2011 NHRA GATORNATIONALS - GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD NOTEBOOK
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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - BALOOSHI CLEAN SWEEPS NHRA GATORNATIONALS
Khalid Balooshi ran the table at the opening race of the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series, following up his No. 1 qualifier award with the race win.
Balooshi, from Doha, Qatar, defeated 2010 Series runner-up Danny Rowe by 13-thousandths of a second in the final round, 5.912 (with .074 RT) to 5.943 (with .056 RT).
Balooshi, who drives a ’68 Camaro, defeated Mike Knowles, Brad Personett, and Kenny Lang – last year’s winner at this event – before finishing off Rowe to open the second season of the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series with the victory.
He will also leave with a 22-point lead over Rowe, 34 over Rickie Smith and 36 over Lang.
The NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series continues April 1-3 at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Get Screened America Pro Mod Series final round-by-round results from the 42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the first of ten events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
ROUND ONE -- Brad Personett, Chevy Camaro, 5.897, 247.75 def. Von Smith, Camaro, 6.798, 142.60; Roger Burgess, Chevy Corvette, 5.843, 254.23 def. Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 6.211, 237.84; Ed Hoover, Camaro, 5.918, 244.29 def. Mike Janis, Ford Mustang, 6.060, 233.24; Raymond Commisso, Camaro, 5.896, 249.58 def. Michael Gullqvist, Camaro, 9.221, 115.08; Kenny Lang, Corvette, 5.944, 247.34 def. Tim Tindle, Mustang, 11.206, 86.46; Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.921, 241.76 def. Joe Baker, Pontiac Firebird, 6.074, 240.29; Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.884, 248.84 def. Scott Ray, Corvette, 10.482, 81.94; Khalid Balooshi, Camaro, 5.959, 241.80 def. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 6.145, 240.94;
QUARTERFINALS -- Balooshi, 5.916, 241.89 def. Personett, 6.028, 249.16; Lang, 5.915, 247.38 def. Burgess, broke; R. Smith, 5.926, 238.68 def. Commisso, 5.952, 248.02; Rowe, 5.913, 248.02 def. Hoover, 5.926, 244.16;
SEMIFINALS -- Balooshi, 5.911, 243.15 def. Lang, 5.947, 247.47; Rowe, 5.894, 247.47 def. R. Smith, 5.953, 240.89;
FINAL -- Balooshi, 5.912, 240.51 def. Rowe, 5.943, 246.21.
Point standings (top 10) for the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series following the 42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the first of ten events --
1. Khalid Balooshi, 93; 2. Danny Rowe, 71; 3. Rickie Smith, 59; 4. Kenny Lang, 57; 5. Roger Burgess, 47; 6. (tie) Ed Hoover, 45; Brad Personett, 45; 8. Raymond Commisso, 44; 9. Michael Gullqvist, 35; 10. (tie) Mike Janis, 33, Von Smith, 33, Tim Tindle, 33, Joe Baker, 33.
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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK -
Khalid Balooshi earned the No. 1 qualifier and he also advanced to the quarterfinals in the season-opener for the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series at Gainesville Raceway on Saturday.
Balooshi, from Doha, Qatar, set the No. 1 qualifying mark of 5.846 seconds at 243.24 mph on Friday in his 1968 Camaro and it held up in the final qualifying pass on Saturday.
Then he delivered a solid 5.959 at 241.80 (with a 0.069 reaction time) to win convincingly over Mike Knowles’ 6.145 at 240.94 (with a 0.104).
He’ll match up in the quarterfinals, which resume on Sunday, against Brad Personett, who defeated defending Series champion Von Smith in the marquee first-round pairing.
The other quarterfinal matchups are: Roger Burgess vs. Kenny Lang; Danny Rowe vs. Ed Hoover; and Rickie Smith vs. Ray Commisso.
