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2006 Top Alcohol Preview PUBLISHER'S NOTE - Over the course of the past two weeks, we've summoned our beat reporters to provide our readers with a look into the 2006 season and some of the known news tidbits and some unknown. Join us throughout the week as we conclude with our seventh annual championship predictions. In today's installment, Inside Top Alcohol Racing website founder Will Hanna takes a look into the Top Alcohol divisions.
Top Alcohol Dragster
97% the flavor of the year - The biggest news over the offseason was the change from 98% to 97% nitro for the A/Fuelers. How much and when it will slow the cars down remains to be seen. I don’t expect it to slow the A/Fuelers down any more than five hundredths in good air and about eight when it warms up. Heads are a changin’ - Prior to last year, nearly every A/Fuel and Blown car ran the Brad Anderson Stage 5 ‘Fat Head’. Last year marked the entry of several new heads on the market. Brad Anderson introduced it’s new ‘Stage VI’ head, which is popular in many TAFC’s, along with a Stage VI A/Fuel head. Alan Johnson re-entered the TAD ranks with his new ‘Musclehead’ A/Fuel head with smaller intake runners for the naturally aspirated motor. Johnson had a blown-alcohol version of this head on display at PRI, and it will be interesting to see how this head does. Hogan introduced a new A/Fuel intake towards the end of the year that quickly found it’s way to many of the top cars. Randy Anderson, in collaboration with John Medlin also introduced a blown-alcohol head under their Advanced Power Systems line. Steve Sanchez’s Total Flow also introduced new heads for A/Fuel and blown alcohol.
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d v e r t i s e m e n t Western Invaders - Speaking of Olivarez and the Armored Coatings team, word has it this team will move from Division 4 to Division 2. The decision to make the Division 2 schedule more ‘A/Fuel friendly’ with spring and fall events apparently has worked. It also will keep these two teammates from going head to head more than they have to on the divisional level. Olivarez will be wheeling a new Spitzer chassis with a one-piece carbon fiber body. Apparently, Jerry Darien, Ken Meadows and John Force like the new schedule, as Ms. Ashley Force is reportedly heading east for Division 2 as well. The Darien & Meadows machine has run well in good air, and hasn’t ran that well since the nitro percentage dropped in bad air. So Division 4 loses two heavy-hitters. Another thing to consider is it the ‘good air’ schedule, or could it be the Torrence/Conway team is that good… Eastern Defenders - While we’re talking Division 2, let’s not forget about the two-time reigning champs, Guy Kelly and the ‘Bama Boys.’ On the divisional level, they are as tough as they come. With tuner Ronnie Swearingen back on board, look for this team to give the western invaders all they can handle. Kelly and the ‘Bama Boys’ may be looking to follow the tracks of a past Division 2 Champ Michael Gunderson into the fuel ranks in the near future.
Getting High & Mighty - Defending Division 5 Champion Randy Meyer finished third nationally for the second straight year. The year before that, Alan Bradshaw drove it to the Championship, so Meyer isn’t to be taken lightly. He put together a string of races this past year that nearly won him the championship. Aside from the competition on the track, Meyer will have to contend with Division 5’s dog-day-of-summer schedule and the new 97% rule. Meyer has always had a combination for a hot day, so don’t look for him to fall off. On the track, Meyer’s chief competition should come from Richard Putz, who had a breakout year last season and John Haley, who will reportedly return to a full schedule this year. Former Div. 5 champ David Wells does not plan to run this year and instead will assist several teams as a tuning consultant.
Summer Special - Another Division 3 team to look out for will be former five-time UDRA champ Marty Thacker. With Torco Race Fuels back on board as primary sponsor and a new Mike Spitzer chassis, this team could make a title run with a ‘blown friendly’ Division 3 summer-time schedule. Looked to be back on track at the end of the season, so look for the team to be a threat anywhere they go. He just ran 5.thirty what? - There to give Reichert and Thacker all they can handle in Div. 3 will be last year’s winner of the “He just ran 5.thirty what?” award Jeff Bohr. These guys stepped up big time last year, going from a consistent 5.40 car to the low 5.30’s in Reading. It remains to be seen what the effects of their offseason loss of primary sponsor Bar’s Leaks will have on their schedule this year. Look for this team to run very strong wherever they show. Ken Perry and Mr. 5.16 himself Dave Hirata should give them a run for their money. We’re No. 1 – Looking at Division 1, 2002 World Champ and defending Division 1 Champ Art Gallant should stay the car to beat. Gallant ran very strong at times last year to finish 8th nationally. This crafty vet shouldn’t be fazed too much by the new 97% rule. Look for Karen Benkovich and Dan Mercier to give him all he can handle in Div. 1. The Div. 1 sleeper will be John Finke who purchased an ex-Bartone A/Fuel car and will have Steve Boggs calling the tune-up shots. The team ran a 5.36 in Chicago.
Pass me a filter wrench - James Thompson and his Joe Monden lead Pepper Express team had a banner year last year in their new Conway-tuned A/Fueler. Given a full schedule, this team could be a top five player. Here’s one to go down in the ‘Did You Know?’ column – One of the main reasons Thompson, a Dr. Pepper bottler in North Texas, doesn’t run a full schedule is his crew’s work commitments. The crew only works on the car during weekends, and before the racecar gets touched, the crew, including James, has to service all the fleet trucks before getting to the racecar. Talk about dedication. Passing the torch - Longtime Gene Snow crewmember Spencer Massey will finally get the nod to take over the cockpit of the Snowman’s A/FD this season. Snow had a banner season last year, qualifying No. 1 at Indy and winning the Jeg’s All-Star event. Massey made several attempts to get his license this past weekend in Houston, but smoked the tires every pass. How the West was won - Looking at Div. 7, Jerry Maddern’s Peen-Rite team has pretty much owned this division for the past two years. Had Chris Demke not crashed in midseason, he may have challenged for a top five national spot. In fact, his replacement driver Mike Austin finished ninth nationally, starting in midseason. The team picked right up where they left off, and should be right back in the thick of things this year. Austin will be back behind the wheel of his own mount this season. However, Division 7’s “former owner”, Jack O’Bannon, may reclaim the Division this year. With much of the super team back that won 6 World Championships with Rick Santos behind the wheel, including tuning genius Norm Grimes, O’Bannon’s son Sean will be a threat not only for the Div. 7 title, but national as well. The team’s low 5.30’s at the World Finals were a sign of things to come. The team started the year with the Lencodrive converter assisted combination at the beginning of the year, but switched to a clutch at year’s end. Duane Shields and Bob Perkins will be in the mix as well. Take me to your leader – This year should provide another slugfest in Division 6. This is hot bed for top-level TAD’s. Defending Champ Federlin will return, but it remains to be seen whether Hillary Will’s former ride will be back. The car may run with another driver behind the wheel. 2004 Champ Joey Severance should be a threat to de-throne Federlin as well as Brandon Johnson. Depending on whether they run Div. 6 or Div. 7, Joe Windham will be a threat anywhere they show up with the ex Mitch Myers ride tuned by Rick Henkelman. The sleeper cell: Brent Henry, Ray Hack, Rich McPhillips, Artie Allen, Richard Bourke, Mike Kosky and Todd Datweiler.
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d v e r t i s e m e n t NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car
It’s now ok to eat seconds – In an effort to lower the cost of getting a car to make weight, the minimum weight for screw blower equipped cars was raised 25 lbs. Pass those biscuits… Turning heads – As mentioned in our TAD preview, there are a number of new heads out there on the market for cars running the Brad Anderson ‘Fathead’ style combination. Brad Anderson released their Stage VI Fathead last year, while his son Randy introduced his own head which has been in the 5.50’s as well. Alan Johnson had an alcohol version of their ‘Musclehead’ on display at PRI. Several teams also run Steve Sanchez’s Total Flow head. I’ll take a box of 5.70’s with a side of 250 – Off the shelf tune-ups are becoming all the rage. Last year we saw more and more teams enlisting the likes of Randy Anderson, Bob Miner, Steve Boggs, Tom Conway and others to come in as consultants with nearly instant results. Anderson has worked in one shape or form with nearly all of the top running cars that run the Fathead style combination. Since purchasing Fontana Racing Engines, now known as the Miner Bros. Racing Engine, Bob Miner has been very hands on in assisting existing and new teams with his equipment step their programs up. He also helped tune Steve Gasparrelli to a third place national finish. Steve Boggs still works with several teams that run the Newberry/Veney combination. One of the most notable tuners ‘for hire,’ Tom Conway has worked his way back into the TAFC ranks turning rookie Brandon Lewis into a consistent 5.70 car.
Going for a different medal – Instead of going for Olympic Gold Medals like he has most of his career, former Olympic Gold Medal cyclist Marty Nothstein will try his hand at TAFC this year with the backing of Autotrader.com and Dent Wizard. Nothstein is a graduate of Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School, and has made numerous passes in the school Funny Car. Nothstein currently is working with defending multi-time Div. 6 Champ Bucky Austin. Nothstein tested in Austin’s ride in Vegas with a 5.76 best, but word has it Austin will continue to drive at the next few races. We wouldn’t rule out Nothstein partnering with another team before the season is out. The Rematch – Once again, look for reigning 2005 World Champ Bob Newberry and Frank Manzo to be the front runners in the race for the 2006 Championship. The fact they both run Division 1 could open the doors for a few other cars to jump into the title race. Although it didn’t quite have the drama and fanfare of the Nitro FC title chase, last year’s points battle was like watching a good 12 round heavyweight match, where the fight just keeps going back and forth. Not to say it will be a two-horse race, but look for these two to be at the front of the pack. But just like a good NASCAR race, it may very well end up that while the two leaders are battling it out, one of the other cars slips right by them. Frank Manzo will once again make a West Coast debut with a new Murf McKinney adorned with an ’05 Monte Carlo. Newberry will make his traditional Gainesville debut.
The Best in the West – Last year, Steve Gasparrelli was the best car from the ‘Left’ Coast, and came just a few rounds short of the Lucas Oil National Championship. His bid for the championship came on the heels of a late season run, so look for him to come out swinging early. From what we hear, the team will be more on their own this year as Bob Miner will campaign a car with brother Larry. Bob will still have a heavy influence on both cars. Something in the water? – Was it something in the water out west, or the advice of Comp Champion Jeff Taylor that had a noticeable improvement on Div. 2 Champ Jay Payne’s reaction times? Payne showed up in Vegas for the Div. 7 closer and proceeded to mow down the tree on the way to a win that wrapped up the Div. 2 Championship for him. Payne looked very strong, and if he can stay strong through midseason, he just may get that illusive TAFC championship to go with his 1995 TAD title. The Jay and Mark show – Coming to a Division 2 track near you. Come see Jay Payne and Mark Billington fight off the out of division invaders. Seriously, we really hope to see Div. 2’s car counts improve. One reason for the low car counts in this area may be Div. 2 is in the outlaw Pro Mod hotbed of the country. Many of these racers may have built TAFC’s if they lived anywhere else in the country, but the opportunity to race nearly every weekend may have lured some would be and former TAFC pilots to the left side of the chassis. Former IHRA campaigner John Sullivan made the switch to the screw blower combination last year and Monte Todd has plans to do the same, so those could be two regular cars to add to the list. Mark Billington really stepped his game up this past year after getting some early season tuning advice from Jeff McGaffic, and could give Payne a run for his money once again.
