IHRA EPPING NATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
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SUNDAY FINAL - Tim Boychuk Claims First Career Top Fuel Win; Defeats Terry McMillen in Final at Amalie Oil North American Nationals
Andy Kelley (Nitro Funny Car), Jim Halsey (Pro Modified), Paul Noakes
(Alcohol Funny Car) and Pete Berner (Pro Stock) also claim Ironmen at
New England Dragway
Tim
Boychuk has only been behind the wheel of a Top Fuel Dragster for a
very short time. Prior to the July Mopar Canadian Nationals in Grand
Bend, Todd and Barry Paton tapped Boychuk to drive their 2004 McKinney
for the remainder of the 2008 season.
The big payoff probably came a little sooner than they expected.
Boychuk (Edmonton, Alb.) drove past Terry McMillen in the final round
at New England Dragway to claim his first career win at the Amalie Oil
North American Nationals. Boychuk had a rough road to travel, but he
was able to drive through Mike Strasburg (who set the track speed
record) in the first round and points leader Spencer Massey in the
semifinals to get to the run for the money.
There he posted a 4.758 at 306.19 mph to knock off a tire-smoking McMillen.
“This is the best feeling in the world…it’s just awesome,” Boychuk said
from the New England Dragway winner’s circle. “I have to thank the
Patons for letting me drive the car; they really helped me out and have
a great crew. It was a wonderful weekend.”
It didn’t take long for Boychuk to get the hang of Top Fuel racing.
“I’m still learning to drive it,” he said. “This was my fourth race and
it’s spectacular. At the end of the track I had to get on the radio and
ask how we made out because I really didn’t know. I wanted to make sure
I didn’t mess up and Barry came on the radio and told me we’d won. It
was really cool.”
Andy
Kelley (Piedmont, S.C.) is finishing the 2008 with a fury. In New
England he advanced to his third consecutive Nitro Funny Car final and,
after defeating Terry Haddock, visited the winner’s circle for the
second time this season.
Kelley ran a 5.160 at 264.96 mph to take the victory over a
tire-shaking Haddock, proving that sometimes the crew chief is the
smartest guy in the pits.
“I’m really impatient, I always want to run 4.70’s or 4.80’s,” Kelley
said. “But Richard Hartman, who makes the calls on this car, usually
talks some sense into me. We’re running this thing with no money and
Richard really knows how to tune for a team with no budget. We run 5.00
or 5.10, get down the track, and that’s what wins races. So I really
have to thank him for being the voice of reason.”
Kelley defeated Corey Lee in the first round and Matt Hagan in the
semifinals. Though he lost in the final round, Haddock holds a
commanding points lead heading into the season finale in Rockingham.
“I told Terry at the end of the track I’m sorry for getting in the way
of him and Matt (Hagan) in this points chase,” Kelley said. “But I’m
out here to win. I’m not going to lay down for anyone and they
understand that. We’re all out here for one reason…to win races.”
Chalk another one up for the nitrous Pro Modifieds as for the third
race in a row nitrous cars finished 1-2 on the qualifying sheet. Jim
Halsey (Street, Md.), behind the wheel of his nitrous-assisted 1968
Camaro, won his third national event of the season when he stopped Mike
Castellana in an all-nitrous final round. Three of the four cars in the
semifinals, Halsey, Castellana and Pat Stoken, were nitrous-assisted.
“I’ve never done very well at this track, but today it’s my
second-favorite track in the world,” Halsey, the owner of Cecil County
Dragway, said. “Nitrous cars are great right now, they’re fast. We’ve
done our homework and it’s paying off.”
Paul Noakes’ Alcohol Funny Car victory over Dale Brand meant a little
bit more than the other wins he has been able to garner in his career.
Noakes, a London, Ont. resident, drives for Amalie Oil-sponsored Terry
McMillen. Since the North American Nationals were sponsored by Amalie
Oil, Noakes was thrilled he was able to do well for his sponsor.
“This
feel wonderful,” Noakes said. “We really wanted to come here and
represent well for Amalie. Our goal was to come here and thank everyone
for taking a chance on us and putting us in this car this year. The
sponsors spend so much money and they spent money to put their name on
this race, it meant a lot we could represent well for them here this
weekend.”
