The afternoon air at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has a specific flavor. It is a mix of high-octane exhaust, burnt rubber, and the desert heat beginning to shimmer off the asphalt. As you walk through the pits at Musclecars at the Strip, you see a lot of high-dollar builds, but some cars have a soul that stops you in your tracks.
As I drove into the pit area on my way to Vegas Drift, I spotted a bright orange 1972 Dodge Dart sitting right in front of the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. Any car enthusiast could tell it was set up as a drag car, but people who really know cars will notice it was like a time machine. Right after I snapped these photos, the owner of the vehicle drove away, right after I complimented him on the paint job and hand painted lettering and gold-leaf work. He told me he got it done by a painter in Southern California (he mentioned the painter by name and said they were either in San Dimas or Pomona. I can’t remember the city, sorry). He was friendly and seemed like he would have spoken to me longer, but was in a hurry to drive away from the Vegas sign ASAP. I think he had to get back to the staging lanes to race again with his group.
When I got home, I looked through my photos of the car and searched Google for “Do It Now Racing Dodge Dart.” I found out the owner of the car was Dave Sprague, who built the car as a tribute to his late brother, Bob Sprague. In the world of drag racing, cars often carry the weight of personal history and heritage. This makes this Dart more special than a run of the mill drag car.
The 1972 Dart was one of the final years for the classic aggressive styling before the bumper regulations of the mid-70s changed the silhouette. These cars are favorites for DIY mechanics because the engine bay is surprisingly accommodating for such a compact footprint. They are light, relatively simple to work on, and they hook up at the line with the right suspension tweaks.
Big Block Power and the 727 TorqueFlite
While many Darts left the factory with the reliable Slant-6 or a 318, Dave’s car is playing in a different league. Tucked under the hood is a stroked big block that has been massaged to put out 567 horsepower. That is a massive jump from the factory ratings of the early 70s.
Getting that much power to the ground requires a drivetrain that can handle the abuse of a sticky track and the Hoosier drag slicks. Dave relies on the legendary 727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission, the gold standard for heavy-duty three-speed automatic transmissions. Introduced in 1962, this Chrysler legend earned its reputation for being nearly bulletproof behind both small-block and big-block V8 engines. It is widely considered one of the most robust transmissions ever built. When paired with a big block, it provides the kind of violent, consistent shifts needed to keep a car in the low 10-second range.
A solid 10-second pass is the benchmark for a serious street-strip car. You can see the evidence of this across the body of the Dart. I showed our resident classic Mopar aficionado Kelly Doke photos of the car, and he pointed out what he guessed to be a LO23 Hurst Super Stock hood scoop on the car.
When I drove by the Dart in the paddock area, I didn’t see Dave, so I couldn’t get an engine bay photo, but the hand painted lettering on the side of the car gave me clues as to what lurks underneath. Stahl Headers handle the massive flow of exhaust, while a set of Hoosier slicks provides the bite needed to launch. Inside the engine bay, components from companies like Isky Cams (RIP Ed Iskendarian) and MSD, and Edelbrock are common staples for a build like this, ensuring the engine can survive the high RPMs of a quarter-mile sprint. The “A/FX” lettering on the rear pillar gives a nod to the Altered Factory Experimental days, a golden era of drag racing that defined the look and feel of modern muscle.
California Hot Rod Reunion Presented by Good Vibrations Motorsports @Famoso Dragstrip
Just take a look at Dave’s Dart taking flight, captured by Drag Strip Action! Hell yeah!
The enthusiast community surrounding the Dodge Dart is one of the most dedicated in the aftermarket ecosystem, and seeing Dave’s car staged in the Las Vegas heat makes it easy to see why. These A-Body Mopars remain a top choice for builders because they offer a nearly perfect power-to-weight ratio once you swap in some serious iron. Reliability is always a moving target in a dedicated race car, but the combination of a overbuilt big block and a bulletproof 727 makes for a setup that can take a beating pass after pass. Ultimately, “Do It Now” is a reminder that the best builds aren’t just about the timeslip; they are about the history we carry with us and the people we honor every time we staged at the lights.
:: Antonio Alvendia
Instagram: @AntonioSureshot • @MOTORMAVENS
www.antoniosureshot.com
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