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Spring Test Nationals
TUESDAY FINAL - The best times of each classTop Fuel 1. Bob Vandergriff - 8.144, 106.04 Nitro Funny Car 1 Tommy Johnson Jr. - 4.882, 287.60 NHRA Pro Stock 1. Mike Edwards - 6.673, 207.72
Pro Stock Bike 1. Chip Ellis - 6.994, 193.29 Pro Modified 1. Joey Martin - 6.098, 231.16 IHRA Pro Stock 1. Steve Spiess - 6.386, 219.22 1. Randy Meyer - 5.689, 229.74 Top Alcohol Funny Car 1. Mick Snyder - 5.716, 246.48 1. Pat Musi - 6.524 214.38 MONDAY NOTES - Mo Testing; It's as easy as riding a bike
Johnson has been at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta for several days, talking part in the Eastern Spring Test Nationals. Since the fuel teams must use the new Goodyear slick beginning in Gainesville, he'll make as many passes on the new rubber as he can before packing up and making the two-hour trip south. On his first attempt Monday morning, Johnson posted a mark of 4.88.2 at 287.60 mph, taking out some cones at the top end on his way though the traps.
In fact, veteran crewman Phil Schuler was offering $100 to the first person that could ride the bike continuously for 8 feet. No one could do it, including Johnson. Johnson only wiped out once breaking his fall at the last minute. "I don't any part of that bike," Johnson said, when coaxed by a staffer of Torco's CompetitionPlus.com. In the spirit of the competition, Johnson did mount the ride and refused to dismount until he had gained the trick of riding. It took him an hour but Johnson got it. Johnson, who had completed his testing earlier in the day, rode effortlessly to the cheers of his team and onlookers. He's flogging them again - Running the quickest of many laps during the day in the warmest conditions doesn't mean crewchief Bob Glidden will cut you any slack. Richie Stevens has learned to never assume anything. "I thought we were done for the day but I found out differently," Stevens said. We're putting another motor in it and testing some more." Stevens ran a 6.683, 206.20 with a 113-degree track temperature. Not gonna happen today - While other media outlets discounted Angelle Sampey's 6.94 in testing, teammate Antron Brown stands by the run. In fact, he also stands by his 6.98. "We had great weather conditions that day and when you put that together with a great track like SGMP, you get great runs," Brown said. Brown wouldn't get those same conditions this week in Valdosta. "We have been working in some engines," Brown said. "We hurt a few engines here last time."
"It's a really nice place," Vandergriff said. "They have done their job in keeping this place nice and clean. The people are great here and that makes it a plus." Vandergriff was testing the new 2420 Goodyear tire as well as clutch combinations. "The car is reacting as it should and doing what it is supposed to," Vandergriff said. "I'm encouraged headed into Gainesville." Vandergriff spent his testing time working on launches and eighth-mile hits.
Allen Johnson wins ESTN Pro Stock Chicago Style Showdown; Tommy Johnson, Jr. sets new track record
(3-12-2006) - Seating was at a premium for the fourth day of the Eastern Spring Test Nationals presented by Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com. The largest crowd in the six-year history of the event rolled through the turnstiles of South Georgia Motorsports Park to watch the “Chicago Style” eliminations. Race officials estimate nearly 7,000 spectators watched Allen Johnson (NHRA Pro Stock), Chip Ellis (Pro Stock Bike), Mick Snyder (Top Alcohol Funny Car), Josh Hernandez (Pro Modified), Steve Spiess (IHRA Pro Stock) and Pat Musi (Pro Street) win their respective categories.
Johnson, of Greeneville, Tenn., used the weekend to break in a new Dodge Stratus. Not only did he find the baseline, he also landed the top seed of the day with a 6.718, 205.76. He used that advantage to get a leg up on final round opponent Dave Connolly, who was also breaking in a brand new Chevrolet Cobalt.
“This suited us well today,” Johnson said. “I can’t believe how excited the fans are down here in South Georgia to watch NHRA POWERade Championship drag racing. The fans down here are great.” Race promoters announced a three-year extension of the event shortly after its conclusion, which elicited a healthy cheer of approval from those that had sat through 80-plus temperatures all day.