Noakes almost had a bye run in the semifinal. Dale Brand was thrashing
in the pits to be able to make the call, but was probably going to fall
short. Noakes was given the option to run last, after all the other
professional classes, to give Brand more time. He jumped at that offer.
“No one wants to win that way, no one wants to be the only car on the
track in the final,” he said. “Anyone else out here would have done the
same thing. IHRA gave me the option and, of course, I wanted to race
for it.”
Pete
Berner’s Pro Stock win in the final over Jeff Dobbins set up the
biggest race weekend of his life one month from now in Rockingham.
Berner took the points lead with his finals victory, moving 25 points
ahead of Dobbins. Rain also washed away the final round of the $100,000
Torco Pro Stock Showdown in Epping, where Berner will face John
Montecalvo. So in Rockingham Berner will be running for a world
championship as well as trying to cash in on the $50,000 first prize in
the Showdown.
“This is great, it’s a lot of fun,” Berner said. “When you think about
it, in Rockingham I will have quite a bit on the line. $50,000 is a lot
of money whether its IHRA, NHRA, NASCAR or whatever. We’re looking
forward to it.”
Berner clocked a 6.333 pass at 222.88 mph in the final to nip Dobbins, who ran a 6.370/222.00.
“That final was tough, but it was a tough race weekend,” Berner said.
“I had to go against Frank (Gugliotta) and Cary (Goforth) just to get
to J.D. I had a good lap against him, now it’s time to start thinking
about Rockingham.”
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Sunday's final results from the Amalie Oil North American
Nationals presented by New England Dodge Dealers at New England
Dragway. The race is the ninth of 10 in the 2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam
Drag Racing Series:
ET Bracket -- Michael Caron, Dragster, 7.756, 171.88 def. Patrick Smith, Buick Regal, 10.081, 131.02.
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SATURDAY - Rain Washes Out Final Qualifying Session at Amalie Oil North American Nationals
Bruce Litton (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Nitro Funny Car), Mike Castellana (Pro Modified), Paul Noakes (Alcohol Funny Car) and Pete Berner (Pro Stock) claim #1 qualifier positions with an assist from Hurricane Hanna
The remnants of Hurricane Hanna moved into New England Saturday afternoon, setting the fields for the Amaile Oil North American Nationals.
IHRA moved the first Saturday qualifying session up to 1pm in an effort to avoid a complete washout of all Saturday professional qualifying, one day after adding both nitro classes to the Friday evening qualifying dance card. All pro drivers got at least two qualifying hits.
Bruce Litton (Indianapolis, Ind.) sizzled to a 4.674 at 311.92 mph Friday evening, a number that stood up to all challengers Saturday afternoon, to become the #1 qualifier for the fifth time this season. Litton, the defending IHRA Top Fuel world champion, entered the Amalie Oil North American Nationals trailing Spencer Massey by 73 points in the championship chase. He picked up five Last Man Standing bonus points Friday night, and picked up another three points on Massey for out-qualifying him by three positions. At this junction every point counts.
“We picked up eight points total on Spencer today and yesterday, and we’ll take every point we can get,” Litton said. “But we also can’t get ahead of ourselves. We aren’t really counting points; I didn’t even know what we picked up until you just told me. We are move focused on making good runs and going rounds. Right now we’re not thinking about winning the championship, we’re thinking about winning the first round tomorrow.”
Litton will take on Bobby Lagana Jr. (Scarsdale, N.Y.) in the first round of eliminations Sunday. Lagana qualified in the #5 position with a 4.739 pass at 317.19 mph. Mike Strasburg (Lindon, Utah) was second on the qualifying sheet after electrifying the New England Dragway crowd with a 4.683 ran at a track record speed of 325.06 mph. Terry McMillen (Elkhart, Ind.) rounded out the top half of the field, qualifying third at 4.714/314.61.
Matt Hagan (Christiansburg, Virg.) nailed down the #1 qualifier spot in the Nitro Funny Car class on the strength of a career-best 4.974 pass at 309.20 mph Friday evening. Hagan was third in the points standings heading into the North American Nationals, 51 behind Terry Haddock (Woodville, Wash.). Haddock finished second in final qualifying with a strong 5.010 at 297.48 in the heat of the day Saturday. Cory Lee was third with a 5.076/294.11 pass while Jack Wyatt rounded out the top half of the field with a 5.111 at 248.25.
