Calling All Cars: Street Car Takeover Tulsa Raceway Park 2019

If you’re looking for a good time that involves a lot of street cars, then you need to check out the Street Car Takeover (SCT) series presented by Toyo Tires. This series is always packed with the coolest people and killer cars from all over the U.S.

The most recent SCT event took us to Tulsa, Oklahoma; this show, like the previous ones we have attended, offers a car meet on Friday night at Twin Peaks, complete with a vendor area as well as a dyno. If it’s street cars you’re looking for, this is the right place.

We arrived at the Twin Peaks in Tulsa as the sun began to set. There was a mass of people in attendance with cars bleeding off into neighboring parking lots. While we are all about LS and LT engines, Street Car Takeover caters to more than just our LS crowd. In the past, we have seen Lamborghinis, Ford GT’s, Ferraris, and just about any other car you can imagine. SCT Tulsa was no different — it showcased some supercars and a plethora of Corvettes, Camaros, and even those pesky Coyote-powered Mustangs. What makes this show cool is the variety of cars and people in attendance.

On Saturday, Street Car Takeover always heads to the local dragstrip for racing action. The day will start with a car show followed by roll racing and then finish with drag racing action. Unlike some of the other events we have attended, SCT always seems to be organized and runs smoothly. Before the racing action started, we were able to walk the show and check out some of the more awesome rides on the property.

Justin Keith’s ZL1 Camaro

Justin Keith, co-owner of Street Car Takeover, let us check out his killer orange ZL1 Camaro. The engine utilizes a stock bottom end, Cordes Performance cam, and a set of Frankenstein Engine Dynamics ported heads that have been milled .020 for added compression. The LT4 blower was ported by Joker Performance, with a 2.3-inch upper pulley and a 9.07-inch lower pulley which spins the supercharger safely in the 26,000 RPM range. The Camaro uses a Cordes Performance icebox that is located in the trunk to keep the air charge cool, making the blower air charge more efficient.

Justin’s shop Killer Performance in Kansas City, Missouri, did all of the work to the car, including tuning. Justin told us that his shop has been doing a lot of work on Mustangs…we’re going to assume he means LS swaps.

Currently, Justin’s ZL1 is the fastest stock blower LT4 in the world, with a best of 9.50 at 143 mph in the 1/4-mile in a density altitude (DA) of 1,600. This fall, Justin is planning on putting a Circle D convertor in the car with a new clutch pack to see if he can better the 9.50 pass.

Mike Whitlow’s Chevrolet SS

As we walked the pits, we noticed Mike Whitlow’s Chevrolet SS. It had a decent-sized aftermarket carbon-fiber hood, but you never know if the engine needs the extra room or if it’s just for looks. Upon further inspection, we saw the parachute hanging off the back of the SS and had to move in for a more detailed look.

Mike was standing by the car and was kind enough to let us to take a look to see what he had going on. Needless to say, we were impressed. It’s not very often  we see an SS out at the drag strip, but we hardly ever see any that are modified to the extent of Mike’s ride.

Mike bought this car brand new and drove it for about six months before the motor leaned out and sucked the material from the catalytic convertors into the engine. The dealership would not cover it under warranty because it had a tune on it. Mike decided if he was going to pay to get it fixed, it wasn’t going to be stock. So, he built an LS3 with forged internals and 82mm turbo. This combination made 880 WHP, but Mike wanted more.

For round two, Mike stepped up the program with a Garrett Motion GT5588-PXR Gen-3 turbo, which is cranking out 25-pounds of boost. All of this additional air is pushed through a custom air-to-water intercooler built by Turbo Joe before entering the engine through a Holley Hi-Ram intake manifold. The engine was built by Mike Lough Racing Engines and included a Dart block, Callies crank, Diamond Racing Pistons, Callies I-beam rods, and a set of PRC 6-bolt cylinder heads built by Texas Speed and Performance.

