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SMITH
WINS SECOND STRAIGHT NHRA GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD DRAG
RACING SERIES EVENT
(06-20-10) BRISTOL, TN – Von Smith
won his second straight NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod
Drag Racing Series race in his Barwa/Al-Anabi Racing ’68
Camaro to take command of the points lead.
In the finals, Smith gave up 12-hundredths to Jay Payne at
the tree, but he tracked him down with a 5.994 at 241.54 to
Payne’s 6.039 at 240.36 in his ’68 Camaro. He
now leads second-place Danny Rowe by 92 points.
Smith qualified fifth, but because of a series upsets on
his half of the ladder he didn’t meet a higher-qualified
driver until the final when he was matched up against No.
2 qualifier Payne.
En route to the final, Smith defeated No. 12 qualifier Tony
Pontieri, No. 13 Rick Stivers and No. 8 Ray Commisso.
The NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series
will be back on the track next weekend during the Summit Racing
Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
A G A T E
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Final finish order (1-16) for Get Screened
America Pro Mod at the 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
at Bristol Dragway.
1. Von Smith; 2. Jay Payne; 3. Scott Ray; 4. Raymond Commisso;
5. Kenny Lang; 6. Ed Hoover; 7. Rick Stivers; 8. Mike Castellana;
9. Tony Pontieri; 10. Brad Personett; 11. Danny Rowe; 12.
Joe Baker; 13. Mike Janis; 14. Troy Coughlin; 15. Roger Burgess;
16. Rickie Smith.
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Final Get Screened America Pro Mod round-by-round
results from the 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
at Bristol Dragway.
ROUND ONE -- Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 6.076, 240.81
def. Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 6.363, 214.66; Ed Hoover, Camaro,
7.019, 211.59 def. Roger Burgess, Chevy Corvette, foul; Scott
Ray, Corvette, 6.008, 236.63 def. Mike Janis, Pontiac Firebird,
6.211, 195.14; Von Smith, Camaro, 6.054, 239.61 def. Tony
Pontieri, Camaro, 6.044, 240.72; Rick Stivers, Dodge Stratus,
6.182, 236.05 def. Rickie Smith, Camaro, DQ; Kenny Lang, Corvette,
6.075, 236.75 def. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 6.109, 240.89; Jay
Payne, Ford Mustang, 6.015, 239.70 def. Brad Personett, Camaro,
6.091, 248.02; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 6.002, 238.30 def.
Joe Baker, Firebird, 6.112, 235.56; QUARTERFINALS -- V. Smith,
6.014, 242.28 def. Stivers, 6.156, 236.51; Payne, 6.012, 240.00
def. Hoover, 6.086, 235.68; Ray, 6.046, 234.74 def. Lang,
6.051, 236.80; Commisso, 6.012, 242.80 def. Castellana, 7.505,
124.76; SEMIFINALS -- Payne, 5.991, 240.68 def. Ray, 6.023,
234.37; V. Smith, 6.033, 241.37 def. Commisso, 8.520, 109.28;
FINAL -- V. Smith, 5.994, 241.54 def. Payne, 6.039, 240.38.
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Point standings (top 10) for Get Screened
America Pro Mod following the 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley
Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
1. Von Smith, 436; 2. Danny Rowe, 344; 3. Jay Payne, 339;
4. Kenny Lang, 325; 5. Troy Coughlin, 294; 6. Mike Castellana,
258; 7. Tony Pontieri, 250; 8. Mike Janis, 246; 9. Scott Ray,
244; 10. Ed Hoover, 237.
SMITH SEEKING THIRD STRAIGHT WIN, STRANGLEHOLD ON
GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD SERIES POINTS RACE
(06-22-10)
NORWALK, OH – It ain’t over til it’s
over, but if Von Smith wins again this weekend it’ll
certainly be close.
With two straight wins entering this weekend’s event
at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports
Park, June 25-27, the driver of the Barwa/Al-Anabi ’68
Camaro has a chance to take complete control of the points
race in the first-year NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series.
