It’s time to go racing. Gates open at 8:00 am and first round of qualifying rolls out at 10:00 am. Once again this morning all eyes are on the weather, the good news is there is only a 30-percent  chance of rain forecast for the entire day. Temperatures will be abnormally high for this time of year, which will make it tough to set any records. With several championships on the line this weekend, many classes still belong to anyone. We’ll be covering the race all day, and won’t leave until the days events are over.

Aside from qualifying there should be a huge swap meet, vendor area, and car show, all of which we’ll be checking out to see if we can find any cool stories there to bring to you. Keep checking back our watching our Facebook page.

Big Crowd

In-spite of the weather yesterday and the predictions for tonight there is a huge gathering of racers, car show cars, and enthusiasts. The Beech Bend track staff have been working the track surface all day, making the surface extra sticky. We estimate there are over 300 cars parked at the car show, with the entire area filled and cars stretching towards the main gate. This is likely the largest car show turnout we have ever seen at this event. Spectator turnout is strong as well, with fan filling the stands and lining the fences to take in all the action.

Round 1

Round 1 qualifying is in the books, and we were on the starting line for all of the action. In Flex-A-Lite Open Comp, it’s Wesley Dalrymple in number one position behind the wheel of his 1983 Mustang. In Exedy Modular Muscle Gary Parker is currently at the top of the field, followed by Dean Snow, and Adam Cox. Detroit Locker Truck and Lightning MJ Ranchero Smith from Minneapolis is at the front of the pack.

In the Granatelli 5.0 Shootout Justin Burcham is currently leading the pack after round one with an 8.162 /166.66, following him in second position is Neslon Whitlock with an 8.49 /161.90.

The rivalry between the Terminator and GT500 crowd is always a strong one, and this year is no exception. The VMP Superchargers shootout class has shown us a ton of mean machines. We watched Shannon Gibson’s 2003 Cobra run an 8.53 at 167.68, but then our jaws dropped when Mark Meiring in his 2007 GT500 went an amazing 8.217 at 168.11.

Coyote Stock

We love the sound of Strange Engineering Coyote Stock, this is about as close as it gets to a NHRA Pro Stocker at the starting line. Leading the pack is Shane Stymiest, who ran a 10.735123.63. The field is close though with HiPo Joe Charles, Drew Lyons, and Jacob Lamb all knocking down first round passes in the 10.70’s. Coyote Stock should be a hot class to watch this weekend.

Hi-Po Joe reaches for the sky in Coyote Stock

Nitto Factory Stock

In Nitto Tire Factory Stock, Matt Amrine currently sits at the top with a 11.182/122.81. Less than a bumper behind him is Alan Cann 11.188/119.03. John Leslie Jr trails by only a little bit with an 11/243/119.03.

Edelbrock Renegade

In Edelbrock Renegade Tim Mattherly is leading the pack by almost a full tenth of a second, 8.456/160.82 is the number Matherly laid down to beat. Matherly loaned his spare engine to Valerie Clements after she lost hers yesterday in testing (see Friday coverage). Clements is currently in eigth position with a 9.349/150.45 pass.

At the end of round one qualifying Tim Matherly was sitting in atop the ladder.

Afco Street Outlaw

The Fireball, John Urist sits atop the Afco Street Outlaw field after round one of qualifying.

In Afco Street Outlaw John Urist is proving why he’s the eight time Super Street Outlaw Champion. Urist is sitting in first position after laying down a 7.336/191/40 pass. This was after we watched Chris Groves run a 7.349/181.72 which is now only good for second place. No doubt Urist is looking to knock down the inaugural title in the new Street Outlaw class, and this race will likely come down to the wire to be decided. 

Over 100 cars showed up for Tremec True Street, and lined up early Saturday morning to make some test hits.

Over 100 cars have shown up for Tremec True Street, the cruise is complete and we’re looking for some blazing fast times. In testing this morning Chris Gish tripped the lights with a 7.86 elapsed time. His twin turbo 1991 Coupe (which looks like an 86) looks to have the field covered. We’ll find out in a few hours When True Street is in the books.

The early favorite in Tremec True Street was Chris Grish with a 7.86 test hit early Saturday.

