NATCHEZ — Barreling down a quarter mile track at 130 mph in 10 seconds was all it took for Jamie Morace’s brother to get hooked on racing.

“He got out of the car, and his hands were shaking a bit, but you could tell he enjoyed it,” Morace said. “After that, he was hooked.”

And when The Dart landed on Morace’s house on Northhampton Road Friday afternoon, the car that started it all wasn’t in the driveway, but its replacement was.

On the outside, the 1979 Pontiac Trans Am looks like any other car waiting to be crushed and recycled at a junkyard.

But under the hood lies weeks of precise mechanical and technical work that would make any adrenaline junkie do a quick double take.

A 427-block engine complete with nitrous injection ports patiently awaits its first crank, which Morace hopes will be very soon.

“There’s a whole lot more to it than most people think because none of the original wires in this car are being used,” Morace said, while explaining the part each nut and bolt plays. “I’m hoping within two months, it’ll be up and running. Maybe sooner, but it just depends on how things go.”

The project is for Morace’s brother, Lane, who works on an oilrig in Texas and wanted to get into drag racing after driving his brother’s 1991 Chevy S-10 for the first time.

“He didn’t want to make a big investment, so he bought this car for really cheap, and we’ve been trying to restore it and make it run since then,” Morace said. “My main focus is the engine, because he’s going to start on the body work after I’m done.”

Having worked as a technician at Natchez Ford for almost 16 years, Morace is no stranger to engines and said he was happy to help his brother get into something they can do together.

“Every time he gets back from work, he’ll come here and we’ll work on the car together,” Morace said. “I’m looking forward to having him out on the racetrack with me.”

Morace, his brother and a handful of Miss-Lou residents travel around the state, usually to Jackson or Hattiesburg, to try their hands at amateur drag racing.

With no money or titles on the line, the races are just about the need for speed — and maybe some bragging rights.

So after selling his first racecar a few months ago, Morace purchased his newest ride, a 1997 Pontiac Firebird, to make sure his brother doesn’t get too cocky on the track.

“I’m going to finish his car before I start working on mine, but the trash talking has already started,” Morace said. “I told him if he hiccups even one time out there, I’d get him.”

But at the end of the day, Morace said it’s not about who wins the race.

“Anytime we go to the track, we’ll have about five or six people from Natchez all piling up to go,” Morace said. “All of our wives and kids go with us, so its family orientated.

“We can all go watch some races and have a good time. It’s a lot of fun.”