“We’re hoping to take the positives from the
last two races and carry it into this weekend and win another
one,” said Smith, who already has three wins and a 92-point
lead through the first six races of the 10-race Get Screened
America Pro Mod Series season.
This weekend’s race marks the third in a row that the
Get Screened America Pro Mod Series drivers will be in action,
the most taxing stretch of the 10-race schedule for the drivers
in the first-year Series, but one that Smith welcomes.
“The more we race back-to-back the better it is for
me and the team, just staying jelled,” Smith said. “We’re
very fortunate that we had the Englishtown race and then we
came home, that just helped us logistics-wise to come home.
I’ve always said the more I can race back-to-back the
better we race and it’s showing that that’s the
way it is.”
The win in Bristol was his third overall this season –
the Oak Ridge, Tenn. native had previously won at the AAA
Insurance NHRA Nationals in St. Louis on May 2 and the NHRA
SuperNationals in New Jersey on June 13 -- in the first six
events and it’s given him a commanding 92-point lead
over Danny Rowe and a 97-point lead over Jay Payne.
“While I like the lead, I want to have a bigger lead
leaving Norwalk,” he said. “It’s not (comfortable),
if you listen to (the other teams), we heard (in Bristol),
‘you win this and it’s done’ and it’s
not even close to done. On this team, (the mindset is) keep
your head down. The lead could be taken up in one race by
us not qualifying.”
The last time Smith was in Norwalk, in 2007, he advanced
to the Top Alcohol Funny Car final round in the Centre Pointe
Collision Camaro and he finished runner-up to current NHRA
Full Throttle Series Funny Car racer Bob Tasca.
While he’d certainly like a third straight win, a repeat
of that runner-up this weekend would put him in a great position
heading into the two-month break before Indy. After this weekend’s
event, the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series will not race
again until Labor Day weekend at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals,
which is the first of the three final races to end the season
– they will finish with races in Charlotte and Las Vegas.
“I’m not crazy about (the break),” Smith
said. “But hopefully, at least we’re in a good
position going into it.”
Featuring the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer
cars with an extremely diverse collection of vehicles, including
’63 Corvettes, ’68 Camaros, ’67 Mustangs,
’68 Firebirds as well as late model cars, the NHRA Get
Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series offers something
for every kind of hot-rodding enthusiast.
In addition to Von Smith, other pre-race favorites in the
category include Californian Danny Rowe and Canada’s
Kenny Lang. Veteran racers Jay Payne, Troy Coughlin and Melanie
Troxel also will be in the hunt. Others to watch include Roger
Burgess, Ray Commisso, Burton Auxier, Mike Knowles and Ed
Hoover.
• SCHEDULE: Get Screened America qualifying sessions
are scheduled for 4 and 6:30 p.m. on June 25 and the final
qualifying session is at 11 a.m. on June 26. The first round
of eliminations begins June 26 at 2 p.m. Pro Mod eliminations
will continue on Sunday, June 27, starting at approximately
1 p.m.
• TICKETS: Tickets are available for the Summit Racing
Equipment NHRA Nationals. Please call Summit Motorsports Park
at (419) 668-5555 or visit www.tix.com
to purchase tickets online.
• ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise 30-minutes
of racing highlights from the Get Screened America Pro Mod
Series portion of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals
Sunday, July 11 at 11:30 a.m. (ET).
• ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia
and the latest news updates from every NHRA Get Screened America
Pro Mod Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com.
Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
A WEEKEND OF FIRST’S FOR PARISE RACING’S
DINA PARISE
(05-05-10)
PETERSBURG, VA - “It was a busy week and a
week of firsts, for me in particular.” Stated Dina Parise.
“I tested at Virginia Motorsports Park for two days
.I started on Wednesday, just getting reacquainted with the
car, and getting comfortable. Since this was the first time
back in the car since my hand surgery, I was just a bit apprehensive
because we still had a few issues to iron out. Too boot, I
stepped into the car sooner than the doctor advised. I just
could not wait any longer.”
