Ray Evernham’s ‘Ghost’ 1936 Chevy Sedan Modified Is A ‘Must-See” At Motorsports 2018

By HERBANASTOR

OAKS, PA – One of the cars that is sure to be a “must-see” at the 33rd Annual Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2018 Race Car and Trade Show presented by Sunoco and fueled by Insinger Performance here at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (Jan. 19-21) is Ray Evernham’s 1936 Chevrolet Sedan Modified Stock Car.

And what makes this “currently one-off,” pearl-white, blue and red “No. one 9 teen” so special is that it was designed by Evernham from a clean sheet of paper using all of his knowledge from over 40 years of racing in combination with some of the most-modern technology available.

“We did it the old-school way with modern technology, but without CAD [computer-aided drafting] and simulation,” said the 60-year-old Evernham who will not be at Motorsports 2018 due to his induction that weekend into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“The 1936 Chevy Sedan was my favorite race car when I was a kid watching the races in New Jersey and I just wanted to see what I could do building a car without regard to any rules or specifics; something that was neat.”

As Evernham sees it, “The Ghost” – which got that name due to the pearl white Axalta-provided paint scheme – is what a modern-day Modified Stock Car would look like if it combined his admiration for old-school automotive styling and aesthetics with his knowledge and access to modern-day technology and performance.

And he certainly has the background to design and build such a machine for prior to his years as a three-time (1995 and 1997-1998) NASCAR Cup Series Champion Crew Chief for Jeff Gordon in the famed No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets, Evernham raced Asphalt Modifieds at New Jersey’s old 5/8-mile Flemington Fair Speedway and on the one-third-mile at Wall Stadium where he won seven feature races on the Belmar high banks (1976-1981).

Although primarily funded by Valvoline, the car was built on a small budget by Evernham, along with lead mechanic Eddie Bohn and lead fabricator and painter Dan Baker at his Big Iron Garage in Mooresville, North Carolina.  And he plans to compete with it in some Sportscar Vintage Racing Association events this year at Road Atlanta, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pikes Peak and some other places just to see how his ideas turned out.

To get things started, the chassis was designed as a combination of a current NASCAR Asphalt Modified, an SCCA Trans-Am Sports Car and a little bit of a NASCAR Cup Series car.  And while the main frame rails are rectangular 2” x 3.125” mild-steel tubing, a NASCAR-style 1.75” round .095 mild-steel DOM-tubing integral roll cage is what provides the driver’s protection.

Weighing-in at 2,650 pounds with driver and fuel, the 52.5”-high “concept car” features a nicely-done, all-steel body with opening doors and a Plexiglas windows while the cockpit contains: Sweet Manufacturing Rack and Pinion Steering; an MPI-GT-13-A Steering Wheel by Max Papis; a Kenny’s Components Carbon Fiber Racing Seat; a Schroth Racing 5-Point Safety Harness; a Tilton 800-Master Pedal Assembly and Cylinders; a Safecraft AT10 Dual-Hose Fire-Suppression System; and an accessible oil tank and battery.

A custom-fabricated ATL 22-Gallon Fuel Cell is mounted in the rear, an AirJax Air-Powered Racecar Lifting System get “The Ghost” off the ground when that occasion arises and hand-formed chrome bumpers give the car some of the glitz that was evident in former days.

Under the car’s pleasingly-shaped aluminum hood (no fiberglass is used anywhere) is an all-aluminum, 410-cubic-inch/850-horsepower Chevrolet SB2 engine built by Pro Motor Engineering that uses an old-school Kinsler fuel-injection unit controlled by a new-school electronics system from AEM Performance Electronics.  And to get the most out of that package Evernham opted for: Kooks Stainless Steel Headers and Exhaust Pipes; a custom-built C&R Racing Radiator and Oil Coolers; a Jerico Performance Products 4-speed transmission; a custom carbon fiber driveshaft; and, a Winters Aluminum Center Section Quick-Change rear end with a 4:12 ring and pinion.

“The Ghost” has a 63” front tread and its suspension features unequal length A-arms with mono balls, adjustable degree steel spindles and coil-over shocks by JRi Shocks with Hyperco springs.  While in the back the 67” rear tread’s suspension uses 36” aluminum radius rods and FK Rod Ends with a single adjustable Neuline torque arm, front-center-bearing-mounted Watts link, coil-over shocks by JRi Shocks and springs by Hyperco.

As far as tires go, front Goodyear Eagle Racing D1570s are on 13” x 16” Aluminum Wide 5 Real Racing Wheels, while in back Goodyear Eagle Racing D1751s use 14” x 16” Aluminum Wide 5 Real Racing Wheels.  PFC Brakes with ZR94 Zero Drag Calipers (41mm and 44mm staggered pistons front and 29mm and 36.5mm staggered pistons rear to reduce pad taper and wheel locking) and Zero Failure Discs with V3 disc technology control the stopping.

And the car’s final inventory is it electronics: an AEM Performance Electronics Infinity Series 7 Engine Management System; an AEM Performance Electronics CD-7 Digital Dash Display; an AEM Performance Electronics Vehicle Dynamics Module GPS/G-Meter; AEM Performance Electronics Smart Coils; and, wiring from Brown and Miller Racing Solutions.

Because Evernham wants “The Ghost” to perform in a variety of situations, it was constructed with a wide range of adjustability so it can be set up to compete on ovals, road courses, drag strips and hill climbs.  And to accommodate its open wheels, downforce was created through a top-rear-mounted aerodynamic wing and making the underside of the chassis like that of a 1980s Indy 500 racer – flat all the way until it reaches the back where the air meets a huge rear diffuser.

If anyone who sees this car would like to have one for his or her own, that can be arranged as Evernham is interested in building some others.

“As much as I like coming to work every day and just creating whatever comes to mind, we need to run a business, too,” said the designer and builder.

“I think it is dang cool.  It’s something I want to drive, and I hope that others feel the same way and want one, too.

“That’s what it takes to let us come up with other ideas like this moving forward.”