Perkins Going for the Gold in Vegas

Courtesy of THR5 Communications

Las Vegas, NV - Cody Perkins is racing at this weekend's SummitRacing.com Nationals for pride and respect. Fun is not in the mix. The Utah drag racer is tired of breaking parts, tired of tiptoeing around the bureaucracy, and tired of not winning. The time is now, and Perkins and his 801 Racing Top Alcohol Dragster are ready to get the job done.

"Racing at a National event has us pumped up," said Perkins. "It's great to run in front of the big crowds as opposed to the poorly attended Regional races. It's not fun racing in front of three people waiting for Super Gas."

Cody and his family based operation did not qualify at this past weekend at the Regional event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A problem in the ignition box prevented the team from making one qualifying session when the car would not fire. Other runs did not produce a quick enough time to get in the field. It was frustrating in many ways but that is not why Perkins has decided to make a change.

"After this race I'm not sure when we will be racing again," said Perkins. "It's not because of the performance on the track. It's deeper than that. I'm fed up with the bureaucratic BS when it comes to parts innovation in the class. This weekend I'm going to run it hard, and if something breaks, who cares because I'm NOT putting it back together with the parts that are available for purchase from companies that thrive on their parts failing."

Perkins goes on to say, "After putting hundreds of hours into developing a valvetrain system that should greatly reduce the failures that everyone experiences, NHRA just shoots the technology down because it will "increase costs to the racer." Well to save on my costs, I'd like to not have parts breaking that shouldn't! NHRA doesn't want that, so I'll save money by staying home, not buying tickets to NHRA events, not renewing my membership, and especially not buying parts from any of NHRA's preferred manufacturers that are somehow allowed to come out with new designs on a regular basis."

This is not some pie in the sky proposal. It is the basic blueprint of drag racing. NHRA has driven the innovation by other suppliers out of the class. Perkins added, "I sometimes think NHRA does not care about our class at all. I think they want to drive us into the dirt. Now that Wally Parks is gone, I don't know who is in charge of the ship, but it's sinking. It's a darn right shame."

Courtesy of Images LTD

We believe true happiness comes from blazing down the blacktop with the pedal to the metal and our hair on fire. The whiter our knuckles get, the better. If it were up to us, cars wouldn't even have brakes, just two gas pedals. It's this never-ending need for speed that drives everything we do. We spend countless hours in the lab and lying awake at night plotting and planning how to get more speed by any means possible. After decades of research and innovation, we've developed a complete line of performance and car care products designed to ensure that your ride lives up to its potential on the street and on the track. We know what you want. We got what you need. We are 801 Racing. For more information on 801 racing, please visit: http://www.801racing.com/