Nick
03-21-2008, 12:22 PM
<img src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/OutlawPics/KWilsonSB1.jpg" align="left" borders="0" width="275" height="165"> Mother Nature tried, but failed to slow down the PSCA
(3-21-2008) FONTANA, CA – The on track action at the Spring Break Shootout sponsored by Orme Brothers Incorporated was nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster ride for the racers of the PSCA. As the transporters entered the beautiful California Speedway Facility they immediately witnessed dark clouds and low snow levels in the nearby mountains. The track was cold and had not been used for several months during the off season but that did not faze these dedicated hard core racers. Take the 2007 Pro Street Champion Ed Thornton for instance. He and his Accufab sponsored crew thrashed on the famous black '57 during the weeks prior to the race only to spend most of Friday’s test session chasing a computer glitch. Twenty minutes before the first round of qualifying on Saturday the team discovered a broken chassis bar which required a trip back to Thornton’s shop to repair the damage and return in time for the 2nd and final qualifying session. On that run Big Ed immediately spun the tire, got badly out of shape, and had to settle for 11th position on the 16 car ladder. As you will see the Accufab team was able to emerge from what appeared to be an early end to their 2008 debut and push through the field to reach the final round.
On top of the Pro Street field was the leader of Accufab (John Mihovetz) with a near record setting 6.37 @ 218 MPH. The twin turbo Cougar was the quickest and most consistent car on the property and John’s Accufab team appeared to be on a mission. Mihovetz was followed by three 6.50s turned in by Giuseppe Gentile, Randy Hagerty and Clint Hairston, respectively. Team Hairston was consistently running high MPH during testing and qualifying and Clint aka “the Milkman” was driving the wheels off that gorgeous orange Bickle GTO. Pro Street pioneer Monty Berney began to get a handle on the amazing Bertha III with a admirable 6.63 at over 220 MPH. Rounding out the top half of the field were Jeremy Hanger with a personal best 6.74 @ 211, followed closely by Bob Griffith and Art Hodges.
The first round of eliminations had a notable upset (at least at this race) as #3 qualifier Randy Hagerty shook the tires against a strong performance by World Finals winner Mike “Showman” Bowman who recorded a 6.56 @ 216 MPH. Monty Berney posted his first pass in the 50s and got Bertha III’s first PSCA round win with a 6.59 @ 214 MPH over Kelly Bluebaugh. Ed Thornton just barely got by an up and coming Jeremy hanger who recorded another 6.78 to Ed’s slightly quicker 6.72. Mihovetz, Hodges, Hairston, Gentile and Griffith all advanced to the second round. Things heated up in round two as Mihovetz progressed with another 6.37 at over 220 and Hairston moved on with a 6.52 at a rocket speed of 224 MPH! Thornton was yet again able to advance with a off the pace 6.71 to Bowman’s 6.79. Bob Griffith’s Viper overcame a .07 starting line advantage of Giuseppe Gentile with a big top end charge to get by the beautiful new twin turbo GT 500 Mustang of Gentile. The Semis had one of the best races of the day as the Milkman cut an amazing .007 light and ran a stout 6.50 @ 224 only to come up 17/1000ths short at the stripe as Mihovetz chased him down with a 6.42 @ 220. On the other side of the ladder Griffith’s Viper launched hard with a stout 1.00 60-ft but drifted left and he was forced to lift at 200 feet handing Thornton the win. This set up an all Accufab final contrasting the deadly consistent Cougar of Mihovetz with a struggling and battered 57 Chevy of Thornton. The four time PSCA Pro Street Champ’s luck finally ran out in the final as mechanical problems lead to a water leak which found its way under the rear tire forcing Ed to lift almost immediately. Mihovetz did not disappoint the fans as he put on a show with yet another stellar 6.37 performance to take the first win of the season.