Steven Macklyn was the hard-luck story of the weekend. Macklyn posted a 5.235 ET, the same as Jeff Diehl, but Diehl ended up #8 on the qualifying sheet due to clocking a higher speed, 285.47 to 275.45. Macklyn ended up on the outside of the field by 10 mph.
Mike Castellana (Westbury, N.Y.) captured his third consecutive #1 qualifier with a 6.010 at 238.89 mph. Jim Halsey (Street, Md.) finished second on the qualifying sheet with a 6.057/233.36 pass, putting nitrous-assisted cars first and second on the qualifying sheet for the third consecutive national event.
“I don’t think we’ve necessarily picked up that much in performance, but for some reason the blower cars have fallen off a little bit,” Castellana said. “We’re just doing our thing and not worrying about anything else.”
Prior to the North American Nationals there was much speculation that the first nitrous-assisted Pro Mod run in the five-second range would take place in New England. Despite the buzz Castellana doesn’t even have that on his mind.
“Our main goal is to get points, that’s all we’re worried about,” he said. “We want to go after the Last Man Standing, qualify #1 and go rounds. We aren’t doing anything different to try to run a specific number.”
Paul Noakes (London, Ont.) jumped past Neal Parker Saturday afternoon, running a 5.816 at 241.32 mph to move into the top Alcohol Funny Car qualifying position. Though Laurie Cannister has all but wrapped up the 2008 AFC world championship Noakes still is very motivated to finish the season strong.
“Laurie has had an incredible year and you have to admire what that team has been able to accomplish,” Noakes said. “At the same time we haven’t given up on anything. I’m thrilled with our qualifying effort here and now want to go some rounds tomorrow.”
Noakes has a simple reason he wants to finish the season on a winning note. Terry McMillen brought him on board to drive the Amalie Oil Avenger this season on a full-time basis and Noakes wants to thank him by doing well in New England.
“This is an Amalie Oil-sponsored race and Amalie Oil has been such a great supporter for Terry,” Noakes said. “It would mean a lot to this entire team to do well here, with all the Amalie Oil people in the stands. They’re a great sponsor and a big part of our racing family.”
Pete Berner’s hot streak continued as he ended up on top of the Pro Stock qualifying sheet. Berner won the Pro Stock Ironman two weeks ago in Tulsa and has been to the final round at three consecutive national events. Berner also advanced to the final round of the Torco Pro Stock Showdown, the $100,000 shootout that was supposed to be run off in Epping. Due to the weather, Berner will face John Montecalvo in the final of the Showdown Saturday at the IHRA World Finals in Rockingham.
The winner of the Showdown will pocket $50,000 while the runner-up will take home $20,000.
Berner will head into Sunday’s elimination rounds as the points leader as well. He trailed Jeff Dobbins by three points after Tulsa, but claimed five points for being the Last Man Standing Friday night and picked up three additional points on Dobbins for out-qualifying him by three positions.
The Amalie Oil North American Nationals will conclude Sunday, Sept. 7. Professional eliminations are scheduled to begin at 11am.
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First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the Amalie Oil North American Nationals presented by New England Dodge Dealers at New England Dragway, the ninth of 10 events in the 2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.
Top Fuel -- 1. Bruce Litton, 4.674 seconds, 311.92 mph vs. 5. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.739, 317.19; 2. Mike Strasburg, 4.683, 325.06 vs. 6. Tim Boychuk, 4.820, 261.83; 3. Terry McMillen, 4.714, 314.61 vs. 7. Kevin Jones, 5.080, 226.28; 4. Spencer Massey, 4.717, 316.45 vs. 8. Mitch King, 5.202, 213.91.
Nitro Funny Car -- 1. Matt Hagan, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.974, 309.20 vs. 5. John Lawson, Chevy Impala, 5.133, 276.97; 2. Terry Haddock, Dodge Stratus, 5.010, 300.00 vs. 6. Paul Lee, Chevy Camaro, 5.138, 290.69; 3. Cory Lee, Monte Carlo, 5.076, 294.11 vs. 7. Andy Kelley, Camaro, 5.192, 293.28; 4. Jack Wyatt, Stratus, 5.111, 248.25 vs. 8. Jeff Diehl, Monte Carlo, 5.235, 285.47.
