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| 9th
Annual Bethesda SoftWorks World Finals Click Here for Complete Event Photo Gallery FINAL - MILLICAN WINS AT ROCKINGHAM FOR SEVENTH STRAIGHT TIME
(10-24-2004) -
Overshadowed in qualifying by Australian Andrew Cowin, Clay
Millican showed Sunday why he is the most prolific winner in IHRA drag
racing history by driving the Werner Enterprises Top Fuel dragster to
its seventh victory of the season and its seventh straight win at Rockingham
Dragway.
Millican was clocked in
4.672 seconds at 307.79 miles per hour, well off the 4.534 second IHRA
world record Cowin set on Saturday but still good enough to cover Dunn's
ailing 7.107 at just 111.10 mph which made the North Carolina driver
a runner-up for the third time in as many final round appearances.
As for Cowin, he saw his
hopes of a breakthrough first IHRA victory evaporate when his 7,000
horsepower dragster lost traction in the second round. In fact, the
25-year-old's bid began to unravel in the warmup preceding the race
against Millican when the crew found a faulty fuel pump and was forced
to replace it under duress.
For Nobile, it was a great
finish marred only by a final round loss to the man he supplanted as
champion, Brian Gahm of Lucasville, Ohio, whose World Finals victory
enabled him to move all the way up to second place despite three DNQs
during the season.
Sportsman Results
FINAL – Fred Tigges, Holbrook, Mass., Chevrolet
Camaro, 5.910, 223.80 mph, def. Rob Atchison, London, Ontario, Canada,
Pontiac Firebird, 5.936, 237.00 mph. Sunday Notes - Nobile crowned Pro Stock champion; Survival of the fittest and the new IHRA video game...
(10-24-2004) - Late Start – The schedule originally had a start time of 11 AM. Rain showers invaded the area for much of the morning and the end result of a two-hour track drying process was that preliminary sportsman action began just after Noon. An extensive oildown pushed pre-race festivities until 2:15 PM. Good Sportsmanship – When Doug Foley had an air bottle go bad, it was opponent Danny Dunn’s crew who loaned a replacement unit to him. The Dunn crew quickly installed the bottle as the call to fire was given. It was clearly visible that Dunn’s crew took their time firing the car until Foley’s machine started. Dunn’s patience was rewarded with a victory. Atchison by a Whisker - Mark Thomas led the entire Funny Car points chase from the start, but when it came down to the championship, Rob Atchison caught him at the stripe. Needing to go one more round to overtake Thomas, Atchison did just that when Fred Tigges took out the points leader. The interesting point is that Tigges has beaten Thomas in their last two meetings. No Mo Polyester - For many years, "Staging Steve" LeTempt, the IHRA's beloved staging director, wore a crimson red polyester jacket during his duties. As the first executive decision under the Aaron Polburn era, LeTempt's jacket was subjected to the flames of the jet-powered Kenworth driven by Bob Motz. This same flame has burned signs and towers, but when it came to this promotional icon, it had very little effect. Motz in three flame blasts could not burn the jacket. The ceremony came as a surprise for LeTempt, who had reported his jacket stolen prior to the entertaining event. Polburn chuckled when he admitted, "Stevie came running to me in a panic saying that his jacket had been stolen. I assured him that it had not be stolen. I let him know it was going to be part of a ceremony. He thought he was going to get an award or something."
See the Back of the Page - In looking at a listing of black flag penalties for the event, the Top Dragster section was given an (*) asterisk on the official race page urging the reader to "look on the back of the sheet." By 4:30 afternoon on Sunday, the sportsman division had accrued nine oildown penalties. It's All Over - Needing two rounds to beat John Nobile in the world championship, John Montecalvo lost on a holeshot to Rob Mansfield in the second pair of Pro Stock. Nobile was granted his first career World Championship. That's What he Thinks - In a post championship interview, Nobile reiterated his love for his close friend Montecalvo. Nobile said, "I still love Montecalvo and we're still going to ride back to the airport in the same rental car." In an interview earlier this season when Montecalvo was struggling, CompetitionPlus.com suggested that Nobile should help his friend. Nobile's response? "Are you on crack?"
Feels Like the First Time - It may have taken a full season to attain it, but Missouri-based Pro Stock racer Kenny Benso grabbed his first round win of the season. It wasn't a hard-fought scenario as his opponent Jerry Haas broke on the burnout, enabling Benso to solo to a 6.523, 212.86.