In Accufab Outlaw 10.5, Rich Zehring led the way with an outstanding 6.95 @ 203 MPH. Rich and crew chief Brian “Lil Bri” Smith have been working through the bugs of their new monster 870 CI Fulton combination which they began testing at the end of 2007. In fact, the team had a twin to the motor in the trailer just in case they had to lean on the primary motor. Defending Outlaw 10.5 champ Ron Weems and his Toy Factory team nailed down the #2 slot with a 7.10 @ 195 MPH. The naturally aspirated 2005 Pontiac continues to thrive in this world of turbo and mountain motor nitrous combinations. Enrique Soto brought out his clean nitrous assisted 92 Camaro but was off the pace with a 7.57 @ 180 MPH. Randy Normandin and the Hot Rod Performance team were largely in the testing mode with their new twin turbo combination running in the 7.80s. The 02 Camaro now has the power to go along with a proven chassis combination and will likely be a contender in the near future. The remainder of the field struggled to get down the track during an abridged qualifying day on Saturday which provided only two opportunities to navigate a tricky track surface.
Sunday was a new day for the Outlaw 10.5 racers and it was evident that the track and weather conditions were no longer the enemy. Weems duplicated his qualifying performance with another 7.10 in a first round win over Scot Slotten. Randy Normandin’s turbo combination continued to show improvement posting a 7.66 and getting the win over the Nova of Greg Seth-Hunter who encountered mechanical problems. Zehring, Soto and Kephart also advanced thanks largely to mechanical failures encountered by their first round competitors. Soto continued to show improvement with his first run below 7.50 posting a 7.45 @188 MPH and taking out Normandin in the process. Weems had to pedal the Pontiac but was able to sneak by Chris Kephart to gain access to the semis. Zehring ran out a competition single with an impressive 7.02 @ 202 MPH moving closer to yet another semi final. Weems was afforded a competition single and advanced to the final to face the winner of Zehring vs. Soto. Rich and Lil Bri were able to overcome a hole shot by Soto and back-up the previous run with a 7.04 resulting in a new ET record for the Nova. Unfortunately, the big nitrous motor ate a piston on that run forcing the team to go to the spare motor for the final. Despite all their efforts, Zehring was unable to make the call in time and Weems gained his first win of 2008 with an admirable 7.06 @ 196.
Mickey Thompson Tires Wild Street is the PSCA’s small drag radial class which is home to some of the craziest high-7 and low-8 second machines in the land. Cypress California’s Levi Hanna led the way with an insane 7.94 @ 177 MPH in his 1990 Mustang. Relative new comer Al Jimenez landed his 72 Pro Charger powered Camaro out of Sylmar, California in the #2 spot with an outstanding 8.06 @ 170 MPH. Former True Street Champion George Raygoza seems to be handling the transition to drag radials exceptionally well as demonstrated by his 8.07 and #3 qualifying position. David Schwarz brought his purple 88 Mustang from San Diego and was impressive with an 8.26 @ 170, while Manny Figueroa put his famous Mustang in the #5 position with an off the pace 8.40. Several new comers showed promise including Armen Maghdessian with his killer 57 Chevy powered by a nitrous fed 548 BBC. Absent from the top half of the field were long time standouts Artis Houston, Slim Zeinaty, Lonnie Patrick and Glen Kent.
The first round of eliminations on Sunday was characterized by some of the most shocking wheel stands ever seen on a 275 drag radial. Former Limited Street front runner Robby Klostrich put his amazing new Camaro on the bumper losing to Manny Figueroa who posted a stout 8.11 @ 170. Maghdessian also went sky high with the 57 holding a phenomenal wheelie near the bumper for at least 100 feet. Nevertheless Armen’s performance was superceded by a strong improvement by Glen Kent who posted an 8.35 at over 170 MPH. Jason Kenzuvich out of Henderson, Nevada moved past Jason Hacker with an 8.49 to get his first PSCA round win. Artis Houston trailered the #1 qualifier Levi Hanna who struggled with the starting line and had to shut off early. Raygoza put up a beautiful 8.04 at 174 to take out Zeinaty while Jimenez improved further with an 8.02 versus a struggling Chris Groves. In round two Jimenez and Figueroa both were able to advance with near identical 8.03s and both were afforded lane choice in their respective semi final rounds. Houston received a bye and shut off early to save parts. Raygoza continued with consistency laying down another 8.11 @ 174 which was enough to send home Kent who seem to overpower the track. Houston stepped up the program in the semis but lost traction early handing the consistent Figueroa a trip to the final. Raygoza barely missed a 7 second run posting an 8.00 against an admirable performance by Al Jimenez. The final was somewhat anticlimactic as Figueroa overpowered the track almost immediately and Raygoza streaked to another 8.06 @ 175 for the win.
