SAME DAY COVERAGE
IHRA ACDelco Nationals
Richmond, VA.
By Bobby Bennett; Photos by Roger Richards

SATURDAY - Mike Janis Claims First Ironman of 2005 Season; Clay Millican, Rick Jones, and Rob Atchison Also Claim Wins at Virginia

Defending Torco Pro Mod Champion wipes away field in Virginia - Mike Janis is finally back in familiar territory.


(5-28-2005) - The defending Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified World Champion was racing like anything but a world-beater this season.failing to qualify for the show in both San Antonio and Rockingham. He did not have a handle on his new '05 Dodge Stratus until a couple of weeks ago when things seemingly clicked during testing.

Janis put up solid numbers all day, after qualifying in the #1 position, to advance to the final. In the first round he flirted with the IHRA e.t. record and set the track record with a 6.132/233.76 to put Charles Carpenter and his Embee Performance '55 Chevy on the trailer. In the second round he won a thriller against Ed Hoover.posting a 6.256/223.36 to Hoover's 6.295/226.47. Janis followed with another nail-biter against Eddie Ware in the semis when he carded a 6.216/231.99 to Ware's 6.278/224.10.

The tight racing Janis was forced to fight through led to an anticlimax in the final. Al Billes, who advanced through the other side of the ladder, used up his motor in the semifinals against Shannon Jenkins and was unable to answer the bell for the championship run.

"The first two races we were so close to hitting what we had here," Janis said. "But we went the wrong way and got lost for a bunch of runs. Last weekend I was really close to throwing in the towel and it has been a tough two months. It was getting to us but it all worked out. We needed this."

Though Janis was disappointed by not putting on a show for the fans in the final, he is more than happy to have earned his way back into the winner's circle.

"We earned this," Janis said. "All weekend long our guys made really good calls and my son made really good calls on the clutch. We would not have done this if not for him."

Drag racing history was made at the ACDelco Nationals as, for the first time, a pair of Chevy Cobalts squared off for a Pro Srock championship. Rick Jones secured the honor of taking home
the first national event title ever when he drove past Steve Spiess in the final.

"We weren't really trying anything special, we were just trying to race the racetrack," Jones said. "We could have run faster, but we just tried to be real consistent."

Clay Millican continued his dominance in the Top Fuel class as he bagged his 40th career Ironman, an IHRA record, with his victory over Doug Foley in the final. It was the first time in three tries that Millican was able to get past Foley in the finals of a national event. Foley defeated Millican last season in Budds Creek and Norwalk.

Millican's 4.56 at 320.36 mph set the track record he established a few hours earlier during final qualifying. "I won a couple national events when I was a sportsman and I had waited my whole life to do that," Millican said. "Now in five years I have won 40 of these. I would have never thought this was possible. What that is is the gathering of a fine group of people. We are a team/family. And
we all have one common goal in mind that we always work towards."

In Funny Car, Rob Atchison returned to his winning ways after seeing his points lead slip away to Mark Thomas last month. Atchison defeated Terry McMillan, who took Thomas out in the first round, for the second time in an event final this season to retake the points lead and put his 11th Ironman on the mantel.

"The car has a lot of performance," Atchison said. "It goes out and runs a number consistently. That is just a reflection of the work my father has put in over the winter and how hard the crew
works. It is nice to get back on top."

Saturday's final results from the Fifth annual ACDelco Nationals presented by Richmond Times-Dispatch at Virginia Motorsports Park. The $1.1 million race is the third of 12 in the 2005 Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Clay Millican, 4.568 seconds, 320.36 mph def. Doug Foley, 5.821 seconds, 152.73
mph.

Pro Modified -- Mike Janis, Dodge Stratus, 12.683, 94.73 def. Al Billes, Stratus, broke.

Funny Car -- Rob Atchison, Pontiac Firebird, 5.881, 238.34 def. Terry McMillen, Dodge Avenger,
6.062, 235.35.

Pro Stock -- Rick Jones, Chevy Cobalt, 6.465, 216.90 def. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 9.141, 93.26.

