Stewart Tuning Cory Mac for Rapisarda

February 3rd, 2012 by Drag Illustrated

Cory McClenathan (Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster; Click to enlarge)

Australian drag racing team owner Santo Rapisarda and his family are going to start off this year’s NHRA Full Throttle Series with a new crew chief and a different plan of attack.

Keith Stewart will tune the Santo’s Cranes Top Fuel dragster with Cory McClenathan driving, beginning with a test session this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team has been busy prepping their equipment for the past week and acquiring additional parts to begin pursuit of their first win in the United States and ultimately a chance to make it into the Countdown to the Championship this year.

With full funding by team owner Santo Rapisarda and his businesses, Santo’s Cranes, Uplift Cranes and sponsor Titan Cranes of Sydney, Australia, the team feels it is ready to put the next foot forward and stand alone on its own two feet. Stewart welcomes the challenge to be the sole tuner for the team and begin building his own program and alliance with a team of experienced Australian and American team members which includes Santo’s two sons, Santino and Santo Jr.

“It’s very flattering to get the nod from the Rapisarda family to become their crew chief,” Stewart said. “I am very happy they made the choice to go in their own direction this year, and the situation fits me perfectly because I want to tune my own race car my own way and see how we stack up against the rest of the field.”

Stewart brings with him multiple years of experience, including tuning positions for drivers David Baca and Doug Herbert, and he most recently assisted crew chiefs Jim Dupuy and Rob Flynn at Bob Vandergriff’s Top Fuel operation.

The team will base its operation out of Brownsburg, Ind., just outside the motorsports mecca of Indianapolis. The move will see the operation make a home in the same stretch of industrial park as drag racing icon John Force and a host of others.

Team owner Santo Rapisarda’s thoughts about the changes and upcoming season are simple: “I’m hoping that with the recent changes made, we will be able to become more competitive by running quicker and faster than we ever have before and hopefully win some rounds in competition.

“Keith and I have known each other since 2004; we met while I was purchasing a Kalitta car as he was working for that team at the time. He always presented himself as a well-mannered and respectable gentleman, the type of person I can work with. Keith seems to have the skills in order to run as I have mentioned and I’m excited to see some great results; also, he has a good ability to gel with our team which has raised the level of morale even before any racing has begun.”

As Santo often says about his drag racing endeavors, the team is doing this ” ‘for Louie.’ Everything I do in racing, I do for Louie.”

Louie Rapisarda, Santo’s son, was lost in a drag racing accident in July of 1990 at Willowbank Raceway in Australia. Since Louie’s passing, the family has raced in his memory and hopes to have a “feel good” year in NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel competition.