Following a couple of record-breaking days of qualifying here in Bowling Green, it’s time to crown some champions — event champions and season champions that is. This morning’s action began with under overcast skies with the temperature just breaking into the 40’s, but as we narrow down some of the classes, the sun is breaking through and should make for a great day of drag racing here in the Bluegrass state.
Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, SCT Performance. If you’re in the market for handheld high performance pprogrammers and custom tuning software, look no further than SCT Performance!
With only two cars remaining in Pro Outlaw 10.5W after Jim Brown incurred breakage and pulled out on Friday, today's first round was also the final round. Tim Essick was quicker on paper, but we don't run them on paper, as Essick lit the red bulb and then bobbled near the 330 foot mark while Mike Murillo blasted to the win and another class championship with a 6.68.Like Pro Outlaw 10.5W, Super Street Outlaw competitor Travis Franklin broke yesterday and was unable to make the call for the first round this morning. Phil Hines and John Urist, on opposing sides of the ladder, opted to make a side-by-side "semfinal" run with a gentleman's agreement to shut it down at half track. The pair of six-second capable racers will return later this afternoon for a heads-up final, with the victor earning the honor of hoisting the last Super Street Outlaw trophy in NMRA history.
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Rick Riccardi (left) has been tweaking on his new combination all weekend and his efforts have paid dividends with quicker numbers nearly every time he lights the stage beam. On his first round solo, Riccardi clicked off the quickest lap of the weekend at 8.38. All the action was in the other pairings, however, as Don Bowles, who led the points chase by a slim margin, red-lighted away his chances to earn the crown. Booze, who only needed to advance a round further than Bowles to earn the title, won it in an anticlimactic way, on a competition solo. Drag Radial, slated to be dissolved into the new Street Outlaw category next season, is also being contested for the final time this weekend after a nearly decade-long run as an exhibition-turned-official class. Like he's done for the better part of the last few seasons, Jason Lee took this one wire-to-wire, running 7.51 in the money round.
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Renegade top qualifier Scott Grove trailed a little smoke on his way to an easy victory over a red-lighting Jim Breese with a great 8.36. Alton Clements has been a photographer's best friend this weekend with these killer wheels-up charges. Clements advanced with an 8.46 on his first round single.
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Justin Burcham (left) took full advantage f his opening round solo in Coyote Stock, lowering his own national record to a stout 10.55. Shane Stymiest (right), maintained his qualifying pace, reeling off a 10.59 to advance over Jacob Lamb and his 10.85.
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Carlso Sobrino (left) is one win light away from scoring a repeat Factory Stock championship after advancing to the second round with a 10.97. Louis Sylvester, who is chasing Sobrino for the title, moved on to the next round, as did Sondra Leslie after she ousted her father, John Leslie Sr.
Round Two Eliminations
Factory Stock
L
ALAN CANN
6
0.00
.019
11.181
115.98
R
CARLOS SOBRINO
1
0.00
.160
11.010
122.29
L
SONDRA LESLIE
6660
0.00
.154
11.344
118.74
R
MATT AMRINE
6000
0.00
.148
10.937
120.97
L
LOUIS SYLVESTER
2
0.00
.180
10.907
122.96
Renegade
L
ALTON CLEMENTS
4126
0.00
-.032
8.438
159.59
R
SCOTT GROVE
4000
0.00
.088
8.425
159.59
L
JOHN KELLER
4084
0.00
.165
8.613
156.26
R
BRIAN MITCHELL
1
0.00
.035
8.286
164.85
L
ADAM ARNDT
4004
0.00
.033
8.525
161.30
R
BOB COOK
3
0.00
.237
8.386
164.25
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You're looking at history and the closing of an era here ladies and gentleman, as John Urist and Phil Hines squared off in the last Super Street Outlaw final in NMRA history. The '10-Inch tire Freak Show' as it's been famously known, has been a mainstay in the NMRA lineup since the early years of the series, and it's fitting that Urist, who has won the class title a record eight times, scored the final trophy engraved with the SSO category. Both Urist and Hines skated around, but it was Urist who got there first, 7.26 to a slowing 7.77.
