IHRA SPRING NATIONALS - EVENT NOTEBOOK
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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK
A MOVING TRIBUTE – When Virginia Tech graduate Kevin Futrell and his girlfriend, current VT student Jennifer Marshall, made plans to attend the IHRA Spring Nationals with Jennifer’s best friend Matt Gwaltney, they never imagined they would attend the race without him.
Gwaltney, of Chesterfield, Virginia, was a student at Virginia Tech and one of the 32 victims who lost their lives in the massacre last week.
“This is our second time out to the races; we were here at Rockingham for last year’s race and had a real good time, so we wanted to come back,” Futrell said. “But with the events of last week, we’re a man short.”
“I don’t really know how to put it into words. It’s a numb feeling,” said Futrell. “Matt was a drag racing fan, but he was a Funny Car fan more than anything.”
That’s what made Knoll Gas Nitro Funny Car driver Jack Wyatt’s tribute to everyone involved with the VT tragedy so special to Futrell. Wyatt is displaying a large Virginia Tech logo on the side of his car, with the words “In our thoughts” above the graphic. As an added way to remember Gwaltney, Wyatt allowed Futrell to write Gwaltney’s name on both sides of the huge rear wing of Wyatt’s Dodge Stratus.
Futrell said that Gwaltney’s favorite driver was a man who also recently lost his life, Eric Medlen.
“Eric was his favorite NHRA driver,” Futrell said. “He was just getting into the IHRA, and we took him to a few races and watched it on television together.”
Wyatt’s and everyone else’s tributes to the victims and their families have really touched Futrell. “32 victims lost their lives. The more we see things like this and the as the media brings it up, the less likely we are to forget about the victims of this tragedy.”
“We were all supposed to be out here today, and Jack brought his car out with the VT logo,” an emotional Futrell said. “I’ll be honest with you, I’m a grown man, and I just cried.”
“Matt was really looking forward to this, and he’s not here.”
Below is an excerpt from MSNBC describing Gwaltney:
Matthew Gregory Gwaltney, 24, was on the brink of finishing his graduate degree and was planning to return to his hometown for a new job and to be near his parents.
He was a master’s student in civil and environmental engineering and was attending Virginia Tech on a fellowship, his father, Greg Gwaltney, said from his home in Chester, near Richmond.
“Matt came home Thursday night. He had an interview in Richmond Friday morning, and we got to have dinner with him,” said Linda Gwaltney, his stepmother. “He went back to school Friday after his interview.”
It was the last time they saw their only child.
Gwaltney had been his high school newspaper’s sports editor and was named “Best guy to take home to your parents,” his high school principal, Robert Stansberry, said.
At Virginia Tech, where he also earned his undergraduate degree, his favorite place was Cassell Coliseum, his parents said.
“He went to every women’s and men’s basketball game, and went to every football game,” Linda Gwaltney said. “If there was a football game, we knew he wasn’t coming home that weekend.”
KNOLL GAS TOP FUEL
ZIZZO ZOOMS – T.J. Zizzo completed the trend set by most of his professional counterparts, repeating his performance in San Antonio by making an appearance in the final round. And like many of those counterparts, his fortune was reversed, and he was able to take the win this time around. He defeated Bobby Lagana, Jr., in the finals, 4.772 to Lagana’s 4.916.
“I lucked my way all the way to the final round in San Antonio,” Zizzo said. “What got me there was a great crew, and the same thing happened today.”
At first, Zizzo was worried the only way he was going anywhere in eliminations was luck once again.
“We have been having a lot of inconsistency,” said Zizzo. “My crew has been working with me to become a better driver, and they were able to sort things out today.”
“We’re starting to get a handle on this car. We made this car go to the finish line today, and that was the goal.”
UNDER THE GUN – Michael Gunderson is making his first appearance in the IHRA tour this weekend. The Middleburg, FL resident landed in the fourth qualifying position, which will pair him up with 8th qualifier Mitch King.
Gunderson has been at each IHRA event at The Rock for the past couple seasons, and plans to make at least a partial tour of the Knoll Gas Nitro Jam in 2007.
“We’ll probably do the two Rockingham races, and maybe one or two others,” said Gunderson. “We just have to pick ones closest to home. We’re not much into going to Canada and Michigan or other places like that.”
“We wouldn’t mind making the whole tour. If someone would come along with some money and make it a little easier on us, we could do that,” Gunderson said.
Gunderson’s 4.677 lap was a good one, but his career best was set just a few weeks back at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville.
“We ran a 4.63 at 326 MPH at Gainesville, but that 4.67 was a pretty good run for here with the conditions,” said Gunderson. “My crew chief, John Smith, had it set up to go down the track. He was just testing the water basically.”
“Today we’re gonna back it down because it’s going to be hot. I think whoever makes it from point A to point B is going to win the race.”
While the sportsman ladder certainly worked in his favor, Gunderson isn’t a fan of it. “I like the regular ladder. We’re so used to it after all these years. But I don’t think it matters. Anyone out here can win,” Gunderson said.
“We’re firm believers in not taking anyone lightly.”
Gunderson ran a 4.877 in the first round to put Mitch King on the trailer, then lit the red bulb in the semis against Bobby Lagana, Jr.
KNOLL GAS NITRO FUNNY CAR
WYATT CARRIES VT TO VICTORY – In a story that couldn’t have been written any better by some of Hollywood’s finest, Jack Wyatt carried a big, bright Virginia Tech logo to victory lane as he claimed the Knoll Gas Nitro Funny Car win in Rockingham over Jon Capps, 5.188 to Capps’ 5.229.
Just before the final run, Wyatt had another very special name on board: Matt Gwaltney, written on Wyatt’s car by Gwaltney’s friend Kevin Futrell.
“We listened to the XM Radio all the way down here to get information on the tragedy,” said Wyatt. “I woke up Friday morning and had to find some place to get some vinyl.”
“If helps one person just a little bit, then I’m happy. I know it helped me.”
Wyatt’s tribute definitely touched many this weekend, and one group of friends that we know of for sure.
Next up for Wyatt is the Skull Shine Nationals in Tulsa, even though the team is on an extremely limited budget.
“I can’t or don’t want to miss a race,” Wyatt said. “One of my oldest friends Tom Stephens was finally able to come to a race instead of working so hard keep us out here. It’s just been a really emotional race for me.”
After the win, Wyatt finds himself in a familiar position: just a few points behind last year’s champion Dale Creasy, Jr.
“Dale is my best friend. We play golf together and everything, but when we’re out here we beat on each other because we are so competitive.”
TORCO’S COMPETITIONPLUS PRO MODIFIED
BACKING IT DOWN? REALLY? – Scott Cannon made back-to-back five-second passes Saturday, then came out and posted a 6.01 in the first round of Sunday’s eliminations, taking out Harold Martin.
“We just backed it down a little bit, and it still went a 6.01,” Cannon said. “We didn’t care how fast it went, we just wanted to win some rounds.”
He then strung together three more low 6.0 runs to claim the Torco’s CompetitionPlus Pro Modified Spring Nationals crown. The win also moved Cannon into the points lead.
