The MuscleCar Place

FEATURE INTERVIEWS: Damon Sampson: Why MAST Motorsports is the LS and LT Powerhouse! MAST Motorsports engines In the past 15 years many engine companies have come and gone, but Horace Mast's "MAST Motorsports" became the go-to place for many top builders and racers to source their extra hot LS engines (and today, LT engines). While nothing speaks higher than customer loyalty, I really wanted to know why - who - and how MAST was, what specifically they were doing, and why they are so revered. In today's interview with MAST's own Damon Sampson I finally got my answer! Damon Sampson works at MAST Motorsports as the sales and tech guru and otherwise known as a jack of all trades. Some have called him the walking wikipedia of all things LS and LT related. He is a born and bred Texan that grew up around motors and getting his hand dirty. In 2008 Mast brought him a project to figure out and they were impressed enough that they hired him and he has been there ever since. Brian Hobaugh's MAST Factory LST MAST Motorsports is named for it founder Horace Mast, a Texas A&M grad and super smart engineer. His love for making this work - and work better - is what led to the development of the company. Damon said the he is a very engine focused person that loves to be at the dyno working and designing to get every bit of power and quality he can. You can find this difference in the products they sell. For example the in house MAST designed, cast, and machined LS aluminum head is actually six pounds heavier than the OEM version due to beefing it up in the areas it needs more strength to be a high quality part worthy of the MAST name. They also sell original equipment parts that have been massaged and modified to bring out the best in those parts as well under their "Factory MAST" line. These parts are a great option for those looking for an upgrade at a more affordable price point. With all of his years working with LS engines, Damon has answers to all of the burning LS and now LT questions for us and customers. He has setup and run over two thousand LS engines on dynos trying out different combinations and learning what makes the power and what is best for different situations. This helps MAST customers as he has experienced almost every intended purpose and can help you with your next project.  Mast Motorsports offers a full line of products for both LS and LT engines. Under the Factory MAST line they even sell LST port injected LT conversion products (see the picture in this article of Brian Hobaugh's engine). These are good for the person wanting to upgrade to new engine styles but are still apprehensive about direct injection.  Damon said a surprising advantage to LT products is actually cost. The LT products are cheaper, especially when it comes to upgrades. Even truck engines are higher horsepower and very attractive to hot rodders. The L8T truck engine has many advantages and Damon walked through one potential combination on that engine and how an LT can be configured as a port injected stroker engine for less than an LS. Damon Sampson - MAST The real secret to MAST Motorsports however is that what you see on the website....isn't the whole story. You BEST bet is to call them directly, share your application, and work together to find the best solution for your car, truck, race car, airboat, etc. In the case of my Chevelle Damon gave me several recommendations - only one of which was really an "off the shelf" variant from the website.  You can find out more about MAST Motorsports and the selection of LS and LT parts at MastMotorsports.com or follow them on Facebook.com/MastMotorsports or Instagram.com/MastMotorsports. They also produce some funny and informative videos on Youtube.com/user/MastMotorsports. You can call them at 1-866-551-4916 or Email at info@mastmotorsports.com . Thanks Damon for the amazing LS and LT information!

It's the first show of month, and therefore time for our monthly Ask Rick segment with Rick Schmidt! I wanted to know his thoughts on the latest NASCAR happenings, the end of factory muscle cars, and of course his thumbs up or down on a selection of internet cars.  Specifically, with the gasoline powered engines of today (seemingly) about to come to an end, I wanted to know which model he might buy as well as how he would trick it out. In Rick's words, "I like muscle cars that are optioned out like a Lincoln!"

This week I spoke to Tom Rightler, founder of Mid Atlantic Muscle Cars in Bridgeton, NJ. Tom is know for his excellence in restoring most muscle cars, but specifically Chevelle's. Tom's dad was a mechanic for thirty years so he grew up around cars and wrenching on them for fun. Like a lot of us, cars were his escape and relaxation! He walked into his first job in a family owned office supply business, learned the trade, and stayed there for years as his hobby turned into a very successful "side hustle." Detail and accuracy became his trademark and over the course of a decade he became a well known name in the Chevelle restoration world. He even went to night school...just to learn body work, welding, and painting!

This week I caught up with a very special friend of the show, Mike Finnegan. I met Mike on The Hot Rod Power Tour in 2015. That later fostered into a friendship that launched the Kibbe and Finnegan Podcast in 2016 (which today is the Kibbe and Friends Show). Mike's best known as the host of popular automotive shows Roadkill (Motor Trend), Finnegan's Garage (YouTube), and Faster with Finnegan (Motor Trend). More importantly than all that, he's LOVES to make hilariously fun automobile projects with his friends and share them with the world. That's the subject of today's discussion!

