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.

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A G A T E
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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
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