Ten seconds of fame: Hot-rod drivers rev up as 'Pinks All Out' comes to town

Zac Cain hopes his Camaro Z28 will get some airtime when "Pinks All Out" comes to Kent. (Jeff Layton)

Zac Cain turned his ignition key, and his 1983 Camaro crackled and boomed like a fighter jet passing overhead.

He revved the engine a few times and smiled with satisfaction.

Cain, a 25-year-old from Port Angeles, was putting the final touches on his restored Z28 in preparation for what will be the climax of his amateur drag racing career: an appearance on the Speed Channel TV show "Pinks All Out."

He will join more than 450 area drivers Aug. 14-15 at Pacific Raceways in Kent to compete for $18,000 in prize money and tools.

During both days, cars and trucks will race head-to-head on the quarter-mile track. But unlike most drag racing competitions, in which only the fastest cars make the finals, the show's producers will choose 16 drivers with similar times to race for the prize money.

The structure of the show means that anyone with a hot-rod hobby has a chance to make the finals, Cain says.

He's hoping that his older car will attract the producers' attention and that he will be featured on the show. "If I were to get on [TV], even for two seconds, it would be an absolute highlight," he says.

Cain bought his Camaro when he was 14. The car had suffered three collisions, the windshield was smashed and not a single panel was straight. He spent the next 11 years rebuilding it into a car that can cover a quarter mile in about 10 seconds.

Constructing a competitive race car can take thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars as many special modifications are needed to compete, even at the amateur level.

"The faster you go, the more safety features you're required to have," Cain says. He points out his car's specialty fuel lines, drive-shaft loop, eight-point roll bar, Kevlar-diaper-wrapped transmission and aftermarket axles.

Zac Cain spent 11 years rebuilding his Camaro Z28. (Jeff Layton)

For "Pinks All Out," drivers put not only their egos on the line, but their cars as well. Vehicles can wander sideways off the start, they can drift into walls, or the front end can raise and drop down violently, causing severe damage.

Cain has destroyed two engines and four transmissions in past races. But the speed, noise and adrenaline rush make it all worth it, he says.

When Cain is waiting at the starting line for his chance at cable-television glory, he says he will be remembering the long hours in the garage, late-night cruising and driving his wife home from their wedding in the car.

But, he says, those thoughts will evaporate the moment the starting tree lights up, his pedal hits the floor and the deafening roar of the 625 horsepower engine launches him down the track.