Power Nationals Muscle

(Tommy)>> You're watching Powernation!

[ Music ] [ engines revving ]

(Katie)>> Welcome to a very special episode of Detroit Muscle, and the first ever Power Nationals. Coming to you from the Nashville Super Speedway just outside of Nashville in Lebanon, Tennessee. I'm Katie Osborne, and I know you're asking why is she here. Well Joel and Tommy invited me along with some of the other Powernation hosts to help cover this awesome event. From three Bigfoot trucks including the original, we've got four Hot Wheels monster trucks, autocross, and Powernation alley, and Joel and Tommy found some hardcore car guys.

(Tommy)>> We're out here at Power Nationals checking out the car show, and Joel just found a car that's got a very similar story to our pride and joy, old Road Burner. You guys have got to check this out.

(Joel)>> Well guys, if you know me you know I can never pass up a Mopar, and I'm standing next to a beautiful '68 Plymouth Road Runner owned by my friend Lonnie here. Lonnie thanks for coming out to the first ever Power Nationals. You having a good time so far?

(Lonnie)>> Oh yeah, I've had a real good time.

(Joel)>> So tell us about the car, and the inspiration, and the history of it.

(Lonnie)>> Well it was an old race car, and it was really too far gone to put back original. So, my son and I, Curt, decided to cut the body off of a Challenger and cut the bottom out of the Road Runner, and put the two together.

(Joel)>> What's the history behind the Road Runner itself? Was it just a regular car?

(Lonnie)>> Drag car and it had been treated pretty rough over the years. I didn't have the numbers matching motor. So, I really wanted something like this that I could drive every day.

(Joel)>> Nothing wrong with that. Our Road Runner, you probably saw it over there at Powernation Alley. It kind of has the same story. It had a history of being a race car at one time, and you even went in with the late model power plant.

(Lonnie)>> The 5-7 was a good motor to use cause you can run on 87 octane gas and not have to pay that high price for premium. It got pretty good mileage. I think it gets about 23, 24.

(Joel)>> So you're definitely a Mopar man at heart.

(Lonnie)>> Well it's just fun to drive. It was a '13 Challenger that we used, and it drives just like a '13 Challenger would.

(Joel)>> For sure, and I think that's why a lot of people are going with late model power plants nowadays. They want that look and coolness factor of an old car, but they want that air conditioning. They want to be able to cruise down the highway and take it anywhere, right?

(Lonnie)>> Yeah, this year with the Power Tour, when we went on it it was so hot. That air conditioning come in real handy.

(Joel)>> Well thank you Lonnie. You did an excellent job sir. Right now we're gonna go check out some more Detroit Muscle. You behave yourself.

(Lonnie)>> You have a good one! [ Music ]

(Tommy)>> Hey guys, we're here and we caught up with the owner of this beautiful Trans Am. Now with the engine that's in here how much more peppier is it? Is it night and day difference?

(Jason)>> It's night and day. We peaked about 500 horses when we put it on the dyno last fall. First the engine that was originally in it, the 305, only gets about 200 horses. So yeah, it's definitely night and day.

(Tommy)>> Do you have any future plans to go with this, or maybe possibly building something else?

(Jason)>> Yeah, I thought about buying a BMR front suspension and throwing it underneath here. My son wants to build an '87 GTA with a manual transmission. So, we might do that.

(Tommy)>> Well it sounds like this gentleman's got the bug like the rest of us. We're gonna go a little further and let you get back at it, but we appreciate your time.

(Jason)>> Before you guys leave can you sign my hood here underneath?

(Tommy)>> Absolutely, you good with that?

(Joel)>> Let's do it! [ Music ]

(Joel)>> Man, me and Tommy are having a good time checking out some iconic pieces of Detroit iron. We're gonna keep poking underneath some hoods. It's back to you Katie.

