Nostalgia drag racing made its way back to Gateway Motorsports Park for the first time since 2010 and what a return it was. The NDRL was primed and ready with it’s first race of the NDRL-IAM Championship season, the Quick Fuel Technology Battle at the Arch.

 

Headlining alongside the DRO Nitro Funny Cars and the Victory Nostalgia Super Stockers, the NDRL unloaded with full fields in all four classes and the action started early.  Although strong storms were predicted all weekend, the weather gods gave us a break and the rain came only after the finals were run on Saturday night.  Racers had just enough time to get loaded and inside to safety.

 

Quick Fuel PRO Gas qualifying was first to the lanes and it didn’t take long for that to get exciting. B/Gas regulars rose to the top quickly with Butch Hill’s blown Donavan Hemi powered `53 Stude qualifying .014 over to take the top spot, but he wasn’t there long as Ohio’s Rob Davis followed with an 8.51 to take and hold the top qualifier spot and the bye run going into the first round of Eliminations.  Dave Mullin’s American Pie `37 Chevy Coupe advanced to the semis with a .009  hole shot in round one to earn a 2nd round Bye, then put away Davis in round 3 with a .001 hole shot victory.  The semis were decided when Mullin’s blown Gasser surged through the beams, to draw a red light, and handed the win over to Frankie Radake, advancing him to the final with Jeremy McKague who was advancing from his bye run. The final was decided on the starting line with McKague taking a huge advantage and carrying it out for his first NDRL Victory.

 

PRO Comp pulled thru the lanes next and after Friday night’s session Rochester New York native Glenn Lever was on top of the pile running .023 over on his PC/A index in his slippery green Rooman built chute pack FED.  Troy Wilson brought out his new Topolino bodied Altered and waited till the third qualifier on Saturday afternoon to take that spot away and ran .019 over his PC/C index and stayed there going into first round.  Semifinal pairings had Lever downing Dale Fidler and newcomer Shorty Rader’s Jr Fueler taking the bye to advance to the final. Lever sealed his fate on a breakout pass going .003 under trying to best Rader’s pass running dead on his index with Rader earning his first NDRL victory.

 

PRO 7.50 thundered to life and the action got tighter as we went. 2013 NDRL champion Wayne Sears’ “Super Mouse” blown SBC Bantam Altered would round out qualifying with a 7.507.  That fine run put Sears in the number 3 qualifying spot…you read that correctly.  The pride of Island, KY, Pat Freels found himself sitting in a great spot behind the wheel of The Islander `67 GTO, ripping off a 7.504 to take second spot leaving the top spot to Ric Burdine running a dead on pass of 7.500 to take the pole with his blown BBF powered Mustang.  Semi-final pairings had Roanoke Virginia’s Pat Malloy advancing in his Injected FED, when Burdines Mustang was instructed to shut off.  Sears advanced over Darrell Wathen’s beautiful `41 Willys running dead on 7.50 besting Wathen to the line by roughly 3 feet. Malloy earned his victory in the final with a hole shot advantage and carrying it down to take the win.

 

Ross Racing Engines PRO 7.0 pulled under the tower with its versatile mix of hot rods ready to grind it out. The fastest class with the most variety did not disappoint with top 5 all running less that .10 over the 7.00 index.  Justin Malott bumped up to PRO 7.0 in his Blown BBC FED this season and did it with a shot over the bow running 7.00 nailing the index. Robbie Freels Canode Altered was in tow running 7.03 with Hoosier Mark Vaught’s blown SBC FED rounding out the top three with a 7.046 lap. Semifinal action found Freels advancing over Will Foehring in the Lethal Injection Nitro FED and New York state native Steve Walczak’s SS-3 Bantam Altered loading Steve Knopp’s “Old School” Nitro Hemi FED setting up the final.  Walczak left with the advantage but Freels ran him down and took the stripe for the win.

 

As always, we would like to thank all of our loyal sponsors and racers as without them the show could not go on.  Our series sponsor, the International Association of Machinists and Aero Space Workers (IAM), race title sponsor and official carb of the NDRL, Quick Fuel Technology, Briggs & Stratton Corp, Ross Racing Engines, ET Genie, Hot Heads Research, Sexton-Wilbert Vault, Freedom Racing Engines, DJ Safety, Renegade Race Fuels, Saldana Racing Products, Moser Engineering, Deist Safety, Howards Cams, Competition Products, Wood River Auto Parts, Scott Rods, Vintage Racing Supply, and Shorty Rader Racing.

 
PRO Gas