NMRAPaul
09-06-2007, 01:53 PM
By Paul Huizenga
The 29th Annual Nitto Tires NMRA Ford Nationals at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, brought together the old and new in Ford performance; from the Y-Block shootout and classic pre-’79 Blue Oval bracket racers to the NMRA’s cutting-edge heads-up classes. Last year, sporadic rain on Saturday couldn’t dampen the fans’ enthusiasm, and this year, perfect weather brought big crowds to National Trail, and set the stage for several record-breaking performances during qualifying and eliminations. With just one event left in the ’07 season after the Columbus round, and every class points chase still in play, National Trail would make or break racers’ championship hopes.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/prowbischoff.jpg
While some racers making big power would spend the weekend trying to get it to the pavement, Diablosport Pro 5.0 racer Tony Bischoff got his mojo working early, pegging the top spot in the second round of qualifying with a 6.600 at 209.17 mph. Defending champ Mike Hauf was right behind him at 6.668, while Mike Bavlsir rounded out the three-car field with a 7.661, still feeling out the newly-acquired Probe. In eliminations, Hauf got past Bavlsir with ease in the opening round, improving to 6.660 in the process, and went on to meet Bischoff in the final at the end of the day. In a straight-up drag race, Hauf was away first by a small margin, .046 to Bischoff’s .069, but down-track the nitrous car caught up and built just enough of a lead to slip past, with Bischoff running a winning 6.634 to Hauf’s 6.690. The margin of victory? A scant .033 seconds at the stripe.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/ssowhalfacre.jpg
MSD Ignition Super Street Outlaw has been one of the most exciting classes to watch this year, and Columbus was no exception. In qualifying, Jarrett Halfacre took his turbocharged Mustang to the top of the ladder with a 7.447-second blast at 195.59 mph in the final session, ending the pass pointed the wrong way at the edge of the sand trap. A total of a dozen true 10.5 cars filled the lanes on Sunday, with Don Burton and John Urist joining Halfacre in the 7.40’s and the sevens stretching all the way down to tenth place. Eliminations came down to Halfacre and Urist, both drivers having runs of both good and bad luck this year. With a near dead-even start, it was Halfacre ahead at the stripe, running 7.573 to Urist’s 7.655 and earning his first SSO victory.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/renwmitchell.jpg
18 drivers fought it out for the top spot in Procharger EFI Renegade qualifying with Brian Tuten way out in front, his 8.560 at 155.97 a full tenth ahead of his nearest competition, Bart Tobener. In third place was a familiar face who’s been AWOL for the past few races, George “4 on 4.25” Seeger, showing that he hadn’t lost his chops in the interim. In eliminations, a -.008 redlight put Tuten out of the running in round three, allowing 2006 class champ Brian Mitchell to continue his climb to the finals. There, he’d meet Seeger in a matchup nobody would have predicted that morning. Both drivers hit the tree with everything they had, Mitchell cutting a .017 to Seeger’s .032, and the race came down to who could pedal faster – Mitchell’s 9.224 was enough to hold off Seeger’s 9.595, despite giving up more than 35 mph through the traps.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/hswdemayo.jpg
The naturally-aspirated Edelbrock Hot Street racers had the most to gain thanks to the mild weekend weather in Columbus, and as a result, an eight-eighty was the price of admission to the top six in the 16-car field in qualifying. Justin Curry did that, and a little more with a ladder-topping 8.797 at 151.29 mph. After three rounds of eliminations on Sunday, the field had narrowed to Mike DeMayo, who had qualified third and eliminated Curry in the semis, against Tim Eichhorn, who ran mid-pack in eighth spot during qualifying but used a combination of luck, quick reactions, and straight-out speed to get to the deciding round. DeMayo was away first, .020 to .054, and it was all over before half-track, with DeMayo running out to an 8.917 to Eichhorn’s limping 12.868.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/drwfiscus.jpg
While the focus this year in BFGoodrich Tires Drag Radial has been on the battle between John Kolivas and Chris Tuten, Kevin Fiscus has been steadily improving his combination and consistently trapping faster than anyone else in the class. In Columbus, Fiscus was able to translate some of that top end into an ET advantage, claiming his first top qualifier award with an 8.296 at 173.65 mph. Kolivas followed at 8.307, with Tony Akins, Chris Tuten, and Joey Bridge rounding out the top five in the 13-car class. On Sunday, the stars had finally aligned for Fiscus, who climbed through three rounds of competition to the finals, where he’d face his biggest threat, John Kolivas. Normally unbeatable on the tree, the Iceman actually lost the leave to Fiscus, .063 to .049, and a picture-perfect 8.347-second pass against Kolivas’ 8.608 carried Fiscus all the way to the winner’s circle for his first Drag Radial victory.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/rsrmatherly.jpg