Neat Way to Pass the Time – The cornerstone of Bethesda Softworks’ sponsorship of the World Finals is to create awareness for the upcoming release of the 2005 version of the IHRA Drag Racing Game on Playstation2 or Xbox. This new video game will be available in Walmart, K-mart and Target to name a few. It will also be available for purchase from IHRA.com. For those eagerly awaiting the release, it should prove to be the finest to date. Some of the features will include three different play settings – arcade, simulation and mini-game. In this game, players must pass certain difficulty tasks to earn better rides and more racing budgets. The one thing that will be a tree is a built-in practice tree. As if this game isn’t enough, Bethesda Softworks is planning a sportsman version in March pending approval from Sony. Unfamiliar Territory - For the first time in three
championship seasons, Top Fuel world champion Clay Millican will start
from the bottom half of the field. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t
SATURDAY - COWIN
LEADS RECORD BINGE IN ROCKINGHAM QUALIFYING
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Cowin
wasn't the only record-setter on Saturday. Pro Stock points leader John
Nobile lowered the record in his class to 6.435 seconds and Canadian
Al Billes dropped the Pro Modified record to 6.102 seconds on a record-breaking
evening.
"I've
been doing this a long time," Nobile said, "and, God willing,
we'll win this championship and maybe go on and win the race. I want
to win this thing really bad, but John does, too. We're friends. He
drove me here from the airport and, no matter what happens, we'll go
back to the airport, together."|
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| Tim Stevens suffered a devastating fire during the first session on Saturday. He was transported to Richmond Memorial Hospital for further evaluation. |
(10-23-2004) - Just call him Al – You can call him Al or you can call him the front-runner for the new world record. Al Billes, of Barrie, Ontario, recorded the quickest run of the season at 20% overdrive as he nailed down a 6.102, 229.35. He needs only a 6.163 to back up the record.
Billes paces the quickest field in the history of Pro Modified with a 6.240 bump spot.
Scary Moment – Tim Stevens of Dorr, MI., was transported to Firsthelp Richmond Memorial Hospital in Rockingham, NC. The driver of the Torco Race Fuels alcohol Funny Car suffered an engine fire and struck the guardrail.
Stevens was alert and conscious and transported with slight burns and possible smoke inhalation.
Counting the points – Heading into the final event on the tour, John Nobile led fellow Long Islander John Montecalvo by only ten points. Neither driver was in the field after Friday, but that quickly changed on Saturday as Nobile blasted his way to the top with a 6.435, 213.81. Montecalvo fought his way into the show and wound up in the tenth spot with a 6.480, 213.48.
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| Our buddy Tom Jaros was on hand at Rockingham. Jaros was the winner of the D.R.A.W. auction. He was given the tour of the tower by CompetitionPlus.com's Bobby Bennett. |
Our Hero - A while back, CompetitionPlus.com conducted a special memorabilia auction with the intention of raising money for D.R.A.W. The initial bidder welched on the deal and the frustration of coordinator Roger Richards was conveyed in one of his columns.
That's when Tom Jaros, of Cleveland, Ohio, came to the rescue. A longtime racer of Top Fuel and Funny Car, Jaros bid over $900 for various items that included a one-day pass at an IHRA Hooters event where he could serve as an honorary member of the Werner Eterprises Top Fuel team.
"This has been fun," Jaros said. "I love smelling the aroma of rubber and the pop of the nitro cars."
Upon his tour of the Rockingham Dragway's tower, the first person that Jaros encountered was IHRA President Aaron Polburn. Jaros remembered Polburn from his days at Dragway 42. The two shared their memories of Lou Novotny and his Top Fuel days.
Jaros actively promotes a program for youth. The website address is www.kidzfun.org.
Better late than never – Just when everyone figured defending World Champion Brian Gahm out of the 2004 Pro Stock title fight, the Lucas, Ohio-based driver leapt into prominence with an astounding 6.443, 214.93. The real story is this serves as very good birthday present. He refuses to share his age, but he’s one year older and one qualifying berth richer.
Two stinking thousandths – .002 - That’s the deficit that prevented IHRA Pro Stock from garnering the first-ever 6.4-second field. Frank Snellings was the final driver left with a mathematical chance to make this weekend's program even more historic. Snellings, of Falmouth, Va., had a 6.502 to his credit, also a personal best from earlier. However, when the record book authors were eager to pen yet another chapter, Snellings fell short with a 6.52.