“This was almost like being in Gainesville,” Ellis said. “We learned an awful lot here today and I can guarantee you that we’ll implement some of it. I’m thankful they had us here today.”
Multi-time NHRA Pro Modified national event winner Josh Hernandez also made the first pass on a new car this weekend. The Conroe, Texas-based driver used superior reflexes and his 1968 Camaro to defeat newcomer Matt Hagan in the final round.
The IHRA Pro Stock division provided the largest contingent of entries and it was only fitting the defending world champion stole the show. Spiess wasn’t deterred when opponent Rick Jones drew lane choice in their IHRA Pro Stock final round. He scored a .001 reaction time against Jones and led him all the way to the finish line with a 6.454, 218.12. Jones lost with a 6.461, 218.34.
Former NHRA Pro Stock racer turned Pro Street champion Musi also had a reason to smile. Not only did he beat another former Pro Stock driver turned Pro Street contestant, he gained the opportunity to race and test with drivers he’s not accustomed to. Today he stopped Troy Coughlin in the final round. “This is almost like spring training before inter-league play came along in major league baseball,” Musi said. “It’s a great way to measure success.” Making a few runs during the course of the day was Tommy Johnson, Jr., behind the wheel of Don “The Snake” Prudhomme’s Funny Car. He established a new eighth-mile track record with a 3.338. Testing resumes on Monday with testing slated to begin at 9 AM. a d v e r t i s e m e n t
SUNDAY NOTES - PR stands for Puerto Rico, Bagging the Big Game and Shaun's reality show Estrada will be participating in a newly formed Pro Mod program this year, and he’s excited about his chances of success. “We have an eight-race series at home now, and with this new car from Bickel and engines from Pat Musi we plan to be the number one team in the country,” he said. “We’re also going to do quite a bit of match racing and Pro Mod shootouts, that kind of stuff. There are 15 good Pro Mod cars in Puerto Rico right now, a mix of nitrous, blower and turbo cars, and they are getting very popular. The best elapsed time anyone has turned in down there is a 6.39, so we’re unofficially the quickest right now after running 6.32. We’re looking forward to getting this car back home!” Rolling On – One of the highlights of the midway at South Georgia Motorsports Park during the ESTN was the Rolling O Store, the Oakley products caravan most often seen at NHRA events across the country. According to Donnie Faulkner, it was a perfect opportunity to bring the company’s extensive line of products to fans and racers they don’t always see at NHRA events. “There are a lot of racers and crew people here this weekend from the IHRA, for example, and we don’t get to interact with them very often,” the man from Oakley said. “Logistics and conflicting schedules prevent us from being at IHRA events, so this is a great opportunity for all of us. Oakley isn’t just about sunglasses any more, as Faulkner explained. “We can outfit people from head to toe – shoes, pants, shirts, underwear, socks – the works. We also have a large line of accessories, racing collectibles and lots more. We take care of a lot of the teams, and the spectators love us – it’s a win-win situation.”
Team owner Tommy Lipar, on the other hand, has his sights set on another equally impressive prize, however. Lipar, an avid outdoorsman who has already traveled to Spain, England, Mexico and many regions of North America in search of trophy game, will soon be going on his first safari to Africa. “We’re going to Botswana for a ten-day elephant hunt, and while we’re there we’ll also be after leopard and water buffalo,” the businessman from Texas explained. “We’ll also travel to other areas in Africa to try for plains game such as antelope and impala, among others. We’ll be gone between April 29th and May 25th, so I told the guys on the race team that they’ll be on their own for a month. Hopefully we’ll all be real successful.”
The car, built by Tim McAmis and prepared by the Hernandez crew over the winter, posted a best elapsed time of 6.132-seconds during the course of the weekend, with a top speed of 234.49 mph. In the final round of the shootout, Hernandez rode a huge holeshot to victory over the promising rookie, 6.214, 228.89 to 6.188, 231.95. “Tim McAmis built us a great car, and to pull it out of the trailer and have it run as well as we did here this weekend was unbelievable,” Hernandaz said. “There’s always a learning curve involved any time you get in a new car. Every time you get shot out of a new cannon there are different variables to deal with, but this one felt so smooth and comfortable, not to mention fast, right from the start that it made my job as a driver much easier.”