Pro Modified -- 1. Mike Castellana, Pontiac Firebird, 6.010, 238.89 vs. Bye; 2. Jim Halsey, Chevy Camaro, 6.057, 234.29 vs. 8. Mike Janis, Firebird, 6.117, 236.55; 3. Tommy D'Aprile, Chevy Bel Air, 6.057, 235.02 vs. 9. Burton Auxier, Camaro, 6.137, 227.65; 4. Scott Cannon, Firebird, 6.059, 238.76 vs. 10. Mike Stawicki, Camaro, 6.151, 229.51; 5. Ed Hoover, Camaro, 6.075, 236.09 vs. 11. Quain Stott, Chevy Corvette, 6.152, 236.26; 6. Pat Stoken, Camaro, 6.086, 233.48 vs. 12. Steve Salvadore, Camaro, 6.238, 229.55; 7. Kenny Lang, Corvette, 6.091, 239.27 vs. 13. Fidelio Montrond, Corvette, 6.300, 227.57.
Alcohol Funny Car -- 1. Paul Noakes, Dodge Avenger, 5.816, 241.37 vs. 5. Tony Bogolo, Ford Mustang, 5.846, 241.89; 2. Neal Parker, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.819, 240.08 vs. 6. Dale Brand, Chevy Camaro, 5.852, 242.89; 3. Frederick Tigges, Avenger, 5.843, 241.24 vs. 7. Rob Atchison, Monte Carlo, 5.856, 247.75; 4. Laurie Cannister, Camaro, 5.844, 239.95 vs. 8. Larry Dobbs, Chevy Corvette, 5.882, 246.35.
Pro Stock -- 1. Pete Berner, Pontiac GXP, 6.348, 221.67 vs. 9. Bob Bertsch, Ford Mustang, 6.410, 219.01; 2. John Montecalvo, Chevy Cobalt, 6.378, 220.12 vs. 10. John Konigshofer, Mustang, 6.419, 218.19; 3. Cary Goforth, Cobalt, 6.390, 218.02 vs. 11. Brian Gahm, Mustang, 6.442, 220.76; 4. Jeff Dobbins, Ford Escort, 6.391, 218.34 vs. 12. Elijah Morton, Mustang, 6.444, 220.80; 5. Frank Gugliotta, Mustang, 6.393, 218.34 vs. 13. Chuck DeMory, Mustang, 6.450, 217.14; 6. Trevor Eman, Escort, 6.408, 219.90 vs. 14. Michael Bruno, Pontiac GTO, 6.459, 218.23; 7. Rob Mansfield, GTO, 6.409, 219.33 vs. 15. Robert Patrick, Mustang, 6.479, 217.42; 8. Jason Collins, Cobalt, 6.409, 218.12 vs. 16. Ron Miller, Cobalt, 6.500, 213.06.
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FRIDAY - Pete Berner Claims Pro Stock Points Lead with Track Record Friday
Sets New England Dragway speed record in evening qualifying session; Bruce Litton (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Nitro Funny Car), Mike Castellana (Pro Modified) and Neal Parker (Alcohol Funny Car) also take provisional poles at IHRA Amalie Oil North American Nationals
Friday evening provisional qualifying usually does not mean much where the points races are concerned. But Friday at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H., Pete Berner (Crete, Ill.) used one of IHRA’s unique bonus programs to move to the front of the Pro Stock pack.
Berner’s 6.348 at a track-record 221.67 mph was the quickest qualifying time of the Friday evening session by a driver who also defeated the car in the other lane. This made him the winner of the Quarter-Max Pro Stock challenge, giving him five bonus points. Since he trailed Jeff Dobbins by three points heading into the event, those five points put him in the driver’s seat in the championship points chase.
Berner was also the provisional #1 qualifier heading into Saturday qualifying.
