Near-freezing temperatures at the start of the 2025 U.S. Street Nationals put all racers on the same level playing field going into the first round of qualifying Friday morning. As the rain and clouds cleared, the air temperature was cool, and the sun was shining as bright as Outlaw 632 racer Mike Fiorelli’s optimistic outlook on the weekend in front of him.
Fiorelli and his team, which includes Ronnie Viccaro, Mark Parello, Jeff Oberman, and longtime friend and owner of Chassis Engineering, Clayton Murphy, were ready for battle after a successful outing at the 2024 Snowbird Outlaw Nationals just a few weeks earlier. Right off the trailer, Fiorelli went right down Broadway with a 4.22 at 168.60. The team turned it up during second round of qualifying and set a new personal best with a 4.11 at 171.29.
“It felt like it wanted to rip the track out of the ground it was digging so hard,” he said. “Clayton’s got the car on rails. It’s flying.”
On race day, Fiorelli was quick on the tree, cutting a .012 light in first round and .005 in second round. He faced Walter Lannigan Jr. in the final round of eliminations. While Lannigan got the jump off the starting line, it was Fiorelli who ultimately claimed his first win in Outlaw 632, setting a new personal best elapsed time for the second time in the same weekend.
“When I saw the win light come on, I came over the radio and said, ‘Do you believe we just won the U.S. Street Nationals?’ and my guys were going nuts,” Fiorelli said. “I’m not one to be at a loss for words, but by the time I got out of the car, I was just speechless.”
Fiorelli, known to many as “Fig,” may be a newer player in the Outlaw 632 class, but he has a rich history in drag racing that spans over 40 years. He began racing alongside his father in NHRA E Stock at Miami Hollywood Speedway. He later moved into E Modified Production and then E Gas, where he set records in both NHRA and IHRA with his 305-cubic-inch 1962 Corvette. In the late 1970s, Fiorelli competed in the NHRA Division 2 points series, as well as national events in Gainesville, Ohio, and New Jersey. One of his most vivid memories from that era was losing first round to the legendary Lee Shepherd at the World Finals in Amarillo, Texas. In addition to sportsman racing, Fiorelli also dabbled in match racing at Palm Beach Raceway, then owned by Dave Rupp, and won many races within the Gold Coast Pro heads-up series.
“It was called ‘Rupp’s Rodeo’ and we were racing every two weeks,” he said. “This was back before full chassis cars came onto the scene. I had a big-block 1967 Camaro that ran 9.0s and we had a lot of fun with it.”
After working as an engine builder and machinist for 15 years, Fiorelli opened Fig Performance in his hometown of Hollywood, Florida in the year 2000. In addition to running Fig Performance, Fiorelli currently sits on the board of the Miami-Hollywood Speedway Reunion Committee, alongside Eugene Reidy and Jerry and Darrell Gwynn. Each year, the board inducts racers from the historic racetrack into their Hall of Fame during an annual car show.
In 2022, Fiorelli made his debut in the Outlaw 632 category with his stunning 1968 Camaro. The car was built by Chassis Engineering, painted by Ravenswood Paint & Body, and is one of the few cars in the class with a steel roof and quarter panels. Under the hood is a fuel-injected, nine-degree 632-cubic-inch engine built by Ronnie Viccaro. The team runs a single nitrous system and the car weighs in at 2,575 pounds. Although Fiorelli initially planned to compete in Top Sportsman, he was persuaded by his car builder to run in Outlaw 632 instead and has never looked back.
“It’s such a fun class with so many good people in it,” he said. “This was my dream to come out here and win Outlaw 632. We’ve worked hard for two years and had tough breaks, but we never gave up.”
When asked about his future, Fiorelli expressed an interest in running several PDRA Pro 632 races this year. While he is currently looking for additional sponsorships, Fiorelli is grateful for the support of Chassis Engineering, Wilson Manifolds, Induction Solutions, Rossler Transmissions, FTI Converters, Braille Batteries, Strange Engineering, VP Racing Fuels, and Voss Wheelie Bars, all of which are integral to his program. Fiorelli is also supported by his loving wife, Gigi, daughter, Cassandra, son-in-law, Shawn, and grandsons, Isaiah ‘Zay Zay’ and Cameron.
“With the team I’ve got, I am just having the time of my life. As long as the Lord let’s me, I’m going to continue doing it,” he said.
With a full heart and a storied history of sportsman, match, and now outlaw racing, Mike Fiorelli is living the dream and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
This story was originally published on January 31, 2025. 
The post Mike Fiorelli Scores First Outlaw 632 Win in Impressive Outing at U.S. Street Nationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.