Cannon, like many other drivers of blown cars, credits a lot of his success to offseason testing in preparation for the new rules.
“We went to Houston and tested, and this thing was a bracket car there, too,” said the second-generation Cannon. “We’ve made some changes, and it looks like they’re for the better.”
Despite feeling like he got hung out slightly when he faced some of his nitrous competitors, Cannon drove a flawless race.
“Our car was running so well, I knew the only thing that could mess it up was me, and I didn’t want that,” Cannon said. “You don’t want to go back to the pits after you were the one that screwed up.”
Cannon is already looking forward to the next race, wherever it may be. And even though he likes The Rock, he would like to have some success at a different venue as well.
“Every one of my trophies on the shelf say ‘Rockingham’. I’ve got to fix that.”
DULY NOTED – Not to get the internet message boards too fired up, but after the first round of Torco’s CompetitionPlus Pro Modified, the field was completely even: four nitrous cars and four blown entries remained. To make it even better, each quarterfinal matchup consisted of a blown vs. nitrous pairing.
The trend continued into the semis, as Mike Castellana went up against Kenny Lang and Steve Vick was to face Scott Cannon.
Then all that balance came to an end. Vick broke a connecting rod in his next generation Sonny’s Semi-Hemi in the second round, giving Cannon a bye run to the finals. Castellana also ran into troubles, shaking the tires before he could reach sixty feet as Lang peddled his way to the final round.
ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
THOMAS TAKES THE WIN – Mark Thomas appears to have regained his championship form from a year ago, taking out number one qualifier Terry Munroe in the final round to claim yet another Ironman at The Rock. Munroe was in his second final round in as many races and was looking for another win, but it wasn’t to be as Thomas nipped Munroe in the lights, 5.798 to 5.852
“We set the car up to run a .79 or .80,” said Thomas. “I knew we were going to run 246 or 247, and I started to reel him in, and I went from seeing him to hearing him, and that win light on the post came on. I didn’t know if we won or not.”
“Hats off to my guys,” Thomas said. “Once we got past that shake Friday night, this thing ran an .81, .81, .80, .84 and a .79.”
Thomas isn’t going to rest on his laurels. He believes he and his team have much more left in this brand new race car, and they intend to find it.
“We’re trying to smooth this car out. We really feel we have a car that will run 5.60s at over 250 MPH.”
TORCO’S COMPETITIONPLUS PRO STOCK
MONTECALVO IS MOVIN’ – John Montecalvo and the Citgo team moved through eliminations with consistent high 6.30 passes on their way to their second consecutive final round to start 2007. The only difference: this time they took the win. Montecalvo defeated Berner’s 6.398 with a 6.388 pass, taking the points lead in the process.
“We love this track,” Montecalvo proclaimed. “You can’t beat the fans, facilities, or the hospitality, and obviously we’re pretty successful here too.”
“I wish the fall race was tomorrow. Actually, let me clarify, I wish the points situation was the same and the fall race was tomorrow,” the Center Moriches, NY native said.
Montecalvo echoed the same sentiments as many other drivers throughout the weekend: that Torco’s CompetitionPlus Pro Stock is on another level this season.
“I think IHRA Pro Stock is the strongest it’s ever been,” said Montecalvo. “It’s gonna be a tough year, and hard battle, but that’s why we do it. We love it.”
UPSET OF THE DAY – 16th qualifier Anthony Paone used a career best 6.398 pass to take out Pro Stock legend “Trickie” Ricky Smith in the first round of Torco’s CompetitionPlus Pro Stock. Smith posted a fine 6.370, but his .144 reaction time doomed him as Paone strapped over seven hundredths on Smith off the line.
“Ricky’s one of the best,” Paone said. “We just tried to go up there and make a clean run and were fortunate he didn’t catch one of his usual lights.”
The Woodbridge, Ontario native was impressed with Smith’s professionalism after the run. “He got out of the car on the top end and congratulated me,” said Paone. “He just didn’t know what he had done on the starting line.”
“It’s tough just to get in to this program. Anything can happen on raceday.”
Paone’s steak ended the very next round at the hands of Bob Bertsch. Paone’s GTO suffered horrific tire shake at the launch and darted hard to the right, crossing the center line for a disqualification.
INTO THE SUN – Coastal Plains Dragway owner and operator Ronnie Humphreys made his first attempt at a Torco’s CompetitionPlus Pro Stock field this weekend at Rockingham. His best lap was a 6.714, putting him dead last in the qualifying order.
There was a good reason why his last shot at the track on Saturday was a tough one.
“I wasn’t prepared to go up there and everything be yellow,” said Humphreys. “I’ve got to get a better visor for my helmet. I couldn’t see anything, much less the shift light.”
And not seeing the shift light is a big problem, especially in Pro Stock. “I was over-revving every gear, and the car was falling on its face,” Humphrey admitted.
The trouble didn’t end there. It was initially reported that Humphreys ‘went long’ and into the sand trap at the end of the track. “I didn’t go in the sand. One chute failed to open, so I just had to get on the brakes real hard,” said Humphreys. “I missed the last turn off and they had to come get me off the track, but luckily I stayed out of the sand.”
Humphreys, who also just happens to be Greg Anderson’s brother-in-law, has a new Bickel Mustang on the way and was teamed up with fellow Jacksonville, NC native Elijah Morton for the weekend.
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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK
SEPARATING THE JAM
– It’s no secret that over the past few years the IHRA’s presentation
and branding has shifted from being known as a drag racing series to
the Knoll Gas Nitro Jam. This has all occurred under the direction of
IHRA President Aaron Polburn.
“We needed to separate ourselves,” said Polburn. “There’s a great confusion between letters “I” and “N” and the HRA. I hear from people all the time telling me they saw us on ESPN2. I remind them that that’s the NHRA. I have to tell them we are on SPEED.”
IHRA has long been known as the place for Pro Modified and
mountain-motor Pro Stock, but that spotlight now has to be shared with
a larger nitro show.
“There’s no question the thing that sells us the most tickets is the
nitro cars. I’ll preface that by saying the thing that sells us tickets
is the whole circus. It’s the whole presentation and everything we do,”
Polburn said.
To achieve that goal, Polburn’s vision included a complete name change for the organization’s premier series.
“For us to sell more tickets and grow the events, there’s no doubt that
it is going to have to be centered around the nitro classes. Let’s
brand it as such.”
KNOLL GAS TOP FUEL
FOLEY IS FLYIN’
– Doug Foley locked up both his second consecutive Last Man Standing
award and number one qualifying position this weekend at Rockingham
Dragway. However, both those awards were garnered with Friday night’s
4.552, 320.74 pass.
“We were testing tonight,” Foley admitted after his Mach Fuels
Accelerator dragster lost traction very early in Saturday night’s pass.
“When you are that secure, you just kind of work on the future. And the
future for us is hopefully faster than 4.55. We just wanted to try
something different.”
Foley has already earned ten bonus points with his Last Man Standing
awards, something he believes will add up by the time the tour returns
to Rockingham for the World Finals in the fall.
