HINSHAW WINS FARMINGTON'S MAD DAWG COMPETITION
Tue, 2008-05-06 12:28
Until the Mad Dawg season opener in
Farmington, NC, Gilmer Hinshaw had never once qualified for an event,
despite several previous attempts. When he finally did make the show,
he flat stole it.
Hinshaw, a 2004 NHRA divisional champion in Top
Sportsman, campaigned a Chevy Monte Carlo in years past that was free of modern
conveniences like a computer, and other gadgets Hinshaw refers to as "fancy
stuff". "I was an old school racer that would just make changes and hoped they work, then until I discovered there was a better way," laughed Hinshaw.
Until the Mad Dawg season opener in Farmington, NC, Gilmer Hinshaw had never once qualified for an event, despite several previous attempts. When he finally did make the
show, he flat stole it.
Hinshaw, a 2004 NHRA divisional champion in Top
Sportsman, campaigned a Chevy Monte Carlo in years past that was free of modern
conveniences like a computer, and other gadgets Hinshaw refers to as "fancy
stuff". "I was an old school racer that would just make changes and hoped they work, then until I discovered there was a better way," laughed Hinshaw.
His latest ride, a Don Ness Cobalt, is lacking nothing
in the area of technology or performance, not to mention it's pretty easy on the
eyes. Motivated by a Scott Duggins-prepared 763, Hinshaw not only qualified for
the season opener, he ran low et during a final session blast of 4.214, 174mph.
Fans were standing in the bleachers and lining up along
the fence at Farmington yesterday evening as the Outlaw Mad Dawgs rolled to the
line for round one eliminations. Hinshaw faced the Pontiac Grand Am of Jamie
Chappel in an entertaining dash that could have went either way. Chappel was
late out of the gate, and Gilmer's Cobalt was dancing in and out of the groove.
Hinshaw was there for the taking with a 4.64, but Chappel had issues of his own,
clocking 4.69 at the stripe.
Hinshaw's semi-final match up with Todd Tutterow was a
back and forth chess match that began with a Tutterow hole shot. Tutterow's
Willys shook hard and early, and Hinshaw pulled away toward the finish line.
Without a hint of warning though, Hinshaw was suddenly in trouble himself as his
Cobalt began to break traction and fishtail around 400 ft. Tutterow, still
fighting to regain control, got the Willys stuck in the groove and was coming on
strong as Hinshaw barely broke the beams to activate his win light. "I had
him by 40 mph at the finish line, and I thought I was going to catch him there
for a minute", commented Tutterow, after a wild semi-final. Hinshaw stopped the
clocks with a 4.47 at a coasting 134-mph. Factor in Tutterow's starting line
advantage, and his 4.50, 170mph made this an incredibly close decision at the
660 mark.
On the other side of the semi-final ladder, Andy Beal
made good use of the first alternate position when Darrin Hoyle hurt a piston in
round 3 qualifying, preventing him from answering the call for round one
eliminations. Beal got past new comer J.D. Goad in round one, then stopped Todd
Howard in the semis. Concern begin to mount though as Beal neared the finish
line on that semi-final run. Streaking up through the night sky was a
visible orange glow, presumably a piece of wounded Big Block Chevy. Back in the
pits, a quick look revealed a hurt motor, thus preventing Beal from meeting
Gilmer Hinshaw in the finals.
Hinshaw delivered a breath-holding single run for the
fans as his Cobalt skated and danced once again on the top end, clocking 4.25, 161mph to take his first Mad Dawg victory back home to Burlington, NC. In
addition to his primary sponsor, Kresto, Gilmer Hinshaw wishes to thank Ron
Senecal, Larry and Jason Tutterow at Carolina Drilling, PAR Racing Engines,
Bruno Racing Transmissions, Hoosier Tires and
wife, Debbie Hinshaw.
Mad Dawg action returns to Farmington on June 14, for
the second of six scheduled events in 2008.
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