DRAG
RACING TEAM
The racing team is a volunteer unit of the Whittier
Police Department, working closely with community
relations. The team is comprised of three individuals:
Steve Welton - owner and driver of the car, Jay
Blackburn - crew chief and photographer, and Jim Murphy
- secretary and coordinator.
The team started doing the "Beat the Heat"
drag races in Pomona on street legal race days where
youths could challenge a law enforcement officer to a
race, attempting to really "beat the heat".
Attendance for the street legal days went from a few
cars and drivers to over 500. The team has been asked to
implement the same program at the racetrack in Irwindale
when it is opened later this year for legal street
racing. After being affiliated with the Whittier Police
Department and having received great positive feedback
from community leaders, the team has come to realize
what a tool the car really is, both for the department
and for the community.
The team's objective is to reach out to the at-risk
youth of today using high performance cars and drag
racing, showing that it is important to stay in school
and resist drugs. The team offers teens alternative
activities to crime and violence.
The car is indeed a real race car, it has about 700
horsepower and covers the quarter mile in slightly over
ten seconds with a speed of 130 mph. It is a 1964 Ford
Falcon with a 502 cubic inch motor, automatic
transmission and each rear tire is over 14 inches wide.
It will cover the first 60 ft in less than a second and
a half and will reach 103 mph in 6.6 seconds in 660
feet. |
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