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Saturday is the final day for qualifying before we head into round one eliminations tonight and we have an unprecedented amount of spectators here today resulting in a lock down on folks entering the track facility and folks parking in the field across the street. Thanks to the folks at Fuel Air Spark Technology, we’ll be in the house once again bringing you all the news, notes, results, and hundreds of behind-the-scenes photos to keep you up to date on the biggest drag race of the season!
This home built turbo LS powered Nova is owned by Floyd Cannon and driven by his son Travis in 6.0 Index here this weekend. The team is based out of Oklahoma, City where they bracket race weekly in the season at Thunder Valley Raceway Park and attend assorted street car events and plan to attend the Rocky Mountain Race Week this year. The 6.0 LS has a stock crank with LSA heads fed by an 80MM turbo from Borg Warner and a custom grind camshaft from Little John. The boost controller and other electronics is from Leash Electronics with engine management from Holley EFI. It's been a best of 8.57 at 161 in the quarter to date. From left to right Kati Laughter, Travis Cannon and Floyd Cannon.
Crowd favorite Bugzilla is built, owned and driven by Ron Clark with a PTC transmission and converter. He has had this car since the early 90’s and I actually remember seeing this car back then at Brainerd Optimist Dragstrip at one of their street car event at the time while on vacation. Crew this weekend is Chad Chandler, Austin and Alan Clark.
This jet black 67 Chevy is owned by Richard Dukes out of Augusta, Georgia and built by GPS Race Cars weighing in at 1,930 pounds without the driver. He is running Open Comp this weekend and normally bracket races. The engine is a Dart 434 with 13 degree heads powering the car to consistent 5.30’s.
We dropped by Andrew Aleppa's pit the morning to see how they are doing with the new car while he was prepping for start up. Rob Valden is back driving for 2016 and he is qualified with a 4.05 at 193 after just two full passes so far this weekend. The C7 was built by Rick Stevens Race Cars in Sante Fe, Texas and is powered by a Proline Racing Outlaw Hemi with twin Precision Pro Mod 102's and backed by a three speed from M&M Transmissions. Shoutouts to Rick Stevens, Eric and the folks at Proline, Ryan Rakestraw at RK Racecraft, John Homier, Crew Chief Brandon Stroud, and Chase Driscoll for being a part of the team. “Most importantly I couldn't do it without my wife Kim, she allows me to do this stuff so I very much appreciate her. We are looking forward to a good day today, there are a lot of hands were involved with this car and it's really came out nicely and we are looking forward to be a front runner once we get it sorted out and up to speed.” - Andrew Aleppa shown with Shannon Davis.
Chad Opaleski put down a 4.07 with the Grain Barge last night for a career best running at 3,000 pounds here this weekend, that's 300 pounds over his legal min weight for the F3-R 136 Pro Charged Hemi combo. He is sporting a new engine this year with a block from TFX topped with Noonan Heads out of Fast Forward Racing Engines in New Port Richey, Florida. Crew consists of tuner Rob Zark, Steve at CRT Transmissions, Dan Neumann Race Cars, Mom, Dad, Natalie and The Sarge Santi. “All I do it release a button, it's ain't me going fast it's these guys” Chad Opaleski.
Scotty G is running well so far with his new engine combo sporting 943 cubic inches out of his own Scotty’s Racing Technology in Spring Hill, Florida qualifying with a career best 4.053 at 175 MPH. Scotty uses Induction Solutions Nitrous, EFI Technologies engine management, Proformance Transmissions and Pro Torque converters. Crew this weekend is Pete, Frankie, Bob and Uncle Kev and Van.
Tommy Rainer is running a Sid Neal TH 400 trans and testing a new gear combination this weekend and installed a Davis Technologies box before the event as well a new 98 MM turbos from Precision. He is not qualified yet but ran 4.40 at 192 MPH getting data to clean up the fuel map with the new set up. He uses a Proline 622 on gasoline with Big Stuff3 tuned by Rainer.
Mike Gibson and the Warner Robbins crew are down here at the self proclaimed Rick Flair Blvd. They have been coming here since the first event here at SGMP. We have a capacity crown this weekend and it was a hack of a time getting in the property until arrangement were made to open over flow parking in the cotton field across the street from the track.
Just to give you an idea of the crowd here today I do not remember the hill being filled to this extent. Maxed out is certainly an understatement.
Justin Harris is here with his new Darth Vader Mustang running X275 parked in the far front corner. The car is a fresh build with no testing prior to the event. It's powered by a big Chevy from PAR Racing Engines topped with Fast Lane Nitrous tuned by Chris and Chase Johnson at JPC Performance Center. From left to right; Chase Johnson, Kevis Adams, Justin Harris owner/driver and Thaddus Simmons.
Jimmy Chavis is running Nitrous X this weekend with the “Chief Kikabitch” Mustang and is qualified third in class with a4.89 at 141 MPH. He runs a 438 cubic inch piece from Bullet Race Engines with a single system from Induction Solutions. Issac Gomez from Under Pressure Race Cars built the car and handles tuning. The trans is from Sid Neal with an ATI converter. “ I want to thank my dad Jimmy Chavis Sr. and Judd Harris for being here this weekend.
Shay Loveday has struggled keeping their car on the ground in Radial vs the World and have made some adjustments and added some weight on the nose to help out. The 63 Vette is owned by Steve Dodgen and is one of several cars in the D&L Racing stable. The team has run this Mark Posley built car about 3 years in local Pro Mod events with a 632 engine but pulled this Eagle Racing Engine 780 ci off the shelf about three weeks ago to prepare for this event.