 Qualifying Round 2

Round two would be the final round of qualifying. With the weather like a ticking bomb, NMRA officials wanted to get in as much racing as possible. A brief rain shower earlier in the day sent fans and racers scattering and delayed the third round of True Street by nearly an hour.  Fortunately the rain let up quickly, and once again the Beech Bend track staff busted out a top notch effort in drying and prepping the track.Nitto Tire Factory Stock

Matt Armine takes the top spot in Nitto Tire Factory Stock with a 10.913/122.79. Armine looks to have the field pretty well covered with Alan Cann qualified in second with an 11.188/119.03. Coming in third is John Leslie Jr. with an 11.243/119.75.

Chris Hee (near lane) faces off against Matt Armine in Factory Stock qualifying. Armine qualified number one.

Strange Engineering Coyote Stock

In Strange Engineering Coyote Stock, things just keep getting closer. Jacob Lamb is the biggest story here, upsetting season dominator Shane Stymiest by qualifying number one. This is the first time this year Stymiest has not qualified number one. The field is packed tight though, with the top three separated by less than .01 seconds. It’s Lamb with a 10.722/124.37, Hi-Po Joe Charles in number two with a 10.726/125.33, and Stymiest in third with a 10.735/123.63.

Jacob Lamb has been working hard at his Coyote Stock effort since last year. This weekend those efforts have paid off with a number one qualifying position, upsetting the season long streak of qualifying number one at every other event by Shane Stymiest.

Edelbrock Renegade

The name to know this weekend in Renegade is Adam Arndt. Arndt qualified first in his 1988 Mustang with a solid 8.368/162.65 effort. Right behind him is Tim Matherly with a 8.456/160.82. Reigning Renegade champion Brian Mitchell sits in third with an 8.484/159.83.

Adam Arndt takes number one in Renegade qualifying.

Afco Street Outlaw

It appeared that John Urist might have finally found the handle on the Afco Street Outlaw field. However, “Filthy” Phil Hines had other plans. Hines turned in a round two qualifying time slip of 7.248/189.26, following Hines in number two position is Dwayne Barbaree with a 7.281/194.86. Urist sits in third, and with night time eliminations coming due to the  weather forecast for Sunday, it could be anyone’s game in Street Outlaw.

Street Outlaw points leader ‘Filthy’ Phil Hines pulled off a stout round two qualifying performance with a 7.248/189.26 to secure first place.

Drag Radial Champion John Kolivas makes a hit during qualifying

Tremec True Street

Tremec True Street is always fun to watch, and today was no different. Based on an index system, cars must complete a 30 mile cruise in real traffic and then complete 3 consecutive passes run in round-robin format to, no opening hoods, trunks, or working on the cars is allowed from the start of the cruise to the end of the last round. 

Rain Saturday afternoon sent spectators and racers scrambling for cover and delayed the final round of True Street for over an hour.

Elapsed times were likely a little faster than usual due to the delay of over an hour between rounds two and three due to rain. The overall True Street winner with the fastest average of the day was Jason Meador in his 1990 Mustang from nearby Glasgow, KY. Meador was able to average 8.326 for the day. The nine second class saw Michale Newton walk away the winner with an average of 9.016. In the ten second zone, Jason Riley took home the award with a 10.108 average. David Griffin owned the 11 second index with an average of 11.055 on the day. Mike Koval hit the 12 second average just about perfect, averaging 12.003.  Dakota Simon took home the hardware for the best 13 second average, best 14 second average went to Scott Ray. Belinda Moore rounded out the competition winning the 15 second average.

Night Life

Rain thwarted the planned elimination rounds for the evening. A long soaking rain, which occurred after dark drowned any chance for evening eliminations. With Sunday’s forecast of 100 percent chance of precipitation, NMRA and Beech Bend officials had hoped to get as many rounds of racing in tonight as possible. Mother nature had other plans, and we’d wager we may be here until Monday at this point.

So what do fans, and even some racers do at the World Finals when things don’t go as planned. There’s always plenty of cruising organized, and otherwise that occurs all over town. Friday night we awoke to the sound of burnouts outside our hotel. Further investigation found a local gas station owner who was allowing enthusiasts of any make or model to hang out at his gas station. He was also holding an “at your own risk” burnout fest. The local police frowned upon things and asked them to cut it out. With no laws being broken however, the station owner insisted the police exit his property and allowed things to continue into the night. There’s never a dull moment at the track or away from it at the World Finals.

We’ll be back at the track rain or shine in the morning looking for the latest word from NMRA officials and keeping you posted on what they tell us. We’ve posted the qualifying sheets and ladders below, and also check out our huge gallery page we’ve added more photos than ever for any event.