Nick and James Montana of Montana Bros Pro Chassis were on
hand with Dina for the two day test to make sure the ’63
Tim McAmis Corvette went straight down the race track. “After
a few changes it was straight as an arrow.” Stated Dina.
Thursday, Dina made the progress she was hoping for, and
ran numbers that she, Andrew and her Crew Chief Dave Jordan
felt happy with. She ran a 6.10, 6.12 and a 6.09 @ 235 MPH
to end the day. “It felt great to be back in the seat
and make the progress we did in two days. It all came together
well.” Stated Dina.
On Friday night the weekend was kicked off with a match race
featuring Harold Martin and Dina Parise. Dina was chosen as
Harold’s opponent via on line votes on the Virginia
Motorsports Park website. “ I have quite a bit of respect
for Harold. This was a fun race for the crowd. I had trouble
at the light, but still went a 4.02 181mph to his 4.24 171mph
with Harold taking the win.”
“During this few days of testing we broke a lot of
parts. We used enough inventory for a year!” Stated
Dave Jordan “ It was a busy couple days but we had a
plan , and accomplished what we set out to do.”
Although Andrew Parise had a hurt set of gears and a converter
issue in his ’53 Montana Bros Corvette , he managed
to qualify #1 with a 6.17. Dina qualified number five with
a 6.24, and missed the second qualifying round with some mechanical
issues of her own. “They certainly were not the numbers
we were looking for, but we made the field.” Stated
Andrew Parise.” We knew we had mechanical issues with
both cars and was just hoping to be lucky enough for nothing
to break to the point that we could not repair it.”
Andrew’s luck ran out in first round when the rear
gears broke apart and Derrick Townes took the win. I know
we had a great race car and wanted to win this race, but it
just wasn’t my day.” Stated Andrew.
Dina was fighting issues as well, but with the Wounded Warriors
on site for the ‘Vettes for Vets’ program, it
seemed that good karma was what was keeping the parts hanging
on. In the semi’s Dina defeated Derrick Townes with
a 6.24 over his 6.61. Steve King, had a great run in the semi’s
with a 6.14. It was to be Steve King and Dina in the finals.
Unfortunately, Steve had major engine failure on his last
run that kept him from making to the finals.
Parise Racing owes a big thank you to Steve and Jeff , because
the only reason Andrew was able to race as long as he did,
was due to them taking the time out to fix the gears in his
car. The team would also like to thank FiFi Montrond for the
gears for Dina’s car.
“I have to say, I am so thrilled to get my first win,
and especially at VMP! This facility and the people that run
it mean so much to us. Not to discount any others, but we
have been told we are their Yankee family. It was a great
way to get my first win.” Stated Dina. “This win
is not mine alone.My husband Andrew, Dave Jordan, Nick Montana,
James Montana, Charlie Saccoccio , Bill Barrett and all the
guys who helped in the pit area. I cannot thank you all enough
for your efforts this past weekend. It was grueling, and worth
it.”
After all of the parts, and the sweat, Dina went on to win
her first Pro Mod race; which brings us to the First’s.
May first, First Race of the Year, First in Points, First
race after surgery, and the best of all First woman member
and winner in Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association. At home,
Dina was also honored on May 3rd as one of Long Island’s
most influential women.
This was the inaugural weekend of Parise Racing’s ‘Vettes
for Vets ‘program. The Wounded Warrior’s and their
guests that attended the race were treated to VIP status for
the day, and lunch was provided by Brother’s Pizza of
Petersburg, Va. Parise Racing looks forward to hosting Veterans
at upcoming races.
http://www.pariseracing.com
A special Thank you to:
Consultedge http://www.consultedge.com
NGK http://www.ngksparkplugs.com
Good Year http://www.racegoodyear.com
Virginia Motorsports Park http://www.virginiamotorsportspk.com
Brother's Pizza Owned and Operated by Tony Buffa and Family
25809 Cox Road
Petersburg, Va 23803
804-733-3355
VON SMITH VICTORIOUS AT NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS
(05-03-10)
MADISON, IL – Von Smith, driver of the Barwa
Racing Pro Modified ’68 Camaro, captured his first victory
of the season on Sunday in the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest
Nationals at Gateway International Raceway.
