Cobra Jet, Ford Racing, Mike Galimi

Racers in the West prepare several Cobra Jets for a debut at the 2009 NHRA Winternationals.

You will be reading about the exploits of a Cobra Jet from Bollman Racing as Editor Smitty is working hand-in-hand with that team to prepare the car for an assault on NHRA Division 1 in the Stock Eliminator category. While they are thrashing on that ride, there are many other Ford enthusiasts —specifically out West—preparing their rides to make a grand entrance at the first NHRA national event of 2009, the Winternationals in Pomona, CA.

Everyone has heard the rumors and the hype is building for the most anticipated Stock Eliminator entry of all-time. It is a bold statement but I don't think some people understand how monumental the move is for Sportsman drag racing and what this car represents. It represents the first major manufacturer involvement in recent history. When was the last time the OEMs took a look at Sportsman drag racing and said, "yep, let's build 50 cars to play in the games of Stock Eliminator"? It has been awhile, Ford (through Ford Racing) is playing the cat and mouse game with the sanctions rules. Longtime racers, especially the Chevy guys, are predicting the end of the world. It is great.

There are rumors all over the Internet of Cobra Jet pre-season testing and it appears the front-running time is a 9.68.  That is unconfirmed.  I expect the times to be extremely low 9s when the cars are fully-built to the rules and regulations.

I added a link below of a testing video that I found on YouTube. It  footage of Calvert Racing making test launches. The car must have ran really fast since they end the video after the sixty-foot. Calvert Racing is home to the famous Cal-tracs suspension components.

Calvert Racing Test Video