“The way everybody is running out here, every point is going to make a
difference,” said Foley. “The eight points you get for number one
qualifier plus the five for Last Man Standing is going to add up and
get us a little closer to where we want to be. Litton is running great,
so is everybody else, so it’s going to be a bloodbath out here.”
Foley attributes a lot of his success to having the right chemistry
between all the members of his team. “We’ve got a group of guys that
work well together,” said Foley. “We’ve always had the tune-up, but
we’re just pushing it a little harder this year and it seems to be
working.”
“We just have to focus on the bigger picture now, which is going rounds. Right now, it’s all about tomorrow.”
KNOLL GAS NITRO FUNNY CAR
CAPPS IS TOPPS
– Ron Capps has certainly had a string of success in the Brut
Revolution funny car on the NHRA circuit, going to the final round at
each of the last three races, winning two of them.
Ron’s brother Jon looks to continue that success Sunday after taking
the first pole of his career, running a 4.974 at only 289.94 MPH.
“I was kinda stressed out all weekend because I have felt like I am
behind the car as far as reacting,” admitted the younger Capps. “I was
doubting myself a little bit. I’ve been talking to my brother back and
forth, talking to him about where my head is and where I should be.”
“He called me back about ten minutes before that last run and said,
‘Dude, just stop thinking and drive the car. You know where you need to
be and what you need to do,'” Capps said.
As the track temperature and weather conditions changed, Capps nerves
were further calmed by his crew chief and car owner Paul Smith. “Paul
was getting panicked because the track was getting colder, but he is
the master of the last shot deal,” said Capps.
“The car left great but then kinda labored down the track, so I lifted
early to save some parts for tomorrow.” Capps will face Paul Lee in the
first round of eliminations tomorrow morning.
OH SO CLOSE
– It’s well documented that Jack Wyatt came about as close as you can
possibly come to winning the Knoll Gas Nitro Funny Car championship
last season without actually doing it. A late season (and last race)
charge put Wyatt just five points behind champion Dale Creasy Jr. when
it was all said and done.
“In thirty years of drag racing, I can say that I don’t know if it gets
any better than that,” said Wyatt. “I’m hoping so though. I’m hoping to
be on the other side of that situation this year. It was a great year,
and we had a blast.”
IHRA just added the Nitro Funny Car class back to their roster after
a 14-year absence. In a short period of time it has grown tremendously,
and frequently boasts competitive fields featuring some of the top
names in the sport, which has taken more than a few by surprise.
“I don’t think even Evan Knoll knew it was going to build this
quickly,” said Wyatt. “There are a lot of good funny cars over here,
and it’s great for the fans and race teams.”
“I love coming to Rockingham and all the East Coast tracks we get to
race at,” Wyatt added. “They’re new race tracks for me, and I would
love to take a lot more Ironmen from tracks like Rockingham.”
Wyatt would like to start that trend this weekend, but he will have to
do it without his crew chief. “My crew chief Tim Finley also tunes
Chris Karamesines, and they are testing this weekend,” said Wyatt.
“Mike Smigielski, my assistant crew chief, is here and he has taken the
reins. Hopefully we can pull it off and put this thing in the winner’s
circle.”
Wyatt moved from the third spot down to fourth, when all he could
muster was a 5.114 pass during Saturday’s last qualifying session. He
was forced to click it off early however, and his speed fell way off to
242.67 MPH.
TORCO’S COMPETITIONPLUS PRO MODIFIED
5 ON 5 –
Scott Cannon laid down the first back-to-back 5-second passes in
Torco’s CompetitionPlus Pro Modified history on his way to low
qualifier and Last Man Standing accolades on Saturday.
The second-generation driver from Lyman, S.C. rocketed to a shocking
5.992 at 237.63 MPH run in today’s first session, which was in the
middle of a gorgeous 80-degree day at The Rock. What made it shocking
was the fact that almost every other competitor in Pro Mod had trouble
getting down the track. He followed that up with a 5.998 during the US
Air Force Night of Fire.
“We had her jacked up,” Cannon said after tonight’s blast. “We didn’t
do too good at the last race, and we need all the points we can get.”
At press time, IHRA tech officials had Cannon’s supercharged powerplant
completely torn down, which is standard procedure after someone makes
one moonshot run, much less two in a row.
HOOVER’S PRO MOD JOURNEY
– 2007 Texas Nationals Pro Modified champion Ed Hoover severely damaged
his Al Billes-tuned powerplant during Saturday’s first qualifying
round. The car was on a beautiful pass before the engine expired,
running a 6.22 at only 188 MPH.
The Gilbert, S.C. native has seen the growth of the class since its
inception, and the pros and cons of the two competing engine
combinations in the class.
“There are a lot of people spending a lot of money in the class. Back
when I started, you used to do it all and serve as your own crew chief.
Now you have to have a crew chief. There are a lot of new cars and
equipment. Money is no object. It’s going to be a tough year. The
stress level is going to be high this year.”
Rule changes have been Fast Ed’s biggest thorn in his side. “We’ve been
up and down with it,” Hoover said. “Every time we got a handle on it,
the rules changed. We bought a supercharged motor from Mike Janis when
we first got started and it took two rule hits before we even got it in
the car.”
Al Billes has been hard at work over the last several seasons working
to make even more power and overcome whatever the powers that be throw
at them in the way of rule changes.
“We have almost 300 more horsepower than we did last year, but the new rear gear rule takes it away,” Hoover said.
All that power can be a nightmare to control when faced with extremely
tricky track conditions like the ones we have this weekend.
“Power is your best friend until you have to get a car down a slick
race track,” said Hoover. “Then it is a nightmare. You wish for
horsepower throughout your career and once you get it in a situation
like this, you don’t know what to do with it. It’s tricky to manage but
you have to have it.”
Hoover and crew were able to swap engines between qualifying rounds,
and blasted a 6.068 shot to end up in the number four qualifying
position.
JUST SPECTATING – Rockingham Dragway has long been a hotbed of
Pro Modified racing. In fact, you can probably spot as many current or
former drivers cruising the pits as there are entrants in this
weekend’s Pro Mod competition.
Among the notables spotted by the Competition Plus staff were Ronnie
Hood, Rick Moore, and Dale Brinsfield, all North Carolina natives.
Hood, who last made an IHRA appearance at The Rock at the 2005 World
Finals where he qualified on the bump spot, cited engine damage at a
Quick 8 race a few weeks ago as the reason for his absence.
We last saw Rick Moore in IHRA competition at this same event last
season. Moore posted a best of 6.247, an elapsed time that only netted
him the 23rd spot and a DNQ. Contrast that with this year’s field,
where Moore’s pass would put him in the 11th position.
“Our car is ready to go, complete with a new look,” said Moore. “The
last step will be getting our new engine, and we should be ready to
go.”
Moore plans to make at least a couple appearances on the IHRA circuit in 2007. We have to dig deep in the record books to uncover Brinsfield’s last IHRA race at The Rock. In October of 2003, Brinsfield qualified 13th for the World Finals. “We (car owner Jerry Williams and sons) plan on just running Fun Ford events this year,” said Brinsfield, longtime driver of Williams’ Haas-built ’98 Ford Probe.
ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
WELCOME BACK, BUNNY
– After sitting out the entire 2006 season to battle her diagnosis of
breast cancer, Bunny Burkett is back for her first event of 2007.
Burkett is well known as being one of the toughest female competitors
on the track, but make no mistake, she is one of the toughest you will
ever find off of it as well.
Bunny has a new lease on life after early detection, and has a mission
to spread the word. “I went in for my annual mammogram, and a couple
days later I got a certified letter in the mail telling me a I needed
to come back in for a closer look,” said Bunny. “I had breast cancer. I
had a double mastectomy in September of last year. But I was back
driving my funny car in October, and I think God is sending me on a
mission.”
“I have the platform and the opportunity to spread the word about early
detection,” continued Burkett. “If I save just one woman’s life by
letting her know to get her annual mammogram, then my mission is
complete. God left me here to tell that story for a third time.”
Burkett says third time, referring to the multiple times she has been
involved in life-threatening accidents throughout her alcohol funny car
racing career. Some have even been bad enough to warrant safety changes
to the racecars and to the tracks, similar to the situation brought on
by the tragic loss of NHRA funny car driver Eric Medlen. Each one has
only strengthened her faith in God and her belief that she has been
given a mission by Him.
In 1995, Bunny suffered a particularly horrible crash and significant
injuries, bad enough for the doctors to count her out and for the
priest to stay by her hospital bed for seven days.
“They said I would never make it, much less drive again,” said Burkett.
“Eighteen months later I was back driving a brand new funny car.”
Bunny will be racing on Sunday in her ’07 debut, as her 5.910 elapsed
time put her securely in the field in number five spot. However, due to
the new sportsman ladder, Burkett will face off with number one
qualifier Terry Munroe in the first round.
TORCO’S COMPETITIONPLUS PRO STOCK
THE PERLEY FACTOR
– It’s often been said that drag racing is a bug, and once you get it
in your system, it’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get out.
That theory definitely applies to Jeff Perley, former co-crew chief for
multi-time NHRA Pro Stock World Champion Greg Anderson and last year’s
champ Jason Line. After a much-publicized exit from the dominant Pro
Stock operation to take ownership of a Goodyear service center in
Charlotte, N.C., Perley is back at the track for the first time in
months.
There is a big difference this time around, however. Perley is at
Rockingham this weekend making his debut as crew chief for the Wilson
Manifolds machine driven by Rob Mansfield.
Though he is dealing with a lot more horsepower with the IHRA mountain
motor Pro Stocker, Perley has found the transition to be virtually
seamless.
“To be quite honest, it’s all the same,” said Perley. “It’s not
identical by any means, but you’re looking for trends on either side,
NHRA or IHRA. You’re still trying to accelerate a car from a dead stop
to 1320 feet as quick as you can, so all the same rules apply.
This isn’t Perley’s first foray into the IHRA ranks. “I actually got my
feet wet over here at the IHRA when I worked for Sonny Leonard,” Perley
said. “I set cars up for different customers, so I’m actually able to
use that info from way back when.”
But now that he has made at least a part-time return to the track, has the bug bitten him once again?
“It’s a bug for everybody, especially when you’ve had pretty good
success,” Perley added. “You want to get back into it, but this is a
part-time gig right now.”
Mansfield and the Wilson Manifolds crew sat out the first round of
qualifying on Saturday, but came out swinging once again during the
Night of Fire. The team remained in the pole position, laying down the
quickest pass of the session en route to another Last Man Standing
bonus award. Mansfield’s 6.354, 218.51 MPH lap netted him another $500
plus 5 bonus points.
JETER BACK IN BLACK –
Speaking of the racing bug, when most people that have it choose to or
are forced to sit out from racing, it’s usually only for a short period
of time.
Not the case for Easley, South Carolina’s Brad Jeter, a man who has
driven seemingly everything under the sun. The former NHRA Pro Stock,
Pro Stock Truck, and Pro Mod pilot is making his return to competitive
IHRA competition for the first time in a decade. While making the
occasional appearance in Top Dragster or Quick Rod, the last time Jeter
was seen in a professional category was 1997, when he was driving a
colorful nitrous-assisted ’63 Corvette.
Jeter is making his 2007 debut this weekend in the glossy black ’04
Mustang of Larry Overby and Mike Kennedy. “I can’t thank Larry and Mike
enough for the opportunity to do this again,” said Jeter. “It’s always
been a passion of mine, I love doing it, and I’m just glad to be back.
We are still searching for a sponsor to keep us out here, but we are
happy just to be racing.”
When Jeter was competing in Pro Mod, it was a completely different
animal than the one we have today. And as he readily admits, he has no
desire to jump back into that even more heated battle between blower
vs. nitrous.
“I’ve always had a desire to race IHRA Pro Stock,” Jeter said. “I raced
Pro Mod, but my heart is in Pro Stock much more than it is in Pro Mod.
This is what I always wanted to ultimately do.”
Friday night’s Torco’s CompetitionPlus Pro Stock qualifying session was
a wild one. The Pro Stock cars were having trouble applying the power
and subsequently skated all over the racing surface. Jeter, however,
was able to lay down his best pass to date in his new ride, a 6.443 at
215.00 MPH.
“We were the first pair out and the track was a little marginal,” Jeter
said. “I strongly believe we can run quite a bit faster today. We found
a lot of things we can improve on, and hopefully we can execute. We
should see a 6.30 out of it in the first session.”
Unfortunately, Jeter ran into traction problems right off the line
during Saturday’s first session, and his effort during the US Air Force
Night of Fire of 6.448, 216.00 MPH wasn’t quite good enough to crack
the Pro Stock bump of 6.435.
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK
CLOSE TO HOME – The recent tragedy on the campus of Virginia Tech University hit close to home for Radford, Virginia’s Matt Hagan.
The sophomore Pro Modified driver’s shop is located only ten minutes
from the site of the massacre.“It’s unbelievable that something like
that can happen in such a small community,” Hagan said. “When something
like that happens, you immediately think that it only happens in the
big cities. It just goes to show you that evil can happen anywhere.
When you think of all the lives that one incident touched … it hits
your heart. It’s a bad situation for everyone involved. You never know
when people set their minds to do bad stuff like that. You just can’t
stop them. You can take all the guns away but the truth is that people
kill people.”
Monday, April 16 was just another workday for Hagan, the 2006 NHRA AMS
Pro Modified Rookie of the Year. Then he heard a siren’s wail as an
ambulance rushed by the race shop. Then another went by. Then a convoy
of emergency vehicles and Virginia State Troopers paraded by, all en
route to the campus where 32 victims lost their lives.
“It was non-stop all day long,” Hagan said. “You wouldn’t believe it.
It was just one after another. We remained glued to the television and
the initial reports only suggested two victims and after seeing that
many emergency vehicles … we had a feeling that it was worse than being
reported. And it was.”
Hagan’s only tie to Virginia Tech was friendships from days gone by.
