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The NMRA moves into its fourth points race of the year as they join forces with the NMCA in Joliet for the Superbowl. We will be covering all the NMRA action here and the NMCA reporting will be on www.streetmusclemag.com. Tune in all weekend for reporting from the track!
Special thanks to our event sponsor SCT Performance. Check out www.sctflash.com for all their great tuning solutions.
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VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
FRIDAY VIDEO
Qualifying Round 1 – Part 1 of 2 – Factory Stock, Pure Street, Real Street, Hot Street, & EFI Renegade
Qualifying Round 1 – Part 2 of 2 – Drag Radial, Super Street Outlaw, & Outlaw 10.5
5.0 Liter & 4.6 Liter Tuning Technology with Brenspeed and SCT
SATURDAY VIDEO
Eliminations Round 1 – Factory Stock, Pure Street, Real Street, & Hot Street
Eliminations Round 1 – EFi Renegade, Drag Radial, Super Street Outlaw, and Outlaw 10.5
SUNDAY VIDEO
News from the Pits with Brandon Alsept, Sean Lyon, and Steve Thompson.
Ride Along with Drag Radial Event Winner Sean Lyon
Final Round Eliminations – All Classes
NMRA vs. NMCA Super Bowl Shootout
Friday Morning Pit Notes
Excitement is brewing here at Route 66 Raceway as the on-track action starts to heat up for the 2010 NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Drag Racing. Things are getting underway with test and tune this morning followed by the first round of qualifying this afternoon. As always here in the midwest during the middle of the summer season, the hat and humidity will play a factor with the racers, their machines and the track conditions.
Texan Daniel Pachar is here this weekend competing in the Super Street Outlaw category with his Mustang, powered by a 4.6L modular engine fed by an F2 Procharger. Pachar and the Triangle Speed Shop team also competed in the Bradenton event where they made respectable 7.8-second laps that they hope to better here in Joliet.
Don Bowles and crew were taking care of some routine maintenance in the pits this morning. Bowles pulled the engine from his championship-winning Maverick last week to install a new set of valves, and tested at Milan earlier this week, netting an 8.59 best pass.
Local racer Nick Rusnak is trying his hand at the ultra-tough Drag Radial class this weekend behind the wheel of his ’03 Cobra. Rusnak, along with car owner Nick Versetto, typically run in the TSDRA series on 28×10.5 tires, but chose to bolt on a set of radials, feeling they could be more competitive in Drag Radial than super Street Outlaw. The Cobra, which Rusnak built himself earlier this year, is powered by a 363 cubic inch SBF with AFR 205 cylinder heads and a GT47-88 turbocharger.
Super Street Outlaw competitor Sam Vincent was performing some routine maintenance this morning before the test and tune session. Vincent, who reset the national record earlier this season, will certainly be a contender in the warm weather.
Test and Tune Notes
Testing is underway here in Joliet!
Super Street Outlaw racer Vinny Barber spent just a little too long building boost on his test and tune pass, sending transmission fluid onto the hot turbo piping and creating quite the pyrotechnics show for the fans.
More Test and Tune Notes
On his first test hit earlier today, Sam Vincent powered into a monster wheelstand out to nearly the 330-foot cones, but came back on his second pass with the tuneup lined out, laying down a stout 7.40 that leads the rest of the class to this point.
Qualifying Round 1 Notes
Notes from Qualifying Round 1
Pro Outlaw 10.5
Mike Murillo ran a stellar 6.837 at a booming 215.96 miles per hour to grab to lead the quickest class in the NMRA series. His competition struggled in the opening round, with Jim Monson’s 7.41 holding down second.
Jim Brown had the third quickest lap of the round with his 7.428 at 182.53 miles per hour. Conrad Scarry, arguably the favorite to win nearly every weekend, struggled down the quarter mile to a 7.76. Dwayne James and the Hellion team bobbled early and never got charging again, finishing out the round at the bottom of the sheets with his 8.26 pass.
Super Street Outlaw
Johnny Mac made a big statement in the heat, with a straight and true 7.380 at 193.21 miles per hour. Sam Vincent continued his consistent performance with a 7.416 that nearly matched his earlier 7.40, and John Urist slid into third with an off-pace (for him) 7.50.
Drag Radial
David guy led the field in the opening session of Drag Radial that features a fairly strong field of 13 cars. Guy’s 8.165 at 179.68 miles per hour leads Adam Jude’s 8.20, Steve Thompson’s 8.31, Chad Doyle at 8.31, and Dennis Bell at 8.50.
Perennial favorite Jason Lee and his intimidating 1986 Mustang made a big move around half track. Lee pedaled and got it straightened back out to the tune of an 8.97 to finish the session eight out of 13 cars.
Canadian Enzo Pecchini got loose early in his qualifying attempt and slowed to a coasting 10.92-second run.
Renegade
George Seeger powered his way to the second spot on Renegade with an 8.619, while Chris VanGilder nailed down the best run of the round at 8.565 at 159.64 miles per hour.
