2009 IHRA BATON ROUGE - SAME DAY COVERAGE
For the first time since the IHRA was founded in 1971, the sanctioning body will begin its season at Sate Capitol Dragway in Baton Rouge, La. This won't be the first time the IHRA has been to the famed facility but it promises to be the quickest and fastest ever.
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EVENT FINAL -
Litton claims Top Fuel Ironman
No. 1 qualifiers Commisso, Collins win Pro Mod, Pro Stock Ironman tropies.
What started out as a bit of a gloomy morning turned into a marvelous
day of racing as Bruce Litton, Ray Commisso and Jason Collins claimed
Ironman trophies during Belle of Baton Rouge Championship Sunday at the
IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol
Raceway in Baton Rouge.
Litton (Indianapolis, In) topped Bobby Lagana Jr. in one of the best
races of the weekend in the Top Fuel championship as Litton lit the win
light with a 4.875 second pass at 284.93 mph to best Lagana’s 4.964
second time at 249.53 mph.
“Anytime you race a track that you don’t have any data to you kind of
tip-toe through it. Friday night we tried to rotate the earth and it
got out of our realm a little bit and we came back and got back to
where we thought we could get down the track and it went down every
time,” Litton said. “That is a tribute to Richard Hartman and all the
guys on the team. It’s not a one man deal; I am just the guy that gets
to drive it.”
And what a weekend it was for Litton who qualified No. 2 on his way to his 14th Ironman.
“I feel like I have lived here for a month. We had absolutely no data
about this place except that my crew chief Richard Hartman at the Cajun
Nationals in 1990 drove a Nitro Funny Car and he was in the finals
against John Force and he lost in a slight hole shot and this is a race
he wanted to win,” Litton added. “This track owed him 19 years ago and
you don’t forget losses like that. It was just a great weekend all
around for the whole Lucas Oil team.”
Lagana reached the finals by knocking off No. 1 qualifier Del Cox Jr.
(Downey, Ca) in the semi-finals in a pedal fest at the far end of the
track. Both cars started smoking the tires at the 1,000 ft. mark, but
it was Lagana that was able to stay in it for the win light on a 5.085
run at 233.92 mph. The run ended a nice weekend for the rookie who took
the pole in his first ever weekend of IHRA Top Fuel racing.
Litton knocked off Paul Lee (Anaheim Hill, Ca) in the semi-finals in a
great drag race. Lee pushed Litton the length of the track, but it was
Litton that lit the bulb on a 4.820 time at 299.66 mph.
In the quarters it was Cox over Tim Boychuk, Lagana over Terry McMillen, Litton over Mitch King and Lee over Terry Haddock.
In
Pro Modified Raymond Commisso (Toronto, Ont) continued his incredible
weekend with an Ironman victory over Tommy Gray (Baltimore, Md) with a
5.955 second pass at 244.83 mph over Gray’s 6.105 at 237.42 mph run.
“Every round you are trying to do your best and we just kept getting
better every time,” Commisso said. “We didn’t have any computer so it
was a bit of a crapshoot, but we rolled the dice three times in a row
and it worked out in our favor for once.”
In the first two days of qualifying Commisso not only managed to grab
the top qualifying spot, but also set an IHRA World Speed Record in the
process at 246.08 mph. Add in an Ironman trophy and the Mardi Gras
Nationals made for one incredible weekend for the Toronto native.
“Any racers’ dream is to qualify No. 1 and win the race and we have
qualified No. 1 at a lot of races and this time we were able to close
the deal,” Commisso said. “We set the speed record, we backed it up and
we won the race going even faster E.T. wise and the car just kept going
faster and faster all weekend. The funny thing is the last two rounds
we didn’t have any data, our computer decided to pack it in, so it was
basically a crapshoot.
“The one person I have to commend is Al Billis. Al is the god of drag
racing. He knows how to get the car down the track and we certainly did
that this weekend.”
In the Pro Modified semi-finals Gray got the free pass to the final
round while Commisso had put in a little extra work to advance.
Commisso battled Ed Hoover (Gilbert, SC) in an excellent drag race with
Commisso continuing his hot weekend with a time of 5.984 at 243.15 mph
to edge Hoover (6.156, 207.05).
