Outlaw So-Cal Dragstrip Ready To Open! Southern California is blessed with a handful of dragstrips, a few of them built in the last five years. Now, add another one to the roster! Perris Auto Speedway boasts the only half-mile clay oval for USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, Extreme Trucks and Street Stocks in the Los Angeles area, but as of the end of June a new eighth-mile Street Legal strip will be operating on the same property. General Manager Don Kazarian said he approached the Lake Perris Fair Board and the State of California about two years ago with the plan and, "It took a while, but the board agreed that this (dragstrip) was a good idea."
Without any ceremonial groundbreaking, plans are for the strip to run a Street Legal program on Friday nights until October when the facility closes during the yearly regional Fair. Timing equipment and K-rails are already on order and there's a bit more asphalt to pave before the strip will open, but Kazarian said there are no plans to affiliate with any sanctioning body at this time. Perris Auto Speedway is located off the 215 Freeway, southeast of Riverside, about 75 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
5/26/2005
Hicks Takes Texas Nitro Coupe Win!
Jerry Hicks, of Deer Park, TX turned up the heat when he needed it and won the May 22 AutoZone Super Chevy Show at the Texas Motorplex. Hicks, driving a '63 Vette, put a .037 light on Californian Wayne Torkelson, running a 6.541/212.36 against Torkelson's 6.781/218.65. Torkelson's '53 Vette was Low Qualifier at 6.647/214.93.
Texas racers took the rest of the wins too, with David Baldwin of Kennedale, getting the Top Sportsman win in his '55 Chevy. Winners in the Flowmaster Bracket Racing Series include Daryl Hamlin (Mr. Gasket Bracket One), Jeromy Hefler (Bracket Two), and Jeff Kmosko (DOT).
The AutoZone Super Chevy Show takes Memorial Day off and then heads for Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia June 3-5 for what promises to be a spectacular event. There will be a special bonus race Saturday ($2,500 purse) and Sunday's eliminations for the Flowmaster Bracket Racing Series (Time Trials on Saturday). All GM-Brand cars are eligible for both Top Sportsman and all classes of the Flowmaster Series in 2005. Nitro Coupes and Top Sportsmen will qualify Saturday with eliminations Sunday. There will be a Test and Tune session available for racers from noon to 5pm on Friday. In addition to all the racing action, the TREMEC Transmission Car Show is expected to draw a record crowd of awesome show cars. For a complete schedule and more information on the Atlanta event, please go to www.superchevyshow.com.
5/24/2005
Weems, Patick and Williams Runners-Up @ The PSCA Borla California Nationals May 20-22, 2005 At California Speedway Fontana, CA!
Ron Weems
#3 Qualifier Ron Weems' tire smoking 16.356 @ 47.42 mph was runner-up to #1 Qualifier Bob Griffith's 7.998 @ 186.98 mph in Outlaw Street.
Ron Weems' Chevy Lumina
Lonnie Patrick
#1 Qualifier Lonnie Patrick's 9.230 @ 162.74 mph was runner-up to Manny Figueroa's 9.010 @ 158.78 mph in True Street.
Lonnie Patrick's Chevy Malibu
Craig Williams
Craig Williams' 9.765 @ 149.23 mph was runner-up to #1 Qualifier Mike Saiki's 9.700 @ 148.84 mph in Limited Street.
Craig Williams' Chevy Camaro
The PSCA heads back to the Strip at Las Vegas for some night time racing on June 24th & 25th for the Calvert Racing "Summer Nationals" Presented by Chris Alston’s ChassisWorks.
5/20/2005
PSCA At Fontana This Weekend!
The Pacific Street Car Association will hold their California Street Car Nationals this weekend at SoCal's California Dragway in Fontana.
In addition to the regular PSCA classes the popular Top Eliminator West will also be part of the show with their 6.30 Index Class. A handful of Nitro Nostalgia Funny Cars will be sneaking their way into the Top Eliminator West program. Danny Booker (pictured) will be bringing out his gorgeous, '94 Chevy Lumina to compete in Outlaw Street.
