World's Fastest Pontiac (vid inside)
 

Congrats to Rodney, Travis & Crew 6.22 @ 228!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFYJ-1Mtftc

Thanks for the video!!! Already sent it to all my Chebby buddies! LOL

That is dedication!
 

All I have to say is WOW!
Great job. A round of applause goes out to the Butler gang and the turbo guru Travis Quillen. ..... Jim

great vid , thanks!

Some pics.
http://64goat.smugmug.com/Other/Norw...32_zKvDk-M.jpg
Rodney & Travis with their Killer Lemans.
http://64goat.smugmug.com/Other/Norw...49_urWhk-M.jpg
http://64goat.smugmug.com/Other/Norw...70_zqyRc-M.jpg
http://64goat.smugmug.com/Other/Norw...83_syPo4-M.jpg
http://64goat.smugmug.com/Other/Norw...63_UaEQ9-M.jpg

Dang what a BEAST!!!!!!!!.........

awesome!

I never thought I would see the day when a pontiac would put dowm a pass like that. Congrats to the Butlers. My chevy buddies are in for a ribbin. I love it...

Awesome!

Alot of credit to Butler and crew.

Gotta love Turbo's!

what no photos of us lol we came in 2nd but need a new set of doors:D

Bit-chin Car.

You guys do a great job also with a bad azz pontiac.

X2... Congratulations to all involved with that car!

LOL, Sorry I was going to start another thead with some more videos & pics. Here is one of John from yesterday and a few from over the last couple of years.
http://64goat.smugmug.com/Other/Norw...61_ZvdAk-M.jpg
http://64goat.smugmug.com/Other/race...21_Dk5Po-M.jpg
http://64goat.smugmug.com/Other/race...01_aTp7g-M.jpg
http://64goat.smugmug.com/Other/race...09_mhvnM-M.jpg

Fantastic car!!! And I love it that a doorslammer is the quickest and fastest Pontiac ever.

Jim

Nice pictures wonder if the Lemans is fiberglass or carbon fiber and approximately what the cubic inch and weight is on that monster???

Great pass, by both cars!

Damn Rodney's dropped weight, he's really serious.

How can you not be pumped up after watching that run, and there's more left in it...

huh? You mean to tell me that the fastest and quickest pontiac in the world is a door car. That is so awesome!!!!! The Butlers are kickin funny car and rail car tail!!!!!!

Good group of folks and congrats from Justin Shearer in Oklahoma City!!!!!!!


PS nothing against anyone, just excited for them.

Congrats !!!!!

Yea WOW! Gotta be the first side by side six second passes by a couple of Pontiacs also....

Too Cool For Word's!!!!!! NICE!!!!!!!:D

Turbos are amazing! :cool2:

Rodney's 6.27/ 228 run was very good. Travis and Rodney solved some early qualifying glitches that were totally unexpected. But now the issue is known and can be checked pass by pass and corrected as required.

John Welter should get more respect as his car ran very well the whole week-end with no tuning issues or breakage and again was in the finals just like last year. Last year he won the deal, this year his friends came with a bit more power but he was solidly in the 6s again thanks to Travis Qs tuning expertise. Lots of other people broke this week-end. Mike Cooper was running very well the last few week-ends too.

JMO

Tom V

Very nice!!!!!!! 8-)

I can answer two of your questions: 1) carbon fiber 2) Over 2700 pounds wet

The car is a heavy car for a Carbon Fiber car (due to all of the Turbo and related turbo stuff)
2720 pounds wet is what David Butler told me the weight was when I spoke with him today.

Tom Vaught

Curious as the what the qualifing times were in their Frantic 4 class? Also what were the round ETs? Rod probably had them all covered by at least a half second anyway!

Way to go!

Maybe someone can post them for you.

John Welter ran his number all week-end.

Mike Cooper had a crank support issue and dropped out of the racing.

Rod had some early tuning issues (which were identified and corrected) and then ran well

A LOT of other racers had mechanical issues and were not able to compete.

GTOGEORGE ran well the few passes I was able to watch and was very consistent running very near
his dial (8.30s). He apparently has some sort of an engine tuning issue at the end of Saturday but
hopefully got that resolved. I left before racing started Sunday PM.

