February 2021

The company ’ s fleet of CNC and fabrication-type machines includes several welders , press brakes , sheet metal working equipment , flow benches and digitizing equipment . It ’ s an impressive operation capable of making almost everything the company needs to build its products . The shop ’ s capabilities are perhaps best demonstrated by one of Switzer ’ s six-system Pro Mod billet intake manifolds .

“ There ’ s 1,500 parts on that manifold when it ’ s complete ,” Switzer says , “ and the only thing we purchase to go on that manifold is the fasteners . We manufacture everything else on them here .”

On top of manufacturing the pieces for its manifolds and nitrous , Switzer Dynamics machines a number of other standalone components like valve covers . They also produce engine parts for engine builders , with additional customers outside the drag racing niche .

“ I have some medical and military contracts that we sift through and we take on a few of those a year ,” Switzer says . “ We ’ ve done some big microscope projects . We ’ ve done some big naval projects . We do a lot of stuff other than just racing .”

Away from the shop , Switzer is involved in tuning no less than eight cars across different classes and sanctioning bodies . His customers include Halsey and Chris Rini in PDRA Pro Nitrous , Outlaw 10.5 star Mo Hall , Mid-West Drag Racing Series Pro Mod drivers Keith Haney and Jim Sackuvich , and Mike Achenbach , who ’ s dabbled in multiple eighth-mile Pro Mod organizations . He also works with John Benoit and Erica Coleman in the Top Sportsman ranks .

It might seem like a challenge to keep them all separate , but Switzer has managed to do just that .

“ I approach every program individually with a lot of respect for the people involved in that program , the relationships that program has , and I treat them all individually and don ’ t try to combine them all and make them all the same ,” Switzer says .

Even at a PDRA race , where Switzer might have a hand in two or three Pro Nitrous cars , he ’ s able to focus on each situation individually . He makes a point to provide the same service to every customer .

“ When I ’ m at one trailer working on one program , my goal is for that car to win the next round ,” says Switzer , who ’ s supported the Pro Nitrous class as its title sponsor since its ADRL days . “ It is not ‘ Who does that car run ?’ I don ’ t ever look at who the car is running . The car is running whoever ’ s in the other lane . Ninety-nine percent of the time I find out that two of my customers are running each other after I ’ m done with my work .”

Through his years in the business , Switzer has been a major part of some of the biggest moments in nitrous racing ’ s recent history . His personal highlights out of those moments include Khalid alBalooshi piloting the first nitrous car to go 200 mph in the eighth mile at the ADRL Northeast Drags at Maple Grove in

2011 , Pat Stoken recording the first 3.60-second eighth-mile pass ( 3.694 ) for a nitrous car at the 2015 PDRA Summer Drags at Martin , and finally , Halsey ’ s barrier-breaking 3.592 at 210.77 at Bradenton last year .

“ The ones that stand out the most to me , the ones that we probably have the most pride in , were achieved by working towards a goal for a long period of time ,” Switzer says . “ And these instances had other people involved in them that were remarkable to deal with , just great people .”

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that exists in Halsey ’ s pit area . Compared to neighboring pit areas , it ’ s almost too quiet . A newcomer might mistake it as awkward or uneasy , but it ’ s quite the opposite . “ They ’ ve been with me forever ,” Halsey says of his crew . His longtime friend and crew chief , Eric Davis , has been with the team since Halsey ’ s earliest days in Pro Modified , and Michael McMillan has similarly put in his time .

This collective experience allows the group to go about their work without much discussion . The men and women under this awning know exactly what they ’ re doing , so there ’ s no need to talk about it or openly ponder what might happen during the next round .

“ In our pits , none of us talk at all ,” Switzer says . “ And it ’ s almost become , I wouldn ’ t say

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