(Katie)>> Thanks guys! They'll be back with more in just a bit but right now let's check out the first Bigfoot. The original monster truck that started them all is here with us today. Who knew when creator Bob Chandler crushed those cars in the Pontiac Silverdome back in 1983 that it would lead to a worldwide traveling show of monster trucks today. Plus, we've got the Bigfoot with its 10 foot tall tires. I mean that's pretty cool, right? And the modern full on exhibition and race truck is here, which I've been told may need to crush something. I guess we'll see about that. And to top it all off the Predator ride truck is here where you can experience what it's like to ride inside a monster truck. We're not done yet. We've got more coming your way, including Powernation Alley and autocross from the first ever Power Nationals.

(Katie)>> We're back at our first ever Power Nationals at the Nashville Super Speedway, and man we've got some stuff to show you. But since this is our event, we thought it was a great opportunity for fans to meet the hosts and see up close some of the projects. So, from Engine Power here's Pat and Frankie.

(Pat)>> Thanks Katie! We are here in Powernation Alley. Well, you might be wondering what that is. What is Powernation Alley Frankie?

(Frankie)>> Well it's a collection of past, current, and future projects from our four shows. Carcass, Music City Trucks, Detroit Muscle, and Engine Power.

(Jeremy)>> Well Pat and I are standing in front of the Honda Civic that Jimmy and I built on Carcass. This is one of my favorite builds, and you know Pat we've done a lot of Detroit style American muscle cars, but this was kinda of our first shot at a foreign little four banger here.

(Pat)>> This was on our chassis dyno both before and after, and it made some impressive power gains. So, I think we may have to do something else with it.

(Jeremy)>> Well we brought it in and we doubled the horsepower. So maybe we should try to do it again.

(Pat)>> I like the sound of that.

(Frankie)>> We're here in Powernation Alley, and I caught up with Tommy to talk about one of my favorite projects you guys have done, Road Burner.

(Tommy)>> With this particular car it's actually one of my favorites of all the builds that we've ever produced, and mainly because it was an easy one and it makes such a strong statement. Without the hood on it you know this thing means business.

(Frankie)>> That's one of my favorite parts, the 6-4 with the Terminator-X on there, but running dual 750s, that's awesome!

(Pat)>> When we built our turbocharged 306, we knew it needed a good project and a good home, and what better one than a 1964 flatbed. And I must say I think everyone on Earth has some sort of connection to a 300-6 Ford.

(Jeremy)>> You know my dad had four trucks ranging from the '70s all the way up to the '90s. Every one of them had a 300 in it, and every one of them had over 300,000 miles on it.

(Pat)>> They're like an anvil right, and this one is not up to its full potential yet. We may have to do a little bit more to it, but I think that it's a good project.

(Jeremy)>> I might have to fight somebody for this. It can end up in my garage. I'd be totally okay with that.

(Pat)>> You might get a little resistance cause I think a bunch of people want this one, including me.

(Tommy)>> Now Frankie you and Pat are known for making some pretty serious power plants, but here at the show you brought a vehicle along with you.

(Frankie)>> Yeah Tommy, this is actually our current project. It's a 1977 Ford Granada Ghia that looks pretty inconspicuous but actually we built a 347 for it that makes 531 horsepower at the crank. So, this is definitely not your grandma's Granada.

(Tommy)>> Well just so you know my grandmother was more of a GM lady, but what's the next plans for this thing?

(Frankie)>> Well now that we got the engine in we've got to do the drive line. So, we'll do transmission. We'll put a nine inch in the rear end, but outside visually the car really isn't gonna change. We've got these Coker 14-inch wheels in here so we could keep the stock hub caps, and maybe give it a polish and a buff, but other than that this car's gonna look just the way it does.

(Tommy)>> Man I wouldn't polish nothing. I'd just close the hood and make this thing.

(Frankie)>> Just let it go?

(Tommy)>> Just have a ball with it man.

(Frankie)>> It's gonna be a blast!

