By D. Brian Smith
There's something magical about an American muscle car with a thunderous V8, a menacing stance, and enough horsepower to make the rear tires beg for mercy. Throw in a couple of turbochargers, a supercharger, or a full-blown racing engine, and things get interesting in a hurry!
Few professional builders and racers understand that intoxicating combination of horsepower, engineering, and adrenaline better than Ryan Martin, the Oklahoma-based performance car builder, championship drag racer, and star of Discovery Channel's Street Outlaws and Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings.
Classic Industries is pleased to announce that Martin will be making a special appearance at the 2026 SEMA Show, November 3–6, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet one of the most accomplished personalities in modern American muscle car performance at the Classic Industries booth, #23877.
For anyone who appreciates Camaros, Chevelles, big horsepower, and the relentless pursuit of quicker elapsed times, this is one SEMA appearance worth putting on the calendar!
From a Fox-Body Mustang to the Fireball Camaro
Every great gearhead has an automotive story. For Ryan Martin, that story began long before television cameras followed his exploits on the streets and dragstrips of Oklahoma.
Interestingly enough, Martin's early performance education came behind the wheel of a Fox-body Ford Mustang. His high school ride eventually evolved into a seriously quick drag racing machine that competed in the highly competitive X275 radial racing category.
That Mustang wasn't merely a steppingstone. It was a rolling classroom where Martin learned the intricacies of engine combinations, chassis tuning, traction, and extracting every available ounce of performance from a purpose-built race car.
Eventually, the Mustang was capable of covering the eighth mile in a blistering 4.59 seconds at 161 mph. That's moving, folks!
Martin's enthusiasm for performance machinery also became his profession. As co-owner of B&R Performance in Oklahoma City, alongside business partner Billy Hayes, he helped establish a respected shop specializing in exceptionally quick street and competition vehicles.
Building fast cars for customers was one thing. Driving one of the quickest machines in the country was another. Martin was determined to do both.
Enter the Fireball Camaro!
If there's one automobile that transformed Ryan Martin from a respected performance builder into a nationally recognized racing personality, it's his unmistakable red Chevrolet Camaro.
The original Fireball Camaro, a radically modified 2010 Camaro SS, became Martin's calling card in the world of Street Outlaws.
Underneath its familiar fifth-generation Camaro silhouette was a serious piece of racing equipment. The car's early high-horsepower configuration featured a massive 572-cubic-inch Pro Line Racing 481X engine with twin Precision turbochargers.
Forget ordinary street-car horsepower. This combination was engineered to deliver the kind of acceleration that rearranges a driver's perception of time and distance.
The bright red Camaro quickly became a fan favorite, not simply because of its horsepower, but because Martin understood how to make that power work.
In drag racing, horsepower alone doesn't guarantee a trip to the winner's circle. Suspension geometry, tire selection, weight transfer, track conditions, engine management, and a driver's reactions must work together in near-perfect harmony.
Martin and his team mastered that delicate balancing act, turning the Fireball Camaro into one of the most recognizable machines in contemporary drag racing.
Street Outlaws and No Prep Kings Championship Glory
The popularity of Street Outlaws introduced millions of television viewers to a world where enormously powerful automobiles compete for bragging rights, prize money, and racing supremacy.
Ryan Martin became one of the program's standout personalities, earning a reputation for his competitive determination, mechanical knowledge, and ability to find speed when it mattered most.
His accomplishments extended into Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings, where racers compete on dragstrips with limited surface preparation.
Unlike conventional drag racing, where a carefully prepared racing surface helps enormous horsepower reach the pavement, no-prep racing presents an entirely different challenge.
Traction can be unpredictable. Track conditions change. A tune-up that works beautifully on one pass might overpower the tires on the next.
It's a demanding environment where a talented driver and an equally talented crew can make the difference between winning and watching an opponent's taillights disappear.
Martin proved himself exceptionally capable in this discipline, earning three individual No Prep Kings championships and establishing himself among the sport's premier competitors.
More Than a Camaro: Martin's Classic Muscle Car Collection
Although the Fireball Camaro made Martin famous, his appreciation for American performance extends well beyond late-model racing machinery.
Two especially intriguing examples are his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro and 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, which demonstrate how traditional muscle car styling can coexist with thoroughly modern performance engineering.
Martin's 1969 Camaro was developed into a formidable small-tire racing machine with a twin-turbocharged engine combination producing approximately 2,000 horsepower.
