Can a 1985 S15 truck beat a new Shelby GT350 Mustang around a road course? That’s what Mike Finnegan is trying to find out with his good friends David Newbern and Mike Cotten. In this premiere episode of Faster With Finnegan, the guys use their Roadkill ingenuity to add major speed to their beater to see if they can out run Randy Pobst piloting a 526-horsepower pony car. Will they be able make their truck competitive with only a few bucks and a couple days of wrenching, or will they fail in glorious fashion? Either way they’ll teach you some new tricks and have fun along the way as Faster With Finnegan adds an all-new show to the Roadkill family.
The Draguar has met its match, or has it? On this episode of Faster With Finnegan, Mike Finnegan, David Newbern and Mike Cotten take on Youtuber, internet legend and drag racer Cleetus McFarland in a match up for the ages! This time the guys are drag racing the blown 383 small block Chevy powered ’74 Jaguar XJ 12 Draguar against their newly purchased stock 302 Windsor V8 powered 1986 Ford Thunderbird. How do you make the T-Bird competitive? Add a 6-71 Blower of course! And if you’re Finnegan and the guys, don’t bother with ring gaps, better heads or anything else. Will the T-Bird survive all that boost, watch now and find out!
There is nothing a 1985 Corvette can’t do, it’s literally the Swiss Army knife of vehicles…well at least when you’ve unbuilt it into Roadkill’s Vette Kart. Over the years the Vette Kart has proven itself worthy on the autocross, big track, dragstrip, sand dunes and stunt courses. Now Mike Finnegan, David Newbern, and Mike Cotten are testing the Karts Rallying capabilities against Champion Drifter Chris Forsberg and a fully built RallyPro Subaru WRX. Wil some suspension upgrades and other modifications prove the Vette Kart to be the ultimate utilitarian race car? Find out on this episode of Faster With Finnegan!
On this episode of Faster With Finnegan the guys try something outside of their wheelhouse as they take on a local racer at the West Georgia Mud Park in their big red K5 Blazer. After discovering many issues with the Blazer, Finnegan, Newbern, and Cotten decide the best way to add more power for cheap is a good ol’ LS swap. With a new powerplant and some water proofing will the Blazer tear through a muddy off-road course, or get stuck in the Georgia clay?
You’ve asked for it and now you got it! On this episode of Faster With Finnegan, the guys race Roadkill’s Nascarlo vs the Death Metal Charger. This time Finnegan, Newbern and Cotten “roshambo” for seat time to see which car is faster around a dirt oval. Spoiler alert: Finnegan wrecks the Nascarlo, but the guys vastly improve its nose while also adding speed to the DMC and have the time of their lives “goin’ left” on the old school track.
What happens when you take two drag racers off the pavement and put them on dirt? All sorts of awesome, that’s what. On this episode of Faster With Finnegan, John Andrade Jr., aka The Cutty from Street Outlaws, joins the guys in a messy battle between a ’75 dirt track Camaro and big-block-powered Toyota Mud Truck on a makeshift dragstrip down the center of a mud park. Can Finnegan, Newbern, and Cotten make the Camaro a contender and once again prove that American rear-wheel muscle is the best performing off-road race vehicle for sheer fun? Watch now and find out!
One crushed project means new parts for another. The guys take on a NASCAR stock car piloted by Corey LaJoie around Atlanta Motor Speedway. How? By recycling the supercharger from their wrecked T-Bird and slapping it on a '78 Ford Fairmont.
Yes, they're cheap, and yes, they can autocross and road race, but do you really ever want to be seen in a Miata? When it can hill climb like a UTV, the answer is yes! Newbern challenges Finnegan and Cotten to see if they can keep up with his Honda Talon UTV.
Newbern surprises Cotten and Finnegan with a visit to the sacred grounds of Dennis Anderson's Digger's Dungeon. The guys rebuild a busted-up mega truck and take on Finnegan's childhood idol in an unbelievable race against the creator of Grave Digger himself!
John Andrade Jr. is back for some redemption against Finnegan, Cotten and Newbern. Last season, the guys put him in a tiny truck and beat him in a mud drag race with the Dirt Track Camaro. Now Andrade has challenged them to see what they can do with a derelict and parted-out Mustang against his '79 Chevy Malibu.
Cotten challenges Finnegan and Newbern to some front-wheel-drive, high-school-antics-style racing. With three cheap import beaters to choose from, the guys hop them up, build metal skids to replace the rear wheels, and have the wildest race to date on FWF. Sparks will fly, but which will survive?
