NMRAPaul
08-21-2006, 06:25 PM
The 6th Annual NMRA Ford Motorsports Nationals presented by Downs Ford Motorsports – Atco Raceway, August 11-13, 2006
Three was the magic number in New Jersey – just three races to go in the 2006 season, and no fewer than five different drivers looking for their third win in a row. With near-perfect weather, the challenge in Atco wouldn’t be making power; it would be getting that power to the ground. That meant it would be a driver’s race, putting a premium on tuner savvy above store-bought horsepower, and the fans filling the grandstands weren’t disappointed.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/PROWBISCHOFF.jpgWhile all eyes were on DiabloSport Pro 5.0 rookie Tony Bischoff, coming off of wins in his Michigan debut and again at Route 66, the driver dashing in under the radar to take the number one qualifying spot on Saturday was Team Aruba’s Burt Kelkboom with a huge 6.575 at 213.10 mph, quicker and faster than the standing national record. Even more impressive was the fact that they’d done it with just two events worth of runs under their belts with the new chassis that debuted in Michigan. Mike Hauf checked in second with a 6.593, also under the ET record, followed by Don Walsh, Jr. and Tony Bischoff batting cleanup after struggling for traction in his first two passes and lifting early in the third.
The luck of the ladder made for some critical first round matchups; with Walsh and Hauf tied in the points, every pass was do-or-die. The first pair out of the gate pitted Hauf against David Hance, and the tire shake that had been dogging Hauf all through qualifying bit hard, resulting in a lifting 13-second pass versus Hance’s picture perfect 6.642. Picture perfect, except for the -.012 redlight in Hance’s lane that kept Hauf in the hunt by the skin of his teeth. The second pair was just as important, with the man with three championships facing the driver who’s never lost a Pro 5.0 race. Again, traction was a factor, with Walsh lifting, but this time there would be no miracle and Bischoff advanced. With Bill Devine a no-show, Kelkboom rode out his single to a 7.011 and into the second round. There, the odd field gave him another free pass, this one a 6.757, while Bischoff and Hauf dueled to see who would face him in the final. With for-all-intents identical reaction times, the two yellow bullets were locked side-by-side down-track, but through the traps Bischoff had taken the lead, 6.671 to 6.680. After the drama of the first two rounds, the final was a definite anti-climax; something had gone away in Kelkboom’s big-block and though the team brought the car to the water box just in case there was another miracle laying around, it wasn’t to be, and they could only watch as Bischoff took a hard 6.685 pass into the winner’s circle, extending his unbeaten record to three races and complicating the championship picture for Hauf and Walsh.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/SSOWURIST.jpgIn qualifying, early indications were that MSD Super Street Outlaw racer John Urist, who already had three consecutive event wins to his credit, would be on top of the ladder come Sunday morning, but in the final night-time qualifying session Billy Laskowski stepped it up and turned in a sizzling 7.572 at only 177 and change, fully 12 mph down on Urist, who grabbed the second rung with a 7.587 at just shy of 190. Don Burton, Phil Hines, and Brian Sorby rounded out the top five, with seven-second passes stretching all the way down to eighth slot in the 12-car field. Though Laskowski would prove it wasn’t a fluke with a 7.575 victory over Yanni Daparomas in the opening round of eliminations, the “fast or broke” switch got flipped to the wrong setting and Laskowski wouldn’t be able to put up a fight against Hines in the second. With ‘Sky’s stolen semi-final bye in his pocket, Hines went straight to the big show, where he’d square off against the Fireball. For his part, Urist had been wading through his own half of the field, getting past Mike Trimandilis, 7.561 to 7.895 in the first, then kicking it up a notch in the second against AJ Powell, moving on with a 7.553 to Powell’s 7.791. Urist got his own semi-final breather when Jarrett Halfacre wasn’t able to make the call, and the stage was set. When the tree dropped on the last SSO match of the weekend, Urist was away first, .026 to .099, and never looked back. Hines’ off-pace 7.907 just wasn’t going to be enough, with Urist taking his fourth win in a row with a 7.622 at 187.70 mph.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/RENWMITCHELL.jpgA late-season rule change in ProCharger EFI Renegade promised to re-shuffle the deck in the hotly-contested class, and when the dust settled on Saturday, it was a pushrod car again at the top of qualifying, with Zoop Zellonis posting an 8.560 at 158.13, on-pace with the record set in Joliet by Modular racer Aaron Stapleton. Stapleton himself was right there with Zellonis, squarely in second with an 8.573 at 159.44. You’d have to go all the way down to tenth spot on the ladder to find your first nine in the dozen-car field, giving a hint of what was to come in eliminations. When things started off on Sunday, Zellonis got past a troubled Bart Tobener in the opening round, then put away Bob Cook in the second, largely on the strength of a .016-to-.224 holeshot. That gave the top qualifier a clear shot through the semi-finals with a competition bye, but waiting for him at the top of the hill wouldn’t be Stapleton – instead, Brian Mitchell would be making his third final round appearance of the year. Mitchell started out the day with an unexpected single when Jason Geroulo didn’t make the call, then faced Stapleton in the quarter-finals. Mitchell pulled a .026-to-.195 holeshot but wouldn’t need it, as Stapleton slowed down-track and could only muster an 8.961 at 128 to Mitchell’s 8.656 at 159. Only Scott Lovell stood between Mitchell and the finals, and he didn’t go down without a fight. After catching the holeshot, Lovell tried in vain to preserve his lead and went down in a too-close-to-call 8.775 to 8.717 loss to Mitchell. In the deciding round, Mitchell pulled out all the stops and ran an 8.674 to Zellonis’ 8.745, negating his holeshot advantage and picking up Mitchell’s first Renegade win of the year.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/HSWMENS.jpgThough the players would be familiar in Edelbrock Hot Street qualifying, with Bob Hanlon taking his second pole of the year with an 8.803 and Charlie Booze, Jr., right on his tail with an 8.822, the story in eliminations would center around third-qualifed Ben Mens. A former Open Comp competitor and engine builder for Roush Racing, Mens was piloting Mike Demayo’s old ride while Demayo broke in his new mount. On Sunday, Hanlon began the day with a competition bye thanks to the 9-car field, then faced Demayo, who went down swinging with an 8.972 to Hanlon’s 8.849. That paired Hanlon and Booze in the semis, and you just aren’t going to find a better Hot Street matchup than that. Booze was away first by a heartbeat, but Hanlon caught and passed the current points leader, winning 8.859 to 8.914. Meanwhile on the other side of the ladder, Mens caught a first-round gimme when Andy Schmidt broke mid-run and coasted through the lights, then trailered Mike Abdalla in the second round, 8.938 to 9.088. The third competition bye was Mens by right, and delivered him straight into the finals against Hanlon. That pair would be a wild one, with both cars away quickly and Hanlon up on the bumper, where he’d have no choice but to lift and come down hard, giving the win to Mitchell.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/DRWKOLIVAS.jpgUnder normal circumstances, BFGoodrich Tires Drag Radial is a delicate balancing act between power and traction, and with the good air and tricky track surface in Atco, the class was truly up for grabs. In qualifying, the 8-car field was led by Mauro Vitale’s shockingly-quick 8.13, as good an ET as we’ve seen all year from anybody. Class bully (and we say that with love) John Kolivas posted the second-fastest time on Saturday, audibly struggling to keep his car hooked up and on the turbo. Third slot was claimed by Jason Lee, beloved of trackside photographers for his uncanny ability to stand his four-eyed Fox up more or less at will while still cutting quick ET’s. In eliminations, Vitale made short work of Shane Jennings in the first round with an 8.25, but by the time Lee got to him in the second, he’d slowed to an 8.533 and even a holeshot couldn’t save him from Lee’s consistent 8.30 pace. Meanwhile, Kolivas had gone unopposed in the opener when Chris Tuten didn’t take the beams, then methodically dispatched Alex Vrettos in the semi-finals, 8.293 to 8.522. Kolivas didn’t have another twenty in his bag of tricks for the finals, but he didn’t need it; Lee had slowed, dropping another tenth, and his 8.418 wasn’t going to get the job done against Kolivas’ 8.304.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/RSWHEMMINGER.jpg5.0 Magazine Real Street is another class where the controversy has been as heated as the competition on-track, and another three-peat was in the offing at Atco. Defending champ Brian Meyer claimed top honors in qualifying with a 9.898, followed by nitrous-powered Bruce Hemminger at 9.910 and Craig Baldwin with a 9.972. Tim Matherly, Robin Lawrence, Jim Breese, and Paul Alfeo rounded out the seven-car field. When things kicked off on Sunday, Meyer had the odd-field bye in the first, but an upset in the semi-finals sent Breese on in his place when something went away in Meyer’s car. On the other side of the ladder, Hemminger was still on his single-digit pace, dispatching Uncle Robin in the first round, 9.955 to 10.039, then doing the same to Tim Matherly when he could only muster an off-pace 10.747 to Hemminger’s bracket-like 9.953. The finals were a foregone conclusion; while Breese was on-pace with a 10.100 at 134, the price of entry into the winner’s circle was a nine, and Hemminger busted one out with ease, running 9.946 and taking his third victory in three races.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/PSWMEADOWS.jpgTremec Pure Street drew a well-rounded field of a dozen cars, led by Bad Brad Meadows in qualifying with a 10.290 at 130.42. The next seven cars all posted tens on Saturday, promising some close racing in eliminations. Not surprisingly, Meadows methodically worked his way through the field on Sunday, trailering Jimmy Wilson in the opening round with a quarter-second margin of victory, then ending Victor Downs’ weekend in the second, 10.304 to 10.653. With the field narrowed to just three cars, the semi-final bye went to Meadows, delivering him straight to Teddy Weaver in the finals. For his part, Weaver had qualified second on Saturday, then pushed past Ron Cullember in the first round before escaping a close call in the second against Brandon Alsept. Away first, Alsept had pulled a .083-to-.136 holeshot, but Weaver managed to drive around and take the win, 10.465 to 10.524. That earned him the right to face off with Gary Barrett in the semis, where he again gave up the leave but pulled past down-track, 10.441 to 10.580. That left just Weaver and Meadows, and this time Meadows had the upper hand, taking a .050-to-.155 holeshot and extending it on the big end, winning the PS crown, 10.280 to 10.463.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/FSWSCHMELL.jpgThe first three K&N Factory Stock races of the year had been carbon copies – Shawn Johnson qualifying first, meeting Jeff Schmell in the finals, and relegating him to runner-up status. In Michigan, Schmell had turned the tables and bookended the weekend with a TQ and win, and in Atco he was primed to do it again. In qualifying, Schmell set the pace with an 11.546, followed by Mike Washington and Shawn Johnson. The entire nine-car field found an 11-second tuneup by the close of Saturday’s festivities. That odd number gave Schmell the bye in the first round, then pitted him against Dennis Merrow in the second. Schmell’s 11.508 to Merrow’s 11.744 sent him on to face Steve Gifford in the semis. There, a huge -.268 redlight from Gifford made Schmell’s -.070 a non-issue, sending Schmell to his fifth final round appearance of the season. There, he’d face Shawn Johnson, who escaped a near-death experience in the first round on the strength of a tiny .149-to-.180 holeshot against Brian Marr, then collected himself and ran an 11.768 against Eric Holliday’s losing 11.899 in the second. The semi-finals dropped a competition bye into Johnson’s lap and sent him straight up against Schmell. In that match, the move went to Johnson, but while he’d slowed, managing only an 11.974, Schmell had found a consistent tune and ran another mid-eleven, (11.512 to be exact) good for the win and a much-deeded boost in the championship points chase.