Future looks Bright – Let’s not forget about Richard McClain when talking Div. 4 Funny Car. Word has it the team has added another major sponsor in addition to car owner David Crawford’s AWT Windows. With a solid budget in place to this already solid team, could be a contender anywhere they decide to show up. High & Mighty Floppers – Division 5 should have its own cast of hitters trying to dethrone reigning champ Cy Chesterman. Chesterman had another solid year on the divisional level, but just wasn’t able to stay at that level at national events. Look for him to come out strong again this year. Bernie Harrington came on very strong during the mid part of last season, and will be a legit title threat again this year if he comes east from his California home to claim Div. 5. Let’s not forget about the Godfather of Div. 5 Funny Car, Vern Moats. He will be wheeling new pipe built by Etterman Racing’s Crew Chief Dave Scheelk which will have a Dodge Stratus body. Vern ran very, very strong at times last year, and with just a touch of consistency, will give all the Division 5 teams all they can handle next year. Perennial Div. 5 hitter Kirk Williams should add some spice to what should be a great battle for the “High and Mighty” crown.
Clutches Vs. Converters – Just three years and two Division 3 Championships removed from making the switch to TAFC with their Lencodrive assisted machine, Mick Snyder has a firm grip on the Division 3 TAFC field. Snyder’s father, Larry, has mastered the art of getting the car to run good numbers on Div. 3’s marginal surfaces, along with throwing down the big numbers on good tracks. He will face some stiff competition, however. Chuck Cheeseman had an off year, and will be looking to reclaim the title that was once his. Another Div. 3 vet, Danny Townsend, had a good season behind the wheel of Frank Parker’s VIPsports.com machine, and has the team to challenge for the title. Daniel Wilkerson will add another converter car to the mix, so they may be the ‘X’ factor in this year’s chase. Injector manufacturer Jeff Burnett had a strong year last season, but has sold his car and whether he will return is questionable. Armed with a Randy Anderson tune-up, Bobby Martin could play a role in who gets the tall Wally at the end of the season. Who will lead the Land of the Leaders? – With defending Division 6 Champ Bucky Austin possibly stepping out of the seat for Olympic Gold Medallist Marty Nothstein, there may be a new champ. Bucky looked like the Bucky we’re used to from midseason on. The key will be how quickly Nothstein adapts to Bucky’s aggressive tune-ups if he does indeed take over the seat. Brian Hough started the year off very, very strong, but seemed to slide back to just very strong from midseason on. Hough recorded the second quickest run of the year last season, so he could very well be a threat to challenge for the ‘Best in the West’ title, along with the Div. 6 crown. Clint Thompson also stepped his program up in a big way with the help of Bob Miner, scoring a win at the Seattle national. Look for him to stay in division title hunt as well. Henry Coolidge and Tim Nemeth stepped up big as well, which will make it quite an honor to win this division.
As if it wasn’t tough enough…- Word has it Div. 7 is considering going from three qualifiers to two at select events. The Sleeper Cell – Shawn Jones, John Patton, Kebin Kinsley, Paul Gill and Mert Littlefield.
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AFC vs. NFC – No, we’re not talking about the Super Bowl or the Pro Bowl, we’re talking about Alcohol Funny Car vs. Nitro Funny Car next year. Although indirect, that was the biggest newsmaker in regards to IHRA Alcohol Funny Car. Many competitors are worried about the future of IHRA AFC with the presence of the Nitro Floppers. Many feel despite the best intentions, there may not be room for two professional FC contingents. Look for many, if not all of the top running teams to make a few NHRA divisional appearances in an effort to gain grade points in case that is their only option for ’07. PSI finally in IHRA AFC – No, not the screw blower. PSI’s new hi-helix roots style blower made a big impact last year, powering defending Champ Rob Atchison into the 5.60’s. Not to discount it against their screw blower price, the unit sells for roughly $9500 plus $1500 for the servicing kit. In the end, it looks like everybody is going to be buying a PSI in one shape or another. Movin’ on up – Championship runner-up Jim Sickles and Tom Anderson are looking to put together a Nitro FC team, and have sold much of their alcohol equipment to Mark Thomas. Thomas to have new ride – Mark Thomas will start the ’06 season with a new Gordy chassis and a new Monte Carlo body. The body will sport the same Ethanol Performs colors, but will be ‘livelier.’ Thomas will start the year with the new Littlefield/K-11 blower. He plans to announce some new sponsors soon.
