Tipping the scales at a mere 650kg and roaring on a 410 Chevrolet tube alloy motor - the power-to-weight ratio makes for some scary but exhilarating racing.
"The idea is to load the wing up with air and hopefully you get around the corner," Buchanan said.
"It is a lot of fun."
Lapping about 2sec faster than the saloon cars he drove for three seasons, the sprint car has taken some getting used to and he was grateful to Christ-church's Steve Duff and his pit crew for their set-up assistance this year.
Buchanan won the second round of the South Island sprint car series, the War of the Wings, in Dunedin and will be angling for a home-town victory at Central Motor Speedway on New Year's Day.
Points will be added up over the five rounds, with competitors able to drop their worst result.
Ruapuna Park, in Christchurch, will host the fourth outing, in February, before the sprint cars return to do final battle in Cromwell at Easter.
The Central Motor Speedway will hold its Christmas championships on Tuesday night, with "everything you can imagine" on the race programme, promoter Phil Burgess said.
Competing along with the drivers of street stocks, stock cars and A grade cars will be Gisborne's Darren McKinley, who will join several South Island drivers preparing for the New Zealand super saloon championships from January 8 to 10.
Both categories of mini stocks (adult and youth), production saloons and possibly some sidecars will also entertain the crowd.
Gates open at 3pm with racing from 6pm.
On New Year's Day, beginning at the same time, the War of the Wings lands in Cromwell.
Expect about 16 lightweight, methanol-burning monsters to be screeching around the oval.
In this third round, look out for Buchanan and Central Motor Speedway-contracted driver Jason Scott, of Queenstown, who won the first round in Christchurch.
Aside from official practice on January 8, "this is the last chance for the super saloon guys to have a decent play before the [New Zealand] champs," Burgess said.
