Good call Raylar & T-S. I didn't know that was there.

I was just in a Daytona this weekend and I noticed after a few high speed passes the temp also went to 185 to 190. Is it because of the whipped kit on the 496ho? Or should it stay cool? What is normal operating temps for a 496 ho?

160 thermostat, mine runs 170ish and climbs to just under 180 after a hard run, has always run like this, i'm also running the hardin stainless seapump, i need to change the antifreeze but not sure if it will run any cooler than it does now

Not whipple but procharger.
I was having the same issue but at cruising rpm (3500-3800) I also installed the hardin sea pump. I purchased a scan tool from Rinda after taking Ray's advice. With the scan tool hooked up running on the hose I noticed that my gauge was reading almost 15 degrees warmer than the computer was reading. Just something you may want to check. I also cleaned the heat exchange and found a bunch of stuff in there. My next thing to check is the oil cooler as my oil temps seem to get a little high after a hard run (220-240 on the gauge).

Go to this site just about the problems for the gen 7--496 pump.
http://www.marine-496pump.com/
If your pump body ends look like this problem pump there is your cure.
If not check if the input hose is crushed. The fix for that problem is on the page called the im654
Good luck Buddy