Top Stock -- Paul Mercure, Chevy Camaro, 9.682, 136.80 def. Matt Morgan, Camaro, broke.

Top Sportsman -- Wayne Rogers, Oldsmobile Cutlass, 6.999, 195.56 def. Jamie Silance, Chevy
S-10, 7.156, 193.63.

Top Dragster -- Dave Elrod, Dragster, 7.418, 169.98 def. Henry Outhouse, Dragster, 7.361,
192.38.

Super Rod -- Bernard Weaver, Dodge Daytona, 9.902, 143.93 def. Mike Sparacino, Ford Ranger,
9.943, 133.53.

Hot Rod -- Scott Morgan, Chevy Camaro, 10.917, 134.08 def. Ed Pauley, Camaro, 10.943, 124.36.

Super Stock -- D.J. Raiser, Oldsmobile Starfire, 10.548, 125.88 def. Mark Alvey, Chevy Camaro,
16.782, 50.40.

ET Box -- Mason Harris Sr., Dragster, 7.875, 168.01 def. Chris Dagoli, Dragster, 7.499, 174.12.

ET No Box -- Brandon Tuck, Ford Mustang, 11.942, 109.45 def. Jeremy Minter, Plymouth Super Bee,
10.782, 112.37.

Moser "Axle Mania" (contested Friday) -- Glenn Ferguson, Ford Fairlane, 6.203, 109.82 def. Jeff Brown, Dragster, 4.736, 141.94.

Finals in Stock, Quick Rod, and ET will be contested Sunday.

F inal round-by-round results from the Fifth annual ACDelco Nationals presented by Richmond Times-Dispatch at Virginia Motorsports Park, the third of 12 events in the 2005 Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Bruce Litton, 5.095, 268.60 def. Rick Cooper, 5.387, 269.13; Doug Foley, 4.709, 305.63 def. Paul Athey, 7.777, 103.08; Roger Dean, 5.776, 222.77 def. Louie Allison, 12.404, 79.11; Clay Millican, 4.681, 300.33 def. C.J. Nelson, broke;

SEMIFINALS -- Foley, 4.609, 304.12 def. Dean, 5.004, 253.85; Millican, 4.644, 320.58 def. Litton, 4.845, 289.45;

FINAL -- Millican, 4.568, 320.36 def. Foley, 5.821, 152.73.

PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE -- Ed Hoover, Chevy Corvette, 6.273, 227.88 def. Jim Halsey, Chevy Camaro, 6.262, 225.71; Billy Harper, Dodge Viper, 6.243, 226.85 def. Steve Engel, Corvette, foul; Rick Moore, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.294, 223.25 def. Dennis Radford, Corvette, 6.282, 212.83; Al Billes, Dodge Stratus, 6.128, 236.22 def. Rick DiStefano, Corvette, 6.292, 225.75; Mike Janis, Stratus, 6.169, 232.51 def. Charles Carpenter, Chevy Bel Air, 6.759, 166.39; Burton Auxier, Corvette, 6.283, 222.14 def. Mike Castellana, Chevy Cavalier, 6.240, 228.50; Eddie Ware, Willys, 6.386, 221.20 def. John Russo, Camaro, foul; Shannon Jenkins, Camaro, 6.214, 226.39 def. Tommy D'Aprile, Corvette, 6.478, 222.40;

QUARTERFINALS -- Ware, 6.809, 219.51 def. Auxier, 20.157, 35.58; Janis, 6.256, 223.36 def. Hoover, 6.295, 226.47; Billes, 6.159, 235.89 def. Moore, 7.283, 142.81; Jenkins, 6.182, 227.23
def. Harper, 6.192, 226.81;

SEMIFINALS -- Janis, 6.216, 231.99 def. Ware, 6.278, 224.10; Billes, 6.194, 215.48 def. Jenkins, 6.172, 228.07;

