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Great Racing Highlights the NSCA's Visit to Maryland
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Cecil County Dragway Hosts 6 th annual Jim Sellers Memorial
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By Brian Wood Photos by Brian Wood and Photos to Go |
According to the local weather radar, there was plenty of wet and rainy weather all around Rising Sun, Maryland , the home of Cecil County Dragway where the Corteco Gaskets Drag racing Series presented by GFGoodrich held the Jim Sellers Memorial the weekend of may 15-16, 2004. To the organization's great good fortune, however, the race was never interrupted by rain at all throughout the weekend, even though a steady downpour on Saturday night necessitated a little drying action before the first elimination rounds got underway at 11 AM . Other than that, it was a perfect, if hot and sticky, weekend in beautiful Maryland . There were a large number of fans in attendance, and contenders in all 15 NSCA classes, as well as the Rolling Thunderz American Super Car Challenge, put on a great weekend racing show for them all. There were upsets in a number of classes, with some traditional class front runners being sent to the sidelines earlier than expected. In addition, there were a number of new performance records set as well. A large contingent of local kids from the Boys and Girls Club of North East, Maryland were guests of the organization on Saturday, and from all reports they enjoyed their day at the track very much.
Moving on to the weekend's on-track action, Comp Cams/TCI Engineering Pro Street fans were stunned for the second event in a row as defending champion Pat Musi and his “Team Green” running mate Tony Christian were again denied advancement to the money rounds. Each man went down in the first round, and in Musi's case, just losing the round was the least of his worries. Apparently his steering wheel came loose just past mid-track, and he had his hands full of an on-the-edge-of-control Pontiac Firebird. Fortunately he was able to get safely through the top end, but after qualifying in the No. 1 spot, seeing his opponent and long-time local rival Vinny Budano take the win light was a hard pill to swallow. Christian fared better than Musi, in that his wheel stayed on the column, but the end result was still the same. The multi-time Pro Street champ, driving Musi's '69 Camaro, faced off against points leader Scott Merkel and his '99 Chevy S-10 pickup. Merkel cut the better light, .056 to .077, and despite Christian's better numbers at the top end, 6.737, 209.72 to 6.755, 204.85, Merkel's holeshot gave him the victory. In the other pairing, No. 2 qualifier Tony Gentile took his 2002 Cavalier to a relatively easy win over William Brown's '67 Nova when Brown had trouble getting his car to leave the line. Brown struggled all weekend dialing in some new electronic and nitrous components, and thrashed all Friday night to get into the qualifying sessions after sending a huge fireball, and his hood scoop, skyward in a massive nitrous blast during a test pass Friday evening. The semifinals were a non-issue as Budano's 2004 Pontiac Grand Am had a competition bye run and Merkel broke, allowing gentile a free pass to the final as well. The last race was a great one, however, as Budano, a newcomer to Pro Street, used his Scott Shafiroff power to full advantage, overcoming a .039-second starting line deficit to take out Gentile, 6.885, 204.57 to 6.933, 179.85
Edelbrock Pro Outlaw action saw four-time and defending champion Marc Dantoni lead the way in qualifying with a mark of 6.625 at 215.86 mph. His top speed was a potential new class record, but he was unable to back it up. On race day, first round action saw Kevin McCurdy's supercharged Firebird face off against the wild Ford Probe driven by Ben Hopko. Hopko took off too early, and McCurdy ran through the top end uncontested with a mark of 6.743, 213.81. Dantoni had the bye run, and he took a shot at the speed record, coming just short with a blast of 6.726, 212.09. Points leader James Clark also had a single as his opponent Greg Huege broke. Ironically, Clark had the competition bye in the next round, so as he advanced to the final round, McCurdy and Dantoni lined up to see who would meet the man from Mississippi in the last stanza. Dantoni's Camaro uncharacteristically stumbled off the line, and as he slowed on the track McCurdy drove out the back door in 7.258 seconds at 208.04 mph. There was a lot of the drama in the final as Clark 's engine was obviously not up to snuff, and he attempted to take it easy on the burnout in order to make the last pass of the weekend. Trailing smoke, Clark gamely sent the big orange Monte Carlo towards the top end, but McCurdy left a little quicker, and he saw the win light come up on his side of the wall as he took the title 6.717, 209.04 to 6.751, 205.19.