“That number surprised us,” Berner said of the 6.348. “We figured the car had a lot in it, but we were expecting to run in the high 6.30’s. The car just hooked up to the track and charged. IHRA does a great job prepping the track and the starting line was incredible. Those five bonus points were really important because the points chase is so tight, but there’s a lot of racing left.”
Berner will join seven of his fellow Pro Stock competitors in a run for their share of a $100,000 purse Saturday when the Torco Pro Stock Showdown is run off as part of Saturday qualifying at the Amalie Oil North American Nationals.
“We got a couple of good runs under our belts today,” Berner said. “Now it’s time to start focusing on the Showdown tomorrow. It’s going to be exciting.”
Bruce Litton (Indianapolis, Ind.) came to the Amalie Oil North American Nationals second in the Top Fuel points standings, 73 points behind front-running Spencer Massey. Litton made an early statement at New England Dragway in what turned out to be a bonus Top Fuel session. IHRA did not originally have a Top Fuel qualifying session scheduled for Friday evening, but added one to the schedule at the last minute.
Litton clocked a 4.674 at 311.92 mph to jump to the top of the provisional qualifying sheet and claim the five Last Man Standing bonus points.
“The car hooked up real nice and it was a strong, clean run,” Litton said. “We are thrilled we got the extra run tonight and those five points could come in handy. I love to race and always want to make extra laps, so when IHRA told us to get ready to race tonight they didn’t have to tell me twice. Our job now is to get ready to make another nice lap or two tomorrow.”
Terry McMillen was second on the provisional sheet with a 4.714/314.61 pass while Bobby Lagana Jr. (4.739/317.19) and Massey (4.804/297.09) rounded out the top half of the provisional field.
Matt Hagan (Christiansburg, Virg.) continued his hot streak in the Nitro Funny Car class, clocking a career-best 4.974 at 309.20 mph to end up on top of the provisional qualifying sheet. Last weekend Hagan qualified for the field at an NHRA race for the first time in his career after previously capturing an IHRA Ironman at the Sooner Nationals in Tulsa.
Hagan is trying to chase down Terry Haddock on top of the IHRA Nitro Funny Car points standings, but that was the furthest thing from his mind Friday in New England.
“I’m trying to get better and I learn something every time I get in the race car,” Hagan said. “The points race isn’t something I’m worried about right now; I just want to make the best possible lap I can every time I stage the car. My dad (David Hagan) made a lot of sacrifices to put me in this car. He could be on the beach somewhere, kicking back, but he wanted to go racing so I want to pay him back by doing the best I possibly can.”
Haddock was second on the sheet heading into Saturday qualifying with a 5.042/300.00 pass.
Prior to the Amalie Oil North American Nationals everyone was predicting the first nitrous-assisted Pro Modified run in the five-second range would take place at New England Dragway this weekend. Mike Castellana (Westbury, N.Y.) and his Awesome/Al-Anabi Motorsports 1968 Firebird was the reason for this optimism.
Castellana has been churning out eye-popping numbers on a consistent basis recently, including the quickest nitrous pass in history, a 6.000. He fell just short of the magic number in Epping during Friday qualifying, but his 6.010 at 238.89 was good enough to put him #1 on the qualifying list and earn him five Last Man Standing bonus points.
“We weren’t thinking about anything other than qualifying well and getting those five bonus points,” Castellana said. “We did that so now we can see about going a little quicker. We’re not worried about setting records or anything like that right now; we’re worried about qualifying well and going rounds during eliminations.”
Jim Halsey (Street, Md.) was second on the provisional qualifying sheet with a 6.057/233.36 pass. Halsey and Castellana are looking to put nitrous cars 1-2 on the final qualifying sheet for the third national event in a row.
Neal Parker (Millville, N.J.) put his 2005 Monte Carlo on top of the provisional Alcohol Funny Car qualifying sheet and earned five Last Man Standing bonus points with his 5.819 pass at 240.08 mph. Local favorite Fred Tigges (Holbrook, Mass.), in his first IHRA action of the season, will enter Saturday qualifying second on the strength of his 5.843/241.24. Laurie Cannister, looking to clinch the 2007 IHRA AFC world championship this weekend, was third with a 5.844 at 239.95 mph.