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/MMWHARTY.jpgAs usual, Vortech Modular Muscle packed ‘em in at Atco, with 23 cars in the field at the end of qualifying, led by index racing vet Stacy Estel with a .001 reaction. After four rounds of eliminations, the field had come down to the final pair, pitting last year’s #4 ranked racer Zak Harty against Pete Espeut. Thanks to his slower 12.48 index, the tree dropped first for Harty, and he was away with a .060 light, followed a heartbeat later by Espeut with a .056. With not much to choose between at the tree, the race would come down to a gut check in the beams, with both drivers breaking out. The win would go to Harty, running 12.441 on 12.48 to Espeut’s losing 11.612 on 11.69.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/OCWDEMALTO.jpgToyo Tires Open Comp was also chock full of racers for the weekend, with the huge 43-car field topped by Hank Dingfelder’s perfect .000 light, and the top seven all in double-aught territory. It took five complete rounds to boil the field down to the final pair, pitting Philadelphia’s Tom Demalto against fellow Pennsylvanian Paul Mileski. With just a small offset due to their indexes, the race was nearly heads-up; Demalto was away first with a .160 reaction to Mileski’s .274, and Mileski was on it hard to close the gap. Too hard, in fact; an 11.636 breakout on his 11.73 index relegated Mileski to runner-up status and gave Demalto the win, running 12.010 on 11.98.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/TRWKOHLMANN.jpg“Captain” Keith Kohlmann keeps saying he’s not going to make it to the track, but always turns up anyway, and Atco, closest stop on the tour to his Bradley Beach, New Jersey home was no exception. A .003 light in qualifying gave Kohlmann the top spot among the eight racers in Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning, and he’d parlay that position into a spot in the finals on Sunday, where he’d meet another class stalwart, Johnny “Lightning” Wiker. The offset indexes gave Wiker the green first, and he was away with a .073 light, but Kohlmann wasn’t going to give up the leave and posted a .020 when his side of the tree came down. Both drivers kept the hammer down through the traps – there was no fender-racing here, just a good old double-breakout, with the win going to Kohlmann. His 10.443 on a 10.47 index was less egregious than Wiker’s 11.507 on 11.63, giving the Captain his second win in four trips to the finals this year.
Three was the magic number in New Jersey – just three races to go in the 2006 season, and no fewer than five different drivers looking for their third win in a row. With near-perfect weather, the challenge in Atco wouldn’t be making power; it would be getting that power to the ground. That meant it would be a driver’s race, putting a premium on tuner savvy above store-bought horsepower, and the fans filling the grandstands weren’t disappointed.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/PROWBISCHOFF.jpgWhile all eyes were on DiabloSport Pro 5.0 rookie Tony Bischoff, coming off of wins in his Michigan debut and again at Route 66, the driver dashing in under the radar to take the number one qualifying spot on Saturday was Team Aruba’s Burt Kelkboom with a huge 6.575 at 213.10 mph, quicker and faster than the standing national record. Even more impressive was the fact that they’d done it with just two events worth of runs under their belts with the new chassis that debuted in Michigan. Mike Hauf checked in second with a 6.593, also under the ET record, followed by Don Walsh, Jr. and Tony Bischoff batting cleanup after struggling for traction in his first two passes and lifting early in the third.
The luck of the ladder made for some critical first round matchups; with Walsh and Hauf tied in the points, every pass was do-or-die. The first pair out of the gate pitted Hauf against David Hance, and the tire shake that had been dogging Hauf all through qualifying bit hard, resulting in a lifting 13-second pass versus Hance’s picture perfect 6.642. Picture perfect, except for the -.012 redlight in Hance’s lane that kept Hauf in the hunt by the skin of his teeth. The second pair was just as important, with the man with three championships facing the driver who’s never lost a Pro 5.0 race. Again, traction was a factor, with Walsh lifting, but this time there would be no miracle and Bischoff advanced. With Bill Devine a no-show, Kelkboom rode out his single to a 7.011 and into the second round. There, the odd field gave him another free pass, this one a 6.757, while Bischoff and Hauf dueled to see who would face him in the final. With for-all-intents identical reaction times, the two yellow bullets were locked side-by-side down-track, but through the traps Bischoff had taken the lead, 6.671 to 6.680. After the drama of the first two rounds, the final was a definite anti-climax; something had gone away in Kelkboom’s big-block and though the team brought the car to the water box just in case there was another miracle laying around, it wasn’t to be, and they could only watch as Bischoff took a hard 6.685 pass into the winner’s circle, extending his unbeaten record to three races and complicating the championship picture for Hauf and Walsh.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/SSOWURIST.jpgIn qualifying, early indications were that MSD Super Street Outlaw racer John Urist, who already had three consecutive event wins to his credit, would be on top of the ladder come Sunday morning, but in the final night-time qualifying session Billy Laskowski stepped it up and turned in a sizzling 7.572 at only 177 and change, fully 12 mph down on Urist, who grabbed the second rung with a 7.587 at just shy of 190. Don Burton, Phil Hines, and Brian Sorby rounded out the top five, with seven-second passes stretching all the way down to eighth slot in the 12-car field. Though Laskowski would prove it wasn’t a fluke with a 7.575 victory over Yanni Daparomas in the opening round of eliminations, the “fast or broke” switch got flipped to the wrong setting and Laskowski wouldn’t be able to put up a fight against Hines in the second. With ‘Sky’s stolen semi-final bye in his pocket, Hines went straight to the big show, where he’d square off against the Fireball. For his part, Urist had been wading through his own half of the field, getting past Mike Trimandilis, 7.561 to 7.895 in the first, then kicking it up a notch in the second against AJ Powell, moving on with a 7.553 to Powell’s 7.791. Urist got his own semi-final breather when Jarrett Halfacre wasn’t able to make the call, and the stage was set. When the tree dropped on the last SSO match of the weekend, Urist was away first, .026 to .099, and never looked back. Hines’ off-pace 7.907 just wasn’t going to be enough, with Urist taking his fourth win in a row with a 7.622 at 187.70 mph.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/RENWMITCHELL.jpgA late-season rule change in ProCharger EFI Renegade promised to re-shuffle the deck in the hotly-contested class, and when the dust settled on Saturday, it was a pushrod car again at the top of qualifying, with Zoop Zellonis posting an 8.560 at 158.13, on-pace with the record set in Joliet by Modular racer Aaron Stapleton. Stapleton himself was right there with Zellonis, squarely in second with an 8.573 at 159.44. You’d have to go all the way down to tenth spot on the ladder to find your first nine in the dozen-car field, giving a hint of what was to come in eliminations. When things started off on Sunday, Zellonis got past a troubled Bart Tobener in the opening round, then put away Bob Cook in the second, largely on the strength of a .016-to-.224 holeshot. That gave the top qualifier a clear shot through the semi-finals with a competition bye, but waiting for him at the top of the hill wouldn’t be Stapleton – instead, Brian Mitchell would be making his third final round appearance of the year. Mitchell started out the day with an unexpected single when Jason Geroulo didn’t make the call, then faced Stapleton in the quarter-finals. Mitchell pulled a .026-to-.195 holeshot but wouldn’t need it, as Stapleton slowed down-track and could only muster an 8.961 at 128 to Mitchell’s 8.656 at 159. Only Scott Lovell stood between Mitchell and the finals, and he didn’t go down without a fight. After catching the holeshot, Lovell tried in vain to preserve his lead and went down in a too-close-to-call 8.775 to 8.717 loss to Mitchell. In the deciding round, Mitchell pulled out all the stops and ran an 8.674 to Zellonis’ 8.745, negating his holeshot advantage and picking up Mitchell’s first Renegade win of the year.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/HSWMENS.jpgThough the players would be familiar in Edelbrock Hot Street qualifying, with Bob Hanlon taking his second pole of the year with an 8.803 and Charlie Booze, Jr., right on his tail with an 8.822, the story in eliminations would center around third-qualifed Ben Mens. A former Open Comp competitor and engine builder for Roush Racing, Mens was piloting Mike Demayo’s old ride while Demayo broke in his new mount. On Sunday, Hanlon began the day with a competition bye thanks to the 9-car field, then faced Demayo, who went down swinging with an 8.972 to Hanlon’s 8.849. That paired Hanlon and Booze in the semis, and you just aren’t going to find a better Hot Street matchup than that. Booze was away first by a heartbeat, but Hanlon caught and passed the current points leader, winning 8.859 to 8.914. Meanwhile on the other side of the ladder, Mens caught a first-round gimme when Andy Schmidt broke mid-run and coasted through the lights, then trailered Mike Abdalla in the second round, 8.938 to 9.088. The third competition bye was Mens by right, and delivered him straight into the finals against Hanlon. That pair would be a wild one, with both cars away quickly and Hanlon up on the bumper, where he’d have no choice but to lift and come down hard, giving the win to Mitchell.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/DRWKOLIVAS.jpgUnder normal circumstances, BFGoodrich Tires Drag Radial is a delicate balancing act between power and traction, and with the good air and tricky track surface in Atco, the class was truly up for grabs. In qualifying, the 8-car field was led by Mauro Vitale’s shockingly-quick 8.13, as good an ET as we’ve seen all year from anybody. Class bully (and we say that with love) John Kolivas posted the second-fastest time on Saturday, audibly struggling to keep his car hooked up and on the turbo. Third slot was claimed by Jason Lee, beloved of trackside photographers for his uncanny ability to stand his four-eyed Fox up more or less at will while still cutting quick ET’s. In eliminations, Vitale made short work of Shane Jennings in the first round with an 8.25, but by the time Lee got to him in the second, he’d slowed to an 8.533 and even a holeshot couldn’t save him from Lee’s consistent 8.30 pace. Meanwhile, Kolivas had gone unopposed in the opener when Chris Tuten didn’t take the beams, then methodically dispatched Alex Vrettos in the semi-finals, 8.293 to 8.522. Kolivas didn’t have another twenty in his bag of tricks for the finals, but he didn’t need it; Lee had slowed, dropping another tenth, and his 8.418 wasn’t going to get the job done against Kolivas’ 8.304.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/RSWHEMMINGER.jpg5.0 Magazine Real Street is another class where the controversy has been as heated as the competition on-track, and another three-peat was in the offing at Atco. Defending champ Brian Meyer claimed top honors in qualifying with a 9.898, followed by nitrous-powered Bruce Hemminger at 9.910 and Craig Baldwin with a 9.972. Tim Matherly, Robin Lawrence, Jim Breese, and Paul Alfeo rounded out the seven-car field. When things kicked off on Sunday, Meyer had the odd-field bye in the first, but an upset in the semi-finals sent Breese on in his place when something went away in Meyer’s car. On the other side of the ladder, Hemminger was still on his single-digit pace, dispatching Uncle Robin in the first round, 9.955 to 10.039, then doing the same to Tim Matherly when he could only muster an off-pace 10.747 to Hemminger’s bracket-like 9.953. The finals were a foregone conclusion; while Breese was on-pace with a 10.100 at 134, the price of entry into the winner’s circle was a nine, and Hemminger busted one out with ease, running 9.946 and taking his third victory in three races.