BRACKET BEATER

THERE’S A WELL-WORN adage in the racing world that runs along the lines of, “Speed cost money; how fast do you want to go?” For enthusiasts on a tight budget, that can be daunting — how can you be competitive on the drag strip if you can’t out-spend the Joneses? Ah, there are ways, as this veteran bracket racing champ 1966 Plymouth Satellite proves. The B-body Mopars of the mid-1960s were winners, right off the assembly line. Optioned with the 426 Hemi and RO23 “Super Stock” package, the 1967 Belvedere II was a formidable racer, and the red-white-and-blue, Sox & Martin Plymouth GTX electrified fans and dominated its class in Super Stock Eliminator. Those cars, and others like them, captured the imagination of a teenage Larry McLendon, and set a hook for nostalgic Mopar competition he’s still on today. “I started racing when I was 16 and got my driver’s license,” the Summerfield, Florida,