Dirt
Brandon Pesz points PJS
Racing in new direction
By Ian Tocher
Y
es, those were three distinct
shift changes you heard when all three
of the four PJS (Pesz-Jones-Sitton) Rac-
ing entries covered the eighth mile
during the U.S. Street Nationals at Bradenton
Motorsports Park in late January.
Father-and-son teammates Jeff and Justin Jones
were running a pair of Larry Jeffers-built C7 Cor-
vettes in Pro Mod, while Jeff Sitton’s Bickel-built
2018 Camaro was outfitted with drag radials for
Radials vs. the World action. All three cars were
tuned by Brandon Pesz, who will join the trio with
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his Garrett-built ’53 Corvette later this season, mak-
ing the jump into the Radial vs. the World waters.
Some observers during pre-race testing at the
historic south-Florida strip suspected there were
five-speed transmissions in use, similar to what
Jim and Jon Salemi have experimented with on
Melanie Salemi’s PDRA Pro Boost entry. Pesz,
however, says no.
“Well, it is a four-speed with a lock-up, so when
that lock-up kicks in it might sound like a fourth
gear change, but it’s definitely a four-speed,” he
insists. “This is our own stuff. Just something we’re
trying out and it’s working pretty good so far. I put
it together, but it’s actually a Lenco transmission
with four special gear sets and then it’s got a Ty-
Drive in front of it.”
Pesz explains the advantage of adding a gear
change, especially for roots-blown entries like Sit-
ton’s and Pesz’s or screw-blown beasts like the Jones-
driven Corvettes, is the ability to keep the super-
charger wound up throughout each shift transition.
“You’re RPM-dependent on a blower motor be-
cause the faster the blower turns the more boost
it makes, so with the four-speed you have just
small drops each time it makes the gear change.
So say it shifts at 10-thousand (RPM) and it only
drops to 92-hundred; whereas, in a two-or three-
speed it might drop to 85-hundred or so. The four-
speed keeps the blower turning faster so the boost
stays up, too, and that’s where you’re making your
power,” he says.
After Pesz and Jeff Jones teamed up the last
couple of years, Sitton joined them late last year
and all four cars are now housed under one roof
Issue 142
Strength in Numbers