Tom Vaught

nice seeing you Tom the only thing we have to fix on the car is the doors thanks to Rodney and Travis

Agree, I am sure that John knew the Freight Train was coming, was ready for it, and had previously ordered new doors! (:>)

Nice to see you, Big Man. Thanks for the golf cart rides around the track grounds, saved me a lot of steps.

Tom Vaught

With all the work that Rodney and Travis have done on the car and the homework that was done. They paid the dues and the ET was well earned !!! Great job guys !!

I missed it as I didn't arrive at the track until 9:30 Sunday morning. Was pleasantly surprised to hear the buzz around the track from others that witnessed it. Both ends of the record, and I was told if was "backed up" with previous runs of the weekend being in the 6.40's with speeds in the 220's. Was speaking with Bob C. and Rodney at the Butler trailer over on the car show side of the field on Sunday right before leaving and never would have known about the run if others hadn't told me, Rodney never mentioned it...such a "low key" and modest guy. Nice job guys, I can't wait to tell all of my "doubting Thomas" buddies over on the funny car boards...they still don't think Pontiacs can run (LOL).

Congrats to Rodney and Travis and other supporting members for the nice passes this weekend.
Jim

Rodney had a lot of time to give at the Butler Tent on the Show side as the Frantic 4 was only run on Friday & Saturday and not on Sunday. That is the way that it will be in the future according to Pete W so if you show up for the first time on Sunday expecting to see the Fast cars, it isn't going to happen. If there had been a Sunday session for the frantic 4 cars then Butler (in my mind) could have backed up the 6.27/228 mph vs fall back on the earlier runs where the car was not dialed in.

Tom Vaught

Open question on the turbo inlets of Rodney's car. Have they considered half-moon shaped "backstops" on the openings to act as a ram air scoop? Maybe not that tall, perhaps half the height of the inlets diameter? Or would this be too turbulent and make matters worse? When I say "half-moon shaped backstop" I envision the shape of the back of the car you sit in on that "Tilt-a-Whirl" carnival ride.

If we would of known by detuning it, it would run that i would of 1 hooked a tow rope to it . 2 would of detuned John's car pulled a couple of plug wires off :D

Travis can speak for this better than I can because he cut the holes in the hood. My "opinion" is that the "round opening" in the hood would tend to fill the turbo compressor wheel vanes more evenly (what you want) vs a scoop on the rear half that would feed the wheel vanes with uneven air around the vanes (turbulent air as you mentioned Brian).

Travis and I did have a discussion about the exhaust tips as related to downforce on the car. Travis said the exhaust tips were made from aluminum and were deforming from the force exerted by the exhaust pressure pushing down on the car/ exhaust tips. I could see the deformation clearly.

One thing I really liked about the car design was the very low amount of air able to get under the car and virtually NO AIR banging off the firewall. The grill was sealed, the splitter front spoiler was very low to the ground and were designed to move the air away from the front tires/wheels and the wheel openings.

Travis and Rodney designed and fabricated SO MANY parts for that car where each one had to be in a certain spot, work a certain way, be easy to maintain or replace, and allow maximum performance of the car as well as being durable.

That car has some really bad tire shake under some conditions that would loosen all of the fillings in your teeth (:>( Has to be very hard on Rodney's body.

Tom Vaught

Thank you for all the positive comments and congratulations, guys!!

We had a great weekend overall. First, a few thank yous.....

1. Thanks to Dan Parker at Parker Chassis for the insight and input on 4 link setup. I told Dan what we had, and what we wanted. he said "Do this....." I did it, and the car responded exactly how he said it would. I would highly reccomend Dan for any chassis project, and he's also available to go to the track and tune for people who have chassis issues that need to be sorted out. His website is www.parkerchassis.com.

2. Thank you Andy Jensen for the clutch tuneup advice. Dead nuts as usual!

3. Thank you Tom Vaught for the aerodynamic input during the build of this car. There are a number of touches that we incorporated into this car such as the air dam design, windshield angle, flushed out windows, and wheelwell opening designs that have enabled us to put down these numbers. Whe Rod and I were building the body, I contacted Tom and asked his advice on these areas. he told me what to do, and we did it. It paid off in a big way!