Carlos Sobrino's crew was all smiles after Carlos downed Alan Cann in the second round to seal the Factory Stock championship.Justin Burcham and Shane Stymiest will meet in the Coyote Stock final. Both drivers slowed from their earlier pace in the semifinals - Stymiest a 10.63 and Burcham a 10.67.Newly crowned Renegade champion Brian Mitchell and No. 1 qualifier Scott Grove in the final.
Renegade
L
ADAM ARNDT
4004
0.00
.057
9.350
122.96
R
BRIAN MITCHELL
1
0.00
.037
8.298
151.02
L
SCOTT GROVE
4000
0.00
.851
12.413
0.00
Hot Street
L
CHARLIE BOOZE JR
3398
0.00
.006
8.485
152.55
R
RICK RICCARDI
3707
0.00
.023
8.424
159.02
L
TIM EICHHORN
3131
0.00
.635
12.229
0.00
Factory Stock
L
CARLOS SOBRINO
1
0.00
.085
11.230
106.64
R
LOUIS SYLVESTER
2
0.00
.116
10.948
122.29
L
R
MATT AMRINE
6000
0.00
.321
11.061
120.65
Coyote Stock
L
JOSEPH GUERTIN
5143
0.00
.023
10.858
120.97
R
JUSTIN BURCHAM
5002
0.00
.079
10.678
124.32
L
R
SHANE STYMIEST
5003
0.00
.127
10.637
124.32
Rick Riccardi scored his first-ever NMRA Hot Street win after final round opponent Tim Eichorn red-lit in the final. Eichorn cruised to an 8.44, while Riccardi clicked it off and began to relish in the fruits of his labor that he's poured into his program this year.
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If you don't think an NMRA championship is a big deal, you're sorely mistaken. Justin Burcham, who needed to run the table in Coyote Stock and hope for points leader Joe Charles to lose first round, was on the cusp of one of the biggest come-from-behind title runs in NMRA history, and the veteran Ford racer's emotions were on full display in the staging lanes prior to the mist-win final. Unfortunately, the JPC racer came up just short in his bid, dropping the final round to Shane Stymiest, 10.63 to 10.73. Burcham gave it his all, grabbing an .031 to .086 edge out of the gate, but the numbers weren't there at the stripe. Nonetheless, you've got to take your hat off to Burcham, who never gave up and nearly pulled off what seemed like an impossible feat.
Louis Sylvester didn't win the Factory Stock tit;e he came for, but he did grab the title here at the World Finals, downing Matt Amrine 10.97 to 10.99.Brian Mitchell was on a string today with four consecutive 8.2-second runs and never gave the rest of the Renegade field a chance. In the final, the champ edged Scott Grove on both ends of the race track, 8.28 to 8.39.
Under much cooler but clear and sunny conditions we begin day two of the NMRA World Finals here in Bowling Green. There are two rounds of qualifying scheduled for today, along with the True Street competition and a full bracket racing program. Keep it tuned here to StangTV for all of the coverage throughout the day.
Thanks to our presenting sponsor SCT Performance, who allows us to make this coverage happen!
The World Finals is always well-attended by the Ford faithful here in Bowling Green, and the fans are already pulling in the gates en masse for today's racing and car show action.
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Likewise, the car show area is rapidly filling up. Despite overnight rain showers and the arrival of an expected cold front, the weather hasn't deterred the Blue Oval crowd from showing up.
Charlie Booze Jr. was busy prepping his class-leading Mustang this morning for the second session of qualifying. Booze will need a solid qualifying effort and go some rounds on Sunday if he hopes to overtake Don Bowles and his Maverick for the Hot Street title.You'll always find an interesting mix of cars and racers here in Bowling Green, like this '71 Ford Torino known as "Poor Boy".Well, the picture tells the story. We've got oil virtually the entire length of the racing surface, which has put us about an hour behind schedule today.As many as 100 True Street competitors are expected to turn out for the always exciting battle this weekend. A couple of entrants are already knocking on the seven-second zone, and several are in the eight and nine-second range.
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We're about a half hour away from the call to the lanes for the heads-up categories for their second qualifying session, but there's plenty to do here at Beech Bend, including the huge car show and vendor midway. The True Street competitors, lined up for ages, funneled out for their 30-mile cruise at around noon and are expected to arrive back on the grounds shortly.
