2011 BAKERSFIELD MARCH MEET - EVENT RESULTS

03_17_2011_bakersfield_coverage

RAIN GETS THE BEST OF THE EVENT - Weather Sunday has caused the March Meet to be postponed until next Saturday, March 26. All tickets good for the postponed Sunday will be honored on Saturday the 26th. Attendees are asked to retain their ticket stub, as it will serve as their rain check for admittance. Gates will open at 7 AM. Tickets will also be on sale at the gate, $30.00 adult, kids 7-12 $10, kids 6 and under are free with paid adult.

Car show participants with weekend passes, swap meet vendors and standard vendors are welcome back.

Friday will be a setup day and a test and tune from 1 to 5. Gates will open at 9am. Weekend ticket, event ticket and weekend campers will be addmited with rain check.

ELIMINATIONS UNDERWAY AT MARCH MEET - The second day of the 2011 March Meet at Bakersfield’s Auto Club Famoso Raceway included the conclusion of qualifying for the Nostalgia Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars and the first round of eliminations for the thunderous classes, despite the threat of rain drops in the forecast.

The third session of qualifying saw no movement in the Nostalgia Top Fuel field, and based on his first qualifying pass of 5.664 that was strong enough to hold, Rick White earned a start from the No. 1 position. The San Diego, Calif. – based driver exchanged the number for a bye run in the first round of eliminations as the odd-numbered field contains 15 cars. White clocked a quick 5.67 at 254.09 mph and will face off with Bill Dunlap and the Circuit Breaker in round two – Dunlap won his match with Mike McLennan on a holeshot.

Stand-out passes in the third session of qualifying included a pair of 5.74s by Jim Murphy and Tony Bartone, respectively, and a 5.76 by Brett Harris in the Nitro Thunder rail. Defending series champion Adam Sorokin, the No. 12 qualifier, earned a first-round match with Denver Schutz and the Express 2 but was a no-show. Schutz will challenge Tony Bartone in round two.

Yorba Linda, Calif., driver Jason Rupert retained the Funny Car top spot that he had originally grabbed in the first qualifying session driving the Mert Littlefield tribute car. He was to be paired with John Hale in round one, but Hale had trouble firing the car and Rupert took a single and will meet with Mike Halstead and the Bomb Squad entry in round two.

In his final chance to rise in the order, Ron Capps, driving the Blue Max car, made a substantial move up from the No. 6 spot to No. 2 with a low of the round 5.76, bumping down Canadian racer Tim Boychuk to the third position. During the first round of eliminations, Capps pulled to the starting line next to Nitro Cowboy pilot Dennis Swearingen, an alternate who took the position when Dan Horan Jr. withdrew from the race.

Capps had the starting line advantage in their pairing, .125 to .141, and was an awesome .995 to the 60-foot timer, but mid-track he banged the blower hard and shortly after launched the beautiful Blue Max body into the air. Capps kept the chassis rolling forward in his lane, though, and got the win light. Although the car is too damaged to run in competition for round two, Capps will be allowed to use a back-up car for second round.

Jeff Arend, wheeling Dale Pulde’s flashy orange War Eagle, started from the No. 4 spot and drew young Steven Densham, son of veteran nitro pilot Gary Densham, and the Densham family Teacher’s Pet Camaro, but Densham withdrew and alternate Rian Konno was handed the position. Arend was on the winning end of the round and will advance. The match was Arend’s first eliminations pass in a Nostalgia Funny Car; in fact, Arend had never before driven a N/FC before this weekend.

The final qualifying session of Nostalgia Funny Car involved some movement: in addition to Capps jumping up, Tim Nemeth – in the stealthy matte black Iceman Mustang, clocked a much improved 5.850 to scorch from just outside of the field solidly into the top half. His No. 7 paired him with Mark Sanders and the Mr. Explosive car for the first round of eliminations. The ascension was temporary bad news for Dennis Swearingen, who was bumped right out, but Swearingen was soon reinstated when Horan couldn’t make the call.

The 2011 March Meet is schedule for completion on Sunday at Auto Club Famoso Raceway, weather permitting, and will kick off with round two of eliminations.

fc_2nd_rd
tf_2nd_rd

SATURDAY QUALIFYING

FRIDAY RECAP - RUPERT, WHITE LEAD BAKERSFIELD FRIDAY QUALIFYING

The first day of the 2011 Bakersfield March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway, one of the most historic events at one of the most historic venues, went off beneath clear skies and pleasant temperatures which are a drag racers dream. The happiest in the land at the end of the first day of qualifying were likely Nostalgia Funny Car driver Jason Rupert and Nostalgia Top Fuel pilot Rick White; both were No. 1 at the conclusion of the first session, and their times held through session number two to retain the top spot heading into the second day of the esteemed event.

