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IHRA Texas Nationals
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The
latest results from the first stop on the 2004 IHRA Hooters Drag
Racing Series
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By Bobby Bennett, Bill Walters Photos by Roger Richards, Bobby Bennett |
SATURDAY - 19-year old Barklage blasts way to top of Pro Modified field, Millican, Atchinson and Montecalvo round out professional low qualifiers(3-27-2004) – Just one week after establishing a personal best, 19-year old Pro Modified racer Zach Barklage pushed his Pontiac Grand-am to the quickest elapsed time of the IHRA Amalie Oil Texas Nationals in San Antonio, Texas. Barklage saved his best for last with a 6.208, 229.86. Also landing atop their respective divisions were Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Rob Atchinson (Funny Car) and John Montecalvo (Sunoco Pro Stock). On the heels of Barklage’s career-building effort was Harold Martin’s 6.218, 226.46. Martin had crashed his ACDelco-sponsored entry on Friday evening and rebuilt it in time for Saturday’s qualifying. Canadian Rick Distefano was third with a 6.223, 218. It took at least a 6.308 to gain a spot in the show. Millican, of Drummonds, Tenn., one-upped his Friday performance with a Saturday evening 4.631, 309.77. The Werner-sponsored driver was light years ahead of #2 Mark Kinsella, who registered a 4.669, 303.30. Rick Cooper landed on the bubble. Atchinson, the defending Funny Car champion, stepped up in the final session with a 5.814, 239.78 to edge out multi-time World Champion Mark Thomas. Montecalvo, of Center Moriches, NY, established both ends of the Sunoco Pro Stock track record, with a 6.533, 213.57. Falling into order behind the Citgo-sponsored driver was Elijah Morton (6.544) and John Nobile (6.545). Bert Jackson ended up on the bubble with a 6.634, 208.49. Up to the minute results at IHRA.com. SATURDAY - Harold Martin's inspirational return, Great act of sportsmanship by Berner and Cannon's holding court again...Thrash Man – Some might have packed up after crashing their car in qualifying, but not ACDelco-sponsored Pro Modified racer Harold Martin. Martin towed his wounded Pontiac to the pits on Friday only to be met by a large gathering of racers ready and willing to pitch in a helping hand. Upon taking inventory of the damage, Martin realized that with the exception of the sheared axle studs on the rear, most of the damage was cosmetic. The team, along with a few volunteers worked until 2 AM on Saturday. The only reason they stopped was they had run out of parts. Just when it seemed futile to work towards Saturday’s first qualifying session, the trio of Kip Dupuis, Elijah Morton and Gary Henry along with a score of new racers found the missing pieces to the puzzle and Martin was in the lanes at Noon. “I am just blown away by the support of the community,” Martin added. “We had tons of help and it may have gotten crowded at times. But, we got it down.” By the way, Martin went to the top of the qualifying list with a 6.218, 226.47. Martin admitted the run on Saturday felt exactly like the launch on Friday. He added that what we saw on Saturday should have come the night before.
Driver Frank Gugliotta was at a loss for words when it came to expressing his gratitude afforded him. Once he gained his composure, he said, “The rulebook says that once an engine qualifies, it cannot be entered in another car. He jeopardized himself to help us. That’s huge.” Berner’s main engine is named “Shania.” “I was happy to help Steve,” added Berner. “They are good people and I wouldn’t just loan an engine to just anyone. I feel confident that we’ll do just fine with one engine.” He ain’t Hemi, he’s my Chevy – The road has been long with many winding turns for Chevrolet racer John Montecalvo and engine builder Sonny Leonard’s development of the next generation cylinder head, a design based on the Ford Hemi. Montecalvo concluded Saturday’s qualifying with both ends of the track record. His 6.533 elapsed time put him ahead of the twenty entries on the grounds. His 213.57 blast stood up as the fastest mile per hour. Once a doormat of the class, the Chevrolets are changing that attitude. “I think it took most of last year to get things together,” Montecalvo said. “We have a handle on it now. I also have a new 2004 Cavalier from Rick Jones that I’m just dying to give it a shot.”
The IHRA version has its own version of A Taste of Italy in the Pro Stock pits. The most notable is the "The Flying Meatball" Frank Gugliotta. Joining the fraternity is now John "The Flying Sausage" Montecalvo and John "The Flying Pepperoni" Nobile. The trio are all of Italian heritage and suggested the nicknames.
