WRITTEN BY MARY LENDZION
PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE FSC STAFF
When Chris Niebauer was in his early teens, he and his father, Richard, spent a lot of time working on a 1972 Chevelle in their garage in Pennsylvania.
They bonded over the beautiful car and the exciting experience, and Niebauer was over the moon on the occasions he drove it on the street and took it to the strip.
He was especially proud because at the time, his family members owned a variety of Chevrolet cars and trucks, and he also went on to own Chevrolet cars and trucks, but down the road, he became fond of Fords.
That became the driving force behind a partnership with Mike Bowen of Powerhouse Automotive which saw them test turbo and engine combinations in a pair of 2005 Mustangs at various tracks for several years to see how much horsepower they could coax from them.
Years later, when Niebauer’s father passed away, he decided to sell the 1972 Chevelle and look for a 1985 or 1986 Mustang GT, and with Bowen’s help, he found and fell in love with a 1986 Mustang GT that they prepared for NMRA Richmond Gear Factory Stock competition.
He is content in the heads-up category, which is full of hard launches, high wheelies and heavy hitters, and he certainly holds his own. In his first year, which was 2021, he finished in the sixth spot, and then in 2022 and 2023, he finished in the second and fourth spot respectively. He has gone as quick and fast as 10.05 and 131 mph in NMRA Richmond Gear Factory Stock trim, and is working on going even quicker and faster.
“Racing is on my mind all day, every day, and I have a strong desire to do the best that I can,” said Niebauer. “For me, that makes it 100 percent fulfilling, and I wouldn’t change anything.”
Read on for more about the dedicated and driven Niebauer, who lives in Girard, Pennsylvania, and has worked at Tri-Tech Injection Molding for 27 years.
WE ARE ASKING YOU TO GO BACK A BIT FOR THIS QUESTION, BUT WHAT WILL YOU TELL US ABOUT TESTING ENGINE AND TURBO COMBINATIONS WITH MIKE BOWEN IN THE EARLY 2000s?
I have been involved with the NMRA for a long time, and my involvement basically started back in 2005, when my best friend, Mike Bowen, and I were working on Precision turbo kits for Pipeline Turbo, owned by Mike Bowen, and engines he built to go with them at his shop, Powerhouse Automotive in Girard, Pennsylvania. Mike had the 2005 V8 Mustang and I was driving the 2005 V6 Mustang and we wanted to see what we could do with the V8 and V6 and the turbos. We did that through 2007 in NMRA Mod Muscle as well as Fun Ford Mod Motor. Mike went 10.30s and I went 11.02. We did all kinds of testing, and we were out almost every weekend. We loved it, and we were happy with our results. After that, Mike went to NMRA Coyote Stock briefly before going to NMRA Factory Stock.
DID YOU TAKE TIME OFF OF RACING AFTER THAT?
Yes, I wanted to help Mike with his program. We put his Maverick together, and I traveled to the races with him for a while. We were both committed to getting his Maverick to run as quick and fast as possible. Money wasn’t coming out of our pockets so we were somewhat limited, but we didn’t let that stop us. We spent days and nights in the shop. It was a challenge to us and that motivated us. I was not behind the wheel of a race car for ten years.
WHAT COMPELLED YOU TO GET BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A RACE CAR?
When my father passed away, I decided to sell the 1972 Chevelle he and I had put together when I was 14 so that I could buy a Mustang and start racing in NMRA Factory Stock in 2021. I knew I wanted a 1985 or 1986 Mustang GT because I loved the four-eyed front. We spent a lot of time looking, and then Mike Bowen found one posted for sale in Cincinnati, Ohio in November of 2020 and we wanted to drive from Pennsylvania to go look at it that very day. The guy who owned it was flying home from Florida that day, and we met him when he got home. The car was in a two-car garage, and we looked it over. It was clean, and Mike told me that it was without a doubt the one I should buy, so we bought it on the spot. It came with a cage already installed, as well as a Gen I Coyote engine, 6R80 transmission, aluminum dash and a full interior.
WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE TO COMPETE IN NMRA RICHMOND GEAR FACTORY STOCK OUT OF ALL THE GREAT CATEGORIES THE SERIES OFFERS?
Partly, it was because Mike Bowen was running it, and we would be able to switch parts and share data, but also, I love Factory Stock and heads-up racing. I love the challenge of finding ways to run the best that we can with the rules that we are given.
