Todd Fontana of Fairlawn, New Jersey arrived at the racetrack for the 42nd SuperNationals with his 787 cubic inch ’68 Camaro, more recently seen in Pro Nitrous and Top Sportsman, to give bottom-bulb racing another try.

In the A/PM Competition Eliminator class which has nearly become extinct, Fontana will have to compete against a rapidly falling index of 6.81.  The index for the A/PM class has dropped over two tenths from the index of 7.05 which Fontana competed against at this race last year. The rapid drop can be partially attributed to fellow A/PM competitors using the class as a test session or as a way to earn grade points for the Pro Modified category.  

“The class has been destroyed,” Fontana stated.

Todd Fontana of Fairlawn, New Jersey arrived at the racetrack for the 42nd SuperNationals with his 787 cubic inch ’68 Camaro, more recently seen in Pro Nitrous and Top Sportsman, to give bottom-bulb racing another try.

In the A/PM Competition Eliminator class which has nearly become extinct, Fontana will have to compete against a rapidly falling index of 6.81.  The index for the A/PM class has dropped over two tenths from the index of 7.05 which Fontana competed against at this race last year. The rapid drop can be partially attributed to fellow A/PM competitors using the class as a test session or as a way to earn grade points for the Pro Modified category.  

“The class has been destroyed,” Fontana stated.  

Fontana admits to accidentally taking some permanent index from the class last year but his intentions are to continue to compete in the category while preserving the index.

“I went out last year and ran a 6.46 elapsed time one round, came out the next round clicked it off early and went a 6.35,” Fontana stated. “I thought those numbers had to of been wrong and I unintentionally lowered the index.”

“Professor Dave offered me all kinds of advice. Basically he said ‘Todd look up, you have to look up,’ but running low 6’s with so much going on inside the car, it’s not easy.  

“Everything about this class is so awkward because it’s completely different than anything I’ve done before,” Fontana laughed.  The only change that had to be made to the car to run Competition Eliminator was the removal of the delay box.  A delay box which, is an important piece of equipment for this driver who is very accustomed to top-bulb racing.  

“I’m so used to watching for the first flash it’s almost impossible to keep your finger down on the transbrake button and not go red,” laughed Fontana. “If you anticipate it you’re done and the whole time your mind is telling you to do one thing but your hand is so used to doing something different.

“It’s a really neat class. It’s more of a mind game than anything else I’ve run,” Fontana stated. “Is he going to dump? Is he going to take index? And then making sure I don’t take index even if I’m red or he’s red it’s constantly changing and makes you think.”

After being plagued with gremlins and changing everything in the ignition system, Fontana qualified with a 6.275 elapsed time at 218.02 mph, -0.535 under the A/PM index. To be competitive despite the rapidly falling index and run fifty or more under the index has made the transition into Competition Eliminator for the event challenging.

“When guys come out here and take permanent index for no reason it hurts the class,” Fontana’s crew member Adam Albrecht stated, then continued, “It just keeps getting harder and harder and eventually its going to get to the point where it will be impossible for the A/PM class to exist and still be competitive.”

 

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