Yorba Linda, Calif.-based Rupert, driving the red and gold Mert Littlefield tribute Funny Car, blasted to a 5.693 at 249.26 mph in his first hit, surging well into the lead ahead of Jeff Arend, who was perched to walk off with the provisional pole after a 5.824. In the second session, there wasn’t a car who could surpass Rupert’s .69, but Ron Capps, in the Blue Max car, and Candies & Hughes driver Mike Savage posted respective 5.87 and 5.94 laps in their clean sweeps down the track side-by-side.

The run made by Arend, who usually is found driving the DHL Funny Car in NHRA’s Full Throttle Series, was particularly impressive as it was his first in a Nostalgia Funny Car. He shook the tires in the second run and had to shut off early behind the wheel of Dale Pulde’s War Eagle. With 26 cars in attendance, there are quite a few Nostalgia Funny Cars pressing to break into the 16 car field.

White, of San Diego, Calif., wheeled his Nostalgia rail to a quick 5.664 at 251.53 mph in the first session to claim his No. 1 spot by a fairly substantial margin, also claiming top speed of the day. Next quickest was Brett Harris, of Kaysville, Utah, with a 5.740. Last season’s series champ, Adam Sorokin, was 11th at the conclusion of the first session and opted out of the second run, as did many of the other Nostalgia Top Fuel teams. There are 15 cars on the property aiming to improve their times, and tomorrow they’ll have two more sessions to do it – weather permitting.

tf_qual_2

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

FRIDAY SESSION -1

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

AEROMOTIVE’S A2000 FUEL PUMP REMAINS ON TOP OF THE FIELD

11202_edit For more than 10 years, the Aeromotive A2000 (P/N 11202) Fuel Pump has dominated the world of drag racing. Fueling champion and after champion in multiple classes and multiple sanctions. Never before has a fuel pump celebrated so many wins with such diverse applications.

In 2011, after years of success, Aeromotive is celebrating the A2000’s dominance with a renewed focus. “Its hard to match the durability and performance of the A2000 Fuel Pump,” said Steve Matusek, President and Founder of Aeromotive Fuel System. “We hear from racers all the time, wanting to make sure they still have the latest and greatest from Aeromotive. Its almost as if they figure there has to be some new development in the fuel system world,” Steve continued. “While there has been a lot, the A2000 has remained a constant and it’s hard to argue with its overwhelming success.”

The Aeromotive A2000 has fueled 3 out of the last 4 NHRA Pro Stock World Champions including Mike Edwards and 4-time World Champ, Jeg Coughlin Jr. In fact, Jeggy was a back-to-back World Champion and he fueled his car with same Aeromotive A2000 Fuel Pump, every single pass for 3 straight years. That pump never left the car. Now that is durability!

That is the type durability you can expect from Aeromotive. It’s a value that they hang their hat on. “With every product we design, we identify a problem, engineer a solution to that problem, test the product on our own vehicles and then stand behind our product and the racers that support us,” said Matusek. “The A2000 was no different. We knew we could engineer a ‘big’ carbureted pump that was extremely efficient, provided optimum pressure control and would be durable.” It’s the reason you’ll find the A2000 in car after car at the track. From the sportsman racers to the Pro Mods and Pro Stock, the Aeromotive A2000 is the choice of champions.

Other champions in 2010 include NMCA Pro Street racer, Chris Rini, Super Street 10.5W racer, Tony Nesbit; Mean Street racer, Jeremy Gillam; Open Comp racer, Don Bowles; Late Model EFI racer, Al Corda; LSX All Motor Champ, Judson Massingill; and LSX Rumble Champ, Kurt Anderson. National Champions in the NHRA include NHRA Stock Champ, Brad Burton and NHRA Super Comp Champ, Gary Stinnett. In the NMRA, champions include NMRA Hot Street Champ, Charlie Booze Jr.

Aeromotive Inc. is a true high performance aftermarket manufacturer specializing in fuel delivery and fuel delivery components. Utilizing aerospace tolerances and procedures, 3 generations of track experience and a meticulous approach to engineering, Aeromotive Fuel Systems have become the absolute pinnacle of performance fuel delivery.

For more information on the A2000 Fuel Pump, Aeromotive Fuel Systems or their extensive line of components and the advantages they can provide, go to www.aeromotiveinc.com. To speak with one of the highly qualified technicians, call (913) 647-7300.