Gumout Ponntia pro stock driver Mike Thomas has started a new company that will exclusively build engines for his NHRA drag racing team.
Thomas, of Knoxville, Tenn., has formed an alliance with Jimmy Oliver, Tom Roberts and Terry Adams, who will be the key people in building the pro stock engines. Oliver has worked in a similar capacity with pro stock drivers Larry Morgan and Butch Leal. Roberts has also worked with Larry Morgan, and Adams has been associated with Thomas as driver of the team's second Gumout Pontiac pro stocker.
The new company, called Finish Line Enterprises, is based in Newark, Ohio. The first Finish Line engine is expected to be completed in March.
"The decision to build our own engines is to control our destiny of horsepower," Thomas said. "If you want to be a contender for the Winston Championship, you can't do it by buying or leasing engines from someone else. The past champions have had their own engine programs, proving that you need to have full control and do it yourself."