Quick Fields – Three of the four professional fields will go down as the quickest in IHRA history. This feat was achieved following just two sessions of qualifying. The Top Fuel division, paced by Andrew Cowin’s 4.550, tightened in the second session to a 4.788 bump from Danny Dunn. The Pro Modifieds had their remarkable day as Al Billes recorded a 6.102. On the other end of the spectrum, Shannon Jenkins anchored the record program with a 6.240.
Hero to Zero – One race after winning the Norwalk national event, Pro Modified racer Pat Moore could only muster a 14.69.
Hoping for a brighter day – Please forgive the IHRA’s staff if they looked a bit weary headed into today’s action. Over three hundred minutes of downtime was logged tending to oildown cleanup and clearing the race track of wreckage.
So far this weekend they've had to deal with twelve oildowns and four wrecks. The big winner of the day was the Top Dragster class, who led the fray with six occurrences. The Top Sportsman division was second with three and one behind that was Funny Car with two. Pro Modified only had one.
In the mishap department, Top Sportsman, Super Rod, Pro Stock and Top Fuel had one apiece.
Oh Boy – A score of accidents and a few engine failures extended an already late-starting professional session almost to the scheduled starting time for the final session. The first professional qualifying session began at just after 2:00 and by 5:30 only half of the Pro Modified division was complete. The final tally was just five minutes short of four hours for the second session.
Wrapping it up – Monty Bogan, Jr., will be partying
quite a bit this evening. The GM Performance Parts-sponsored driver
from Jonesville, SC., locked his first career Top Stock championship
by defeating veteran runner Woodrow Josey in the first round of eliminations.
Second-ranked Paul Mercure lost to Matt Morgan in the first round effectively
sealing the deal for Bogan.
Oh
No, Not Again! – Top Sportsman competitor Candyce Marsh,
who suffered a horrendous transmission fire on the starting line here
a few seasons ago, was again victimized by a large dose of bad racing
luck during the second of three sessions of qualifying for this weekend’s
Bethesda Softworks World Finals.
Marsh,
of Raleigh, North Carolina, launched her late model Firebird cleanly
in the right lane, but about 200 feet off the line the car took a hard
right turn and impacted the wall in a shower of sparks and concrete
dust.
The
car then slid across the track and came to rest in the left lane. Marsh
jumped from the car unhurt but extremely disappointed that yet another
race car had suffered severe damage.
Photo sequence by Gary Rowe/Raceworks.com
Somebody Up There Likes me, Times Two – With the Sunoco Pro Stock championship coming down to the last race of the year, John Nobile and John Montecalvo fully expected to clash out on the quarter-mile here at Rockingham Dragway this weekend. During last night’s opening qualifying session, however, the two miraculously averted a disaster that could have had far-reaching consequences to the drivers, cars and lastly the battle for the 2004 title.
Montecalvo, who is just 10 points behind friend and fellow Long Island, New York resident Nobile, sat dead in the water as the tree came down last night, his Chevy Cavalier unable to leave the line. His misfortune quickly became a godsend, however, as Nobile’s Ford ZX2 launched hard and immediately turned left, ending up in what very likely would have been the exact same spot Montecalvo would have occupied had he left the line normally.
It could have been real nasty, but as it turned out, neither driver was hurt, neither car was damaged, and now they’ll hopefully be able to settle their season-long Pro Stock championship quest the old fashioned way – side-by-side, and both in their own lane!
FRIDAY - COWIN SURPRISING TOP FUEL LEADER AT WORLD FINALS
(10-22-2004) –
Australian Andrew Cowin equaled the quickest quarter mile time in IHRA
drag racing history Friday night and took the first day qualifying lead
in the ninth annual Bethesda Softworks World Finals at Rockingham Dragway.
Cowin, who is living in Saugus, Calif., while on tour in the United
States, was clocked in 4.550 seconds at 314.17 miles per hour at the
conclusion of a unusually lengthy pro qualifying session.
That enabled him to upstage four-time reigning IHRA Top Fuel Champion
and national record-holder Clay Millican of Drummonds, Tenn., who posted
the second quickest time Friday at 4.668 seconds. Third was Louie Allison
of Denver, Colo., at 4.679. Charlotte's Joel Collins was a surprise
in the No. 5 positions at 4.918.
