After Colby’s big block car had to sit out Mid Ohio, the Duntov team spent most of the summer going completely through the car getting it ready for Watkins Glen. Indianapolis was the seventeenth race on the car since Duntov did the original restoration, so it was time. The car got all new suspension bushings, new dry sump pump and lines, and the driveline was rebuilt from the clutch to the rear wheels. When Colby’s new spare ZL1 engine was installed, the restoration was complete and the car was ready for testing.

Even through Hallett is five hours from the shop, it is always Duntov’s first choice for testing. The team has thousands of laps on the circuit running both clockwise and counterclockwise. There are significant elevation changes and enough variation in turn radiuses to properly exercise the car and driver. At the end of the day, if the car is happy at Hallett, it is pretty much ready to race.

It was a perfect test day, and although it was Colby’s first time at the track, he made the most of the opportunity, and after a dozen sessions and a dozen adjustments, both car and driver were ready for Watkins Glen and the 2017 U.S. Vintage Grand Prix.