Interview by Mary Lendzion
Photos by NMCA Staff
Glenn Pushis wants to excel in everything he does.
Whether he is working or behind the wheel of a race car, he sets his sights on success, and then shoots for the moon.
His struggles have made him stronger, his setbacks have not stopped him, and his steadfastness is striking. All of that has served him well through the years, as he continues to amass a lot of accomplishments.
Pushis, Senior Vice President of Strategic Projects at Steel Dynamics in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has competitively campaigned a variety of race cars, from the OIdsmobile 442 he wheeled in OSCA True Street to the COPO Camaros he piloted to three NMCA Chevrolet Performance Stock presented by Scoggin Dickey Parts Center championships.
Ready for a new challenge, and to return to his roots, he recently purchased the Oldsmobile 442 that Scott Guiler made famous in NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street. Pushis raced it for the first time, also in NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street, at the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem presented by Holbrook Racing Engines in mid-March of 2023 at Orlando Speed World Dragway in Florida.
Pushis who has fond memories of seeing Guiler race the car, considers it an honor to now own it.
With help from his crew chief, Doug Thompson, and crew members, Steve Hilterbrand and John Entley, and with input from Guiler, Pushis qualified in the ninth spot with a 4.72 out of 13 cars, and lost after a good race against Bill Trovato in the first round of eliminations with a 4.74 and 147 mph to Trovato’s 4.64 and 152 mph. Now, he’s looking forward to picking up where he left off at the rest of the NMCA races on the 2023 tour.
“I’m excited that the Oldsmobile is with Glenn, Steve and Doug,” said Guiler. “They have got great chemistry, and they have spent a bunch of time in the winner’s circle. It’s an outstanding race car that deserves to be on the track.”
Read on for more about Pushis, who lives in Leo, Indiana, is married to Kathy, and has two daughters, Sarah and Ashley. He will be one to watch as he embarks on his exciting new journey.
YOU SURPRISED A LOT OF PEOPLE BY STEPPING AWAY FROM CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE STOCK PRESENTED BY SCOGGIN DICKEY PARTS CENTER AND YOUR COPO CAMARO.
I did. I decided in 2022 that I didn’t want to compete in Chevrolet Performance Stock any longer. I wanted to be able to ride a little faster and be able to tune on the car, and you can’t do much tuning with the sealed engines in Chevrolet Performance Stock. I wanted a new challenge, and I wanted to go radial racing on small tires.
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO NMCA EDELBROCK XTREME STREET?
Xtreme Street just seemed to be the class for me. I liked the fact that you could choose a nitrous, supercharger or turbo combination, and I like that the Olds 442 came with a nitrous big-block Chevrolet combination because it reminds me of the combination I ran back in the 1990s and it takes me back to my roots. We also saw a good car count in Xtreme Street, and we saw very competitive and close racing, with the whole class within a tenth of each other. I was also attracted to the variety of cars, like Mustangs, Camaros and other cars. Radial tire racing has really taken off.
HOW DID SCOTT GUILER’S OLDS 442 APPEAR ON YOUR RADAR?
I had seen the car in action a lot, and I always thought it was beautiful. It is of high quality and it is well-built. You don’t see a ton of cars like that. Then in the middle of last year, I was talking to my engine builder, Bill Trovato, and he mentioned that Scott’s car might go up for sale, but that Scott would want to be sure the car was going to be raced, and not sit somewhere. I reached out to Scott, and we had our first meeting at the NMCA race at Summit Motorsports Park last summer. I told him I would be interested in buying it if he was interested in selling it, and he said he would think about it. I heard back from him a couple months later, in October, and I drove to his shop in Salem, Ohio, and we sat down, talked and spent the afternoon together. He asked what my plans would be for the car, and I respect him for that.
DID THE CAR COME COMPLETE, OR AS A ROLLER?
The car came complete and ready to race, with a 582 cubic-inch big-block Chevrolet by Bill Trovato and freshened by Tony Bischoff, and a fogger nitrous system. It also came with a PowerGlide, but we’re going to replace it with my two-speed Turbo 400 by RPM Transmission. Scott included some ProJacks and spare parts. We did some shock tuning and we moved some weight around since I’m a little heavier than Scott. My team, including my crew chief, Doug Thompson, and crew members, Steve Hilterbrand and John Entley, helped me have the car ready a month before the 2023 NMCA season opener in mid-March at Orlando Speed World Dragway in Florida.
DID YOU GET TO TEST BEFORE HEADING TO THE SCOGGIN DICKEY PARTS CENTER NMCA MUSCLE CAR MAYHEM PRESENTED BY HOLBROOK RACING ENGINES AT ORLANDO SPEED WORLD DRAGWAY?
