NITROUS-FED
FEUDS
Industry insiders take a
hard look at the state of
nitrous doorslammer racing
By Nate Van Wagnen
Jay Cox
Chris Bell
Pat Musi
Brandon Switzer
Stevie “Fast” Jackson
O
answers to some of the questions popping up in these nitrous racing con-
versations, Drag Illustrated compiled a panel of veritable experts in
the field. The five individuals listed below have had a hand in some of the
biggest nitrous doorslammer racing moments of the 21st century. Their
strong, unbridled opinions about the challenges facing nitrous cars are
backed up by their deep understanding of the inner workings of a nitrous
car and their experience with the combination.
JAY COX joined the PDRA Pro Nitrous scene in 2014 and hasn’t looked
back since then, finishing in the top five every year since 2015. He won
three of the series’ nine races in 2016, repeated the feat in 2017 and added
another win in 2018. At the 2019 season-opening PDRA East Coast Na-
tionals in April, Cox in his Buck Racing Engines-powered “Pumpkin” ’69
Camaro lowered the Pro Nitrous ET world record with a 3.637-second pass.
CHRIS BELL made a name for himself as a suspension guru through
his Kinetic Engineering firm, but he’s also been one of the leading nitrous
crew chiefs in NHRA Pro Mod since joining the field with driver Bob
Rahaim in 2014. Together they won the 2015 season opener at Gainesville
en route to a third-place finish in the championship points, among other
achievements. Bell’s innovative suspension products can be found on
winning entries from big-tire Pro Mod and fast bracket cars to small-tire
applications and Street Outlaws cast members’ cars.
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I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
PAT MUSI started building engines in 1970 and has made pioneering
moves in the world of nitrous doorslammer racing since then, like moving
to electronic fuel injection in the early 2000s and to zoomie headers in
2014. He’s the crew chief on daughter Lizzy Musi’s PDRA Pro Nitrous car
and Chad Green’s NHRA Pro Mod entry, both of which are championship
contenders. Musi’s business, Pat Musi Racing Engines, builds powerplants
for top-tier competitors in various drag racing segments.
As a tuner, consultant and manufacturer, BRANDON SWITZER has
made a considerable mark on the eighth-mile scene, helping Pro Nitrous
racers break the 3.80, 3.70 and 3.60-seconds barriers and hit 200 mph
for the first time. He also tuned Khalid alBalooshi to the 2011 NHRA Pro
Mod world championship. Switzer Dynamics designs and manufactures
custom induction systems and machines billet engine parts for various
engine builders.
STEVIE “FAST” JACKSON is known as the outspoken driver of two
supercharged entries, the “Shadow 2.0” ’15 Camaro in Radial vs. the World
and the Bahrain 1 Racing ’19 Camaro in NHRA Pro Mod, but the fan-favor-
ite wheelman has deep roots in nitrous racing. The first car he ever raced
was equipped with nitrous. On a much faster and larger scale, Jackson won
the 2013 ADRL Pro Nitrous world championship as a rookie and finished
third in the 2016 PDRA Pro Nitrous points with Reher-Morrison power.
Issue 144
ne of the hottest topics in drag racing in 2019 is the state of high-level nitrous doorslammer
racing. Some conversations center on the topic of parity in NHRA Pro Mod, where nitrous car counts have
fallen to an all-time low at the hands of increasingly quicker roots-blown and turbocharged entries. Others
debate the developing rivalry between bottle-fed Radial vs. the World racers and the nitrous-only PDRA
Pro Nitrous class, with the two groups in a battle of elapsed times despite the vast differences separating
the categories. In the face of major performances and new records set by the other power adders, some critics have
questioned the potential that remains hidden within the monster 903ci and 959ci nitrous motors. ¶ In a search for