"Daddy" Dave Comstock was a graduate of the Coopers Auto Tech program in 1991. Well known in the racing scene and most likely recognized from the Discovery Channel reality show Street Outlaws. In recent years, he has reached out to the Automotive programs at the Coopers campus to bring his drag racing vehicles in and to talk with students. Over the winter of this school year, he reached out to discuss a potential project. He built a Monte Carlo SS with over 1,460 horsepower. But the Florida sun took a toll on the paint job. So, he asked if our classes wanted to repaint the entire vehicle for him, a full color change from white to silver. We polled our students to gauge interest and discuss deadlines and work necessary (it needed to be completed by the end of the school year, which gave us 6 months). Students were all-in and excited for the opportunity.
Progress was going well, then the 2024 schedule for the No Prep Kings (NPK) Drag Racing Series was released. They were going to be close to home at Empire Dragway (Leicester, NY) at Dave's home track. We thought it would be a great idea to take the students on a field trip to see Dave and the racing event. Then, the instructors got talking and thought how awesome it would be if we surprised Dave with the car and unveiled it at the event. It sounded like an amazing idea and opportunity for the students. But would shorten our deadline by about 6 weeks! We pitched the idea to the students, and they were 100% in! So, it was all hands-on deck to finish dismantling the body (full color change), make necessary repairs, prime, paint, sand, polish, reassemble, and prepare to take the car to the drag racing event. Students and staff worked diligently to meet this improbable deadline.
After a few unfortunate race reschedules, we were able to take 17 students to the event and unveil the car to Dave and his wife, in addition to the crowd in attendance. During the event, Dave spoke of the Coopers Campus that he called home, the turnaround if provided for him in life, and the project we completed. To end our trip, Dave challenged one of his friends to a grudge race and raced the freshly completed Monte Carlo down the drag strip!
Here are a few links to the livestream where Dave talks about the car and journey: