Prepping For Optima NCM Motorsport Park With Spectre Driver Rodney Prouty

Rodney Prouty’s 1968 Camaro RS, known as Plain Jane, is about to return to the track for its first Optima’s Search for the Ultimate Street Car Race of the 2016 season.

Rodney Prouty is no stranger to the pro-touring community nor is his 1968 Camaro RS named Plain Jane. The ’68 Camaro has been participating in local autocross and track events since 2009 including SCCA, the Goodguys Autocross Series, and a handful of Optima Ultimate Street Car events.

Routine maintenance and upgrades were in order for the Spectre sponsored Camaro before hitting the track, including new Spectre header gaskets and a Spectre Performance diff cover.

The new year brought a new look for Jane. The Spectre Performance-sponsored ’68 Camaro had not been driven since August of last year. With the race season closing in as spring approached, some much-needed maintenance was in order before the Camaro hit the track. Repairs like fixing a busted header, replacing the gaskets with Spectre Performance header gaskets, installing a new Spectre Performance differential cover and changing fluids were all in order before the upcoming Optima race.

This would be the Camaro’s first Optima event of the season, though this would not be Jane’s first time out this year. Suzy Bauter got behind the wheel of the ’68 Camaro to attend the Cruisin the Smokies event, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. After overcoming some problems with the car, Suzy was able to hit the autocross and shake down the car for the first time this race season. From there she joined the Road Trip Cars and Cones Tour only to have fuel pump problems that needed immediate attention. Once she successfully repaired the problem, Suzy competed the tour and arrived back home just in time to prepare for another race two weeks later.

Co-Driver Suzy Bauter had an opportunity to shake down the 1968 Camaro at Cruisin the Smokies, though a fuel pump problem left her fixing the car before the next race

Back in the garage, Rodney prepped the Camaro once again to hit the autocross for the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association Nashville, Tennessee show. Though competition was tough, Rodney placed in the top five overall in the Street Machine Class with less than a three second gap between him and the overall leader Mike Junior Johnson in his C3 Corvette.

The Spectre sponsored Camaro had a busy month in May, attending the Goodguys Nashville Autocross as well as the NSRA Autocross in Springfield, Missouri.

This was the first of two autocross events the Spectre-sponsored Camaro attended last month. Shortly after the Goodguys Autocross, the Camaro competed in another autocross at the NSRA Springfield, Missouri Show. This would be the first event where Plane Jane sported her new wheel/tire combo.

As the month of June came around, Rodney wasted no time prepping for his first Optima Series event for the 2016 season. Rodney has even gone as far as posting a series of pre-race preparation photos on social media. The photos have gone viral as they provide some much needed comical relief for the upcoming race. With only seven events left before the final showdown in Vegas, racers are preparing across the country for this weekend’s big event. Many have attended other Optima events, optimistic of winning an invitation to compete at the 2016 Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in November. For other drivers like Rodney, this will be their first time out on track for the 2016 season, though they too share the same goal in securing a spot to compete in Las Vegas at the end of the year.

As Rodney preps for the upcoming Optima race, he has taken to social media with several race-prep updates that have gone viral due to their comical twist on what to do before a race event.

Rodney has caught the attention of many social media followers as he continues to post updates on how he is prepping for the big event. The updates will most likely continue through the remainder of the week and into the race reminding racers that though competition is tough, having a good time is what the Optima series is all about.

We will continue to follow Rodney and Suzy as they compete in several different race series events throughout the 2016 season.

We will continue to follow Rodney, Suzy, and the other Spectre-sponsored drivers as they compete in several events across the country this race season. Updates will follow including the final results of the Optima NCM Motorsports Park race.

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