Photos by John Sears

You may remember an article we ran a few months back about a beautiful Chevy Malibu race car that was in the process of being completely redone. The stunning machine, owned by Todd Geisler, finally hit the race track with its new look, and the finished product is truly impressive.

Todd has been working hard putting the final touches on his ride and just got it all finished. It’s first outing was at the Maryland International Raceway to do some testing., and the initial results are pretty astounding when you consider all of the changes the car has undergone. On the very first pass off the trailer, the Malibu went 5.273 at 130.85 MPH with a nice 1.182 short time.

Several runs were made in the heat of the day but the tires spun with the 135 degree track temperature. Once the track started to cool off, Geisler’s numbers improved by a few hundredths, with a best lap of 5.231 at a speed of 130.90 MPH. Below are the runs in order and the incrementals:

1.214 60′
5.347 660′
129.44 mph

1.201 60′
5.268 660′
130.52 mph

1.154 60′
5.231 660′
130.90 mph

The engine in Geisler’s Malibu a naturally aspirated 582 cubic inch big block Chevy with conventional heads that made 1,056 horsepower at 7500 rpm and 811 ft/lbs of torque at 6000-6500 rpm. This is with a cast intake and a single four barrel carburetor on race gas. The car features an upgraded stock suspension and the tire of choice is a 275/60/R15 Drag Radial. Todd runs a powerglide transmission with a 1.80 first gear ratio and a 6500 stall 8-inch torque converter.  The rear gear ratio is a 4.11. The shifter is pulled in the 8000 rpm range. This machine will be running in the new Ultra Street class and is right around the 2900 lb. minimum weight requirement for this combination.

Those hits off the trailer would put this car right there with the front runners in the Ultra Street class and the 1.15 sixty foot time is outstanding. Keep an eye on this car and see if it can handle the power adder cars in the class.