Mike decided to go with a 4L80e stage 5 transmission with D3 transbrake built by Jakes Transmission. A Performance Torque Convertor (PTC) 258mm torque convertor was used with a stall speed of 3600 RPM. The rear differential was also swapped out in favor of a ZL1 unit with 3.23 gears and Drive Shaft Shop1500 horsepower axles.

That’s all of the details we are going to reveal in this article because we are working on a full feature that will cover the SS in its entirety very soon.

Matthew Allen’s 1986 Oldsmobile Cutless

Pitted right next door to Mike and his SS was Matthew Allen from Republic, Missouri. Matthew had a 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass with a killer looking turbo LS powerplant.

The body and frame are 100-percent original as nothing was cut. The Olds features all bolt-on suspension, full factory interior, and a roll cage. The engine consists of a 434-cubic inch LSX engine stuffed with Diamond Racing Pistons, Texas Speed & Performance heads, BTR Stage 3 turbo cam, twin 67/66 turbos, and an air-to-water intercooler.

It took Matthew seven years to acquire all of the parts and only a few months to complete after he got the build rolling. So far the Cutlass has run mid 8s in the 1/4-mile at 155 mph with the old engine. Matt said, “It’s just a good old street car that I race. Matt was looking to go faster at the SCT event but was only able to run at 18-pounds due to a lack of fuel capabilities. We’re sure he will get this problem worked out soon and make some fast passes.

Travis Ball’s Grand Sport C6 Corvette

Travis Ball, owner of Ball Metal Fabrication (BMF), was on location with several cars that his shop built. There were two that immediately caught our attention.

The first was his personal 2012 Grand Sport C6 Corvette which features an LSX 396 with a stock stroke and a 4.165-inch bore. The LSX is force-fed by a ProCharger F-1X which is making 1,300-ish on 35-pounds of boost.

The driveline on the C6 has been upgraded to hold the added power with solid couplers, and an Asylum Motorsports built 6L80e transmission, PTC torque convertor, and Carlyle Racing 15-inch wheel conversion.

Travis said, “I don’t have any times on it yet, just dirty pants.” Earlier in the day, Travis made some passes during the roll race event where the car had severe traction issues. Travis fought the C6 as it went in and out of both lanes, but with some impressive driving, he managed to save it. The crowd enjoyed this fiasco more than Travis did as they cheered when the car came to a halt, unscathed, thankfully.

Check out this video as the Corvette looses traction and takes Travis on a wild ride. 

One hell of a save here at streetcar takeover #scttulsa

Posted by Brennan Yarbrough on Saturday, September 14, 2019

GTO By Ball Metal Fabrication

The second car that Travis brought out was a reasonably mild-looking GTO…that was, until the hood was popped. Under the bonnet is an LSX 427, complete with a bottom end built for 2,000 horsepower, topped with a set of LSX heads. The owner brought Travis the Precision ProMod 98mm turbo and stated that he wanted it mounted under the hood. Travis said, and asked how much power the owner wanted to make. The owner then replied, “As much as that turbo will make.”

The turbo system has dual wastegates, dual blow-off valves, and a custom air-to-water intercooler. Travis handled all of the piping and fabrication on the hot and cold side of the GTO. Somehow, he made mounting a 98mm turbo under the hood look easy, with room to spare.

The owner intends to go after the manual GTO record with this combination which, according to Travis, is an 8.9-second 1/4-mile. The GTO has a G-Force Performance Engineering 9-inch that attaches to a TR6060 transmission built by RPM Transmissions, with a Monster Clutch Co. quad-disc clutch and pressure plate. Travis still needs to finish the car up and has plans on installing a roll cage before the vehicle is ready to make some passes.

These were just a few cars that were on the property and will give you a pretty good idea of what you can expect when you go to a Street Car Takeover event. If you haven’t been to one yet, you need to go. For upcoming shows and events, be sure and check out their website at streetcar-takeover.com.

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About the author

Brian Havins

A gearhead for life, Brian is obsessed with all things fast. Banging gears, turning wrenches, and praying while spraying are just a few of his favorite things.
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