PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Twist & Shout Racing Products
A
Paul Pittman is driven by a passion for high-quality, innovative products
life in racing has served Paul Pit-
tman well, both on and off the track.
Racing in a number of different sports-
man classes, as well as Pro Stock, Pit-
tman claimed the 2016 NHRA Division 5 Top
Sportsman championship in his Twist & Shout
Racing 2013 Camaro.
That success has led to a growing customer
base for his Twist & Shout Racing Products and
Chassis Shop, which recently expanded into a new,
bigger shop in the Minneapolis area.
Working with the late Don Ness and develop-
ing a strong friendship with the famed chassis
builder provided the building blocks for Pitt-
man taking the next
step in his own busi-
ness. Pittman has fur-
thered Ness’ ideas and
plans with his new
carbon-fiber wheelie
bars, while his engine
chillers continue to be
an impressive hit for
racers in a variety of
classes.
Now with a full-
blown chassis shop,
Pittman talked to
Drag Illustrated
about his journey, and
how he’s been able to
stand out in the mar-
ketplace.
How have you
been able to find
your niche in the in-
dustry and how has
being a racer helped
in that regard?
That allows us to get our product to the track,
so people can come get the stuff they need. We
ran Pro Stock for 3-4 years and now we ru n Top
Sportsman. We’ve won races, won a divisional
(title), so we get a lot of people who want the same
stuff as our car. The car and the results, what
we’ve done is a big reason people come to us. We
kind of cater to the sportsman racer, particularly
the Top Sportsman racer. We started catering to
those drivers and also the budget-minded racer
who still wanted high-quality work.
One of the newer products that you’ve intro-
duced is the carbon-fiber wheelie bars. What
is the story behind that?
Don was the first to design them, and he was
a friend and employer. He came out with them
initially, and when Don passed away, we decided
to carry on the wheelie bar part of things. The
only thing we changed is we went to a differ-
ent vendor for the carbon tubes. We felt there
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was more strength in
their carbon, so we
wanted to improve
on the bars and still
keep the same design.
What has you
most excited about
their potential?
It’s weight. Through the years, the wheelie bars
kept getting bigger and bigger. They started go-
ing to titanium, and that puts you up there in
cost. You’re saving 35 percent or more of weight
(with the carbon-fiber wheelie bars) and you can
take 25-30 pounds off the car. So you’ve got a big
weight reduction, and it’s a lot cleaner, high-tech
looking. Plus, it’s a done deal once you get these.
You don’t have to worry about anything down
the line. You don’t worry about them bending
or anything.
You have a strong presence in the pits and at
races. Why is that important to you and what
difference has that made?
For me, it’s a pleasure walking the pits and
seeing our stuff there. Walking the staging lines,
seeing our parts, going in the pits and seeing
our chillers, it means a lot and it’s very satisfy-
ing. You’ll hear, ‘I want the same chiller as so and
so’ and it trickles on
down. We’ve never
had one problem, not
one return or com-
plaint in four years.
That’s very satisfying.
When it comes to
your chillers, how
have you been able
to separate your-
self ?
There’s a couple around, but they’re not as nice
as ours. We make it a neutral color, so it blends
in with any car. But that’s also the benefit of be-
ing there. For a turbo car, we make an engine
chiller with a transmission plate so you can cool
the engine and the transmission down at the
same time. So it pays dividends to be there and
understand and figure out this type of stuff. If
you get into the third round and beyond, you
need a chiller. In particular, you can bring the
temperature down from 150 degrees to 55 degrees
in less than 10 minutes, making sure you’re not
going down the track hot.
Looking at your journey, how satisfying
has it been to get to this point where you’re
able to cater to racers with products you’re
passionate about?
it just keeps getting better everyday, especially
when you look around and see your stuff there
in the pits. We’re straightforward with people
and we have a good reputation, and that’s a big
deal and something we’re proud of. Our chillers,
our wheelie bars, people say the craftsmanship
is second to none. That’s not me, that’s just what
we’ve learned. People like nice stuff and we make
nice stuff. The quality in our work is something
we take a lot of pride in. - JOSH HACHAT
Issue 133