“I used to party with some friends over there,” Hagan said. “I actually
went to the college one exit down from there in Radford. Fortunately, I
didn’t know any of the victims. It was a terrible situation any way you
look at it.”
KNOLL GAS TOP FUEL
LITTON’S LIFE – Bruce Litton, winner of the season opening event
in San Antonio, has no problem letting the world know that God is the
driving force behind his efforts on and off the track. For him, it’s
not just a lifestyle – it’s his life.
“God is the most important thing in my life,” Litton said. “He’s the
most important thing in a lot of people’s lives. We all have to have
something to fall back on. There’s always a better day ahead for all of
us.”
In recent years, Litton has run into plenty of circumstances where his
faith played a vital role in navigating him through the tough times.
He was transported by helicopter following a 300-mile per hour crash in
San Antonio during the 2003 event. Last September, he was injured in a
violent accident in Epping, NH. Both times he returned to action during
the ensuing event in Rockingham, NC.
Thankfully, Litton’s trip to Rockingham this year comes off of a win
rather than a crash, and he looked able to continue his winning ways on
Friday. After the first qualifying session, Litton is second only to
Doug Foley with a 4.631 at 314.61.
KNOLL GAS NITRO FUNNY CAR
PAUL’S NEW PIPE – There has been lots of talk about safety after
the tragic accident involving Eric Medlen. There have been lots of
things tossed around about shorter racing distances, changes to the
car’s roll cage, and even completely new cars. But one immediate thing
that can be done is a closer inspection of existing cars’ chassis for
signs of damage, weakness, or impending failure. Paul Lee and the
Rislone team are one of the operations taking this proactive step.
“Murf McKinney was walking around the pits in San Antonio making
recommendations as far as safety for all the McKinney-built cars,” said
Lee. “He looked at our car, and not that it was unsafe, but we did have
a lot of runs on it so he suggested it would be in our best interest to
get a front-half.”
“Basically what they do is cut off the front half of the car and
replace it, since that is what flexes the most in these funny cars,”
Lee added. “Our car is in the shop having that done right now. But
obviously we have obligations to our sponsor to represent them at all
the IHRA races this year.”
In a show of the friendship and camaraderie that makes drag racing what
it is, Lee and crew turned to some old friends to help them uphold that
commitment.
“We hooked up with our good friends Paul and Gary Richards and Mike
Smith,” said Lee. “We mounted our body on their chassis, and we are out
here at Rockingham having a good time together and representing
Rislone.”
Lee had a tough go of it in San Antonio, but is looking to rebound in
Rockingham. “We were racing to 660 feet in San Antonio, but we couldn’t
even make it 300 feet,” said Lee. “The weather looks great for the
weekend, and these cars should really fly when the night session comes
around.”
Unfortunately, Lee’s first attempt with the borrowed chassis wasn’t a
complete success, as he ran into problems early and had to lift before
he reached the eighth-mile mark once again.
TORCO’S COMPETITIONPLUS PRO MODIFIED
SIX-OH! – Once again, Shannon Jenkins and the Awesome
Motorsports team have given hope to nitrous fans everywhere. After
countless hours of off season research and development and testing
throughout the beginning of the season, Jenkins uncorked the first
6.0-second nitrous pass in history while testing at the newly
resurfaced Darlington Dragway on Wednesday.
“The Iceman” piloted teammate Mike Castellana’s brand new Jerry
Haas-built ’07 Western Beef Mustang to a 6.080, 231 MPH blast in the
heat of the day.
“Everything went super. It felt real good,” allowed Jenkins, always a
man of few words. What makes the achievement even more impressive is
the fact that Awesome Motorsports is campaigning two brand new
racecars, powered by brand new Reher-Morrison engines. Jenkins and crew
have gone from struggling with the new equipment bugs to recording the
quickest nitrous pass in history in just a matter of weeks.
A contributing factor in the turnaround was the assistance of veteran
tuner/driver and Roy Hill’s Drag Racing School instructor Mike Bell.
The current ADRL Pro Extreme points leader lent his chassis tuning
expertise to the team, and the results speak for themselves.
One man that was happy to receive the news via a phone call from
Jenkins was chassis builder Jerry Haas. “I’m elated. When I got the
call and he told us what he ran, everybody in the shop was doing
cartwheels,” said Haas. “For him to take one of our cars and do that
just makes us really happy.”
Another person happy to see the team’s progress is David Reher of
Reher-Morrison. “David is on top of this engine program,” Jenkins said.
“He’s just as interested in seeing these things run fast as Jerry and I
are.”
Of course, running that elapsed time during testing and running it
during a national event are two different stories. However, the track
and weather conditions should be favorable for a repeat performance.
“Oh yeah, we definitely want to run that well here. I think we can do it again,” added Jenkins.
“Everything is working out great,” Shannon said. “This is why we made
all the moves we did. We knew they would be positive, and it’s turning
out that way.”
After Friday night’s first qualifying session, Castellana’s Raging Bull
Mustang sits in the number two spot, posting a 6.185, 227.57 MPH lap to
pace all nitrous entries. Jenkins’ GTO ran into tire shake early and
coasted to a 12.115 elapsed time.
HALSEY’S NEW(EST) RIDE
– Veteran Pro Mod pilot Jim Halsey certainly doesn’t shy away from
working out those ‘new car blues’. Halsey will be debuting yet another
brand new Tim McAmis-built ’68 Camaro this weekend at the Spring
Nationals, the third such vehicle in the team’s stable.
If you didn’t realize Halsey had three different machines, you’re
probably not alone. Each of Halsey’s cars is designed to look identical
to the others, from the paint and airbrushing right down to the
placement of contingency decals.
That is, all but this newest one. While it’s still that trademark
bright red, the latest creation sports an all-new body design,
featuring a narrower profile and a radically different front end with a
built-in extension blade.
“This is a brand new custom front end designed by Tim McAmis,” Halsey
said. “It’s got the maximum 45-inch front end overhang, just like
everyone else.”
“We’ve only made six hits on this car,” continued Halsey. “We’ve only
run to the eighth-mile, and the best we’ve run is a 4.07. Of course
there is a lot more in it.”
The new car is also different between the framerails. It was built to
accommodate the latest from Gene Fulton’s engine shop: an 800 cubic
inch powerplant designed to take full advantage of the new rules for
the 2007 season.
Halsey and crew have plenty of faith in the new car’s potential. So
much that they left their most consistent and reliable car of the trio
at the shop in Street, MD. “Ol’ reliable” is at home, but No. 2 is in
the trailer,” added crew chief Eric Davis.
Halsey still has a little more sorting out to do, suffering the same
tire-shaking fate as much of the rest of the Pro Modified field during
Friday’s Knoll Gas Nitro Jam session.
WHERE DID EVERYBODY GO? – In the past, it’s been no
surprise that The Rock always boasts the largest Pro Modified car count
on the IHRA tour. After all, the legendary track is nestled in the
heart of Pro Modified country.
While local Quick 8 racing continues to thrive and can even be
considered to be on the upswing, the Pro Mod car count is considerably
down for this weekend’s Spring Nationals.
