- FordMuscle - https://www.fordmuscle.com -

The NMRA Invades Atlanta; Tony Alm Headlines Winners

Street Outlaw Winner Tony Alm. Images Courtesy: NMRA

The second event of the NMRA‘s season is now complete; Atlanta Dragway was the place, and the diehard Ford racers on the property provided the excitement and killer elapsed times as the season got into full swing this past weekend.

In the Street Outlaw class, which encompassed both the NMRA and NMCA’s Street Outlaw racers at this event, low qualifier was set by John Urist with an outstanding 7.121 at 202.55 MPH from the red Hellion Power Systems machine. Andy Manson, Dwayne Barbaree, and Tony Alm all joined Urist in the 7-teens during the qualifying sessions, and nearly every other competitor was in the 7-second range when the sessions were complete. The qualifying sessions were full of drama – Sean Ashe went for a wild ride on the big end on Friday night when a head gasket expired through the traps and put water under the car. Alm and Manson had transmission troubles, with Alm borrowing the lift of Ashe to install Urist’s backup torque converter when his own converter broke the mechanical diode.

Tony Alm’s “Little Engine That Could” – a 363-cube Victor-headed 8.2-deck small block fronted by a Precision Turbo 94mm snail.

Sunday ended up being the Alm Show, as he eliminated Dan Pachar in the first round with a 7.55 blast, then dropped Manson in round two with a much-improved 7.150 to Manson’s 7.22. Facing off against Urist in the semifinal -Urist turned on the red bulb .006 early. On that pass, Alm clicked off a 7.139 elapsed time at 198.55 MPH.

Alm’s consistency proved out in the semifinal round, where he faced off with Filthy Phil Hines. By the sixty-foot clocks it was all over but the shouting, as Hines went up in smoke while Alm steamrolled to the finish line with a nearly identical-to-the-semifinal 7.139 ET and 198.15 MPH pass to take home his second Street Outlaw win of the season in three tries – after winning NMCA’s event in Bradenton just a few weeks ago.

Renegade Winner Scott Grove

Carnage ruled in Renegade.  After completely bypassing the 8-teens and qualifying on top with an incredible 8.05 on Friday night, Bad Bart Tobener proceeded to put a huge hole in the side of his engine block on Saturday, nosing into the wall and wrecking his weekend. Valerie Clements also had an engine expire; the Clements Racing crew went back to South Carolina, installed a new engine, and had Val back in action for eliminations on Sunday. Brian Mitchell had a challenge getting the tune correct on his newly-intercooled ride, and Shawn King managed to kill a transmission. 

Riding in under the radar were number 11 qualifier and lone nitrous proponent Scott Grove and lucky number 13 Curtis Catalon. Grove advanced to the final by winning over Johnny Lightning, Adam Arndt, while Catalon got there by putting a two-tenths (!) holeshot on Brian Mitchell in round one, taking out Tim Matherly in round two, and ending Valerie Clements’ weekend in the semifinal. In the final round, Grove came out on top with an 8.48 to Catalon’s 8.63 hit.

Coyote Modified Winner Frank Varela

Coyote Modified is new for 2014 and still growing. Four racers made the trip to Atlanta. As was the case in Florida, Hellion Racing team member Frank Varela was on the top of the ladder with an 8.60 after the three qualifying sessions, and on Sunday he continued his dominance by taking out Joe Cram and Richard Lelsz on his way to win number two of the season.

In Pure Street Teddy Weaver, Scott Barker, Jimmy Wilson, and Paul Wiley rounded out the gang of four at the end of qualifying, with Weaver the only racer in the 9-second zone,  with a 9.79 at 136 MPH.

Sunday’s eliminations saw Weaver keep the run going, taking out Wiley in round one before facing off against Wilson in the final. Wilson improved greatly, but his 9.94 wasn’t enough to get past Weaver’s 9.79 blast in the final round. Weaver is two for two this season.

Pure Street Winner Teddy Weaver 

Factory Stock’s six entrants were all chasing Matt Amrine once the qualifying sessions were complete. Amrine took advantage of the outstanding round one track conditions by clipping off a 10.83 and attempt to claim the class record in the process.

Factory stock Winner Matt Amrine

Sunday’s eliminations saw him unable to back it up, but pushing through the field to meet up with number-four qualifier Alan Cann in the final round. Despite giving up the holeshot, Amrine was able to power around Cann on the big end and take home his first win of the season.

In Coyote Stock, 14 racers made the call during qualifying, led by 2013 class champion Shane Stymiest’s third round effort of 10.549. The pack was bunched up with 12 of the 14 qualifiers coming in quicker than 10.88. Stymiest put everyone he faced on the trailer during eliminations, culminating in Mike Washington’s dismissal in the final round for his second win of the season.

Coyote Stock Winner Shane Stymiest

Modular Muscle saw Susan Roush-McClenaghan turn in a perfect reaction time to sit on top of the ladder entering eliminations. Her teammate Donnie Bowles  ran through his side of the ladder to meet up with Holllywood Gary Parker in the final, where Parker took the stripe and broke out by .002-second to give Bowles the win.

Open Comp saw Frank Sindelar record a perfect reaction time to sit on top of the qualifying sheets. In eliminations, Tito Rodriguez took on Bill Jones in the fifth and final round of competition and ran a 10.147 on a .14 dial to take home his first-ever NMRA win. 

In Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning, John Elliott’s .002 reaction time put him in the top qualified spot, but eliminations saw Nina Gusler and James Steamer make it to the final round. After a staging battle, Gusler pushed through the tree and ended the race before it began.

In Super Stang, 2012 champion Chad Wendel took on Lloyd Mikeska in the final round and won on the strength of a three-tenth advantage on the starting line.