Double duty – 2005 IHRA Sportsman of the Year Terry McMillen will pull double duty in 2006 on the IHRA trail. Not only will he pilot his Amalie Oil Instigator AFC, but will wheel Evan Knoll’s Top Fueler in IHRA competition, and may hit a select few NHRA races with the fueler. Shedding some weight – If lighter is faster, then the IHRA AFC field should look out as late season standout Fred Tigges is putting a 2001 Avenger Carbon Fiber body to replace their old fiberglass 97 Camaro. The new body is equipped with a titanium tree and is expected to be close to 100 lbs lighter than the fiberglass version they were running. Reportedly, the car was more than 100 lbs overweight last year. Poyser and Harvanek change ‘teams’ – Word has it now former IHRA AFC competitors Mark Poyser and Brian Harvanek have bought screw blowers and will be racing in the NHRA fold this year. Several others could follow suit. Stevens steps up with new sponsor – With the backing of new primary sponsor Michfab Machinery, Tim Stevens plans to run at least four IHRA national events along with several NHRA Div. 3 events.
Got a comment? Drop us a line at comppluseditor@aol.com.
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New
pipe, new alliance - Look for the defending World Champs Steve
Torrence and Tom Conway to start the year out at Pomona with new pipe
from Joe Monden. Over the offseason, the Torrence/Conway team made
an alliance with Aaron Olivarez’s Lucas owned team. Torrence
and Olivarez will work together on the marketing front, while tuners Tom
Conway and Jim Rizzoli will share notes on that end. From mid-season
on, these two cars were in the late rounds of nearly every national event.
It should make for a formidable combo on both fronts. Torrence and
Conway are entered in Pomona under Torco’s SKULKL GEAR line.
The Ironman - Tough-as-a-rock driver Steve Federlin, who in any other season would be the champ should be a solid contender again this year. The team reportedly found the culprit of their mid-season slump, and will be back out again with assistance from David Wells. In a conversation at the PRI show, Federlin joked he was going to put the number “1b” on the wing instead of 2, referring to running in the ‘B main’ with his blown alcohol combination. Federlin has been one of the more outspoken drivers on the ongoing parity debate.
Good air, if you please – A car to watch early this year will be 2004 championship runner-up Bill Reichert. This car was absolutely on fire at the end of the year, taking wins in Chicago, Reading and Pomona. Whether the team found a problem or the air came back to them remains to be seen. This car thundered to a 5.18 way back in March at the Gatornationals, then as the mercury rose on the thermometer, so did their times. Much like Meyer, Division 3’s summer time schedule and marginal-at-best divisional surfaces will be just as tough to overcome as the car in the other lane. This team with a spring/fall only schedule – championship contenders. Unless their hot weather game improves, if they run the same schedule, look for a top five finish. However, the new rule to make out-of-division events count the same as in-division should have them smiling from ear to ear.
The Blown Ranger - Even with the departure of Olivarez and Force, defending Div. 4 champ Torrence will face stiff competition from several competitors. One of them is Div. 4’s lone blown alcohol car Lee Callaway. Callaway came on very strong on the divisional trail in the middle of the year. The 2002 Div. 4 Champ plans to update his Chuck Haase’ chassis and make another hard run at the division championship. 
New bodies – One of the easiest changes to spot in TAFC will be more of the new style bodies. The most popular body will be the S&W/Roush Monte Carlo that Bob Newberry won the championship with. There will be several more Dodge Stratus entries, including Vern Moats. Word has it there may be an alcohol specific import body in development.
