The staff got the surface ready early this morning before the clouds rolled in putting rosin down which helps rubber stick to the track.

Scot Findlay, Dave Pike, Stephanie Weeks, Barbra Ursel and Lil Bit, Scot’s white lab track dog. David Pike is the founder of the DRC Drag Race for a Cure FC fundraiser drag race in Orlando in it’s third year having raised over thirty five thousand dollars to date for Cystic Fibrosis, Autism, St Jude’s Hospital and next year will add make a Wish Foundation for the 2018 event in conjunction with CF. Scott assists in organizing and gather sponsors and auction items and bother racers are entered in Open Comp here this weekend. Check out https://www.facebook.com/DragRaceforaCure/ for more information about the race and how you can support or sponsor the fundraiser or Cystic Fibrosis community.

We caught up with Jim McMillan this morning with his new car purchased out of Wisconsin from Racing Junk.com. McMillan is a local 6.50 racer who summers up north and has raced his 1968 Camaro for quite a few years. That car was all factory steel on 10.5 tires and was a struggle to stay competitive against the purpose built race cars now populating the class more and more. He located this 1989 Buick Regal big tire tube chassis car on racing Junk and it fit the bill for the class so Jim pulled the big block Chevy from the Camaro and swapped out the cam and heads to detune the engine and add some reliability to the valve train. This will be his first race with the new ride after a few test runs here recently.

Scot Findlay has the fast car in Open Comp today running a 5.385 at 130 with thirty nine cars making runs  during today’s first session. Findlay owns Southeastern Site Development in Sarasota and gets some sponsor help from Anderson Racepark carting track in Bradenton.

Brian Keep is out front of the Ultra Street field by a solid margin scoring a 4.83 at 146 as half the first pair out in class this morning for the HRE Powered, ATF Speed Haltech equipped Camaro.

One of the four Real Speed Racing entries in Ultra Street Steve Buscema scored second place with a 4.91 at 142.

Number ten qualifier Archie Marasco also runs out of Reap Speed Racing and has had trouble keeping the front end down. He recovered quickly and salvaged a 5.34 at 136 after the wheel-stand.

David Boger won Heavy Street last time here and is qualified number one with a 4.80 at 150 so far. He was the only car to get a full clean pass in this session for the class.

Gino Bia put his crowd favorite 72 Cuda in second place with a 5.08 at 142.

Jordan Ensslin laid down a number off the trailer in his OL 632 entry scoring a 4.38 at 162 putting the class on notice they have things figured out.

Ryan Thorp unloaded his car running another 4.51 at 156 safely putting him second in class, repeating his performance from yesterday.

Cape Coral based Mark Hoagland is debuting his new OL 632 car this weekend sporting 5 Day Plantation Shutters sponsorship on the door. They have tested with good results but struggled at the hit on this run. He landed eighth with a 5.25 at 143 after pedaling the car early.

Hank Hill is driving for Al Dito this weekend and sits in third with a 4.59 at 156 in the 1985 Celebrity.

Charlie Gambino is back behind the wheel for C&C Concrete running this 1953 Corvette in Outlaw 632. This is the debut event for the Vette which made it’s first laps down the track this weekend.

Ocala, Florida’s Brian Bednar earned top spot in Open Outlaw with a 3.83 at 189 in his 2009 Spitzer chassis rail in the rain shortened qualifying session. Every class will have an opportunity tomorrow starting at nine AM as the predicted inclement weather has ended racing for today here in Bradenton.

Craig Andrews was the only other car in the threes today with a 3.93 at 175 landing second of six cars in class.