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We are getting started Saturday with great racing weather here in Bradenton kicking things off with Ford Muscle before getting into the bracket cars with heads up qualifying starting at 11 with VP Racing Fuels Street Outlaw.
Randy Seward put up an 8.47 at 163 yesterday which is a good run for him. He swapped to the new Haltech Elite 2500 over the winter and was at the Mickey Thompson trailer this morning getting a fresh set of 295/65 Drag Radials installed for today’s QA1 True Street presented by Muscle Mustangs competition.
Phil Hines got here just this morning sporting last years iron block combo after cracking the new aluminum block at Lights Out 7 just two weeks ago in Georgia. Also on board is a new sponsor for 2016, All Hustle Motorsports. Hines installed carbon doors and lexan windows preparing for this season dropping near 200 pounds along with some other modifications.
Brad Gussler owns this ECO Boost powered world record holding Mustang with a 10.58 at 129. He runs a SCT tuned CPE built engine fed by a Precision 60MM turbo in the Watson Racing prepped chassis. The trans and converter is from Circle D and the car rolls on Race Star wheels with stopping power from Aerospace 4 wheel disc brakes. Mountune Performance is also a major sponsor of Gussler's racing efforts.
We stopped by Watson Racing this morning and spoke with Sales and Marketing Manager John Phillips. The team has their brand new, first off the 2016 line Cobra Jet on the property and has already ran a 8.40 at 161, the fastest legal Stock Eliminator pass to date. Watson Racing is the shop Ford tagged to build the Cobra Jet cars and they also offer assorted parts and chassis components for the late model cars from the S197 bodies forward. Company owner Chuck Watson Sr. handles driving duties and he is also entered in True Street and will be running in the grudge night after qualifying. Phillips shown with Chuck Watson Jr. on the right.
The teams True Street car is full weight and interior with all the comforts, completely built in house.
The car show area was full all day with a wide assortment of Ford Machinery.
Ford Cobra Jet Showdown
We had thirteen cars in the Cobra Jet Showdown with Mike Harris going number one qualifier based on reaction time. Carl Tasca and Chuck Watson has the misfortune of going red in round one ending their day early. Missy Laughridge and Rod Heltzel would advance in the first two pairs out this morning. David Swanson, John Calvert, Anthony Bongiovanni and Kenneth Miele would also advance to round two with Harris on the earned single.
Round Two would also see two drivers foul out sending Calvert and Heltzel on to the semi finals. Bongiovanni and Swanson had identical reaction times with Bongiovanni getting the round win with an 8.66 to 8.73 Miele had the single this round and would face Calvert next round.
Calvert had a small leak from the inter cooler tank due to the valve not being fully shut. Miele showed great sportsmanship in waiting but it cost him the round.
Bongiovanni took the starting line advantage over Heltzel .059 to a .073 but couldn’t hold off Heltzel’s 8.77 at 150, .11 over Index to his 8.66 on an 8.52. Calvert put an .016 reaction to his advantage scoring a win to face Rod Heltzel in the final where he pulled an .022 light to Calvert’s .086. They were dialed 8.66 and 8.67 respectively with Heltzel going 8.72 at 152 scoring the event win on reaction time to the quicker but losing 8.68 at 156.
Qualifying Results
Dwayne Barbaree stands on top of VP Racing Fuels Street Outlaw making an impression this weekend with the new Kuntz power as the only car in the 4.30’s running a 4.398 at 167.97 MPH.
Manny Buginga landed second with a 4.50 in his first time out with the new car. You can bet Buginga and the Bruder Brothers will be improving the performance for eliminations tomorrow.
Edelbrock Renegade
Adam Arndt’s 7.48 at 181 from Friday’s session held on for top qualifier in Edlebrock Renegade for the Orefield, PA racer.
Alton Clements (far lane) landed fourth in the Renegade field with a 7.817 at 174.82, just behind Frank Varela’s 7.814 at 178.
ProCharger Coyote Modified
In Procharger Coyote Modified Joe Guertin jumped to number one today with the first seven second pass in competition running a 7.928 at 171 MPH for the MPR powered CRE Performance AFT Speed 85 Mustang.
Jeff Polivka was a close second scoring an 8.039 at 169.
Johnny Lightning was running well and wowing the crowd with wheels up launches this weekend. He sits third in class.
G-Force Transmissions Pure Street
William Gimbel scored top qualifier in G-Force Transmissions Pure Street running a 9.52 at 134.89 with Tommy Godfrey dropping to third with an improved from Friday 9.70.
Teddy Weaver did not make any qualifying runs Friday, he ran a nice 9.64 at 138 earning third qualifier.
American Racing Headers Factory Stock
James Meredith moved to top qualifier over Matt Amrine with a 10.61 at 121.08. He also has top MPH from a different run netting 125.61 MPH, well under last years class record.
John Leslie Jr. landed third in Factory Stock qualifying with a personal best 10.798 at 124. He switched to a Tremek TKO prepped by Liberty Transmission and an ACT clutch set up by Bruce Hemminger. John tells us the maintenance on the Coyote engine much less making for an easier weekend and less valvetrain issues than the pushrod engines he ran several years ago. Tim Matherly and the MV Performance team who has been essential in getting me where I am at along with Bruce Hemminger.
Race Pages Coyote Stock
Shiftin Shane Stymeist is the Race Pages Coyote Stock number one qualifier with a 10.235 at 127 MPH bumping Michael Washington down to second with a 10.251 after he was unable to improve his ET today.
Mike Bowen has this sweet 71 Maverick based out of Girard, Pennsylvania and qualified.
Larry Albright had a wild ride in QA1 True Street this afternoon after a big wheel stand drug the chute mount and set the car crooked in the air. He slid to right at the eighth on the roof before contacting the wall. He was out quickly and ok, the car not so much. Hopefully it's not seriously damaged and he can make repairs to this chassis.