4. The crew! To Roger Bialic, Angie, and Lindsey....thank you. Normally, I really rely on my wife Jill to help take care of a lot of things...pulling the plugs, getting another set gapped and reay to go in, cooling the clutch, charging the battery, putting fuel in it, packing the chutes. She had to go out of town on business at the last minute, and then her grandmother passed on Friday night, so she couldn't make it. You all have no idea how tough it was for me this weekend without having Jill with me to do all the little things that I take for granted. The crew helped ease that burden in a big way. Since the Frantic Four race was essentially run on Saturday, we didn't have much time to get the car ready between rounds....these folks got the job done to perfection.

The track was tricky, for sure, but we're sorta used to that. Rod had to pedal on every single run, including the .27. That's why he's in the seat. He is the man.

Q1 we blew the tires off. Q2 we went 6.42 (three backpedals), Q3 was a 6.58 (more backpedals), E1 was a 6.73 (Rod really had to ride the bucking bronco on that one!!), and E2 was the 6.27.

The incrementals on the best run were 1.05 60 foot, 2.74 330 foot, 4.12 @ 180.33 eighth, 6.27 @ 228 quarter.

There's LOTS more in it, we actually took out clutch and power for the last run. We knew that Rock was making great tuning calls and that Welter was going to go a six something, and we had better be on our game or risk getting drove around. The chassis still has a little tuning left to do, but thanks to Dan Parker, we now know exactly what to do.

You know, it's really nice to say that we hold the record for the fastest Pontiac, but what we really want is to show the world that the Pontiac engine is a viable powerplant. We have the blocks to to it. We are getting new heads every day that will bring it around even more. The architecture is there. Why aren't more people doing it? Because they don't realize what can be done, that's why! I can only hope that the efforts of ALL of the guys who are out there in the "great Pontiac unknown" will bring the Traditional Pontiac into the light.

Travis Quillen

Oh, PS - Vickie Cooper's homemade salsa is DA BOMB.

Travis,

Congrats to You, Rodney, and the whole Butler crew on a job well done! Thanks again for your insight with my car...much appreciated!;)

Traivs, thank you for all the knowledge you bring to the table to help make it all possible, and Rodney driving skills that makes it all work. It's been a long hall, but setting
The fastest ever record make it all worth it. Maybe it's a possibility to see a 5 second Pontiac in our feature. All the
Luck to both you guys.

"Maybe it's a possibility to see a 5 second Pontiac in our feature. "

I am sure you meant to say future.

You can bet your vitals on it. There will be multiple 5 second Pontiac powered cars in the coming year or 2.
If Rodney and crew does not do it first, Mike and Eric will.

Oh My God, the baddest Pontiac to ever live.
We knew it was coming, for what 2-3 years. Work of ART.

Boy Steve can't get nothing past you,...who said you weren't the sharpest knife in the draw.

I'm glad you made that point, Travis. The Pontiac engine has lots more untapped potential, in my estimation. FYI: I love talking to you. I always walk away with something new in my head.

Congrats!!
Eric

Congrats to you and the Butlers.
Awesome passes.
:)

It would be awesome to have Rodney and Eric there next year with their rides for the 20th Anniversary of the Tri-Power Nationals.

:)

DRAWER !!! DRAWER !!! :pound:

Ok Travis...if it where easy...and cheap, ya.
After looking at the chassis fab, electronic's, the engine fab...the entire package as a whole, not to mention the driveshaft spinning next to Rod's leg, i can see why very few are willing...
Have an idea of $ involved, but cant emagine the hours.

For those wonder'n why they had problems making full passes, it takes alot more time figuring how a new chassis works with a certain engine/trans combo.
Wieght distribution plays a part also.
Now add more power then you can emagine.
Another thing.
Lots of guys only run on 1 to 2 different tracks a year.
No 2 are the same, but once you figure it out, can log the info for next time.
Now take it to 10-12 different tracks.

Want to check spelling for me Brain? LOL
Sorry missed ya there.

Alright, Mike, I'll bite.....