(Katie)>> Thank you gentlemen, and I know that we hinted at the top of the show the Bigfoot race and exhibition truck is here prowling the grounds, looking for a little bit of trouble, but also on the infield prowling the grounds it's Marc, Brandon, Tommy, and Joel. What's up guys?

(Tommy)>> Well it's time to see some cars get crushed. We're here with Dan. Now tell us what's gonna be happening with this big truck behind us.

(Dan)>> Actually he's gonna go out here in the infield a little bit and we've got four crush cars out here and do kind of a mini freestyle car crush. It's a pretty neat deal if you've never seen it, and to be able to see it in person is always great.

(Tommy)>> Oh man I'm a big fan of this stuff. To see some carnage happen and a big loud truck with some gnarly wheels. How could this not be a good time?

(Joel)>> You ready to get this bad boy fired up?

(Dan)>> We are!

(Joel)>> Alright guys, let's do it! Woo, here we go!

(Tommy)>> This is gonna be awesome!

(Joel)>> This is my childhood coming alive.

(Marc)>> This is cool! I wonder if he gets excited every time? Oh, look at him crab walking it too! That is awesome! He's gonna pick up some speed. I think he's gonna do it. Here we go! He's going up! Oh, oh, oh! All four tires came off the ground.

(Tommy)>> Don't let out of it son! Stand on it!

(Marc)>> Wow, look at that! That's what everybody came out to see! They weren't here to see you and me.

(Brandon)>> I'm sorry but that's the coolest job ever.

(Tommy)>> Affirmative!

(Marc)>> Up he goes again!

(Tommy)>> Cleared them, just jumped over them.

(Marc)>> They're putting on a show. They said they were gonna put on a show. They weren't kidding. Wow! [ crowd cheering ]

(Marc)>> That never gets old. I could just watch him do this all day. This alone, come on.

(Brandon)>> That was some airtime!

(Marc)>> This alone is enough reason to come out and be here at this event. That is too cool.

(Tommy)>> You know what's really cool too. If you look back here behind us, it's young and old. Everybody's got a smile on. [ crowd cheering ]

(Katie)>> Thanks guys! That car crush was legit, and still to come on this Detroit Muscle special Tommy and Joel want to go fast, Ricky Bobby style of course, in the Mobile One Nascar simulator. Plus, we've still got autocross.

(Katie)>> We're back on our special Detroit Muscle, and the coverage of our first ever Power Nationals. Now besides cars and trucks there is so much more to see and do. We call it exhibitors alley, and it's filled with all kinds of companies. From EBC Brakes to Nissan with the brand new "Z". Toyo Tires with our Carcass builds, and Nashville's own, the amazing Lane Auto Museum. Even Bigfoot has its own exhibitor booth.

(Ted)>> We're here at the Power Nationals because this is where our customers are, and we go to over 50 events this year covering everything from endurance racing to cruise-ins just so we can improve our offering and see what the customers are interested in. The great thing about Summit is they're powered by enthusiasts. All the people that work there have the same vehicles that you do. We have motor tech enthusiasts; we have race enthusiasts. We have people who build off road trucks. They know what it takes to get the project done that you're working on. Summit Racing has a low-price guarantee. So, you can always be sure that the price you're getting at some is the lowest you can get. The other great thing is we have free shipping over $99 dollars nationwide, one to two days if it's in stock. And we have our handshake guarantee, which is 100 percent satisfaction.

(Katie)>> Joel and Tommy have more.

(Joel)>> Thanks Katie! You know no matter your preferred pavement pounding machine I think we can all agree on one thing. There's nothing like turning and burning on a racetrack.

(Tommy)>> For sure! Now I've never met a simulator I didn't like. We've got one back here. Now you drove the Hurst first. So, I'm gonna climb in the driver's seat on this one going forward.

(Joel)>> Age before beauty my friend.

(Tommy)>> Wait, that ain't nice man!

(Joel)>> To you sir.

(Tommy)>> Thank you, thank you! [ Music ] Safety first!

