GM has stepped up its support of Tony Stewart Racing by releasing a new 4-cylinder Chevy Midget racing engine, which meets USAC National Midget Car Series specs. The all-aluminum 2.7-liter (166cid) inline 4-cylinder will propel open-wheel racers Tracy Hines and Levi Jones this year, replacing the previous Chevy II-based design. The outdated 1960s technology was completely thrown out, and from a blank computer screen GM Racing engineers created an innovative architecture that radically enhances combustion efficiency and airflow while lowering the center of gravity [according to GM Racing]. The exhaust-side camshaft allowed for the repositioning of the spark plugs and fuel injectors (among many other enhancements), as the result of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and solid 3-D modeling. The 350+ horsepower powerplant runs on mechanically injected methanol as specified by class rules. This may not seem like a lot of power, but it easily turns a lightweight tube chassis open-wheel racecar into a rocket ship. I had the pleasure of driving a 150hp Formula racecar from the Skip Barber Racing School, and the power to weight ratio was ridiculous. With over 200 more horses it might as well be a Formula 1 Ferrari. For those who don't know, Tony Stewart got his start in open-wheel racing before moving over to NASCAR and his return has been rumored for several years.