"People give you different reactions when you're in the
car," Palmer said of his car's audible qualities. "Some
people give the thumbs up, but others just shake their head
because of the noise."
While the throbbing roar of horsepower may be a familiar
one to those living in large cities, Palmer and his pony come
from the area of Petersfield, Man. An area, his father Rick
said, was one that had become accustomed to the comings and
goings of the Palmers and their penchant for power.
"Everybody from miles around knows when we start up,"
Rick said, adding that there has never been a problem with
the noise around his rural home.
Brant's journey into high-horsepower pursuit started off
without the focused direction that most car enthusiasts have,
but it has taken him to success nonetheless as a racing rookie
of the year by the age of 16 in the heavy street class.
"I just wanted anything at first," Palmer said
of his search for the great racer. "But my uncle, who
is a car dealer, had bought this Camaro from its original
owner. I went and checked it out, and really liked the styling
of it, so I bought it off him."
Even in its early days as a stock racer, the car was a force
to be reckoned with. But, as with many others in the racing
community, the pursuit of better times led Palmer's Camaro
through some radical transformations.
From its stock 350 engine, Palmer has evolved his Camaro
through larger and larger engines, starting with a 383 Stroker,
up to a 454 bored 30 over, and finally to its current 502
power plant. With each transformation, the racing times got
better and better. "With its stock 350, I ran a 13.76
quarter-mile. With the 383 Stroker, the best I had was a 12.55.
With the 454, I ran an 11.78 with that, and with this engine
I just ran a 10.86 in Fargo."
Even with those impressive times, Palmer's latest addition
has convinced him that he has the necessary tools on-board
to run a nine-second quarter mile on its 9-inch tire.
"We just put in a nitrous system last month, but I've
only had a chance to use it once at the end of a race in Neepawa,"
Palmer said of his latest high-horsepower addition. "I
mean, when you're going down the track in a car like this,
you're squeezed pretty hard to the seat to begin with, but
then you push that button and it squeezes you that much harder.
It's crazy, crazy stuff."
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