After Carlson failed to qualify for the first two events on the NHRA POWERade schedule, rumblings of discontent quickly began to surface. In all fairness to the former FWD Sport Compact racer, his limited experience in a rear-wheel drive car that was set up for the shorter Coughlin has a lot to do with his slow start, but he hates to think that he is disappointing his team. “The set-up of the car has something to do with it, but as a driver I have to overcome that,” Carlson said. “I think the biggest problem I’ve had is trying to do all of the learning during actual events – I only had eight passes in the car before getting here this weekend. Being out here testing before we head to Gainesville next weekend is the best thing I can do right now. “I’m just trying to do the best job I can for the team – I don’t want to keep going out there and letting them down.” Look for Carlson to stay in Valdosta for a few more days to get as much seat time as possible in his red SRT Stratus. a
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Smith remains atop of the Pro Stock testing ladder for ESTN; Warmer weather invades Valdosta testing
Sunday’s schedule is highlighted with Chicago Style eliminations slated to begin at 11 AM. Gates open at 8 AM.
Saturday Notes - Hot Lapping Pro Cars, Johnson's no-name tires and the bikes throw down the gauntlet
This unique facility features a drag strip on one side of its pyramid-shaped grandstand and a paved half-mile oval on the other. On Saturday night, as day three of the Eastern Spring Test Nationals was winding down, the Hooters Pro Cup cars took to the track for the South Georgia 250. Many of the drag racers on hand for the ESTN took the opportunity to put down their tools and take in an excellent stock car affair. Leading them was Pro Stock and Pro Mod standout Rickie Smith, who waved the green flag from the starter’s podium to kick off three hours of high-speed bumping and rubbing, South Georgia style.
They needn’t have worried, as Johnson was a loyal as ever to Goodyear. When the rendering for his 2006 paint scheme was developed, it showed a plain black rear tire, and the folks at Mopar liked the look. Johnson’s crew simply removed the traditional yellow lettering from the Goodyear emblems on the tires, and his new look was born. “Mopar really liked this new tough camo paint scheme, and the black truck tire look, so we just made a little cosmetic change on the tires,” said Johnson. “We’d only ever run Goodyear tires, so there’s no problem at all. We were just going for a different look.” As for the 2006 season so far, Johnson said he “wasn’t really happy. We qualified at the first two events, but we haven’t been able to get past the first-round blues. Maybe Gainesville will be our sweet spot.”
The team, headed by Star Racing’s George Bryce and S&S Cycle’s George Smith, served official notice of their intentions when they put rider Chip Ellis down the quarter-mile of concrete here at their home track with back-to-back 6.99-second runs on Saturday afternoon. The first of the two blasts, an effort of 6.994, 193.29, came in 80-degree early afternoon heat. Just a little over an hour later, Ellis returned to the starting line and paced his Buell to another strong pass, this one a mark of 6.997, 189.55. Ellis’ teammate, Matt Smith, also had an excellent result on his last run of the day, posting a lap of 7.027, 188.70, proving that this team is aiming to add yet another championship trophy to their already burgeoning display case. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t Car count exceeds 80 on second day of ESTN presented by Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com; Barry Grant makes return to driving
Danny Rowe was the leader of the Pro Modified entries as he produced
a 6.109, 228.77 in his final testing lap. Rowe, winner of several NHRA
Pro Modified events, edged out the 6.132, 233.68 recorded by Josh Hernandez.
Scott Cannon, Jr. was third with a 6.135, 236.46. a
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Friday Notes
“Dan’s going to follow in my footsteps, I guess,” said Wilkerson. “He’s a good kid, and I’m real proud of him. We’re going to get him started in the car here this weekend and then take it from there.” On Friday, Tim, a veteran of the alky ranks, got behind the wheel of the car himself and took it for a shakedown run. Look for Dan to climb behind the wheel on Saturday. Sportsmanship on display – Tim Krupa, who crashed his brand-new 1953 Corvette Pro Mod machine this afternoon proved to a lot of people that he has the “right stuff” to play in the professional ranks. Krupa recently moved his wife and five children from California to North Carolina just so he could live amongst the myriad of racers and builders in the traditional heartland of the sport’s quickest and fastest doorslammers. His debut was short-lived, however, as a crash and subsequent fire left his new Tommy Mauney-built quite a bit worse for wear. Krupa was unhurt in the incident, and he later talked to the assembled racers in the pits over the track’s PA, thanking everyone for their concern, and apologizing for holding up the test session for a couple of hours. It was a classy move by a promising new competitor.