A panoramic view of part of the True Street lineup that wrapped clear around the 3/8-mile oval track.Current Factory Stock qualifying leader Matt Amrine made the second quickest lap of the round this afternoon, carding a 10.97 that was bettered only by Carlos Sobrino and his 10.93 effort.
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The NMRA announced earlier this season that a new category, Street Outlaw, would bring together the combinations currently entered in Super Street Outlaw and 275 Drag Radial, meaning this is the final event for the long-running SSO category. Several racers have tickled the six-second zone, but nne have ever accomplished it. One can imagine that's on the minds of John Urist and Tracy Hines, both of whom have the power to get the job done. In the second session this afternoon, Hines shocked everyone with a killer 7.03-second blast to better his earlier 7.15. Urist and Hines still have the third session later this evening and eliminations tomorrow to take a crack at the magic six-second zone.
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Alton Clements displayed another great wheels-up charge on his second shot at the race track. Clements drifted out of the groove before setting the nose down and wisely lifted.
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Jim Breese opened the Renegade session with a monster wheelstand, actually getting all four wheels off the ground at one point. Breeses' mount bounced hard and left a shower of sparks in its trail. In the second round of Coyote Stock qualifying, Justin Burcham cranked off the quickest lap ever for the category with a 10.67, but his celebration was short-lived, as just one pair later, round one leader Shane Stymiest one-upped the former NMRA champ with a national record 10.65.
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Tim Essick (left), and Mike Murillo squared off in a epic qualifying pairing this afternoon - Essick reeling off a 6.586.585 to Murillo's right-there 6.591. Jason Lee carried the nose out of the groove on the Strange Engineering Mustang and wisely clicked it off and rolled through the top end.
For the first time this weekend, the Coyote Stock heavyhitters - Justin Burcham and Shane Stymiest - paired up side-by-side in the final session. Stymiest had led the pack from the get-go yesterday, but on the final shot, it was Burcham that stole the show, running the first 10.5-second run in class history with a 10.584 at 124.66 mph opposite of Stymiests' weekend-best 10.60.
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As the temperature dipped into the mid 50's and the clouds rolled in to shade the sun, the final qualifying session seemed ripe for the picking in the record department and in Super Street Outlaw in particular. Phil Hines had already ripped of a 7.03 earlier in the day, but the veteran racer did not make the bell for the final shot, leaving the task up to John Urist and Travis Franklin. It wasn't to be however, as Urist made a little wiggle midtrack on his way to a 7.09 lap, while Franklin made his best run of the weekend at 7.23 seconds at a slowing 182 mph. While Chad Allmandinger was putting on a show in the final Renegade session, Indiana racer Scott Grove in the other lane was busy marching right to the top of the heap with his last-ditch 8.39 at 160.73 mph. Bob Cook, who has the top mile per this weekend, is back a few numbers at 8.430 at 163.75.
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Charlie Booze Jr. didn't make an attempt in the final Hot Street session, leaving the door open to the rest of the field that's been nipping at his heels in perhaps the weekend's best conditions. Florida native Tim Eichorn (left) gave a valiant effort to snatch away the pole but came up a few ticks short at 8.422. Rick Riccardi (right), who got out of shape near mid-track in the evening session, concluded qualifying third at 8.426. Points leader Don Bowles in fourth at 8.46 and Micheal DeMayo rounds out the field at 8.53. It's fair to say this will be the toughest eliminator of them all tomorrow. Like Scott Grove in Renegade, Factory Stock was another case of better late than never, as Louis Sylvester cruised to the top of the order with hisw 10.850 at 122.62 mph in the final session. Early leader Matt Amrine remained second with his 10.88 and Carlos Sobrino is third at 10.93.
This is it folks…the last hurrah of the 2012 NMRA All-Ford Drag Racing Series season at the annual Nitto Tire World Finals gathering at the Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green Ky. We’ll be crowning champions in every heads-up category, and with only a pair of the titles decided, there’s a lot on the line for the competitors this weekend. As always, StangTV will have all the results, news, notes, and photos from the biggest Blue Oval drag race of them all.
