Horse Sense: "I would like to say a special thank you to my lovely wife, Belinda, and my precious daughter, Nichole," Nick says. "My wife is the biggest reason I am able to do this racing thing." He also notes that the sacrifices he and Belinda make are tremendous. "Anyone thinking of heads-up racing better think long and hard. I've always said I work a full-time job to pay for a second full-time job that doesn't pay."
When asked about the handling numbers on his NMRA EFI Renegade coupe, Nick Trombetta responds with "Is straight OK?" Sure, we can live with that. Slalom numbers aren't that pertinent when going through the quarter-mile at around nine seconds flat and more than 150 mph. Until cones are added to the dragstrips of America, who cares anyway? Nick just wants to make it to the stripe before his opponent does. After all, that's why he built this car.
It all began when Nick attended the '96 Fun Ford opener at Bradenton, Florida. While there, he caught foot-age of Jimmy LaRocca doing his best guardrail dance in his then-Pro 5.0 '86 GT. Jimmy was able to keep the car off the rail after a wicked 300-foot wheelstand caused the car to careen out of control. Nick sent the video to Jimmy and the two began talking on a regular basis.
During the winter of 2002, Nick had Jr's Car Shop in Newport News, Virginia, remove the sunroof and weld on a new top from another coupe. Hytech Auto Body repainted the car in Mid-Atlantic Blue a week before the NMRA Bradenton opener. That left the remainder of the week for Nick to get the car back to race-ready condition. Although he worked 54 hours straight, it wasn't enough to finish the car, but it was time to head to Brandenton. There, Nick and his crew-his wife, Belinda; Brian Sivilla; Pat Grace; and Jason Osborne-worked vigorously to finish the LX.
Nick's '89 LX was still a street car at that time, but Jimmy convinced him to take it off the street and get serious about performance. The coupe was stripped and prepped for a rollcage and fresh paint. At the same time, Nick ordered parts from just about every manufacturer, acquiring an A4 block, a 331 stroker kit, a Vortech J-Trim Mondo, and more.
Six months into the wake-up call, Nick was accepted into NASA's Employee Retraining Initiative in Hampton, Vir-ginia. This meant he was going back to school to complete his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. "It would be a four-year adventure/nightmare," Nick recalls. "The first two years of school the car sat silently in my garage as I adjusted my lifestyle to focus on school work. It wasn't until a trip to the '99 World Ford Challenge at Joliet, Illinois, that the juices once again started flowing."
As it is today, EFI Renegade was a popular class back then. Nick remembers Chip Havemann shocking the world with the first nine-second Renegade pass. "It was at that point I decided the car would be dedicated to the Renegade format," Nick says. "I [believe] the class is popular because most Mustang owners can relate to these cars."
Typically, a blue interior ranks right up there with red as those most likely to be replaced with gray or black. However, Nick cleaned up the interior and added a pair of Kirkey Pro-Drag seats, Auto Meter gauges in a variety of pods, and a Hurst Billet Quarter Stick shifter. When we photographed the car at the Bradenton NMRA opener, it featured a Dynamic M2 C4 transmission. Always testing the latest components in an attempt to gain an edge, Nick recently tried a Lentech Stage II Strip Terminator AOD. Matt Wirt's Racefab Engineering redid the cage during the winter of 2002.
After returning from Joliet and becoming more accustomed to college life, Nick removed the car cover and began working on the LX once again. Every evening he worked in the garage with his friend Clint Nicholson to complete the car. "Between school, work, family, and car construction, I averaged four hours of sleep per night that year," Nick says.
Since the 331 carried a weight penalty, Nick combined forces with George Coleman of CAMS Race Engines [(804) 693-3632] to build a wicked little 306. "Heads-up racing was new to George," Nick says. "He was familiar with 600-plus-cubic-inch Chevy engines, not little 306s making 800-plus horsepower using factory hydraulic lifters." Nevertheless, Nick and George put their heads together and came up with a good engine program.
The engine was coming together, and the same could be said for the rest of the car. A Dynamic Racing Transmissions Mighty-Mite C4 made a home for itself in the tunnel, with a TCT converter inside. "I have never had a Dynamic C4 fail," Nick says.
Initial construction was completed in December 2000. In January 2001, the car was delivered to LaRocca's Performance for some dyno time, for which Nick was rewarded 690 hp at the wheels. "Not bad for our first effort," he says. After some local track testing, Nick made the trek from his Hayes, Virginia, hometown to the April 2001 NMRA race in Reynolds, Georgia. Nick surprised many in attendance with off-the-trailer 9.40s. He finished seventh in points in EFI Renegade that year.