Chambless taking
the next step in
drag racing career
Ever wonder what it would feel like to be launched in the space shuttle?
Christine Chambless has the experience every time she gets behind the wheel of her top alcohol racing car.
It’s the feeling that comes when 3,000 horsepower are propelling you off the starting line. With a 451 cubic inch engine running at nearly 10,000 rpms, it creates a g-force of up to 2.5 for the young driver as she hits the accelerator.
That means a racer who weighs 150 pounds is experiencing the same pressure as if their body weighed 375 pounds. The space shuttle launches at about 3 G’s.
That kind of power can be a driver’s fantasy . . . and become their worst nightmare.
When you’re covering a quarter-mile track in only about 5.5 seconds there’s little room for error.
“So many things can go wrong in just five seconds,” says the Scott City driver. “You don’t have much leeway. You have to be on top of your game.”
That’s particularly true for Chambless, who is in her first year of top alcohol drag racing. Every move is doubly scrutinized because she’s female and, at 19-years of age, she’s the youngest driver on the top alcohol circuit.
“I felt confident I could step up to this level. And Dad wouldn’t put me into a car going this fast if he didn’t have confidence in me,” says Chambless. “But I know there are some people who question whether I should be here.”
It’s not as though Chambless is a novice when it comes to drag racing. From the time she was eight-years-old until she turned 15, Chambless was competing as a junior dragster. This was followed by 1-1/2 seasons in the top dragster class before the family racing team decided to turn their attention to preparing this latest vehicle.
Competing in the top alcohol class isn’t for the faint-hearted.
A typical run through the quarter-mile track will last about 5.2 seconds, with these 4,000 horsepower vehicles reaching speeds of more than 270 miles per hour.
“We’ve gone 245 (mph) in the 5.7 to 5.8 (second) range,” says Chambless.
That’s still a huge change from the 7.4 second and 180 mph sprints she was turning in last season as a top dragster.
But she’s confident those times will improve as she and her racing team gain experience. She’s also had to make the adjustment to a clutch car with a longer wheel base (286 inches). Chambless is still running on methanol in a 451 ci Brad Anderson motor.
“There’s a learning curve,” she acknowledges. “It’s a completely different car with a clutch and a transmission. It’s more difficult and things happen so much quicker.”
In order to compete at this level, Chambless had to make three passes of 6.2 seconds at 205 mph or faster.
“Compared to a lot of cars in this class that doesn’t sound fast, but as a new team it takes awhile to get the tune-up correct,” explains Chambless. “It can take some drivers six months or more to get this done. It only took us eight passes.”
Ready for Next Step
It’s one thing to have a car capable of traveling up to 270 mph. It’s yet another for a driver to be mentally prepared for this level of competition.
“I’ve had plenty of time to get myself ready,” says the Scott City driver. “I was in junior dragsters for about eight years, so I’ve been doing this since a very young age. It’s been easier for me to deal with the changes.”
Racing involves the entire Chambless family. Her father, Curtiss, built the dragster. The rest of the family, along with friends, are part of the pit crew.
“We all help out. It brings us all together,” Chambless says.
The team has had some success in races at Denver and Cordova, Ill., this summer. Despite the high altitude in Colorado, which affects the performance of all dragsters, Chambless felt “we definitely had an ‘A’ weekend if I had to grade it.”
Most recently, she was clocked in a career best 5.64 seconds at Cordova.
They also plan to compete at the NHRA event held at Heartland Park in Topeka on Aug. 27-28.
Despite her age, Chambless has had no trouble being accepted on the track. In fact, it’s not unusual for other drivers to pull her aside and offer advice.
“It’s like one big family. A lot of the drivers out here think of me as their daughter,” she says.
As a female driver, Chambless draws a little added attention, which she hopes will pay dividends for her team.
“We got some press in Denver and from Drag Race Central. I figure I have a pretty good story to tell - better than the average 45-year-old driver,” she says.
Chambless is hoping that the media attention will lead to sponsorship opportunities.
“Top alcohol is ridiculously expensive. We need to find sponsorships in order to compete week after week,” she notes. “We can’t afford to blow things up.”
That’s why timing is so important to the Chambless team.
“The plan is for me to gain some experience this year and to get a lot of track time next season,” she says. “We’re hoping to get some partners for the team and keep this momentum moving along.”