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MIDDLETOWN — While most people would be terrified, Middletown drag racing veteran Wayne Sears calls his methanol-induced ride down a quarter-mile drag strip at 183 mph with no windshield "exciting."

Sears, the defending Pro Comp II national champion in the Nostalgia Pro Comp Association (NPCA) drag racing series, sits behind the wheel of his 3,100 horsepower Altered dragster on a typical race weekend and goes from 0 to 150 mph in a little over four seconds.

"It goes from 0-to-100 in a little more than a second," he says with a slight chuckle. "By the time we've gone the quarter-mile, like I did when I won earlier this year in St. Louis, we're going 183 mph in about seven and a half seconds.

"Going 183 with no windshield is really exciting, that's for sure."

Sears has wins in St. Louis and Indianapolis this season and leads the 2008 Pro Comp II points standings.

In the NPCA, all cars in all divisions have to be from 1973 or earlier. Sears' Altered Bantam Roadster is a 1932 model. So, like the drag racers of the 1960s and '70s, Sears peers from behind the methanol-spewing engine during his near-200 mph runs.

"It's a lot of fun to drive," Sears, 41, said of the Altered dragster. "With it's relatively short 125-inch wheelbase, though, it can be a handful at times. But most of the time, it goes straight down the track."

Sears has a three-man crew of crew chief Todd Gullet, Robin Shope and Mike Shaw who help turn the wrenches.

"A typical maintenance check involves checking the oil, valves, valve spring pressure, make sure there's no cracked welds anywhere — sometimes, if you get the tires shaking on these things, you can damage everything — check the plugs and cylinders. I first worked with Robin and Todd at Linden's GMC in Poasttown during the 1980s," Sears said. "And Mike, I've known him for years through drag racing."

Sears' wife, Robin, serves as a combination team chef, travel agent and PR person for the team. The couple have two children: Krystal Sears, 23, and Mark Reedy, 24.

When he's not flyin' through the wind seemingly at Mach 5, Sears works as Operations Supervisor for Butler County Engineering. Since there's not much ice on the roadways this time of the year, Sears is able to make most of the stops on the NPCA race schedule.

While he's not certain if he'll head up to Buffalo, N.Y., for an unsanctioned nostalgia drag race in early August, Sears' next stop on the NPCA schedule has him at Midstate Dragway, Aug. 23-24, in Havana, Ill.

"Hopefully I can keep my points lead over there," he said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2851 or jbombatch@coxohio.com.