Chevy High Performance – October 2019

OCTOBER 2019 II CHEVY HIGH PERFORMANCE 11

A Unique Piece

★There is no denying that the
vast popularity of Top Sportsman
racing worldwide has a direct
correlation to the massive variety
of entries within that category.
That notion is certainly evident
with the 1965 Chevelle raced
by Jessie Wooton (Visalia,
California). Jessie reports that
his car was originally built by
Sarmento Racing and was kept
in a barn before he acquired
it. He started racing it in 2009
within the NHRA Hot Rod
Heritage Racing Series, running
in both C/Gas and B/Gas,
where he collected the 2014
championship. In 2017, the car
evolved into its present state and
to the much quicker T/S class.
After giving a 555ci big-block
on nitrous engine a go, in 2018
they upgraded to a ProCharger
supercharger and a 540ci big-
block built by Advanced Product
Design. Now with some 2,000+
horsepower to work with, this
super-slick black Chevelle flirts
with the high 6-second zone and

over 200-mph terminal speeds. Jessie’s

focus remains running NHRA divisional

T/S events, and he offers his special

thanks to Dan Horner and Geneva Nash

for all the hard work and the ongoing

support of his wife, Darlene.

Jumpin’ Jack’s “New Flash”

★Pennsylvania’s Jack Matyas has a new COPO
Camaro toy to play with. After debuting this 2012
model late in 2018 (testing only), Jack is now hitting the
NHRA divisional and national event scenes as an FS/D
Stock Eliminator car. This is a bona fide factory-built
COPO by Turn Key Automotive (Oxford, Michigan) after
Jack supplied them with a homemade body-in-white.
He credits Tom Goldman of GAS Racing (Allentown,
Pennsylvania) with help on the driveline and suspension
finishing touches. His engine program is by David
Barton, a 427 (NHRA factored to 473 hp) that put out

over 800 hp on Ray Barton Engines’ dyno. Running on

a 10.60 index and scaled at 3,760 pounds, the car went

super quick during its very first NHRA national event,

the 2019 Gatornationals: a 9.65 at 138. Jack receives

sponsorship support from ATI Performance Products

(J.C. Beattie) and Frank Carfagno (Carfagno Chevrolet,

Norristown, Pennsylvania). His crew chief is Joey Burns

(service manager at Carfagno). This Camaro has a cool

convertible roof motif and the credit for its great look

and paint goes to Warren Keeler (Keeler’s Auto Body,

Allentown, Pennsylvania).