Commisso came into the semis already holding the new IHRA World Speed
Record he used that momentum to carry him through the ladder.
In the quarters it was Commisso over Taylor Lastor, Hoover over Danny
Rowe and Gray over hometown-favorite and Baton Rouge native Harold
Laird.
Jason Collins wrapped up the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock Ironman with a
similar weekend to Commisso, taking the pole on Friday en route to a
clean run through the elimination ladder.
Collins
claimed the victory with a pass of 6.354 at 221.16 mph in the finals
against John Montecalvo who turned in a time of 6.365 at 221.84 mph.
“We had transmission trouble and we worked and worked on it and we
thought we had it fixed for the third round and we just got really
lucky,” Collins said. “The guy we ran had trouble and we were able to
get by in that round. For the final we managed to get a transmission
from Team Aruba and we put it in and things went well from there. I
think we were a little too soft in the finals, but we were just trying
to get down the racetrack.
“You can go from hero to zero in no time in this class. We are going to
go to the next race and go out and try to win it and we will let the
chips fall as they may.”
One of the most competitive classes of the weekend came in the Elite
Motorsports Pro Stock ranks as nearly every run down the track went to
the wire.
Collins reached the PS finals with a win over Mark Martino (Stoney
Creek, Ont), one of the weekend’s big surprises. But Martino’s nice
weekend came to a close in the semis as he simply never got going and
Collins cruised to the win on a 6.536 at 214.01 mph.
Montecalvo defeated Cary Goforth (Holdenville, Ok) in semi-finals when
Goforth red-lighted. Montecalvo ran a 6.355 at 221.49 mph.
In the quarters it was Martino over Cale Aronson, Goforth over Frank
Gugliotta and Montecalvo in an upset victory over defending Pro Stock
world champion and No. 2 qualifier Pete Berner.
With so many cars on hand over the weekend trying to turn the win
light, the IHRA needed to add an extra class to the already packed
lineup and that class was Outlaw Pro Modified – and it didn’t
disappoint.
Opelousas, Louisiana native Bill Doucet came away with the win in the
Outlaw class, edging another Louisiana product in Joseph Palmisand
(Abita Springs) in the final with a pass of 4.111 at 189.42 mph in the
eighth mile.
Doucet reached the finals with a win over Shawn Davis (Lake Charles,
La) with a pass of 4.822 at 128.24 mph and Palmisand defeated Danny
Rowe (Laguna Hills, Ca) with a pass of 4.290 at 170.51 mph.
In Sportsmen action Gary Bingham (Kings Mountain, NC) claimed the Top
Sportsman championship with a win over Chris Gulitti (Tomball, Tx),
Chris Bermond (Bay St. Louis, Ms) won the Top Dragster championship
with a win over Nick Folk (Durand, Il), Slate
Cummings (Hammond, La) won the Super Stock championship with a win over
Mark Faul (Tacoma, Wa), Slate Cummings won the Stock championship with
a win over Jarrod Granier (Labadieville, La), Luke Bogacki (Woodville,
Al) won the Quick Rod championship with a win over Robert Cool
(Laplace, La), Ben Massey (Bedford, Tx) won the Super Rod championship
with a win over Jimmy Lewis (Forney, Tx) and Jay Bunce (Oklahoma City,
Ok) won the Hot Rod championship with a win over Ray Dew (League City,
Tx).
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FINAL QUALIFYING -
Commisso sets IHRA World Speed Record, takes Pro Mod pole; Cox tops Top Fuel list, Collins No. 1 in PS
Welcome back to Louisiana.
After a nearly 20 year absence from the area, professional drag racing
finally made its return to Louisiana and did so with tremendous results
as fans packed the stands for one of the biggest shows in IHRA history
during Saturday’s “Night of Fire” at the Summit Racing Equipment Mardi
Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway.
Under a blue sky and with perfect temperatures, Saturday’s excitement
got started early when Pro Mod ace Ray Commisso (Toronto, Ont) set a
new IHRA World Speed Record with a run of 246.08 mph during the third
round of pro qualifying during the afternoon session – and the action
just continued to heat up from there.