The NSCA's latest category, Pro-Filer Performance Products Top Street , is a class that was designed in part to appeal to the many Top Sportsman racers around the country, and if the action at Cecil was any indication, there's a lot of promise for the future as other cars are completed and other drivers see the opportunity that exists for some great racing action. Randy Jewell qualified his 2000 Corvette No.1 with a best effort of 7.025, 197.13, followed by Jerry Albert and his Alcoa-sponsored '97 Camaro, who posted a mark of 7.148, 195.48. The No. 3 qualifier was Mike Ghiraldi, who wheeled his '90 Trans Am to a solid posting of 7.201, 195.93. With Jewell taking the bye run in the first round by virtue of his low qualifier status, Albert took out Ghiraldi in a good drag race, 7.012, 198.76 to 7.269, 194.69. In the final, Jewell added to his points lead by first cutting a great .033 light and then outrunning Albert to the top end, 6.960, 197.97 to 7.703, 197.68.
In Nitrous Express Nostalgia Pro Street competition, John Schroeder led the field in qualifying and took it all the way to the house with a final round win over defending class champion Rob Golobo. In the preliminary rounds, Schroeder's 2002 Camaro chalked up a mark of 7.621, 182.92 to lead Golobo, Kevin Parent, Brian Ferrarri, Mitch George, Mike Foulk, Scott Curtis, Henry Jackson, Ellen Pavao , Carlos Gonzale and Mark Benter. In the first round of eliminations on Sunday, it was George over Jackson, Ferrarri over Pavao, Gonzale over Parent, Foulk over Curtis, Golobo over Benter and Schroeder taking the competition bye run into the quarterfinals. Gonzale, Schroeder and Golobo all moved on, with Golobo leapfrogging into the final on the bye. Schroeder added to his points lead by taking his second consecutive win of the young season over Golobo, 7.596, 183.72 to 7.587, 184.65.
The Pro Nostalgia title was contested by Paul Adams and his classic '66 Ford Fairlane and Jim Mackenzie, with “Mac” running the “Ol Reliable 2” '62 Chevy in tribute to Jim Sellers. Adams led qualifying with a best-of-three pass of 8.912, 152.66, followed by Mackenzie's 8.917, 150.26. In the final round, Adams had a late light, his .140 way behind Mackenzie's .076, but the big Chevy launched into a wheelstand and came back to earth in a shower of sparks as Adams drove away for the win with a mark of 8.756, 154.65.
There were eight top hot rods on hand in Cecil County for ProCharger Super Street competition, and Tony Bischoff's potent '95 Olds Achieve, driven by Kenny Bennett, was once again the car to beat, in qualifying as well as on race day. Bennett wheeled the flamed Olds to the top spot in qualifying with a 7.526 at 193.13, followed by Randy Lambert, Jimmy Blackmon, Bobby Bammann, Don Burton, Ron Green, Vito Montesano and Carlin Swint. The first round of eliminations saw Blackmon winning over Green, Lambert taking out Montesano, Bennett getting past Swint and Bammann advancing over Burton . In the semifinals, Bennett easily outran a slowing Bammann, and in one of the best races of the weekend, Lambert and Blackmon put on a great show, leaving the line just .002-seconds apart, and running neck and neck through the top end. Lambert prevailed, 7.800, 184.50 to 7.806, 187.65 to advance. At the end of the run, Blackmon trashed an engine and tore up the front of his Trans Am when a turbo exploded in dramatic fashion. The final was another crowd pleaser, as Bennett cut a great .015 light and took his Oldsmobile for a run with Lambert's red Camaro close behind. In the end it was another win for the potent little Olds, 7.575, 193.27 to 7.714, 184.67.
Drive Train Specialists Super Modified featured 11 big-tired, nitrous-injected machines, with local runner Rick Grove's beautiful '69 Camaro leading the way during qualifying with a mark of 7.607, 181.98. He was followed by Roland Lursky, defending champ Jim Huber, Johnny Baio, Keith McCoy, Steve Damianidis, Phil Plestis, Sam Boyd, Jim Lawson, Monty Mikho and Jerry Morgano. Grove had the bye in the first round, while Huber, McCoy, Morgano, Plestis and Lawson all advanced. In quarterfinal action, McCoy overcame a holeshot to outlast Morgano, 8.197, 170.69 to 9.263, 126.28, Huber took out Lawson, 7.774, 178.33 to 8.624, 147.49 and Grove had a freebie when Plestis broke. Moving on to the semis, McCoy had the bye run while Huber earned a berth in yet another final by taking out a quicker-reacting Grove, 7.705, 180.62 to 7.748, 181.45. In the final, McCoy left Huber standing still at the line, .045 to .141, but the champ's horsepower saved the day as he clicked through at 7.730, 179.44 to McCoy's 8.239, 170.21. It was Huber's second straight win, and he's off to a great start in defense of his title this season.
There were eight competitors on hand in Maryland to do battle in Goodyear Limited Street , and Belle Rose winner Frank Mewshaw was flexing his '84 Camaro's muscles early, leading qualifying with a best pass of 8.139, 170.11. He was followed by defending champion Phil Hines, “Mustang Mike” Modeste, Cuy Richardson, Todd Scribner, David Laurer, David Koeppel and Rodney Bitgood. In the first round of elimination, Koeppel's '89 Trans Am suffered a huge engine fire right off the line, but he fortunately emerged from the inferno unscathed. The same couldn't be said for his hot rod, however, and he was done for the weekend. His opponent, Phil Hines, advanced to the next round, along with Mewshaw, Modeste and Richardson. In the semifinals, Richardson upset a quicker-reacting Mewshaw, 8.443, 163.85 to 8.574, 168.64 while Modeste wheeled his Procharger-equipped '93 Mustang to a convincing victory over Hines, 8.059, 175.11 to 8.702, 167.59. Modeste used a consistent 8.053, 173.01 to seal the deal over Richardson 's '86 Mustang in the all-Ford final.
Competition Engineering Hot Street provided some great action during the course of the weekend, with local favorite Larry Perkins leading the charge during qualifying on Saturday. Perkins and his wheelstanding '66 Chevy Nova thrilled the fans with a best pass of 8.713, 153.72 to lead Rick Moroso, Tim Davis and Paul Suloff into Sunday's eliminations. In the first round, Moroso dispatched nemesis Davis when the defending champion fell asleep at the line and was only able to muster a .510 reaction time. Moroso went on to take the win, 8.782, 152.02 to 8.816, 154.23. In the other pairing, Perkins overcame a .013 to .107 holeshot at the hands of Suloff to advance, 8.656, 155.81 to 9.115, 146.72. In the final, Perkins' Nova left on Moroso's '61 Corvette, .065 to .144, and he ran it through to claim the victory, 8.750, 155.45 to 8.784, 151.29.
Jamie Stanton was out to continue his domination over the BES Real Street class in Maryland , but there were nine other racers on hand who had completely different ideas. On this occasion, Stanton wasn't the low qualifier after the three preliminary sessions were completed, but he was in the No. 2 spot. Top dog was Bruce Maichle, who led Stanton, Frank Lupi, Bob Shahan, Ray Rhodes, John Langer, Larry Rhodes, Eric Heidingsfelder, Eric Ercole and Rick Bess into battle. In the first go-round, Maichle took out Bess, Shahan outlasted Larry Rhodes, Langer handled Ray Rhodes, Stanton took care of Ercole and Heidingsfelder got past Lupi. In the quarterfinals, Maichle had a single, while Shahan and Stanton got to the next round the hard way. With the rounds dwindling down, Stanton took advantage of the competition bye to move directly to the finals, where Shahan awaited after taking out No. 1 qualifier Maichle's in the semifinals. Despite being beaten off the line, .033 to .103. Shahan powered his '69 AMX through with a 9.125, 148.40 effort to best Maichle's mark of 10.095, 120.76 behind the wheel of his '79 Trans Am. The final turned out to be pretty anti-climatic, as Shahan was unable to make the call to the line, and Stanton cruised to yet another Real Street win, and a solid start in his quest for another season championship.
In BFGoodrich Drag Radial Eliminator action, James Byrne of Lansing , Illinois led all qualifiers with a top mark of 8.732, 161.75. He was followed by John Balinsky, Chris Evans, James Kursay, Michael Fratena, Scott Anderson, Chris Singleton and Bill Stevens. On Sunday, Singleton, Fratena, Byrne and Evans all advanced after the first round of eliminations, setting up an exciting semifinal session. Singleton, who struggled a bit in qualifying, showed he had a handle on the Cecil County Dragway surface when he left convincingly on Evans, .083 to .280 and rode it out for a win, 9.536, 156.68 to 9.634, 151.36 behind the wheel of his '72 Nova. In the other pairing, Fratena's '89 Camaro was late off the line, .185 to Byrne's .150, but he handled his opponent at the top end, taking the win, 8.865, 159.95 to 9.002, 158.56. With all the marbles on the line, Singleton, the class points leader, left first, .078 to .162, but he was outgunned at the big end by Fratena, 8.986, 158.59 to 9.772, 154.44.