Nitrous-injected 5.0 Magazine Real Street racer Bruce Hemminger has been a lightning rod for controversy this year, and added to his already fearsome reputation with another top qualifying position at National Trail, running 9.805 at 136.63. Tim Matherly and Mike Washington also found single-digit speed on Saturday, with the rest of the dozen-car field stretching out to the high tens. Eliminations narrowed the field to Matherly and Hemminger after three rounds, and when the tree dropped there was just .004 seconds between the pair. On the short end, Matherly’s blower car caught an early lead, and he was able to hold off a last-second charge from Hemminger, who ran a 10.040 but wasn’t able to catch up to Matherly’s 9.905 despite his huge 139.07 mph trap speed.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/pswanderson.jpg
Tremec Pure Street drew a deep field of 17 racers at National Trail, with Rocky Mason the cream of the crop in qualifying thanks to his 10.347 at 129.62 in the second round. Sunday’s eliminations took four rounds to narrow the field to the final pair, seventh-qualified “Grandpa” Ron Anderson versus eighth seed Jimmy Wilson. Showing that experience and guile are a match for youth and vigor, Grandpa Ron put the move on Wilson, .046 to .100, and it was just enough to eke out a win despite running a slower 10.368 to Wilson’s 10.366. In a true holeshot victory, Anderson’s MOV at the stripe was a scant .052 seconds, or less than a car-length.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/fswgifford.jpg
In Columbus, K&N Filters Factory Stock was all about Steve Gifford. In qualifying, Farmer Steve served notice on the seven-car field with a potentially record-setting 11.329-second pass at 118.49 mph. With number two qualifier Jeff Schmell more than a tenth and a half behind, Gifford cruised through eliminations, backing up the thirty two with a thirty nine in his first round single pass and putting away third-qualified Tommy Godfrey in the second. In the finals, he faced Schmell, and knowing he’d have to let it all hang out to keep up, Schmell pulled a .091-to-.200 holeshot on Farmer Steve. It wasn’t enough, though – Schmell had faded to the mid 11.70’s, while Gifford laid down another 40-even, adding the event win to his list of accomplishments that included setting the record, qualifying first, and earning a teardown all in one weekend.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/mmwmotycka.jpg
Roush Performance Modular Muscle pulled a 20-car field in Columbus, including John Brooks, who came all the way from Kanata, Ontario to earn top qualifier honors with a .005-second light in the second round. With so many cars in the lanes, it took four rounds to get down to the last two, and those two would be class all-stars Tom Motycka and Roxanne Shepard. With a slower index, Motycka got the tree first and was away with a .040 light, and when Shepard’s side came down two and a half seconds later, she notched a .077. Down-track, Motycka held on to his lead, running 12.574-on-12.48 to Shepard’s 10.258 on her 10-flat index.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/ocwconway.jpg
As always, Crane Cams Open Comp proved to be the most popular class, with two score cars taking a hit in qualifying. Troy Lee of Reynoldsburg, Ohio had the lone perfect light in qualifying, earning him the top spot on the ladder. With so many cars in the mix, it took five full rounds to winnow the field to the final pair, where Redline Randy Conway took on Michael Buczynski. Indexed at a slower 11.97 to Buczynski’s 9.95, Conway got the green first and was away with a .057 reaction. When Buczynski’s side came down, a heartbreaking -.009 redlight ended the race before it began, but both racers ran it out anyway, with Conway posting an 11.979-on-11.97, while Buczynski was right there with him, going 9.952 on his 9.95 dial.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/trwmotycka.jpg
Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning was on the upswing in Ohio, with a dozen trucks in the game by the end of qualifying. Dave Cole was in the lead at the close of quals, posting a .011 light in his ’84 Ranger. On Sunday, eliminations came down to an all-F-100 final, with Mike Motycka’s ‘79 against Bob Cochran’s vintage ’48. With near-identical indexes, Cochran would get the green first, or not, as it turned out – a -.018 redlight handed the race to Motycka unopposed, putting the second Motycka of the day into the winner’s circle.
