The Factory Appearing Stock Tire racers group has been a part of NMCA events for several years now, and the cars have been a hit with fans, both in the stands and in the pits. It’s not uncommon to see Xtreme Pro Mod and Factory Super Cars drivers watching these mean machines traverse the quarter-mile in under 10-seconds, and there are none faster than Terry Pennington’s black 1969 Corvette, which holds the record at 9.37 and 146 mph, and has been as quick as 9.33 at an unofficial. After holding the record for a few years, now, Pennington is ready for his next build, this 1967 Corvette C2.
“I wanted to build something different. I think the C2 is, in my eyes, the ultimate Corvette,” Pennington told us. “The roadster doesn’t look so cool, but the body on the coupe is the cherry on top.”
The Corvette is an original 435hp, 427-spec machine that fellow F.A.S.T. racer Larry Kirkum found, but didn’t want.
“He bought it and brought it to me at the race in 2019 Norwalk,” Pennington said. “The car had been sitting as a roller since the late 70s, early 80s. He [Kirkum] found the original motor, but it was in pieces. The car was wrecked in the front, so we put a new nose on it.”
Pennington completed the bodywork and sent the car to paint recently, with it now recoated in its original Marlboro Maroon hue.
Now, the work begins to make the necessary changes/updates to the car to accept the drivetrain, which is likely to be based on the BES Racing Engines’ built, 560ci, L88-based engine that Pennington currently uses in his 1969 Corvette. Despite its “factory appearing” look, it’s easily an 800-plus-horsepower powerplant that gets the job done.
“My wife says I never turn down a Corvette—we have like 35 cars now—I’ve got to stop,” Pennington quipped. And speaking of Julie Pennington, she’ll be competing in the F.A.S.T. category this year with a silver 1969 L88 Corvette that she’ll start the year with.
“Jordan picked up big horsepower for the Camaro,” Pennington said of his family’s off-season work. “We have a hub dyno and Jordan closed the dyno session—I got kicked out of my own shop. If he can get it to hook, it’s going to be a fun year. Larry Kirkum switched his car over to an L88 and made big power, so it’s going to be pretty tight. The top 4-5 cars should be within a tenth of each other, it’ll be a pretty good battle, and there are a lot of new cars being built. We appreciate the NMCA; it’s taken us to a new level.”
You can check out the Pennington family's rides, as well as all the other F.A.S.T. racers, at the Arrington Performance NMRA/NMCA Power Festival presented by TorqStorm Superchargers in Martin, Michigan, in July, the NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Mag at Summit Motorsports Park in August, and the NMCA World Street Finals presented by Chevrolet Performance at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in September.
“I wanted to build something different. I think the C2 is, in my eyes, the ultimate Corvette,” Pennington told us. “The roadster doesn’t look so cool, but the body on the coupe is the cherry on top.”
The Corvette is an original 435hp, 427-spec machine that fellow F.A.S.T. racer Larry Kirkum found, but didn’t want.
“He bought it and brought it to me at the race in 2019 Norwalk,” Pennington said. “The car had been sitting as a roller since the late 70s, early 80s. He [Kirkum] found the original motor, but it was in pieces. The car was wrecked in the front, so we put a new nose on it.”
Pennington completed the bodywork and sent the car to paint recently, with it now recoated in its original Marlboro Maroon hue.
Now, the work begins to make the necessary changes/updates to the car to accept the drivetrain, which is likely to be based on the BES Racing Engines’ built, 560ci, L88-based engine that Pennington currently uses in his 1969 Corvette. Despite its “factory appearing” look, it’s easily an 800-plus-horsepower powerplant that gets the job done.
“My wife says I never turn down a Corvette—we have like 35 cars now—I’ve got to stop,” Pennington quipped. And speaking of Julie Pennington, she’ll be competing in the F.A.S.T. category this year with a silver 1969 L88 Corvette that she’ll start the year with.
“Jordan picked up big horsepower for the Camaro,” Pennington said of his family’s off-season work. “We have a hub dyno and Jordan closed the dyno session—I got kicked out of my own shop. If he can get it to hook, it’s going to be a fun year. Larry Kirkum switched his car over to an L88 and made big power, so it’s going to be pretty tight. The top 4-5 cars should be within a tenth of each other, it’ll be a pretty good battle, and there are a lot of new cars being built. We appreciate the NMCA; it’s taken us to a new level.”
You can check out the Pennington family's rides, as well as all the other F.A.S.T. racers, at the Arrington Performance NMRA/NMCA Power Festival presented by TorqStorm Superchargers in Martin, Michigan, in July, the NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Mag at Summit Motorsports Park in August, and the NMCA World Street Finals presented by Chevrolet Performance at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in September.