48 minutes | 2006 | Action, Family, Documentary, Sports, Short
Eye candy for auto racing enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies around the globe, the home video sequel Playground of Power, Vol. 2 hot foots it back to the Byron Dragway in Byron, IL - known to millions as "the playground of power" - as the most aggressive vehicles on the planet tear up the track in the Power Wheel Standing Competition. The program provides a solid, eye-opening introduction to these high-octane monsters, with detailed info on their horsepower and capability, before segueing into extensive on-the-track footage of the competition itself, in which thrill-seeking drivers pilot the machines to the very edge of death before legions of shrieking spectators.
Director: Mark Priola
Writer: Mark Priola
Eye candy for auto racing enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies around the globe, the home video sequel Playground of Power, Vol. 2 hot foots it back to the Byron Dragway in Byron, IL - known to millions as "the playground of power" - as the most aggressive vehicles on the planet tear up the track in the Power Wheel Standing Competition. The program provides a solid, eye-opening introduction to these high-octane monsters, with detailed info on their horsepower and capability, before segueing into extensive on-the-track footage of the competition itself, in which thrill-seeking drivers pilot the machines to the very edge of death before legions of shrieking spectators.
Director: Mark Priola
Writer: Mark Priola
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
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02:11These are the fun tracks in drag racing in the Midwest.
02:14This track right here is host to one of the wildest events I've ever been to.
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02:49It's just incredible to see the amount of people that flew in
02:52to see this event and are that impressed.
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03:14The Outlaw Superstock Association was started about 18 years ago.
03:18We developed it because we were tired of bracket racing.
03:20We wanted a heads up, no breakout deal.
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03:25The Outlaws are a bunch of sick people
03:28who spend all their money on heavy nitrous oxide cars
03:32doing huge wheelies.
03:34It's out of control every year.
03:36It's getting crazier.
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04:08Yesterday in qualifying I went 8.07.
04:10I was hoping that I could just repeat that.
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06:52Everybody helps.
06:53My family, they do a lot of help with the car.
06:55My brother crews with me at every race.
06:57It's a lot to keep a car like this going,
06:59but we work as a team.
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08:16Hi, I'm Sue from the Modified Superstack Association.
08:19Our requirements are wheel stance, smokey burnouts,
08:22eight-second, seven-second car runs.
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09:13Shannon Logan from North Chicago, Illinois.
09:15We've got a 67 Camaro.
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09:32Kevin Wicker from Chesney Park, Illinois.
09:35I drive an 86 Camaro with a 588-inch motor.
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10:14My name is Rick Manthei. I'm from Wakena, Illinois.
10:17We've got a 67 Chevelle here.
10:19We're running in a 10Y class.
10:21The car weighs in at about 4,000 pounds.
10:24We're running a 500-inch Chevrolet Big Block
10:27with cast-iron heads.
10:29We're here to have some fun and see what it'll do.
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10:46I'm Brian Ambrosini. I'm from Kenosha, Wisconsin.
10:48I drive a 1974 AMC Gremlin.
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11:15Hi, I'm Corey Lamb. I'm from Kingston, Illinois.
11:19And I drive a 83 Chevy pickup truck.
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11:31Having these people here watching me gets me motivated.
11:34I'm ready to go right now. Let's get it done.
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11:50My name is Jerry Seip from Rockford, Illinois.
11:53It's my 67 Firebird.
11:55It belongs to my dad, and I've been racing it for about 6 years.
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12:16Hey, I'm Ryan Schahanek. I'm from Vertical Mischief.
12:18Today we're here at Byron Dragway for the Wheel Stand Competition.
12:22And we make wheelies.
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13:46Basically, this is a stock street bike.
13:48However, we're smashing the gas tank so we can sit on it.
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13:56Gearing dampener for when you're doing stoppies.
13:59Bars don't tank slap.
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14:11We definitely have to step it up another level
14:13when you get in front of all these people.
14:15We get all pumped up, we ride a lot better.
14:17It's kind of an adrenaline rush for all of us.
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20:59One of the other things that happened this weekend was the viewing public got to see our new class,
21:04the Top Dog Shootout, and it is unbelievable.
21:07It is spectacular to say the least.
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21:14My name's Tim Deppe from Baraboo, Wisconsin, driving a 57 Chevy.
21:18I'm in the Top Dog Shootout.
21:21The engine's a 540 cubic inch big block Chevrolet.
21:25We run a Lenko drive transmission into a Ford 9-inch.
21:28The car develops about 1,800 horse, runs in a quarter mile about 680, about 200 miles an hour.
21:35For the wheelie stand weekend, the Top Dog Shootout class was the fastest class they've had all year.
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30:25The first pass, I shifted it,
30:27and it came down a little too soon.
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30:31I kind of pedaled it a little bit
30:33just to click the nitrous off,
30:35and it just, it came down way too soon.
30:37So I went back up, we do it again.
30:39I brought the RPM up higher so it leaves a little lower,
30:41and it'll climb then,
30:43and it climbed and I shifted it a little too soon.
30:47So then it came down a little early,
30:49so both runs are a little shorter than,
30:51way shorter than what I wanted.
30:53Cornelski's really got it figured out with that street car.
30:55I mean, it's chassised right, it works right,
30:57and when the traction is like what it is here,
30:59Byron Dragway, the hook, I mean, it makes a big difference.
31:02Any other place, you probably can't get it up like that.
31:04And really learning, the smart drivers know
31:07that when these things come up in the air,
31:09you don't lift the throttle, you grab second gear.
31:11If I could go the full length of the track, I would do it.
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31:31I'm Lynn Scriver from Forreston, Illinois.
