Dirt
By Mike Carpenter
W
hen fans, fellow racers, or
almost anyone involved in fast
doorslammer racing thinks of
Charles Carpenter, a few things
probably come to mind: nitrous oxide, the origins
of Pro Modified, and the 1955 Chevrolet.
In a move that may surprise many, Carpenter is
no longer behind the wheel of his iconic ’55 Chevy.
After over four decades of racing various itera-
tions of the “shoebox”, the Pro Modified pioneer
recently debuted a 1968 Camaro built by Jerry
Bickel Race Cars.
During the final round of the Carolina Xtreme
Pro Mod season-opener at Darlington Dragway
in March, Carpenter was pushing hard for the
victory when his nitrous-assisted ’55 Chevy made
contact with the wall just past half-track. Typi-
cally, the car would have been repaired and Car-
penter would be back on track by
now, but the team had other plans.
“After that race, I wasn’t sure
what my next move would be,”
Carpenter admitted. “I thought
about calling it a career, but I’m
not ready to retire just yet and I
didn’t want to go out like that. I’m
getting older, but I’m still healthy
and have the ability to do this at a
fairly high level, so I want to keep
doing it as long as I can. That’s
when my son and crew chief, Mike,
suggested that if we do continue
racing, we should try something
different and get a new car.”
Thus began the search for a new
car that met Carpenter’s precise
specifications. If he was going to
hop out of the seat of his beloved
’55 Chevy, not just any car would do.
“I’ve always thought the ’68 Ca-
maro is a good-looking Pro Mod,
so that’s what we started hunting
for, and I think we’ve found a really
nice one,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter purchased the car
formerly campaigned by veteran
Pro Modified racer Gary Courtier
of Long Island, NY.
“I’m really excited about this car.
It’s been beautifully maintained
and has all the best components.
My racing partner, Paul Albino, picked up the car
and had it at his Total Induction Tuning Solutions
shop in South Windsor, CT, where he made a
few tweaks to accommodate our 5.2” bore space
engine and M&M Transmission TH400 before
I picked it up,” said Carpenter.
Carpenter’s ’55 Chevy, originally built in
2008 as one of the first lightweight Pro Nitrous
machines, is available for purchase as a rolling
chassis.
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40 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 122
Pro Mod Legend Charles
Carpenter Debuts ’68 Camaro