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Yes, Please

A Poppy's Patina team build

Pit Boss: Poppy's Patina's turbo LS AMC Pacer burnout car

Poppy's wanted something that would stand out on the track. The team's answer was Pit Boss: a 1976 AMC Pacer built in-house in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for burnout contests, with a turbocharged LS on E85, stock bodywork, gold wheels and Pit Boss graphics, and Poppy's coatings underneath and inside.

Build sheet

  • Car: 1976 AMC Pacer
  • Engine: refreshed 4.8-liter LS with a VS Racing 7875 turbo at 15 psi
  • Output: about 800 hp as built in 2023
  • Drivetrain: TH400 with trans brake, Ford 9-inch, 2.70 gears
  • Built with Poppy's: Chassis Armor on the front subframe and suspension; truck bed liner on the interior
  • Debut: Holley LS Fest East 2023, burnout competition
  • Appearances: LS Fest 2023 and 2024, Duct Tape Drags 2023, Freedom Factory 2024, SEMA Show 2024, Route 66 Burnout Show 2025 and 2026

Build details and output as reported by Holley Motor Life (February 2024) for the 2023 build. Chassis Armor from Poppy's build video, Part 1 (August 2023).

Poppy's Patina Pit Boss 1976 AMC Pacer burnout car

The story

Why a patina company built a burnout car

Poppy's Patina works 15 to 20 car events a year as a vendor, and patina products are rarely seen at race tracks. Poppy's wanted something that would stand out on the track, not only in the vendor rows. The spark was a burnout at LS Fest at Texas Motor Speedway that went everywhere on social media the following week.

Pit Boss was Poppy's first burnout car. The search started in summer 2022 and turned up a complete 1976 AMC Pacer project on Facebook Marketplace, with a parts car included. Work started in earnest in early 2023. The Poppy's team built it in-house, including the full roll cage, and filmed the turbo LS preparation as a four-part video series in summer 2023.

With no burnout experience in the shop, Brian Hensley reached out to his friend Derek Bieri of Vice Grip Garage for advice, and that advice shaped the build.

"I knew it had to be stupid. It needed to be something that stopped people in their tracks, whether they loved it or they hated it."

Brian Hensley, Poppy's Patina, to Holley Motor Life (February 2024)

The build

What's in it

DetailSource
Engine

4.8-liter LS, refreshed with new pistons, forged connecting rods, a BTR Stage 2 turbo camshaft and a Holley Hi Ram intake.

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Boost

VS Racing 7875 turbo at 15 psi. About 800 hp as built in 2023.

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Fuel and EFI

E85, managed by a Holley Terminator X Max.

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Transmission

Billet TH400 three-speed automatic from Harmon Performance, with a reverse valve body and trans brake.

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Rear end

Ford 9-inch from Quick Performance with 2.70 gears. CalTracs traction bars control wheel hop; the front suspension is close to factory.

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Chassis

Front subframe and suspension brushed with Poppy's Chassis Armor during the build.

Poppy's build series, Part 1 (August 2023)

Interior

Stripped and sprayed with Poppy's Patina truck bed liner. Full cage built in-house, RaceQuip seats and six-point harnesses.

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Exterior

Stock bodywork with a gold theme on the wheels and engine, and Pit Boss graphics. The name has nothing to do with casinos: it is a car built for the burnout pit.

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Engine

Detail

4.8-liter LS, refreshed with new pistons, forged connecting rods, a BTR Stage 2 turbo camshaft and a Holley Hi Ram intake.

Source

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Boost

Detail

VS Racing 7875 turbo at 15 psi. About 800 hp as built in 2023.

Source

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Fuel and EFI

Detail

E85, managed by a Holley Terminator X Max.

Source

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Transmission

Detail

Billet TH400 three-speed automatic from Harmon Performance, with a reverse valve body and trans brake.

Source

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Rear end

Detail

Ford 9-inch from Quick Performance with 2.70 gears. CalTracs traction bars control wheel hop; the front suspension is close to factory.

Source

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Chassis

Detail

Front subframe and suspension brushed with Poppy's Chassis Armor during the build.

Source

Poppy's build series, Part 1 (August 2023)

Interior

Detail

Stripped and sprayed with Poppy's Patina truck bed liner. Full cage built in-house, RaceQuip seats and six-point harnesses.

Source

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Exterior

Detail

Stock bodywork with a gold theme on the wheels and engine, and Pit Boss graphics. The name has nothing to do with casinos: it is a car built for the burnout pit.

Source

Holley Motor Life, Feb 23, 2024

Build photos

Under the hood and inside the cage

Pit Boss AMC Pacer turbocharged LS engine bay during the build
Pit Boss AMC Pacer on stands in the shop with turbo piping fitted
Close-up of gold turbo hardware and polished piping in the Pit Boss engine bay
Pit Boss AMC Pacer interior with gold roll cage and racing seat
Rear three-quarter view of the Pit Boss AMC Pacer with gold wheels

Lessons from the pit

What building it taught us

From Brian Hensley of Poppy's Patina, in his February 2024 interview with Holley Motor Life.

Brian Hensley on wheel speed

Wheel speed beats short gears

"The key to a successful burnout car is wheel speed," Brian told Holley Motor Life.