The LS-powered S-15 mini truck gets revamped as Finnegan, Cotten and Newbern fix what didn't work from the last time they raced Randy Pobst around a road course in a Shelby GT350. Will they actually get the nitrous to work? Yes, but will they beat the Mustang?
What happens when you buy a funny car on the internet and then try to race a 2,000-hp Top Eliminator Sand Drag car on DIRT? Finnegan, Cotten and Newbern find out when they transform a one-of-a-kind '73 Opel funny car into a dirt-roosting machine with a small-block 406 making 686 hp at the paddle tires!
Can Roadkill's Vette Kart get even better? Yes it can! The dream of long travel suspension on the "slightly modified" '85 C4 Corvette finally comes true for Finnegan, Newbern and Cotten. Brad DeBerti helps the guys figure out how to not "taco" the front end as they take on a Pro2 truck on an off-road short course.
Newbern, Cotten and Finnegan take a 1974 Cadillac with a 472ci V8 to a waterless boat race. What kind of race is that you ask? It's where you tether a boat to a car and drag it around a dirt track while trying to smash other racers' boats. The one with the most boat left in the end wins. What could go wrong? Read Less
Can a 2.3L 1980 Ford Pinto with 88 hp compete with a 1,000-plus-hp Ferrari 599 GTB? It's possible in drifting, because the sport is judged. Newbern and Cotten surprise Finnegan with a Pinto wagon and drift lessons from pro Formula Drift driver Federico Sceriffo, before adding a 396ci stroker engine and suspension mods.
Finnegan, Newbern and Cotten do some wheelie R&D to find out what it takes to put a 1978 GMC Class C motorhome's tires in the air. With the help of daredevil and pro wheelstander Mike Mantel, the guys take on the challenge of making dreams become reality.
The build continues as the motorhome's 400 V8 gets supercharged, and Finnegan, Cotten and Newbern attempt to make their '78 Class C GMC hang the tires in the air against pro wheelstander Mike Mantel and his Little Red Firetruck. The guys solid-mount the rear axle, shift weight and construct the largest wheelie bar we've ever seen, but will it all work?
Can a knockoff kit car beat a real Lamborghini? Newbern, Cotten and Finnegan attempt to beat a Lamborghini Gallardo for a fraction of the price. Armed with a beater Fiero-based Countach kit car, which looks good from far but is far from good, the guys drop in a new V8 and take on the Lambo in a series of track tests.
In the '90s, GMC gave us two rare AWD 4.3L turbo V6 versions of its small pickup and SUV in the form of the Syclone and Typhoon. But why didn't the minivan platform get the same love? Finnegan, Cotten and Newbern take on the high-perf GMCs by creating an AWD twin-turbo-powered ultimate soccer mom sleeper Safari van, the Momsoon.
The 1980 Chevy-V8-powered Ford Pinto wagon named Gretta is back! Newbern, Cotten and Finnegan attempt a time attack run at redemption for Gretta around a road course after suspension upgrades and handling mods. Our dear friend from Italy, Federico Sceriffo, brings back his now turbocharged 1,100-hp Ferrari 599 GTB to see who can lay down a faster lap.
There's nothing more grassroots than a fast mower. Newbern, Cotten and Finnegan take on professional lawn mower racer and land speed record holder Bobby Cleveland in a series of ridiculous races on some heavily modified mowers. These machines usually top out at under 5 mph, but what happens when the guys push them to 60 mph and beyond?
Finnegan, Cotten and Newbern find the perfect new challenge for their lifted '91 Mazda Miata convertible: a race over a frozen lake! After upgrading the broken rear end, the guys take on the International Ice Racing Association to see if they can hang with their blistering speeds around the ice.
Which build from this season is the best overall...or at least better than a three-cylinder? Newbern, Cotten and Finnegan see which project car handles the best on pavement and dirt against an unworthy competitor in a hilarious showdown. Will the Momsoon, Pinto, Funny Car, Maniata or Mower be victorious as all these project vehicles face off on the track?
What can you do if you can't afford a two-door, 2WD OBS Tahoe? Find a cheap 4WD Yukon and make it work! Cotten, Newbern and Finnegan tackle making a low-buck, but still decent-handling, version of an OBS Yukon by lowering it, upgrading the suspension, and fixing some performance issues.