Dean Valeese in the Zombie Racing Wagon put up a personal best 4.80 at 148 and was on the bump after three rounds. Dean runs Induction Solutions nitrous with heads and intake from Curtis Boggs at RFD.
Marion, North Carolina based Punisher Racing is here entered two classes with two drivers this weekend running Open Comp and 6.0 Index. We spoke with driver Casey Hollifield about the combo with the team running a stock block 383 Chevy with an NOS plate nitrous system built by Kevin Dalton at Dalton Racing Engines. “I want to thank everyone that has supported us and helped us on the way, Kevin and the team at Dalton Race Engines, Robert and Karen and my wife Kara Wheeler and the other driver Jamie Hannah. From left to right, Julia Boal, Kara Wheeler, Casey Hollifield and Karen and Robert Wylie.” – Casey Hollifield.
Joe Albrecht has his Extreme Racing Engines/Thriftway Auto Body and Chassisworks Chevy II here in Ultimate Street and was qualified fifth with a 4.92 at 140 after one session. Apbrecht won the US Street Nats in Ultra Street at Bradneton last year and has been a best of 4.89.
Marty Chance is back to racing after a near eight year hiatus with his old Extreme Street Mustang converted to X275 trim and showed up here with no testing. Chance is pleased with the performance so far running a 4.60 at 154 after three rounds. Disomma Racing Engines provides the power after being fed with an F1-R Procharger and tuned by Nick Bruder with chassis set up from Josh Lindsey. “Without my crew this would not have happened so I have to thank Curtis Price, Doug Botkin and Alan Belew.”
We caught up with Ron Rhodes in the pits changing the set up in the trans pressure dump valve. Rhodes matched his personal best 4.45 this weekend and the data shows they have room for improvement. Rhodes runs engines from BES topped with an Induction Solutions nitrous system back with a Hutch built power glide and PTC converter.
Kyle Bruce is driving the brand new 2JMFAB Mustang this weekend for car owner Josh Manzenmayer. It's powered by a Precision turbocharged in house built small block Ford backed with a trans and converter from Freakshow Performance with the top end from Slick Rick and Fuel Tech engine management. Bruce ran a 4.69 at 162 testing here but was outside the field after three rounds with a 4.83.
True Street Motorsports Clint Davis is based out of Mckinney, Texas running Nitrous X this weekend with his 2JMFAB built car. He runs a 445 ci small block Ford built by Chris Fowler and topped with Victor Glidden2 heads and a single stage Nitrous Express system. Davis installed this engine last year and had Slick Rick go through the heads over the winter and found us some more power. 'Thanks to Michael Dixon, Josh and Justin Manzenmayer , all the guys at True Street and my wife Misty and my kids for all the support.” - Clint Davis
John McDonough hails from Panama City, Florida and is double entered in X275 and Leaf Spring where he qualified fourth with a 4.77. The Nova is owned by Chris Bryant and was built by Under Pressure Race Cars with power coming from Big Mac Racing Engines topped with an Induction Solutions fogger and backed by a Proformance Transmission and PTC converter. He will be looking for 4.60’s in the next session.
Dean Marinis scored a personal best 4.41 landing fourth in X275 after three rounds. They are looking for a warm weather A to B tuneup in this session. Shown left to right, Vinnie Diprima and Elvis Licul.
Jason Carter and Mark Mickie brought the Malibu here sans motor meeting up with engine builder Kris Nelson who delivered the new piece which they installed earlier this week and also making a switch to Fuel Tech engine management. The team struggled until the final Radial vs the World session before scoring a 4.02 putting them solidly in the field.
Final Qualifying Results
We finished round one eliminations in Radial vs the World and X275 tonight and will resume after Open Comp and Index in the morning with Outlaw Drag Radial. Gates open at 8 AM.
Josh Klugger faced off with David Demarco in round one of RVW scoring a win with a 3.92 at 205 MPH.
Steve Jackson put down 3.95 at 191 taking our a game Ziff Hudson who slowed slightly to a 4.12 at 185.
Rob Valden was perfect on the tree against Nick Agostino running a 4.05 at 199 to Agostino’s 4.50.
Number 31 qualifier Marty Robinson faced off with Dewayne Mills putting up an .064 reaction and putting up a best of weekend 4.05 to Mills’ 4.06 and will move on to round two in the PTP tuned Hemi Powered 68 Cuda.
Ryan Martin has han consistently this weekend with his new ride. Mark Woodruff was his opponent but late on the tree with a .115 reaction and struck the tires. Martin will advance with a 4.05 at 186.
Keith Haney paired up with Steven Fereday earning the win with both cars running well. Haney’s 3.95 bettered Fereday’s 4.033 at 201 MPH in a good close match with near identical reaction times.
Jason Michalak earned a win over David Wolfe with a 3.94 at195 to Wolfe’s 4.18 at and off pace 159 MPH.
Mean Dean Marinis got caught late on the tree but had enough to drive around Dustin Mewbourn running a 4.46 at 158 to Mewbourn’s 4.58 at 158 in a classic nitrous vs turbo match in X275.
Jared Johnson met with Kevin Cram scoring a win after an .047 reaction and 4.53 ET to Cram’s .109/4.58.
Rich Bruder ran a 4.44 on a single as John McDonough could not make the call for the round.