The Amalie Oil North American Nationals presented by New England Dodge Dealers will continue Saturday, Sept. 6, with two scheduled professional qualifying sessions. The first will be at 2pm and the second, as part of IHRA’s Night of Fire, at 7pm. The $100,000 Torco Pro Stock Showdown will also be run off during Saturday qualifying at New England Dragway with the final being held during the Night of Fire. Final eliminations will take place Sunday.
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Results Friday after qualifying for the Amalie Oil North American Nationals presented by New England Dodge Dealers at New England Dragway, ninth of 10 events in the 2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Bruce Litton, 4.674 seconds, 311.92 mph; 2. Terry McMillen, 4.714, 314.61; 3. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.739, 317.19; 4. Spencer Massey, 4.804, 297.09; 5. Kevin Jones, 5.080, 215.10; 6. Mitch King, 5.202, 213.91; 7. Tim Boychuk, 6.450, 136.29; 8. Mike Strasburg, 8.427, 101.51.
Nitro Funny Car -- 1. Matt Hagan, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.974, 309.20; 2. Terry Haddock, Dodge Stratus, 5.042, 300.00; 3. Cory Lee, Monte Carlo, 5.076, 294.11; 4. Jack Wyatt, Stratus, 5.111, 248.25; 5. John Lawson, Chevy Impala, 5.133, 276.97; 6. Jeff Diehl, Monte Carlo, 5.235, 285.47; 7. Steven Macklyn, Monte Carlo, 5.235, 275.45; 8. Andy Kelley, Chevy Camaro, 5.365, 219.69. Not Qualified: 9. Paul Lee, 6.225, 152.68; 10. Rob Bruce, 8.473, 114.35.
Pro Modified -- 1. Mike Castellana, Pontiac Firebird, 6.010, 238.89; 2. Jim Halsey, Chevy Camaro, 6.057, 234.29; 3. Tommy D'Aprile, Chevy Bel Air, 6.057, 235.02; 4. Scott Cannon, Firebird, 6.059, 238.76; 5. Ed Hoover, Camaro, 6.075, 236.09; 6. Kenny Lang, Chevy Corvette, 6.091, 239.27; 7. Mike Janis, Firebird, 6.117, 236.55; 8. Pat Stoken, Camaro, 6.132, 233.08; 9. Steve Salvadore, Camaro, 6.238, 229.55; 10. Fidelio Montrond, Corvette, 6.300, 227.57; 11. Quain Stott, Corvette, 9.695, 92.53; 12. Burton Auxier, Corvette, 11.180, 77.83; 13. Mike Stawicki, Camaro, 14.772, 73.05.
Alcohol Funny Car -- 1. Neal Parker, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.819, 240.08; 2. Frederick Tigges, Dodge Avenger, 5.843, 241.24; 3. Laurie Cannister, Chevy Camaro, 5.844, 239.95; 4. Tony Bogolo, Ford Mustang, 5.846, 241.89; 5. Rob Atchison, Monte Carlo, 5.856, 247.75; 6. Paul Noakes, Avenger, 5.873, 241.37; 7. Larry Dobbs, Chevy Corvette, 5.882, 246.35; 8. Thomas Carter, Monte Carlo, 5.899, 242.80. Not Qualified: 9. Jason McKnight, 6.175, 234.70; 10. Dale Brand, 6.201, 224.96; 11. Terry Munroe, 6.351, 236.96.
Pro Stock -- 1. Pete Berner, Pontiac GXP, 6.348, 221.67; 2. John Montecalvo, Chevy Cobalt, 6.378, 220.12; 3. Cary Goforth, Cobalt, 6.390, 218.02; 4. Jeff Dobbins, Ford Escort, 6.391, 218.34; 5. Frank Gugliotta, Ford Mustang, 6.393, 218.34; 6. Trevor Eman, Escort, 6.408, 219.90; 7. Jason Collins, Cobalt, 6.409, 218.12; 8. Bob Bertsch, Mustang, 6.410, 219.01; 9. Rob Mansfield, Pontiac GTO, 6.415, 219.33; 10. John Konigshofer, Mustang, 6.419, 218.19; 11. Brian Gahm, Mustang, 6.442, 220.76; 12. Elijah Morton, Mustang, 6.444, 220.80; 13. Chuck DeMory, Mustang, 6.450, 217.14; 14. Michael Bruno, GTO, 6.459, 218.23; 15. Robert Patrick, Mustang, 6.481, 217.42; 16. John Bartunek, Cobalt, 6.723, 208.91. Not Qualified: 17. Ron Miller, 6.758, 179.83; 18. Richard Freeman, 6.963, 210.34; 19. Dean Goforth, 8.149, 116.54; 20. Mark Martino, 12.697, 74.68.