FINAL -- Janis, 12.683, 94.73 def. Billes, broke.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Rob Atchison, Pontiac Firebird, 5.859, 239.40 def. Melinda Green-King, Dodge Avenger, 8.364, 105.63; Terry McMillen, Avenger, 5.907, 239.23 def. Mark Thomas, Avenger, 5.910, 236.75; Jim Sickles, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.918, 239.23 def. Terry Munroe, Firebird, 5.985, 225.48; Thomas Carter, Chevy Camaro, 5.922, 240.04 def. Chris Foster, Avenger, 5.893, 235.02;

QUARTERFINALS -- Atchison, 5.813, 239.95 def. Carter, 10.010, 84.20; McMillen, 5.931, 238.43 def. Sickles, 6.593, 182.62;

SEMIFINALS -- Atchison, 5.881, 238.34 def. McMillen, 6.062, 235.35.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Daniel Seamon, Ford Escort, 6.505, 217.04 def. John Nobile, Ford ZX2, 6.535, 215.48; John Montecalvo, Chevy Cobalt, 6.499, 214.55 def. Brian Gahm, Ford Mustang, 6.555,
213.60; Frank Gugliotta, Escort, 6.517, 215.07 def. Pete Berner, Mustang, 6.534, 212.73; Jerry Haas, Chevy Cavalier, 6.476, 216.24 def. Tommy Franklin, Cavalier, 6.532, 214.01; Tony Gillig,
Mustang, 6.477, 215.96 def. Elijah Morton, Mustang, 11.422, 76.19; Robert Patrick, Ford Cobra, 6.476, 216.41 def. Chuck DeMory, Escort, 6.541, 213.74; Rick Jones, Cobalt, 6.510, 215.89 def. Larry O'Brien, Dodge Stratus, 6.571, 213.27; Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.461, 217.14 def. Frank Snellings, Mercury Cougar, 6.575, 213.74;

QUARTERFINALS -- Jones, 6.508, 215.89 def. Gugliotta, 6.529, 214.21; Gillig, 6.480, 214.21 def. Haas, 6.473, 215.82; Patrick, 6.468, 216.17 def. Montecalvo, 6.518, 214.18; Spiess, 6.473,
216.76 def. Seamon, 6.521, 215.89; SEMIFINALS -- Spiess, 6.467, 216.03 def. Gillig, 6.487, 215.27; Jones, 6.473, 215.17 def. Patrick, 6.452, 216.69;

FINAL -- Jones, 6.465, 216.90 def. Spiess, 9.141, 93.26.

SATURDAY NOTES – Honoring a true champion in life, No Shame in a Bye Run and Bruce Litton – International Superstar

(5-28-2005) - A True Iron Man – Donnie Crowder, longtime member of the IHRA’s support staff, was rewarded in front of a capacity crowd with an Ironman for winning the ultimate race.

Late in 2004, Crowder was diagnosed with throat cancer following the IHRA Banquet. A round of intense chemotherapy followed by a rapid recuperation time and Crowder was back at work.

All it took was a help wanted advertisement to inspire Crowder.

“I told them there was no need to hire anyone else,” Crowder said, his voice cracking with emotion. “I think it surprised them I came back. I was determined this was not going to get the best of me.”

The unfortunate part is there are medical bills that have piled up following the illness. Crowder had no medical insurance.

Those wishing to help defray medical expenses can contribute to:

The Father's House Benevolent Fund for Donnie Crowder
P.O. Box 12588
601 McCarthy Blvd
New Bern, NC 28561

No Shame – Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified Champion Mike Janis would have loved to renew his friendly rivalry with fellow New York Pro Modified car owner Jim Oddy and hired gun driver Al Billes, but parts attrition in the semi-finals prevented such a meeting. Shortly after returning to the pits, Oddy made the unenviable walk to the Janis pit area and conceded the match.

Janis, who had yet to qualify for an event this season, was able to breathe a sigh of relief – although regretfully.

“Obviously we don’t like to win this way, but with the season we’ve had thus far, we have to take what we can get,” Janis said. “I feel bad for Jim because I know they have worked just as hard as we have to be here.”

With a free ticket to the winner’s circle, the temptation to run for the record is one Janis had to fend off. His 6.132 in qualifying would have been sufficient to back up a new record if he were to run quicker than a 6.102. Janis admitted he wounded the engine earlier and couldn’t take the chance of oiling the tires and crashing.