Smith, a six-time finalist in NHRA Pro Modified competition,
defeated Dennis Radford of the nitrous oxide fraternity with
a 5.933-second pass at 243.81 mph.
“We’ve been waiting on that one for a while,”
said an exuberant Von Smith from the winner’s circle.
“It feels good to get this monkey off our back, get
back into winning form and compete for a championship for
Barwa Racing, Sheikh Khalid Al Thani and Al-Anabi Racing.”
Smith’s last win in NHRA competition came in 2003 at
the NHRA ACDelco Nationals in Las Vegas. Prior to this weekend’s
event, Smith and the Barwa Racing team had a solid weekend
at the NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston when mechanical failure
ended their weekend in the semifinal round of action.
“I’m hoping that this doesn’t end here
in St. Louis,” said Smith, a native of Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
“We knew we were capable of winning, we’ve got
a great team and everyone has been working hard to make this
happen – it was only a matter of time.”
Prior to taking out Radford in the final, Smith worked his
way through the best in the business including Rick Stivers,
Danny Rowe, and Kenny Lang – utilizing a string of runs
between 5.958 and 5.933 over four rounds to take the win.
“It surely wasn’t any easy one,” said Smith.
“There are so many great teams out here that you have
to be on top of things if you’re going to get around
them. Howard [Moon, crew chief] and the guys really put everything
together today – we had a bad fast race car.”
Smith concluded, “There is a lot of racing left to
do this season and we’re moving in the right direction.
We’ve just got to maintain our focus and do what we
know how to do. Everyone out here is after the same thing
– that first Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Drag
Racing Series championship – and it’d be nothing
short of a dream come true to bring it home for Barwa and
Al-Anabi Racing.”
The Barwa Racing Pro Modified team will return to action
later this month, starting with the opening two rounds of
qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals
at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia on Friday, May 14,
with a final session slated for Saturday afternoon and Round
1 of eliminations that evening. Final eliminations will get
underway on Sunday, May 16th at 11:00 AM.
For more information on the Barwa Racing Pro Modified team
and Al-Anabi Racing, log onto www.qrczone.com
ABOUT BARWA REAL ESTATE: A Qatar-based real estate conglomerate,
BARWA has spent the past five years partnered with its home
nation, developing and constructing new and maintainable environments
in and out of the city of Doha. Local projects have included
the construction of Barwa Al Khor, considered the “mother
city” of the nation of Qatar, Barwa Financial District,
Barwa City, a one of a kind residential complex, Barwa Commercial
Avenue, and the city of Doha’s convention center.
For more information on Barwa, log onto www.barwa.com.qa
SHEIKH KHALID AL THANI HONORED TO COMPETE IN ADRL;
POSTS QUICKEST & FASTEST PASS IN HISTORY
(04-28-10)
VALDOSTA, GA – In what could easily be described
as the most highly anticipated driver debut in the history
of the American Drag Racing League, Sheikh Khalid Al Thani
dispelled any and all notions of his rookie status in a most
impressive first appearance in the fast doorslammer racing
series.
Having already scored three event victories and even the
series championship in his home nation of Qatar, Al Thani
was no stranger to the driver’s seat by the time he
arrived stateside for the ADRL Georgia Drags VI and displayed
the poise of a veteran in both great success and unfortunate
defeat.
After a very strong 3.784 at 204.05mph in the opening round
of qualifying, followed by a 3.754/203.34mph combination in
the second session, the stage was set for a historical evening
as the cool air rolled in and day turned into night at South
Georgia Motorsports Park. Just moments after fellow Pro Extreme
pilot Frankie Taylor, a legendary figure in the sport, posted
a world-record and career-best 3.650-second elapsed time,
KH rolled to the starting line for his first shot at the track
under optimal conditions.
