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We are live for day two of the 2016 Yellow Bullet Nationals under overcast skies courtesy the remnants of Hurricaine Hermine. It’s a welcome change however with cooler temps and cooler track surface with near everyone running faster in this morning the Sportsman qualifying session. A special thanks to Fuel Air Spark Technology, whose support makes our coverage possible!
Mike Pyott has been to every YB Nats running 8.50 Index. He is sporting a new engine from Hartsock Racing Engines, changing the stroke to reduce cubic inches and allow for a better ring package for nitrous use. He uses Diamond Pistons and Induction Solutions nitrous, Mickey Thompson tires, PTC Converters with the trans built by Kenny Keith. He qualified yesterday with an 8.73 and is currently on the bump in the 32 car qualified field.
NMRA Renegade racer Adam Arndt is here running Ultra 275 this weekend though has struggled getting staying hooked up with the added horsepower due to a cylinder head change to be more competitive in Ultra 275 here this weekend. The car has been 4.80’s in NMRA trim and he will be looking to improve on that dipping in the .70’s.
The Cheap Thrills Chevelle is part of a father son team owned by Wayne Good and driven by his son Mike. They have two cars here with both racing in the 8.50 Index class. Power comes from a Jason Risser built big Chevy. The car has been a race car since 1970 where Wayne ran NHRA Super Stock I with a 325 HP 396 for four or five years before moving to bracket racing, then Super Gas. The car is now powered by a 582 cubic inch big Chevy and runs 8.80’s.
Zach Obert runs this clean Fox in 8.50 Index based out of Runnemede, New Jersey and is a long time participant here at the Yellow Bullet Nationals. Power comes from a Cunningham Competition Engines and Cylinder Heads built small block Chevy. Zach purchased the car with a ten point cage and had Gary Naughton update it to 25.5 certification good for 7.50. He moved to drag racing about 5 years ago after breaking his femur racing motocross. He is here with his girlfriend Nicki Garano who is leading the 10.0 Index points at Atco.
This weekend's BFE award goes to John Posemato who is running 8.50 index. We spoke with him three years ago when he was still building this car with chassis work by Joey Gambino. It's powered by a 396 cubic inch small block from Bison Engine and Machine with drivetrain components coming from Strange Engineering. John is shown with his girlfriend Carrie Belec.
Roving the pits this morning we ran across these two fine examples of early Chevy Muscle. A 1970 Chevelle owned by Bill Lewis and the 68 Elky owned by Randy Bochnowicz. The Chevelle runs a 548 Chevy topped with Brodix heads and runs mid nines. Bill purchased the Chevelle in 2000 and took about three years to complete the first build. Randy bought his El Camino as a resto mod big block 4 speed car back in 1983 and is powered by a Pete's Auto built 489 big Chevy with Brodix BB2 Plus heads and topped with an old school Edelbrock tunnel ram and a pair of 850 Holley center squirt carburetors. Paint and body on both cars was done Street Visions in Pottstown, PA before the shop was moved to Moorseville, North Carolina.
The BuuWack/SC is owned by Mike Clayboss and is looking much different that when we spoke with him here three years ago. Mike works at John Kennedy Ford doing paint and body work and did the car himself. He is running 8.50 this weekend so is on 10.5 rather than the big tires he normally runs. Mike is pictured with his daughter/manager Mikayla Clayboss.
We dropped by Marc McCloud’s pit this morning catching him oil the engine before start up. The track was a little tricky for the NA Ultra 275 cars. He was able to get hooked up but had to pedal the car out of a wheel stand landing fifteenth on the sheet with a 5.07 at 137 MPH.
Outlaw 10.5 number two qualifier Jerry Mitrovic is partnered in the car with Phil Sliskovic. The Camaro was built by LJ and Joe Vanoverbeek based on Jerry’s desings. Mitrovic said they are going number one in class tonight with the Musi powered Camaro.
Al Fonse Jr has the Race Strange Mustang in 8.50 Index this weekend. The car is powered by a small block Ford with an Induction Solutions Sledgehammer plate set up for a dry shot. A FAST EFI is used for engine management with the engine built in House at Fonse Performance and backed by a powerglide transmission.
Aston, PA racer Darrell Varner has a new car here this weekend with just five laps on it since he purchased it from Jesse Lambert and had it updated at Rhodes Automotive before coming straight here for testing. Power is from a Fulton big block from his Camaro backed by a Proformance Transmission. Wayne Keegan from Competitive Wiring is here helping out with the team this weeknd. Varner is qualified tenth with a 4.64 despite the car not shifting to second gear. I have to thank Ron and the Rhodes auto team for all the help getting here this week and Strange Engineering for the fast service getting us new axles. He will be looking for 4.50s in the final session.