However, when asked if he’d try to gain 5 points for securing the record if the motor were not suspect. Without a second guess exclaimed “<blankety-blank> yeah we would. You have to ask?”

Stratus Fear – A series of near mid-230 mph speeds for finalists Janis and Billes sent out a few jeers in the pits and had some wondering if the IHRA planned to regulate the newest body style to invade the class. In IHRA Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified, all entries run at a universal 2700 pounds. In NHRA competition, all 1972 or later cars run at that weight, while older cars run at 2,600 pounds.

IHRA’s Tech figure Mike Baker assured everyone that the sanctioning body has no plans to implement any rules on the Stratus.

“The rulebook reserves our right to adjust the rules if one particular combination has an unfair advantage,” Baker said. “This is the first race these cars have qualified at. It’s obvious they are faster this weekend. As a rule of thumb, we begin monitoring after one race.”

Baker was quick to point out that if any adjustments were to be made to neutralize a performance advantage - weight would not be an option. He added there are other options available.

“We’d have to get creative,” Baker said. “I want to reiterate. I have no plans now, so do not fill up my email or voicemail with messages.”

Big Paycheck – Late Friday evening sportsman racer Glen Ferguson pocketed over $20,000 for winning the Moser Axle Mania Shootout. This was an incredible experience for the past World Champion.

“I’m used to running for $2,000 at a time,” Ferguson said. “I’ve won championships but those can’t compare to this.”

Moser market wiz Jon Bennett summed up his company’s reason for sponsoring the special race-within-a-race.

“To see the look on Glen’s face makes it all worth it,” Bennett said.

The program was the brainchild of Moser Engineering founders Greg and Marriane Moser who were killed in 2003 in a plane crash. The Mosers were staunch supporters of the IHRA and sportsman drag racing.

All Torco All The Time – Eventually when you sponsor half of the drag racing cars in existence you run across instances where two team cars meet in the first round of different events. Imagine the glee of Torco Race Fuels founder and President Evan Knoll when sponsored drivers Bruce Litton and Rick Cooper met in the first round of Top Fuel at Virginia.

Halfway across the country in Topeka, Kansas, Top Alcohol Dragster racers Jeff Wilson and Marty Thacker met in the first round.

All Cobalts All The Time – For the first time in drag racing history, two Cobalts will meet in the final round of any type of Pro Stock racing. Because Steve Spiess and Rick Jones reached the finals of Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock, they ensured the first back-to-back Chevrolet victory in almost a decade.

It’s About Time – It has been a long time in the making, but Steve Spiess finally achieved his first-ever No. 1 qualifying spot during qualifying at the AC Delco Nationals in Richmond Va.

In doing so, Spiess became the first Chevy to capture the No. 1 spot this season, and managed to move up in the chase for the 2005 Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock Showdown crown.

“I feel very confident going into the first round. We know what we did wrong on the last run in qualifying. We made a couple of little changes, and it didn’t like it, so I don’t even know why we did it,” Spiess said. “I think we could maybe go to the winner’s circle, there’s a lot of good competition out there.”

Spiess qualified his new Chevy Cobalt with a 6.470,216.10 pass, followed by Jones. Spiess’ run secured both ends of the Virginia Motorsports Park track record.

Bruce Litton, International Man of Exposure – The crew of Radio Television Luxemburg made their way to VMP to feature Lucas Oil/Torco Race Fuels-sponsored Bruce Litton as part of a show to be aired on German television. The crew had visited the U.S. last year on assignment in Indianapolis covering the Formula 1 Series. That’s when they caught wind of Litton’s creative shop that resembles his old hometown of Oneida, Tennessee.

So impressed was the crew that they convinced their producer to allow them another trip to the States to cover Litton at the drags. They chose to tag along at VMP this weekend.

“We have had a great time,” Litton said. “This provides a great opportunity to gain some excellent exposure for IHRA Drag Racing and my sponsors Lucas Oil and Torco Race Fuels. I think it’s great that we can introduce our style of racing to them.”