In other action Matt Schmidt returned to his multiple championship form with several 7.80s and a win in Borla Drag Radial X-Treme Street over Bill Dunaway.
Darrell Shaffer took home his first win in Edelbrock Hot Street with an 8.83 over Steve Fulgham.
Craig Williams used a big starting line advantage and top end charge to hold off Gary Brandt for the win in K&N Filters Limited Street.
<img src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/OutlawPics/SB275.jpg" align="right" borders="0" width="275" height="147">Caleb Hunter took the win in Brandt Racing Quick Street with a 9.56 @ 141 against a break-out by Kenny Yount of 9.51 @ 138.
In Lawless Racing Engines Super Street Doug Crumlich got past Dick Krieger for the win with an 8.66 @ 151.
CRT Mean Street winner was Ron DeHoop with a 10.63 on the 10.60 dial. Charles “Big Chuck” Jackson took the runner-up honors
In Orme Brothers Open Comp John Joines ran a 13.982 on a 14.00 dial to just edge out John Brooks.
Chris Alston Chassis Bracket 1 had Robert Strong post a 10.55 to get the win over Open Comp winner John Joines.
In SCE Gaskets Trophy, Michael Hadtrath ran 9.512 on a 9.55 dial to get the win over Freddy Steger.
Ford sponsored Mustang Madness was won by Dan Marciano with a 10.09 @ 130 over runner-up Kirk Bouchard.
The next stop on the PSCA’s 10th Anniversary Tour will be at the Strip in Las Vegas on April 25-27. Be sure to visit www.pscaracing.com for all the news and race updates.
Story by Eric Lenore
Photos by Paul Schmitz
(3-21-2008) FONTANA, CA – The on track action at the Spring Break Shootout sponsored by Orme Brothers Incorporated was nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster ride for the racers of the PSCA. As the transporters entered the beautiful California Speedway Facility they immediately witnessed dark clouds and low snow levels in the nearby mountains. The track was cold and had not been used for several months during the off season but that did not faze these dedicated hard core racers. Take the 2007 Pro Street Champion Ed Thornton for instance. He and his Accufab sponsored crew thrashed on the famous black '57 during the weeks prior to the race only to spend most of Friday’s test session chasing a computer glitch. Twenty minutes before the first round of qualifying on Saturday the team discovered a broken chassis bar which required a trip back to Thornton’s shop to repair the damage and return in time for the 2nd and final qualifying session. On that run Big Ed immediately spun the tire, got badly out of shape, and had to settle for 11th position on the 16 car ladder. As you will see the Accufab team was able to emerge from what appeared to be an early end to their 2008 debut and push through the field to reach the final round.
On top of the Pro Street field was the leader of Accufab (John Mihovetz) with a near record setting 6.37 @ 218 MPH. The twin turbo Cougar was the quickest and most consistent car on the property and John’s Accufab team appeared to be on a mission. Mihovetz was followed by three 6.50s turned in by Giuseppe Gentile, Randy Hagerty and Clint Hairston, respectively. Team Hairston was consistently running high MPH during testing and qualifying and Clint aka “the Milkman” was driving the wheels off that gorgeous orange Bickle GTO. Pro Street pioneer Monty Berney began to get a handle on the amazing Bertha III with a admirable 6.63 at over 220 MPH. Rounding out the top half of the field were Jeremy Hanger with a personal best 6.74 @ 211, followed closely by Bob Griffith and Art Hodges.
