Thanks to a racing format and set of rules carefully planned and carried out, John Sears’ X275 drag radial creation has become one of the most popular categories the sport has seen years, from both an entrant and spectator standpoint. Designed to keep costs in check and provide a great level of parity, X275 has appealed to cars of all makes and models, and from big blocks to small blocks, turbos to nitrous, and yes, even naturally-aspirated cars.
Case in point is Mike Barry’s 1965 Chevelle project, which has been under construction for some time and is now just weeks away from rolling into the waterbox. This classic Bowtie, built on a 25.2 spec chassis, is taking the road less traveled by going at the X275 class without a power adder of any form, other than shear cubic inches. 565 cubic inches of big block Chevrolet to be exact, with a pair of Dart Big Chief cylinder heads, all backed by a Wayne Rogers-built Powerglide transferred to a fabricated 9-inch rear housing.
Says Barry, “John Sears has made the rules atractive for naturally-aspirated cars, so I decided to make the effort and build toward this class. The car wont run at the front of the field, but it should run respectable enough to have fun with.” Upon completion, and as you can see being prepared in the photos, this sharp-looking Chevelle will be finished in the original Crocus Yellow colors.