NMCA at Bradenton, Fla.

New classes and new records

Results and photos courtesy NMCA

Raymond Commisso

Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida kicked off the 2016 National Muscle Car Associationseason on March 10-13 with new classes, record-setting performances, and more.

The fastest class on the property saw significant changes over the winter, with the new VP Racing Fuels Xtreme Pro Mod racing an eighth-mile distance, and attracting over 20 cars to compete. Tinley Park, Illinois' Randy Adler put his '57 Chevy Pro Mod on the top of the qualifying sheet with a 3.80, and he would wade through the field to meet Raymond Commisso of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The two supercharged cars lined up and at the hit, Adler's Chevy broke traction, allowing Commisso to streak to the Aerospace Components Winner's Circle.

In Mickey Thompson Radial Wars, it was Keith Berry that laid down the first 3-second pass (3.89) in the class' history during Friday night's first qualifying session. The rest of the field wasn't far behind with the next three cars logging 4.0-second runs. Berry fell to DeWayne Mills in the semifinals, where Daniel Pharris had a bye run. As the air began to cool, the setting was ripe for quick times and we were in for a show. Pharris got off the line first and the holeshot would pay off as he took the win with a 3.99 to Mills' quicker 3.97.

Wiseco Performance Products Street Outlaw, now in its second year in the eighth-mile format, began with a field separated by just 3 tenths of a second after qualifying. Last year's NMCA Finals runner-up, Jarod Wenrick, took the top qualifying spot in his Chevy II Nova with a 4.458 lap. The Deuce made its way to final round where it would face off against the late-model Mustang of Phil Hines. Hines had low ET of the weekend with a 4.451, and the final was an awesomely close race. Wenrick left first by just .02 seconds, and at the stripe, it was Wenrick first with a 4.506 to Hines' 4.511.