Tennesee Turbo
Are Grand National's the ultimate Street/Strip platform?
Text by Steve Chryssos
Photography by Melinda Howell

Excuse my ignorance. Your author, Mr. "Function Is Everything," had no idea that Buick Grand Nationals are so freakin' cool! In terms of function, a Street/Strip car must live up to both halves of its name. It should run a solid ET and have excellent street manners. There are many ways to accomplish this goal, but a boosted Buick seems like a real no-brainer. With a basically stock chassis and short-block, a well-built GN can click off a 10 second elapsed time on Saturday morning, and then turn right around and go cruising in the afternoon.

I might be clueless, but Scot Walkowiak has it all figured out--cars and life in general. His path to Grand National glory began when his motorcycle days came to an abrupt and painful end. A nasty crash on his bad ass Buell left Scot with more than the usual road rash. He suffered a severed right foot, five broken ribs, a broken collar bone, 30 staples in his left calf, and a blood clot in his lung. During recovery, Scot also endured a staph (short for staphylococcus) infection resulting in a 108 degree fever for EIGHT days. Whoa!

This isn’t a sob story. No need for pity. Scot's foot was reattached and his wounds are slowly fading. The lesson for today is: Perseverance. Though he has owned many muscle cars and fast motorcycles, Scot has always wanted a Buick Grand National. His best friend Tom Siegle turned him onto to the world of blown sixes. But the car he ultimately purchased was very rough. The scumbag who took Scot's money grossly misrepresented it and worse, the dude knowingly left Scot and his eight year old son stranded by the road side.