Look Ma, no clutch! – Following the success of Mick Snyder and his Lencodrive/Torque converter assisted combination, look for more cars with the combination. Will Hanna ran the combination late last year, with Daniel Wilkerson (son of Nitro FC pilot Tim) and Paul Weiss set to debut Lencodrive combos this year as well. Bob Miner has a Lencodrive set up in possession and is looking at the possibilities of putting it in one of his engine customer’s cars.
Very Funny Dr. Jones – Division 4 is really developing into a hotbed of strong TAFC teams. Defending Div. 4 Champ Jimmy Jones really asserted himself as a legit hitter last season. Jackie Stidham is a proven 5.50 player that will be back to make things very interesting in the land of the “Goodguys.” With Tate Branch stepping up to the fuel ranks to drive Chris Russell’s Top Fueler, Jr. Dragster and Super class standout Jonathan Johnson will take the controls of the Etterman Racing/Bar’s Leaks flopper, with Dave Scheelk returning as Crew Chief. 
It’s pronounced Hark-AH – Perennial Aussie hitter Steve Harker has moved to the States, and will run a full schedule next year. With his car being based out of Georgia, Harker will most likely claim Div. 2, which badly needs another strong FC. He hasn’t ruled out Division 4, either.
The Newberry of the West – If there was a West Coast version of defending World Champ Bob Newberry, it would be Dennis Taylor. Taylor with veteran tuner Ora Vasquez use the ‘consistent, but consistently fast’ strategy to make it to the late rounds at nearly every event they go to. They ran very, very strong for a string of races during the early fall, only to run into a bug that plagued them until the AAA Finals, where they once again ran very strong numbers. With solid backing once again from Plumbing Concepts, this just may be the year this team goes to being a legit title contender.
Bad Dreams – As Jay Blake’s Follow A Dream team continues to reach their dreams, they’re quickly turning into a bad dream for the rest of the field, especially in Division 1. Team driver David Ray wheeled this Randy Anderson/ Tom Howell tuned machine to a 5.56 in Gainesville, then to runner-up finishes at Houston and Pomona. With backing from Permatex secured, look for more of the same this year.
Hitters O’ Plenty – So Cal and Division 7 is still the hot bed for TAFC. At any given Division 7 event, a couple of good cars won’t qualify, and at high noon on Sunday, any of the eight cars in the staging lanes has a legit shot at getting their pictures taken that night. In addition to last year’s front runners Gasparrelli and Taylor, you can look all the way down the points list and find potential drivers to knock them off. Former champ Doug Gordon is a threat to win anywhere he shows up with his potent Alan Johnson Chevy combo, as is Bret Williamson with his Miner Bros. power. Another former Div. 7 Champ John Weaver has had a full year to gel with the Meer Capital Partners team, and this team will be a very real threat for the Div. 7 title. Add to the mix Larry Miner, who drove for another capable team – Randy Goodwin’s, will pair back up with his brother Bob, which should be an instant title contender. Goodwin’s car will still be in competition with another former Div. 7 Champ Pete Swayne taking the controls back over. Oh yeah, Don Hudson ended the year running very strong, as did Ron August. It wouldn’t be wise to overlook a proven 5.50 hitter in Mark Woznichak, either. The term ‘last man standing’ comes to mind.
Atch back in a Monte – Defending IHRA Champ Rob Atchison will be back to defend his title with a new Monte Carlo backed by Erickson Manufacturing and a bevy of associates. Atchison will be one of many running the Monte Carlo body this year, but one of the few that will actually run ‘Chevy’ power with his Alan Johnson 481x Chevy motor. Being the first roots car in nearly ten years to run in the 5.60’s, look for Atch to be the odds on favorite to three-peat.
Carter gets PSI – Tom Carter will be back on the IHRA trail with a new PSI Helix. Jeff Fowler will once again call the tuning shots for the team. The team is also considering running a few select NHRA divisionals. 
© Competitionplus 2005
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