Frank Soldridge is here this weekend a bit over weight for 10.5 after receiving a 200 pound penalty after running a 3.96 here back in May. He runs a 4.84 bore space 638 cubic inch big Chevy from J&E Performance. For the next round Frank just wants to make sure the car goes A to B and get in the field and go from there. Frank Soldridge shown with Amanda May.
Joey Hefferman is running Top Sportman with their Opel GT using a Gil Davis maintained Shaffiroff 434 small block Chevy topped with a Sledgehammer plate from IS. The car was originally a NHRA Comp Eliminator A/EA car campaigned by his Bob Kaiser and driven by Joe Hefferman for years back in the 1980's before selling it and eventually buying it back and redoing the car to current specs by Larry King Racing, the same shop that did the original build back in 1982. He is qualified twenty second with a 4.79.
John Ashnault is running X275 with his Disomma Racing Engines powered Mustang built by Crazy Don's Chassisworks in Long Island. He has had the car for a few years now and recently switched from gasoline to M1 alcohol with tuning from Rich and Nick Bruder. They are still working out the new tunes up since the switch. Gear changes come from a Proformance Transmission.
This 51 Chevy Gasser is owned by Larry Curtis Jr. and is turning heads this weekend with some wheels up launches running solid eight second passes with a blown big Chevy from Dave Gagnon. The chassis was done by JW Racing in Connecticut and finished up about three years ago. His brother Don Big Time Curtis is running in X275 with an orange S10 pickup running in the 4.70's. Both cars use Accurate Transmissions and PTC Converters and normally race at Epping Dragway.
Seventeen year old William Simmons is the 50-50 raffle winner today scoring $1,317 to take home.
Final Qualifying Results
For the final round on qualifying the track set up some match races for the quickest qualifiers in Outlaw 10.5 pitting them against the quickest cars on radials in the class. Number one and two qualifiers Joe Albrecht and Jerry Mitrovic were paired up with Mitrovic getting away first. As the pair moved down track Albrecht took over the lead landing a 4..006 at 194 improving his ET and holding on to the top position as Mitrovic also put up his best pass so far scoring a 4.016 at 190, which would have been good for the top spot as Jerry predicted had it not been for Albrecht’s own improvement in the BAE powered GTO (far lane)
Michael Decker Jr. took one for the 10.5 side improving his Et to a 4.02 to stay third in class. Paul Major improved some to a 4.21.
“Flash” Fiscus struggled hooking the car before round three and found the trick scoring a 4.03 at 199 to improve to fourth and earning top MPH in qualifying on the run. Charlie Dolbin wasn’t able to improve in his 4.088 but was consistent with a clean 4.09 at 194 hit.
Canadian based racer Frank Pompillio is in with a 4.085, just in front of Dolbin.
Michael Ziccardi has this gorgeous 1970 Cuda in OL 10.5 with a 526 Hemi from Ace Competition in Long Island and tuned on a Big Stuff 3 by John Balinski from OAB Racing. It has a Keith Black block and AJE heads backed by a Proformance TH 400 Transmission. Twin 88 Bullseye turbos provide the boost. Ziccardi hails from Long Island and debuted the car here at the 2015 YB Nats after purchasing it as a roller out of Canada. He landed fourteenth in the field with a 4.25 at 177. JTM Motorsports and DMC assisted in some fabrication work with American Racing Headers handling the turbo piping and exhaust. Left to right is John Balinski and Michael.
Shawn Pevlor and Troy Pirez Jr lined up for a match race in Ultra 275 in round three which was set to be exciting as Pevlor was already on pace for the Ultra 275 class record here at Cecil with his earlier 4.70 and Pirez vowing to let it hang out in the final session. The match did not disappoint as Pevlor threw down a 4.690 to back up his record and Pirez did indeed hang it out scoring a personal best 4.767 at 143 MPH and improving six positions to number four qualifier.
Joel Greathouse moved up to second in the third session with a 4.73 at 151.09 earning top MPH on the pass.
Dean Marinis is running two classes this weekend and is qualified well in both, sitting third in X275 and first in Pro Mod. Marinis was paired up with Kevin Fiscus in Pro Mod and scored a win as the FKR entry lost a head gasket during the run, incurring enough damage to end his weekend in Pro Mod.