Get Screened America Pro Mod Series round one results from the 42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
ROUND ONE -- Brad Personett, Chevy Camaro, 5.897, 247.75 def. Von Smith, Camaro, 6.798, 142.60; Roger Burgess, Chevy Corvette, 5.843, 254.23 def. Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 6.211, 237.84; Ed Hoover, Camaro, 5.918, 244.29 def. Mike Janis, Ford Mustang, 6.060, 233.24; Raymond Commisso, Camaro, 5.896, 249.58 def. Michael Gullqvist, Camaro, 9.221, 115.08; Kenny Lang, Corvette, 5.944, 247.34 def. Tim Tindle, Mustang, 11.206, 86.46; Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.921, 241.76 def. Joe Baker, Pontiac Firebird, 6.074, 240.29; Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.884, 248.84 def. Scott Ray, Corvette, 10.482, 81.94; Khalid Balooshi, Camaro, 5.959, 241.80 def. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 6.145, 240.94.
Final qualifying order for the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series at the 42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. DNQs listed below pairings.
1. Khalid Balooshi, Chevy Camaro, 5.846, 243.24; 2. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.855, 250.27; 3. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.878, 241.67; 4. Roger Burgess, Corvette, 5.881, 255.10; 5. Kenny Lang, Corvette, 5.897, 247.52; 6. Michael Gullqvist, Camaro, 5.908, 245.40; 7. Ed Hoover, Camaro, 5.911, 244.74; 8. Brad Personett, Camaro, 5.914, 255.19; 9. Von Smith, Camaro, 5.928, 246.80; 10. Chuck Cheeseman, Corvette, 5.931, 243.28; 11. Raymond Commisso, Camaro, 5.946, 247.52; 12. Tim Tindle, Ford Mustang, 5.972, 228.11; 13. Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 5.989, 241.80; 14. Joe Baker, Pontiac Firebird, 6.005, 239.65; 15. Scott Ray, Chevy Corvette, 6.011, 232.83; 16. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 6.042, 244.74.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Mike Janis, 6.043, 237.75; 18. Troy Coughlin, 6.046, 245.85; 19. Pat Musi, 6.062, 237.50; 20. Dennis Radford, 6.065, 244.12; 21. Jay Payne, 6.121, 241.93; 22. Melanie Troxel, 6.122, 246.39; 23. Ike Maier, 6.151, 231.08; 24. Raymond J Matos, 6.155, 215.82; 25. Chip King, 6.218, 249.16.
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -
KHALID LEADS THE PACK - Khalid Balooshi raced to the qualifying lead Friday at Gainesville Raceway in the season-opener for the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
Balooshi, from Doha, Qatar, covered the quarter-mile distance in 5.846 seconds at 243.24 mph in his 1968 Camaro.
Rickie Smith (5.878, 241.67) and Roger Burgess (5.881, 255.10) qualified second and third, respectively.
Defending Series champion Von Smith opened the year with a 5.928 at 246.80 that has him in seventh position entering Saturday’s final qualifying session.
Notable drivers not yet qualified into the 16-car field include Jay Payne, Melanie Troxel and Danny Rowe, the 2010 Series runner-up.
Qualifying continues tomorrow with a final qualifying session before the 16-car field is set for Sunday’s eliminations.
WHO SAID WE DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE? - Many of the so-called Pro Mod experts had written off the nitrous combination headed into this season. Balooshi and Rickie Smith, both nitrous racers, held down the first two spots in the 16-car field. The quickest blown car was fourth. A turbo was third.
IN THE CLUTCH - Michael Gullqvist was at a disadvantage heading into Gainesville. The Swedish Pro Modified driver had hoped to compete with his new seven-inch, four-disk clutch.He attended last weekend's Shakedown at Palm Beach in South Florida to test the redesigned clutch in the red '68Camaro that he bought from R2B2 Racing, the one Melanie Troxel raced last year in Europe.
However, parts of the flywheel slipped loose from bolts that kept hitting the engine plate, causing Gullqvist ultimately to lose traction during his early Shakedown run. So he and his team never got to test the clutch, and he lost the chance to establish a baseline tune-up.
The components needed to be machined for more clearance, and with no machinery at the racetrack, he had to remove it from the car and race with the familiar 11-inch, two-disk clutch instead.
