Muscle Up Performance and Rod Shop Janesville, Wisconsin (MuscleUpPerformance.com Photo)

Former NASCAR driver Rich Bickle today announced the grand opening of Muscle Up Performance and Hot Rod Shop, a full service classic, muscle car and hot rod restoration, repair, design and execution facility.

Located in Janesville, WI, the 11.000 square-foot office/shop complex features nine work bays, a metal fabrication shop, a full body shop including paint booth and media blasting room, a parts room, assembly area and waiting area.

"I wanted to have a construction/restoration shop that could do everything from a spot on matching number original car to a radical muscle car or hot rod," said Bickle. "I think we've achieved that goal. We can do everything from building a perfect Ford Flat Head V-8 to a 21st century muscle car based on a race inspired frame and chassis components."

The star of the Muscle Up Performance array of products is a simple new bolt in replacement frame for a wide variety of cars and trucks. The frame - a full replacement, not a clip or stub - allows for the unfitting of race-inspired suspension and brake components. Additional strength and safety features advantages make the frame a winner on all fronts.

"Our full frame replacements allow owners of first and second generation Camaros, 1964-72 GM A-Bodies, 1953-62 Corvettes, 1965-70 Mustangs, and several other cars and trucks the ability to get rid of the slow steering, poor handling and unsafe braking these cars all possessed when they were new," Bickle stated. "There's just no comparison between a muscle car's original handling characteristics and one that has been upgraded with a Muscle Up Performance frame and suspension package."

Bickle, who last competed in the NASCAR ranks in 2005, has won more than 260 late model stock car main events including the prestigious Snowball Derby a record five times. The Edgerton, WI native made his NASCAR debut in 1989 and over the next 16 seasons would make 85 Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) starts. His best finish was a fourth at Martinsville (VA) Speedway in 1998.

Bickle also appeared in 54 NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) Series starts winning the pole at Charlotte in 1995. His greatest success came in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series where he posted three wins, 34 Top-10 finishes and six pole positions in 79 career division starts.

During his NASCAR career, Bickle drove for NASCAR legends Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and Cale Yarborough. Today, Bickle continues to race in select Midwestern area late model stock car events campaigning his famed No. 45 short-track racer.

"I don't think I will ever stop racing," said Bickle, who also competes in select snowmobile events throughout the winter in his native Wisconsin. "Because a lot of hard work and determination, I was fortunate enough to make it to the NASCAR ranks and had a lot of success there. Through it all, I restored a bunch of muscle cars and hot rods for myself and others, so Muscle Up Performance is just a professional extension of that.

"Muscle Cars are the hot generation of drivable and restorable cars right now," Bickle continued. "They appeal to people 45-60 years old, people who remember when the cars from the 1960's and 1970's roamed the roads. That's what was hot when they were growing up and people from those eras want those cars. They are the next generation of speed enthusiasts and preservationists. We want people to know that Muscle Up Performance is a place where they can get everything from the smallest repair job to a complete frame off restoration/customization of their favorite car."

Muscle Up Performance is located at 4100 Newville Road in Janesville, WI and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central Time (closed weekends and holidays). For more information, please call 608-754-4545.