The Boys are back in town – The 2004 IHRA Amalie Oil Texas Nationals looked like a return of the old guard in IHRA doorslammer racing. This nostalgic quartet consisting of Scotty Cannon, Robert Patrick, John Nobile and Tony Gillig all seemed to pick up where they left off at. After three sessions, Cannon and Nobile were third in their respective classes, while Gillig ended up seventh and Patrick was 14th.
Question Answered – One of the largest unknown questions looming in the drag racing was finally answered on Saturday evening. Which is the better race vehicle, a VW bug or a 35-foot diesel-burning motorhome? The rig was afforded a three-second handicap, which was overcome by the VW with a 26.063, 51. The motorhome lost with a 26.668, 52. They have medical coverage – Just one week
earlier, the NHRA refused to allow “Nurse Tiffany,”
the scantily clad nurse figure on the Dr. Moon’s Rage team
driven by Von Smith, to walk to the starting line unless she had
a team uniform. On Saturday evening, IHRA President Bill Bader escorted
her just past the Christmas tree and back. Bader was later rumored
to be complaining of some soreness in his shoulder and requested
a nurse.
FRIDAY - Millican king of the hill in Top Fuel; Billes, Atchinson, Jones top professional low qualifiers
(3-26-2004) – Clay Millican was light years ahead of the competition during first day qualifying for the IHRA Amalie Oil Texas Nationals in San Antonio, Texas. The Drummonds, Tenn.-based driver was the quickest Top Fueler out of 20 entries with a 4.642, 303.23. Falling into the second spot was Mark Kinsella with a 4.728, 303.30. Gene Davis was on the bubble with a 5.314, 224.96. The balance of the low qualifiers included Al Billes (Pro Modified), Rob Atchinson (Funny Car) and Rick Jones (Sunoco Pro Stock). Pro Modified’s final session provided a historic shootout that resembled the 1991 Pro Modified World Championship battle between Billes and six-time World Champion Scotty Cannon. Cannon pushed his Oakley-sponsored 1953 Studebaker to the top spot with a 6.227. His run stood for two pairs when Billes backed up his recent NHRA Gatornationals victory with a 6.224 pole position. The bump spot for the 16-car field is anchored by Steve Engel with a 6.350.
In Funny Car, Atchinson opened his championship defense with a provisional top qualifying effort with a 5.853, 239.31, Mark Thomas was second with a 5.856, 244.38. Only six cars are in attendance. Jones, a chassis builder from Galesburg, Ill., took a huge step towards defending his event title by landing on top with a 6.553, 212.06 in his Quartermax-sponsored Dodge Stratus. His elapsed time actually was tied by Elijah Morton, but his 211.89 speed was slower than that of Jones. The bump spot was anchored by Chuck DeMory with a 6.718, 207.11. On the outside looking in are 2003 IHRA Hooters Drag Racing Series winners Carl Baker, Doug Kirk and Jason Collins. Up to the minute results at IHRA.com.
Results Friday after qualifying for the Third annual Amalie Oil Texas Nationals presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks & RVs and the San Antonio Express-News at San Antonio Raceway, first of 12 events in the 2004 Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations. Top Fuel -- 1. Clay Millican, 4.642 seconds,
303.23 mph; 2. Mark Kinsella, 4.728, Pro Modified -- 1. Al Billes, Chevy Corvette,
6.224, 225.86; 2. Scotty Cannon, Funny Car -- 1. Rob Atchison, Pontiac Firebird,
5.853, 239.53; 2. Mark Thomas, Dodge Pro Stock -- 1. Rick Jones, Dodge Stratus, 6.553,
212.06; 2. Elijah Morton, Ford
FRIDAY NOTES – The brewing controversy in Top Fuel; Funny Car famine, Top Fuel miracles and the legend of the Mohawk
(3-26-2004) - Old Faces; New Place – If the AMS Staff Leasing crew appears to have that familiar look, it’s because the quartet at one time were joined under the umbrella of Johnny Rocca. Driver Troy Critchley was instrumental in bringing in former Rocca tuner Darren Mayer, as well as former crewmembers Billy Medina and Dave Jordan. “We do have that retro look,” Mayer admitted. It’s ironic that Rocca will be in the announcing booth this year. Was that cause for a team reunion? “We laughed about that over dinner,” added Mayer. “It was a time of reminiscing over the memories we had while racing with Johnny. Some of them made us laugh so hard it made our stomachs hurt.”
