To say Steve Matusek, President of Aeromotive, is excited about the upcoming 2010 NHRA season would be an understatement. Matusek envisions a very successful future brought about by a unique collaboration.

When his new Larry Larson built, 2010 Ford Mustang, destined for the GSA NHRA Pro Mod series, rolls onto the track with Roush-Yates Racing Engines emblazoned on the door panels, Matusek believes it will definitely turn heads.

Packed between the fenders will be an engine Matusek believes will be the most potent he’s ever had in his career. And, it will be chock full of NASCAR technology, aimed at taking the newest NHRA professional division, Pro Modified, to the next level and then some.

To say Steve Matusek, President of Aeromotive, is excited about the upcoming 2010 NHRA season would be an understatement. Matusek envisions a very successful future brought about by a unique collaboration.

When his new Larry Larson built, 2010 Ford Mustang, destined for the GSA NHRA Pro Mod series, rolls onto the track with Roush-Yates Racing Engines emblazoned on the door panels, Matusek believes it will definitely turn heads.

Packed between the fenders will be an engine Matusek believes will be the most potent he’s ever had in his career. And, it will be chock full of NASCAR technology, aimed at taking the newest NHRA professional division, Pro Modified, to the next level and then some.

The possibilities send a chill up his spine.

“There's more to it than just the race car,” Matusek explains. “I mean it's two companies coming together, it's a collaborative effort. They're trying to get more into the drag race market; we're trying to get into the Cup market. We're gonna collaborate on products together, we're gonna share technology.

“You know when we get together with them they feel like they're learning something from us, which is really cool when you see a company with their stats and their technology and they feel like we have something to offer, that's exciting,” Matusek  said. “The racing’s fun, but you know these relationships and these opportunities are lifetime relationships. That's what really turns us on even more than the racing.”

The ground floor in this collaboration will be a 500-inch Ford Hemi; the same engine developed by new Ford convert Larry Morgan and Ford Racing. When it’s said and done, it will have the Roush-Yates signature on the end product.

“We’re just taking what Ford's developed for Pro Stock and we're gonna modify it, yet remain close to the same platform with the twin turbochargers,” Matusek said.

The engine will be alike, but quite different at the same time. One look under the valve covers will prove the point. He’s confident that this will be as large of a collaboration between drag racing and NASCAR as there is at this time.

“It’s gonna have the technology that they have picked up in NASCAR relating to valve train dependability and the reliability definitely crosses over. You're talking about materials, tolerances, ratios. You know a lot of science that they've learned over the years that will apply in this case, but it's kinda neat to see that technology come over to the drag race market as well."

When that happens, Matusek believes the Pro Modified division will be catapulted to the next level at a rapid rate. His new car, he confidently predicts, will be the start of the ascension.

“We've been very fortunate that we've aligned ourselves with the right people. I think we try to approach things the right way. I think we’ve earned our place to (this point) but you know, this is exceeding I think everybody's wildest dreams. And it's fun. I mean even in this tough economy, for us to dig out these positives and work together with the top people in our industry, it's real exciting. We still have to pinch ourselves every once in a while.”  

Matusek isn't claiming any instant victories. There will be plenty of hours put in at Larry Larsen Race Cars melding the chassis with the potential of an engine he believes will be in the 3,000 horsepower range. Then there is the issue of fitting the body.

“This body was designed for a Pro Stock car,” admits Matusek. “It’s tough to get the big tire under there and the big frame rail width it needs. There’s a lot of work going into making this body work with this application. This isn’t going to be cookie-cutter, there’s a lot of work that’s going to be involved here. It’s important that we preserve the look of the car but we need to make it stable for 250 miles per hour.”

Don’t be surprised if the one prophecy that turbo naysayers predicted emerges in the next few years, completely changing the face of Pro Modified racing. Even the most seasoned supercharger tuners warned back in 2004 when legislation was introduced to allow turbochargers into the class.

“If anyone gets the combination on one of those things [turbo], we’ll be chasing them,” noted supercharged Pro Modified tuner Chuck Ford warned in a 2004 interview with Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com.

That day might be closer than some think, especially since a few of the turbo hitters are comparing notes, a practice that wasn’t prevalent in years past.

“There's a lot of technology that we're sharing and I think that we're on the verge here of making, of creating something that is going to be really exciting and the next step for drag racing,” Matusek said.

When the reality sets in, Matusek believes Roush-Yates’ involvement might just be the tip of the iceberg with NASCAR engine builders migrating to the drag strip.

“You know they're all looking at expanding their businesses,” said Matusek. “With their core business struggling just like everybody's, they're looking at diversifying. They're looking at other ways to take their technology and transferring it into other markets. I think there's a movement for quite a few of the shops in North Carolina to start to take notice of the drag race market, the street performance market, and continue to add and develop new products that would satisfy those needs and take those markets to the next level.”

And that, Matusek believes, is the next level he keeps looking towards. It’s the big picture.