NMCA MAPLE GROVE RESULTS
Thu, 2009-06-11 08:01
After rain affected most of the weekend at Maple Grove Raceway, racers of the NMCA caught a break Sunday at the Seventh Annual
Kooks Custom Headers NMCA Muscle Car Nationals.
With Friday washed out entirely and Saturday’s action forced to be contested on the eighth-mile due to residual moisture seeping up from the ground onto track surface, it’s any wonder racers and fans alike we happy to be greeted by fantastic weather conditions on Sunday.
The poor track conditions forced NMCA officials to shorten Saturday’s qualifying to the eighth-mile (a first for the organization) offering a rare glimpse into how these cars perform to half-track. With the top half of the track dry on Sunday, the race returned to the regular quarter-mile format.
Kooks Custom Headers NMCA Muscle Car Nationals.
With Friday washed out entirely and Saturday’s action forced to be contested on the eighth-mile due to residual moisture seeping up from the ground onto track surface, it’s any wonder racers and fans alike we happy to be greeted by fantastic weather conditions on Sunday.
The poor track conditions forced NMCA officials to shorten Saturday’s qualifying to the eighth-mile (a first for the organization) offering a rare glimpse into how these cars perform to half-track. With the top half of the track dry on Sunday, the race returned to the regular quarter-mile format.
Despite the altered schedule and length of the track being adjusted, racers were able to adjust to the conditions and tune their cars accordingly, and by the end of the weekend, no one was happier than Scorpion Performance Pro Street Racer Joe Dunne who, in the span of only a few weeks, received a new Camaro from Jerry Bickel Race Cars, entered his first NMCA race and won it. His victory didn’t come easily either, as he beat two of the best in the business by disposing of Vinny Budano in the semifinals and Troy Coughlin in one of the closest finals in recent history – both wins on holeshots.
Against Budano, Dunn left with a .039 reaction time to Budano’s .052 which was good enough to keep his 6.380 ahead of Budano despite the three-time champion’s quicker e.t. of 6.375. In the final, Dunne’s slight .004 on the starting line, was all he needed to top Coughlin after Coughlin ran 6.411 to Dunn’s 6.412. When combined with Coughlin’s slower (in comparison) .020 leave, the win margin was a scant three-thousandths of a second.
“That was one close drag race,” said the victorious Dunne who, along with engine builder Pat Musi, celebrated his first win. “He’s a good kid and a great driver as he proved here this weekend,” Musi said.
In Mickey Thompson Super Street 10.5W, Bill Lutz grabbed his first NMCA win over Dave Laurer in the final. Lutz qualified sixth with a 4.36 while Laurer qualified seventh.
Jim Blair and Mike Yedgarian, who qualified first and second, ended up having trouble in eliminations. Blair, lost an engine after the first round but was able to swap to a backup engine between rounds, but couldn’t overcome a huge holeshot and quicker e.t. against Lutz in the semis. Laurer advanced the final after Yedgarian’s turbocharged Firebird lost control near the eighth-mile and hit the guardwalls on both sides of the track. Yedgarian was fine, but the car ill require substantial repair.
In the final, Lutz combined a .167 leave and 7.22 e.t. to end Laurer’s shot at winning with his fading 7.96 .
ARP Nostalgia Pro Street had ten racers this weekend who were all aiming for the Maple Grove crown. Racing the only small-block in the class, Joe Bucaro bookended the weekend with a number one qualifier and a win in the finals against Barb Nesbitt in his Duncan Racecars-built Mustang. He busted a .132 reaction, and ran a nice 7.53 to take out the class veteran. The win was the second consecutive for Carol Stream, Ill racer.
Vortech Xtreme Street hosted and even eight true ten five racers looking to get the gold in Maple Grove. There were three blower small-block cars in the mix this weekend (Chuck Bartholme, Jason Lee and Chris Singleton) versus three big-block Chevy’s on nitrous (Fred Brunn, Steve Cagle, and Jaime Stanton) a sprayed big-block Mopar from Adam Sailor, and the crazy Olds of Bill Trovato. After a successful month of testing, Singleton was the one who came out on top. After taking down Stanton in the first, then a redlighting Brunn in the second round, it came down to a battle of the ProChargers (a crank-drive on Singleton’s and a “side slinger” on Bartholme’s). In possibly one of
the coolest races of the weekend, Singleton was able to knock the tree down with a .032 (to Bartholme’s .074) and stay just ahead of Bartholme the whole 1320, enough to win with an 8.15.
