NMRAPaul
08-13-2006, 05:02 PM
By Jason and Paul
The magic number this weekend was “three,” with several drivers making their third consecutive trip to the winner’s circle this season. It’s been a hectic day here in Atco with non-stop action in eliminations, so please pardon us if we’re a little light in this department today. Don’t forget – video highlights are just a click away on NMRAtv!
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/sunschmidt.jpgThis, ladies and gentlemen, is what can happen when you make an unplanned trip to the heavens in an NMRA Hot Street car. Andy Schmidt, in an effort to unseat eventual winner Ben Mens, stood his ’85 GT on the bumper. The car will need the headers repaired, new struts, a new k-member, an oil pan, a new left front tire, and possibly more replaced before the Columbus event in three weeks. He also left a pretty good-sized divot in the track at the 100-foot mark.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/sunkolivas.jpgThe BFGoodrich Tires Drag Radial was one of the most hotly contested classes of the weekend, as it has been all of the last two seasons. A familiar sight in the winner’s circle over the last three races in particular is none other than John Kolivas. Kolivas made the wise move of enlisting turbo wizard Job Spetter Jr. earlier in this season, and ever since, his program has been virtually unstoppable, due in part to Spetter’s influence, and also the work his father, Vern, crewmember Jeff Reed, and chassis dude Wade Hopkins. It doesn’t hurt that the tree is Kolivas’ favorite place to live, and he’s making it very difficult to bet against him for DR champ this year. In honor of this, the editorial staff of Race Pages has come up with a new slogan…”Everybody’s afraid of Johnny K!”
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/sunmens.jpgFirst Toyo Tires Open Comp, now Edelbrock Hot Street. Engine builder Ben Mens of Roush Racing had the opportunity to slip into yet another vehicle owned by someone else. After sitting in the driver’s seat for the first time on Friday afternoon, Mens piloted Mike DeMayo’s old Hot Street chassis past the entire field, jumping right into the 8.80 club, squeezing past the number one qualifier, and taking the win light at the end of the racetrack. With a brand new bullet between the framerails, an unfamiliar (to Mens) automatic transmission, and a lot of hard work and dedication, the team spent the weekend trying to prove its worth to the other competitors. A bumper-dragging moonshot by Bob Hanlon in the finals pushed Mens right into the winner’s circle.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/sunburton.jpgWe’ll finish up our Atco Bits in the Pits coverage with the Hot Shot of the weekend. In the second round of MSD Super Street Outlaw competition, old friends Jarrett Halfacre and Don Burton came head to head to see who’d face John Urist in the semi-finals. When Burton got loose just off the launch pad, he did his best to reel it back in but still clipped the 330-foot reflector block. Look closely – anyone can vaporize a cone, but it takes a whole lot of precision to be able to knock the reflectors off but leave the foam block intact. While it was a disappointing end to Burton’s weekend, he deserves kudos for keeping his bucking Mustang on his own side of the centerline.
That’s it for our inside look at this weekend’s racing. Check in later this week for the full race wrap from the Race Pages staff.
The magic number this weekend was “three,” with several drivers making their third consecutive trip to the winner’s circle this season. It’s been a hectic day here in Atco with non-stop action in eliminations, so please pardon us if we’re a little light in this department today. Don’t forget – video highlights are just a click away on NMRAtv!
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/sunschmidt.jpgThis, ladies and gentlemen, is what can happen when you make an unplanned trip to the heavens in an NMRA Hot Street car. Andy Schmidt, in an effort to unseat eventual winner Ben Mens, stood his ’85 GT on the bumper. The car will need the headers repaired, new struts, a new k-member, an oil pan, a new left front tire, and possibly more replaced before the Columbus event in three weeks. He also left a pretty good-sized divot in the track at the 100-foot mark.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/sunkolivas.jpgThe BFGoodrich Tires Drag Radial was one of the most hotly contested classes of the weekend, as it has been all of the last two seasons. A familiar sight in the winner’s circle over the last three races in particular is none other than John Kolivas. Kolivas made the wise move of enlisting turbo wizard Job Spetter Jr. earlier in this season, and ever since, his program has been virtually unstoppable, due in part to Spetter’s influence, and also the work his father, Vern, crewmember Jeff Reed, and chassis dude Wade Hopkins. It doesn’t hurt that the tree is Kolivas’ favorite place to live, and he’s making it very difficult to bet against him for DR champ this year. In honor of this, the editorial staff of Race Pages has come up with a new slogan…”Everybody’s afraid of Johnny K!”
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/sunmens.jpgFirst Toyo Tires Open Comp, now Edelbrock Hot Street. Engine builder Ben Mens of Roush Racing had the opportunity to slip into yet another vehicle owned by someone else. After sitting in the driver’s seat for the first time on Friday afternoon, Mens piloted Mike DeMayo’s old Hot Street chassis past the entire field, jumping right into the 8.80 club, squeezing past the number one qualifier, and taking the win light at the end of the racetrack. With a brand new bullet between the framerails, an unfamiliar (to Mens) automatic transmission, and a lot of hard work and dedication, the team spent the weekend trying to prove its worth to the other competitors. A bumper-dragging moonshot by Bob Hanlon in the finals pushed Mens right into the winner’s circle.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/sunburton.jpgWe’ll finish up our Atco Bits in the Pits coverage with the Hot Shot of the weekend. In the second round of MSD Super Street Outlaw competition, old friends Jarrett Halfacre and Don Burton came head to head to see who’d face John Urist in the semi-finals. When Burton got loose just off the launch pad, he did his best to reel it back in but still clipped the 330-foot reflector block. Look closely – anyone can vaporize a cone, but it takes a whole lot of precision to be able to knock the reflectors off but leave the foam block intact. While it was a disappointing end to Burton’s weekend, he deserves kudos for keeping his bucking Mustang on his own side of the centerline.
That’s it for our inside look at this weekend’s racing. Check in later this week for the full race wrap from the Race Pages staff.