5/19/2005
Nostalgia Funny Cars Highlight Goodguys 17th Hot Rod Nationals!
The Goodguys 17th Rod Nationals presented by Advance Auto Parts, June 10, 11 & 12 at IRP in Clermont, Indiana is actually two events in one. On the west side of the facility, you’ve got 5,000 of the nation’s premier ’64 & earlier rods, customs & classics. All the top builders in the Midwest and eastern US come to Indy to display their award winning rods & customs. On the east side of IRP is where you’ll find 400 of the nation’s hungriest vintage drag racers, battling it out in 12 classes at speeds eclipsing 200mph. The end result is the nation’s largest nostalgia hot rod happening!
Headlining the drag racing program will be a special East vs West Nitro Nostalgia Funny Car match race between Jeff Gaynor’s Los Angeles based “Hard Times” 1970 Plymouth Barracuda and the “Mill Road Boys” Newark, Delaware based 1970 Camaro driven by Steve Nichols.
Joining the two nitro cackling floppers will be eight of the country’s hardest running alcohol powered Nostalgia Funny Cars, taking IRP fans back in time to the 1970s when funny cars barnstormed the country. Hard chargers like Lou Sgro (Black Magic Tribute Car), Bob Rosetti (Rolling Stoned ’70 Cuda – driven by 73 year old Joe Jacono), the Klingerman Bros. (Chevy Monza) and several others will perform throughout the weekend.
Nichols is living his dream these days as driver of the Mill Road Boys ’70 Camaro Funny Car. Teamed with fellow Delawarian’s Steve and Ernest McClain – the Mill Road Boys will not only be competing at IRP, but will look to improve on their career best times. “We ran 6.58 @ 218mph in testing this winter down at Gainesville Raceway,” said the 49 year old Excavation contractor. “Gene Amaya (west coast nitro Chevy guru) has been working with us to get our combination sorted out. I think we can run in the 6.30’s or 6.20’s if the track is good and the air is right.”
Gaynor meanwhile is having a tough season so far with driver Jeff Utterback behind the wheel. “We changed everything on the car from last year,” Gaynor said. They’ve even brough in renowned funny car guru Dale Pulde to assist with getting the car to perform to it’s full potential. “We are sneaking up on it” he assured.
Other popular exhibition classes featured at the event include the Nostalgia Super Stockers, a Midwest based group of original 1960s-style gear-grinding large bodied stockers. The “Geezer Gassers”, period perfect 1960s style, nose-in-the-air gassers will also perform throughout the weekend.
The 17th Hot Rod Nationals gets underway with qualifying and time trials Friday, June 10th. Qualifying and time trials will continue throughout the day Saturday with final eliminations Sunday June 12th at 10am. Gates open 8am daily. General admission is $20 per day, kids (7-12) $6. For more information please visit http://www.good-guys.com
5/13/2005
Goodguys Drag Wagon!
The newest addition to the Goodguys Vintage Drag Racing Association’s support vehicle fleet is this “in-da-weeds” 1956 DeSoto Firedome 4-door station wagon. The off white/aqua two-tone cruiser will be used at the Goodguys drag meets as the official “Tech Wagon,” carrying all the equipment needed to keep the Goodguys 250mph drag racing action fair and balanced!
The 5-race 2005 Goodguys Vintage Drag Racing Series has three stops remaining this season, including the 8th Pomona Nitro Nationals, August 5-7 at Pomona Raceway, the 1st Northwest Nostalgia Drags, September 2-4 at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington and the 7th Fuel & Gas Finals, October 28-30 at Bakersfield’s Famoso Raceway.
And Yes – It’s got a hemi! A 230 horsepower 330 inch stock DeSoto hemi!
5/13/2005
NHRA Names Mike Rice Division 7 Director! Mike Rice has been named the Division 7 Director, effective immediately. Rice, who is currently the Division 6 Director, will relocate to NHRA’s corporate headquarters in Southern California.