(Joel)>> That reminds me. What size helmet are you?

(Tommy)>> I've got a big head. Y'all know that. Now I see why some people don't like to ride with me. [ Music ]

(Joel)>> I'm gonna have to have a talk with the pit crew when I get back.

(Tommy)>> You can have a talk with them but I'm gonna have a beer with them. I'm just glad I survived.

(Joel)>> It's like a little massage chair. I had dreams to be a race car driver one time. Woo, hoo, hoo! Y'all are hiring, right? Need a race car driver? Consider this my résumé. Hey guys, we're out here at the first annual Power Nationals. We have Mark from Mobile One Racing. Mark tell us about the simulator itself. How did this whole thing start, and where's it at today?

(Mark)>> It's a way to interact with folks as they come by the Mobile One booth. So, it's a great way to interact. You get the opportunity to drive a simulator. Just about any track that's out there. You can drive at Talladega. You can drive at Richmond. You can drive Sonoma. So, it's great way to interact with the fans. It's a great opportunity out here. We're partnered with Summit Racing. They're a direct customer of ours. So, you can buy Mobile One there, and we love coming out and supporting events just like this.

(Tommy)>> Now with Mobile One you guys make products for all type of applications, right?

(Mark)>> Yeah, we certainly do. We have product for your daily driver. We've got high end products. The technology that we learn about here at the track we convert into engine oil that you can use not only for your daily driver, but we've got some high zinc 0-30, 0-50 for those high performance engines as well. We've got the full compliment. You can buy that all at Summit, Summit Racing.

(Tommy)>> Now a lot of people think Mobile One is just like a racing oil, but it's actually designed for a lot of the o-e-m manufacturers, right?

(Mark)>> Yeah Tommy, that's a great point. We've got products for your daily driver. It's not only for the high end. Any car that you're really driving.

(Tommy)>> I'm gonna climb back in that simulator and see if I can beat my own record.

(Joel)>> We're gonna go climb back in there.

(Mark)>> Come on down!

(Joel)>> The secret to success is don't what we did.

(Tommy)>> It took us 37 minutes to get around the track. No pressure! I think if you hit all the cones you get extra points. Well, we just climbed out of the simulator. Guys did y'all have a good time? I know I sure did. ( )>> That was pretty fantastic.

(Joel)>> Lorenzo, I know for sure that you said that you play video games yourself. How does that compare to just playing at home?

(Lorenzo)>> So with the simulator you really just have the pedals and the steering wheel. At home you're really more on a controller. So, your steering wheel is your left thumb. Yeah, it's a lot different.

(Tommy)>> Do you have any tips? I have to ask for a rookie like myself.

(Lorenzo)>> Don't hit the wall.

(Tommy)>> That's it?

(Lorenzo)>> Pretty much, just watch where you're going and don't hit anything.

(Tommy)>> Well we appreciate you guys. We're gonna go find something to get into. You good with that?

(Joel)>> Let's do it bud. ( )>> We're going with you.

(Tommy)>> Sounds good!

(Katie)>> Maybe you guys should stick to your day jobs. Coming up next, it's the Carcass autocross exhibition presented by EBC Brakes, and here's Jeremy with a preview.

(Jeremy)>> Thanks Katie. I'm down here at the lineup of all of these cars getting ready to run this autocross course, and as you can see, we've got some pretty crazy things down here. We've got foreign cars, domestic cars. We even have a couple of Teslas running, and there's also a bunch of pickups. Now the SCCA has done an amazing job setting up this very fast yet very technical course, and at the end of the day what are they here for? Well, they're all trying to chase that paycheck, and that's all what's coming up next.

(Katie)>> Detroit Muscle continues from the Power Nationals with autocross. Let's send it on over to the guys from Carcass, Jeremy and Jimmy, and did I hear that right? You guys have a special guest.

