Michael Biehle

NMCA Finals at Indianapolis

Records Fall at Finale

Words and photos courtesy NMCA

Cool October weather set the stage for big performances at the NMCA's final race of the year Oct. 9-12 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, and as expected, records fell in a number of classes and numerous upsets made for an exciting finale of the Flowmaster series at the 13th Annual FEL-PRO NMCA World Finals. Race teams put it all on the line to win the Aerospace Components NHRA Unleashed Wally and collect as many points as possible to achieve championship status.

Kooks Pro Mod saw four cars qualify in the 5.80-5.90 range - a feat that had never occurred before in NMCA competition. As these ultra-fast machines went through the rounds, Steve Summers' parachutes failed to deploy after his semifinal win. A subsequent thrash ensued and he made the lane call to square off against Michael Biehle II in the final. Biehle's Boss Mustang Pro Mod was at the top of its game this weekend, and secured the event win with a 5.89 at 251 mph pass, while Summers broke traction early in the run.

In Mickey Thompson's Radial Wars, DeWayne Mills faced off against Keith Berry, both of who had posted times in the 4-teens all weekend. Both cars left hard and Mill's front wheels slowly crept into the air past the 60-foot clocks. At the eight-mile marker, Mills was first, stopping the clocks in a staggering 4.08 seconds at 197 mph. Berry wasn't far behind at 4.11, his best effort of the weekend. The side-by-side final goes into the record books as the fastest side-by-side run in 1/8-mile drag radial competition.

ARP Nitrous Pro Street saw Don Baskin put up a stout 7.19 in Round 2 and backed it up with a 7.20 in Round 3. Greg Delaney didn't show up for what would be an all-Baskin-Truck-Sales final, allowing Don Baskin to solo for the win.