“We have actually been faster than that and we are hoping we can just
keep getting faster,” Commisso said. “This is a new car we have here
and I think we still have some more in store for the speed record.”
LSU head football coach Les Miles brought the capacity crowd to its
feet during the evening ceremonies and the rest of the schedule did not
disappoint.
Top Fuel made the most noise – literally and figuratively – during
Saturday’s festivities as rookie Del Cox Jr. (Downey, Ca) set the pole
for Sunday’s final eliminations with a run of 4.712 at 314.83 mph.
driving the car that won the Top Fuel championship last season with
Spencer Massey at the helm.
“I can’t complain, No. 1 qualifier at our first race out. It started
with Paul Smith tuning it and everything took off from there,” Cox
said. “This is the championship car from last year and I am just happy
to be able to drive it.”
Cox
was followed by Bruce Litton (Indianapolis, In) who took the runner-up
qualifying position with a pass of 4.723 at 306.88 mph, good enough to
claim Saturday’s Top Fuel “Last Man Standing” award going to the
fastest car during the “Night of Fire” qualifying session. Terry
Haddock (Woodinville, Wa) qualified third for Sunday’s eliminations
(4.768, 302.41 mph).
Commisso was the biggest story of the night, setting a new world record
while also claiming the Pro Mod pole and “Last Man Standing” with a
pass of 5.970 at 246.08 mph.
“Last night’s qualifier was a nice clean run for us in our second full
run in this car,” Commisso said. “This afternoon we had some heat in
the track and we were just able to do a bit more.”
Tommy Gray (Baltimore, Md) took second in Pro Modified during the
evening session with a pass of 6.011 at 240.94 mph and Ed Hoover
(Gilbert, S.C) will start third (6.015, 238.93 mph).
Pro Stock was headlined by Jason Collins (Rainbow City, Al) who took
the pole with a pass of 6.294 at 222.03 mph during Friday’s opening
rounds of qualifying. Pete Berner (Crete, Il) will start second for
Sunday’s eliminations with a pass of 6.306 at 220.33 mph while also
claiming the Pro Stock “Last Man Standing.” Frank Gugliotta (Mt. Airy,
Md) qualified third (6.317, 221.31 mph).
Sunday’s action will get underway at 9 a.m. with final eliminations set to begin at 4 p.m.
First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the
Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol
Raceway, the first of 10 events in the 2009 Nitro Jam Drag Racing
Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.
Top Fuel -- 1. Del Cox Jr, 4.712 seconds, 314.83 mph vs. 8.
Tim Boychuk, 5.040, 244.87; 2. Bruce Litton, 4.723, 306.88 vs. 7.
Mitch King, 4.900, 283.91; 3. Terry Haddock, 4.768, 302.41 vs. 6. Paul
Lee, 4.897, 291.45; 4. Terry McMillen, 4.863, 305.63 vs. 5. Bobby
Lagana Jr., 4.875, 282.48.
Pro Modified -- 1. Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 5.970,
246.08 vs. Bye; 2. Tommy Gray, Camaro, 6.011, 240.94 vs. 11. Harold
Martin, Martin M 4, 8.257, 120.89; 3. Ed Hoover, Camaro, 6.015, 238.93
vs. 10. Al Suggs Jr., Chevy S-10, 7.404, 195.56; 4. Danny Rowe, Camaro,
6.018, 240.12 vs. 9. Earl Folse, Camaro, 6.395, 220.19; 5. Kenny Lang,
Chevy Corvette, 6.071, 242.28 vs. 8. Harold Laird, Corvette, 6.374,
222.69; 6. Roger Burgess, Camaro, 6.116, 237.25 vs. 7. Taylor Lastor,
Camaro, 6.189, 232.79.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Collins, Chevy Cobalt, 6.294, 222.03 vs.
14. Scott Hintz, Ford Mustang, 6.644, 217.91; 2. Pete Berner, Pontiac
GXP, 6.306, 221.49 vs. 13. Trevor Eman, Ford Escort, 6.396, 219.94; 3.
Frank Gugliotta, GXP, 6.317, 221.67 vs. 12. Jerry Haas, Pontiac GTO,
6.395, 221.31; 4. Mark Martino, Cobalt, 6.338, 222.77 vs. 11. Bob
Bertsch, Mustang, 6.395, 220.69; 5. JR Carr, GXP, 6.340, 221.05 vs.