The first round of eliminations had a notable upset (at least at this race) as #3 qualifier Randy Hagerty shook the tires against a strong performance by World Finals winner Mike “Showman” Bowman who recorded a 6.56 @ 216 MPH. Monty Berney posted his first pass in the 50s and got Bertha III’s first PSCA round win with a 6.59 @ 214 MPH over Kelly Bluebaugh. Ed Thornton just barely got by an up and coming Jeremy hanger who recorded another 6.78 to Ed’s slightly quicker 6.72. Mihovetz, Hodges, Hairston, Gentile and Griffith all advanced to the second round. Things heated up in round two as Mihovetz progressed with another 6.37 at over 220 and Hairston moved on with a 6.52 at a rocket speed of 224 MPH! Thornton was yet again able to advance with a off the pace 6.71 to Bowman’s 6.79. Bob Griffith’s Viper overcame a .07 starting line advantage of Giuseppe Gentile with a big top end charge to get by the beautiful new twin turbo GT 500 Mustang of Gentile. The Semis had one of the best races of the day as the Milkman cut an amazing .007 light and ran a stout 6.50 @ 224 only to come up 17/1000ths short at the stripe as Mihovetz chased him down with a 6.42 @ 220. On the other side of the ladder Griffith’s Viper launched hard with a stout 1.00 60-ft but drifted left and he was forced to lift at 200 feet handing Thornton the win. This set up an all Accufab final contrasting the deadly consistent Cougar of Mihovetz with a struggling and battered 57 Chevy of Thornton. The four time PSCA Pro Street Champ’s luck finally ran out in the final as mechanical problems lead to a water leak which found its way under the rear tire forcing Ed to lift almost immediately. Mihovetz did not disappoint the fans as he put on a show with yet another stellar 6.37 performance to take the first win of the season.
In Accufab Outlaw 10.5, Rich Zehring led the way with an outstanding 6.95 @ 203 MPH. Rich and crew chief Brian “Lil Bri” Smith have been working through the bugs of their new monster 870 CI Fulton combination which they began testing at the end of 2007. In fact, the team had a twin to the motor in the trailer just in case they had to lean on the primary motor. Defending Outlaw 10.5 champ Ron Weems and his Toy Factory team nailed down the #2 slot with a 7.10 @ 195 MPH. The naturally aspirated 2005 Pontiac continues to thrive in this world of turbo and mountain motor nitrous combinations. Enrique Soto brought out his clean nitrous assisted 92 Camaro but was off the pace with a 7.57 @ 180 MPH. Randy Normandin and the Hot Rod Performance team were largely in the testing mode with their new twin turbo combination running in the 7.80s. The 02 Camaro now has the power to go along with a proven chassis combination and will likely be a contender in the near future. The remainder of the field struggled to get down the track during an abridged qualifying day on Saturday which provided only two opportunities to navigate a tricky track surface.
Sunday was a new day for the Outlaw 10.5 racers and it was evident that the track and weather conditions were no longer the enemy. Weems duplicated his qualifying performance with another 7.10 in a first round win over Scot Slotten. Randy Normandin’s turbo combination continued to show improvement posting a 7.66 and getting the win over the Nova of Greg Seth-Hunter who encountered mechanical problems. Zehring, Soto and Kephart also advanced thanks largely to mechanical failures encountered by their first round competitors. Soto continued to show improvement with his first run below 7.50 posting a 7.45 @188 MPH and taking out Normandin in the process. Weems had to pedal the Pontiac but was able to sneak by Chris Kephart to gain access to the semis. Zehring ran out a competition single with an impressive 7.02 @ 202 MPH moving closer to yet another semi final. Weems was afforded a competition single and advanced to the final to face the winner of Zehring vs. Soto. Rich and Lil Bri were able to overcome a hole shot by Soto and back-up the previous run with a 7.04 resulting in a new ET record for the Nova. Unfortunately, the big nitrous motor ate a piston on that run forcing the team to go to the spare motor for the final. Despite all their efforts, Zehring was unable to make the call in time and Weems gained his first win of 2008 with an admirable 7.06 @ 196.