Anticipation was at an all-time high as Frank “Ace”
Manzo, Al-Anabi Racing crew chief, pulled Sheikh Khalid into
the beams with veteran Top Fuel tuners Tim and Kim Richards
lining the car up in the groove. When the amber lights flashed
and KH side-stepped the clutch the entire crowd held their
collective breath waiting for the scoreboard to light up –
and light up it did. The shot-heard-round-the-world 3.637-second,
212.49mph blast catapulted KH to the top of the qualifying
sheets and into the history books as the driver of the quickest
and fastest door car on the planet Earth.
Following the performance, Manzo said candidly, “That’s
one for the stools – the bar stools. No way around it,
we got lucky out there. We took a shot and it worked out,
but these conditions aren’t what we’ll be working
with tomorrow in eliminations when it counts.”
Manzo continued, “I have to say that this is the result
of a collective effort by Tim and Kim Richards, Sheikh Khalid,
and this great team – not something that I, alone, should
get credit for. We’re really working well together and
I’ve got a lot of hope for what we can accomplish as
a team. It’s an absolute honor to be a part of this
team.”
Due to persistent rain through Saturday morning, the fourth
and final qualifying session was cut and the fields set in
each of the ADRL’s five professional categories. Sheikh
Khalid and the Al-Anabi Racing team would face the Stanley
& Weiss Racing ’68 Camaro driven by John Stanley
in the opening stanza.
While KH and the Al-Anabi Racing Pro Extreme ’68 Camaro
were an odds-on favorite for running the table in Valdosta,
a -.002-second red-light in the first round brought a premature
end to an incredible debut weekend.
“I’m really not too disappointed,” said
Sheikh Khalid after Saturday’s elimination rounds. “We
always come out and race to win, but I can’t help but
be happy about what we accomplished in our first outing in
the American Drag Racing League. I have to apologize to my
team for letting them down by red-lighting in the first round
as everyone did an amazing job in giving me a car capable
of winning the race.
“It was an incredible experience to get to race against
the drivers that I have looked up to for years and put on
a show for all the fans here in South Georgia. I would like
to personally thank all my fellow racers for being so welcoming,
as well as all the fans that stopped by the Al-Anabi Racing
pits. We’re fortunate to be a part of the ADRL and I’m
looking forward to the next race in Virginia.”
Al Thani concluded, “I also have to say congratulations
to my teammate Jason Scruggs on his Pro Extreme victory along
with our own Mike Castellana on his win in Pro Nitrous.”
The Al-Anabi Racing Pro Extreme team will take to action
in the third of ten scheduled American Drag Racing League
series events at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Virginia
on May 20-21, 2010.
ABOUT AL-ANABI RACING/QATAR:
At the forefront of Al-Anabi Racing is His Highness Sheikh
Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani, a member of the ruling family of
Qatar, who set a goal of promoting the domestic and international
awareness of motorsports in the nation of Qatar. As a result
of his efforts, Al-Anabi Racing has emerged as one of the
leading drag racing teams in the region. In 2009, Sheikh Khalid
launched the inaugural racing season at the Qatar Race Club,
a state of the art drag strip outside the nation’s capital
city of Doha. Along with his racing efforts in the Arabian
Gulf Region, Sheikh Khalid is also the owner of several top-tier
professional racing teams that field entries in classes such
as NHRA Top Fuel and Nitro Funny Car to Pro Stock Motorcycle
and Pro Modified.
Qatar is widely known for working with the United States
military forces to build one of the premier U.S. air bases
in the Arabian Gulf Region at Al-Udeid. The Qatari philosophy
was to obtain the best defense by providing the best facilities
for U.S. and coalition forces, thus the construction of Al-Udeid
Air Base, which cost more than a billion dollars and can house
nearly one hundred aircraft.
The state of Qatar sits on a peninsula halfway along the
western shoreline of the Arabian Gulf and is almost completely
surrounded by sea. It borders Saudi Arabia to the south and
is separated by the sea from the United Arab Emirates in the
southeast and Bahrain in the northwest.