When asked if he knew how to speak German, Litton smiled and tried to fool this writer with fake German dialect. It didn’t work.

“They have translators that take care of that,” Litton said.

When asked if he was worried that the voice-over might have a feminine voice, Litton reiterated that he was secure in his manhood and it wasn’t a concern. He did point out that some confusion ensued when they read the back of the 49-year old drag racer’s hero card.

“They came across the part where it said Bruce and his wife Carol of 28 years and immediately they drew the conclusion she was 28. They started to pat me on the back. That was until they read the part where it said that I had a daughter 24 years old. Then I had some explaining to do.”

That’s Midyette (hint - pronounced Midget) - After the demise of K&W Racing, Funny Car pilot Ronnie Midyette’s racing future was uncertain. But thanks to the help of new team owners Mark Calcagni and Ryan Bryant, Midyette is back on the track and with most of his old crew intact.

However, there have been some significant changes in how the team recruits new members. Actually, according to new team owner Calcagni, there are 10 criteria that one must meet in order to qualify for the Midyette race team.

1. You must be under 5’2 to ride the ride
2. You must be able to hang glide from a Dorito
3. You must be able to swing your feet when sitting on the toilet
4. You must bring a phone book to sit in the cock pit
5. You need stilts to check bearing clearance
6. You must know how to cut weight on the car so that the driver doesn’t have to
7. You must be able to consume more alcohol than the car can in 5.9 seconds
8. Who says four feet is short
9. and 10. Well…we’ll have to save those for some other time. After all this is a family program.

If you are lucky enough to meet the criteria for Midyette’s team, please feel free to apply within.

Luck of the draw – Paul Athey may have lost in the first round with his Mohegan Sun Casino-sponsored Top Fuel dragster. However, he crossed the finish line with a winning hand for an elapsed time – a 7.777

Hero to Zero – Quain Stott will tell you that he had a bad day in the office. The veteran driver entered the event leading both the world championship and Torco Pro Modified Shootout point races. However, a 6.333 best was only sufficient enough for first alternate.

“The breaks just never fell our way,” Stott said. “We’re disappointed but not discouraged. We’ll be back.”

FRIDAY - Janis, Spiess, Atchison and Allison lead qualifying after two sessions

(5-27-2005) - Defending Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified World Champion Mike Janis retired his ’63 Corvette after last season and moved into an ’05 Dodge Stratus. What followed was a pair of DNQs in national events to open this season.

All that changed at the ACDelco Nationals in Richmond, VA.

Janis put together his best pass of the season during first round qualifying…missing the IHRA World Record by .004 as he posted a 6.219 at 232.03 mph. He had more up his sleeve for the evening qualifying session. After toying with the world record during the day he shattered it during the evening qualifying session. His 6.132 at 233.76 miles an hour put Janis on top of the all-time IHRA miles per hour list, demolished the track record at VMP and sewed up the #1 qualifying post heading into tomorrow’s qualifying.

“We have been struggling, but we didn’t really have a hard time with it this afternoon,” Janis said. “We knew the track was going to be killer after dark, and we tuned her up good for that run there.”

Steve Spiess set the Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock world on its ear when he posted a testing run in the 6.30’s during testing at Route 66 a few weeks ago. Spiess, driving a new Chevy Cobalt, carried that momentum to Virginia as he set Friday’s qualifying bar.

Spiess posted a 6.470 at 216.10 mph to claim the top spot.

“Everything is finally just clicking into place,” Spiess said. “When you have a lot of power it makes a lot of things a little bit easier. We got a little loose on the track tonight, but we know what we did wrong and we’ll be okay.”

Rob Atchison continued his strong season by setting the mark to chase in Funny Car. Atchison, currently second in the world championship points, ran a 5.822 at 240.77 mph to sit atop the heap.

In Top Fuel, Louie Allison served notice that his Mike McLaughlin-tuned dragster is a threat. Allison took the top slot in Top Fuel qualifying heading into tomorrow’s final qualifying session

“This feels so good,” Allison said. “Mike McLaughlin has this car set up so good, it was so smooth and so nice. All the guys worked so hard and we had such a great outing in San Antonio…then we went to Rockingham and couldn’t hardly hit our hands on our face. To get back on track feels so good.”