Mr. Gasket Nostalgia Super Stock had the largest field of cars in Cecil County , with 22 classic factory hot rods from the 1960s on hand to do battle in this popular index class. No. 1 qualifier on Saturday was William Murphy, of Erdenlein , Pennsylvania , who paced his Max Wedge-powered '64 Plymouth to a mark of 10.005 on his 10.00 A/NSS index. He was followed by Joe Cochrane, Brian Merrick, Jim Clay, Bill White, Stephan Vargo, Allen Obenchain, Joe Winick, Lee Sebring, Stephanie DiMino, Ed Youmans, Jim Wittenberg, Frank Pelligrini, Skip Koester, Doug Sloane, Troy tribby, Gary Richmond, Jake Vargo, Dennis Stabile, Ciro Mangione and defending champion Scotty Jiles. In the first of five tough rounds of competition, Winick, Clay, Youmans, Vargo, Emery, DoMino, Mangione, Richmond , Cochran, White and Merrick advanced to the next stanza. In round 2, it was Clay over Winick, DiMino over Vargo, Richmond over Cochran, Mangione over White, Merrick over Emery and Youmans with a competition bye. Round three action saw Belle Rose winner DiMino advance with a win over Merrick, while Richmond dispatched and Clay handled Youmans. In the semifinals, Richmond took a free pass to the last stanza while DiMino went down at the hands of Clay in a close contest. In the final, Richmond 's '66 Ford Fairlane ran 10.603 on his B/NSS index of 10.50 to best Clay's D/NSS '67 Oldsmobile which posted a mark of 11.590 on his 11.50 index.
There were 18 Ramchargers American Muscle competitors in the Cecil County Dragway pits, and Mike Thompson of Oswego , New York led the way during qualifying. Thompson paced the field by laying down a best pass of 11.769 on his D/AM index of 11.750. He was at the head of a pack made up of Cliff Sebring, defending champion Mike Davis, NSCA Chaplin Mark Walter, Brian Van Poppel, Larry Santucci Jr., Martin Lang, Todd Pimm, Carroll Betz, Steve Gerrard, James Gorski, Ken Weilbrenner, Gary Spencer, Bruce Wilson, Lee Spencer, Carl Spencer, Fred Heipel and Keith Seymore. In the first round, Weilbrenner, Gorski, Betz, Van Poppel, Gerrard, Heipel, Spencer, Lang and Santucci all advanced, while in the next stanza Gerrard had the bye run while Santucci, Betz, Lang and Heipel won their races to move on to the semifinals. Santucci had the free pass into the final while Heiple outlasted Gerrard and Betz took out Lang to set up the American Muscle final between Santucci and Heipel. Santucci ran a solid 11.018 on his 11.00 index, but the effort really wasn't necessary as Heipel fouled at the line by -.059, and the win light automatically came on for the '70 Nova from Warminster , Pennsylvania .
Todd Merkel showed up in Rising Sun with his Comp/FAST EFI Eliminator championship-winning '86 Firebird painted a striking shade of yellow, a big change from the black coat it wore over the years. The car was different, but the results were vintage Merkel as the defending champ qualified in the No. 2 spot and outlasted a field of nine other competitors for his second straight victory in 2004. Low qualifier was Chris Young, followed by Merkel, John King, Wayne Weson, Jamie Biggs, Michael Laurer, Doug Kelly, Robert Milar, Scott Ercole and Tom Guellich. In the first round of eliminations, Kelly, Laurer, King, Merkel and Yound all advanced to the quarterfinals, with Young getting a free trip to the semis thanks to his low qualifier status. Merkel continued his march towards the title with a win over Laurer while King took care of Kelly to advance. Merkel was the next one to earn a free pass, and this was a big one as it led directly to the final round. Young claimed the other berth in the final by driving his '93 Corvette past King's '99 Blazer. The last race was a good win, with Merkel prevailing on the strength of his 9.559 pass on an index of 9.50 to Young's 11.620 on an index of 11.50.
The new Factory Modified Sportsman class was contested for the first time in Maryland , and the wheels-up action proved to be very popular with the fans in attendance. Jim Boburka of Coraopolis , Pennsylvania led the way in qualifying, wheeling his beautiful 2002 Firebird to a mark of 9.723, 134.54. He was followed by Steve Switzer, Ronnie Courtney, Angelo Ditocco and Mike Pustelny. In the first round of eliminations, Pustelny took out Courtney, Switzer outlasted Ditocco and Boburka rode his low qualifier status to a competition bye into the next round. Switzer was on the receiving end of the single this time around, while Boburka outgunned Pustelny to set up one of the best final rounds of the entire weekend. Both drivers crossed the finish line with identical elapsed times of 9.705, but Switzer had left the starting line first, .059 to .098, and he claimed the win thanks to his early advantage at the tree.
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