Racer's thrilling day hits airwaves tonight
Local man recounts intense day of racing for Speed TV
BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer
Old Bridge resident Jim Chahalis was nothing less than tickled pink to go all out and make it to second place out of 450 contestants when Speed TV's "Pinks All Out" came to Raceway Park in July.

PHOTOS BY EVAN SMITH Top: Jim Chahalis' 1986 Mustang finishes the quarter-mile in about 9.7 to 9.8 seconds. Bottom: "Pinks" host Rich Christensen talks with Chahalis as the cameras roll.

Tonight, his community and countless others will have the chance to watch it happen when the show airs.

"For racing, this is probably as high as you can get for what we do on an amateur level," Chahalis said. "It's really a highlight that you wouldn't expect to happen."

Chahalis, 38, has been a speed freak since he was first bit by the racing bug at the age of 22. He worked at the Dayton Ford car dealership in New Jersey, where he met longtime friend Mike Sodano, who helped introduce him to the world of racing.

"It's really just a rush," Chahalis said. "You put a car together that wasn't that fast, and make it go as fast as you want. [It's] really a lot of adrenaline."

By the early 1990s, when Chahalis first met his wife, Lorie Burd, he was racing every Friday as she cheered him on. Taking part in the sport for close to 13 years at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park and racing with the National Mustang Racers Association (NMRA), Chahalis started out with a 1990 Mustang, and now races the 1986 Mustang that sped him through the competition to second place.

His love of the cars came from working for nine years at LaRocca's Performance, formerly located near Raceway Park, where he worked on making Mustangs run at the top of their game.

Now, with three children — Taylor, 10, Kaelyn, 8, and Trevor, 6 — Chahalis opts to spend more time with his family than on the track, only racing about once every month and a half, he said. But when he heard "Pinks All Out" was coming to town, he could not resist the challenge.

Chahalis was poised and ready at his computer when online open registrations for the event took place in March. Drag racers make a mad rush to be one of the first 450 to register and compete for the top 16, who are featured on the show. About a week later, Chahalis got the call to say he had made it. He was thrilled.

"You just don't assume you're going to get into something like this," he said.

Less than a week before the big day, Chahalis' Mustang ran into some transmission problems that threatened to interfere with the competition. He took the car to GForce Racing Transmissions in Cleona, Pa., where Mike Long got it back into top shape for racing in a matter of days, something for which Chahalis said he was very grateful.

Chahalis also said he owes a debt of gratitude to Scott Gray, who works on his Mustang's engine. With help from Long, Gray and several racing buddies, Chahalis was ready to roll on July 26. Arriving at Raceway Park around 6 a.m. for the event, Chahalis assumed he would do some racing, get eliminated, and enjoy the show's taping from the stands.

"It's a really big show," he said. "The stands were packed."

Of the 450 competing, 16 finalists would remain to be filmed as they were paired off to race the quarter-mile, going their hardest to grab the top prize of $10,000 and a stocked toolbox worth another $8,000.

The cars race at speeds of about 135 mph to 140 mph, Chahalis said. His Mustang finishes the quarter-mile in about 9.7 to 9.8 seconds. Races between the 16 finalists are decided by tenths of seconds.

During the preliminary races, drivers were not told their finish times, so when Chahalis found out he was one of the 16, it was a surprise.

"I was jumping up and down," he said. "It's definitely a really big thrill."

Before he knew it, Chahalis was being affixed with a microphone and interviewed on camera, which was a slightly nervewracking experience.

"They do it so quick, you're not even really ready for it," Chahalis said.

Though he may not have been ready to speak on camera to be seen by millions of viewers, Chahalis was ready to race. His first win came against another Mustang, landing him $1,000.

In the next round, contestants are able to wager as much as they choose of their winnings against their challenger. Chahalis bet $700 that he would beat Leonard Long, coowner of G-Force Racing Transmissions with his son, Mike, who also drove a Mustang. The wager turned out to be a wise one, as Chahalis captured another victory.

His next opponent drove a newer-model Pontiac Firebird, and wanted to wager $500 on the race. Chahalis agreed.

"Now, it's getting faster paced because there are less cars involved," he said.

The Firebird suffered from mechanical problems during the race, bringing Chahalis to yet another win.

The back-to-back "heads up" racing is not only hard on the cars, which typically enjoy a longer rest period between races. It's also hard on the drivers, who are going top speeds clad in heavy fire suits, all the while trying to perform at their best to take home the prize, Chahalis said.

"You end up sweating like no tomorrow," Chahalis said. "So it gets intense real quick."

With the competition whittled down to Chahalis and Emilio Giano of Connecticut, who drove a Plymouth Duster, the event became as intense as it could get. The two vied for the best of three races to win the grand prize. Chahalis won the first, but was defeated in the second and third races.

Chahalis' winnings were no small potatoes, however. He took home $2,200, along with a big trophy.

Though Lorie and the children could not be there, they watched a live video feed on Speed TV's Web site. They were left in suspense at the end, though, when they encountered problems with the video during the final challenge, Chahalis said.

Along with his family's encouragement and well-wishes, Chahalis had his own cheering section at the event. Each racer was allowed to bring four people to help prepare their car and check things like tire pressure between races. Chahalis brought four longtime friends, all racing fans themselves. Sodano was there, along with Stan Pachonski, Brian Friedentag and Mike Mohring. Chahalis' brother-in-law, Albert Burd, who helped extensively before but had to watch from the stands, also helped cheer him on.

According to Chahalis, all of the men are involved in NMRA racing, and tried unsuccessfully to register for the "Pinks All Out" event. Friedentag made it into a secondchance registration event, which allowed the overall winner to register, but was eliminated after the second round.

Chahalis expressed thanks to his family and friends for their support, and to Raceway Park for hosting the event.

Though many who are not involved in racing might focus on the dangers involved, Chahalis said he was not concerned about possible injury. Raceway Park and NHRA have strict regulations concerning safety equipment, and drivers are strapped in tightly to ensure further safety, Chahalis said.

"Of course, anything can happen, but you could do that crossing the street," Chahalis said.

Lorie and the children are more enthused about the sport than concerned, Chahalis said, as they are all fans themselves. He said their daughters are old enough to get involved in junior dragsters, and it is something in which they may become involved.

When the show airs at 9 p.m. tonight, Chahalis' coworkers from the New Jersey Turnpike Authority all plan to tune in, along with other friends and family members. He and Lorie considered having a watching party, and then decided to tape it and do that another time. Instead, Chahalis will be among those he most loves, who also happen to be his biggest fans.

"We're just going to hang with the kids," Chahalis said.