Nitto Tire 2006 King Of The Street - Royal Rumble

Ninth Place - Todd Watson

Canadian Todd Watson's goal was to make the KOTS contest with his '92 LX, which he has owned since 1999. He began prepping the car during the winter of 2003 by adding a twin-turbo kit he purchased online. As was the case at that time-and even today in some instances-installing the kit was a nightmare, and Todd only used portions of the piping. The rest was custom fabricated, but he also upgraded the fuel system and other areas at that time. With any turbo kit, tuning issues seem to stay at the forefront. We picked him because it was an intriguing combination.

True to form, Todd had trouble ironing out the combination, and he spent several months chasing blown head gaskets, overheating issues, spark-plug wires, clutch cables, and so on. All the things that are an afterthought with most applications move to the front burners with a twin-turbo due to the location of the turbos and exhaust piping. Because of these issues, Todd has about become personal friends with his local towing businesses. "There have been several occasions where I have gone on quick trips only to come home 'on a hook' several hours later," he says. "I had all but given up on the car for 2006 when my buddy Jeff Langdon called and said I was selected to compete in the King of the Street."

With new life breathed into his performance lungs, Todd jumped back into the car to finish it for the KOTS. He again endured head-gasket issues, but the car went back together at the ninth hour in time to leave Canada, for Bowling Green, Kentucky. When the car was strapped on the DiabloSport Dynojet, it was the first time the engine was under boost since its rebuild. Todd didn't have a chance to tune the Anderson Ford Motorsport PMS for the KOTS, so he was flying by the seat of his pants. Todd dialed in the boost at 12 pounds with the hopes of being able to take the car back to Canada in one piece. He was simply trying to save Gould Automotive in Virgil, Ontario, Canada, from working on the car again when he returned. Brandon Gould even made the trip with him to make sure everything ran smoothly, even providing the shop dualie and enclosed trailer.

Because of the unknown tune-up, Todd's LX didn't have a spectacular finish in the Dyno Number category, but he did receive some tuning assistance from other KOTS contestants for the Drag Race portion. He was leery because of past instances, so he didn't show everything in his hand. The car ran 129 mph in the quarter-mile, so you know the power is definitely there. Todd's LX still made 533 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque, but that was toward the back of the pack.

The Ride and Drive met us without any heat, which was surprising for a Canadian car. But we're sure Todd's LX doesn't get driven in the winter, so why have it? The car had a slight driveline vibration, detracting from the overall driving experience. The interior in the car is mostly stock, so he didn't score any extra points for that.

We did like the two small turbos, which promised quick spool times and minimal downtime waiting for power to come on-board. Todd's LX featured a mostly stock braking system, which is crazy for the power it makes. Overall, Todd was just a few details and a lot of friends to vote for him in the Popular Vote category short of doing well in his magazine debut.

Here's a breakdown of the score: