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                The 1986 season is the car's fabled "10th Anniversary Tour," and ironically it isn't even paid off yet--the original mortgage on the shop was a fifteen-year proposition, giving Ric five more years to complete the purchase. Despite it all, Deschner still campaigns the car relatively often. Running low percentages of nitro because of the fuel's obvious propensity for incinerating parts and paychecks, the car normally runs a 50-58% mixture of "yellow Stuff". Likewise, the car's 6-71 supercharger produces substantially less boost than an ultra-expensive 14-71 unit, but Ric makes up for the lack of horsepower with stout rearend gearing (up to a 4.30:1 ratio), and the use of a three-speed nitro car, the low gear allows the car to launch well despite its lack of power.
                The engine is a bone-stock displacement Chevy, and although the car is close to its 500th pass down the track, Deschner has only used up five blocks in a decade of racing. In fact, the car is indeed prettier than many cars in their first season. The original paint makes the car one of the most colorful in the sport. The only flaws came from Ric's two fires, both of which occurred within three weeks of each other in 1978. The largest blaze came when a cylinder head split while racing against Dale Pulde's "War Eagle" Trans Am at the IHRA Dixie Nationals in Commerce, GA. That same run is still the best ever for the car and fastest ever recorded for a cast iron Chevy-powered fuel flopper, a 6.55 at 218.44mph. Even the elapsed time is the third best ever for the breed.
              Deschner's racing philosophy is simple. He can't afford to lean on the car at an event and hopes his consistent high-six second pace will get him in the show. His IHRA tour appearances have found him in the field on several occasions, and his elimination procedure is equally conservative; his consistency can "drill" any of the hitters if they fail to maintain their own balance, and Deschner has indeed knocked off several of the sports best when they failed to take him seriously. Regardless, Ric Deschner and the "Underdog" Monza are without a doubt the most popular independent team in IHRA Funny Car racing. The crowds simply love to root for the world's last cast-iron Monza fuel flopper and rightfully so - when it comes to showmanship and in particular, burnouts, Ric can blaze em with the best of em. New safety requirements such as blower restraints, dual parachutes, front wheel brakes and other additions have forced Ric to put aside his plans for a new body in 1987, but Ric has vowed to his fans (which are many more than even Ric himself might believe) that he will not fade away. In the world of high dollar nitro funny cars, Ric Deschner will always be there to uphold the honor of the "common man", and you can bet that the fans will be there to cheer him on!