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IHRA Motor City Nationals, Milan, MI.
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The
latest results from the sixth stop on the 2004 IHRA Hooters Drag
Racing Series
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By Bobby Bennett Photos by Roger Richards, Bryan Epps |
FRIDAY - Clay Millican Leads IHRA Top Fuel Qualifying at Second Annual Motor City Nationals
(7-16-2004) - Clay Millican holds the No. 1 Top Fuel qualifying position at the Second Annual Motor City Nationals presented by the Milan News Leader and Saline Reporter at Milan Dragway. Millican, of Drummonds, Tenn., covered the quarter-mile in 4.701 seconds. Other No. 1 qualifiers include Mitch Stott, Mill Spring, N.C., (Pro Modified); Rob Atchison, London, Ontario, (Funny Car); and John Nobile, Dix Hills, N.Y., (Sunoco Race Fuels Pro Stock). Defending world champion Millican, who currently leads the Top Fuel points on the 2004 Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series, is followed by Bruce Litton in the second spot. Doug Foley is third and Louie Allison fourth. After a quiet opening to defending his Pro Modified championship,
Stott holds the low qualifying Reigning Funny Car world champion Atchison holds the low spot with
a 5.848, 239.53, and is
In Sunoco Pro Stock, Nobile finds himself in a familiar position as current low qualifier by running an ET track record 6.515. He is followed by Steve Spiess, who set the track speed record at 213.16 mph, Mike Bell and Tony Gillig. John Montecalvo and 2003 event-winner Jason Collins are currently not in the field. Qualifying for the Motor City Nationals resumes Saturday at 2 p.m. Final eliminations begin Sunday at 11 a.m. Results Friday after qualifying for the Second annual IHRA Motor City Nationals presented by the Milan News Leader and Saline Reporter at Milan Dragway, sixth 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, 4.701 seconds,
298.60 mph; 2. Bruce Litton, 4.858, 281.83; Pro Modified -- 1. Mitch Stott, Chevy Corvette,
6.234, 227.31; 2. Mike Janis, Corvette, Funny Car -- 1. Rob Atchison, Pontiac Firebird,
5.848, 239.53; 2. Mark Thomas, Dodge Pro Stock -- 1. John Nobile, Ford ZX2, 6.515,
213.06; 2. Steve Spiess, Chevy Cavalier,
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| There are gear heads and then there are gearheads. (Bobby Bennett Photo) |
(7-16-2004) - What a difference a year makes - Chris Holbrook's 6.60 low qualifying effort in 2003 would have only netted a ninth seeding after the first day of Sunoco Pro Stock qualifying. On the very first qualifying pair, Jeff Dobbins, driving a second car for John Montecalvo, topped the track record with a 6.593. Dobbins is using a Sonny Leonard engine built for Kenny Benso, who will be testing on Monday following the event.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished? - Rumors are circulating throughout the pits that Edmonton Funny Car winner Jeff Burnett's absence can be attributed to one thing. Reportedly, Burnett, a native Australian from Brisbane, was detained at the border by U.S. officials. Burnett is the only winner of an IHRA Hooters Drag Racing Series event other than Mark Thomas.
Turbos Anyone? – Could the IHRA be looking ahead to the future of the Pro Modified class? Following each qualifying session, the turbocharged doorslammer of Mike Moran is scheduled to make exhibition passes following Friday and Saturday’s qualifying sessions. Earlier this season during the CompetitionPlus.com Spring Open at Virginia Motorsports Park, Moran produced an incredible 6.29, 239-mile per hour blast.
Explosive Exhibition - During the tubocharged exhibition, Mike Bowman, supporting driver for Moran, unintentionally stole the show. At the 1,000-foot mark, Bullman suffered an intake explosion which ripped the hood scoop and fuel lines from the car. The ensuing fire yielded flames that reached as high as 14-feet high. Bullman was uninjured in the accident.
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| Mike Bowman suffered a horrendous fire during the turbo doorslammer exhibition on Friday evening. (Roger Richards, Bobby Bennett Photos) |
We’ve changed everything – For Sunoco Pro Stock team owner Steve Thodos and his hired driver Frank “The Flying Meatball” Gugliotta, this season has been a tough one. Last year, Gugliotta not only won the Sunoco Pro Stock Shootout in Norwalk Raceway but was also voted by his peers as the most improved driver in the class. This season has not been as kind. According to Thodos, the team has changed engines, ignition, tire manufacturers and even the rear-end. Says a puzzled Thodos, “We know we have a problem, we just have to find it. It’s almost so embarrassing that we have second-thoughts about coming out here. We’ll figure it out though. The only bad thing about the deal is when we finally get it to working right. We’ve changed so much that we won’t know what was wrong. That’s okay, if were going down the track, it won’t matter what was wrong.”
Front-end carnage – Sometimes the front end of a dragster can take a beating during the course of a national event. That’s what defending IHRA Top Fuel champion Clay Millican found out prior to this weekend’s event in Milan. The front end of his dragster had to be front-halved at chassis builder Murf McKinney’s shop after eight cracks were spotted following the Edmonton event. Millican shared his experience with defending IHRA Funny Car champion Rob Atchison, who after close inspection noticed similar damage to his entry. Atchison’s damage was not as severe and the damage was repaired on Friday morning.
He learns quickly – As CompetitionPlus.com’s Bobby Bennett was talking to Pro Modified racer Harold Martin, Sunoco Pro Stock standout John Nobile offered the following advice to the ACDelco-sponsored driver.
“Be careful what you say to him, he’ll quote you on it.”
Nobile’s comments were attributed to an incident when Bennett suggested to Nobile that he should help his friend John Montecalvo. Montecalvo was quoted as saying, “Are you on crack?”
New Chassis Too – Just four months after his devastating crash in San Antonio, Bruce Litton debuted a new Brad Hadman dragster this weekend in Milan. That was the reason for longtime crewchief Mike Wolfarth’s absence in Edmonton two weeks ago. According to Litton, Wolfarth was busy preparing the new car for the second-half of the season. Litton’s crash in March was caused when he blew a slick at 300-mph going across the finish line.
Shhhh..don't tell the D.O.T. - Litton has found that the proximity of his race trailer dealership across the street from Indianapolis can have its advantages. Instead of loading his new Hadman-built dragster into his race trailer and towing over to the race track, Litton merely hooked the dragster to his classic Suburban and pulled it across the busy street. He made a pass. The crew packed the parachutes and returned to the car to the shop. He then loaded the racecar in his trailer and headed for Milan.
Starke Contrast - During the course of the weekend, Keith Starke is forgoing his qualifying efforts to lobby IHRA officials to legalize nitrous oxide on injected-nitro dragsters. Unfortunately, his first attempt was for naught as the car wouldn't fire.
In Memorium – Top Fuel racer “Turbo” Tim Cullinan’s pit area was the host of a gathering of friends memorializing longtime wrench Dave Spurr. Spurr died last Friday after being diagnosed with cancer. He will be missed.
The early bird might have gotten the worm – IHRA officials might have been kicking themselves at 5:30 PM as the rains began to fall. Just weeks before the event was scheduled to begin, IHRA officials changed the professional qualifying session from 2 PM to 7 PM.
Assessment – “We must have one long rain cloud stretching all the way from Denver.” – overheard in the press room when it was discovered that the NHRA event Denver was under a simultaneous rain delay.
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