BJ Bax's 1965 GTO is showing more muscle for the 2013 season.

The third round had Frees with a 0.045 reaction over Hagenhoff’s tardy 0.142 light. Number-one qualifier Charlie Kuenster got a bye into the third round where he then survived one of the closest races of the day, running dead on his 10.75 index with a 0.073 reaction next to Kossuth’s 0.076 reaction and 10.52 on his 10.50 index. Jerry Kuenster ran out his single into the semifinals, with a 12.02 on his 12.00 index.

This set up a classic father-son matchup. The Junior Kuenster cut Dad no slack, slapping a 0.012 light on the tire spinning 409 Chevy of Charlie and coasted to a 12.28 to Senior’s 11.14. Frees revved the crowd up with his .044 light and 11.25 on his 11.25 class mark on his single. After four hours of battle in the bright sun, it came down to one run.