Results Friday after qualifying for the Fifth annual ACDelco Nationals presented by Richmond Times-Dispatch at Virginia Motorsports Park, third of 12 events in the 2005 Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Saturday's final eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. Louie Allison, 4.669 seconds, 302.21 mph; 2. Clay Millican, 4.702, 286.98; 3. Doug Foley, 4.766, 304.60; 4. Bruce Litton, 4.847, 294.24; 5. Rick Cooper, 5.486, 220.58; 6. Paul Athey, 6.918, 128.20; 7. Roger Dean, 10.641, 83.79; 8. C.J. Nelson, 11.730, 49.72.

Pro Modified -- 1. Mike Janis, Dodge Stratus, 6.132, 233.76; 2. Shannon Jenkins, Chevy Camaro, 6.219, 227.23; 3. Mike Castellana, Chevy Cavalier, 6.228, 228.04; 4. Jim Halsey, Camaro, 6.264, 224.21; 5. Ed Hoover, Chevy Corvette, 6.274, 227.31; 6. Steve Engel, Corvette, 6.282, 227.96; 7. Dennis Radford, Corvette, 6.295, 219.86; 8. Rick DiStefano, Corvette, 6.309, 224.02; 9. Tommy D'Aprile, Corvette, 6.311, 227.80; 10. John Russo, Camaro, 6.324, 226.66; 11. Eddie Ware, Willys, 6.324, 223.43; 12. Charles Carpenter, Chevy Bel Air, 6.327, 222.77; 13. Quain Stott, Corvette, 6.333, 228.04; 14. Harold Martin, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.342, 222.62; 15. Roy Wasko, Camaro, 6.375, 221.13; 16. Billy Harper, Dodge Viper, 6.379, 222.22.

Funny Car -- 1. Rob Atchison, Pontiac Firebird, 5.789, 242.06; 2. Thomas Carter, Chevy Camaro, 5.894, 239.91; 3. Jim Sickles, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.897, 241.32; 4. Chris Foster, Dodge Avenger, 5.912, 240.17; 5. Melinda Green-King, Avenger, 5.928, 239.40; 6. Neal Parker, Monte Carlo, 5.945, 236.55; 7. Jeff Burnett, Firebird, 5.948, 232.71; 8. Mark Thomas, Avenger, 5.956, 239.74.

Pro Stock -- 1. Steve Spiess, Chevy Cobalt, 6.470, 217.04; 2. Rick Jones, Cobalt, 6.471, 216.55; 3. Robert Patrick, Ford Cobra, 6.476, 216.41; 4. Jerry Haas, Chevy Cavalier, 6.486, 216.24; 5. Frank Gugliotta, Ford Escort, 6.487, 216.06; 6. John Nobile, Ford ZX2, 6.506, 215.34; 7. Tony Gillig, Ford Mustang, 6.511, 215.03; 8. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 6.516, 215.07; 9. Tommy Franklin, Cavalier, 6.540, 214.31; 10. Chuck DeMory, Escort, 6.550, 212.46; 11. Brian Gahm, Mustang, 6.560, 214.59; 12. Frank Snellings, Mercury Cougar, 6.571, 213.64; 13. Richard Penland, Cobra, 6.577, 212.90; 14. Daniel Seamon, Escort, 6.582, 216.48; 15. Doug Kirk, Mustang, 6.585, 211.99; 16. Ron Miller, Cavalier, 6.598, 211.20.

FRIDAY NOTES - What’s the word on VMP? Momma says trucks are the Devil and Holy Moly Jim got married

(5-27-2005) - Welcome Back – If defending Torco Pro Modified World Champion Mike Janis could borrow a line from Mark Twain, he might say, “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”

Janis nailed down the top spot during the first session with a 6.219. All the pent up frustration of two previous events was turned loose as Janis not only retained the top spot, but also established a new world record with a 233.76 mile per hour lap with a 6.132 elapsed time.

