Kuhns Prepared for first IHRA outing

By Shane Tecklenburg FASTMotorsports.com

March 27, 2001

ROCKINGHAM, NC – West Coast Pro-Modified sensation, Kirk Kuhns and his Redline Oil sponsored ‘63 Corvette are fully prepared for this weekend’s IHRA Holley Spring Nationals in Rockingham, N.C. The 1999 West Coast Pro-Modified Association Champion made a good showing at the recent NHRA Exhibition, qualifying 4th in the 8- car show and proving that he can in fact “Run with the Big Dogs.”

“I was a little nervous when we went to Gainesville,” explained Kuhns. “We were in some pretty stout company. After we qualified on Friday night, ‘the Regulars’ came over to welcome us. They are a real nice group of guys. An example was when I needed a clutch surfacer to do my clutch. We were pitted next to Alan Pittman, and he loaned his surfacer to me. So that was cool.”

Kuhns, whose General Plumbing backed racer uses the blown alcohol combination, was surprised at the number of strong Nitrous Oxide Pro-Modified entries in Gainesville. “On the West Coast, there are not a lot of Nitrous cars,” said Kuhns. “But out here, there are almost as many as there are blown cars, and they are just as quick and fast!”

As far racing in IHRA competition at Rockingham, both career firsts, Kuhns is optimistic. “It will be fun to run IHRA and see what their program is like. The racetracks in the East are as strong as we’ve run on. We are changing the transmission ratios to get the car to get a hold of the racetrack a little better. On our 6.28, the car wanted to shake the tires in 2nd gear, and I feel certain that if we get that problem solved, our career best will be in the low 6.20’s. The engine looked really good after the 6.28, and we think based on our speed (224.73 mph) that the power is there, so we need to concentrate on the clutch. We will be ready to play ball in Rockingham,” stated Kuhns.