Innovative New Chassis Platform For NeSmith Street Stocks In 2016
CARTERSVILLE, GA – NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division officials have announced an innovative new program involving the popular GM Metric Chassis that will make competing in the series more economical. The NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division will offer as an option beginning in 2016 a tubular replica of the GM Metric Chassis for $1,795.
The “X, Y, G Tubular Metric Chassis” will be fabricated by Johnson Chassis of Mooresville, NC. Each frame will be serial numbered and entered into a database to maintain the integrity of the program. The chassis will be built from 2”X3” and 3”X4” square steel tubing.
All suspension pick up points, both front and rear, are exactly the same as a "Stock" Metric GM chassis. All stock suspension pieces will bolt directly to this tubular frame same as stock frame, and the frame weighs the same 225 pounds as bare stock frame. The frame is designed to be a replacement, and not something to gain an advantage on anything other than the time to build it, and the ease to locate it.
“This metric chassis is a copy of the 1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo metric chassis, which are becoming harder to find in salvage yards to purchase for racing applications,” NeSmith Racing Founder and CEO Mike Vaughn said. “This program, which is an option and not a requirement, is going to save the competitor a lot of time and money locating a metric chassis and then getting it prepped for competition.”
Racers have expressed concerns about the high cost of finding, preparing for a roll cage, and safety of a stock/factory frame to NeSmith Street Stock officials. With this replica GM Metric Chassis option, competitors now can save/bypass many of those costs and efforts.
“The future is our goal, we want to keep the NeSmith Street Stock Series thriving, and in the same time we want to keep the racers safe,” NeSmith Racing Technical Director Tim Sims said. “This option gives the authorized chassis builders a quality platform to build a good safe race car. We want to have this option available and in place well before the stock/factory GM Metric frame becomes completely obsolete.”
The new replica GM Metric Frame is also being embraced by the Mississippi Street Stock Series which shares the same rules as the NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division, and the two sanctioning bodies also co-sanction many events.
“The new replica GM Metric Frame is going to be a good deal for both the competitor and the authorized chassis builders for three main reasons,” Mississippi Street Stock Series Director Shannon Hiers said. “It’s going to increase availability, as stock GM Metric Frames are getting harder to find. It’s going to save time and money in building a car because it will eliminate a lot of prep work, and it’s going to be easier to tech because the location of the bolt on pieces will be more consistent.”
Racers must purchase their frame through a network of NeSmith Street Stock authorized chassis builders. The authorized chassis builders will purchase the chassis through the series. Anyone interested in becoming an authorized chassis builder must contact Tim Sims at 334-864-0805 or 256-794-4047 for more information.
If a racer decides to go with the replica frame option, they must purchase the replica frame from a NeSmith Street Stock Authorized Builder for $1,795, but they are not required to have the authorized builder finish building the car. Racers can still take the frame home and finish building their own race car.
Two NeSmith Street Stock Authorized Builders, Justin McRee with High Roller Race Cars of Woodstock, AL and Jeremy Sexton with Dog House Chassis of Gulfport, MS, are also drivers in the NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division. Both McRee and Sexton give the replica GM Metric Frame high marks as both builders and drivers.
“The new frame is going to make the NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division better in many ways,” McRee said. “As a builder, we’re going to be able to save our customers money by eliminating four days of shop time preparing and sandblasting a stock frame, which will also give us a faster turnaround time. As a driver, we will have a lot safer race car.”
“This is going to be a great deal for NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock competitors because it is going to create a lot more consistency in the building process,” Sexton said. “The replica frame is the same weight with the same dimensions as the stock frame, and the replica frame has a fair price. There is no prep time, and no rust to worry about. The stock frames tend to rust from the inside out, so you never know how good of a frame you’re getting. The new frame eliminates that risk along with the waste it produces, and it will also lend itself to safer, better and less expensive repairs with more consistency.”
Both McRee and Sexton agreed that the $1,795 X,Y,G Tubular Metric Chassis will give NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division competitors more bang for their buck, will be easier to set up, and will last them a lot longer than a stock frame. They also said the new replica frame will also still give chassis manufactures and competitors that choose to build their own cars creativity in roll cage construction and several suspension mounting points.
For more information and rules about the NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division, visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com, or visit the series on Facebook at NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division. Becoming a fan of the NeSmith Racing Facebook page will make you eligible for special prizes that will be given away each month. You can follow us on Twitter @NeSmithRacing.
NeSmith Performance Parts at NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC of Claxton, GA is the Title Sponsor of the NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division. NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC is the nation’s number one GM Powertrain and Performance Dealer six years running, with free delivery anywhere in the Southeast. Chevrolet Performance Parts is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division. Hoosier Racing Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division.