“Mike has done an excellent job in Division 6,” said Graham Light, senior vice president racing operations. “Although we are disappointed he is leaving the great Northwest, we are excited about the initiatives his knowledge and experience will present to Division 7 racers, fans, sponsors, and tracks,”.
The Pacific Division, whose motto is “Magnificent Seven,” encompasses the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, and a portion of New Mexico. It also has jurisdiction over the lone track in Mexico, Baja Raceway in Mexicali, B.C.
Rice will officially relocate with his family at the end of June but will maintain his duties in both divisions through the completion of the transition process with the naming of a new Division 6 Director. With Rice’s relocation, NHRA is seeking a replacement to take over the position of Division 6 Director.
Rice joined the NHRA full-time in 2001 when he was named the Division Director for Division 6 in the Northwest. In all, Rice has been a part of the NHRA since the mid-1980s, serving as a starter and technical inspector in the Northwest Division.
5/12/2005
POWERade And NHRA Announce Extension Of Series Sponsorship Through 2011! With two years remaining on their initial agreement, The Coca-Cola Company and NHRA have agreed to a new, long-term deal that will extend POWERade’s NHRA title sponsorship into the next decade.
Today, at Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta, NHRA and Coca-Cola North America announced that POWERade’s partnership with the premier series in the sport of drag racing, the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, will continue through 2011.
“Since coming on board, Coca-Cola North America and the POWERade brand, with support from Coca-Cola Enterprises, have made an immeasurable impact on the sport of drag racing, NHRA and the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series,” said Tom Compton, president of NHRA, the world’s largest motorsports sanctioning body. “To be aligned with a leading brand like POWERade as our series sponsor and extend our relationship into the next decade reinforces the value and visibility that NHRA brings to bear on behalf of its sponsors,” said Compton.
Since becoming series sponsor in 2002, POWERade has created a variety of consumer programs, the likes of which the sport has not seen in its 50+ year history, that have helped to elevate NHRA’s awareness among a broader audience. Regional promotions in event markets, national presence through commemorative packaging, national television advertisements featuring the stars of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing, and point-of-purchase displays highlighting the brand’s association with the world’s fastest motorsport are just a few of the many exciting initiatives that POWERade has brought to fans of NHRA racing.
“As a sports drink, POWERade defies convention, which is exactly what NHRA competitors do each time they roar down the track.” said Don Knauss, president, Coca-Cola North America. “Bringing together POWERade and NHRA has created new excitement and energy for NHRA fans, and by extending our partnership, we’ll keep that momentum pumping for years to come.”
This year, POWERade enhanced its 5,000-square-foot on-site fan interaction display in NHRA’s Nitro Alley to include the one-of-a-kind POWERade Fan Nationals program, where fans compete in realistic Funny Car simulators in qualifying and final eliminations to determine victors at each national event. Each national event winner receives an all-expense-paid trip to the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, California in November to compete for the inaugural POWERade Fan Nationals Series Championship.
Also in 2005, Coca-Cola North America’s new energy drink, Full Throttle, became an official sponsor of NHRA and implemented a program to reward and recognize NHRA pit crews in each of the four POWERade racing classes.
The extension also continues to designate Coca-Cola as the official soft drink of NHRA and Dasani as the official water of NHRA.
“There is no better series sponsor for NHRA than POWERade,” said Compton. “Today’s announcement with this worldwide brand provides the foundation for a very bright future which will benefit everyone involved in the sport of NHRA Drag Racing.”
5/11/2005
Attention NHRA Racers! California Dragway will host a “Race Car” test n tune on May 28 & 29 with a Stock/Super Stock Combo on Sunday. The test n tune will be run in conjunction with their Super Eliminator, Super Street and Super Gas event. They will run 2 qualifying passes for the Stock/Super Stock Combo on Saturday and 1 on Sunday.
