Seven-time IHRA Alcohol Funny Car World Champion Mark Thomas will have a different look this season. The mop-topped farmer from Ohio will be the first drag racer to drive a 2008 Impala SS body in competition.

“There is another Impala SS out there, I know there is an NHRA driver who has one, but I don’t think he will be on the track before us,” Thomas said. “Other than that I don’t know of anyone else who has one. And you should see this thing…it is thoroughly wild. It looks like a Batmobile. The wind tunnel numbers on this thing are incredible so we’re expecting to be very fast.”

How fast? Well, Thomas has a number in mind.
Seven-time IHRA Alcohol Funny Car World Champion Mark Thomas will have a different look this season. The mop-topped farmer from Ohio will be the first drag racer to drive a 2008 Impala SS body in competition.

“There is another Impala SS out there, I know there is an NHRA driver who has one, but I don’t think he will be on the track before us,” Thomas said. “Other than that I don’t know of anyone else who has one. And you should see this thing…it is thoroughly wild. It looks like a Batmobile. The wind tunnel numbers on this thing are incredible so we’re expecting to be very fast.”

How fast? Well, Thomas has a number in mind.

“We really want to break the 250 mph barrier,” he said. “With how strong this class is and how hard the other teams have been working this winter I really think someone is going to break 250. We have the horsepower to do it, why not us?”

Thomas will bring most of his crew back from the last two seasons…seasons which saw him claim the IHRA championship. He did lose Brent Hickman, who went to work for Jeremy Mayfield’s NASCAR team.

“It was a great opportunity for Brent,” Thomas said. “I really wish him the best in a great situation.”

Thomas will not know exactly what he has in the new Impala SS until he arrives in San Antonio. He has no plans to test before the first Knoll Gas Nitro Jam event.

“The car is going to the paint shop this week and I guess our testing is going to be in San Antonio,” he said with a chuckle. “If I get a chance to make a pass before that we’ll make it happen, but this is how we did things last year and it turned out okay. We plan on having the new body in San Antonio and going with it. The only reason we might opt not to is because the first race is so tough and we know we have a good car with a good set-up from last year.”