F.A.S.T Corvette Goes 8.95 On Stock Bias Ply Tires!

A barrier once-thought impossible to cross in Factory Appearing Stock Tire drag racing fell recently. The Horsepower Depot 1967 Corvette L88 big-block coupe became the first F.A.S.T. car in the 8-second zone at Cecil County Raceway on Saturday.

Driven by Jordan Pennington, the Vette put down an insane 1.349 60-ft time on untreated reproduction bias ply tires, then crossed the finish line at a nose-up 8.95 at 151.73 mph. 

Pennington has been running the F.A.S.T. series for years, and had been knocking on the 8-second barrier for a bit, but according to a Facebook post, the air was finally right. In fact, it was so good he was over-revving through the lights. He thinks there is more in the Vette with a switch to 3.90 or so rear gears. 

There are two F.A.S.T categories, Factory Stock — which is more tightly regulated and akin to the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race — and F.A.S.T, which is fairly wide-open. Here is a link to those rules, but the long and short are you must retain the factory-style tires and exhaust manifolds, carburetors, transmission, and pulleys, etc. The  camshaft must produce a correct stock sound at idle. 

“We all know what a STOCK cam sounds like! Factory cam specs will be taken into consideration when determining the correct idle sound,” according to the rulebook, which you can check out here.

There is a 560-cubic-inch limit for all engines except the 385-series Ford big-block, which can go as large as 620 inches. Like NHRA Stock Eliminator, there are some aftermarket heads and locks allowed (due to the scarcity of OE parts), but raised-deck and raised cam blocks are prohibited. 

Ultimately, no matter how much power you make, you must be able to harness it with a stock-style suspension and those tiny repop tires. That is the real challenge. 

Best of all, the cars must appear stock, down to the engine paint, wheels, etc. If you’ve ever gone to a F.A.S.T. event, it is like the vehicles left the show field and attacked the track. 

While the 2025 season has concluded, follow the F.A.S.T. series’ website for next year’s schedule.