That's a remarkable amount of power to send through a relatively modest tire footprint. It also demonstrates the importance of properly engineered suspension components, chassis setup, and power management.
His 1970 Chevelle takes a slightly different approach.
Rather than building a dedicated race car with little regard for street manners, Martin created a powerful street-oriented machine capable of covering highway miles while delivering astonishing acceleration at the dragstrip.
The Chevelle has demonstrated eighth-mile performance deep into the five-second range, making it an extraordinary example of modern technology packaged within one of Chevrolet's most beloved muscle car body styles.
For Classic Industries customers who own or are restoring first-generation Camaros and classic Chevelles, Martin's builds illustrate an important point: There's no single correct way to enjoy a classic muscle car.
Some enthusiasts prefer factory-original restorations. Others enjoy tasteful restomods, modern LS engine conversions, improved handling, and contemporary braking systems. Still others want enough horsepower to wrinkle the quarter panels!
All are expressions of the same enduring passion for American performance.
From No Prep Kings to Pro Modified Racing
As if multiple championships and a fleet of ferocious muscle cars weren't enough, Martin has continued expanding his racing résumé.
In February 2026, he made the move into professional Pro Modified competition at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod.
Pro Mod represents some of the most extreme door slammer racing in motorsports. These purpose-built machines combine sophisticated chassis construction, enormous horsepower, advanced engine management, and aerodynamic bodywork to produce astonishing acceleration.
For Martin, the transition represented another opportunity to challenge himself against accomplished competitors while applying decades of performance-building experience.
His willingness to experiment is nothing new. In 2024, Martin unveiled a dramatically revised Fireball Camaro featuring a Pro Line Racing Hemi-based engine equipped with a PSI screw-type supercharger. The combination replaced earlier turbocharged and centrifugal-supercharged configurations, illustrating Martin's determination to remain competitive as racing technology evolves.
Building Muscle Cars Is About More Than Horsepower
Ask a dozen muscle car enthusiasts to describe their dream automobile, and you'll probably receive a dozen different answers.
One might envision a concours-restored 1969 Camaro Z/28. Another might prefer a big-block 1970 Chevelle SS. Someone else might dream about a Pro Touring Camaro with modern suspension, oversized brakes, and a fuel-injected LS V8.
Ryan Martin's career demonstrates that these seemingly different approaches share common ground.
Every great build begins with a vision. Turning that vision into reality requires patience, quality components, mechanical expertise, and the willingness to solve unexpected problems.
Those are principles Classic Industries understands.
For decades, Classic Industries has supplied restoration, replacement, and performance components for America's favorite classic automobiles, including the Chevrolet Camaro, Chevelle, Nova, and numerous other legendary muscle cars.
Whether a customer is restoring a classic to showroom condition or building a street machine with considerably more horsepower than Chevrolet's engineers originally envisioned, the objective remains the same: keeping these incredible automobiles on the road and looking their best.
And if those automobiles happen to make a little tire smoke along the way, so much the better!
Meet Ryan Martin at the Classic Industries SEMA Booth #23877!
The 2026 SEMA Show promises another extraordinary gathering of automotive builders, manufacturers, racers, and enthusiasts from around the world.
For Classic Industries, it's an opportunity to celebrate the passion that keeps the American automotive hobby thriving.
Ryan Martin's special appearance will bring a healthy dose of championship drag racing excitement to the Classic Industries exhibit.
Whether you're a longtime Street Outlaws fan, a dedicated Camaro enthusiast, an aspiring performance builder, or simply someone who appreciates American V8 horsepower, Martin's appearance offers an opportunity to connect with a racer who has turned his automotive passion into a remarkable career.
SEMA Show 2026 — Event Details
November 3–6, 2026
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Classic Industries Booth #23877
Special Guest: Ryan Martin — Street Outlaws and No Prep Kings
Ryan Martin's specific appearance dates and times are Tuesday, November 3, 1-2 pm, and Thursday, November 5, 1-2 pm. The SEMA Show is primarily an industry trade event, with public admission available Friday, November 6.
So, if you're headed to Las Vegas for the 2026 SEMA Show, make plans to visit Classic Industries at booth #23877.
Come celebrate American muscle, discover restoration and performance products, and meet one of drag racing's most recognizable personalities.
After all, few things bring gearheads together quite like beautiful automobiles, tremendous horsepower, and a shared appreciation for going fast.
We'll see you at SEMA!
Visit Classic Industries for restoration and performance parts, and the official SEMA Show website for event information.
