Profile Draft

World Championship Drag Racer Danny Scott

Oil under his fingernails, perfectly combed silver grey hair, a pair of black jeans, a collared shirt with the name CMI-Schneible embroidered on it, and a big white smile Ex-World Champion Drag Racer Danny Scott was more than happy to explain his great racing achievements. Years and years of street and professional racing have helped develop Danny Scott into the great competitor and wonderful human being that he is today. Father of two girls, Suzan and Rebecca, husband to a loving wife Suzan, as well as friend and mentor too many, Danny Scott has been an all around amazing man, on and off the race track.
Picked #1 by Hot Rod Magazine’s 25th Anniversary Edition as their “Top Ten Car over the past 25 years,” “One of the Fastest Street Cars in America” Award in 1991, 1992, and 1993, 1999 Pro Street Champion, and helped establish the fastest car racing series, in the past Danny Scott was very familiar with being on top. The famous car that Danny Scott built was a 1966 Chavelle. Danny Scott’s race car is teal, with a hood scoop that houses the 638 cubic inch engine, put together with custom stainless headers and airflow research heads, and right around 2100 horsepower with three stages of NOS (Nitrous Oxide System). This car was able to do a quarter mile in around six seconds at around 220 mph, when tuned to perfection. In comparison, the 2007 corvette, with its 427 cubic inch engine, produces 505 horsepower, and is able to do a quarter mile in 11.7 seconds at 125 mph. Understanding how fast Mr. Scott’s really was is impossible, but he was able to describe the feeling to me.
He started by describing the preparation that goes into racing before the racer gets into the car. As we all know race car drivers are at extreme risk when they are traveling at such fast speeds, so it is only logical that making sure that all the safety precautions are taken before he even steps into the car. He described how he would meticulously put on his fire retardant suit, check to make sure that the engine was in perfect condition, and make sure that the parachute was packed and ready. Once he had gone through his safety check list, then mental preparation begins. He explained how he would visualize the way he was going to release the line lock when the light turned green on the tree (The tree is what they call the lights saying when to go). He would think about at 8000 rpm’s he is going to shift from first gear to second. He remembers what it feels like when his world class car jumps off the line and charges down the race track. Finally, he visualizes the win, something that he had become accustomed to.
Once it is time for him to get into the car, his mind was very clear and focused. With a machine as powerful as his, nothing and no one else matters, it’s just him and the car. He talked about how when he was racing it was never to beat the other guy, but more of he was racing himself. Sitting in the car, waiting to do his burn out before the race, he would often talk to himself reminding him what needs to be done in order to be safe and win the race. If the car was to jump out of the grooves on the track, if the engine was to blow up, or if the parachute was to not open, all of these meant that Mr. Scott could be severely injured or even killed. “Of course, that’s what this sport is all about, you try to be as safe as possible, but even the unexpected should be covered,” says his racing buddy Rick Dyer. Rick Dyer a fellow racer, good friend, and inside contact for me, really had some great words to describe Danny Scott. He said that “although Danny maybe a quiet guy for the most part, he was a fierce competitor in his own right.” Always looking for an edge against the competition both Danny Scott and Rick Dyer has been good friends and drag racing legends for quite sometime.
Danny Scott is now the Chief Engineer and Technical Advisor, for the multi-million dollar corporation CMI-Schneible, which has a muscle car division known as Detroit Muscle. Although his actual racing time has long expired, his involvement with the racing industry is still very much a part of his life. He is the expert advisor to the entire engine building division of Detroit Muscle, and pretty much the guy that gives each car the final inspection before it is handed over to another satisfied customer. Being the racing legend that he was, it is not surprising that people still come to him for drag racing advice, ways to improve engine power, and of course, to hear about the days when he was a champion.