31:33I drive a 1967 McLintock Bel Air.
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31:47I'm just hoping when it's all said and done,
31:50I can drive the car on the trailer
31:52and not have to be towed back on the return road.
31:55That would be a huge plus for me.
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32:12I'm Ray Gustin from Laforte, Indiana.
32:14I drive a 1967 Camaro.
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32:23I've been doing this for many years.
32:24I'm not real sure why I keep doing it,
32:26but it's an expensive hobby,
32:27but it keeps me out of trouble, that's for sure.
32:29This is a 464 cubic inch Chevy motor.
32:33Aluminum heads, aluminum block.
32:35Got a Fogger nitrous setup on it.
32:38It's a very small cubic inch motor.
32:40The class we race in goes weight per cubic inch,
32:43so you can't put a big motor in your car.
32:45The car has to weigh too much.
32:46We're allowed to run a Fogger system, which is direct port.
32:49That way, if you hurt one cylinder,
32:50which we do quite often, you can kill that one cylinder
32:53and still run your car.
32:54These are the controls for the nitrous oxide up here.
32:56When you get ready to go, you put this switch on.
32:59You hold this button in.
33:00You put your foot to the floor.
33:02You let go of that button,
33:03and hopefully you're seeing the sky.
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33:18If it comes up too high, you shift it into 2nd gear.
33:21You hit 2nd gear and the back tires come off the ground.
33:23You got to lift and hammer it again when it comes back down.
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33:42Yesterday afternoon, I broke a transmission in qualifying,
33:44so we decided to change it last night.
33:46We didn't get it done until about 9, 30, 10 o'clock,
33:48so I didn't want to start the car up.
33:50So, of course, this morning when we started the car up,
33:52it had a severe knock.
33:54Well, the reason the transmission broke
33:55was because the flywheel was loose,
33:57and we did not check that last night.
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34:22During a good wheelie, you try to pick a good cloud,
34:24kind of aim for it,
34:26because you can't really tell where in the heck you're going.
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34:47I'm Kelly Spears from Rockford, Illinois,
34:49and I'm driving a 70' Plymouth Duster.
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35:02My name's Digger Wardlow from Kings, Illinois,
35:05and I'm driving a 1955 Chevy.
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35:12First round of wheel stand competition did pretty good.
35:15Went as high as I've ever been before.
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36:13What happened in 03 doesn't bother me at all.
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36:26I wasn't scared, and I'm not afraid of having it again.
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36:38I would have a lot of fear to even think about getting back
36:40in the car, let alone getting back in the event.
36:43What's different about this car is it's all motor.
36:46455 Pontiac, stroked to a 472.
36:50Got a homemade total rim intake.
36:52A lot of these guys out here, probably at least 80% of them
36:55are spraying nitrous to make their cars do what they do.
36:58This is all motor, no nitrous, never been on the car.
37:01B&M ratchet shifter, basic block setup with my switches
37:05for ignition, power, fuel.
37:07Pretty basic setup in here, not too comfortable,
37:09but gets the job done.
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37:19What I think is going to take the win this year is
37:21someone's going to have to put it on its lid,
37:23on the starting line, going over backwards.
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38:07Hi, I'm Jason Schubert from Lena, Illinois.
38:10I drive a 78 Cullis, and I wheel stand in competition.
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38:21We got some little issues at work,
38:24we're getting the back wheels off the ground,
38:26we need to keep them on the ground to go the distance.
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38:41No, nothing on the roof.
38:43We considered that, but not today.
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40:08That's probably the biggest wreck that we've had
40:10for a wheel stand like that.
40:14It's great to see that Jason is doing okay.
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40:21Last year, I put it on the bumper,
40:24crossed the center line, came down,
40:26crushed the suspension.
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40:35The engine combination is basically the same as last year.
40:38Put a power glide transmission in it,
40:40trying to take some of the wheel stand out of it.
40:43It didn't work.
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40:52Without the nitrous, I don't know if it would do what it does,
40:55but it's a good thing.
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41:27This year, we're gonna try and put it on the roof.
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41:46Who's my biggest competitor? None.
41:48Nobody can beat me as far as I'm concerned.
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43:17The highest wheel stand was the AMC Gremlin,
43:20Brian Ambrosini, from Kenosha, Wisconsin.
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43:27He was also the longest.
43:29He carried it out and pedaled it and carried it out further.
43:31He was the longest wheel stand.
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43:38The most extreme wheel stand was Jason Schubert.
43:42He also was the most violent.
43:44And violent probably because of what occurred.
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43:53And the most photogenic by the judges.
43:56They also were in favour of Schubert.
44:00The next thing I remember is just hitting my head around
44:03on the top of the roll cage for a while until it stopped.
44:06I don't recall rolling or anything,
44:08but I just remember hitting my head for a while.
44:11It was just incredible, but they picked Jason Schubert
44:13as the overall winner for the overall performer,
44:16and Brian Ambrosini as in second place.
44:19And being second out of 16 is an incredible feat.
44:21This was the 11th annual World Power Wheel Standing Championships.
44:25This was, again, a huge event, a huge success.
44:29Usually this is pretty much the best race track we race at
44:31all year long at the end of the year.
44:33They prep it real well.
44:34It grew 11 years ago all from a little contest
44:37between two racers here at Byron Dragway,
44:39and it's going to be one of the largest events in the U.S. now.
44:42This is like the biggest race of the year for us.
44:44We wait all year for this.
44:45And, of course, next year the competitors can look forward.
44:49It's going to be absolute motor race mayhem.
44:52It'll be $25,000 going to the winner.
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