Bringing the Season to an End

Photos by Brian Losness

As the curtain falls on the 2016 nostalgia drag racing season, it was a season of intrigue, upsets and controversy, however, all in all some good racing took place.

In Top Fuel this was the year of what could have been. Rick Williamson and Team Craig shocked the Top Fuel world by winning the opening event of the year, at the March Meet. Williamson took out Adam Sorokin who was looking to take the title on the 50th Anniversary of his late father Mike’s win at the March Meet.

At the next event for the long skinny cars, Sorokin and the Champion Speed Shop team headed by Bobby McClennen took the measure of the field and came away with the win. Jim Murphy in the WWII led by crew chief Roland Leong took the runner up spot.

Two time and defending champion Tony Bartone had not been past the semifinals in the previous two races, which was unprecedented for the Long Island City, New York, racer. Bartone was perfect in 2015 and maybe these two finishes in the first races of 2016 showed chinks in Bartone’s armor.

However, when the Top Fuel cars came to Idaho for the mid-summers classic one could sense that this year’s Top Fuel battle for points was going to be a real dog fight.