VINNY TEN RACING has announced that the well-respected and record-setting driver, Vinny Ten, will make his return to drag racing competition in 2016.
For over a quarter of a century, Ten has worked with turbocharged, multi-valve import engines and developed a reputation as one of the best when it comes to high-performance import cars. He was the first U.S. engine builder to break the 1,000 horsepower barrier for import engines during the 1999-2000 season with a Toyota 2JZ inline-six.
Not just a builder and tuner, Ten also has a long and successful career as a driver. In import drag racing, he was the first to break the 12-, 11-, 10-, 9-, 8-, and 7-second mark with a Toyota Supra, and he was the first to break the 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, and 190 mph barriers as well. Ten drove both the world’s first six-second Nissan and the first 200+ mph Nissan. He was the IDRC Outlaw champion in 2003, and won two NHRA Wally trophies at Englishtown, New Jersey and Pomona, California. With multiple records and countless accolades to his name, Ten has also had tremendous success both as a driver and as a builder in series such as NHRA, NOPI, and more. Over the years, his name has become synonymous with top-level import drag racing.
After taking time off to focus on growing and developing his business, Vinny Ten Racing, which is located on Long Island and produces some of the quickest and fastest import cars in the nation, Ten has decided to make his long-awaited and much anticipated triumphant return to drag racing.
Ten partnered with Massapequa Nissan for his new project, and a Nissan 350Z was selected as Ten’s platform. The chassis, which was built by the talented team at Vanishing Point Race Cars, was designed to Pro Mod class specs and features a 3.5L Nissan V6 motor which has been bored out to a 4.0L. The new car will receive a substantial boost of power from a set of twin turbochargers, and will run on a methanol fuel system. World-renowned racing tuner, Shane Tecklenburg, has been tapped to manage the Nissan’s high-end MoTeC system while Eric Luzinski has joined the team to manage the clutch and do chassis tuning.
“I want to race with the very best even if I’m down two cylinders, and safely re-legitimize import racing,” said Ten. “I want to take this Massapequa Nissan car even further than I’ve ever gone before.”
Ten’s new car will be unveiled at a special event hosted by Massapequa Nissan, located at 3660 Sunrise Highway, Seaford, New York 11783 on Sunday, November 15, 2015. The event begins at 4:00pm EST, and fans can expect lots of great entertainment including an on-site car show and special autograph session with Ten.
Ten’s plans for the 2016 season include running at least half a dozen races, if not more. His focus will be on series like the North East Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA), NHRA Competition Eliminator, PDRA, and large stand-alone events such as the wildly popular World Cup Finals: Imports vs Domestics event in Maryland.
About Vinny Ten Racing (VTR) This story was originally published on November 12, 2015.
In business for over 25 years, Vinny Ten Racing, home of import drag racing legend Vinny Ten, is the East Coast’s premier automotive performance tuning shop and the East Coast Distributor of HYDRA EMS. Vinny and all of the techs at VTR know what it’s like to run factory backed race teams, build the quickest and fastest race cars, and develop any race engine platform available today. Learn more at or like VTR on Facebook at .
