About two months ago, we gave you a first look a 1968 Ford Mustang we're doing for NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Travis Kvapil. The car, which had originally started out to be an 'Eleanor' clone from the movie Gone In 60 Seconds, has morphed into something very, very special.
"It's turning out to be a pretty amazing car," said Muscle Up Performance owner Rich Bickle. "Kevin (Muscle Up shop foreman Kevin Laatsch) and the guys have done a great job with it. We still have a few body parts to hang and we have to get the interior in it, and then it will pretty much be ready to go. I'm thinking we'll get the car down to Travis in North Carolina sometime this fall."
Kvapil, driver of the No. 28 Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup ranks, is sure to be pleased with the final results. The car, perched on a Muscle Up Performance full frame chassis replacement, has a high-speed look while even sitting still. The car features QA-1 Shocks, Black Cobra Wheels and Nexen Tires (225/30/18 front, 245/4018 back). A Heidt's independent rear end with a Ford 9-inch center section adds to the ride and handling qualities of the car while stopping power is provided by Wilwood Brakes on all four corners.
Under the hood, there's a Walt Pierce tooled 428 Ford FE stroker engine featuring Edlebrock aluminum heads, a dry sump system, and four-stage oil pump with remote tank. The car should easily produce more than 500 horsepower on the dyno.
"It's pretty full on," Kvapil stated. "We didn't hold much back or spare anything."
That's a fact. For a most recent look at Kvapil's Muscle Up Performance Mustang, please click on the following link to a full photo gallery of the car - now 16 images strong. When there, just click on any image to enlarge.
http://www.muscleupperformance.com/photog/thumbnails.php?album=4
Speaking of Racing -
Rich Bickle had a disappointing night Tuesday as he finished 25th in the American Speed Association Kwik Trip Midwest Tour Dixieland150 at Wisconsin International Raceway.
The Edgerton, WI short-track ace never got going as handling problems plagued his No. 45 Perlick Chevy from the time it came off the trailer.
"We had a good car at Madison and it was good at Slinger, but it never drove good here," said Bickle, who had to race his way into the main event. "We tried some different shocks this week and they just didn't work. It was really disappointing because we expected to contend for the win."
Despite a qualifying lap of 19.810 seconds on the WIR half-mile oval, Bickle was only 30th fastest behind pole sitter Kyle Busch.
"It was an amazingly tight field," said Bickle. "You have a couple of guys like Kyle who were checked out, but then the rest of us were within two-tenths of each other. Another 
tenth and we would have qualified 15th."
The qualifying effort put Bickle in the last chance race where he came home second, good enough to earn a starting spot in the 150-lap main event. Unfortunately, a mechanical problem at Lap 40 in the main event put him behind the wall for good.
"It was just a disappointing night all the way around," said Bickle. "I don't want to say it was a waste of time, but it's hard to feel good when you have as many problems as we did."
Bickle and his No. 45 Perlick Chevy will next take to the track in the National Short Track Championships at Rockford (IL) Speedway September 25-28.
For more information about Rich Bickle, please click on the following link -
http://www.muscleupperformance.com/cgi-script/content/articles/000000/000046.htm