During the first qualifying session, only 19 cars made a pass down the
track, 7 of them nitrous assisted and 12 of them supercharged.
ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
RAT ROD REWARD
– Terry Munroe made an interesting and unusual choice when it came to
spending his prize money after taking the Alcohol Funny Car win in San
Antonio last month.
Munroe purchased a ’29 Ford coupe over the Internet after months of
searching for just the right one. This one is a ready-to-roll rat rod,
complete with primer, a raucous old Oldsmobile engine, and a very
chopped top.
“I finally found one, and we went and got it last weekend and threw it
together for this weekend,” said Munroe. “This is the big look in
California right now, so that probably made it harder to get one.”
“I wanted a pickup truck so it would be functional,” Munroe continued.
“We’re going to put all of our stuff that we take to the starting line
in it and use it as our tow vehicle. It is actually going to make our
lives a lot easier.”
Munroe doesn’t have too many plans as far as spiffing the old cruiser
up from its current state. “It’s definitely going to be flat black for
the next race. I don’t like this red primer it’s in now. Black is my
color. Other than that I’m leaving it as it is.”
This isn’t the first time an AFC competitor has shown up to the races
with an interesting tow vehicle this season. Last month at the Texas
Nationals, Tony Bogolo used a Superperformance replica of a Shelby
Cobra, supplied to him by his sponsor Dynatek, to tow his car around
the San Antonio Raceway grounds.
Munroe continued his tear through the Alcohol Funny Car ranks Friday
night, covering the rest of the field by over a tenth of a second en
route to the number one qualifying position. Larry Dobbs’ 5.921 was the
closest anyone could get to Munroe’s 5.804.
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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK
KNOLL GAS TOP FUEL
SEEING THINGS DIFFERENTLY - The only thing more important to a
Top Fuel driver than talent is the ability to see. For a period of
nearly a year, newly christened Top Fuel driver Terry McMillen had that
taken away from him.
McMillen's eyesight woes began late in 2005 after successfully
licensing to be a Top Fuel driver. He gained valuable help from Evan
Knoll, but even his employer/sponsor couldn't assist him in this
battle.
McMillen's eyesight became blurred after a successful debut at
Rockingham and he immediately sought treatment from eye specialists.
The general consensus was that McMillen had a rare fungal eye infection
(Fusarium Keratitis). The diagnosis pointed to use of Bausch &
Lomb's ReNu with Moisture Loc product. The injury required McMillen to
undergo corneal replacement and lens surgery. It would sideline
McMillen's Top Fuel hopes for the 2006 season. McMillen was cleared to
drive prior to the season following a successful recuperation. "Having
this eye problem is a whole lot scarier than anything that I have ever
experienced in a race car," McMillen said. "It really made me think
about my career and how tough it would be to give up something I love
so much. The interaction I have with our fans and our marketing
partners is priceless. I've certainly learned to appreciate every
opportunity I have to be around the race track."Stay tuned for an
in-depth article by Torco's CompetitionPlus.com that details McMillen's
ordeal.
DOUBLE DUTY, PART 2 - McMillen pulled double duty in San Antonio
driving both the Torco Nitro Top Fuel dragster of Foley and Lewis and
the Amalie Oil Funny Car.
"It made for a long day," McMillen said of the diametrically opposite
driving styles. "We were able to get a little testing done over the
winter and we're working on getting my son Andy and Tad some more seat
time. The snow and rain have been a huge deterrent for testing and
licensing."
NO WONDER HE LIKES THE ROCK - Bruce Litton has a fondness
for Rockingham Dragway. He returns this weekend as points leader. "It’s
the first place I ever won a Top Fuel race at in 1999, so it’s always
been a special track to me,” said Litton, who resides in Indianapolis.
“(Track owner) Steve Earwood has a great facility and we’re excited to see what we can do there. We’re tickled we have the points lead, but that really doesn’t matter until the end of the year,” added Litton. “You still have to take each race one at a time, go out and hope for the best. Right now we’re preparing for the Friday night qualifier.”
Litton has nearly the same team members today as he did winning that first event back in 1999. Richard Hartman, Nicky Boninfante and Mike Wolfarth were making the major tuning calls, and, with Boninfante returning in the off-season the “full” team is back together. “I even have same guy that did the clutch for me back in ‘99,” said Litton. “The team likes this event. Rockingham will make or break you, since there are two races there…in the spring and the final in the fall. We tested in Rockingham back in November, a week before Thanksgiving. The conditions during the race should be similar, which means we should have a lot of data.”
Litton, who suffered a major crash last season in Epping, N.H., finished the 2006 season in fifth place, the first time he’d been out of the top three in the final championship point standings during his IHRA racing career. With a season-opening win under his belt, 2007 could be a banner year.
GETTING THE POINT - T.J. Zizzo remains focused on the task of winning a championship. So does his marketing partner Race News Magazine.
"They get it. They are excited about being in the IHRA and they really want to be an active marketing partner in drag racing," said Zizzo. "When you come through Charlotte, North Carolina, and make your way to Rockingham, you can't help but realize that you are in the 'Mecca' of racing. Race News Magazine will have a great opportunity by exposing their product to these hard-core race fans."
While Race News Magazine is getting a chance to introduce their product
to new fans, Team Zizzo didn't waste an opportunity to introduce Race
News to a close up view. Tony Zizzo explains, "Our marketing director
showed our marketing partners what IHRA Drag Racing is all about from
the starting line. Needless to say they are hooked."
WRONG LINE OF WORK? - Scotty Cannon should have taken the
hint in October of 1987 and chose another field to make a name in. His
7.77 elapsed time ... in his first national event ... should have been
enough to convince him that being a professional gambler might have
been more lucrative. But, then again, winning six world championships
and making yourself an iconic figure wasn't a bad outcome either.
Cannon was an obscure bracket racer trying to make his name in the Top
Sportsman division. His racing has come full circle as he makes his
Rockingham Top Fuel debut on Friday.
Scotty Cannon made his career national event debut two decades ago at
Rockingham Dragway and his opening lap should have been a clue the
numbers were loaded in his favor. An obscure bracket racer, Cannon
wheeled his mountain-motored 1941 Willys to a 7.77 elapsed time at 177
miles per hour. Still the most victorious Pro Modified driver in
history after a decade since the last victory, the numbers don’t lie.
Cannon's IHRA home-away-from-home is Rockingham Dragway.
“It’s always a treat to race in Rockingham,” Cannon, 44, of Lyman,
South Carolina said. “I consider this to be my hometown race on the
IHRA side and with it I have a lot of memories. When I first started
drag racing, one of the places you always dreamed of racing at was
Rockingham. This is going to be exciting.”
Cannon is off to a thundering start with a semi-final finish behind the
wheel of Evan Knoll’s Seelye-Wright-sponsored Top Fuel dragster two
weeks ago in San Antonio, Texas.
SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED - Those who were in San Antonio wondered
why Cannon didn't make the semifinal call. “We just ran out of time,”
Cannon said. “It wasn’t for lack of effort. We had a problem with oil
pressure during the warm-up and we chased every potential problem we
suspected. By the time we found it and started to roll to the lines,
our opponent was firing for the burnout.