WHAT PLAN DID YOU PUT IN PLACE WHEN YOU GOT THE CAR HOME?
We took it to Mike’s shop. We stripped it down to nothing, and installed a new Ford 8.8 rear end with Moser axles and spool, Team Z Motorsports K-member, suspension, two front seats, carpet and a rear seat delete. The plan was to keep the engine and transmission combination that the car came with and compete in Factory Stock, and my first year out with the car was in 2021. We tested and put the engine on the dyno a lot, but the results were frustrating because we could not make the transmission work with the engine. The flares in the shifts were 500 and 600 rpm different, and that was not helpful. We were able to run 10.50s though.
WHAT IMPROVEMENTS DID YOU DECIDE ON?
When the new rules came out and we had a weight break for a Gen II Coyote engine with a C4 from James Meredith in 2022, we went that route, and did well. With both Mike Bowen and I running in Factory Stock, we are able to share data. When the rules changed mid-season and we had to add weight to the car, we ran a bit slower, but we stayed with the Gen II and C4 because it was working well. There are only a few of us running a Gen II in the class. The others are running a Gen I, pushrod and Two-Valve. My car is consistent. It’s like a bracket car. One of the things I like about Factory Stock is that everyone is rated around the same. The class is pretty equal right now, but I’m not quite where I want to be just yet. I’m working on it.
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE COMPETITION-WISE?
All I have to do is see the density altitude and my car can run 10.12-10.25 all day, which is good for consistency reasons, but I’m about a tenth and a half off the pace. I know what I have to do, as soon as I can, but I don’t want to share what that is just yet.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2024?
I want to make more power and run faster, but I’m not sure what we will do to the car before the 2024 racing season starts, honestly. Making more power and running faster requires parts and lead time, so we will see what we can come up with.
WHO HELPS YOU ALONG THE WAY?
I would like to thank Mike Bowen at Powerhouse Automotive, who does all of my tuning, as well as my crew chief, Brett Foutz, my wife, Jammie, my brother, Tom, and his son, Nick, and our teammates, Shawn Olson, James Meredith and Chris Hammon. All of them have helped and supported me, and I appreciate it.
(Interview will be in April 2024 issue of Fastest Street Car)
PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE FSC STAFF
When Chris Niebauer was in his early teens, he and his father, Richard, spent a lot of time working on a 1972 Chevelle in their garage in Pennsylvania.
They bonded over the beautiful car and the exciting experience, and Niebauer was over the moon on the occasions he drove it on the street and took it to the strip.
He was especially proud because at the time, his family members owned a variety of Chevrolet cars and trucks, and he also went on to own Chevrolet cars and trucks, but down the road, he became fond of Fords.
That became the driving force behind a partnership with Mike Bowen of Powerhouse Automotive which saw them test turbo and engine combinations in a pair of 2005 Mustangs at various tracks for several years to see how much horsepower they could coax from them.
Years later, when Niebauer’s father passed away, he decided to sell the 1972 Chevelle and look for a 1985 or 1986 Mustang GT, and with Bowen’s help, he found and fell in love with a 1986 Mustang GT that they prepared for NMRA Richmond Gear Factory Stock competition.
He is content in the heads-up category, which is full of hard launches, high wheelies and heavy hitters, and he certainly holds his own. In his first year, which was 2021, he finished in the sixth spot, and then in 2022 and 2023, he finished in the second and fourth spot respectively. He has gone as quick and fast as 10.05 and 131 mph in NMRA Richmond Gear Factory Stock trim, and is working on going even quicker and faster.
“Racing is on my mind all day, every day, and I have a strong desire to do the best that I can,” said Niebauer. “For me, that makes it 100 percent fulfilling, and I wouldn’t change anything.”
Read on for more about the dedicated and driven Niebauer, who lives in Girard, Pennsylvania, and has worked at Tri-Tech Injection Molding for 27 years.
WE ARE ASKING YOU TO GO BACK A BIT FOR THIS QUESTION, BUT WHAT WILL YOU TELL US ABOUT TESTING ENGINE AND TURBO COMBINATIONS WITH MIKE BOWEN IN THE EARLY 2000s?