First Time For Everything – One more session. That’s all Rockingham Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock driver Steve Spiess needs to remain on top of qualifying for the first time in his career. Don’t think for a moment that he twiddling his thumbs waiting for the time to pass.

“It would be one of the things that we need to accomplish in the eleven years we’ve been doing this,” Spiess said. “Everything is finally clicking into place. When you have a lot of power, it makes things a little bit easier. We know what we did wrong and we will be okay.

Spiess commandeered the top spot from the onset of qualifying and remained there through two Friday sessions.

Do They Stay or Do They Go? – No doubt one of the hottest IHRA rumors headed into this weekend surrounds Virginia Motorsports Park and whether or not they will continue to fly the IHRA banner after the event. The jury is still out and there’s no doubt a gag order is in place.

“Right now we are in discussions with the IHRA as to what direction we are taking,” said Bryan Pierce, General Manager for VMP. “There are issues as to where we stand and those will soon be addressed.”

Pierce says at this moment the NHRA has not offered a national event if he switches. When asked when the contract is slated to conclude, he declined to comment, stating company policy of not discussing contract details.

“I guess all the answers will be given when the schedules come out,” Pierce said. “That’s when everything will be revealed.”

Big Plans for VMP – While being elusive regarding questions related to the contract with the IHRA, Pierce did lay out a grand plan for VMP’s future. Pierce said that the track is actively working with the Virginia State Economic Commission to create a Motorsports industrial park that will cater to various chassis builders, engine builders and/or automotive related manufacturers.
Pierce’s plan is to develop the infrastructure for the program and he pointed out the possibility of grants for those interested in becoming involved.

That’s One Way to Fight Fuel Check – One sportsman racer found a way to escape fuel check and whether or not it was on purpose remains to be seen. As overheard on the PA system during early sportsman qualifying, “Would the driver who drove away with the fuel check tools please return them.”

Three hours after the announcement, the tools were still MIA.

He Fought The Law and Momma Won – Clay Millican ought to know better. The Hooters IHRA Top Fuel champion thrives on his mother’s approval and therefore the first thing he did upon purchasing a new Dodge SRT-10 was to swing by her house and offer her a ride.

Knowing that his hometown of Drummonds, Tenn., only features two stop lights (one of which is in front of the family store) Millican properly observed the speed limit for much of the street. However, his drag racing instinct and the desire to show off for Momma got the best of him. While the multi-time champion swears he didn’t squeal the tires at the second light, he admitted to showing off the new Mopar’s acceleration prowess.

“These trucks are definitely high-performance…a 155-mph truck,” Millican added. “Being a country boy, the truck certainly fits. It was about 9:30 at night and I was eager to show Momma how the truck runs.”

Just as he shifted into third gear, Millican was greeted by the shine of blue lights in his rear view mirror. Millican figured it was one of his buddies on the local police department messing with him. It soon became evident that the lights were on a car driven by a Tennessee State Trooper, which was clearly not a good situation for him.

“I had chuckled a little earlier thinking it was one of my buddies on the force,” Millican said. “I told Momma not to worry because it was probably one of my friends. All the local guys come by the shop. But, it was apparent that it was not one of them.

“I wasn’t thinking and said the “s” word and accidentally did it in front of Momma,” Millican said. “I saw it was a Highway Patrol which was a really bad thing since I didn’t know any of them. Out came his flash-light and he promptly asked for license and registration. I handed both to him and immediately explained that it was a new truck and I was taking Momma for a ride. It didn’t take long for her to add in ‘Please don’t give my boy a ticket.”

Momma Millican continued her attempts to help her son talk his way out of a ticket.

“Oh, he’s my boy and he just wanted to show me how good it runs.”

The office looked down into the truck and responded, “I’d say it runs pretty good because he wasn’t much past the stop sign and already he was at 69 miles per hour.”

She ceased pleading her case at that point knowing they were in a 40-mile per hour zone.

“Please don’t give my boy a ticket,” she said one more time.

Millican then tried to explain the family’s ties to the community which elicited a response from the patrolman.