10. Cale Aronson, Escort, 6.394, 218.76; 6. Cary Goforth, Cobalt,
6.351, 221.02 vs. 9. Dean Goforth, GXP, 6.366, 220.73; 7. John
Montecalvo, Cobalt, 6.353, 221.13 vs. 8. Richard Freeman, GXP, 6.353,
219.29.
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SATURDAY - COMMISSO ESTABLISHES NEW PRO MOD SPEED RECORD
Ray Commisso made his run really count during the third round of
qualifying Saturday with a new IHRA Pro Modified World Speed Record of
246.08 mph to take the provisional pole after three rounds at the IHRA
Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway
in Baton Rouge.
Commisso's speed accompanied a 5.970 second time to claim the pole
after three Rounds of IHRA Pro Modified qualifying. His record-setting
run came following a 245.09 mph run Friday night during Round 2 of
qualifying.
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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - TRACK RECORDS FALL ON OPENING NIGHT
Del Cox Jr. sets provisional Top Fuel pole Friday night; Commisso, Collins top Pro Mod, Pro Stock
Del Cox Jr. topped the charts Friday night in Top Fuel qualifying for the opening night the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge.
Cox (Downey, Ca.) made a 4.712 run at 314.83 mph to hold off 2008 IHRA Nitro Funny Car Champion Terry Haddock (Woodinville, Wa.) who set his personal best Top Fuel E.T. and speed with 4.768, 302.41 mph pass.
Ray Commisso (Toronto, Ont.) took home the Ironman in Pro Modified with a record-challenging 5.993 pass at 245.09 mph. Ed Hoover (Gilbert, SC) was second with a 6.049 run at 237.88 mph.
Pro Stock driver Jason Collins (Rainbow City, Al.) was the Ironman in his class, making a 6.294 second pass at 222.03 mph. Pete Berner (Crete, Il.) was second after two rounds at 6.348, 220.84 mph.
The final two rounds of qualifying for the Mardi Gras Nationals will be held Saturday followed by eliminations on Sunday.
Results Friday after qualifying for the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway, first of 10 events in the 2009 Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Del Cox Jr, 4.712 seconds, 314.83 mph; 2. Terry Haddock, 4.768, 302.41; 3. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.875, 282.48; 4. Terry McMillen, 4.896, 301.40; 5. Tim Boychuk, 5.040, 244.87; 6. Mitch King, 5.296, 218.27; 7. Paul Lee, 5.327, 232.43; 8. Bruce Litton, 7.290, 116.25. Not Qualified: 9. Todd Simpson, 9.600, 90.15; 10. Chris Karamesines, 11.827, 64.92.
Pro Modified -- 1. Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 5.993, 245.09; 2. Ed Hoover, Camaro, 6.049, 237.88; 3. Kenny Lang, Chevy Corvette, 6.071, 242.28; 4. Roger Burgess, Camaro, 6.116, 237.25; 5. Earl Folse, Camaro, 6.395, 220.19; 6. Taylor Lastor, Camaro, 6.528, 163.95; 7. Harold Laird, Corvette, 6.843, 163.87; 8. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 7.620, 128.53; 9. Tommy Gray, Camaro, 7.855, 115.81; 10. Al Suggs Jr., Chevy S-10, 9.530, 101.94.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Collins, Chevy Cobalt, 6.294, 222.03; 2. Pete Berner, Pontiac GXP, 6.348, 220.84; 3. Cary Goforth, Cobalt, 6.351, 221.02; 4. Bob Bertsch, Ford Mustang, 6.407, 220.69; 5. Jerry Haas, Pontiac GTO, 6.412, 221.31; 6. Trevor Eman, Ford Escort, 6.422, 219.22; 7. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 6.462, 220.91; 8. Richard Freeman, GXP, 6.564, 212.90; 9. Mark Martino, Cobalt, 6.628, 214.11; 10. Cale Aronson, Escort, 6.906, 170.21; 11. Frank Gugliotta, GXP, 6.941, 148.82; 12. Dean Goforth, GXP, 7.346, 145.25; 13. Scott Hintz, Mustang, 8.063, 123.16; 14. JR Carr, GXP, 8.397, 143.84.