We arrived in Florida the Sunday before the race, and we started testing on Monday at Orlando Speed World Dragway. We made four or five passes before Friday. The first two passes were without nitrous because I just wanted to get comfortable in the car and make sure the brakes were good and stuff like that. We turned the nitrous on for the third pass and went about 150 feet out before the tires broke loose and spun, so I aborted the pass. For the fourth pass, we found the suspension setup that the car liked and that the track liked, and we ran 4.70s. The car pulled 1.12 60-foot times, so I could definitely feel that when I launched. Everyone in the class was so kind, and very welcoming. They were happy to see Scott’s car in action again. Scott was watching the race from home, and we were texting each other throughout the weekend. He was asking how the car felt, and he asked me to send a picture of the RacePak data so that he could look at it and help me make adjustments to the nitrous, progressive controller and timing. It was a pleasure to work with him on it, and our team appreciated his guidance with his former car. We decided to put a bigger tune-up on the car for the first round of eliminations against Bill Trovato. He’s a tough customer, and unfortunately, we burned a hole in the number two piston. The car nosed over and I lost power, and Bill drove out of my life at that point. He had a 4.64 and I had a 4.74, but we had to try and give it everything we had.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE TRANSITION FROM YOUR PREVIOUS CAR, WHICH HAD SLICKS, TO THE CUTLASS, WHICH HAS DRAG RADIALS?
It’s very, very different. We had to learn how to do a burnout for drag radials, and the suspension setup is entirely different for a drag radial car. The power management is also entirely different. We had plenty of power, but we couldn’t use it all. We had to tune some of it out, so we’ll be working on how to best tune the car for various conditions and various tracks. We have a lot to learn. I’m not an expert, and I had a piston with a hole in it to prove that. Once we get the tuning down, we will be okay.
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RACES WHERE NMCA EDELBROCK XTREME STREET WILL BE JOINED BY NMRA VP RACING MADDITIVES RENEGAGE?
Yes, I really am. I like a big field. I think running in this class will be a marathon rather than a sprint. We won’t be able to come out beating the rest of the field. They’re been running in the class and we are new to this class, but running against them will help us learn.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2023?
We plan to attend all of the races and learn as much as we can. We know we won’t set the world on fire right away, but I do want to get to the point where we show up to each race knowing that we have a solid chance of winning it. I’m really happy I did this.
(Interview for the June 2023 issue of Fastest Street Car)
Photos by NMCA Staff
Glenn Pushis wants to excel in everything he does.
Whether he is working or behind the wheel of a race car, he sets his sights on success, and then shoots for the moon.
His struggles have made him stronger, his setbacks have not stopped him, and his steadfastness is striking. All of that has served him well through the years, as he continues to amass a lot of accomplishments.
Pushis, Senior Vice President of Strategic Projects at Steel Dynamics in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has competitively campaigned a variety of race cars, from the OIdsmobile 442 he wheeled in OSCA True Street to the COPO Camaros he piloted to three NMCA Chevrolet Performance Stock presented by Scoggin Dickey Parts Center championships.
Ready for a new challenge, and to return to his roots, he recently purchased the Oldsmobile 442 that Scott Guiler made famous in NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street. Pushis raced it for the first time, also in NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street, at the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem presented by Holbrook Racing Engines in mid-March of 2023 at Orlando Speed World Dragway in Florida.
Pushis who has fond memories of seeing Guiler race the car, considers it an honor to now own it.
With help from his crew chief, Doug Thompson, and crew members, Steve Hilterbrand and John Entley, and with input from Guiler, Pushis qualified in the ninth spot with a 4.72 out of 13 cars, and lost after a good race against Bill Trovato in the first round of eliminations with a 4.74 and 147 mph to Trovato’s 4.64 and 152 mph. Now, he’s looking forward to picking up where he left off at the rest of the NMCA races on the 2023 tour.
“I’m excited that the Oldsmobile is with Glenn, Steve and Doug,” said Guiler. “They have got great chemistry, and they have spent a bunch of time in the winner’s circle. It’s an outstanding race car that deserves to be on the track.”
Read on for more about Pushis, who lives in Leo, Indiana, is married to Kathy, and has two daughters, Sarah and Ashley. He will be one to watch as he embarks on his exciting new journey.
YOU SURPRISED A LOT OF PEOPLE BY STEPPING AWAY FROM CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE STOCK PRESENTED BY SCOGGIN DICKEY PARTS CENTER AND YOUR COPO CAMARO.
I did. I decided in 2022 that I didn’t want to compete in Chevrolet Performance Stock any longer. I wanted to be able to ride a little faster and be able to tune on the car, and you can’t do much tuning with the sealed engines in Chevrolet Performance Stock. I wanted a new challenge, and I wanted to go radial racing on small tires.