Investing: In this day and age of huge government stimulus packages, thoughts turn to rising costs and inflation. Since our audience could invest in something, why not follow Rick's model and invest in what they know best; cars! Rick shared that one of the lessons his father believed most was to invest in yourself first, and as such the stock market is now where he chose to invest but instead in his businesses and in assets. The car collection they curated.....wasn't actually for an investment though, though it resulted in one. In addition they chose to purchase low mile, highly optioned cars not as speculation bets, but simply because they liked them! Some are rare, some are not, but all are special. Today if they wished to sell a portion of the collection they would certainly see a great return....but that day may or may not ever come. Why? They still like the cars!

This weeks interview is very special and very different from my normal routine. I got to hang out with my longtime friend Joe Weldon and experience the purchase of a lifetime with he and his family; a brand new mid-engine C8 Corvette, delivered to him at the Corvette Museum! 

This weeks interview is with Matt Vaudrin of the RumBuilder YouTube channel to talk about Dirt Rally Racing in his "clapped out" 1994 Mustang. In the past year he has found that his (mostly) stock 5.0 Mustang is the key to amazing fun in the sport of "Rallycross!"

2021 is now here! This week in particular marks my 10 year anniversary if leaving the corporate world behind to chase some crazy new dreams. While I can't say it went exactly to plan, I CAN say that I wouldn't change any second of it. The friends, the adventures, and the experiences have been overwhelming. Thank YOU! I tried my best to share the good, bad, and ugly of that very first week in business (i.e. it was a massive failure). 10 years later, I'm a little older, balder, and wiser.  My hope is that what I shared in this episode will be a big help to those of you in the automotive business of your choosing, no matter what that is. 

It may be 2020, but the Christmas episode of TMCP is live and features the most sought after guest (internationally) for this time of year: Santa Claus! This his his record breaking 12th year in a row, in fact. He makes it a point to come on this show every Christmas and marks this as the ONLY official media interview he does each year. That's right...The MuscleCar Place has the exclusive! Santa even revealed that his "get-around" at the North Pole is a big block El Camino. Good luck finding out that kind of hard-hitting factual detail on the "news" outlets! Presented with Holley! Holley has two insane contests going on right now, and you can enter! Click here to enter to win a $20,000 small block Ford AND David Freiburger's '66 Buick! http://bit.ly/TMCPHolleyRoadkill and http://bit.ly/TMCPHolleyFord

It may be 2020, but the Christmas episode of TMCP is live and features the most sought after guest (internationally) for this time of year: Santa Claus! This his his record breaking 12th year in a row, in fact. He makes it a point to come on this show every Christmas and marks this as the ONLY official media interview he does each year. That's right...The MuscleCar Place has the exclusive! Santa even revealed that his "get-around" at the North Pole is a big block El Camino. Good luck finding out that kind of hard-hitting factual detail on the "news" outlets! Presented with Holley! Holley has two insane contests going on right now, and you can enter! Click here to enter to win a $20,000 small block Ford AND David Freiburger's '66 Buick! http://bit.ly/TMCPHolleyRoadkill and http://bit.ly/TMCPHolleyFord

This week I had the great privilege to talk with Bill Rhine, owner and founder of Rhine Enterprises. If you LOVE watching vintage stock cars, love the history of NASCAR, and LOVE the idea of restoring and racing vintage stock cars....this is the episode you've been waiting for. Bill has NASCAR racing in his blood and may love the sport more than he entire France family combined!

This week I had the great privilege to talk with Bill Rhine, owner and founder of Rhine Enterprises. If you LOVE watching vintage stock cars, love the history of NASCAR, and LOVE the idea of restoring and racing vintage stock cars....this is the episode you've been waiting for. Bill has NASCAR racing in his blood and may love the sport more than he entire France family combined!

This week I had the pleasure of once again talking with my great friend, my brother from another mother, and the owner of Allison Customs, Jeff Allison! It has been a little while since we just talked and ten years since we started collaborating on the build of my Chevelle. Jeff launched his business (officially) in spring of 2011 and my Chevelle was the first car his company took on. 10 years later it's been a life changer for us both! I asked him on to discuss the journey, how 2020 has affected him, and also....how to REALLY set up 2-stroke racing go-kart I bought from him to enjoy with my son!

This week I had the pleasure of once again talking with my great friend, my brother from another mother, and the owner of Allison Customs, Jeff Allison! It has been a little while since we just talked and ten years since we started collaborating on the build of my Chevelle. Jeff launched his business (officially) in spring of 2011 and my Chevelle was the first car his company took on. 10 years later it's been a life changer for us both! I asked him on to discuss the journey, how 2020 has affected him, and also....how to REALLY set up 2-stroke racing go-kart I bought from him to enjoy with my son!

This week I spoke to Marc Methot, the Editor and Publisher of CARtoons magazine! The original automotive comic book publication ceased production in 1991, and Marc brought it back to life in 2015. This is the story of its rebirth...and how "Krass and Bernie" were able to come back once again!