We’re back today for day two of the Street Car Super Nationals. Yesterday was full of breakage and oil downs as the racers here in Vegas put it all on the line, shredding their gear in the interest of record ETs and high qualifying positions. The track has some serious teeth evidenced by Eric Dillard’s monster run last evening. We’re just getting started with the big boys for round two of qualifying, so stay tuned here to Dragzine.

A marathon day is complete here at the Street Car Super Nationals. Marred by crashes, multiple oildowns–again–and other delays in the action which caused the day to drag along, it was eventually cut short during the third round of Turbo Pro Mod qualifying when Scott Loomis ran into issues in the shutdown, eventually crashing all the way through the top-end catch fence. As it was already after 7PM, it was deemed time to shut the action down for the day as the catch fence required repairs that the LVMS track staff would require hours to complete. Our understanding is that Loomis was transported to the hospital for observation but was expected to be OK.

Mark Luton’s MMR-backed rocketship Mustang runs a 358ci MMR Gen X-based Ford powerplant. Luton powered the Coyote-engined Mustang to a 5.84 last night to become the quickest Coyote-based Ford on the planet.

This weekend marks the first time Luton has raced the car on a quarter-mile track in this configuration, which is highlighted by the Gen X billet block, a Winberg crankshaft, Bill Miller Engineering rods, and a set of Shelby GT350 cylinder heads. When we spoke with Mark this afternoon, he explained that they didn’t change a thing from last night’s record run, and the car repeated its performance today. He was ecstatic, explaining that the Garrett turbo-boosted machine still has more performance locked up inside as they work to learn its tendencies. Although the block is capable of housing 400 cubic inches, they run it at a smaller 351-cube displacement in the car to optimize the power for this application. A simply amazing performance from one of the Ford world’s trendsetters.

Not only did he crank off these super-quick runs, he mentioned that the car wasn’t under full power through the quarter-mile on either pass, as he was lifting off the throttle around the 1100-foot mark. 5.80s at over 254 mph. What’s next?

One of the best reasons to attend this event, besides the awesome racing action, is to witness our nation’s flying forces as they perform training runs at Nellis Air Force base, located just a short distance away from the track. All weekend long, planes roar overhead as the fighter jets and cargo carriers power out of the base, go on their runs over the local desert, and coast back home.

We recently featured Roger Holder’s new Bickel-built 2017 Camaro Pro Mod right here on Dragzine, and he’s here working the kinks out this weekend. I spoke with tuner Patrick Barnhill and Pro Mod racer Steve Summers about the car. Summers actually delivered the car to Holder after wiring it in his Illinois shop, and the pair are here working with Roger to get the car lined out. Summer expressed that he was extremely impressed with how the car has responded after just a few passes, and they filly expect the machine to be at the top of the field after Holder gets more seat time behind the wheel. Currently he is qualified seventh in a tough 24-car Turbo Pro Mod field with a strong 5.958 at 239.27 mph.

The plan is to run the car in Pro Mod action around the country with the NMCA and PRDA, while reserving the right to strap a set of radials underneath and potentially hit some of the larger radial-tire races should the car be competitive in that arena.

Rumor has it that the Stanley&Weiss Cadillac CTS-V driven by John Stanley and owned by his father, crew chief and legendary Pro Mod pioneer Camp Stanley, may be retired after this event. I spoke with Camp this afternoon and he explained that he’s tired, simply tired, after a decades-long career chasing the big prize around the country, as a driver, tuner, and car owner. If that does in fact turn out to be the case, the team will go out as one of the quickest Pro Mod teams around, as Stanley has turned in a personal-best 5.57. That’s good for second currently behind Eric Dillard’s monster 5.45 hit from last night. John Stanley is a seasoned driver who is incredibly capable behind the wheel, and I wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see him end up in the final round versus Dillard.

He may be 23 hours from home, but longtime radial racer Mark Woodruff wouldn’t be here if he didn’t think there was a chance to  run at the top of the Outlaw 10.5 class. It turns out his suspicions were correct, as he clipped off the highest speed of the weekend so far with a 203.34 mph blast and a 4.056 elapsed time to sit in third so far. But he’ll have his work cut out for him, as Mike Keenan leads the stout 32-car field with a 3.988 so far. Keenan and Woody are the only two racers to break the 200 mph mark here at LVMS so far. There is a strong contingent of Canadian racers in the mix as well, as Ken Sihota, Steve Nicholson, and Roy Moznik are all solidly in the hunt along with Robert Costa in the Musi-powered Duster. Sihota and Nicholson have both come out of Vegas with cash in the past, so the race is on to see who will take home the bacon at the end of the weekend.

Thirty cars make up the Xtreme Drag Radial field, led by Norman Chang, who has a solid two and a half tenths on his nearest competitor. Chang tops the ladder with a 4.207 at 179-plus mph, whch also bests the competition by just about 18 mph. Unless someone steps up in a big way, Chang may be your guy come Sunday evening. But with XDR populated by successful racers like Lamar Swindoll Jr., Jeff Kyle, and many others, there will be no gimme rounds.

It appears that Tom Bailey’s issues from yesterday are behind him, as he rocketed to the top of the Turbo Pro Mod field with a 5.75 at only 239 mph today. He holds nearly a tenth in the bag over Mark Luton’s 5.84, but Luton’s top-end power of 254 mph far eclipses the 239.61 mark Bailey put onto the scoreboard today. One has to wonder if Bailey is holding the reins of the blown Olds back. If that’s the case, is this thing good for 260-plus mph on the big end?

I may be a Mustang guy, but there’s a soft spot in my heart for the ol’ shoebox Nova. Mike Silva’s silver machine sits at the top of the ladder in 235 Limited with a 5.48.

Today’s Qualifying Results