Martin Uninjured in mishap - Harold Martin's ACDelco-sponsored suffered parts breakage at the launch which caused his Pontiac Grand-am to cross the center-line and hit the opposite retaining wall. He emerged uninjured. New Kids on the Block – Remember when you were growing up and a new kid moved into the neighborhood? In most instances, you either liked them or you didn’t. That’s exactly the reaction the injected-nitro cars received in their debut as part of a revamped Top Fuel division. Most welcomed them, but at least one driver wasn’t so hospitable. Defending World Champion Clay Millican thinks the new addition to Top Fuel will be welcomed. “I think as a whole, they will be welcomed. If it causes everyone to step up it will be a good thing. The bottom line is that no one wants to get beat by one. Nobody wants to get beat by a car that they should beat.”
Then again, there are those like Todd Paton, who feel the inclusion of these cars signal an unofficial end to the class. “We saw it happen a few years back when the IHRA let Billy Austin run,” Paton said. “An A/Fuel Funny Car was just like a BB/FC, and where are they at now in IHRA? The writing is on the wall. I don’t understand how you can bring a combination in and tell them the only rules they have is have 90 to 100-percent nitro. “We know the A/Fuel cars are very powerful, even under their standard rules. They are very capable of running 5-teens and lower. With the lock-up clutches and all, they make awesome amounts of torque. We are only running 1320-feet so torque is king. If it was a long-distance race, then horsepower would be king. Then there is the reliability factor. Once they get them dialed in, it would be a lot cheaper to run one. I don’t think the class really needed it.
Paton questioned the need for additional entries when there were at least 8 – 12 conventional cars on the grounds Thursday. “How many cars do you need for an eight-car field?” Millican, who ran the quickest elapsed time in the first session of qualifying which turned out to be nearly eight-tenths of a second quicker than the leading A/Fuel Dragster, doesn’t see him as a bully. He added, “I know those guys are there if I ever smoke the tires.” “I really don’t care. It’s just another car in the other lane. If it makes a better show, I’m all for it.” Paton considers a loss to an A/Fuel Dragster to be somewhat like an eight-year old boy getting beat by a girl. “It would be worse,” added Paton. “The incredible Turd – That’s what injected-nitro Top Fuel driver Dave Hirata calls his 460-something cubic inch engine. He’s not even sure what cubic inch size it is. “I just grabbed the biggest one I could find,” Hirata added. “I can’t wait until we get 40-extra cubic inches.” Impressive Part – Of 16 blown and injected nitro Top Fuelers, not one single entry applied oil to the racing surface.
Unimpressive Part – While Top Fuel had 20 cars on the grounds, Funny Car was considerably off with only 6 entries. Park the rig, we’ll drive it for you – Pro Modified team owner Richard Patterson is ready to issue an ultimatum to any drag race team that brings their rig to his house in Houston. It seems that every time a team visits, they seem to do damage to his home. Patterson demands, “I’m going to tell them all to park their rigs at the top of the road and I’ll provide valet service. Nothing gets torn down that way.” Patterson points out that the last two visits resulted in an awning being down, which in turn fell on a new Chevy Tahoe causing irreparable damage.” Most recently, a team, whom Patterson prefers to keep anonymous, bent his wrought iron gate into a 90-degree angle. Jilted at the altar again – After a barrage of promotional releases and a few columns promoting his return to Top Fuel, Steve Hamilton was jilted once again in his bid to run with the Kings of the Sport. According to Hamilton, he got a call a week before the IHRA Amalie Oil Texas Nationals from team owner John Mitchell telling him decided not to run. “I just don’t get it,” Hamilton explained. “I had a signed contract. I just can’t get a break.” Hamilton’s bids to run in the class have been spoiled by a broken down tow truck en route to an event and another time he made it there, but the wing for the car didn’t. The Rod Father - “There were rods coming out here and rods coming out there. Once I got out at the finish line, I realized there was nothing there.” – Mitch Stott after wounding the first of two motors on Friday. The Iceman Reloadeth – After a dismal showing last week in Gainesville, Fla., at the NHRA Gatornationals, nitrous Pro Modified stalwarts Shannon Jenkins and Mike Castellana pulled out of Gainesville Raceway following the third qualifying session. Was it a protest? “No way,” says Jenkins. “We had hurt two motors and had one left…two cars…one good motor…race next week…you do the math.” A quick trip to Gene Fulton’s shop and many hours of sleepless nights, and Jenkins was back at San Antonio ready to rumble. “We’ll qualify and it should be fine.”