Special thanks to the presenting sponsor of our coverage, SCT Performance!
It's 80 degrees and sunny here for the first day of the NMRA World Finals, and the staging lanes are packed with racers taking test and tune shots at the Beech Bend Raceway Park quarter mile. Testing will close at 3 p.m., with the opening round of qualifying to follow. The questionable weather forecast for the weekend that we had earlier in the week has improved drastically, but temperatures will remain in the 50's and 60's for qualifying on Saturday and eliminations on Sunday.
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Fresh off his Extreme 10.5 victory in Norwalk last weekend, Mustang drag racing icon and ADRL star Billy Glidden and wife Shannon were here earlier today making test hits for a possible run at Pro Street next weekend in Indianapolis. We asked Billy about his plans for 2013 and if the NMCA Pro Street division factored into those plans, but the quiet and methodical Glidden simply replied, 'we've gotta' get through the rest of this season, first.'
Jim Brown has been on the sidelines for much of the 2012 season with engine woes, but arrived here at the season-ending event ready to race. Brown's car labored off the starting line on his test hit this afternoon, possibly jumping into high gear."The Fireball" John Urist is on the cusp of what we believe to be his eighth Super Street Outlaw championship and sixth in a row this weekend. This is the first time we've seen Urist's Fox body since a top end crash in Milan that put the car out of commission for a few races.
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What goes up, must come down, as Renegade racer A.J. Weiss learned in the first round of qualifying. Weiss got some edge-of-your-seat airtime before crashing back to earth in a rough way. Justin Burcham rolled to the second quickest lap of the session in Coyote Stock with his 10.78, second only to Shane Stymiest's killer 10.70 in his '90 Mustang.
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'HiPo' Joe Charles has plenty of reason to smile these days, as he holds a commanding lead in the Coyote Stock standings. With double points on the line this weekend, Burcham, who sits second in the points, still has a mathematical chance to snatch the title, but it would take a record-setting scenario to pull it off. Matt Amrine sits atop the Factory Stock sheets after the first round of qualifying with his 10.88.
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Louis Sylvester, points leader Carlos Sobrino, and Sondra Leslie closed the round of Factory Stock second, third, and sixth, respectively.
Mike Murillo took his SCT Performance mount to the pole in Pro Outlaw 10.5 with a nice 6.646 at 221.71 mph. Tim Essick, in the opposing lane, began to draft out of the groove about 150 feet out and clicked it off.Charlie Booze Jr. hung the hoops high on his qualifying shot, riding out this long wheelstand to sail right to the top of the Hot Street heap with an 4.49 at 157.36 mph.
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Don Bowles comes into the World Finals with a scant 135 point lead over Booze in the Hot Street standings, needing to outdistance the multi-time champion in qualifying and on raceday to stay on top. On his opening hit, Bowles took flight with his Maverick on his way to carding a second-best 8.63.
With a nearly 1,200 point lead in the Super Street Outlaw standings, John Urist has a virtual lock on the championship this weekend. He and Phil Hines put on a great side-by-side show in qualifying - Hines just edging Urist by a 7.159 to 7.177 count.Alton Clements got in on the exciting wheelstand theme this evening, standing his '89 Mustang up twice on his way to a ninth-quick and slowing 9.66.
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Points leader Brian Mitchell is right where he wants to be after the first session - his 8.44 pacing the 12-car Renegade field. Tim Matherly (right) put his 2010 Mustang into the middle of the field with a seventh-quick 9.94.
Hot Street ace Rick Riccardi has spent the last several months upgrading his racing program and going over his '81 Capri with a fine-toothed comb to take aim at the front runners in the naturally aspirated category. Riccardi hasn't shown his hand just yet, but he did post a nice 8.69 on an early shutoff pass in testing earlier today.Surprise! The Drag Radial category is again the Jason Lee show, as the Strange Engineering-backed racer carded a 7.61 in the first session alongside the 8.53 posted by Kurt Borton in his neat little '82 Ford Fairmont.
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In addition to Super Stang and Modular Muscle categories they're usually found in, the World Finals this year also features the Terminator/GT 500 Shootout and the King of the Street category for late model Mustangs.
