Record Breaker Nationals Kicks off 2012 Season

Words and photos by Steven Bunker

The Pacific Street Car Association kicked off their 2012 season Feb. 17-19 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the Ford Racing Record Breaker Nationals event. Even with a questionable Sunday weather forecast in the days leading to the event, the race went off with great spectator attendance and awesome side by side, record setting racing.

PRO STREET

In the Hughes Performance Pro Street class the 2011 Pro Street champion Mike Maggio was the number one qualifier with a 5.940 followed by Marc Meadors in the “Pure Hell 2” Camaro with a 5.969. Four-time West Coast Pro Mod Association champion Joe Delehay landed third in qualifying with a 6.254 while Dan Myers, Rob Moore, Greg Seth-Hunter and Perry Thyr rounded out the qualifying order.

Maggio, Meadors, Seth-Hunter and Moore advanced past the first round and in the semi-finals Maggio beat Moore with a stunning 5.937 which held for low ET of the event. Meadors got a lucky win over Seth-Hunter after he shook the tires hard at the hit and had to chase down Seth-Hunter who had top end problems himself after an electrical failure and the MOV at the stripe went to Meadors by .071 seconds.

The final round paired the top two qualifiers together for a show that everyone anticipated. The excitement ended before the race started as Meadors (near lane, above) left way early, giving the win to Maggio and throwing away a quicker 5.963 ET to Maggio’s slower 5.971. Regardless of the outcome, that final round matchup was the first side-by-side 5-second race for a West Coast based association.

Mike Maggio and the Maggio Motorsports crew left the event as the number one qualifier and event winner, and reset the PSCA Pro Street ET record and took the early points lead in their quest for a championship repeat.