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO NMCA EDELBROCK XTREME STREET?
Xtreme Street just seemed to be the class for me. I liked the fact that you could choose a nitrous, supercharger or turbo combination, and I like that the Olds 442 came with a nitrous big-block Chevrolet combination because it reminds me of the combination I ran back in the 1990s and it takes me back to my roots. We also saw a good car count in Xtreme Street, and we saw very competitive and close racing, with the whole class within a tenth of each other. I was also attracted to the variety of cars, like Mustangs, Camaros and other cars. Radial tire racing has really taken off.
HOW DID SCOTT GUILER’S OLDS 442 APPEAR ON YOUR RADAR?
I had seen the car in action a lot, and I always thought it was beautiful. It is of high quality and it is well-built. You don’t see a ton of cars like that. Then in the middle of last year, I was talking to my engine builder, Bill Trovato, and he mentioned that Scott’s car might go up for sale, but that Scott would want to be sure the car was going to be raced, and not sit somewhere. I reached out to Scott, and we had our first meeting at the NMCA race at Summit Motorsports Park last summer. I told him I would be interested in buying it if he was interested in selling it, and he said he would think about it. I heard back from him a couple months later, in October, and I drove to his shop in Salem, Ohio, and we sat down, talked and spent the afternoon together. He asked what my plans would be for the car, and I respect him for that.
DID THE CAR COME COMPLETE, OR AS A ROLLER?
The car came complete and ready to race, with a 582 cubic-inch big-block Chevrolet by Bill Trovato and freshened by Tony Bischoff, and a fogger nitrous system. It also came with a PowerGlide, but we’re going to replace it with my two-speed Turbo 400 by RPM Transmission. Scott included some ProJacks and spare parts. We did some shock tuning and we moved some weight around since I’m a little heavier than Scott. My team, including my crew chief, Doug Thompson, and crew members, Steve Hilterbrand and John Entley, helped me have the car ready a month before the 2023 NMCA season opener in mid-March at Orlando Speed World Dragway in Florida.
DID YOU GET TO TEST BEFORE HEADING TO THE SCOGGIN DICKEY PARTS CENTER NMCA MUSCLE CAR MAYHEM PRESENTED BY HOLBROOK RACING ENGINES AT ORLANDO SPEED WORLD DRAGWAY?
We arrived in Florida the Sunday before the race, and we started testing on Monday at Orlando Speed World Dragway. We made four or five passes before Friday. The first two passes were without nitrous because I just wanted to get comfortable in the car and make sure the brakes were good and stuff like that. We turned the nitrous on for the third pass and went about 150 feet out before the tires broke loose and spun, so I aborted the pass. For the fourth pass, we found the suspension setup that the car liked and that the track liked, and we ran 4.70s. The car pulled 1.12 60-foot times, so I could definitely feel that when I launched. Everyone in the class was so kind, and very welcoming. They were happy to see Scott’s car in action again. Scott was watching the race from home, and we were texting each other throughout the weekend. He was asking how the car felt, and he asked me to send a picture of the RacePak data so that he could look at it and help me make adjustments to the nitrous, progressive controller and timing. It was a pleasure to work with him on it, and our team appreciated his guidance with his former car. We decided to put a bigger tune-up on the car for the first round of eliminations against Bill Trovato. He’s a tough customer, and unfortunately, we burned a hole in the number two piston. The car nosed over and I lost power, and Bill drove out of my life at that point. He had a 4.64 and I had a 4.74, but we had to try and give it everything we had.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE TRANSITION FROM YOUR PREVIOUS CAR, WHICH HAD SLICKS, TO THE CUTLASS, WHICH HAS DRAG RADIALS?
It’s very, very different. We had to learn how to do a burnout for drag radials, and the suspension setup is entirely different for a drag radial car. The power management is also entirely different. We had plenty of power, but we couldn’t use it all. We had to tune some of it out, so we’ll be working on how to best tune the car for various conditions and various tracks. We have a lot to learn. I’m not an expert, and I had a piston with a hole in it to prove that. Once we get the tuning down, we will be okay.
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RACES WHERE NMCA EDELBROCK XTREME STREET WILL BE JOINED BY NMRA VP RACING MADDITIVES RENEGAGE?
Yes, I really am. I like a big field. I think running in this class will be a marathon rather than a sprint. We won’t be able to come out beating the rest of the field. They’re been running in the class and we are new to this class, but running against them will help us learn.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2023?
We plan to attend all of the races and learn as much as we can. We know we won’t set the world on fire right away, but I do want to get to the point where we show up to each race knowing that we have a solid chance of winning it. I’m really happy I did this.
(Interview for the June 2023 issue of Fastest Street Car)