josey Steeples. He got into the LS craze far before me, and I co-piloted with him on HRDW 2014 in his Turbo LS Datsun 280Z stick shift car. That thing really opened my eyes to the potential of the LS platform.
First Race and Where?
SRCA Dragstrip, Great Bend KS in the 65 Elcamino, probably 2005.
What was your first car?
A complete turd of a 3rd Gen camaro. Bought it from my cousin for $500 lol.
Bucket list Race or Event?
Not one in particular, honestly it would be cool to hit as many of the various DND circuits as possible. Every single one at least once would be a bucket list item for sure.
What's your PB and how/when did that happen?
7.46 @ 190mph. Sick Week 2023. I was chassis limited to 7.50 so the run did not officially count. Back home I never ran the ¼ mile that quick.
Unlimited budget.. what are you building?
I have no desire to own a pro-mod, nor do I want to work that hard on a hobby, so I’d say a very slick 25.3 cert streetcar. Something like Doug Cline’s 69 Camaro, but on small tires.
Favorite car movie?
Not a movie guy
Favorite music for cruising?
I listen to several forms of Christian music pretty much anywhere. Keeps me in the right mindset.
Favorite Road snack?
I’m skinny but not picky. Snacks are a must for my metabolism. ALL OF IT, OR I GET HANGRY! (Ask my copilot)
For the 12.00 Index Record, please tell us the following:
Event: RMRW 2018
Event Average: 12.005
Vehicle: 2006 Chevrolet Silverado RCSB
Powertrain Combo at time of Event:
Engine: 5.3
Transmission: 4L80E
Rear Gear: 4:10
Power Adder: Single cast borg S475 out of the box
Tires: 275 Radials
History of the Vehicle:
How long have you had it?
I bought it in the fall of 2017 specifically to run RMRW. I had been following the event and decided I needed something to run it. I figured the truck was the most cost effective way to make it happen.
How many races have you attended in this vehicle?
I ran the wheels off it at RMRW 2018. After that I dismantled it and put the powertrain into one of my dad’s old bracket cars, a 66 impala because it had a roll cage. The truck was capable of 10’s but had no cage.
How many passes per day did it take to finish with such an incredible average?
Oh man, more than I could accurately tell you. I know 12.005 sounds like a feat, but mind you this was prior to RMRW selling out. I think I counted 50+ slips at the end of the week.
How did you do it?
In general I think what helped the most was having a combination capable of 1.5 seconds quicker than the index.
What gave you the confidence/stamina to keep making passes?
It was reliable. I wasn’t worried about breaking it. Honestly it wasn’t in the plans to work that hard. I totally lucked out on day 1 with something like a 12.004 (I don’t recall exactly) after just a few passes. I left day 1 thinking it was going to be easy, then totally wore out my junk the rest of the week trying to compete with Sara Thorpe and John Perks. They gave me a heck of a run and made me work for it. The friendly competition drove me to keep trying.
Any additional maintenance required from all the passes?
Brand new set of 275’s were completely shot after that week.
How did you adjust the tune to be so consistent?
The truck had a stock ECU I was tweaking with HP tuners. What worked for me was first getting in the ballpark with the boost controller, then making very small tune adjustments. The key thing was driving the exact same way every pass, and making changes in the tune. Consistent staging, consistent time on the 2-step, consistent trans temperatures pass to pass, etc. You really have to nail down your procedure, which is probably more important than the minor tuning tweaks to get that last .00X out of the index.
Thanks for taking the time to help us share this story. Is there anything else you would like to add?
I think I’m a pretty good example of the importance of the index classes. It gave me an entry. I had less than $10K in a competitive DIY index car, which then progressed to another slightly quicker car, which then led to a 7.50 ¼ mile car.
We appreciate Andrew giving us the time and insight into what will be a record very difficult to beat. Let’s go over the numbers and competition he had for the week.
Number of Class Competitors: 23
Best Pass of the Week: John Perkins 12.001 (Day 1), Sara Thorpe 12.001 (Day 4), Andrew Dopita 12.001 (Day 5)
Day 1 saw three racers submit passes with a 12.00x - John Perkins 12.001, Sara Thorpe 12.002 and Andrew with his 12.004
Day 2 evened the field for the Top Two, Andrew was quickest of the three with a 12.005 (12.0045 Avg), with John Perkins on his heels at 12.008 (12.0045 avg), Sara submitted her second slowest pass of the week at 12.021 (12.0115 avg)
Day 3 proved Sara wasn’t out of the mix yet, with her submitting a 12.006 (12.0097 avg). But, Andrew laid down his second 12.005 in a row (12.0047 avg). John had an “off day” and submitted at 12.043 (12.0173).
Day 4 showed Sara Thorpe is a fierce competitor, submitting her best pass of the week at 12.001 (12.0075 avg). John submitted second quickest at 12.003 (12.0138 avg). Andrew rounded out the top three with a 12.012 pass (12.0065 avg). Andrew has led the toughest class for three days now.
Day 5, back at SRCA in Great Bend, Kansas, after driving more than 1200 miles through Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, race day proved it would be no walk in the park for anyone. When they pulled in, the standings were as follows: Andrew in First with a 12.0065 Average, Sara Thorpe in Second with a 12.0075 Avg, and John Perkins in Third with a 12.0138 Avg. With just 0.001 lead, Sara needed to run 0.005 quicker than Andrew to take the lead. Sara ended up submitting a best pass of 12.041 which was the 4th quickest of the class for the day. John Perkins was second quickest of the day at 12.022. With Andrew laying down the gauntlet, and sealing the class win, class record and quickest pass of the day; submitting his best pass of the week at 12.001.
The Final Standings: Winner: Andrew Dopita: 12.005 Avg, Runner-Up: Sara Thorpe: 12.014 Avg, Third: John Perkins: 12.015 Avg - ONE HUNDRETH separated the Top Three.
In closing; it takes a lot of people to fill the racer spots in these events. We’ve gotten sooo used to sellouts in less than a minute that it’s hard to remember just how many people it takes to fill out a 250-350 car field.
And those folks work, and save money, and spend untold time wrenching on their ride, planning for rooms, or tents, or sleeping in the bed of a truck. In the same way. Yes we wanna see those fast cars. We love to hear those rips down the track. Knowing there are guys/gals laying it down before or after our class runs makes these events awesome. And we love sharing the drives with the kind of people who have such levels of determination. But … it’s that moment when the lights goes green, and the world becomes a blur, and all the work and expense, and creativity, that was required to get to that start line, pays off.
For most of the racers that run 8’s… The gateway drug was something that ran 14’s or maybe something in the 12’s. Racers just like Andrew, couldn’t stop there. Or wouldn’t stop there. And a few years later they are tripping the lights with 7.50’s.
Are these “slow” cars still important? You better believe they are! They are the backbone of this niche of drag racing, and they represent all the future participants who are working feverishly to get out there and be a part of this community, this movement, this moment. Let’s get it!
Article by: Andrew Dopita, Rodney Reeves and Michael Narx