Going in, he expected to need 4.11 gears so the tires would light up easily. Derek Bieri of Vice Grip Garage, who was competing in burnout contests all over the country, shared one of the most important lessons of the build: a burnout car is all about wheel speed, living in the mid-range torque. Pit Boss ended up with a 2.70 ratio, and Brian says the tall gearing also makes it easy to drive on the highway.

Brian Hensley on pacing a run

Pace the two minutes

"We've got two minutes out there, so we don't want to go through the tires in 45 seconds," Brian told Holley Motor Life.

His approach is to pace the run instead of riding the rev limiter, without leaving the pit with tread still on the tires either. The aim is to finish on the steel belts, with sparks flying. In Brian's words: "That's the show."

Event history

Where Pit Boss has run

Confirmed appearances. Pit Boss has also run in other burnout contests that aren't listed here. Event organizers and venues named here did not sponsor or endorse Poppy's Patina.

  1. 2022 to 2023

    The build

    The search for a car started in summer 2022 and ended with a 1976 Pacer project plus a parts car. The Poppy's team documented the build in a four-part video series in August and September 2023.

    Watch Part 1Watch Part 4

  2. September 2023

    Holley LS Fest East, Bowling Green, Kentucky

    The car's debut, in the burnout competition at Beech Bend Raceway. Derek Bieri of Vice Grip Garage drove, with Brian riding along to learn how a competition burnout is run.

    Watch the LS Fest East runRead Holley's build story

  3. 2023

    Duct Tape Drags, Tucson, Arizona

    Pit Boss ran in the burnout box at Duct Tape Drags at Tucson Dragway, with one of Poppy's own behind the wheel, plus a bonus burnout after dark.

    Watch our Duct Tape Drags videoGasratz Customs video

  4. 2024

    Burnout contest at the Freedom Factory, Bradenton, Florida

    Derek Bieri of Vice Grip Garage drove Pit Boss in the burnout contest, and the Pacer laid down blue tire smoke.

  5. 2024

    LS Fest 2024

    Pit Boss returned to LS Fest in 2024.

  6. 2024

    SEMA Show, Las Vegas, Nevada

    Pit Boss appeared at the 2024 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

  7. 2025

    Route 66 Burnout Show

    Pit Boss appeared at the Route 66 Burnout Show in 2025.

  8. October 2025

    New burnout footage

    Poppy's posted new Pit Boss burnout footage in October 2025.

    Watch the short

  9. 2026

    Route 66 Burnout Show

    Pit Boss appeared at the Route 66 Burnout Show in 2026.

Burnout action

Built for the burnout pit

Pit Boss AMC Pacer laying down tire smoke in front of a Holley banner
Pit Boss AMC Pacer doing a burnout in the burnout pit, with tire smoke and a crowd watching
Pit Boss AMC Pacer with team flags in front of a Holley banner and grandstand
Pit Boss AMC Pacer doing a burnout with trees and a crowd behind
Side view of Pit Boss AMC Pacer in heavy tire smoke with purple underglow
Pit Boss AMC Pacer spinning a burnout with purple underglow and flags flying
Pit Boss AMC Pacer in a cloud of tire smoke between traffic cones
Poppy's Patina and Vice Grip Garage flags on Pit Boss in tire smoke

Up close

Pit Boss up close

Windshield view of Pit Boss with a Speedway Motors banner and the gold intake
Crew member helping the driver into the harness in the Pit Boss cockpit
Weathered rear quarter panel of the Pit Boss AMC Pacer with the Pit Boss graphic
Side detail of the Pit Boss AMC Pacer with a gold wheel and a Vice Grip Garage decal

On the road

In the pits and on the trailer

Pit Boss AMC Pacer parked beside the Poppy's Patina vendor trailer and canopy
Pit Boss AMC Pacer in the pit area with spectators around it
Pit Boss AMC Pacer loaded on a car trailer

Watch

Pit Boss on video

Pit Boss at LS Fest East, Bowling Green, KYPoppy's Patina · October 2023 Pit Boss at Duct Tape Drags, Tucson, AZPoppy's Patina · November 2023 Turbo Pacer "Pit Boss" in the burnout boxGasratz Customs · Duct Tape Drags, 2023 Preparing a 1976 AMC Pacer for a turbo LS: Part 1Poppy's Patina · August 2023 · four-part build series

In the press

Featured by Holley Motor Life

Holley Motor Life covered the build in February 2024 in "800-hp AMC Pacer: How to Build a Burnout Car". The feature covers why Poppy's built a burnout car, the full parts list, the gearing decision and the LS Fest East debut.

Read the Holley feature

Built with Poppy's

On the car

Pit Boss is a working Poppy's build. Chassis Armor went on the front subframe and suspension during the build, and the stripped interior is sprayed with Poppy's truck bed liner.

Chassis Armor Chassis Armor From $54.95Front subframe and suspension Spray Truck Bed Liner (Black) Spray Truck Bed Liner (Black) $149.95Interior

For the record

Pit Boss is a Poppy's Patina team project. Thanks to Holley, Quick Performance, Speedway Motors and Harmon Performance, credited as sponsors in Poppy's build videos. Event organizers and venues named on this page did not sponsor or endorse Poppy's Patina products.

Build story and specifications: "800-hp AMC Pacer: How to Build a Burnout Car", Holley Motor Life, February 23, 2024.