Now that everyone in the racing world has been able to view the 2006 UPS Race the Truck commercials, it's time to take a look under the hood of what is now known as the UPS Race Truck. The truck featured in the 2006 commercials certainly looks the same as the familiar big, brown trucks that make deliveries to various neighborhoods, businesses and sporting events across the globe. Looks, however, are where the similarities stop.
Making its first public appearance at the annual Lowe's Motor Speedway Media Tour event at Robert Yates Racing in late January, many media members were intrigued by the engine under the hood of the vehicle. Specification sheets were distributed which explained the modification and effort that went into the production of the UPS Race Truck.
Built for speed and precision, the UPS Race Truck utilizes many of the same components that are used in NASCAR competition in order to obtain optimal performance. The body of the package car was left unchanged but the interior features many of the same parts found in a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series car including roll cage, Kevlar-lined fuel cells, and a custom racing seat with the five-point harness and window netting.
Under the direction of Mike Ryan, professional stuntman and owner of Picture Vehicles Unlimited, a team of specialists from around the country was assembled at Anthem Motors Racecar fabrication shop in Phoenix, Ariz. to start what was estimated to be a four-week project of making over the UPS package car. Among the team of specialists were former NASCAR mechanics, stunt vehicle prep experts, and Ford Racing engine specialists. Regarded as one of the best truck build/operators in Hollywood, Ryan set out on a daunting task and actually beat the deadline for completion by two weeks.
Production on the UPS Race Truck started on October 12th, with Ryan first procuring the iconic bubble-nose UPS package car that would be converted into a full-fledged high performance vehicle. After realizing the magnitude of a project that required the conversion of a 20-year old, 250,000-mile delivery vehicle, Ryan determined that the project required a complete restoration in which the only parts of the original truck that could be kept were the body and frame rails.
The most noticeable change to the vehicle was to the compartment under the hood - the engine. The truck features a 514 cubic-inch factory constructed Ford SVO crate motor that puts out 620 horsepower and 700 pounds of torque. The addition of a two-stage nitrous oxide injection system allows the truck to reach more than 800 horsepower, which enables the vehicle to perform a low-gear burnout and an estimated top speed of 140 mph.
The truck's body instability was a concern, so the team prepared the vehicle with a custom built Watts Linkage, Detroit locker and coil over shocks in the rear end. The front axle is custom fabricated with two degrees of negative camber and there are four-wheel disk brakes, as well as a modified power steering mechanism for added control during stunt maneuvers.
While the project required many sleepless nights and presented countless obstacles, the team was able to perform a successful engine test on October 28th, which then allowed the team to load the vehicle on a flatbed vehicle for a road test in Atlanta, Ga. The end result was a vehicle that has wowed and impressed most in the NASCAR community, including the individual for which it was built.
"I actually drove this truck when we did these commercials over at Nashville and it was pretty incredible," said Dale Jarrett. "I don't know if you can tell from the commercials because with editing they can make things appear different but it's pretty amazing just how much speed they built into the truck. You can talk about something in theory and see it on paper but when you see it in person and actually drive it then you're a little blown away. So it's definitely a head turner."
"They've still got a little work to do aero-wise on it," Jarrett added. "But it's pretty fast with the engine they put into it. It just goes to tell you that there's a lot that can be done when you have the right people working on the project."
