Sportsman Spotlight: Sabrina Pecora

Slide Show

Sabrina Pecora, Sonoma, CA, 1961 Volvo

Editor's Note: In this interview series called "Sportsman Spotlight," Summit Racing Equipment turns the spotlight on the unsung heroes who have been the heart and soul of the drag racing industry--sportsman racers.

Sonoma, CA native Sabrina Pecora could be drag racing’s equivalent of a stealth fighter. After all, by all appearances the 23-year-old and her red 1961 Volvo are your typical young professional with her sensible, classic two-door coupe. However, further investigation reveals that nothing could be further from the truth, as Sabrina is a dyed-in-the wool second-generation racer who is the terror of Infineon Raceway’s Wednesday night Test and Tunes, while her Volvo is far removed from its Swedish roots, hiding a powerful hot rod under its mostly stock skin.  

During the recently completed NHRA national event at Infineon Raceway, Sabrina’s Volvo was part of an impressive display of vintage hot rods organized by her father John, and Summit Racing Equipment took time to speak with her about her ride and her racing.

Summit Racing: Tell us a little bit about your car.

Sabrina: It’s a 1961 Volvo PV544 that my dad built for my uncle 10-15 years ago, which my uncle never used and gave to me when he moved. About the only Volvo parts on it are the body and the glass. It has a Chevy 350, a front coil-over suspension, a nine-inch Ford rear and a full funny car-style roll cage, with the chassis, suspension and cage all fabricated by my father. 

Summit Racing: How did you get started in drag racing?

Sabrina: I have always been interested in cars, and bought a 1970 C-10 pickup when I was 17 that I started racing at Infineon on Wednesday nights. When I first started, it would run in the 20’s. At this point, we’ve gotten it in the low 12-second range, which is as fast as it’s going to go, so I’m going to use the Volvo as the next step. We’re planning to put a new motor in it this winter to take things up a notch.

Summit Racing: You also do quite a bit of the work yourself.

Sabrina: Between my father and I, we have always done all the work on the cars ourselves. Although he can pretty much do it all, whenever something needs to be changed or breaks now, I’ll take advantage of the opportunity to learn how to do it, and continually do more of it by myself. For example, I built a 383 stroker motor for my truck last year pretty much on my own.

Summit Racing: Who was your inspiration or your role model?

Sabrina: I’ve always been interested in drag racing because you really don’t need to be a professional or have a lot of money to enjoy yourself and be competitive. If I had to pick one person it would have to be (Funny Car driver) Gary Densham, because of the way he runs his program, doing the best that he can with what he has, which is exactly what we do. 

Summit Racing: I understand you have quite the reputation as a driver here at Infineon.

Sabrina: Yes, I actually have had a hard time lately finding boys to race me. At first, they would look at me and think that it’s no big deal, but once I started beating them and they saw how I drive, they try to avoid lining up against me. 

Summit Racing: What are your plans for the future?

Sabrina: As far as the Volvo is concerned, this winter we’re going to drop in a 427-cubic inch Dart small block with Crower injectors coming through the hood and putting a two-speed ‘Glide in it.  Once we certify the roll cage, it should be able to go 9.90.  When it comes to my driving, I also want to keep going faster, and keep moving up the ranks.

Summit Racing:  What role has Summit played in the building of your race cars?

Sabrina: Summit Racing has been a big part of every car we have put together. For one thing, they stock so many high performance parts that you can’t get at your local auto parts store and their prices are very reasonable. On top of that, they provide you with all the necessary technical information to get the job done. Finally, they get everything to you right away, so your down time is kept to a minimum. They just make everything so easy for us.