IHRA: Sleeper? Try this on for size

The IHRA Summit World Finals at Memphis International Raceway was full of flashy rides – Chevrolet Camaros, Ford Mustangs, Plymouth Barracudas, many of them painted up like show cars.

But there's something to be said for the old-school approach – the car that is an ultimate sleeper: Something that looks pedestrian on the outside, but goes like stink. In the old days, street racers and even track participants supplemented their income by taking bets, either money of even pink slips, in races where the owner of the sleeper hopes his or her car is underestimated by the other guy.

In that spirit, allow us to present this 1979 Chevrolet Malibu wagon, owned by Jon Siegel of Riverview, Fla., a regular raced at nearby Bradenton Motorsports Park. There's a small-block Chevrolet 400 cubic-inch V8 under the hood, and it's quick.

"There's a lot of sentimental value to this old car," Siegel says. "I've owned it for about 12 years, and it's won a lot of races."

As far as it being a sleeper, "We try to surprise people every time we go down the strip."