Mickey Thompson Tires Wild Street is the PSCA’s small drag radial class which is home to some of the craziest high-7 and low-8 second machines in the land. Cypress California’s Levi Hanna led the way with an insane 7.94 @ 177 MPH in his 1990 Mustang. Relative new comer Al Jimenez landed his 72 Pro Charger powered Camaro out of Sylmar, California in the #2 spot with an outstanding 8.06 @ 170 MPH. Former True Street Champion George Raygoza seems to be handling the transition to drag radials exceptionally well as demonstrated by his 8.07 and #3 qualifying position. David Schwarz brought his purple 88 Mustang from San Diego and was impressive with an 8.26 @ 170, while Manny Figueroa put his famous Mustang in the #5 position with an off the pace 8.40. Several new comers showed promise including Armen Maghdessian with his killer 57 Chevy powered by a nitrous fed 548 BBC. Absent from the top half of the field were long time standouts Artis Houston, Slim Zeinaty, Lonnie Patrick and Glen Kent.
The first round of eliminations on Sunday was characterized by some of the most shocking wheel stands ever seen on a 275 drag radial. Former Limited Street front runner Robby Klostrich put his amazing new Camaro on the bumper losing to Manny Figueroa who posted a stout 8.11 @ 170. Maghdessian also went sky high with the 57 holding a phenomenal wheelie near the bumper for at least 100 feet. Nevertheless Armen’s performance was superceded by a strong improvement by Glen Kent who posted an 8.35 at over 170 MPH. Jason Kenzuvich out of Henderson, Nevada moved past Jason Hacker with an 8.49 to get his first PSCA round win. Artis Houston trailered the #1 qualifier Levi Hanna who struggled with the starting line and had to shut off early. Raygoza put up a beautiful 8.04 at 174 to take out Zeinaty while Jimenez improved further with an 8.02 versus a struggling Chris Groves. In round two Jimenez and Figueroa both were able to advance with near identical 8.03s and both were afforded lane choice in their respective semi final rounds. Houston received a bye and shut off early to save parts. Raygoza continued with consistency laying down another 8.11 @ 174 which was enough to send home Kent who seem to overpower the track. Houston stepped up the program in the semis but lost traction early handing the consistent Figueroa a trip to the final. Raygoza barely missed a 7 second run posting an 8.00 against an admirable performance by Al Jimenez. The final was somewhat anticlimactic as Figueroa overpowered the track almost immediately and Raygoza streaked to another 8.06 @ 175 for the win.
In other action Matt Schmidt returned to his multiple championship form with several 7.80s and a win in Borla Drag Radial X-Treme Street over Bill Dunaway.
Darrell Shaffer took home his first win in Edelbrock Hot Street with an 8.83 over Steve Fulgham.
Craig Williams used a big starting line advantage and top end charge to hold off Gary Brandt for the win in K&N Filters Limited Street.
<img src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/OutlawPics/SB275.jpg" align="right" borders="0" width="275" height="147">Caleb Hunter took the win in Brandt Racing Quick Street with a 9.56 @ 141 against a break-out by Kenny Yount of 9.51 @ 138.
In Lawless Racing Engines Super Street Doug Crumlich got past Dick Krieger for the win with an 8.66 @ 151.
CRT Mean Street winner was Ron DeHoop with a 10.63 on the 10.60 dial. Charles “Big Chuck” Jackson took the runner-up honors
In Orme Brothers Open Comp John Joines ran a 13.982 on a 14.00 dial to just edge out John Brooks.
Chris Alston Chassis Bracket 1 had Robert Strong post a 10.55 to get the win over Open Comp winner John Joines.
In SCE Gaskets Trophy, Michael Hadtrath ran 9.512 on a 9.55 dial to get the win over Freddy Steger.
Ford sponsored Mustang Madness was won by Dan Marciano with a 10.09 @ 130 over runner-up Kirk Bouchard.
The next stop on the PSCA’s 10th Anniversary Tour will be at the Strip in Las Vegas on April 25-27. Be sure to visit www.pscaracing.com for all the news and race updates.
Story by Eric Lenore
Photos by Paul Schmitz