Other first day leaders were Rick DiStefano of Calgary, Alberta, Canada,
at 6.114 seconds, 230.96 mph in Pro Modified; Tony Bogolo of Hamilton,
Ohio, at 5.812 seconds, 240.17 mph in Funny Car; and Frank Gugliotta
of Mt. Airy, Md., at a track record 6.436 seconds, 213.81 mph in Pro
Stock.
The World Finals, last of 12 races in the IHRA Hooters Drag Racing Series,
continues Saturday with pro qualifying sessions at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Cowin's performance, a career best, equaled to the thousandth of a second
the Rockingham track record Millican established during the 2003 World
Finals.
Gugliotta was one of five Pro Stock drivers to break the old track Pro
Stock record of 6.484 seconds Friday including 1995 series champion
Mike Bell of Asheboro, who was fifth at 6.458, 212.79 mph in another
Escort.
Surprisingly, neither of the two drivers still in contention for the
Pro Stock championship were in the field after the first day. John Nobile
of Dix Hills, N.Y., and John Montecalvo of Center Moriches, N.Y., were
separated by only 10 points entering the World Finals and still were
separated by 10 points Friday after both experienced problems and recorded
no times.
Pro qualifiers Friday following the first of three sessions leading
up to Sunday's ninth annual Bethesda Softworks World Finals at Rockingham
Dragway, last of 12 events in the 2004 IHRA Hooters Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL – 1. Andrew Cowin, Saugus, Calif., 4.550,
314.17 mph; 2. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., 4.668, 289.01 mph; 3.
Louie Allison, Denver, Colo., 4.679, 310.70 mph; 4. C.J. Nelson, San
Diego, Calif., 4.776, 288.46 mph; 5. Joel Collins, Charlotte, N.C.,
4.918, 266.79 mph; 6. Roger Dean, Western Springs, West Va., 6.921,
120.06 mph; 7. Bruce Litton, Indianapolis, Ind., 9.076, 87.31 mph; 8.
John Sipple, Berea, Ky., 9.948, 85.19 mph.
PRO MODIFIED – 1. Rick DiStefano, Calgary, Alberta, Canada,
1953 Chevrolet Corvette, 6.114, 230.96 mph; 2. Mike Janis, Lancaster,
N.Y., 1963 Corvette, 6.125, 231.00 mph; 3. Chip King, Roxboro, N.C.,
2001 Dodge Avenger, 6.149, 228.27 mph; 4. Steve Salvadore, Barre, Mass.,
1957 Chevy Bel Air, 6.160, 229.82 mph; 5. Mitch Stott, Mill Spring,
N.C., 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, 6.176, 228.96 mph; 6. Al Billes, Barrie,
Ontario, Canada, 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, 6.186, 229.77 mph; 7. Billy
Harper, Paducah, Ky., 2001 Dodge Viper, 6.211, 200.36 mph; 8. Jim Halsey,
Street, Md., 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, 6.212, 225.41 mph; 9. Carl Spiering,
Jordan Station, Ohio, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, 6.188, 223.76 mph; 10.
Mike Castellana, Westbury, N.Y., 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, 6.222, 207.21
mph; 11. Quain Stott, Columbus, S.C., 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, 6.229,
228.92 mph; 12. Rickie Smith, King, N.C., 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, 6.231,
222.58 mph; 13. Eddie Ware, Marietta, Ga., 1941 Willys, 6.245, 223.28
mph; 14. Shannon Jenkins, Tuscaloosa, Ala., 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, 6.272,
200.11 mph; 15. Ronnie Hood, Lenoir, N.C., 1963 Chevrolet Corvette,
6.286, 220.44 mph; 16. Chuck Ulsch, Clarksville, Md., 1963 Chevrolet
Corvette, 6.334, 220.37 mph.
PRO STOCK – 1. Frank Gugliotta, Mt. Airy, Md.,
2004 Ford Escort, 6.436, 213.81 mph; 2. Steve Speiss, Manhattan, Ill.,
2002 Chevrolet Cavalier, 6.437, 214.35 mph; 3. Pete Berner, Crete, Ill.,
2003 Ford Mustang, 6.442, 214.79 mph; 4. Mike Bell, Asheboro, N.C.,
2003 Ford Escort ZX2, 6.458, 212.79 mph; 5. Rob Mansfield, Winter Park,
Fla., 2003 Pontiac Grand Am, 6.459, 214.72 mph; 6. Rick Jones, Galesburg,
Ill., Dodge Stratus, 6.492, 212.90 mph; 7. Jerry Haas, Fenton, Mo.,
2004 Chevrolet Cavalier, 6.497, 214.79 mph; 8. Robert Patrick, Fredericksburg,
Va., 2004 Ford Escort ZX2, 6.498, 212.59 mph; 9. Frank Snelllings, Falmouth,
Va., 2002 Mercury Cougar, 6.502, 212.96 mph; 10. Tommy Franklin, Fredericksburg,
Va., 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier, 6.522, 211.99 mph; 11. Elijah Morton,
Jacksonville, N.C., 2004 Ford Mustang, 6.526, 212.83 mph; 12. Chuck
Demory, Glen Ellyn, Ill., 2004 Ford Escort ZX2, 6.544, 213.81 mph; 13.
