Super Chevy – October 2019

W

hen I started out in this gig I spoke about my

philosophy regarding cars and how they should

be used. My theory is that—aside from show cars

and rare pieces of history that can’t be replaced—our

cars need to be driven to be fully enjoyed. I even had the

chance to use my favorite quote, “A ship in port in safe,

but that’s not what ships were made for.” The same is true

of our cars. Leaving it in your garage is the safest bet, but

where is the joy in that? But, enjoying your car on the

road or the track does up the risk factor. Drive it hard

and that risk ratchets up, but for many so does the joy

that their Chevy brings them.

The feature on Dave Wallace’s badass 1969 Camaro is in

this issue. The car is stunning, and it was built to go really

fast, safely. Well, Dave’s ship

hit a pretty big storm at a

high-speed, standing mile

event. As you can see by these

pics, his Camaro was more

than a bit roughed up. As

Dave told us, “I was competing

in a standing mile shootout

when this happened. The

previous run was a test/

shakedown run used to get the

feel of the highway, and the

wind blowing. I ran 196 mph

and the car was stable and felt good. I’m pretty positive it would

have gone in the 210/220-mph range. The next run something

happened right after the 2-3 shift. The car took a hard right at

about 140 mph and down into a ditch. It caught some air, I was

told 15 feet of it, and then proceeded to roll eight times. With a

well-built ’cage and safety gear I was able get out under my own

power and walk away with very minor injuries.”

As a testament to the quality of his safety gear, the ’cage

suffered no visible damage and the Fuel Safe cell kept the gasoline

contained. All of the safety gear, from his helmet to his harness

system, let Dave walk away from what was a very serious crash.

So, like I’ve said before, buy your safety gear like your life depends

on it, because it does.

So, what’s Dave’s plan now? “We’re going to rebuild the car

better than before. While [the car is] down, we also plan on doing

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4 SUPER CHEVY OCTOBER^2019

Rough Seas

The harder you drive your

Chevy the higher the reward,

but the risks go up as well

THE GRIND

By Steven Rupp + Photography by Allison Schneider of A&P Productions

some safety videos and gather data to help people

build safer cars!” When you dare big you some-

times get slapped down. It’s just the potential cost

of admission. Big Red has been nearly destroyed

several times, but it always come back better than

before and ready to tackle the next patch of rough

water. Dave’s Camaro will be back as well and the

joy it brings him when he’s running it hard will be

worth every bit of the risk.

“ It caught some air,

I was told 15 feet of it,

and then proceeded

to roll eight times. With

a well-built ’cage and

safety gear I was able

get out under my own

power and walk away

with very minor injuries.”