To answer the question, "What would a NASCAR Winston Cup car run in the quarter-mile?" we had arranged the drag test with Rousch Racing in Mooresville, North Carolina. The Ford Taurus Little had at the Rock was a real race car, not a show piece. It began life in 1997 as a Ford Thunderbird driven by Mark Martin. It was re-skinned in '98 as a Taurus and spent the season as the team's short-track backup car and was never used. It contained a race-ready Jack Rousch 358ci Ford engine producing some 720 hp, a four-speed transmission, and all the equipment needed to compete should anything happen to the primary car.

The last time Chad Little drag raced was in high school with his '70 Boss 302 Mustang at Spokane Raceway Park. After warming up the engine and drivetrain, and refreshing Chad's memory on the Christmas Tree starting system, it was time to challenge the Rockingham straightaway.

The first step was the burnout prior to the run. Chad employed a "NASCAR line-lock" when he adjusted the car's brake bias valve to apply maximum pressure to the front brakes and hold the car in place. He rolled into the burnout box, put the transmission in low gear, revved it up and dumped the clutch. The Taurus immediately started to veer sideways as it crept forward towards the starting line. No tire smoke, just the thrilling sound of a Winston Cup engine at full song--until Chad had to lift to avoid hitting the guardrail. He backed up and killed the engine.

After a little bit of discussion, we decided to try doing the burnout in a higher-gear to reduce the torque multiplication to the rear tires. Chad hopped back in, put it in third gear and let it rip. This time a wisp of smoke came off the rear tires as Little pulled up to the starting line.

It was time for the moment of truth. Chad rolled slowly into the staging beams, revved the engine, the Christmas Tree flashed green and the No. 97 car was off on its quarter-mile sprint. However, as Little reached the top of first gear the engine began misfiring. He shut to off and drove back to the staging lanes.

A quick inspection of the ignition system led to the discovery that the rev limiter had a 6,000-rpm chip plugged in. Evidently the Roush crew puts the low chip in all their race cars when they leave the shop to prevent any accidental over-revving before they get on the track. A quick trip to the trailer produced an 8,500-rpm chip and Chad was ready to try it again.

This time he was proficient with the burnout and actually produced some tire smoke. Little moved into the staging beams, and at the green light he left the starting line, slipping and sliding down track. Chad made three clean shifts and crossed the finish line in 14.42 seconds at 84.31 mph.

Little brought the No. 97 back to the lanes and climbed out for the post-run analysis. As the engine cooled down, Chad and his crew lowered the rear tire pressure to put more rubber on the ground and pumped up the front tires to achieve the reverse effect and therefore reduce rolling resistance. In an effort to generate more weight transfer to the rear tires, they loosened the front shock absorbers. The changed worked.

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