In Comp Cams Pro Stock (NMCA’s naturally-aspirated class) Former class champion Charlie Booze Jr. used his experience, power and knowledge of Maple Groves track surface to take the win . After taking out Max Gross, getting a bye run in the second round, then outrunning John Langer’s Pontiac in the semis, Booze faced class newcomer Mike Konigshofer in the finals. Booze, who qualified second, posted a .047 to Konigshofer’s .112 reaction time and was able to stay ahead for a 8.58 to 8.71 victory.
Tremec True Street featured three dozen street cars from across the Northeast and was won by Frank Soldridge and his Camaro which ran a three-lap average of 5.61 on the eigth-mile.
BFGoodrich Tires Street Radial class champion John Macaluso beat
Brad Schehr in a nitrous versus blower race. Schehr and his turbo knocked the tree down with a .030 light to Macaluso’s .057. Schehr got there first with a winning, but slower, 8.80 at 155 mph. The margin of victory was .004. Interestingly, Chet Caminita, tunes both cars but there is not a number one or number two car.
Earlier in the weekend, the postponed final between Skip Baskin and Mike DeMayo Jr. was contested, with Basking taking the win.
In Drag Racer Magazine Mean Street, Don Baskin won both the Bradenton finals (which was finally ran at this race after a delay due to weather) as well the race this weekend in Maple Grove. He had a bye straight to the final where he took out Alan Von Ahnen after a heartbreaking redlight loss.
In the ShopHEMI.com Late Model Hemi Shootout Dan White and his Magnum beat Gene Hatfield and his Challenger in the Diablosport Hemi Rumble class and Chris Dufresne got the automatic win in his Magnum after Eddie Rosa’s Charger left before the tree activated.
In the nostalgia classes, Doug Duell, who was also racing in the HEMI Shootout in his Challenger, beat Stephanie DeMino who was making her second consecutive final round appearance in Hedman Hedders Nostalgia Super Stock. In Nostalgia Muscle Car, Andy Warren beat John Zombeck in the final but more importantly, beat last year’s champion Ralph Seran in the semis. Warren, had previously lost to Seran the previous three times they raced.
In the index classes, Dan Walleigh bested Joseph Laino in McLeod Open Comp while Doug Winters won beat Bobby Barrick in the final of Eaton-Posi Late Model EFI.
Joe
Dunne was able to beat both Vinny Budano and Troy Coughlin in Pro
Street action. It was Dunne’s first NMCA race behind the wheel of his
new Bickle-built, Musi-powered Camaro.
With Friday washed out entirely and Saturday’s action forced to be contested on the eighth-mile due to residual moisture seeping up from the ground onto track surface, it’s any wonder racers and fans alike we happy to be greeted by fantastic weather conditions on Sunday.
The poor track conditions forced NMCA officials to shorten Saturday’s qualifying to the eighth-mile (a first for the organization) offering a rare glimpse into how these cars perform to half-track. With the top half of the track dry on Sunday, the race returned to the regular quarter-mile format.
After rain affected most of the weekend at Maple Grove Raceway, racers of the NMCA caught a break Sunday at the Seventh Annual
Joe Dunne was able to beat both Vinny Budano and Troy Coughlin in Pro Street action. It was Dunne’s first NMCA race behind the wheel of his new Bickle-built, Musi-powered Camaro.
With Friday washed out entirely and Saturday’s action forced to be contested on the eighth-mile due to residual moisture seeping up from the ground onto track surface, it’s any wonder racers and fans alike we happy to be greeted by fantastic weather conditions on Sunday.
The poor track conditions forced NMCA officials to shorten Saturday’s qualifying to the eighth-mile (a first for the organization) offering a rare glimpse into how these cars perform to half-track. With the top half of the track dry on Sunday, the race returned to the regular quarter-mile format.
Despite the altered schedule and length of the track being adjusted, racers were able to adjust to the conditions and tune their cars accordingly, and by the end of the weekend, no one was happier than Scorpion Performance Pro Street Racer Joe Dunne who, in the span of only a few weeks, received a new Camaro from Jerry Bickel Race Cars, entered his first NMCA race and won it. His victory didn’t come easily either, as he beat two of the best in the business by disposing of Vinny Budano in the semifinals and Troy Coughlin in one of the closest finals in recent history – both wins on holeshots.
Mike Bochella had a very scary ride in Tremec True Street after something let go on his Mustang near the eighth-mile. Sliding in fluid, he crossed the centerline in front of Deena Simmons, and went almost head-on into the wall in front of her. That impact sent his car on it’s side and back across the track and into the other wall. The car then rolled several times before coming to a rest upside down. Bochella exited the car and other than being shaken up, said he was fine.
Against Budano, Dunn left with a .039 reaction time to Budano’s .052 which was good enough to keep his 6.380 ahead of Budano despite the three-time champion’s quicker e.t. of 6.375. In the final, Dunne’s slight .004 on the starting line, was all he needed to top Coughlin after Coughlin ran 6.411 to Dunn’s 6.412. When combined with Coughlin’s slower (in comparison) .020 leave, the win margin was a scant three-thousandths of a second.
