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Chris Davis Preparing to Dive Into NMRA Edelbrock Renegade

Posted By: Mary Lendzion
By Mary Lendzion Photos courtesy of Chris Davis While Chris Davis has owned twenty-four Mustangs through the years, he has owned his current Mustang for the longest amount of time. It's a super-clean 1990 coupe that he bought ten years ago from a seller going through a divorce, and there are only 53,000 miles on its odometer. Davis, who lived in Maryland before moving to Pennsylvania two years ago, drove the car on the street and in NMRA QA1 True Street, where he posted 10s with a 302 cubic-inch engine and Cartech turbo. He continued to make upgrades to the car, which also had seen its share of car shows, while also helping his friend, Scott Wayne compete in NMRA Edelbrock Renegade, and recently, Davis decided that he, too, wanted to move to NMRA Edelbrock Renegade in the car which has a UPR K-member and UPR suspension all around, as well as double-adjustable shocks and struts by Viking Performance and a 9-inch rear-end containing Strange axles and a US Gear center section. To prepare it for the hard-hitting heads-up, small-tire category, he delivered it to Piranha Fabrications in New Oxford, Pennsylvania, to have the chassis upgraded to 25.5 specs. The shop's owner, Joel Piraino, also installed new engine plates from Skinny Kid Race Cars and Racecraft rear lower control arm mounts.

Maryland Collision Center, where Davis works and where his whole car was painted Wild Strawberry two years ago, painted the new rollcage as well as the smoothed-out engine bay, to match the rest of the car, which is sleek with its Schoneck Composites fiberglass hood and front bumper.

Meanwhile, Brian Roche Racing Engines in Maryland built for Davis a 364 cubic-inch small-block Ford engine featuring aluminum GRP rods, coated Diamond pistons and a custom solid roller cam by Brian Roche Racing Engines. It's topped with Trick Flow High Port heads and a Edelbrock Super Victor intake manifold with a billet Wilson elbow and 105mm throttle body. Added muscle will come from a Precision turbo, and a Jerry Harris-built Powerglide freshened by Wayne Bryant and PTC converter will help plant all of the power. Dave Hanlon will use Holley EFI to perfect the tune for the car rolling on Mickey Thompson drag radials wrapped around Weld wheels.

We basically took this car from being a street car on pump gas to a full-blown race car, and I'm happy with how it has turned out, said Davis. I have no regrets. I've had a lot of help from family and friends, including Scott Wayne and my brother-in-law Tommy Keeney, who have been working on the car, as well as my wife, Amy Davis, my father, Scott Davis and my sister, Megan Keeney, who currently has my car in her garage next to her new 2019 Mustang. I've also had some help from Ronnie Reynolds, Ryan Hecox, Bob Clayton, Mike Washington and Sharad Raldiris and Brian McCoy from UPR.

As soon as the work is wrapped, Davis will load up for some test laps, and he hopes to have a decidedly dialed-in hot rod in time for the 2nd Annual NMRA Gateway Rumble presented by HPJ Performance, May 14-16, World Wide Technology Raceway, Illinois, or the 20th Annual NMRA Ford Motorsport Nationals, June 25-27, Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania.

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