THE SERIOUS BUSINESS OF FUNNY CAR AERODYNAMICS
With the introduction of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo
on the high-profile stage of professional Funny Car
competition in 2004, GM Racing reaffirmed Chevy’s
commitment to excellence in drag racing’s most
spectacular nitromethane-burning category. In its
first season in quarter-mile competition, Chevy’s
Monte Carlo Funny Car captured seven national-
event victories, advanced to 13 final rounds and
earned low qualifying honors six times. In 2005,
four Monte Carlo drivers finished in the top 10 in
the NHRA Funny Car standings: Tommy Johnson Jr.,
Tony Pedregon, Cruz Pedregon and Del Worsham.
GM Racing also developed a Monte Carlo body
specifically for the Top Alcohol Funny Car class,
which Bob Newberry drove to the 2005 TAFC championship.
“I’ve had more Top Alcohol Funny Cars than I can count, but the Chevy Monte Carlo is the
best I've ever raced,” said Newberry. “The construction of the Monte Carlo Alcohol Funny Car
body involved a four-part development team: GM Racing, Roush Industries, S & W and myself.
The body had to be approved by NHRA and could not be modified in any way after it came
out of the mold. That called for the development of an entirely new race car because there
wasn't a current, state-of-the-art Alcohol Funny Car body in competition. Starting with the
Monte Carlo that’s used in the nitro-burning Funny Car class, we were able to make some
modifications with the approval of the NHRA, and the result was an outstanding Top Alcohol
Funny Car body.”
A sophisticated street car with race-inspired styling, the Monte Carlo is a classic Chevy
nameplate. The strengths of today’s Monte Carlo make it one of America’s best-selling cars
in the midsize coupe market and the most successful NASCAR racer. Now the storied Monte
Carlo is taking its place among the legends of NHRA drag racing.
Work began to develop GM Racing’s vision of a Chevrolet Monte Carlo Funny Car in the
summer of 2003. The primary goals of the Monte Carlo marketing team and GM Racing
engineers were to