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THURSDAY - IHRA CHAMPIONSHIPS SHOULD GO DOWN TO THE WIRE IN EPPING
Four of five professional classes still up for grabs as racers prepare for Amalie Oil North American Nationals
Prior to the 2008 season Spencer Massey (Fort Worth, Tex.) was a virtual unknown on the IHRA circuit. The 25-year-old Texan came up through the junior dragster ranks and spent the fledgling years of his racing career driving an injected nitrous dragster in NHRA sportsman competition. He now is one of the most recognizable drivers in drag racing.
Mitch King tapped Massey to drive his Top Fuel car in IHRA competition one week before the 2008 season opener in San Antonio. Massey got his Top Fuel license on a Monday, the following Sunday he was in the winner’s circle at San Antonio Raceway celebrating his Ironman win at the Amalie Oil Texas Nationals after winning the first Top Fuel race he ever entered.
Massey’s magical ride continued two weeks later in Rockingham where he made it two-for-two with another national event victory, this time at the IHRA Spring Nationals in Rockingham. He has also claimed national event victories in Martin, Mich. and Tulsa, Okla. (both over Terry McMillen in the final round) and will hold a 73-point advantage over second-place Bruce Litton heading into the North American Nationals.
“It’s never over until it’s over,” Massey said of the championship points chase. “We have six runs left and are about 70 points in the lead. My goal is to try to keep pace with (Bruce) Litton. I want to go at least as many rounds as him so he can’t get around us.”
Massey never expected to be in this position.
“I’m just living the dream,” he said. “It all started in San Antonio and has just snowballed from there. I’ve gotten more confident with the car and realized what the car is capable of. But I’m still learning how to drive the car. Every run you make you learn something new and you get more familiar with the car. But I still want to go faster.”
Massey has rolled up an impressive 15-4 won-lost record in elimination rounds this season.
Mike Ashley from the mortgage company Lend America took notice of Haddock’s season and decided to provide him enough financial assistance to let him chase his dream. Lend America will be Haddock’s primary sponsor the rest of the season.
Haddock had a comfortable lead heading to the Sooner Nationals in Tulsa, bit NFC rookie Matt Hagan had a dream weekend…the kind of weekend he needed to move back into championship contention. After qualifying in the top spot and sweeping both “Last Man Standing” bonuses, Hagan went on to win the race. The weekend pulled him to within 51 points of Haddock in the points race.
Hagan chopped 121 points off Haddock’s points lead in Tulsa. This came three weeks after not qualifying for the eight-car eliminations field at the Northern Nationals at US 131 Motorsports Park. The race in Martin was Hagan’s first with John Smith calling the tuning shots on his 2008 Solera.
“After the DNQ in Martin I knew we had a lot of stuff to change around,” Hagan said. “They came in and changed the whole motor combination, changed everything. We spent the whole week preparing for that race after blowing it up really bad, so we were behind the eight-ball heading into Martin. We stayed after it and ran the lowest ET and highest mile an hour of the weekend after the race was over. So that was encouraging.”
It was encouraging from a nuts and bolts perspective, but not qualifying in Martin was brutal for Hagan’s championship outlook.
“It felt like someone had ripped my guts out and was stomping on them,” he said. “Being in the position where we had done so well, we had won two races already, and having that DNQ felt like someone took a stick and hit me in the head. But I knew what John Smith could do with a racecar, with his father Paul assisting him, and I figured we’d be okay. It just took one more race to prove it.”
Hagan moved up to third in the Nitro Funny Car standings. Haddock has 536 points, Paul Lee 513 and Hagan 485. However, only Hagan and Haddock remain alive for the 41-point season-ending bonus awarded to drivers who competed at every scheduled event so that considered, he is ahead of Lee.