Real Street
Bruce Hemminger (far lane) and Craig Baldwin grabbed the second and third positions in Real Street, at 9.708 and 9.727, respectively. Dan Baumann leads the category in his 1988 Mustang with a great 9.681 at 139.95 miles per hour.
Tim Matherly qualified his ultra sharp MV Performance 2010 Mustang in the fifth spot with a 9.948 at 139.31 miles per hour.
Hot Street
Reigning champ Don Bowles leads the exciting all-motor class after round one with an 8.621 that just edged Robbie Blankenships’ 8.631. Charlie Booze Jr. holds down the third spot with his 8.687.
Rob Valden drove the School of Automotive Machinists 1995 Mustang to a game 8.775 at 151.73 miles per hour.
Pure Street
Steve Gifford (far lane) had the quickest lap of the round with his 10.320 at 131.04 miles per hour. Local racer Amy Sherwin qualified sixth with a 10.626.
Brandon Alsept experienced troubles on his attempt, slowing to a 13.74 that will have his tram looking for more in the next round later this evening.
Factory Stock
Jay Dold (far lane) nailed down the best run of the round in Factory Stock with an 11.313 at 117.96 miles per hour in his 2003 Mach 1. Matt Amrine trailed closely behind with an 11.389 to call in second behind Dold.
Strong runners John Leslie Jr. and Lois Sylvester both struggled on their attempts, with Leslie qualifying fifth with an off-pace 11.702 and Sylvester experiencing troubles and coasting to an 18.08.
Notes from the Pits
Notes from the Pits after qualifying round 1
Vinny Barber and crew were seen hard at work trying to make repairs to the transmission after burning it up in a big way during testing earlier this morning.
George Seeger had the valve covers off of the powerplant in his 1989 Mustang looking for the source of a knocking sound heard during his first qualifying hit that placed him second at 8.61.
Sean Lyon broke the stador support in the transmission during his test hit earlier in the day and missed the first qualifying session to completely rebuild the transmission. Lyon and team had the car all buttoned up and ready to roll well before the second session.
Qualifying Round 2 Notes
Friday’s Final Round of Qualifying
Pro Outlaw 10.5
Mike Murillo and the SCT gang stepped it up a notch in the late evening qualifying session, bettering his earlier 6.83 with a great 6.797 at a coasting 187.86 miles per hour – which gives the rest of the class even more reason for concern on race day.
Conrad Scarry stepped up in the second session with a 7.108 at 200.02 miles per hour to move up to the second spot behind Murillo, but that team can’t be happy with their performance thus far. Scarry, who is commonly one of if not the man to beat in the class, should still serve as a threat on raceday. Jim Monson (far lane) was unable to better his earlier 7.410.
Super Street Outlaw
John McDonald (far lane)was on a mission in the cool evening air to further cement his dominance thus far this weekend, lowering the standard from his earlier 7.380 to a 7.344 at 193.24 miles per hour. Sam Vincent wasn’t far behind with a 7.439 that didn’t quite match his earlier 7.410.
Drag Radial
The champ Jason Lee delivered in the second session, jumping from the bottom half of the order after using up a lot of his lane in the first session all the way to top of the leaderboard with a great 8.140 at 173.56 miles per hour.
Sean Lyon,, who had transmission troubles following testing this morning and had to completely rebuild the unit, made the most of the evening session after missing the first round. Lyon led the class with his 8.164 before Lee stole it away in the very next pairing.
David guy, who was the class leader coming into the second session, sits third going into tomorrow with an 8.165 that is right in the mix with Lee and Lyon.
Renegade
Bob Cook leapfrogged two positions in the second session, going to the top of the pack with an 8.523 at 161.96 miles per hour. Chris VanGilder was unable to better his earlier 8.565. Brian Mitchell stepped up more than a tenth, but remains in the fourth spot.
Hot Street
Robbie Blankenship (far lane) bettered his earlier 8.63 with an 8.590 at 155.81 miles per hour to surpass Down Bowles and take over the top spot on Hot Street. Charlie Booze Jr. also picked up a few hundredths with an 8.601 that almos moved him around Bowles into the second spot.
Real Street
Tim Matherly moved to the top of the qualifying sheet in the second session, picking up over four tenths from his earlier 9.94 to a 9.525 at 144.15 miles per hour.
Craig Baldwin followed suit along with Matherly, jumping up from his earlier 9.72 to a 9.579 to finish the round in the second spot. Bruce Hemminger picked up a tenth himself, placing himself third with his 9.602 that left round one leader Dan Baumann down in the fourth slot.
Pure Street
Steve Gifford remained atop the Pure Street field with his earlier 10.320 second pass. The rest of the field only saw minor improvement under the warm late afternoon conditions. Brian Meyer improved two spots in the order with a 10.467 from his earlier 10.533.
Factory Stock
Matt Amrine (near lane) showed everyone in the class how its done in the second session, improving more than two tenths to take over the top spot with an 11.120 at 120.60 miles per hour that paces early leader Jay Dold’s 11.206.