“I know who she is and who you are, here’s your license…GO HOME.”

Millican went the whole way at under 40-miles per hour. How ironic it was that he met up with the same officer during a SUPER CHEVY show in Memphis a week later. This time the officer brought a friend along with him.

“I saw him and we both started laughing,” Millican said. “I gave him the full tour of the place.”

The next day Millican saw the patrolman as he was driving into the track.

“He yelled at me and suggested the truck wouldn’t spin the tires,” Millican said. “I stopped and started roasting the tires. He was laughing so hard that he was slapping his leg. I think this is about the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

Holy Moly, He Got Married – It only took ten years, but somehow veteran Pro Modified engine builder Jim Oddy said he managed to get longtime girlfriend Charlene Kirsch to marry him. The two exchanged vows recently in a private ceremony for friends and family.

“It takes an incredible lady to put up with this lifestyle,” Oddy said. “Our relationship gets better with every passing day and I am very lucky to have her. You never catch her without a smile on her face.”

Thunder on the Mountain – For the last two decades on a Wednesday evening in May, another Hooters IHRA venue, Maryland International Raceway, hosts a special mountain motor showcase event known as “The Mountain Motor Nationals.” MIR is located about three hours from VMP and because of that proximity attracted much of the Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock field. The low qualifier for the event was Fredericksburg, Va.-based Robert Patrick. The big winner was another local favorite - Frank Gugliotta.

The Name is Sir Thomas, Thank You – If you’re a fan of Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified, chances are you have caught a glimpse of a primer black ’63 Corvette with a sinister skull and crossbones emblazoned on the side.

Chances are you’ve also noticed this car, driven by Tommy D’Aprille of Port Charlotte, Fla., travels in close proximity to points leader Quain Stott. It says Sir Thomas on the car and D’Aprille hopes to soon command some respect from his Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified comrades.

“We’re here to help Quain, but he’s got us tuned to win,” D’Aprille said. “We are working together to compliment one another and we wouldn’t mind bringing aboard a sponsor.”

One might think that the Sir Thomas name has an Old English connotation to it, but for D’Aprille, the name is derived from a family-owned business founded in 1979 by his father. The original business was automotive but has since been converted to mobility equipment.

The order of the day is a true team effort. No dives are on the agenda says D’Aprille.

“When we came into this deal, Quain made it known there are no team orders, we race to win,” D’Aprille said. “Besides, I want to win every much as bad as he does. We both put into this and we want out everything we can get out.”

One might recall in 2000 that Stott was in the running for the championship and it was a loss to his younger brother Mitch, a teammate at the time, which eliminated him from the championship and rewarded Fred Hahn with the crown.

SATURDAY, May 28, 2005
Curfew: NO ENGINES STARTED BEFORE 8:15AM OR AFTER 11:00PM
Gates & Tech Open 8:00am
Tech Closes at the end of each class’s Final Qualifying Session
God Speed Church Service 8:15am
Special Awards 8:30am
Sportsman Eliminations (Rd 1) 9:00am
Run Order: Mod ET, Top ET, TD, TS
PRO Qualifying 11:00am
Run Order: PS, TSK, FC, PM, TF
Autograph Session After Pro Round
Sportsman Eliminations Continue After Pro Round
Run Order: HR, ST, SR, SS, TD, TS, QR, Mod ET, Top ET
PRO Eliminations (Rd 1) 4:00pm
Run Order: PS, TSK, PM
Sportsman Elimination’s Continue After Pro Round
Run Order: HR, ST, SR, SS, TD, TS, QR, Mod ET, Top ET
Pre Race Ceremony 5:30pm
PRO Eliminations (Rd 2) 6:00pm
Run Order: TF, TSK, PS, FC, PM, Sportsman Continue
“NIGHT OF FIRE” PRO Eliminations 8:00pm
Run Order: PS, TSK, FC, PM, TF, Cool Bus, Davidson, Sportsman
FINALS 10:00pm
Run Order: Sptsmn, TSK, PS, FC, PM, TF, Cool Bus, Davidson, Fireworks!

Schedule subject to change

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