Dwayne Rice, Grove City, Ohio, 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier, 6.553, 210.41
mph; 14. Ron Miller, Lebanon, Ohio, 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier, 6.556,
211.53 mph; 15. Larry O'Brien, Lakeshore, Ohio, Dodge Stratus, 6.738,
207.11 mph; 16. Richard Penland, Gastonia, N.C., 2004 Ford Mustang,
8.100, 118.01 mph.
FUNNY CAR – 1. Tony Bogolo, Hamilton, Ohio, Oldsmobile
Achieva, 5.812, 240.17 mph; 2. Terry McMillen, Elkhart, Ind., Dodge
Avenger, 5.835, 239.31 mph; 3. Fred Tigges, Holbrook, Mass., Chevrolet
Camaro, 5.858, 241.80 mph; 4. David Ray, Plaistow, N.H., Ford Mustang,
5.859, 238.85 mph; 5. Bunny Burkett, Spotsylvania, Va., Dodge Avenger,
5.905, 236.67 mph; 6. Rob Atchison, London, Ontario, Canada, Pontiac
Firebird, 5.924, 240.04 mph; 7. Chris Foster, Davenport, Iowa, Dodge
Avenger, 5.932, 237.80 mph; 8. Mark Thomas, Louisville, Ohio, Dodge
Avenger, 5.953, 234.37 mph; 9. Jeff Burnett, Brownsburg, Ind., Pontiac
Firebird, 6.024, 234.17 mph; 10. Terry Munroe, Beaver, Pa., Pontiac
Firebird, 6.034, 235.35 mph; 11. Bill Naves, Salisbury, N.C., Pontiac
Firebird, 6.061, 229.66 mph; 12. Scott Wildgust, Stratford, Ontario,
Canada, Pontiac Firebird, 6.137, 230.29 mph; 13. Lance Van Hauen, Reinbeck,
Iowa, Ponitac Firebird, 6.156, 228.50 mph; 14. John Sullivan, Pike Road
City, Ala., Pontiac Firebird, 6.260, 194.32 mph; 15. Mark Poyser, Fort
Wayne, Ind., Chevrolet Camaro, 6.342, 182.43 mph; 16. Joshua Hernandez,
Conroe, Texas, Dodge Avenger, 6.411, 193.43 mph.
FRIDAY NOTES - Tough day for Mr. Bader,
Battle to the finish in Funny Car and Steve Moore's new sponsorship
for the weekend
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| The day was one of lengthy goodbyes for former IHRA President Bill Bader. |
(10-21-2004) - Retirement Stinks – Bill Bader telephoned his wife Debbie as he drove to Rockingham Dragway on Friday morning. A tearful Bader searched for some assurance that he had done the right thing in issuing his retirement weeks ago.
“I don’t know that I can do this,” Bader said. “It’s going to be tough.”
Bader will readily admit that he shed a tear or two in his first race after making his decision to step down as President. Bader announced his decision last week.
“The first person that greeted me at the gate was an old friend,” Bader admitted. “That almost started the floodgates of tears.”
Bader is getting accustomed to a slower pace at the race track. He smiles a little more and for once in his life, he will gain the opportunity to watch a bit of the racing action.
“I knew I had to do what I had to do,” Bader added. “This is going to take some time to get used to. Everything is in good hands and I feel confident in the direction this program is headed.”
Bader may have resigned his position within the company, but still retains ownership in the IHRA.
“We have a winning team and our people are committed to continue
the path they are on.”
Machacek crashes – Ed Machacek crashed during the Friday evening Sunoco Pro Stock division qualifications. His Chevrolet Cavalier struck the retaining wall and rolled several times according to eyewitnesses. Machecek walked away from the crash with no injuries.
