The last first round pair pitted Mike Halstead in Don McCain’s Nitro Angel, Duster against Mark Hentges in Bucky Austin’s Plymouth Arrow. Hentges had handling problems almost instantly and mowed down some timing cones, giving the automatic win to the McCain machine and driver Halstead.

After some time to service the cars and perform necessary repairs, it was time for the second round of AA/FC eliminations. Paul Romine has raced Mike McCain’s car numerous times in eliminations at West Coast races, and Romine has prevailed every time. The streak continued at this race with Romine making a solid 5.90 pass that easily covered Halstead’s 6.05. The second pairing was between upset first-round winner Dale Van Gundy and Dennis La Charte. Van Gundy made another nice straight, clean pass, but didn’t have the enough power under the hood of the ‘Cuda to keep up with LaCharite’s very quick for the conditions 6.04. 

The other side of the quarter-finals ladder held John Hale in the Mike Burkhart Chevy going against Darren Bay in Pizza Heaven.  However Ziegler incurred too much engine damage in the first round and couldn’t answer the bell, allowing Hale to make a single to advance to the semis. The final pair of the quarter pitted Mark Sanders and Steven Densham, both of whom were sporting vintage Chevy bodies.  An obviously pumped-up  Sanders left way, way too early with a -.166 bulb, and then fried the hides while the Densham family Camaro scuttled down the track with a 6.31 for the win.

In the semifinals Romine and LaCharite were in one pairing and Texan John Hale was fighting Californian Steve Densham in the other.

Romine and his team continued to do what they have done for the last two months; go down the track and run solidly in the fives. He quickly dispatched Dennis LaCharite with a 5.91 to LaCharite’s shut off 6.31. The other semifinal, however, was more interesting. At the green it was Hale out of the gate first with Teacher’s Pet junior in close pursuit. Then Hale started to haze the tires, and to almost everybody in attendance it appeared that Hale was done for. But through skill, luck, or divine intervention, as the smoke cleared up, Hale plugged the Camaro into high gear and set sail for the other end, taking the 6.01 to 6.15 victory and the right to meet Romine in a final round... again.