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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK -GETTING READY FOR THE MARDI GRAS NATIONALS
REMEMBERING 1989 - Former IHRA President
Ted Jones knows a thing or two about survival.
Two decades ago, the former drag racing executive had to call on every instinct he possessed to keep the IHRA afloat.
The IHRA of '89 when compared to the 2009 version bears a striking
resemblance. There’s no series sponsor and the only semblance of a
points fund are a few special shootout programs. In both cases, a
modest sportsman championship fund is the foundation from which to
build.
A sportsman fund, an office and a field full of dedicated IHRA staffers determined to churn their way through a tough season.
Last season the IHRA ran into a combination of perfect storms related
to the series being sold, open racer revolts and a series sponsor who
defaulted on millions of dollars worth of sponsorship monies.
The IHRA, for the first time since 1989, enters a season without a professional championship point fund.
“I would give the 2009 season more hope than I would have 1989 because
of the Feld family,” Jones said of the new IHRA owners. “They [Feld]
are a professional organization in every sense of the word. They have
their ducks in a row.”
If Jones had the backing of the Feld Family in 1989, things might have been a bit easier.
No disrespect intended towards Jim Ruth who saved the IHRA from going
totally out of business when he purchased the sanctioning body from
Billy Myer, the new owner just didn’t have to same kind of
entertainment infrastructure to draw upon.
In 1989, there was no structure.
Gone were the sponsors, gone were the employees and totally gone was the morale of the sanctioning body.
Billy Meyer had called Jones to discuss the possibility of selling the
IHRA to either him or a group of investors. Jones had the idea that
selling the IHRA to a group of IHRA national event track owners would
have been a neat concept.
There was only one problem with the idea. No one was willing to buy
into the program but Jim Ruth, then a Pro Stock racer and owner of
Bristol Dragway.
“The IHRA had for all intents and purposes been shut down,” Jones said.
“Billy [Meyer] had laid everyone off. The track operators had no idea
what was going to happen.”
Talk about a last minute program, Jones was given the task of
resurrecting the once mighty proud alternative sanctioning body with
only three weeks before the season-opener in Darlington, S.C.
“That’s when we had all of the paperwork signed,” Jones added, recalling the details of Jim Ruth’s purchase of the series.
“We couldn’t do anything until we actually owned the sanctioning body.”
Jones was a master of the last minute but even this challenge seemed overwhelming.
Where does a man start when he tries to make chicken salad from chicken poop?
The national schedule was the starting point, followed by a regional
schedule. The regional schedule served as the “points” races before the
IHRA adopted the divisional format in 2000.
Then he printed a rulebook and distributed it to the racers.
Then there was the issue of the house publication Drag Review, which
had been relocated to Waco, Texas, and had to be moved back to the
IHRA’s headquarters in Bristol, Tenn.
An average person could have been easily overwhelmed, but for Jones he had no choice. It was sink or swim.
“Fortunately I was able to reassemble most of the staff who were with
the IHRA when Billy bought it,” Jones said. “Many hadn’t taken jobs
even though they were laid off. That really helped.”
That was the one thing that made the most difference for Jones.
“They knew what to do,” Jones added. “It was like putting a car into
drive. If it hadn’t have been for that experienced staff it would have
been next to near impossible.
“We put in some long days.”
The end result of the long days was something the overworked staff
could appreciate, but to the outside world the finished product had a
face only a mother could love.
The point funds and bonus races were piece meal but provided enough of a ray of hope to keep the racers and fans interested.
The May 15, 1989 issue of Drag Review announced the various bonus
points programs. There was the Angus Nitro Showdown which awarded
$20,000 to the Top Fuel winner while Coogle Industries picked up the
$6,500 bonus for the Alcohol Funny Cars. The Nitro Funny Cars had no
shootout.
The sportsman divisions featured backing from Ram Automotive, Weld
Racing and Lonestar Racing. However, when one figured in the title
rights backing from local Bristol companies supporting programs such as
the Wholesale Jewelry Great Class Comeback (Modified), Apollo Oil
Shootout (Super Stock) and Tri-City Liquors (Stock), one could either
laugh or become inspired.