I have been involved with the NMRA for a long time, and my involvement basically started back in 2005, when my best friend, Mike Bowen, and I were working on Precision turbo kits for Pipeline Turbo, owned by Mike Bowen, and engines he built to go with them at his shop, Powerhouse Automotive in Girard, Pennsylvania. Mike had the 2005 V8 Mustang and I was driving the 2005 V6 Mustang and we wanted to see what we could do with the V8 and V6 and the turbos. We did that through 2007 in NMRA Mod Muscle as well as Fun Ford Mod Motor. Mike went 10.30s and I went 11.02. We did all kinds of testing, and we were out almost every weekend. We loved it, and we were happy with our results. After that, Mike went to NMRA Coyote Stock briefly before going to NMRA Factory Stock.
DID YOU TAKE TIME OFF OF RACING AFTER THAT?
Yes, I wanted to help Mike with his program. We put his Maverick together, and I traveled to the races with him for a while. We were both committed to getting his Maverick to run as quick and fast as possible. Money wasn’t coming out of our pockets so we were somewhat limited, but we didn’t let that stop us. We spent days and nights in the shop. It was a challenge to us and that motivated us. I was not behind the wheel of a race car for ten years.
WHAT COMPELLED YOU TO GET BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A RACE CAR?
When my father passed away, I decided to sell the 1972 Chevelle he and I had put together when I was 14 so that I could buy a Mustang and start racing in NMRA Factory Stock in 2021. I knew I wanted a 1985 or 1986 Mustang GT because I loved the four-eyed front. We spent a lot of time looking, and then Mike Bowen found one posted for sale in Cincinnati, Ohio in November of 2020 and we wanted to drive from Pennsylvania to go look at it that very day. The guy who owned it was flying home from Florida that day, and we met him when he got home. The car was in a two-car garage, and we looked it over. It was clean, and Mike told me that it was without a doubt the one I should buy, so we bought it on the spot. It came with a cage already installed, as well as a Gen I Coyote engine, 6R80 transmission, aluminum dash and a full interior.
WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE TO COMPETE IN NMRA RICHMOND GEAR FACTORY STOCK OUT OF ALL THE GREAT CATEGORIES THE SERIES OFFERS?
Partly, it was because Mike Bowen was running it, and we would be able to switch parts and share data, but also, I love Factory Stock and heads-up racing. I love the challenge of finding ways to run the best that we can with the rules that we are given.
WHAT PLAN DID YOU PUT IN PLACE WHEN YOU GOT THE CAR HOME?
We took it to Mike’s shop. We stripped it down to nothing, and installed a new Ford 8.8 rear end with Moser axles and spool, Team Z Motorsports K-member, suspension, two front seats, carpet and a rear seat delete. The plan was to keep the engine and transmission combination that the car came with and compete in Factory Stock, and my first year out with the car was in 2021. We tested and put the engine on the dyno a lot, but the results were frustrating because we could not make the transmission work with the engine. The flares in the shifts were 500 and 600 rpm different, and that was not helpful. We were able to run 10.50s though.
WHAT IMPROVEMENTS DID YOU DECIDE ON?
When the new rules came out and we had a weight break for a Gen II Coyote engine with a C4 from James Meredith in 2022, we went that route, and did well. With both Mike Bowen and I running in Factory Stock, we are able to share data. When the rules changed mid-season and we had to add weight to the car, we ran a bit slower, but we stayed with the Gen II and C4 because it was working well. There are only a few of us running a Gen II in the class. The others are running a Gen I, pushrod and Two-Valve. My car is consistent. It’s like a bracket car. One of the things I like about Factory Stock is that everyone is rated around the same. The class is pretty equal right now, but I’m not quite where I want to be just yet. I’m working on it.
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE COMPETITION-WISE?
All I have to do is see the density altitude and my car can run 10.12-10.25 all day, which is good for consistency reasons, but I’m about a tenth and a half off the pace. I know what I have to do, as soon as I can, but I don’t want to share what that is just yet.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2024?
I want to make more power and run faster, but I’m not sure what we will do to the car before the 2024 racing season starts, honestly. Making more power and running faster requires parts and lead time, so we will see what we can come up with.
WHO HELPS YOU ALONG THE WAY?
I would like to thank Mike Bowen at Powerhouse Automotive, who does all of my tuning, as well as my crew chief, Brett Foutz, my wife, Jammie, my brother, Tom, and his son, Nick, and our teammates, Shawn Olson, James Meredith and Chris Hammon. All of them have helped and supported me, and I appreciate it.
(Interview will be in April 2024 issue of Fastest Street Car)