News
11-17-2009, 10:09 AM
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/OutlawNick2005/JHYR.jpg" align="right" borders="0" width="275" height="190"> Halsey reflects on Englishtown, big speeds and the 2009 season
(11-17-2009) HARVE DE GRACE, MD – It's easy to forget what running 240+ mph feels like, especially if you haven't done it in 12 months. Homecomings are often sweet, especially if you're Jim Halsey. After rotating the earth with his historic 5.99 e.t. with speeds eclipsing 240mph during last year's Alanabi Racing Shakedown at E-town, Jim Halsey once again left Old Bridge Township Raceway Park on November 8 as the most talked about figure of the entire event, winning the race and rocking E-town with stunning numbers of 5.86 @ 243mph in the Shakedown's final round against Gary Courtier.
Even though the end result of the recent Shakedown at E-town looked a lot like last year's event, a stark contrast showed up on the qualifying sheet. After a frigid and dicey session of qualifying on Saturday yielded a bump spot starting position (compared to last year's #1 spot) the Maryland racer found the tune-up when it counted for Sunday's eliminations.
After stopping Matt Deitsch and Todd Fontana in rounds one and two, Halsey was unopposed in the semis after George Williams hurt his motor in the previous round. Halsey then faced Shirley, NY's Gary Courtier in the final round of the event. Courtier was first out of the gate, but rattled the tires hard around 60 feet. Halsey's McAmis Camaro streaked through the night with headers blazing, his scoreboard numbers flashing out a jaw-dropping 5.86 @ 243mph.
The man who laughingly confessed that scoreboards were the worst thing ever invented for drag racing, once again had his career defined by the same digital display that etched his name in history at this same event in 2008. First to run 5.99 and now first to the 5.80's, Halsey and the Englishtown 1/4 mile seem to be the perfect match.
As for the additional 660 feet, the huge top end speed is something that got Halsey's attention. "I knew from how the parachutes popped that it was a good pass," commented Halsey, as he recalled his 243mph scorcher in the finals at E-town. Not since the IHRA World Finals at Rockingham in October 2008 had Halsey made a full throttle 1/4 mile pass.
Ironically, the power plant that propelled Halsey's McAmis Camaro to event low numbers at E-town wasn’t the latest and greatest horse in Gene Fulton’s stable, but rather, a motor that the legendary engine builder assembled 2 years ago in his Spartanburg, SC shop. "We broke a rocker arm in our new motor at a recent event, so we were running our spare motor at Englishtown," explained Halsey. Although Halsey's newest engine has yet to see the 1/4 mile, it has clocked as much as 5 hundreds quicker to the 1/8. "If we would have had the new engine in the car last week I think we could have run anywhere between a 5.79 - 5.83," says Halsey.
As for his 1/8 mile assault in 2009, Halsey picked up 3 national event wins while competing in the American Drag Racing League's Pro Nitrous division. Leading the points in Pro Nitrous throughout the entire year is something Halsey considers the pinnacle of his season, although the aforementioned parts breakage in Ennis, TX spoiled his chances of winning the ADRL World Championship at the season finale.
Looking ahead to 2010, winning the ADRL Pro Nitrous Championship is the obvious goal, although Halsey is also giving consideration to the newly announced NHRA Pro Mod series. "If I thought I could be competitive in a nitrous car with their rules I'd like to run some of the NHRA events close to home," says Halsey. "I'd like to wear the #1 at some point though, it's the only thing I haven't been able to do."
Jim Halsey wishes to thank:
Cathy Crouse
Eric Davis
Allen Lay
Richard Crouse
Gene Fulton
Tim McAmis
Patrick and Constance Smith
Richard's Automotive
Finishline Performance
www.yellowbullet.com
Story and photo by Van Abernethy - www.VanTheManPhotos.com
(11-17-2009) HARVE DE GRACE, MD – It's easy to forget what running 240+ mph feels like, especially if you haven't done it in 12 months. Homecomings are often sweet, especially if you're Jim Halsey. After rotating the earth with his historic 5.99 e.t. with speeds eclipsing 240mph during last year's Alanabi Racing Shakedown at E-town, Jim Halsey once again left Old Bridge Township Raceway Park on November 8 as the most talked about figure of the entire event, winning the race and rocking E-town with stunning numbers of 5.86 @ 243mph in the Shakedown's final round against Gary Courtier.
Even though the end result of the recent Shakedown at E-town looked a lot like last year's event, a stark contrast showed up on the qualifying sheet. After a frigid and dicey session of qualifying on Saturday yielded a bump spot starting position (compared to last year's #1 spot) the Maryland racer found the tune-up when it counted for Sunday's eliminations.
After stopping Matt Deitsch and Todd Fontana in rounds one and two, Halsey was unopposed in the semis after George Williams hurt his motor in the previous round. Halsey then faced Shirley, NY's Gary Courtier in the final round of the event. Courtier was first out of the gate, but rattled the tires hard around 60 feet. Halsey's McAmis Camaro streaked through the night with headers blazing, his scoreboard numbers flashing out a jaw-dropping 5.86 @ 243mph.
The man who laughingly confessed that scoreboards were the worst thing ever invented for drag racing, once again had his career defined by the same digital display that etched his name in history at this same event in 2008. First to run 5.99 and now first to the 5.80's, Halsey and the Englishtown 1/4 mile seem to be the perfect match.
As for the additional 660 feet, the huge top end speed is something that got Halsey's attention. "I knew from how the parachutes popped that it was a good pass," commented Halsey, as he recalled his 243mph scorcher in the finals at E-town. Not since the IHRA World Finals at Rockingham in October 2008 had Halsey made a full throttle 1/4 mile pass.
Ironically, the power plant that propelled Halsey's McAmis Camaro to event low numbers at E-town wasn’t the latest and greatest horse in Gene Fulton’s stable, but rather, a motor that the legendary engine builder assembled 2 years ago in his Spartanburg, SC shop. "We broke a rocker arm in our new motor at a recent event, so we were running our spare motor at Englishtown," explained Halsey. Although Halsey's newest engine has yet to see the 1/4 mile, it has clocked as much as 5 hundreds quicker to the 1/8. "If we would have had the new engine in the car last week I think we could have run anywhere between a 5.79 - 5.83," says Halsey.
As for his 1/8 mile assault in 2009, Halsey picked up 3 national event wins while competing in the American Drag Racing League's Pro Nitrous division. Leading the points in Pro Nitrous throughout the entire year is something Halsey considers the pinnacle of his season, although the aforementioned parts breakage in Ennis, TX spoiled his chances of winning the ADRL World Championship at the season finale.
Looking ahead to 2010, winning the ADRL Pro Nitrous Championship is the obvious goal, although Halsey is also giving consideration to the newly announced NHRA Pro Mod series. "If I thought I could be competitive in a nitrous car with their rules I'd like to run some of the NHRA events close to home," says Halsey. "I'd like to wear the #1 at some point though, it's the only thing I haven't been able to do."
Jim Halsey wishes to thank:
Cathy Crouse
Eric Davis
Allen Lay
Richard Crouse
Gene Fulton
Tim McAmis
Patrick and Constance Smith
Richard's Automotive
Finishline Performance
www.yellowbullet.com
Story and photo by Van Abernethy - www.VanTheManPhotos.com