SSCC racing event and my car

Hey guys,

I'm posting this here b/c I have some questions about my car and what I should do to it. I want to participate in the Silver State Classic Challenge. http://www.sscc.us/ This is the first racing thing my dad has gotten excited about and actually brought to "MY" attention:smack . Normally it's be saying "We should go drag the vette." or "We should find some road courses.". Stuff like that. He tells me about it and then asks, "What do we need to do to compete?" :WTF After going over the rules (which I will again) it seems like the opening class would be good for me as a novice driver per say, but my car would be heads and shoulders above it. I notice that they will push you up in the classes once you've done it a few times, so I was thinking about upgrading the cars performance with the safety as I go. That way I'll have my power now and be ready for the L2008 races and/or E2009 races.

The event that I'd be interested in would be the Shootout. Basically 90 miles of highway that have to be driven at a certain speed index. My target speed will probably be 110 . The closest you are to the target speed on average over the entire 90mi the better shot at winning it. I'm not sure if that wins it or if the time you take driving the 90mi counts. You have a tech speed that you cannot go over for each class. Mine would be 124 and can't go less than 80. That's a little break down of the event. If you know anything else as far as this event goes please tell me even if I've misunderstood this.

The point of this thread is the questions.
Safety First:
It is recommended to have a roll cage and fire suppression system but not mandatory. A fire extenguisher is mandatory though. My question is how many vendors actually have pre-made roll cages/bars and how hard is it to install? I would like to give it a shot but wasn't sure if it was doable. I can learn to weld and have almost a year to perfect my welding abilities. I'll have to have the fire suppression system installed when I move up in classes.

Peformance Second:
I'm thinking of getting a mild to hot cam (5gx3?-forgot the exact name) and some heads to up the power. Plus some upgraded cooling systems for the engine/tranny/Diff. Are these good ideas? If so, what kind of power would be usable in this type of race? If I went with lets say 480 to the wheels:devil: , will I be able to use this power with my stock tranny/rearend? I know drag racing I would have some problems, but what about top end cruising?
I will also have to upgrade brakes and suspension, but that can be after the first session.

What do you guys think? I'm sorry for the long post, just getting excited. This type or racing is becoming more and more fun to me. Any information would be great. They also have team events, I'm thinking maybe a DC team?

Thanks guysartyon: :cheers: ,

Josh