I blew up a lot of stuff before making the very first 8-second quarter mile pass in my ’55 Chevy Bel Air. I also broke a lot of rules along the way. No joke— a bottle jack, duct tape, zip ties, and a length of chain all became instruments of repair to keep Blasphemi running hard as I twisted the needle on the tachometer past 9,000 rpm.

The Hemi under Blasphemi’s fiberglass hood hated it, but pushing the needle past redline was a necessary evil. It wasn’t cheap, it wasn’t pretty, but the feeling of motivating junk to run hard makes it all worth it. Ripping past the redline in everyday life isn’t easy but it’s what separates real gearheads from poseurs.

Grab the Redline Edition Jerry Rigg shirt and smash gas until you see smoke. Trust me.