DAN PARKER

the final ends of the tuneup . Parker ’ s Corvette had undergone a number of upgrades since its last outing , so they used the time to dial in the details while Parker was making practice runs in his C4 Corvette , which carried a duplicate of the guidance system found in his C6 . Once they felt confident that the C6 was putting down the power predictably , Parker was loaded in for a handful of soft N / A passes , lifting at the halfand three-quarter-mile marks , while White and the crew observed how his run looked while battling crosswinds .

On Thursday , Parker began walking up to what

would become the record passes . Out the gate , after a soft 187-mph pass that was aborted with high winds , Parker and White posted a 205-mph pass – enough to break the old record with a return pass , but still , Parker was patient . “ I had felt a big compression in the middle of the course , and so I had our guys adjust the coil-overs a few clicks ,” Parker says , and the crew took the last chance to nut-and-bolt everything before committing to the one-hour turnaround .

The two record runs were flawless , first coming through the traps at 210 mph before backing it up with a 211 , the combined average settling to 211.043 mph – securing the Guinness World Record handily . Really , the only hiccup was that

the water pump on the coolant cart had malfunctioned during the one-hour turnaround , which led to the crew transferring water into the cooling reservoir by hand with buckets , bottles , and anything else they could . Their persistent teamwork paid off , and while White managed everything involving the car and crew , Parker was none-thewiser to the bucket brigade outside .

“ This project is so much more than just a number ,” Parker says . “ This is about affecting society ’ s opinion of the blind , giving blind people hope that we can live the life we want and go after our dream . And to not let society or people ’ s opinion ’ s stop you from chasing those dreams , you ’ ve got to think outside the box .” DI

President Mark Riccobono on the left , Dan Parker on the right , in front of Spaceport America .

26 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 176