Nitto Tire NMRA World Finals Same Day Coverage From Bowling Green

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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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
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