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| Top Fuel racer Paul Athey was very happy the Red Sox made the World Series. |
GO SOX! – As if the long haul from the far reaches of New England to Rockingham Dragway wasn’t bad enough, the Mohegan Sun Top Fuel team of Grant Flowers and Paul Athey spent a long night on the side of the road “somewhere in Virginia” after the frame under their trailer collapsed.
As a result, some rather heavy objects, including a spare cylinder head, fell onto the car from overhead, inflicting some serious sheet metal damage to the big dragster.
Once they arrived at the track, they pounded out the dings and dents as best they could, getting ready for Athey’s first shot at qualifying later tonight. Fortunately for the team, their hours of struggling to first get their trailer repaired and then straighten out the bent body panels weren’t nearly as bad as they could have been. Both Flowers and Athey are long-suffering Boston Red Sox fans, you see, and with the “Bosox” beating the hated New York Yankees in last night’s game 7 of the ALCS, all their problems somehow seemed pretty trivial by comparison.
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| Who needs to concentrate on winning a championship when you have to sell candy for the kids. |
The Can-Am Funny Car Showdown – After a long season of ups and downs, defending IHRA Funny Car champion Rob Atchison, of London, Ontario, fought his way back from eight rounds behind at mid season to trail five-time class champ Mark Thomas by just 18 points, less than one round of competition.
With everything on the line at this weekend’s Hooters IHRA Bethesda Softworks World Finals, both drivers appear to be outwardly calm, cool and collected, but how do they really feel deep down inside?
“As far as I’m concerned, whatever happens happens,” said Thomas, of Louisville, Ohio. “Rockingham is my favorite race track – we’ve won here more times than at any other track, so I feel real comfortable here. We love to come here, and I know Rob doesn’t feel that way at all. He was real sick with food poisoning here in the spring, and I bet the memories of that are still with him. In fact, I’m trying to figure out a way to slip him some bad food again! Seriously, we learned a long time ago that it’s best to just have fun when you come to the track. When you’re out there having fun, you just seem to do better.
“This isn’t the first time that we’ve gone right to the wire for a championship,” Thomas continued. “In 1994 I was in a three-way tie for the title with Todd Paton and Rickey Bowie, and won it at the last event. We have five championships to our credit, so we’ve been through it all. Rob, on the other hand, just doesn’t have the experience we do. I really don’t let things like that bother me – I’m having more fun this year than I’ve had in a long time. I just love getting in this Funny Car, and I feel absolutely no pressure at all.
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| This is the last chance for Rob Atchison to catch Mark Thomas in the points standings. |
“It’s a blast having it all come down to the last race,” Thomas said in conclusion. “Rob and I have three things to do this weekend: qualify, not oil the track, and run the best race we can. After that, whoever does the best job wins this thing, period. I wouldn’t want it to be any other way – I can’t wait to get it on.”
As for Atchison, he had this to say regarding Thomas’ apparent “loose-as-a-goose” attitude. “I don’t buy into that completely – it sounds good, and he may be saying that just so he’ll feel better about everything, but he’d be crazy to be that loose. I’m not going to lie to about it – I’m feeling pretty relaxed myself this weekend. I’m basically looking at this as just another race, and you always have an edge on for a race. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be out here fighting for another championship.
“I think when you get right down to it he has more to lose than I do,” Atchison added. “After all, if half way through the year I had an eight round lead, and now I have a guy breathing down my neck, well, I’d be feeling some pressure. After all, he pretty well had his sixth championship wrapped up at that point and people had basically written us off. He knows that we really turned our season around, and with our strong finish we really have momentum on our side now.
"When it counted, we ran well and did what we had to do. He knows now that he has to do the same thing. So believe me when I say that there’s pressure, no matter what he says, and we’re going to do the very best we can this weekend. All I can say is that the worst we can finish is second this year, so we’ll either be riding home happy, or riding home REAL happy!"
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| Pro Modified racer Thomas Patterson finally made the switch from a Chevrolet wedge to a Hemi. |
Hemi Head Hunter – Houston-based Pro Mod competitor Thomas Patterson showed up at the “Rock” this weekend with a brand-new supercharged Brad Anderson Hemi powerplant bolted between the frame rails of his “Head Hunter” ’41 Willys coupe.
In spite of his past successes with a blown Oldsmobile wedge combination, Patterson finally saw the handwriting on the wall, and elected to join the growing number of top Pro Mod drivers who have made the switch to the Hemi since the IHRA decided to allow them into the game a few years ago.
