This Chopped Chevelle Doesn’t Come South to Vacation

WHEN BRENT LONG DECIDED TO STEP UP HIS GAME TO HIGH-HORSEPOWER DOOR-CAR RACING, HE ELECTED NOT TO JUMP ONTO THE CAMARO BANDWAGON; INSTEAD, HE OPTED FOR A CHOPPED ’71 CHEVELLE SS. In a staging lane’s sea of Camaros, early through current body styles, his bright red bruiser immediately grabs your attention.

Long, a hardcore drag racer, who in a past life campaigned a big-block ’65 Chevelle, had taken a respite from the strip. In 2014, he was nudged back into the fray by longtime friend and fellow racer Andrew Misner. After months of searching for a suitable return ride, another friend, Darren O’Conner, steered Long into the Chevelle.

The Chevelle was originally constructed in 2010 by Tony Richards, at his shop in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for Rick Spargo. Spargo commissioned what turned out to be an over-the-top Super Gasser. The chassis features a 2×3 front half and rear clip with 4-link suspension by Bear’s Performance out of Ottawa, Ontario. The driver’s cage is chrome alloy, as is the extra structural tubing, which created a very stiff race car. The chassis holds a 7.50 certification. Hans Silberbauer wired the racer and spent countless hours making sure it would safely traverse the quarter.

Though the hard parts are finely crafted, it’s the Chevelle’s steel body that steals the show. Richards managed to lower its lid by more than 2 inches, yet maintain the Chevy’s classic lines. Usually such mods yield a cartoonish finished product, not so here. Spargo skillfully accomplished the cosmetic bodywork and paint at his shop.

It may take a village to raise a child, in Long’s case it takes a bunch of buddies to build a race car. Following Long’s acquisition of the roller it was hauled to Phil Bishop’s Blue Nose Automotive in Spruce Grove, Alberta, for assembly. Bob and Gord Ebertz, who were responsible for formulating the Top Eliminator program at Long’s home track, Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, helped gather up all of the necessary parts, including the engine from Joe Jolly’s Sunset Performance Engines. Upon its completion, Dan Bold and his dad, Alfred (with assistance from wife Erin), helped Long dial in his racer. The Ebertz boys also lent their considerable talents to getting the Chevelle sorted out.

It may take a village to raise a child, but in Long’s case it takes a bunch of buddies to build a race car.

Everyone’s efforts have paid off handsomely. The car performs flawlessly. Its best performances to date are 7.95/175.48 in the quarter and 5.16/136.15 in the eighth.

As I talked with Long, he was effusive in his praise of all those who assisted him in his dream project, but there are several people who are particularly important to this race team, and they are: his fiancée, Kaeti Bahm; his children, Tycen and Eaton Long, and Kaeti’s daughter, Kennedy. Without them there would be no race operation. Also, assistance from his friend and fellow racer, Andrew Misner, and his wife, Kaytie, has been crucial.

If you’re attending a big money race in western Canada or in the States west of the Rockies, check out the pits for Brent Long’s red rocket. You’ll be glad you did.

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