More were inspired than amused.
“We sold sponsorships anywhere we could and to anybody,” Jones
admitted. “But that’s what you have to expect when you begin working on
the season in February. When we took over the sanctioning body there
was nothing. No sponsorships, only the rights to the sanctioning body
and the contracts for the events.”
Beyond that experience Jones admits there was a lot more behind the
scenes mending that he is legally unable to discuss because part of the
buy/sell agreement included a disparage clause which dictated that the
new owners were unable to speak negatively against the former
ownership.
“There was a lot of stuff that went on that I can’t talk about,” Jones
added. “It happened, we made it through and we survived.”
Jones said the team at IHRA survived through the will of a dedicated group.
“I think when we saw the sponsors come back and the contingency
companies returned, that’s when we knew we had survived,” Jones
admitted. “When we had the first race and the racers showed up that was
another good sign.
“I think that year proved my point that as long as somebody wanted the IHRA around, it would be there.”
Like 1989, as long as sponsors, racers and fan want the IHRA around it will survive the struggles of 2009.
LES MEANS MORE -Louisiana State University head football
coach Les Miles will serve as the Grand Marshall for the inaugural Summit
Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals.
Miles, a native of Elyria, Ohio, has complied a 70-31 career head
coaching record at two schools including a 42-11 record in four years
at LSU and a BCS National Championship in 2008. He also has a
Southeastern Conference championships coming in ’07.
Miles has won championships and coached award winning athletes, but in
a few short days he will be trading in his whistle and playbook for ear
plugs and a cozy spot on the starting line as Miles and his family will
open the festivities Saturday, March 7 by sending the first set of
professional cars down the track.
“I enjoy going out and attending events such as these,” Miles said. “I
certainly enjoy the events that fit my family calendar because I enjoy
taking my family wherever I go.”
And there certainly will not be a shortage of things to see and do when the IHRA rolls into town.
Along with special ticket packages aimed at easing the cost to race
fans, the IHRA will also throw in its own unique Mardi Gras twist on
the action including a crawfish boil, wheelie contest, dash for cash
and a parade – with plenty of Mardi Gras beads, of course – all piled
on top of the already jam-packed lineup of professional and sportsmen
racing.
Top it all off with the thrilling Saturday “Night of Fire” and the
weekend of March 6-8 looks to be one of the biggest shows in IHRA
history.
“I am really looking forward to it,” Miles said.
And Miles is no stranger to the sport of drag racing.
In his younger days the adventurous coach, known by some in football
circles as “The Mad Hatter,” was known to get an occasional adrenaline
rush from time to time at his local drag strip.
“I can pop a clutch as good as the next,” Miles admitted. “I enjoy the
speed and the mechanical strategy. Back years ago as a young man I
enjoyed the occasional trip to the speedway and occasional drag race
very much.”
Now Miles will get a chance to relive those earlier years when the
engines fire up for the first race of the 2009 IHRA season in a little
over a week. The inaugural race, the first of 10 events on the ’09
Nitro Jam tour, will feature three professional classes of racing
including Top Fuel, Pro Modified and Pro Stock plus hundreds of
sportsman competitors capped off by Saturday’s “Night of Fire” which
will feature the ground-shaking jet semi of Bob Motz, the blazing jet
bike of Kevin Martin and much more.
The Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals will also mark the
first time in years that professional drag racing has visited the state
of Louisiana. But while it has been some time since big league drag
racing has been to the area, the diverse history and uniqueness of
Louisiana and its residents will provide the perfect backdrop for the
season opener.
“I think the people here are so special,” Miles noted. “They are very
representative of our society and our country. It is a wonderful place
full of very sincere, passionate people.”
It is for those reasons and many more that the IHRA has teamed up with
Louisiana State University and coach Miles for the upcoming Summit
Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals for a weekend of fun and exciting
racing.
STUDENT SECTION - Along with Saturday’s “Night of Fire,” Friday night will be LSU Student
Night where students with a valid LSU I.D. will receive admission for
just $10. The weekend will wrap up with Belle of Baton Rouge
Championship Sunday on March 8.
