Multi-time Nostalgia Funny Car champion Jason Rupert has commissioned chassis builder Grant Downing to build a new 1969 Camaro for his 2015 title defense. And for the soft-spoken Rupert, he couldn't be any more excited.

"It's going to be a beautiful piece," said Rupert, the newly crowned IHRA Nostalgia Funny car champion. "Grant Downing is a heck of a fabricator. The fact that when Steve Plueger stopped building cars, he bought a Grant Downing car ought to tell you something. I am really excited and believe it is going to give us a performance advantage.

Multi-time Nostalgia Funny Car champion Jason Rupert has commissioned chassis builder Grant Downing to build a new 1969 Camaro for his 2015 title defense. And for the soft-spoken Rupert, he couldn't be any more excited.

"It's going to be a beautiful piece," said Rupert, the newly crowned IHRA Nostalgia Funny car champion. "Grant Downing is a heck of a fabricator. The fact that when Steve Plueger stopped building cars, he bought a Grant Downing car ought to tell you something. I am really excited and believe it is going to give us a performance advantage.

"Not that there was anything wrong with what we were running. We just wanted to change a few things, and I hope some of the tracks where we have a bit of trouble running on -- the new car might be the answer."

Rupert clearly understands the age-old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." However, having an advantage over the competition at the moment isn't comforting for Rupert.

"It's simple - everyone is catching up to us. You always run the risk of falling behind and I think we are doing the right thing, but you never know. I try a lot of things, and it doesn't work more times than not. But if you never branch out and try stuff, you're never going to get ahead."

Rupert's new Funny Car shell will feature very similar body lines to the one he employs on his current ride. He's not into the swoopy aerodynamics as much as he is into making his car recognizable.

"I really like this classic body, love the looks of it. It fits the modern chassis really nice," Rupert said. "It looks like a car. I think that's what Funny Cars should look like - cars. The big show cars, you could put headlights and taillights from a Toyota on a Mustang and most people wouldn't know the difference. The originality of the Nostalgia bodies, I believe, is one of the biggest draws for the class. You can have a '69 Mustang, '69 Camaro or a '79 Plymouth Arrow or whatever, and it looks like what it is supposed to be.

"In today's world, aerodynamics help but sometimes you need a little drag to keep the car planted. I think the 1969 Camaro body runs real well.  Both John Hale and myself run bodies with the aerodynamics of a brick."

The only difference, Rupert says, will be the body composition, which is built from carbon fiber.

"No changes to the look of the body, but it will be lighter," Rupert added. "This way my crew will stop complaining about the weight when they lift it up."

The new car is being built from a combination of his earned championship winnings and the eventual sale of his current ride, a proven winner.

"There was nothing wrong with the old car," said Rupert. "I just think this new one will be better."

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