“Sweet Pea” - Alexis Zarate’s 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
Photo Credit - OPTIMAL PHOTOGRAPHY by Noah Sanders
When one thinks of family heirlooms, many things may come to mind; jewelry, recipes, scrapbooks, timepieces. However, for Alexis Zarate, of Lubbock, Texas, her three-generational family heirloom is one with four wheels, her 1969 Chevrolet Camaro nicknamed “Sweet Pea”. Originally purchased by her father, David as a teenager 38 years ago, the Camaro was enjoyed for decades by her grandfather who cruised it as a street car, her father who both bracket raced and daily drove the car, and now Alexis, who has radically transformed this family treasure into a rubber-burning stock bottom end (SBE) drag car.
When Zarate was just a year old, her father decided that the Camaro would one day be hers. As a child, she excitedly watched her dad bracket race the car, knowing that she’d soon be the one behind the wheel impressing crowds at the strip. At the age of 15 and with the support of her parents, she made the ambitious decision to graduate high school the next year so that she could attend automotive school and pursue her passion of drag racing.
Zarate began the rebuild of “Sweet Pea” in 2020. When she first got the car from her father, it was set up for a conventional small block nitrous boosted engine, though the car didn’t have a motor at the time. Inspired by boyfriend and SBE world record holder, Jack Roberts, Zarate pivoted from the car’s previous setup to a twin turbo 4.8l LS SBE .
Zarate went to work under the hood, installing a stock GM 4.8l LS block with factory 8:5:1 pistons and rods and a stock crank, leaving the whole bottom end in factory condition. She then added 225 cylinder heads from Don Hardy Race Cars, stock rocker arms and a Brian Tooley Racing camshaft. The LS was then equipped with a Holley Hi Ram intake manifold and a Holley Terminator EFI ECU ignition, masterfully tuned by Jack Roberts of Squirrel Tuned Performance Parts. To maximize power output from this mostly stock block, Zarate added twin cast S366 Borg Warner turbos with a Nitrous Express nitrous kit employed to accelerate the spool from the turbos. A Snow Performance multi-pump universal fuel hat with a relay module was also added to allow for optimal fuel delivery based upon power needs. In addition, she installed a set of up and forward Stainless Works headers. Continuing with drivetrain upgrades, “Sweet Pea” was equipped with an FTI Performance powerglide transmission, rebuilt by Ben’s Transmissions in Monahan, Texas. A Circle D Specialties 252mm bolt-together torque converter and a GM 12 bolt rearend rounded out the drivetrain modifications.
With a whopping output of 1,330HP from this SBE LS after the performance upgrades, Zarate knew that improvements to the chassis to withstand the rigors of drag racing were imperative. As such, she equipped the front of the Camaro with Viking Performance double adjustable coilovers and Aerospace Components disc brakes, and in the rear she installed Calvert Racing leaf springs and CalTracs traction bars along with Viking Performance shocks.
The well-sculpted body lines, strong stance, and V-canted grill of the 1969 Chevy Camaro give the car a profound aesthetic edge over other muscle cars of its time. However, the custom paint and artistic flair of Zarate’s “Sweet Pea” Camaro elevates the car even further. Sharp blue flames, beautifully overlaying the dark base color, were skillfully painted by Zarate’s father and his friends over twenty years ago. In addition, the hood features a painted image of Stitch, from “Lilo & Stitch”, who appears to be hanging on to the hood for dear life. Weld Racing 5-spoke AlumaStar wheels and Mickey Thompson tires further enhance the appearance of Zarate’s Camaro.
The barren interior of “Sweet Pea” is a stark contrast from the eye-catching exterior of the car. Devoid of typical interior comforts such as carpet, door panels, and a backseat, the cockpit of Zarate’s Camaro was undeniably modified for the sole purpose of drag racing. Featuring a pair of Kirkey Racing seats, RaceQuip seatbelts, a 7” Holley dash for gauges, a TCI Automotive shifter, Painless Performance track rocker wiring, and an 8.50 mild steel certified cage, the interior is well-equipped for hitting the track.
With the dream of transforming her treasured family heirloom into a highly competitive drag car realized, Zarate has astonished those in racing scene by claiming the title of the sixth fastest SBE 4.8l in the world with a 5.24s 1/8th mile time at 135mph with a 1.28s 60ft. What’s even more staggering, is the fact that she’s achieved this feat in “Sweet Pea” with a hefty weight of 3,475lbs.
Photo Credit - Auto Focus DFW
Zarate competes in primarily heads-up, no-prep 1/8th mile racing, although she did claim a first place victory in the 1/4 mile Street Car Takeover running the Queen of the Track Class in North Carolina in 2023. Other notable accomplishments include raking in the honor of runner-up in the Discovery Channel’s Street Outlaws Locals Only race at the former Bandimere Speedway near Denver, Colorado. Most commonly, Zarate and her Camaro can be seen heating up the competition at Lubbock Dragway and Amarillo Dragway in Texas, and Hobbs Motorsports Park in New Mexico. Yet, of all the tracks she’s raced at, Zarate’s favorite is the Yello Belly Drag Strip near Grand Prarie, Texas. This track, according the Zarate, is a bucket list track for many drag racers and she emphatically shared that the track is “worth the hype”.
Zarate plans to continue racing “Sweet Pea” and squeeze every possible ounce out of her SBE LS before the motor gives out. With the intention of running more true street classes, hitting Sick the Mag’s Sick 66 drag-and-drive this fall and pounding the pavement at radial tracks, Zarate hopes to earn additional wins before the LS takes its last breath. While she doesn’t yet have a plan of what’s she’ll replace the engine with when that time comes, she knows one thing for sure, “Sweet Pea” will be even faster than it is today.
Though Zarate accomplished the vast majority of the build on her own, she also credits her father, David, and boyfriend, Jack Roberts, for their love and support as they’re always willing to lend a hand with whatever she may need as she continues to pursue her passion for drag racing.