DRAG ILLUSTRATED ROUNDTABLE
BRANDON STROUD HAS ENJOYED DIVING INTO THE WORLD OF PROCHARGERS , ADDING ANOTHER AREA OF EXPERTISE ON HIS TUNING RESUME . successful . A lot of it is approach and mindset , understanding the track and what you ’ re trying to accomplish , understanding of how they got to that point and knowing the background of it . People teaching me the why and how , that went a long way .
SJ : I love tuning cars as much as I love driving . When I was a kid , I thought a drag racer did everything . I molded everything after people I watched like Todd Tutterow and Scotty Cannon , guys that did everything . I never knew there could be another way . I thought you had to do everything . Nobody can take away the knowledge you get when you do it all .
JE : I jumped at the chance to work with Frank Manzo . To learn from someone like that was awesome , and the turbo deal was just something technologically advanced and I ’ m a huge technology person . I like pushing the envelope and felt the turbo package did that . I was always jealous of the guys who got to tune that because of all the opportunities they had .
BRANDON STROUD
“ COMPETITION IS SO TOUGH TO REALLY STAY AHEAD , YOU ALMOST CAN ’ T BE LOCKED INTO ONE THING . IT ’ S BENEFICIAL TO GET YOUR FEET WET IN A LOT OF CARS , DIFFERENT CLASSES , DIFFERENT POWER ADDERS .”
guy , working on cars with different power adders and figuring out how they do what they do . Once I got an understanding for it , it was easier for me to pick up tuning it . At Proline , I ’ ve done a lot of different things . I started working on a turbo car , and now we have our hands in everything . Especially in these times , I ’ m not trying to limit what I can work on .
I ’ m lucky enough to work for a lot of smart people who have shown me and helped me grow . That ’ s a lot of what drag racing is : a lot of really smart , great people in the sport who are willing to kind of bring you in . I ’ ve been lucky enough to be under a lot of smart crew chiefs that have been
When you ’ re working with multiple power adders or cars in different classes , how do you balance that , especially if all of that is coming during one race weekend ?
SJ : You have to compartmentalize your brain , almost like you ’ re closing doors and opening doors in your brain . Once you ’ re done with that box you close it , forget that box and open up a new one . The only way I describe it is you carve that 100 percent of your brain however you can , focus on the one you ’ re working on 100 percent and not think about the rest of them .
JE : If you look back , I really try to focus on one per season . Last year , it was the turbos and I just kind of started playing around with Pro- Charger . Years prior , I was doing a lot of nitrous stuff . That ’ s kind of been my path . For me to really be involved with a program , you really have to be dedicated to things as a tuner . The days of showing up and suggesting a few things are getting slim because the competition is so great and the tuners are all great at what they do .
These types of cars are so different , especially factoring in tires , power adders and everything . How much crossover can you get from one power adder to another , and is it exciting when you can take something from one power adder and apply it successfully to another ?
RJ : It is cool to see that crossover . There is a lot of things we ’ ve learned from our Pro Stock cars and it works somewhere else . I might learn through trial and error , and hey , we just hit on something with this car we ’ re working on in Brazil and it ’ s cool how some of it is all connected . At the end of the day , I approach each car as , “ Hey , it ’ s steel and rubber .” The chassis is made of steel
PHOTO : TARA BOWKER
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