Top it all off with a weekend long Mardi Gras celebration and the
Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras National will be one event that
can’t be missed.
“Mardi Gras is certainly very specific to Louisiana and this culture
and there is a great spirit there,” Miles said. “There is an enjoyment
of life and a celebration of life that is, in my opinion, is one of the
great things about Louisiana.”
DOUBLE DIPPING - When the IHRA and ADRL posted their opening events on the same date,
many doorslammers were left with a tough choice of where to make their
season start. For New York racer John Montecalvo, there was only one
obvious choice to make: run them both!
The IHRA Mardi Gras Nationals held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is a scant
270 miles (roughly five hours in a race rig), from the ADRL
Safety-Kleen Dragpalooza V in Houston, Texas. With eliminations being
contested on different days, Montecalvo sees the feasibility of
competing in both events. His plan is to qualify deep into the IHRA Pro
Stock field on Friday, pack up and head to Houston where he hopes to
qualify, race, and win ADRL Pro Stock Extreme on Saturday, then pack up
and head back to Baton Rouge to capture the Iron Man on Sunday.
“When I saw that the IHRA and ADRL had scheduled their first events on
the same weekend, and that both sides were unrelenting to change their
schedule, I was disappointed. I want to race against all the best in
Pro Stock, not half the best. I also want to see all of our friends
that compete in the many divisions. The only way I can accomplish that
this weekend is to compete at both facilities. If the events were any
farther apart, that might not be possible, but I think we can pull it
off. My crew is game and committed to doing the excellent job they
always do.”
The soft-spoken but resolute racer clearly feels that the inconvenient
scheduling was a mistake by both sanctioning bodies. “I want to support
both organizations,” Montecalvo continues. “I have put a lot of time,
energy and money into IHRA. Although I may not agree with some of their
decisions and often question their rationale I still consider Aaron and
all of the IHRA staff, my friends. The goal has always been the same
and that is to elevate IHRA to the level it belongs and to give the
fans a good show. It is heartbreaking to see IHRA losing competitors
in the classes they created: Pro-Modified and Mountain Motor Pro
Stock. Hopefully, the Feld Organization can see the potential and do
what’s necessary and bring it back to its glory days. In the meantime,
I am really looking forward to racing in Baton Rouge.
PRO MOD FIELD SHAPING UP - The Pro Mod entry list for the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals continues to grow as several leading teams have announced intentions to compete weekend.
Heading the field is 2008 World Champion, Kenny Lang, who brings his
stunning 1953 Corvette to defend his title. Lang, based out of Grande
Pointe Manitoba understands the significance of what it means to be an
IHRA Pro Mod Champion.
“IHRA Pro Mod features ferocious competition between many great teams.
To prevail over that kind of quality competition makes the title even
sweeter,” stated Lang. “Winning last year over guys like Castellana
and Halsey made my accomplishment mean even more.”
But last year is last year. The 2009 Pro Mod Championship begins anew in Baton Rouge.
In addition to Lang, home town favorite and 2008 NHRA Indy Pro Mod
winner, Harold Laird and Ed Hoover, veterans Danny Rowe, Chip King and
Ray Commisso have announced they will compete at the Mardi Gras
Nationals.
Laguna Hills, CA native Rowe returns to IHRA competition, with master
tuner Jimmy Rector, himself a former IHRA Alcohol Funny Car champion.
Rowe will drive a 67 Camaro from the Tommy Mauney shops, with
sponsorship from Sterling Bridge, a finance company.
If pre-season testing is an indication, Rowe will be a threat at State Capitol.
“We took two cars to Valdosta to test last weekend,” said Rowe from his
California office, “We had a great test. One ran a 5.97, the other a
5.99, so we’re pretty happy going into the Mardi Gras Nationals. At
this time, Danny reports they plan to run only one car.
“However, if we land sponsorship for the second car, you never know.”
Commisso, winner of the 2006 IHRA World Nationals and a Toronto
restaurant owner will pilot a 1967 Camaro owned by Roger Burgess. Tuned
by Al Billes, the R2B2/ProCareX team has high expectations.
“IHRA is the place to be for Pro Mod,” said Commisso. “Our goal is to
qualify strong and go rounds. Anything can happen from there.”
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