So far this season plans call for Tommy D’Aprile, Brian Pfeiffer and “Dyno Dave” Heitzman to share driving duties, and as far as Stott is concerned, anyone else with the qualifications and the cash can strap themselves inside and have all the fun they can stand in 6-plus seconds. The line forms on the right.
The Red Bay, Alabama-based racer made 100 or more passes behind the wheel of the car when it was Ashley’s “test mule” and he can’t remember it ever wandering left or right of the center line to any extent. That’s not the case now, unfortunately, and Scott is trying everything in his power to rectify situation. “They’ll probably say the thing went straight just before I died of old age at the rate we’re going,” said Scott. Under a cloak of darkness – A late arrival here at South Georgia Motorsports Park was the Buffalo, New York-based Pro Mod team owned by Jim Oddy. The record-setting crew rolled their rebuilt Dodge Stratus out of the trailer and made a shakedown pass just before the lanes were closed here this evening. Driver Steve Bareman launched the car, which was damaged in an incident last season, and went out to around 100-feet before shutting it down. Look for the Oddy-led effort to produce some big numbers before the weekend is over.
In fact, after two half-track squirts, the stealthy classic made its first official quarter-mile pass, a solid and straight effort of 6.29 at 226 mph. Team owner Mel Bush used to proclaim that his Top Sportsman car, also a ’62 Chevy, was the “world’s fastest bubble top,” but it looks like that title has found a new home.
Much to the chagrin of his fellow racers, Spiess is apparently picking up right where he left off. On Friday, he led the mountain motor Pro Stock brigade with a best pass of 6.407, 218.02 to surpass the 6.419, 217.81 of Jeff Dobbins. Tony Gillig was third with a 6.424, 217.53. During an interview this afternoon, Spiess said that while he thinks it’s a year away, some on his crew think his car is capable of running a 6.29 this season. While he wouldn’t go out on a limb and predict such a milestone could be achieved in 2006, he did say that he was still sore about not being the first into the 6.30s, so it would be a real feather in his cap. a
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(3-14-2006) - Not Done Yet - Tommy Johnson Jr., the most recent Funny Car winner on the
NHRA POWERade tour, is planning to put as many laps as possible on Don
Prudhomme's Skoal Monte Carlo before heading to Gainesville Raceway
for this weekend's ACDelco Gatornationals.
Better stick to Funny Cars - A lot has been made of Johnson's training with Whit Bazemore aboard a bicycle. However, Johnson found one bike on Monday that tested his resolve. The challenge of riding this particular bike, which has a special gooseneck that turns the front wheel the opposite direction of handlebars, was more than most members of the Don Prudhomme team could conquer.
The other Brown - Bob Vandergriff, Jr. may live in Georgia, but Sunday marked the first time he'd ever rolled through the gates of SGMP.
This event stands unofficially as the largest gathering of professional and sportsman teams for testing, catering to cars of both major sanctioning bodies. A total of 93 teams have rolled through the gates since Wednesday including four nitro operations. As today’s show was drawing to a close, Georgia-based Top Fuel driver Bob Vandergriff, Jr. rolled through the gates along with the Vance & Hines team and several 500-inch Pro Stockers. More teams are expected to arrive on Monday pushing the total number to over 100.
Johnson nailed Connolly with a .001 reaction and never looked back en route to a 6.733, 205.44. Connolly lost despite a close .02 reaction and a 6.737, 206.20 performance.
They also cheered heartily when hometown favorite Ellis drove past teammate Matt Smith in the final round of Pro Stock Bike. Ellis produced an overkill 7.073, 193.77 as Smith rolled the beams and fouled, wasting a 7.036.
