Route 66 Motorsports

JAMES VALENCIA

SPOTLIGHT ON JAMES VALENCIA James Valencia is a local businessman who chooses to spend his leisure time building, showing and racing drag cars. Tara is James wife and they have a six-year-old son named Antonio. New Mexico wasn’t always home. Originally James lived in San Antonio Texas where he grew up and got involved in the automotive field. There have been five project cars fabricated for other people by James in the last ten years. Fabricating drag cars is his passion which he hopes to transition to a career now that drag racing is returning to the Albuquerque area. James received inquiries from seven different people at the SUPERNATIONAL car show about building them a car. He also received the
	acknowledgement of THE ROUTE 66 COMMUNITY MULTIPLEX FUNDRAISING COMMITEE when they selected his El Camino as their favorite car of the show. Besides plans to expand J & T AUTOMOTIVE that is currently in Rio Rancho on Southern, he is planning to build a JR DRAGSTER for Antonio. This could spell bad news for the competition.James did not get to drag race in San Antonio. His first official drag race was in Albuquerque. Although he lost the race he was instantly hooked. The car was a 1978 CAMARO RS .The first meet win came 3 years later in the SPORTSMAN class driving that same CAMARO which ran 12.1 seconds at 118 mph. He still knows the owner of that CAMARO.
When asked if money and time were not an object what pro class would you run? His response was quick "PRO STOCK"! Attending 20 national drag meets put him in contact with Jeg Coughlin who James says is his favorite driver and team .At one event Jeg invited James into the trailer during lunch where they had a lengthy conversation. When you go to the ditch banks in the area what do you find, bottle tops, empty sardine cans, things that won’t be mentioned here? Well the ditch bank is where James fished out his current drag car which is a 1965 El Camino (see before photo). From the ditch bank to award winning form took 2 years (see after photo). It would have been completed in one year according to James if the drag strip in Albuquerque had not closed 6 months after he started the project. The closure just robbed him of the enthusiasm for the project. After completion the El Camino was taken to Super Chevy at THE STRIP. It was also taken to Denver	VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS • 1965 El Camino Full-Tube Chassis • 498 C.I. Big Block Chevy • 871 Blower • Eagle Rods • Cola Crank • Keith Black Pistons 8.5 to 1 • G.M. Rectangular Fully Ported Cylinder Heads • 2x950 CFM H.P. Series Carbs • Dedenbear 2-Speed Transmission with brake • 1 _ primary tube headers to 4 _ exhaust • Complete MSD digital ignition • Complete Barry Grant Fuel System • Autometer Pro-Comp. Gauges • Strange Differential with 40 Spline Axles • Spool with 4:88 Pro Gears