This whole package is absolutely NO DIFFERENT than what's being done with current Chevy, Chrysler or Ford Pro Mods. NONE. Same types of electronics. Same chassis fab. Same engine work. Same driveshaft location. The only difference is that no one's doing it with a Pontiac. I don't think the Pontiac guys are more afraid to try it than the other brands, I think that no one attempts this with a Pontiac because racers unfamiliar with Pontiacs have no idea that a Pontiac can support this kind of power. I'm out to prove that theory wrong, and to show what can be done with this platform. There has to be new blood coming into the picture for the brand to progress.

And we don't run on one or two tracks a year. So far, we have run the following tracks:

US43 in TN
Huntsville Dragway in AL
Alabama International, Steele, AL
Montgomery Motorsports Park in AL
I22 Motorsports Park in Eldridge, AL
Ohio Valley Dragway in Louisville, KY
Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH

We don't have to have enormous setup differences for these tracks, what makes track to track chassis setup any different for a Pontiac than any other brand?

It's expensive, no doubt. We don't have a lot of money. Rodney and I do this entirely on our own dime. No big money sponsors. It took us three years to build the car, two years to build the motorhome (yes, we BUILT it). We farmed out nothing. We even painted the car and the motorhome ourselves (cant you tell?). Others can do the same.

The hours are staggering. Just the hours we have in the body, we could have built an entire car from scratch. The bottom line: you either want it, or you don't. There's no shame in either one, the decision just has to be made. BUT....if anyone decides that they don't want to do it, then they don't have the right to make excuses why no one else can!

Nothing worth doing is easy or cheap. If it was, everyone would do it.

My only point is that it's JUST AS EASY to do with a Pontiac as with anything else. If the mentaility that Pontiacs can't make BIG power and aren't durable doesn't change, then Pontiacs will be forever seen as a low rpm boat anchor.

That may be fine by you, but it sure isn't for me.


TQ

Dont take it wrong. Meant the same thing your say'n. Maybe over stated?
Thats the problem posting vs talking.
Not suggesting its harder with a Pontiac engine. Thats probly the easist part now with the best Pontiacs parts available ever.
Maybe your not old enough to remember the old days?

How many can build at your guys level?
How many have the knowledge?
Sure, theres guys with the $.
But are they tuners? Not just engine, but chassis as well?
How bout drive'n it?
And what i meant about tracks, minor adjustments have to make at each one. Right?
Guess if they can afford to have one built, they can afford guys like you to tune-n-race it :)

BTY, sorry i didnt stop-n-talk longer. You looked busy every time i went past.
Know what its like when your try'n to get things done.

FWIW, i got to drive both an old front engine rail(502 chevy roots blower), and a short wheel base alterd made to look like a funny car(572 hemi tunnel ram on n2o) that my chevy buddy help build.
VARY hairy rides. Take many, many runs before i'd even consider full power.
The rail owner sold his after first weekend of try'n it. Never been under 11 sec's in his life.

X2

In the "Old Days" this was called Hot Rodding.

Most "Hot Rodders could not afford, Chassis Shops, Fabrication Shops, Engine Shops so they did the work themselves. Basically that is what Travis and Rodney have done.

Now it doesn't hurt that Rodney has built a lot of engines over the years and Travis has tuned on a lot of fast cars as well as being an "Engineer" by profession but like Travis said they did all of the work themselves on a carefully managed budget over several years.

I agree, IF you have the desire, you will finds ways to make the project happen: talking to people, looking at other race cars, making lots and lots of plans on how to make it happen and revising those plans as necessary. Even the BIG MANUFACTURERS do EXACTLY the same process for each vehicle program (over several years). Thousands of meetings, conversations over the phone, competitive vehicle studies, hanging out at race tracks, several designs for each part if it is not available for purchase, Package Studies, etc. I saw it all on Rodney and Travis' Tempest IF you looked at the car in detail.

They wanted to build the fastest Traditional Pontiac of all time, (and demonstrate that the Traditional Pontiac engine was a good system for very high performance work). Ok, it does not have a big bore. 6.27 at 228 makes that big bore excuse maybe not so good.

Keep preaching, Travis. People will eventually get the message.

By the way, thanks for the nice post about me even though you/ Rod did 99% of the work and all I did was make a few suggestions.

Tom Vaught