Network
After two days of qualifying here at Bowling Green, it’s time to start sending some folks home. We’ll get underway with bracket and index action this morning, with the first round of Pro Street and the remainder of the heads-up categories scheduled to go off at noon. Keep it here all day for news, notes, and photos from what should be an exciting day of racing action!
A special thanks to the presenting sponsor of our same day event coverage, Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels!
Kentucky's own Willard Kinzer began the weekend at the ADRL's Memphis Drags down at the Memphis International Raceway, where he was competing in the popular new Pro Drag Radial eliminator. Kinzer made the show there at No. 10 with a 4.58, but with plans to drive up to Bowling Green already hashed out, and a rain delay that was to push the ADRL eliminations to today, Kinzer pulled out of competition and headed north to Beech Bend. Said Kinzer, 'we're fourth in points here and I really hated to miss this race, so we left and came on up here.' Kinzer received a single qualifying hit early this morning, where his Mustang broke the rear end just off the starting line, sending his crew scrambling to make repairs prior to the first round of eliminations this afternoon. Kinzer shared with us that he thoroughly enjoyed his outing with the ADRL and has plans to enter the series' debut of the Outlaw 10.5 eliminator at Rockingham later this year.
Willard Kinzer’s team was unable to get repairs made to his Mustang in time for the first round of eliminations, allowing Mike Murillo to take a single into the second round. The reigning series champion used the opportunity to take a crack at the Beech Bend quarter mile, running another 6.62 at 215 mph. With Brian Hicks and Ray Jaso both out due to breakage, the first round of Super Street was all single runs.
No. 1 qualifier Jeff Lutz carded a 6.07 at 250 mph on his first round competition single, advancing him to the next round, where he'll meet Jim Widener. Widener downed Billy Glidden in a great first round matchup, 6.11 to 6.14. Clint Hairston advanced on a single, as Chuck DeMory Jr. broke and pulled out last night. Hairston, by virtue of the ladder, will receive another single into the final in the next round.
John Kolivas (left) ran another steady 7.46 in the first round of Street Outlaw to take down George Toll. The story of the round, however, was the match between Dwayne Barbaree and Jason Lee (show at right), as Barbaree recorded low elapsed time of the weekend by more than a tenth, but was dead-late with a .245 reaction, allowing Lee to sneak by, 7.40 to 7.29. Sean Ashe advanced on a competition single and will meet Kolivas, while Lee will single into the final.
James Beil stepped up big in the first round of Nostalgia Pro Street to take advantage of Kevin Parent’s struggles, advancing on to the semifinals with an 8.15. Beil will meet Danny Shemwell, who carded a stout 7.37. On the other side of the ladder, Dave Beeson, who recorded low elapsed time of the round with a 7.33, will square off with Robin Lawrence and his LSX-powered Chevy Nova.
John Warren (left) cranked off low elapsed time of the first round of Xtreme Street with a 7.88 on his competition single. Bob Curran (right) was able to chase down Steve Cagle in a great matchup with an off-pace 8.11.
In the semis of Pro Street, Clint Hairston, who’s nursing a wounded race car after an engine change last night, took the tree on his competition single and coasted won the track into the final. In the other pairing, however, Jeff Lutz dropped the hammer on low elapsed time of eliminations, a 5.99, to take down a slowing Jim Widener. In Street Outlaw, Sean Ashe lost traction just off the starting line, while his opponent, John Kolivas, brought his A-game, making his best run of the weekend at 7.38 at 192 mph to advance into the final. Kolivas will have lane choice when he meets Jason Lee in the final round a little later today.
Rick Riccardi solo’ed into the semifinals of N/A 10.5, where he’ll meet Andy Schmidt, who recorded low elapsed time of the round at 8.12. Don Bowles carded an 8.17 to advance and will single into the final.
Dave Beeson and Danny Shemwell will square off this afternoon in the Nostalgia Pro Street final. Both racers were in the 7.30’s in the semifinals, making what should be an incredibly tight finale.
Brian Camobell’s wheelstand in the final looked great for the photographers, but it cost him, as he missed a shaft with the wheels dangling in the air and slowed, allowing Don Baskin to cruise on by for the Mean Street victory.
Eric Cheffer (left) was another of the racers that arrived this morning from the ADRL race in Memphis, and buy virtue of breakage from his opponents in the Super Street 10.5W category, had just one side-by-side run on his way through eliminations, ultimately singling in the final for the win. Danny Shemwell (right) also benefited from his Nostalgia Pro Street competitors' misfortune this weekend, as Dave Beeson broke following his semifinal single, handing a solo run in the final to Shemwell.
Clint Hairston hadn’t needed to make a full pull all day long, leaving many to wonder if the bullet the team put in the car last night anything left. Hairston let everyone, including opponent Jeff Lutz, know that he was in it to win it. Both Lutz and Hairston were all over the race track, but it was Lutz that kept it on the straight and narrow better, scoring a 6.13 to 6.40 victory.
Like Campbell in Mean Street, Street Outlaw racer Jason Lee’s crowd-pleasing wheelstand in the final cost him, as John Kolivas barnstormed to the victory with another great 7.3-second lap, a 7.32 at 194 mph.
Andy Schmidt was the quicker of the two N/A 10.5 finalists all weekend, but a .007 red in the final handed the win to Don Bowles, who legged it out to an 8.180 that would’ve given Schmidt and his 8.178 a serious run for his money.
Just like the N/A 10.5 final, John Warren was the quicker car on paper in the Xtreme Street finale, but a red light start handed the win to Bob Curran, who recorded an 8.14 to solidify the victory.
