The Honda-powered SpeedSTR made its debut earlier this year. Now at the end of the season, it has finally won, with Steven Drevicki (pictured on the outside) behind the wheel. He scored the victory at Action Track USA in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Since 2005, SpeedSTRs were powered solely by the 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder used in the Dodge Neon SRT-4. It was then outfitted with mechanical fuel injection from Kinsler.
“The lack of [engine] components pushed us to make a change to plan for the future,” said Rich Tobias, whose Speedway Entertainment builds the cars. “To keep up with the times, we decided to allow the turbocharged Hondas — one of the few four-cylinder engines that you can buy direct from a manufacturer.”
Specifically, the division now permits the K20C. You can find that engine in cars such as the Honda Civic Type R (2017-present) and Acura Integra Type S (2024-present). A new one costs $6800 directly from Honda. It puts out 380 horsepower, about 100 more than the Dodge.
“To equalize the field, we allowed the Mopar-powered cars to be 60 lb. lighter and the Hondas have to run 60 points less in gear,” Tobias said. “Those rules turned out to be a pretty good equalizer — the Mopar cars have won all the races except the last one.”
Drevicki had not raced a SpeedSTR since 2020. He typically competes in wingless 360 sprints. Tobias had asked him to drive one of his cars.
“The hardest challenge was that turbo lag that came with the Honda,” said Drevicki, of Reading, Pennsylvania. “I had to work through it in the heat race. Every time you lift and get back on the gas, there is a slight delay. The throttle did not have a snappy response. It changed the way I raced around people. I had to plan moves more carefully instead of being reactionary.”
Briggs Danner (pictured on the inside) challenged the Honda-powered SpeedSTR driven by Drevicki.
“We freed up the car so I could roll the corner smoothly without getting on and off the gas,” said Drevicki. “Carrying the momentum kept the lag under control. I was able to fend off Briggs’ challenges through a restart and at the end of the feature.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