“It was frustrating but racing is a business. Going out to race when you know you’re going to hurt something just doesn’t make sense. It’s just the right thing to do. There will be other races … 10 more … and I’m sure we will have other opportunities."
KNOLL GAS NITRO FUNNY CAR
RESTLESS HEART - He's got one race under his belt, as well as a
victory and the accompanying points lead. So, why is nitro Funny Car
point leader Dale Creasy, Jr., so restless?
Three weeks off has been too long for Creasy.
"It's like waiting all winter to play with your toys," said Creasy. "I
want to get out there and race. I know this is how everyone feels. I
just want to put some of Evan Knoll's nitro in this hot rod and race.
He's given us such a great team to work with, now it's time to have
fun."
The win in San Antonio provided enough gusto to get the ball rolling in his championship defense season.
"It's going to help having momentum. Leaving San Antonio with a win was
a surprise," said Creasy. "We were still putting things together but on
Sunday it came together and we made some pretty good runs. But it never
hurts to have a little momentum on your side. Your confidence is higher
and you just want to keep going."
COMFORTABLE - This weekend's event will mark the first time,
hopefully, that Creasy's Funny Car has run past the eighth-mile under
power. His first run in San Antonio result in an aborted run before the
track deteriorated and race officials relegated racing to 660-feet.
"This new car hasn't had to run past the eighth mile yet," says Creasy.
"It has responded to the adjustments we have made to make it better.
Usually by that point (1/8 mile) most of your timers are done by then.
I'm pretty sure we are in good shape. We will just have to see what is
going to do on the top end. I think it will be as good as last year's
car."
Even though the car hasn't officially made a quarter-mile pass it
doesn't bother Creasy. His team relies on consistency. "If you look
back at last year we qualified well at most of the races but we were
not the fastest car there by any means," stated Creasy. "We were
working more on getting the car to go down the track. If you get some
guys that are running 4.70's they are awfully hard to beat. So, you
just have to go out there and run your own race. If we do that we will
be fine."
DOING IT AGAIN - Jon Capps loved racing in San Antonio so much that he decided to give it another whirl in Rockingham.
The driver of the Vegas Fuel Pro Nitro Funny Car will be attempting to
qualify for his second national event after a semifinal finish in San
Antonio.The Paul Smith owned and tuned Chevy Monte Carlo will sport the
livery of new sponsor Vegas Fuel, a new energy drink, for the remainder
of the 2007 season. With support from VF Trucking, Palmer Electric and
Ace Masonry, Capps will be in hot contention for the IHRA Pro Nitro
Funny Car championship.
With each run (including his first supercharger explosion), Capps is
getting more comfortable behind the wheel of a 7,000 horsepower race
car. "I'm definitely a lot calmer," admitted Capps, "I look at Paul and
I listen to John (Smith) on the radio and it gives me confidence and
relaxes me. When the motor fires up everything falls into place."
Capps brings plenty of experience to the quarter-mile. He has competed in a variety of USAC and open-wheel cars on oval tracks, and also has worked as a stunt driver in commercials and movies. He is also a part-time instructor at the American Racing Academy at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He even worked on the set of 'Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby.'
"The same weekend they were running the fall race at the drag strip," said Capps. "We kept hearing the fuel cars warming up and running and the film crew was really excited about checking it out. So I called Clay Millican and said 'Hey I need a favor' and he was able to take care of the director of photography and one of the stunt coordinators. They had never seen a drag race before so it was pretty amazing for them."
WITH A FINE TOOTH COMB - Paul Lee had his hands full in San
Antonio and he's ready to ensure the same problems remain in the past.
Team owner Jeff McGaffic echoes his sentiment.
"We really went over the car after the race and found some things that
appear to have caused our problems in San Antonio," said McGaffic.
"We've been very methodical since then to ensure we don't have those
same problems again in Rockingham. All we can do is start over again in
Rockingham and just put San Antonio behind us. We just have to get back
after it, keep our heads up and not worry about it. If the car runs
like it should, we can get back to form and make a good showing for our
sponsors."
Team Driver Paul Lee reflects the same sentiments.
"You just have to put races like San Antonio behind you," Lee
commented. "Learn from it and move on. We have a great team over here
with Jeff and Bonnie and Nicky Boninfante on board this year. With a
team like we have behind you and Rislone and Bar's Leaks supporting us,
it let's you know San Antonio was just a fluke deal. I'm confident
we'll bounce back this weekend. We ran well here last year, so
hopefully we can build on that this year and make a fresh start."
TORCO'S COMPETITIONPLUS PRO MODIFIED
NEW HOMETOWN - When the IHRA stopped contesting national events
in Darlington, South Carolina, Rockingham Dragway became point leader
Ed Hoover's new hometown track. The Gilbert, SC-based driver of Paul
Trussell’s Corvette enters this weekend looking for his first win in
Rockingham.
Hoover won twice in Darlington, SC., including a triumph in the first-ever sanctioned Pro Modified national event in 1990.
“We’d love nothing more than to win Rockingham,” Hoover said. “Once
they stopped racing in Darlington, this became our new hometown track.
We won several times in Darlington but it would be really great to win
here.”
Hoover’s most recent triumph was one for the storybooks. Frustrated
after many seasons of sub-par results, Trussell and Hoover knuckled
down in the off-season and prepared a game plan that had the final
objective of winning a championship – a goal Hoover has flirted close
to in his nearly three decades of racing.
Hoover currently ranks as the fifth winningest driver in the Pro
Modified division and has recorded the fourth most final rounds (17) as
well.
BATTING PRACTICE - If you're going to be a hitter, it makes
perfect sense to take in some pre-game batting practice. Defending
World Champion Quain Stott made a stop at Farmington Dragway, located
outside of Winston-Salem, NC., to make a few hits and prepare for the
challenge of Rockingham Dragway.
"Farmington is a great place for us to test," Stott said. "It's a
little test and tune for us. Heck it's a lot of test and tune for us.
We'll put more laps on this car in testing than it will ever see during
racing this season."
Stott has long been known as one of the hardest working guys in racing.
From tuning the car, to driving it in competition, to transporting it
from race to race, he continues to do it all. "There are a lot of teams
out here that will spend a ton of money to come out here and go fast,"
Stott explained. "I've always had the attitude that we'll just try and
outwork them, because I sure don't want to try and outspend them."
The hard work has paid off for Stott for more than a decade. Since
1995, Stott remains the only Pro Modified driver to finish every season
in the top 10, including the 2006 championship. Six of the past 12
season Stott has finished in the top five, racing with both a nitrous
injected car and a blower car over that time period.
"We've been lucky and blessed," Stott said from his cell phone en route
to Farmington. "LeeBoy has been with us for nine of those season and
Evan Knoll and Torco have been with us for 10 of them. With strong
partnerships like that it helps us race with consistency."
While some say the harder you work the luckier you get, Stott knows
that it takes a lot of both to stay competitive. "It took us 12 years
to win a Pro Mod championship. I've got to do it at least one more time
to prove it wasn't a fluke. We're going to have to work that much
harder just to stay anywhere near the top. There are a lot of really
good teams out here."