Cost for car and driver to test n tune will be $30 per day and crew will be $10 per day. Entry for the Stock/Super Stock combo will be $100. The total money collected will be paid out but how far back the pay will be determined by car count.
For more information, contact Kathy at (909) 429-5060.
5/4/2005
1st Northwest Nostalgia Nationals Extended To Three Days! The 1st Goodguys Northwest Nostalgia Nationals has been extended to three days. The event will be run at Pacific Raceways (formerly SIR) September 2, 3 & 4 and will feature all Goodguys/VRA West Coast Championship Series racing classes. The event will also include a rod & custom show & shine for 1972 & earlier vehicles, a manufacturer’s midway and special vehicle displays. Goodguys will honor Jerry “The King” Ruth as the event’s official “Hot Rod Hero”. Ruth will be on hand throughout the weekend to meet and greet fans and will be honored on the dragstip starting line prior to Sunday’s final eliminations. Northwest racing fans will get a rare treat as the famed “Winged Express” of Al “Mousie” Marcellus will be on hand making exhibition runs throughout the weekend with “Mighty” Mike Boys doing the driving.
Goodguys/VRA Director Larry Westervelt explained the reason for the extended event dates. “Our vintage drag racing series has reached a point where we simply can’t fit everything in to two day events any longer. We run a lot of different and unique classes, we have 300 to 400 competitors at each event we do and to expect to get it all done in two days just isn’t realistic. Also – this race will be less hectic for the racers because Monday is the Labor Day holiday giving them ample time to travel back home” he said.
Earlier this year, Goodguys extended the season-ending Fuel & Gas Finals to three days as well. The Goodguys 7th Fuel & Gas Finals is scheduled for October 28, 29 & 30 at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield.
5/3/2005
Ron Weems & Danny Booker Win at Super Chevy in Pomona, CA.! Top Sportsman at Pomona was dominated by Ron Weems - (Toy Factory Racing) & Danny Booker - (Team Green Racing). Ron Weems' '94 Chevy Lumina was the #3 qualifier with a 7.878 ET @ 174.04 MPH. Weems won Top Sportsman with a .484 R/T 7.790 ET @ 175 MPH over Tim Stephan's '55 Bel Air .519 R/T 8.287 ET @ 163.87.
Ron Weems & The Toy Factory Race Team
Danny Booker's '94 Lumina was the #1 qualifier with a 7.676 ET @ 181.74 MPH. Danny's Chevy Lumina broke in the semi's. Booker's Team Green also won best appearing crew.
Danny Booker's '94 Chevy Lumina
The 25th Annual Tour of the AutoZone Super Chevy Show now moves to Norwalk Raceway Park for a May 13-15 event. For information on that event, go to www.superchevyshow.com.
Nitro Coupe Eliminations - Sunday 5/1/05
Finals
Wayne Torkelson def. .527 6.806 183.71
John Scialpi .560 7.824 118.35
Top Sportsman Eliminations Presented by ProCharger - Sun. 5/1//05
Winner Ron Weems, Riverside, CA, '94 Lumina .484 7.70 7.790 175.47 Runner-Up Tim Stephan, Carmichael, CA, '55 Bel Air .519 7.99 8.287 163.87
Semis Danny Booker, Ontario, CA. '94 Lumina
Tommy Schifilea, San Gabriel, CA.
Trim Parts Top Qualifiers
Nitro Coupes Dan Nickelson 6.400 219.81
Top Sportsman Danny Booker 7.676 181.74
FLOWMASTER Bracket Racing Series Eliminations Sunday 5/1/05
Mr. Gasket Bracket One Pro Eliminator
Winner
Robert Strong, Highland, CA. .88 Chevelle .520 10.75 10.756 122.64
Runner-up
Pete Kinney, Fountain Valley, CA. '38 Roadster .515 11.58 11.563 144.09
Semis Randy Bowers, Riverside, CA. '89 Camaro
Bracket Two Eliminator
Winner
Michael Williams, Herperia, CA. '67 Camaro .509 11.36 11.374 111.70
