Dirt
Venenum
Arnaldo Rodriguez adds import flair
to World Doorslammer Nationals
with record-setting Scion
By Josh Hachat
Arnaldo Rodriguez had planned
on being at the Drag Illustrated
World Doorslammer Nationals, even
if he had to purchase a ticket.
As it turned out, he provided one of the most
memorable moments of the entire weekend at
Orlando Speed World Dragway.
Driving the “Venenum” turbocharged Scion
FRS, Rodriguez put together an unbelievable
run of 5.678-seconds at a massive 261.17 mph
during an exhibition pass in the 6-cylinder import
with a 2JZ engine from Lazcano Racing
Engines. It drew a collective gasp from the huge
Saturday crowd in Orlando, bringing a big smile
to Rodriguez’s face in the process. The team was
greeted by a big crowd in their pits, celebrating
what ended up being one of the largest thrills
of the weekend.
“It’s pretty cool because that’s what we race
for,” Rodriguez says. “Like everybody else, I’m
a spectator and I love watching the Pro Mods. I
enjoy watching the cars and when you pay a ticket,
you want a great show. We were glad to help add
to it. This has been great. The venue and the cars
that are showcased, it’s just awesome.
“I was just going to come to watch and then they
asked me to do some runs. I was all for it. It’s very
exciting. Seeing all the Pro Stocks and Pro Mods,
everyone is really accessible. You can talk to all
of them and it’s really awesome as a spectator to
have that kind of access. I’ve enjoyed it all.”
By the end of Saturday, Rodriguez and his
team, led by tuner Jorge Juarbe, were a star attraction,
though putting on a show is nothing
new for this team.
They set the import record in 2019 with an
unreal pass of 5.557 last October in Maryland,
and have big plans this year.
Rodriguez showed they are on the right path
after their show-stealing performance in Orlando.
It started with a 252-mph run on Friday under
the lights, with the car taking off like a bullet
after it struggled off the starting line.
That run gave the team hope something special
was in store on Saturday.
“I had to back out, get on the two-step and then
left. It was pretty good because (Friday), we had
some issues on the starting line,” Rodriguez says.
“It didn’t go as fast as we wanted because we had
to pull some boost out and it went a little sideways,
but we just wanted to get down. We thought
if we could get off the line a little quicker we
could get 260.”
That happened, as Rodriguez and his team
delivered something special.
The car was all over the left lane to start the
run, but Rodriguez kept in it, found the groove
and again delivered an incredible top-end run to
set the mark. It left the crowd in shock, dropping
jaws and stunning a good portion of fans.
Many couldn’t believe what they had just experienced,
but that’s the reaction Rodriguez and
his team aim for.
“It’s pretty awesome. We’re the quickest and
fastest import and it was a chance to show people
what we’re capable of,” says Rodriguez, who owns
the six-cylinder world record for speed with a
262.39 mph best. “It’s a totally different combination,
but it worked well and that feels pretty good.
It’s really great when people appreciate your work.”
It’s even more impressive considering Rodriguez
isn’t able to dedicate all of his time to racing.
He’s an orthopedic surgeon in Puerto Rico
– making him Dr. Arnaldo Rodriguez, M.D., to
you – which understandably takes up most of his
day. The trip to the World Doorslammer Nationals
was only his third time racing in Orlando, but
the team has a strong base and plenty of accomplishments
under its belt.
After going 261.17 in Orlando, Rodriguez would
like to see some big numbers out of the car this
year, sticking close to his motto of “go for broke
or go home.”
“We’re capable of running 5.50s again and our
goal is to try to go 5.49. You need the right conditions
and for all the planets to align, so we’ll see.
“It will either go faster or it won’t go.”
In Orlando, it definitely went fast. DI
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRIS SIMMONS
38 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated.com Issue 156