February 2021 • By Jane Thurmond • Photos courtesy Falken Tire & K&N Flters
Presented by USAutomotive

It was gonna be hot: Hot Chevys—some of the most amazing ever built—and hot shoes, like Al Unser Jr. in the Speedway Camaro, K&N Race Team Driver, Danny Popp, in the Hiedts and Hawks Motor Sports Camaro, ex-Chevrolet team driver Kelly Collins driving for CPP, and me: K&N Race Team Driver Jane Thurmond, driving my ’64 Corvette, ‘Scarlett,’ for Wildwood Disc Brakes—the only female invite.

In fact, 20 of the biggest names in amateur and professional racing were invited to take part in the Falken Tire Super Chevy Muscle Car Challenge and each driver was encouraged to simply “run what you brung.” Each car had to be street registered and had to pass tech. Obviously, teams had to run Falken tires and the only changes allowed were shock settings and tire pressures.

The field of 20 featured a wide array of cars from the ’69 Camaro daily driver of Efrain Diaz to the all out track beasts, like the Roadster Shop’s ’70 Camaro ‘Rampage’. In fact, there were quite a few Camaros, Chevelles, a C2 Corvette, and even a couple trucks! Over half of the field was brought or sponsored by aftermarket companies while the rest were just local guys that wanted to come out and play.

This time, the challenge had been moved from Willow Springs, CA, to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. Along with the new venue came an entirely new event set-up consisting of three driving segments:

• The Slalom: A short 420-foot, zigzag of cones spaced 70 feet apart.

• The 100-Yard Dash: Straight forward launch on unprepared asphalt from a stand still.

• The Road Course that took place on the Autoclub Speedway infield course.

In each segment the participants got five timed runs to secure their best time, ultimately culminating in a winner. Between these three segments the cars and the Falken tires would be pushed to their limits in terms of forward and lateral performance.

Points were awarded to each car based on how it finished with first place getting a winning bonus point. First place received 20 points, second place 18 points, and third place 17 points and so on down the list. The points earned in each of the three driving segments were then totaled. In the end the winner with 55 points, was the Roadster Shop Rampage. Second place, with 53 points, was the ’88 Gen III Camaro driven by K&N Race Team driver Danny Popp, owned and built by Heidts and Hawks Motor Sports. Third place was the Speedway Motors 1970 Camaro piloted by Al Unser, Jr. (45 points). Fourth place went to Efrain Diaz, a local guy, in his ’69 Camaro, proving that the privateer can be a worthy adversary.

It’s safe to say that each of the drivers pushed their rides to the ragged edge and then some. By the day’s end we had survived a very full track day with minimal casualties including one flying hood narrowly averted by yours truly and Rampage. We saw failed power steering equipment, loss of oil and oil pressure, and of course some heat related issues—Fontana saw temps of over 100 degrees that day with the on track temp’s even higher.

Oh and what about me, the lone female driver? Well, I came in a very respectable 10th place with 31 points. But even more important, I held my own among some of the baddest, most influential drivers in racing. It was a very good day!