“That was one close drag race,” said the victorious Dunne who, along with engine builder Pat Musi, celebrated his first win. “He’s a good kid and a great driver as he proved here this weekend,” Musi said.
In Mickey Thompson Super Street 10.5W, Bill Lutz grabbed his first NMCA win over Dave Laurer in the final. Lutz qualified sixth with a 4.36 while Laurer qualified seventh.
Jim Blair and Mike Yedgarian, who qualified first and second, ended up having trouble in eliminations. Blair, lost an engine after the first round but was able to swap to a backup engine between rounds, but couldn’t overcome a huge holeshot and quicker e.t. against Lutz in the semis. Laurer advanced the final after Yedgarian’s turbocharged Firebird lost control near the eighth-mile and hit the guardwalls on both sides of the track. Yedgarian was fine, but the car ill require substantial repair.
In the final, Lutz combined a .167 leave and 7.22 e.t. to end Laurer’s shot at winning with his fading 7.96 .
ARP Nostalgia Pro Street had ten racers this weekend who were all aiming for the Maple Grove crown. Racing the only small-block in the class, Joe Bucaro bookended the weekend with a number one qualifier and a win in the finals against Barb Nesbitt in his Duncan Racecars-built Mustang. He busted a .132 reaction, and ran a nice 7.53 to take out the class veteran. The win was the second consecutive for Carol Stream, Ill racer.
Vortech Xtreme Street hosted and even eight true ten five racers looking to get the gold in Maple Grove. There were three blower small-block cars in the mix this weekend (Chuck Bartholme, Jason Lee and Chris Singleton) versus three big-block Chevy’s on nitrous (Fred Brunn, Steve Cagle, and Jaime Stanton) a sprayed big-block Mopar from Adam Sailor, and the crazy Olds of Bill Trovato. After a successful month of testing, Singleton was the one who came out on top. After taking down Stanton in the first, then a redlighting Brunn in the second round, it came down to a battle of the ProChargers (a crank-drive on Singleton’s and a “side slinger” on Bartholme’s). In possibly one of
the coolest races of the weekend, Singleton was able to knock the tree down with a .032 (to Bartholme’s .074) and stay just ahead of Bartholme the whole 1320, enough to win with an 8.15.
In Comp Cams Pro Stock (NMCA’s naturally-aspirated class) Former class champion Charlie Booze Jr. used his experience, power and knowledge of Maple Groves track surface to take the win . After taking out Max Gross, getting a bye run in the second round, then outrunning John Langer’s Pontiac in the semis, Booze faced class newcomer Mike Konigshofer in the finals. Booze, who qualified second, posted a .047 to Konigshofer’s .112 reaction time and was able to stay ahead for a 8.58 to 8.71 victory.
Tremec True Street featured three dozen street cars from across the Northeast and was won by Frank Soldridge and his Camaro which ran a three-lap average of 5.61 on the eigth-mile.
BFGoodrich Tires Street Radial class champion John Macaluso beat
Brad Schehr in a nitrous versus blower race. Schehr and his turbo knocked the tree down with a .030 light to Macaluso’s .057. Schehr got there first with a winning, but slower, 8.80 at 155 mph. The margin of victory was .004. Interestingly, Chet Caminita, tunes both cars but there is not a number one or number two car.
Earlier in the weekend, the postponed final between Skip Baskin and Mike DeMayo Jr. was contested, with Basking taking the win.
In Drag Racer Magazine Mean Street, Don Baskin won both the Bradenton finals (which was finally ran at this race after a delay due to weather) as well the race this weekend in Maple Grove. He had a bye straight to the final where he took out Alan Von Ahnen after a heartbreaking redlight loss.
In the ShopHEMI.com Late Model Hemi Shootout Dan White and his Magnum beat Gene Hatfield and his Challenger in the Diablosport Hemi Rumble class and Chris Dufresne got the automatic win in his Magnum after Eddie Rosa’s Charger left before the tree activated.
In the nostalgia classes, Doug Duell, who was also racing in the HEMI Shootout in his Challenger, beat Stephanie DeMino who was making her second consecutive final round appearance in Hedman Hedders Nostalgia Super Stock. In Nostalgia Muscle Car, Andy Warren beat John Zombeck in the final but more importantly, beat last year’s champion Ralph Seran in the semis. Warren, had previously lost to Seran the previous three times they raced.
In the index classes, Dan Walleigh bested Joseph Laino in McLeod Open Comp while Doug Winters won beat Bobby Barrick in the final of Eaton-Posi Late Model EFI.
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