Mick Snyder was declared the Top Alcohol Funny Car champion over second-generation Funny Car driver Dan Wilkerson, who spent time this weekend attaining his competition license. Wilkerson is the son of NHRA POWERade Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson.
“This was great,” Hernandez said. “When you bring a new car out and it goes straight it always gives you a lot of confidence. This event enabled us to find a baseline for this car and in conditions we couldn’t normally get renting a track. This was like a national event for us.”
“We’re not finished testing, but this certainly puts a big highlight on the weekend,” Spiess said. “I may have been racing for a trophy, but that wasn’t the only thing. Momentum headed into the season was huge today.”
Island
Express – One of the more colorful entries in this weekend’s
Eastern Spring Test Nationals was the new nitrous-injected ’63
Corvette of Hector Estrada. Estrada, of Puerto Rico, recently replaced
his ’37 Chevrolet coupe with the decidedly more aerodynamic Jerry
Bickel-built ‘Vette. 
Looking
to bag the big one – As Joshua Hernandez and the Dr.
Moon’s Rage Pro Modified team successfully put their new ’68
Camaro through its first on-track trials this weekend, they were more
then likely looking ahead to a run at the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Modified
Challenge presented by RPM Depot championship this season. 
Raging
on – Speaking of Hernandez and the Howard Moon-led Dr.
Moon’s rage Pro Mod team, their competitive debut this weekend
in Georgia was an unqualified success. Not only did their new supercharged
’68 Camaro run quickly and consistently from the moment it was
unloaded from the trailer, but it also carried Hernandez to victory
in the Chicago-style shootout over newcomer Matt Hagan on Sunday afternoon.
From
reality show to just plain reality – So far the 2006
NHRA Pro Stock season has been less than successful for class rookie
Shaun Carlson, who won the seat in Don Schumacher’s second Dodge
Stratus in a highly publicized competition with fellow racer Mike Corvo.
The hoopla surrounding the selection of a new teammate for Richie Stevens
took on all the trapping of a made-for-television reality show, but
since Carlson was tabbed to fill the seat left vacant by Jeg Coughlin
Jr. at the end of last season the "real" reality has set in.
(3-11-2006) - Round and round I go – There are a lot of high-powered race cars on the grounds here at South Georgia Motorsports Park this weekend, and on Saturday those of the straight-line persuasion were joined by a large contingent of their left-turning brethren. 
Three runs in, all’s well – The last time NHRA Pro Stock competitor Dave Connolly was at South Georgia Motorsports Park, back in January, his team went home with a mangled race car in the trailer. When asked if he had any qualms about taking to the quarter-mile here this weekend, he said, “It doesn’t really bother me – it was just one of those mishaps and hopefully it will never happen again. After our first day of testing here the car still has the front-end on it, so that’s a good thing.”
Was it something we said? – Goodyear officials were wondering just what they had said or done wrong when NHRA Pro Stock competitor Allen Johnson’s Dodge Stratus took to the track this season with no-name rear slicks. 
Throwing down the gauntlet - With the first race of the 2006 Pro Stock Motorcycle season just a week away, it appears that the G2 Motorsports team will be taking the fight directly to the competition once the first green light flickers at the upcoming Gatornationals in Gainesville. 
Grant has
never felt better than he did today at South Georgia Motorsports Park
when he released the clutch for the first time since early last year.
Wilkerson
and son – NHRA Funny Car competitor Tim Wilkerson is
enjoying the weekend here in southern Georgia, and it’s for a
very special reason. His son Dan is here to make his first-ever runs
in an Alcohol Funny Car. 
Baby,
you can drive my car – “This car is for lease,
and anyone with the right amount of money can take it for a ride today.”
That’s what Quain Stott said when asked about his driven-by-committee
supercharged ’63 Corvette.
Pro
Mod promised land – On a day of great performances, a
couple of Pro Mod runs stood out among the rest. Californian Danny Rowe,
with veteran tuner Jimmy Rector turning the wrenches, laid down a solid
run of 6.109 at .46 behind the wheel of his blown ’63 Corvette.
Equally impressive was the pass by second generation runner Scott Cannon
Jr., who paced his new Pontiac GTO to a career-best mark of 6.135 at
a top speed of 236.46 mph. 