THE COMFORT ZONE? - Harold Martin knows very well that
there are very few comfort zones in drag racing. That doesn't prevent
him from seeking one. “The most difficult part of this season so far is
that you know to be successful, you have to set out a plan,” said
Martin. “But the reality is that you also have to have numerous back up
plans to deal with the variables over which you have no control. While
this ACDelco Pro Modified team is optimistically looking forward to
what potentially will be a normal weekend, we’re certainly going to be
prepared for the ‘what-if’ scenarios that we also could be faced with,
dialing in to whatever conditions The Rock can provide.”
With the combination of a lightning-fast racing surface and the largest
Pro Modified field of this young IHRA campaign, teams will need to be
at their very best to contend for the win. Having already made one
final round appearance at “The Rock” in his career, the man known as
the “EFI Wizard” is looking for another strong showing in the Tar Heel
State this weekend.
“Rockingham Dragway is a great racetrack with a lot of positive history
for our ACDelco Racing team,” said Martin. “It has a very smooth racing
surface, which makes it really good for getting the car from A to B.
The one thing that can be a little tricky is that when the air actually
gets too good and the cars generate so much power the starting line can
lack a bit of grip, so you have to make sure not to overachieve at the
start. However, if you can get off the line and into second gear
without tire shake, you could be in for a good run.
Entering the Rockingham race, one question remains unanswered for all
the participants in the highly competitive Pro Modified category, which
concerns the effect off-season rule changes, will have on
reestablishing the parity between the nitrous-injected and supercharged
entries.
“We still have to see how the rules changes will affect the parity, and
the conditions this weekend could possibly open a Pandora’s Box for the
blown competition to excel at their performance levels,” said Martin.
“Even so, we are going to simply focus on our ACDelco program, seeing
if we can find the incremental improvements that we know are within our
reach and comparing that to what our competition will reveal.
“At the end of the day, we know we have a tremendous number of fans who want to see parity between the two technologies. Hopefully, this race will truly reflect what the performance capabilities are for the Pro Modified contingent, so we can see where they stand, and the sanctioning body will act accordingly, giving us all what we ultimately want – good, close racing.”
TORCO'S COMPETITIONPLUS PRO STOCK
THE PROMISED LAND - Pro Stock has always been a staple of
Rockingham Dragway since the facility hosted the first IHRA event in
1971. The Mountain Motor cars made it an institution
Rockingham Dragway has served as the one place capable of coaxing the
best performances out of this once “outlaw” style of factory hot rods.
The timing is perfect for Robert Patrick as he heads into the revered
facility leading the points.
Patrick’s objectives for this weekend’s IHRA Spring Nationals are
exactly the same as they were three weeks ago with his San Antonio
triumph. He wants to consistently be the quickest car in each session,
qualify number one and win the race.
Rockingham only increases the intensity. This is one of the few
facilities on the tour that Patrick has failed to win a national event.
“You had better believe that we will be gunning for the top spot,”
Patrick, of Fredericksburg, VA., said. “We have certainly proven that
we have a good team and we accept nothing less than a winning effort. I
really feel great about our chances this weekend and you know
Rockingham is going to be a fast track.
“We plan on getting after it early and never letting up. The
determining factor will be what Mother Nature and the track gives us.”
MO-MENTUM - John Montecalvo has something that every drag racer would pay dearly for – momentum.
Montecalvo, a Torco’s CompetitionPlus Pro Stock icon, began the thrill
ride last year with a victory during the season-ending IHRA World
Finals in Rockingham, NC. Three weeks ago, Montecalvo reached the
finals in San Antonio.
“Our team, lead by Bob Gillig, is really clicking well together,”
Montecalvo, a sixteen-time IHRA finalist, said. “I owe a lot to my crew
… engine builder Sonny Leonard … and chassis builder Rick Jones at RJ
Race Cars. Right now, everyone has really gelled together and we are
working towards a common goal and that is to win a championship. We are
taking this one race at a time but we are definitely planning ahead. We
have a championship contending team and it’s good to see us exercising
our full potential.”
Montecalvo was one of the pioneers of the Chevrolet hemispherical
cylinder head program through Leonard. The Long Island, NY-based driver
exhibited his full potential last October by qualifying second (6.340)
and defeating the likes of Brian Gahm, Dan Seamon, Jeff Dobbins and Rob
Mansfield in the final round.
SUPPOSED TO BE EASY, RIGHT? - Winning a title is one thing. Defending it is another. Just ask Pete Berner.
Berner, a mechanical engineer from Crete, Ill., solidified his first career world championship in Rockingham last fall.
Berner currently ranks eighth in the Torco’s CompetitionPlus Pro Stock
point standings after a tougher-than-usual weekend in San Antonio. One
frustration after another relegated Berner to a last-minute qualifying
berth at the season-opener.
“Defending a championship is not easy, but neither is racing in
general,” Berner said. “Sometimes you run into these kinds of problems.
We had some issues with the motor in testing. Jon [Kaase] worked on the
motor for five days and even seized it up on the dyno twice before he
got this motor running to where it needed to be.
“We just didn’t have enough information on it and the weather we had
made tuning a crapshoot. We were just trying to get our horsepower up
to where it needed to be.”
Berner appears to have exorcised those demons with several test
sessions and an inordinate amount of dyno pulls at Jon Kaase’s engine
facility outside of Atlanta, Georgia.
“I’m glad we are headed to Rockingham,” Berner said. “Rockingham is the
place you want to be at this time of the year. The Pro Stockers really
love that track and we’re hoping our RJ Race Cars Pontiac falls in love.
THROUGH THE PERLEY GATES? - If you thought Wilson Manifolds-sponsored Rob Mansfield had a potent car before, just wait until engine builder Ron Hutter and former Greg Anderson co-crew chief Jeff Perley get "seat" time together.
“We are very pleased to have Jeff on board. In our quest to constantly strengthen our racing team, we feel that Jeff will add greatly to our program,” said Keith Wilson, owner of Wilson Manifolds.
The Dingman Racing/Wilson Manifolds Racing Team Chevrolet Cobalt is currently in third place in the 2007 IHRA Torco’s CompetitionPlus Pro Stock Class.
EXORCISED THE DEMON - Nothing soothes the heart of drag racer more than finding a gremlin.
Bob Bertsch, from Willis, Mich., feels confident the team found the problem that ultimately lead to the team's DNQ at the season opener in San Antonio.
"We've been testing in Darlington and we feel we've found the problem," said Bertsch. "Now that we have found the problem, we just have to get back to square one with all the other changes we made looking for the problem. This is the first time for us to have a new car, so I guess it's just a case of the new car blues. We've made some good laps here in Darlington, so hopefully the tire shake problem is a thing of the past and we can make a good showing for Rislone and Bar's Leaks this weekend."
"This new Mustang from Rick Jones with our Jon Kaase power has a lot of potential," Bertsch added. "We're excited to see what this weekend holds for us now that we feel our tire shake problems are behind us."
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