(Jeremy)>> We're down here at the start/finish line of the autocross and the rain's kinda moved in but that hasn't stopped these guys from still going out and tearing up the track. We're here with Preston from EBC Brakes. Preston, tell me a little bit on how EBC is tied in with the autocross group.

(Preston)>> Well you can see behind us it's a very varied field as far as autocross goes. Lots of different makes, models, but we make compounds that will work with pretty much everything. Geometries for anything from o-e factory brakes to more exotic things, and we just released our new centered race material, which works from cold. It's a full metal pad. You don't have to heat up your brakes and tires, which is great for auto crossers.

(Jimmy)>> And even a lot of these guys out here run like a Wilwood caliper, something like that, and you guys make pads to fit that application as well.

(Preston)>> Definitely, if it's a popular race pad we're probably gonna make it.

(Jeremy)>> Now a little bit earlier Jimmy and I had the chance to jump in with a couple of drivers, and we had an absolute blast doing it. [ Music ]

(JB)>> Alright, go to the happy place. Let's do it Jimmy.

(Jimmy)>> It's all mental. [ engine revving ]

(Jimmy)>> I jumped in with JB Granger in a C-10 pickup. He's one of the more experienced guys out here. So, it's really interesting for me to be able to watch what he's doing on the track. I have an autocross truck myself. So, it's really cool for me to see what he's doing around the cones, where he's accelerating, where he's braking cause it gives me a little bit more experience and hopefully it'll help me with my driving. [ engine revving ] [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ]

(Jimmy)>> Of course the goal of autocross is to get around the course as fast as you can. So, it's no surprise that a lot of the fast guys take a very similar line. Hence why JB was near the top of his class. [ engine revving ] [ Music ]

(JB)>> Woo, that's a pretty good run, I think!

(Jimmy)>> Yeah, good driving!

(JB)>> Sorry Joe! Jim and I just beat you. [ engine revving ]

(Jeremy)>> I jumped in with Chris Wheatcraft and his second gen Camaro. Now Jimmy and I have been out on the course multiple times but it's pretty cool to see how the SCCA guys lay out the course differently every time they come out. [ engine revving ]

(Jeremy)>> Now the difference between Chris' car and a lot of the vehicles that we're running this weekend is Chris still runs a leaf spring setup in the back of his Camaro, and I can tell that the back was a little loose when he was going through most of the corners, but he sure did know how to drive his car. [ Music ] At the end of the day Chris ended up finishing in the top 10. [ Music ]

(Chris)>> Felt like a good run.

(Jeremy)>> Yeah, it felt quick.

(Chris)>> It felt quick to me. I guess we'll see what the time says.

(Jeremy)>> That's the best part, right? You don't know. You have no idea.

(Chris)>> That felt fast.

(Jimmy)>> As you can see, we had a ton of fun out here riding with these guys. They're super fast, super competitive. We're still gonna get a couple of runs in. So, Katie, back to you.

(Katie)>> Well that was one wild rid. A big congratulations to the competitors for putting on a great show, and a big thanks to SCCA of Tennessee for making it happen. And now as the cars and trucks take their bucket list laps around the speedway's banked tri-oval guess who else is getting their bucket list punched?

(Tommy)>> Thanks Katie. I know we've sure enjoyed ourselves out here at the show. We've seen cool cars and cool trucks. You name it it's been here. Finally, we're at a point that I get to check off something on my bucket list, and that is climbing up in this thing. And ole Joel, I think he's already checked out as well.

(Joel)>> Woo, great day to be an American my friend.

(Tommy)>> Oh crap! You ain't got the keys on you, do you?

(Joel)>> You're kidding me? Amateur hour over here!

(Katie)>> Thanks guys. It has been such a great event for the whole family, and we want to say a special thanks to Nashville Super Speedway, Summit Racing, EBC Brakes, Toyo, and Mobile One. I'm Katie Osborne, and for Joel, and Tommy, and everyone here at the Power Nationals thank you so much for joining us. [ Music ]