Litton’s arsenal cupboard bare – The good news is that Bruce Litton stockpiled a lot of parts for his Lucas Oil-sponsored Top Fuel effort in 2004. The bad news is that he burned up most of them last week in Gainesville. In fact, he was cited ten points for an oildown violation in the first round. More good news is that he took out Scott Kalitta. The bad news is that he had to throw in the towel following the victory. It’s all in the hair – Von Smith’s first event during the 2003 season was in Norwalk. In the second-half of the season in NHRA competition, Smith had the winningest record of any in the class. This season, Smith has a new look and a new theme as part of the Tom Lipar-owned team. The former Roy Hill Mustang is now adorned with Dr. Moon’s Rage livery. Smith also has blonde highlights. So are the highlights to cover any gray hair that Smith may have developed in learning to drive a Pro Modified car? “Nope,” Smith answered. “Tom wanted me to do something to make my hair stand out.” Does he have any limits with the hair, would he do a Mohawk or something like that? “The only thing I won’t do is shave my head,” Smith continued. “Well maybe if I had 40 more pounds of muscle and a few earrings in my ear. Then I could be the Pro Modified equivalent to ‘Mr. Clean.” Hair, Part 2 – Of course, the most popular hairdo in the Pro Modified pits is the Mohawk. There were three known instances of this Native American hairdo floating through the Pro Modified pits. One was created as a gimmick and another was heritage-induced. Pro Modified’s winningest driver Scotty Cannon was sporting his newly cropped Mohawk approximately 3 ¼-inches long. He adopted the hairdo in 1998 as the result of peer pressure from a longtime friend. The hairdo stuck and it drew the overwhelming approval of Oakley President Jim Jannard. Then there’s Paul Athey’s do. Athey is a Native American from the Mohegan Tribe and in his area of New England, that style is common. His Mohawk extends to his neck. Athey adds, “There’s a misconception that hairdo was reserved for the Mohawk Indians. The funny thing is that they didn’t even wear a Mohawk.” When asked if the hair style might be a prerequisite to running the class, Athey piped up regarding teammate Quain Stott. Athey added, “Quain’s even said if he wins, he might get one.”
Cannon’s Philosophy – “I must be back. I’m here ain’t I?” – Six-time Pro Modified champion Scotty Cannon on his return to Pro Modified. The following session Cannon held the top spot momentarily with a 6.227 until Al Billes took the mark by .003. Demolition Man – The last time Al Billes had his ’53 Corvette out, he took home the NHRA Gatornationals title. The time before that he was playing demolition derby with the wall at U.S. 131 Dragway in Martin, Mi. Billes credits the success of his car’s return to time spent at Tim McCamis’ shop in Missouri. “We kind of like to forget about the Martin incident,” said Billes. “Tim completely overhauled the car and it works great.” In the week following the event, CompetitionPlus.com was accused of labeling Billes as the underdog at Gainesville. Billes just laughed when asked how it feels to be an underdog. “Oh man,” Billes laughed. “Hey, we're from up in Southern Canada…we don’t get a lot of chances to test and it sometimes puts us behind headed into the new season.”
I know he didn’t say that – When the comment was made to nitrous advocate Charles Carpenter, “Ten-to-one odds say the nitrous cars will get their butts kicked this weekend,” he appeared stunned by the comment. His response was, “I won’t take that bet, but five-to-one odds says the blower cars go home early Sunday. I know he didn’t say that either –19-year old Pro Modified racer Zach Barklage was posed with the question, “Which would you rather have, 6.20s at the Gatornationals (which he did last week) or the prom queen in the back seat of a car?” His response? “The 6.20s at the Gatornationals. I can always get the prom queen.”
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