PHOTOS : DRAG ILLUSTRATED ARCHIVES

Inspired by his father , Mike , Medeisis wanted to follow in his role model ’ s footsteps . He raced Junior Dragsters from ages eight to eighteen , and , in his late teens , he moved into his grandfather ’ s ’ 68 Camaro and started bracket racing . “ I bought my ’ 94 Chevy S-10 in January of 2014 , and it was just some junk that I wanted to turn into something ,” he recounted of the early day that lead to his current success . Having been a longtime follower of HOT ROD Drag Week , Medeisis thought “ it ’ d be cool to do ” and set out on a mission .

Working at Modern Carriage Werks , a body shop in Illinois , Medeisis was able to do all of his own paint and body work . Working under the guidance of NHRA Pro Stock driver Kevin Lawrence , Medeisis moved forward with the rest of the build himself . A 387 ci LS Next-based engine was built , Greg Risk Racecraft fabricated the roll cage and turbo plumbing for the 76mm Precision turbocharger , Dave Vahanic supplied a bulletproof Turbo 400 transmission , and Gee at Race Trans set up the bolt-together Neal Chance torque converter . Next up , Eric Miller of Next Generation Race Cars helped Medeisis get the Penske shocks from Drzayich Motorsports and other suspension components dialed in . Further assistance in getting the project buttoned up was received from Aaron Brooks from Proflow Australia , Jeff Paradise at Dice Converters , Drag Race Performance Parts , and RacePak .

With a Haltech engine management system and Hyperaktive boost controller on board , Medeisis had come a long way since he first purchased the truck , but still had quite a long list left to do in March of 2016 . As he was planning to run in HOT ROD Drag Week , he kicked the build into high gear and got the S-10 running just one month before the event began . “ I was thrashing pretty good , but we pulled together and got it done ,” he noted .

His efforts were not for naught , and Medeisis was able to make it to Drag Week to race in the “ SS Small Block – Power Adder ” class as planned but the journey was not without last-minute hiccups . “ The night before I had to leave , I found I had some broken parts in the motor ,” he said of the unwelcomed discovery . “ That was around

2:00pm on Saturday , and we needed to be at the track Sunday morning or be disqualified .” Refusing to throw in the towel , Medeisis loaded up with the truck more or less in pieces . A few hours at the track got it running , he passed tech , caught a few hours of much-needed sleep at the hotel , and was ready for Monday morning .

On its first pass , the S-10 surprised Medeisis with a massive wheelie . “ It never did that in testing , and when it came down , it broke some stuff ,” he stated . Once it was fixed up , Medeisis ’ s first full pass yielded a 8.696 at 153.21 mph number . Trouble didn ’ t end there , though , as his E85 fuel system was running dry as the predetermined race route between tracks didn ’ t include any E85 stations . After some quick searching on his phone , Medeisis was up and running again , but hurt valve springs and other internals kept him working long into the night at the next race location . “ Just about every day I thought I was done and wouldn ’ t be able to make it .”

On Wednesday , while racing at US 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan , another crash-landing after a wheelie resulted in loosened DZUS fasteners and Medeisis ’ s hood flying off at speed . Finally , the bad luck wore off , and Medeisis finished out the week without further issues .

For his perseverance , he was rewarded with a truly impressive fourth place finish at his very first HOT ROD Drag Week thanks to an 8.8518-second average , and that achievement was done behind the wheel of a car he built on his own from fab to paint . And yes , he will be back again next year . – AINSLEY JACOBS DI

November 2016 DragIllustrated . com | Drag Illustrated | 97