GH racer breaks record on Pinks All Out TV show

Garrett Richards goes 226 mph in 6.61 seconds in quarter-mile race

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

Pinks All Out, a popular TV show on the Speed channel, has a new fastest car, and it’s owned by Garret Richards of Gig Harbor.

The show, which has aired for three years, has pitted about 12,000 of the fastest muscle and hot rod vehicles on a quarter-mile track to race for cash and prizes.

The show originally put two racers on the track. Whoever won would take the opponent’s pink slip.

Now, the Pinks main event features in a bracket of 32 vehicles. The winner receives a tool chest valued at $10,000, plus air time.

But then there’s the pro-street competition. That race featured pro-street vehicles, which do not have engine restrictions like the 32-bracket races.

Two weeks ago, Richards and his crew were in the Quick 8 at Pacific Raceways in Auburn. They set a Pinks record by going 226 mph in 6.61 seconds in a Chevy Silverado-bodied race truck with a 3,000-horsepower engine.

When the clutch let out, Richards’ front end lifted and he felt 2 1/2 Gs when his motor went from 0 to 180 mph in 4.2 seconds.

“It was really cool to be on the show,” said Richards, who graduated from Gig Harbor High School in 1990. “They had almost a sold-out crowd at Pacific Raceways.”

The Silverado, which is more expensive than some houses, has progressively gotten faster. The crew began pro-category racing in 2001.

“Pro-street came from street racers,” Richards said. “We don’t promote it (street racing) and are against it. We say, ‘Bring it to the track.’ It’s just grown from there.”

The team hopes to enter some national competitions with the 3,000-pound Silverado. They believe that, with the right conditions, they can reach even higher speeds and break more records.

“We knew we had a good shot of doing it if we didn’t have any problems,” Richards said. “We had blown a motor up in Canada, which was a pretty big setback.”

It was during the second pass when Richards set the record. He was racing against a 1963 Corvette.

Richards is the owner of Total Performance racing, a repair shop in Tacoma.

Growing up racing cars

Richards, 39, has lived in Gig Harbor since 1975. As soon as he graduated from high school, he started Total Performance Repair.

Richards learned about drag racing from his father, who raced when Richards was a kid.

Richards said his passion was to be a mechanic, and he always loved hot rods.

Richards quit turning wrenches in the 1990s and now focuses on manages his business.

Still, he gets nervous when he puts on his fire suit, gloves and other equipment before a race. The Silverado has more than 400 runs, but he said anything can happen in a blink of an eye.

“It’s a little nerve-racking,” Richards said about the anticipation.

Racing technology

Richards’ best friend, Brent Yaeggy, the crew chief, is the mastermind behind maximizing the Silverado’s speed. Yaeggy graduated from Gig Harbor High School in 1988 and lives in University Place.

Racing technology isn’t a new skill for Yaeggy, who has been tinkering with engines and trying to get vehicles to go faster since he and Richards were in high school.

“It’s a real technical feat to get one of these high-horsepower cars go down a track,” Yaeggy said. “It’s like going over thin ice with 100-pound spikes.”

The truck’s first pass topped out at 205 mph in 6.81 seconds. Yaeggy immediately knew how to make it go faster. He uses several onboard computers that control horsepower, timing and fuel settings through his laptop computer.

Yaeggy managed to squeeze about 15 additional mph in the second pass, which set the record. He said technology plays a huge role in pinpointing how to make dragsters go faster.

“Twenty years ago, it was about having a gut feel, but now there’s a lot of onboard computer systems,” he said.

Yaeggy and Richards have been friends since they were young. Yaeggy said his primary responsibility is setting up the car to be safe for Richards.

“No. 2 is maximizing performance within the conditions available,” he said. “You assess track conditions, a bunch of little adjustment knobs, and figure out how to maximize the potential of the car.”

Richards’ Chevy Silverado race truck

Ran a quarter mile in 6.61 seconds (Pinks All Out record)

Topped out at a record 226 mph

About 12,000 cars have raced on the show.

Uses a 3,000-horsepower, blown-alcohol engine (no nitrous).