The transition wasn’t without some stress, however, as the new powerplant was dropped into the car just two hours before the team was set to make the 16-hour drive to Rockingham. “We started it and let it run for thirty seconds just to see if it would make some noise, and then loaded up the truck and hit the road,” Patterson said. “We then spent most of the day today here at the track setting everything up. We had a lot of help from Bill Barrett and Greg Holt, and as far as I can tell we’ll be ready to get out there and make a qualifying shot this evening. I’m looking forward to seeing if we'll be able to run with the big dogs again once we get this thing dialed in.”
Taking the competition’s money – Jerry Haas became
the 15th member of the Quartermax Chassis 6.40s Club when he opened
the session with a 6.497, 214.79. This rewards the driver with $1,000
in cash for their efforts. The interesting thing is the Haas is a competing
chassis builder.
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| Frank Gugliotta snagged a head start on procuring elapsed time world record for the Sunoco Pro Stock division. |
It’s a record, at least for now – Rob Mansfield may have recorded a 6.427, but his failure to back up the record enabled fellow Sunoco Pro Stock racer Frank Gugliotta to top the mark with a 6.436 in the first session.
That’s quick for a bracket car – When people ask Toby Chapman what he has in his Top Dragster, he smiles broadly and utters, “Yeah, it’s got a Hemi.”
Never has his Hemi made a more definitive statement than it did in qualifying for the special bracket division devoted to the quickest forty-eight open wheeled entries.
Chapman was the low qualifier with his 1997 Spitzer dragster as he blasted out a 6.193, 216.06. The closest qualifier to Chapman was another Hemi-powered digger. This one was driven by Jack Heslink and recorded a 6.302, 209.65.
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| The Pro Stock fraternity threw a party for Carl and Donna Baker. The couple has announced they will not return in 2005. |
Interested Observer – One of the more colorful individuals on the grounds at Rockingham Dragway was former nitro Funny Car racer Cory Lee. The word on the street is that he could be on the IHRA tour next season behind the wheel of a Top Fuel dragster. Lee is reportedly going to be joined by T.J. Zizzo, who will be running 12-races in 2005.
All Kinds of Cross-Promotion – This weekend in Rockingham, Nitro Harley rider Steve Moore is getting help from many different sources. Moore, of Spartanburg, SC., will be carrying the colors of CompetitionPlus.com’s sister publication, Vtwinplus.com, during the weekend’s two-wheeled exhibition.
Assisting Moore this weekend is noted tuner Richard Hartman. Moore works under the guidance of Hartman on the Top Fueler of Joel Collins. This weekend Moore and Hartman are developing electro-motion technology on the nitro-burning scoot.
Moore had been fighting problems that caused the bike to shut off on successive runs at the 1000-foot mark. With the assistance of Hartman, his first run on Friday netted a 6.753.
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| Steve Moore was carrying the livery of VtwinPlus.com this weekend in Rockingham, NC. (David Anderson photo) |
Speaking of Collins – For many years, he taught aspiring drag racers, but for the last two national events, Collins has been behind the wheel of the Colhart Motorsports dragster. It was time to make the move, Collins admitted.
Collins has logged over 1,200 runs on his ride-a-long dragster and competed in numerous bracket races. On a crisp and cool afternoon two years ago in Rockingham, Collins took his first shot at driving a nitro car and ran a 5.48 shutting off at the eighth-mile.
Collins made his debut as a licensed driver during the recently completed Presidents Cup Nationals in Budds Creek. He even qualified fourth and scored a personal best of 4.81, 285.
Collins laughed when he recalled his first disagreement with his crewchief Hartman. Tuning decisions? Nope. Job Assignments? Nope. Backing up? That’s it.
“I was getting motioned to move over and I simply could not fathom that I was as crooked in my lane as they were leading me to be,” Collins said. “I only barely went over and didn’t turn nearly as sharp as Richard motioned for me to.”
Collins drops his head when he says the car hiked up the front end and made a sharp turn. He was forced to shut off on successive runs.
“I told them that I didn’t care how weird it seemed I was going to turn it as Richard instructed.”
Of course, Collins went straight on that run and qualified.
Early afternoon Crash
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| Qualifying action began on Friday. One of the uglier incidents was Kevin O'Dell's Studebaker getting into the wall. (Photo by Gary Rowe, Raceworks.com) |
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