“It’s very obtainable,” Hagan said of the championship. “I set my goals at the beginning of the year to win three races and we have been able to do that. Now the goal is to go out and win a championship. With this racecar and the Smiths tuning it, if I can do my job on the starting line it’s very possible. It will be a lot of work and it’s a steep hill to climb, but it’s very doable.
One thing is for sure; the Amalie Oil North American Nationals will go a long way towards answering these questions. Kenny Lang, on the strength of his victory over Castellana in the final round at Tulsa Raceway Park, edged his lead over Castellana in the points chase to 57 points. However, it could have been bigger.
Castellana claimed both Last Man Standing five-point bonuses in Tulsa, qualified #1 and was the runner-up at the race. His Awesome/AlAnabi Motorsports Team has become the team the rest of the participants are chasing when you look at the numbers. At the Sooner Nationals in Tulsa Castellana put together a string of runs in the 6.00 range. He had the quickest and fastest passes in three of the four qualifying rounds before mechanical problems against Ed Hoover in the second round caused him to struggle the rest of the event. He had a bye into the final, but there fell to Lang.
Three weeks earlier he ran the quickest nitrous pass in IHRA history, a 6.000 in the first round of eliminations at the Northern Nationals in Martin. It has been a long journey for Castellana and his team.
“We struggled a little bit. We knew we had the power to run a good number, but we just weren’t able to use it all,” he said. “If you look at the conditions we ran those numbers in…that surprised us a little but. We expected the good numbers sometime this year, but not in those conditions.”
Lang realizes how important his win over Castellana was in the final at Tulsa Raceway Park. His victory possibly changed the momentum of what is shaping up to be a classic IHRA nitrous vs. blower battle to the finish.
“It gives us a little more breathing room,” he said. “A little more, but we still don’t have much. We had built up a good lead and had it as high as 90 points, then we lost that and it went down to 46 points. Now we built it back up a little bit. At least we’re holding things steady but we’re by no means comfortable. It’s going to go down to the last couple of races, I’m sure of it.”
Cannister has won five of the eight national events this season and has an unbelievable 19-3 won-loss record in elimination rounds in 2008. Right now the last thing Cannister is worrying about is the championship. Her team will take the “one race at a time, one round at a time” approach.
“That’s how we’ve approached the whole season, and we’re just going to keep it that way,” she said. “We want to come out and win as many events as we can. If or when the championship happens it’ll be great and we’ll enjoy it, but we’re not going to change the way we’ve kept our approach all season.”
The North American Nationals will be the most important race of the season for drivers in the Pro Stock class. Not only will it go a long way towards determining who will end up grabbing the world championship at the end of the season, $100,000 will be up for grabs in the Torco Pro Stock Showdown. This race within a race will take place during Saturday qualifying, with the eventual winner taking home $50,000.
The Pro Stock Showdown will provide Pro Stock fans with quite an appetizer, and the North American Nationals will be a main course every Pro Stock fan will want to be a part of. The Pro Stock championship points race has turned into a four-man rumble with everything on the line. Points leader Jeff Dobbins will enter New England Dragway with 561 points. Right behind him, just three points back, sits Sooner Nationals champion Pete Berner with 558 points.
John Montecalvo is third with 503 points while Frank Gugliotta remains very much alive in the championship points chase with 487 points.
The points chase is so close if Berner were to win the Pro Stock Last Man Standing Friday in Epping he would enter Saturday as the points leader.
“The points race is really tight right now. There are a couple of races left and everyone in this chase is really strong,” Berner said. “We have to keep on our game and make good runs. If we can continue to make good runs good things can happen.”
Berner has been on a hot streak lately and he got some help in Tulsa when Dobbins, the racer he is chasing, fell in the second round to Bob Bertsch.
“We’ve been pretty fortunate making it to the finals at the last three races,” he said. “We couldn’t get it done until we got it done in Tulsa. The moon and the stars really lined up for us there. Jeff going out early really made things easier on us because the only thing we can control is what our car is going to do. The other teams we just have to fight them hard, and they’re all great teams. It’s so close and we’re all such good friends that we’re all kind of rooting for each other.”