The 29th Annual Nitto Tires NMRA Ford Nationals at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, brought together the old and new in Ford performance; from the Y-Block shootout and classic pre-’79 Blue Oval bracket racers to the NMRA’s cutting-edge heads-up classes. Last year, sporadic rain on Saturday couldn’t dampen the fans’ enthusiasm, and this year, perfect weather brought big crowds to National Trail, and set the stage for several record-breaking performances during qualifying and eliminations. With just one event left in the ’07 season after the Columbus round, and every class points chase still in play, National Trail would make or break racers’ championship hopes.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/prowbischoff.jpg
While some racers making big power would spend the weekend trying to get it to the pavement, Diablosport Pro 5.0 racer Tony Bischoff got his mojo working early, pegging the top spot in the second round of qualifying with a 6.600 at 209.17 mph. Defending champ Mike Hauf was right behind him at 6.668, while Mike Bavlsir rounded out the three-car field with a 7.661, still feeling out the newly-acquired Probe. In eliminations, Hauf got past Bavlsir with ease in the opening round, improving to 6.660 in the process, and went on to meet Bischoff in the final at the end of the day. In a straight-up drag race, Hauf was away first by a small margin, .046 to Bischoff’s .069, but down-track the nitrous car caught up and built just enough of a lead to slip past, with Bischoff running a winning 6.634 to Hauf’s 6.690. The margin of victory? A scant .033 seconds at the stripe.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/ssowhalfacre.jpg
MSD Ignition Super Street Outlaw has been one of the most exciting classes to watch this year, and Columbus was no exception. In qualifying, Jarrett Halfacre took his turbocharged Mustang to the top of the ladder with a 7.447-second blast at 195.59 mph in the final session, ending the pass pointed the wrong way at the edge of the sand trap. A total of a dozen true 10.5 cars filled the lanes on Sunday, with Don Burton and John Urist joining Halfacre in the 7.40’s and the sevens stretching all the way down to tenth place. Eliminations came down to Halfacre and Urist, both drivers having runs of both good and bad luck this year. With a near dead-even start, it was Halfacre ahead at the stripe, running 7.573 to Urist’s 7.655 and earning his first SSO victory.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/renwmitchell.jpg
18 drivers fought it out for the top spot in Procharger EFI Renegade qualifying with Brian Tuten way out in front, his 8.560 at 155.97 a full tenth ahead of his nearest competition, Bart Tobener. In third place was a familiar face who’s been AWOL for the past few races, George “4 on 4.25” Seeger, showing that he hadn’t lost his chops in the interim. In eliminations, a -.008 redlight put Tuten out of the running in round three, allowing 2006 class champ Brian Mitchell to continue his climb to the finals. There, he’d meet Seeger in a matchup nobody would have predicted that morning. Both drivers hit the tree with everything they had, Mitchell cutting a .017 to Seeger’s .032, and the race came down to who could pedal faster – Mitchell’s 9.224 was enough to hold off Seeger’s 9.595, despite giving up more than 35 mph through the traps.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/hswdemayo.jpg
The naturally-aspirated Edelbrock Hot Street racers had the most to gain thanks to the mild weekend weather in Columbus, and as a result, an eight-eighty was the price of admission to the top six in the 16-car field in qualifying. Justin Curry did that, and a little more with a ladder-topping 8.797 at 151.29 mph. After three rounds of eliminations on Sunday, the field had narrowed to Mike DeMayo, who had qualified third and eliminated Curry in the semis, against Tim Eichhorn, who ran mid-pack in eighth spot during qualifying but used a combination of luck, quick reactions, and straight-out speed to get to the deciding round. DeMayo was away first, .020 to .054, and it was all over before half-track, with DeMayo running out to an 8.917 to Eichhorn’s limping 12.868.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/drwfiscus.jpg
While the focus this year in BFGoodrich Tires Drag Radial has been on the battle between John Kolivas and Chris Tuten, Kevin Fiscus has been steadily improving his combination and consistently trapping faster than anyone else in the class. In Columbus, Fiscus was able to translate some of that top end into an ET advantage, claiming his first top qualifier award with an 8.296 at 173.65 mph. Kolivas followed at 8.307, with Tony Akins, Chris Tuten, and Joey Bridge rounding out the top five in the 13-car class. On Sunday, the stars had finally aligned for Fiscus, who climbed through three rounds of competition to the finals, where he’d face his biggest threat, John Kolivas. Normally unbeatable on the tree, the Iceman actually lost the leave to Fiscus, .063 to .049, and a picture-perfect 8.347-second pass against Kolivas’ 8.608 carried Fiscus all the way to the winner’s circle for his first Drag Radial victory.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/rsrmatherly.jpg