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/PSWMEADOWS.jpgTremec Pure Street drew a well-rounded field of a dozen cars, led by Bad Brad Meadows in qualifying with a 10.290 at 130.42. The next seven cars all posted tens on Saturday, promising some close racing in eliminations. Not surprisingly, Meadows methodically worked his way through the field on Sunday, trailering Jimmy Wilson in the opening round with a quarter-second margin of victory, then ending Victor Downs’ weekend in the second, 10.304 to 10.653. With the field narrowed to just three cars, the semi-final bye went to Meadows, delivering him straight to Teddy Weaver in the finals. For his part, Weaver had qualified second on Saturday, then pushed past Ron Cullember in the first round before escaping a close call in the second against Brandon Alsept. Away first, Alsept had pulled a .083-to-.136 holeshot, but Weaver managed to drive around and take the win, 10.465 to 10.524. That earned him the right to face off with Gary Barrett in the semis, where he again gave up the leave but pulled past down-track, 10.441 to 10.580. That left just Weaver and Meadows, and this time Meadows had the upper hand, taking a .050-to-.155 holeshot and extending it on the big end, winning the PS crown, 10.280 to 10.463.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/FSWSCHMELL.jpgThe first three K&N Factory Stock races of the year had been carbon copies – Shawn Johnson qualifying first, meeting Jeff Schmell in the finals, and relegating him to runner-up status. In Michigan, Schmell had turned the tables and bookended the weekend with a TQ and win, and in Atco he was primed to do it again. In qualifying, Schmell set the pace with an 11.546, followed by Mike Washington and Shawn Johnson. The entire nine-car field found an 11-second tuneup by the close of Saturday’s festivities. That odd number gave Schmell the bye in the first round, then pitted him against Dennis Merrow in the second. Schmell’s 11.508 to Merrow’s 11.744 sent him on to face Steve Gifford in the semis. There, a huge -.268 redlight from Gifford made Schmell’s -.070 a non-issue, sending Schmell to his fifth final round appearance of the season. There, he’d face Shawn Johnson, who escaped a near-death experience in the first round on the strength of a tiny .149-to-.180 holeshot against Brian Marr, then collected himself and ran an 11.768 against Eric Holliday’s losing 11.899 in the second. The semi-finals dropped a competition bye into Johnson’s lap and sent him straight up against Schmell. In that match, the move went to Johnson, but while he’d slowed, managing only an 11.974, Schmell had found a consistent tune and ran another mid-eleven, (11.512 to be exact) good for the win and a much-deeded boost in the championship points chase.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/MMWHARTY.jpgAs usual, Vortech Modular Muscle packed ‘em in at Atco, with 23 cars in the field at the end of qualifying, led by index racing vet Stacy Estel with a .001 reaction. After four rounds of eliminations, the field had come down to the final pair, pitting last year’s #4 ranked racer Zak Harty against Pete Espeut. Thanks to his slower 12.48 index, the tree dropped first for Harty, and he was away with a .060 light, followed a heartbeat later by Espeut with a .056. With not much to choose between at the tree, the race would come down to a gut check in the beams, with both drivers breaking out. The win would go to Harty, running 12.441 on 12.48 to Espeut’s losing 11.612 on 11.69.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/OCWDEMALTO.jpgToyo Tires Open Comp was also chock full of racers for the weekend, with the huge 43-car field topped by Hank Dingfelder’s perfect .000 light, and the top seven all in double-aught territory. It took five complete rounds to boil the field down to the final pair, pitting Philadelphia’s Tom Demalto against fellow Pennsylvanian Paul Mileski. With just a small offset due to their indexes, the race was nearly heads-up; Demalto was away first with a .160 reaction to Mileski’s .274, and Mileski was on it hard to close the gap. Too hard, in fact; an 11.636 breakout on his 11.73 index relegated Mileski to runner-up status and gave Demalto the win, running 12.010 on 11.98.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/atco/TRWKOHLMANN.jpg“Captain” Keith Kohlmann keeps saying he’s not going to make it to the track, but always turns up anyway, and Atco, closest stop on the tour to his Bradley Beach, New Jersey home was no exception. A .003 light in qualifying gave Kohlmann the top spot among the eight racers in Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning, and he’d parlay that position into a spot in the finals on Sunday, where he’d meet another class stalwart, Johnny “Lightning” Wiker. The offset indexes gave Wiker the green first, and he was away with a .073 light, but Kohlmann wasn’t going to give up the leave and posted a .020 when his side of the tree came down. Both drivers kept the hammer down through the traps – there was no fender-racing here, just a good old double-breakout, with the win going to Kohlmann. His 10.443 on a 10.47 index was less egregious than Wiker’s 11.507 on 11.63, giving the Captain his second win in four trips to the finals this year.