The main advantage of the new clutch was its weight. It's half the weight, resulting in half the mass for the engine's power to turn. Gullqvist was concerned about that the disk, with its smaller diameter, couldn't hold the engine's power. The plan at The Shakedown was to unload weights and start adjusting it.
Gullqvist, tuning the car himself with the help of his all-Swedish crew, said one of his main goals last weekend was to sort out the new clutch. He didn't want simply to machine the part and head upstate to Gainesville without testing. He didn't want to use the Gatornationals qualifying session to test his car.
After Friday's first qualifying session, he was 19th among 23 entrants (with a 10.953-second, 82.12 effort) -- in unqualified company with some of the class' top names: Joe Baker, Danny Rowe, Mike Janis, Pat Musi, and last year's Gatornationals winner, Kenny Lang.
He improved in the second session and swiped the tentative No. 15 spot with a 6.213-second elapsed time and 184.65-mph speed. By the end of the session, though, he was No. 21 with two more qualifying chances remaining Saturday.
Gullqvist's Camaro was shipped to Europe last year for Troxel to drive in Germany and England. Because tax regulations complicated matters a bit, the car never was intended to be imported there. So R2B2 team owner Roger Burgess shipped the car back to the U.S.
Gullqvist came to the States, bought the car, and had it repainted to reflect his sponsorship from Stavdal (a company that rents heavy tools for construction).
Gullqvist has said that he would like to enter the NHRA's April 1-3 event at Las Vegas, too. But his plan is to pursue the FIA championship, which begins in May. He also is eager to check out his homeland's new racing facility at Tierp this spring.
WANTED: STRUCTURE - Although Roger Burgess said he never saw a Pro Modified car until the 2007 Gatornationals, never even knew they existed until then,
the class has become "near and dear" to his heart. "Worldwide, it is THE class," he said.However, he said he wishes that he and Qatar's Sheikh Khalid Al Thani had pooled their ideas at the beginning of the Pro Mod explosion. The sheikh, who owns the American and Arabian drag racing leagues and funds the multi-faceted Al-Anabi-branded race team that includes Pro Mods, Top Fuel cars, motorcycles and once a Funny Car, as well, and as such is the key player in the globally popular series.
Burgess said safety is foremost in his mind: "Without rules, I won't go play." Of course, both "ADRLs" have rules, but Burgess looked at the big picture, said the class could be more ordered.
"I wish that Khalid and I had gotten together to develop the concept," Burgess said, considering the various versions of Pro Modified racing, with its "outlaw" style in the mix. "I'd like to see a little bit of structure."
He pointed to the Olympics, the NFL, NHL, NBA, and Major League Baseball -- any organized sport -- and noted their sense of order, organization, and professionalism. "They follow a set of standards," he said.
Besides, Burgess said he noticed, "The cars are so esoteric. That really eliminates the regular racer."
What he envisions, he said, is beyond anything he can do alone.
"I'll help . I'll lead the way. It's going to have to be a lot bigger than what I have been doing."
With his expanding empire, Burgess undoubtedly is a pivotal team owner. He drives a brand-new automatic twin-turbo '53 Corvette with Steve Petty's tune-up and an Alan Johnson wedge motor. So with two of the best minds in the industry involved in the design and development of his car, Burgess should be competitive.
Returning to the team are Troxel and Ray Commisso. Bob Newberry, the accomplished Top Alcohol Funny Car driver and contracted tuner at R2B2, oversees their '69 Camaros. Driving and tuning his own turbocharged '68 Camaro is new team member Brad Personett, the 2010 U.S. Nationals winner and record-setter.
Roger Burgess appears to have made the best transition from blower to turbo as he ended Friday's qualifying as third quickest with a 5.881, 255.10. He led the first session of qualifying.
Nitrous defectors Troy Coughlin and Dennis Radford were 14th and 16th respectively.
Only Chip King was unqualified after the first day. King managed to run a 6.261 and the impressive part of the run was that it was the first time he'd ever driven a turbo-equipped race car in his life.
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