Nitrous-injected 5.0 Magazine Real Street racer Bruce Hemminger has been a lightning rod for controversy this year, and added to his already fearsome reputation with another top qualifying position at National Trail, running 9.805 at 136.63. Tim Matherly and Mike Washington also found single-digit speed on Saturday, with the rest of the dozen-car field stretching out to the high tens. Eliminations narrowed the field to Matherly and Hemminger after three rounds, and when the tree dropped there was just .004 seconds between the pair. On the short end, Matherly’s blower car caught an early lead, and he was able to hold off a last-second charge from Hemminger, who ran a 10.040 but wasn’t able to catch up to Matherly’s 9.905 despite his huge 139.07 mph trap speed.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/pswanderson.jpg
Tremec Pure Street drew a deep field of 17 racers at National Trail, with Rocky Mason the cream of the crop in qualifying thanks to his 10.347 at 129.62 in the second round. Sunday’s eliminations took four rounds to narrow the field to the final pair, seventh-qualified “Grandpa” Ron Anderson versus eighth seed Jimmy Wilson. Showing that experience and guile are a match for youth and vigor, Grandpa Ron put the move on Wilson, .046 to .100, and it was just enough to eke out a win despite running a slower 10.368 to Wilson’s 10.366. In a true holeshot victory, Anderson’s MOV at the stripe was a scant .052 seconds, or less than a car-length.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/fswgifford.jpg
In Columbus, K&N Filters Factory Stock was all about Steve Gifford. In qualifying, Farmer Steve served notice on the seven-car field with a potentially record-setting 11.329-second pass at 118.49 mph. With number two qualifier Jeff Schmell more than a tenth and a half behind, Gifford cruised through eliminations, backing up the thirty two with a thirty nine in his first round single pass and putting away third-qualified Tommy Godfrey in the second. In the finals, he faced Schmell, and knowing he’d have to let it all hang out to keep up, Schmell pulled a .091-to-.200 holeshot on Farmer Steve. It wasn’t enough, though – Schmell had faded to the mid 11.70’s, while Gifford laid down another 40-even, adding the event win to his list of accomplishments that included setting the record, qualifying first, and earning a teardown all in one weekend.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/mmwmotycka.jpg
Roush Performance Modular Muscle pulled a 20-car field in Columbus, including John Brooks, who came all the way from Kanata, Ontario to earn top qualifier honors with a .005-second light in the second round. With so many cars in the lanes, it took four rounds to get down to the last two, and those two would be class all-stars Tom Motycka and Roxanne Shepard. With a slower index, Motycka got the tree first and was away with a .040 light, and when Shepard’s side came down two and a half seconds later, she notched a .077. Down-track, Motycka held on to his lead, running 12.574-on-12.48 to Shepard’s 10.258 on her 10-flat index.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/ocwconway.jpg
As always, Crane Cams Open Comp proved to be the most popular class, with two score cars taking a hit in qualifying. Troy Lee of Reynoldsburg, Ohio had the lone perfect light in qualifying, earning him the top spot on the ladder. With so many cars in the mix, it took five full rounds to winnow the field to the final pair, where Redline Randy Conway took on Michael Buczynski. Indexed at a slower 11.97 to Buczynski’s 9.95, Conway got the green first and was away with a .057 reaction. When Buczynski’s side came down, a heartbreaking -.009 redlight ended the race before it began, but both racers ran it out anyway, with Conway posting an 11.979-on-11.97, while Buczynski was right there with him, going 9.952 on his 9.95 dial.
http://208.122.20.134/filehost/files/11/OH07/trwmotycka.jpg
Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning was on the upswing in Ohio, with a dozen trucks in the game by the end of qualifying. Dave Cole was in the lead at the close of quals, posting a .011 light in his ’84 Ranger. On Sunday, eliminations came down to an all-F-100 final, with Mike Motycka’s ‘79 against Bob Cochran’s vintage ’48. With near-identical indexes, Cochran would get the green first, or not, as it turned out – a -.018 redlight handed the race to Motycka unopposed, putting the second Motycka of the day into the winner’s circle.