?Established in 1850, the state population is rapidly approaching
1 million while the capital city, Doha, is home to over 286,000
people. Through innovative projects such as Education City,
a district within the capital city offering its citizens world-class
educational opportunities, as well as Motor City and Entertainment
City, which are still in the planning stages, Qatar has become
a sought-after tourist destination.
Along with year-round sunshine and an all-round ideal climate,
Qatar also offers a host of five-star hotels, spas, restaurants
and resorts.
For more information on the Al-Anabi Racing Pro Extreme team,
Qatar Race Club and Sheikh Khalid Al Thani, log onto www.qrczone.com
ROWE VICTORIOUS IN HOUSTON FOR SECOND YEAR RUNNING
(04-12-10)
HOUSTON, TX – Danny Rowe scored his second
straight victory at Houston Raceway Park at the O’Reilly
Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals after defeating Melanie Troxel
in commanding fashion with a 5.936-second, 248.93mph final
round effort.
Moving into the No. 4 position in the Get Screened America
NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series points standings, Rowe cemented
his position as a front-runner in the series’ inaugural
season with his win over the best the category has to offer
and will climbs within 22 points of the No. 1 slot.
Jimmy Rector [crew chief] and the Sterling Bridge ’68
Camaro Pro Mod shined all weekend with consistent low 5.9-second
laps in eliminations after qualifying No. 3 in the stout 16-car
field with a 5.864 at 249.35mph.
“I just couldn’t be more impressed with this
Sterling Bridge team,” said Rowe from the winner’s
circle at Houston Raceway Park. “As always, it takes
a team effort to come out here and win at this level of competition
and I couldn’t be happier to be taking a NHRA Wally
back home with me. We had a little luck on our side, that’s
for sure, but I think you basically have to when you’re
racing against the caliber of cars and teams that we have
out here.
“You look at the qualifying sheets and it’s mind-blowing;
the cars out here are the best in the world and the competition
is insane. Every Pro Mod that rolled through the gates here
in Houston is capable of winning – they’re all
championship contenders.”
Houston surely has a special place in the hearts of Danny
Rowe and team, but the 2010 running of the O’Reilly
Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals also marked the first race
out with new associate sponsor Competition Products.
“What a way to introduce Competition Products to Pro
Modified?” said Rowe. “Honestly, though, this
was a great weekend for all our sponsors – Sterling
Bridge, Hottinger, Redline Oil, Hoosier Tire, NGK –
these are all companies that have been there with us and they
deserve this as much as we do.”
Rowe continued, “I feel like this will take a little
bit of the pressure off as we move forward and move us a little
closer to where we want to be in the points. I was talking
to Jimmy [Rector, crew chief] and I told him that I felt like
we really have a great program this year. The car is running
great, everyone is working hard and you never know –
this might be our year.
“You can go from hero to zero real fast in this deal,
though, so we’ve got to stay focused and stick to our
game plan of taking each race one round at a time.”
Rowe and company didn’t leave Houston with just one
Wally trophy, though, as they were also awarded Best Appearing
Crew by the NHRA on Sunday morning prior to eliminations.
ESPN2 and ESPNHD will televise 30 minutes of action from
the Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series on
Sunday, April 18th, at 10:30 a.m. ET.
The Danny Rowe Racing Pro Modified team will return to action
at Gateway International Raceway outside St. Louis, Missouri
for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals on April 30-May
2, 2010.
Information regarding Danny Rowe Racing can be found at www.dannyrowe.com
Visit Danny Rowe Racing Sponsors: www.hottingergroup.com
, www.sterlingbridge.ca,
www.gainsboroughcapital.com
, www.frictionunlimited.com,
www.weldracing.com,
www.impactracing.com,
www.hoosiertire.com,
www.redlineoil.com,
www.ngksparkplugs.com,
www.weldracing.com,
www.permatex.com,
www.promodzone.com,
www.competitionproducts.com
Halsey
reflects on Englishtown, big speeds and the 2009 season
(11-17-09)
Havre 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 the 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 Press Releases
3898 West Hwy 10
Newton, NC 28658
(828) 302-0356
www.VanTheManPhotos.com
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