Cotton, Newbern, and Finnegan learn how a simple suspension upgrade can become a house of cards; major snags are hit and overcome as they attempt to run an 8-second pass with their supercharged barn-find '67 Firebird known as the Rubber Duck.
The hill-climbing, ice-racing, nitrous-infused Man-iata is back! Cotten and Newbern take on Finnegan himself to see if they can beat him up the infamous Third Hill at Indian Mountain in the awesome sand drag truck known as the Drag-Kota.
It's not the size of the car that matters, it's how it's driven; Cotten and Newbern drastically improve the power-to-weight ratio of a teeny '72 Honda Z600 coupe in an attempt to set a record at MidPond Raceway.
Can vast performance improvements be made quickly and cheaply? Yes, and in this episode of Faster With Finnegan, David Newbern and Mike Cotten cut some serious lap time off a '68 Ford Torino GT as they take on a high-dollar Pro-Touring beast of a Chevy C10. In just two days the guys totally transform their "poor-touring" Torino into a low-buck contender around the autocross.
Mike and David revitalize their '78 Ford Flairmont; they're stepping into the ring and adding blown LS power to shred even more tires with Bill Goldberg and a Hellcat Redeye at Talladega.
David Newbern and Mike Cotten always have one goal in mind: to go faster. In this episode of FASTER with Newbern and Cotten, the guys try their hand at no-prep drag racing against Lyle Barnett and his turbocharged 1,500-hp “Beer Money” Mustang. After a naturally aspirated attempt in Newbern’s stock LS-powered '91 Mustang, the guys supercharge it and double their horsepower against Lyle.
For years, Pigpen, the junkyard rescued 1950 GMC truck from Roadkill, has sat dormant. Now the guys awaken a monster by donating the chassis of their own legendary 1985 S-15 in a body swap for the ages. With the addition of a 630-hp LS7 under the hood, they take on Randy Pobst at Atlanta Motor Speedway and bring new life to an old legend.
The motorcycle-engine-powered Honda Z600 coupe named Bozo is back! The guys convert their VTR100 SuperHawk-powered '72 Honda coupe into a micro sprint-inspired dirt-track ripper. Pro driver Taylor Reimer sets the bar in her 400-hp 1,000-plus-pound Toyota for the guys to compete with, but how close can Bozo get to her time?
There's nothing better than buying a cheap car and heading straight to the racetrack. The guys uncover a cop car racing series around the Ford Crown Victoria P71 Police Interceptor. With a handful of bolt-on upgrades, they turn their former police auction find into a road race ripper around Willow Springs. This much fun should be illegal.
The guys take on off-road Baja legend Cameron Steele on a brutal desert off-road course with a Baja Bug; they may be outmatched by Cameron's unlimited racing rig, but the addition of a 350 V-8 to their Bug closes a big gap.
When life gives you a Lambo ... lift it and throw it on 58-inch tires! The guys take their V-8-powered Pontiac Fiero–based Lamborghini Countach kit car known as the Scamborghini and give it a 6-foot lift. Why would you do that? To take on an insane wheelie-popping mud truck through what's known as a bounty hole, of course.
If transforming a car in two days sounds tough, try doing it in a parking lot. The guys take Dave's blown, big-block '57 Bel Air to compete in the autocross at Cruisin' the Coast in Mississippi. With a complete overhaul of the suspension in the event's parking lot, the guys find out how much lap time they can shave with a weekend's worth of work.
Off-road legend Cameron Steele warned the guys that a V-8 swap wouldn't cut as much time as a long-travel suspension could. Now Newbern and Cotten finally heed his advice, going all-out with major suspension upgrades to their Baja-inspired VW Beetle.
Can a stock Model A become a true hot rod and dragstrip contender? The guys take on top fuel's Clay Millican by transforming a Model A from the ground up. With a new chassis, suspension and fresh 400-hp 347ci V-8, this Ford improves in every way!
Newbern and Cotten discover a gem that's not your typical American muscle with a turbocharged Eagle Talon. It looks like an import, but don't be fooled. This thing rips! Shea Seefeldt challenges the guys on a rally course with his LS-swapped Subaru.
There's nothing better than a friend surprising you with one of your favorite cars. Newbern surprises Cotten with a mint 1984 G-body and an '80s-style, stock-car-inspired build to take on an actual former cup car around the circle track.
It's a revival for Cotten's Pro Street big-block 1980 Dodge Mirada, whose engine died on Roadkill. However, things don't go as planned as the guys attempt to add a giant blower and bigger tires, and bring the car back to the 1990s-era glory it had.