What’s
going on here? – Veteran Pro Mod competitor Hugh Scott
has been scratching his head a lot recently, and the situation hasn’t
changed here in Valdosta this weekend. The supercharged ’63 Corvette
he purchased from Mike Ashley at the end of last season has developed
a tendency to go every way but straight at the launch.
Living
up to advance billing – Very rarely do new cars perform
as expected right out of the box. In fact, most racers expect to have
their share of “new car blues” before things come around.
Returning Pro Mod veteran Alan Pittman must be living right, as his
new ’62 Chevy “bubble top” has been behaving itself
admirably so far this weekend.
Spiess
shuttle ready to launch – Last season IHRA Pro Stock
competitor Steve Spiess was nearly unstoppable, winning races and setting
performance marks seemingly at will as he rolled to the 2005 class crown.
(3-9-2006)
- Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Karen Stoffer found herself in
an ambulance being rushed to the hospital five months ago. Today she
ran over 185 miles per hour en route to the finish line at South Georgia
Motorsports Park during the first day of the Eastern Spring Test Nationals
presented by Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com.
“It’s
really nice to be back,” Stoffer said. “My recovery process
was speeded up by the support of my family and the huge fan support.
The doctors performed incredibly in patching me up. 
Pros-a-plenty
– By mid-day Thursday, there were approximately 60 professional
teams on the grounds at South Georgia Motorsports Park, with more rolling
in to the tune of three to four an hour. A quick count confirmed that
Pro Stock competitors made up the majority of the early arrivals, with
the rigs of 5 NHRA and 17 IHRA teams already parked and open for business.
There are also a number of Pro Mod teams in attendance, along with a
smattering of Pro Street cars, Alcohol Funny Cars and Alcohol Dragsters.
Among the alky burners, Dr. Tom Carter was making the most of his time
in Valdosta, hot-lapping his “Jawbreaker” flopper to consistently
strong performances, the best of which was a pass of 5.956, 227.27.
‘Cuda
Alert – Native Australian driver Troy Critchley has his
new ’71 ‘Cuda Pro Mod machine out for the first time this
weekend, and it’s a very slick race car indeed. After a long,
smoky burnout, a Critchley trademark, the car launched into tire spin
off the line and the veteran “shoe” wisely shut things down.
Unfortunately, Critchley’s car appeared to leave a trail of liquid
in its wake, necessitating a cleanup of the track which effectively
brought the day’s testing to a halt. 
A
Rage in Valdosta – Another new Pro Mod car on the grounds
this weekend is the supercharged ’69 Camaro out of the Tommy Lipar
Racing/Dr. Moon’s Rage camp. The car, driven by Joshua Hernandez,
is the second car in the team’s stable, joining their ’57
Chevrolet, which will be relegated to outlaw racing this season. On
his first pass, Hernandez posted a mark of 6.172, 234.49, an excellent
result for an out-of-the-box car.
New
faces, new cars in Pro Stock, too – Not to be outdone
by their Pro Mod counterparts, the Pro Stock contingent has some new
looks of their own. Pete Berner, a Ford man for years, is wheeling a
new Rick Jones-built Pontiac GTO, complete with a Chevy hemi combination
from master builder Jon Kaase. Kenny Benso is wringing out a new Chevy
Cobalt and veteran racer and chassis builder Jerry Haas is wringing
out a new driver. Carey Goforth will be behind the wheel of a second
team car for Haas when the IHRA season kicks off in San Antonio. 
(3-8-2006) - Eastern Race Fuels is en route to the Eastern Spring Test Nationals with a transporter chock full of Torco Race Fuels racing gas, methanol and Pro Nitro Nitromethane. The transporter will be in attendance at South Georgia Motorsports Park throughout the weekend.
(12-3-2005)
- In an effort to give attending drivers as much publicity
as possible, the Eastern Spring Test Nationals presented by Torco's
CompetitionPlus.com is open to pre-entry registration. The sixth annual
event will be held at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga.,
during the weekend of March 9 - 14, which is the week prior to the NHRA
MAC Tools Gatornationals and two weeks for the IHRA Texas Nationals
in San Antonio, Texas. 
© Competitionplus 2005
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