Ryan “Toaster” Jones Battles Back After NMCA WEST Crash

Ryan “Toaster” Jones, a two-time NMCA champion and one of the West coast’s more feared competitors, managed to recover from an unfortunate crash at last month’s NMCA West season opener in Fontana, California that occurred just hours before the first round of eliminations. In what would have surely halted the weekend of another racer, Jones and his crew bandaged his familiar Chevy II together to make it past the first round of eliminations in the Limited Street class.

 

The event marked the debut of Jones’ brand new 450 cubic inch, LS-based, turbocharged engine combination. After finishing its Limited Street legal transformation on the day of testing, his iconic red Chevy II Nova was in desperate need of testing passes, so he entered the car into Quick Street to take advantage of some extra track time.

Although the Limited Street class allows a maximum radial tire size of 325, Jones made a decision to run on a smaller 275 tire due to the lack of tire clearance, and it paid off by securing the No. 4 spot with 4.79 at 155 mph.

IMG_3511According to Quick Street regulations, a test hit is provided the morning of eliminations, so Jones decided to utilize the early testing session to prepare for round one of Limited Street eliminations.

During the testing round Jones staged up against the stunning maroon Chevy II of Mike Nordahl, another prominent name in the NMCA West series. After spooling his massive 102 mm turbo in preparation for the hit, and rolling into the pre-stage beams, the lights dropped. Nordahl shot out of the hole before he was finished building boost, which prevented him from being tangled up in the impending melee.

Ramping the power in too quickly after a soft launch sent Jones’ rear tires up in smoke around just past the 60-foot cone. This sudden wheel speed unloaded the chassis and sent the car pitching towards the far wall of the track, despite cutting the throttle in an attempt to settle the suspension.

After crossing the centerline, and hitting the 330-foot cone with the driver’s side rear tire, the car continued to rotate until the passenger-side front corner made contact with the wall — an action that sped up the cars ill-fated 360-degree spin. The driver’s rear quarter panel was next to make contact, taking the brunt of the impact and crumpling the wing, body panel, and bending the parachute mount.

Jones, with help of many of his competitors, buttoned up the beaten-up Nova as best they could after the on-track incident. The hasty repair resulted in a mound of red paint chips, empty duct-tape rolls, and a broken hammer.

As luck would have it, the damage was mainly cosmetic. After being released by the trackside EMT’s, Jones and his team returned to the pits to salvage what they could before the first round. The rear quarter was cut completely off the car with an electric cut-off wheel, then hammered flat. The rear deck lid received a similar treatment. Jones bent the parachute mount back into shape with his bare hands, while Jammie of Fab-Tech, the chassis guru behind this record-breaking vehicle, inspected the chassis for damage. Once given a clean bill of health, 100 mph tape and sheetmetal covered any holes that were made before and after the impact in little to no time at all.

IMG_3975

Despite the newly acquired battle scars, Jones made it to the first round of the show, matching up against Kevin Wallauer and his Procharged ’67 Camaro. Jones came out on top after laying down a 5.17-second pass at 135 mph, defeating Wallaure’s 6.05-second run.

Jones’ eventful and grueling weekend ended after matching up in the next round against the No. 1 qualifier, James Lawrence, and his Procharged ’02 Dragzine Camaro. Lawrence outran Jones with a 4.57-second pass at 167 mph, to Jones, who clocked a 4.77-second pass.

After battling such heartbreaking circumstances, it’s inspiring to see the never-quitdedication one racer has for the sport.

About the author

Justen Spencer

Justen is a Ford modular motor fanatic with seven years of professional drag racing experience, and multiple championship seasons in NMCA West and PSCA. Originally from Las Vegas, he is the proud owner of four Mustangs, one that sees regular track time. When not racing, Justen can be found in the garage maintaining his championship-winning car.
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