Kari Bahus ’ Open Container
across the parking lot . They immediately came over and interviewed me about the Blazer .
“ That was the day I went all the way to the finals and got second place in my class . From there on , Open Container blew up and everyone started hearing about it . We even ended up doing an episode of Cleetus ’ Garage ( on YouTube . com ) toward the end of the race season . Now that was insane !”
Bahus made it a point to get to as many races as he could last year , including Street Car Takeover events in Kansas City , Oklahoma City and St . Louis , determined to have the time of his life , win or lose . His diligence paid off as the Open Container grew in popularity , with a few big-name companies deciding to hop on board to help Bahus out for the 2017 race season .
“ Right now it ’ s actually at Sho-Me Speed in Springfield , Missouri , getting the motor rebuilt and then tuned . The original 454 LS7 Dart Block with Brodix heads was supposed to make around 700 horsepower last year , but it wasn ’ t . The intake valves weren ’ t closing all the way and thanks to Wes and the guys at Sho-Me Speed we got that problem fixed and we should be making more power on motor than we were on spray last year . They also de-stroked from a 4.190 bore to a 4.0 bore , and we added in CP Pistons and Carrillo rods . Then the guys over at Nitrous Outlet hooked us up with their Dual Stage Gen 3 Hornet plate system that will put us double to triple the power we made last year .” shoot for 9s first .
“ We lifted the front tires a little bit last year and I ’ m hoping to carry them a little further this year , but I don ’ t want to put me or anyone at risk so I ’ m just going to go as fast in it as I feel comfortable . I want to be able to drive it home from the track , and drive it back next weekend for more racing .”
It ’ s been 15 years since Kari Bahus was in an accident that changed his life , but that hasn ’ t stopped him from doing the things he loves . He continues each day looking forward to the next racing event , and spending time with friends , working on cars and having a good time . It ’ s everything his Open Container is all about .
“ After all of the hard work and countless hours spent , eventually the reward will come . We ultimately want all of the good stuff in life but it takes a lot to get there and a lot of people don ’ t get that . I ’ ve put everything into the Open Container , and I ’ ve had a lot of help that I am very thankful for . If I ’ m ever in a situation that I have to sell my house to keep the Blazer and live in a hotel room that ’ s close to the next drag strip I would do that , because my family will always be at the track .”
Having all those extra horses on hand makes Bahus even more eager to return to the track , but he respects the responsibility it brings , too .
“ I learned a lot from last year and this year we are definitely going to have the bugs worked out and it ’ s going to take some time to get used to the increased power . The only thing that ’ s going to be holding the Blazer back is me ,” he realizes . “ With the power range it will be set up for the Blazer should be able to run 8.50s , which is what my cage is certified for , but I ’ m going to
MOST EPIC SENIOR PHOTO
Story & Photos by Kevin Cox
When 17 year old James Loar contacted our very own Kevin Cox and asked him to shoot his senior photos , he would have never thought they would end up the way they did . We had previously met James at Street Car Takeover in Oklahoma City and being the big car enthusiast that he is , we decided to add a little twist on his shoot and make these the most epic senior photos ever .
We contacted our friends over at Shelby Killer Performance and they brought out their 1,000 plus wheel horsepower C6 Corvette to surprise James and do a massive burnout for one of his photos . Needless to say , James had the biggest grin on his face the entire time , mission successful . The most epic senior photo ever ? We surely think so !
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