America’s Car Museum celebrates fifth anniversary

America’s Car Museum will celebrate its fifth anniversary Saturday, June 3, at the Wheels & Heels Annual Gala. The four-story, 165,000 square foot building is located in the heart of Tacoma, Washington.

 

“The drive to build an international destination to tell the story of America’s love affair with the automobile was an immense undertaking,” said America’s Automotive Trust President and CEO David Madeira. “Against all odds, we managed to build the Museum during very difficult economic times thanks to donations from the LeMay family, as well as countless individuals and organizations that believed in our vision.”

 

The Museum’s eclectic cars and rotating exhibits – such as “Legends of Motorsports”; “F-Series: The Truck that Grew Up with America”; and “Exotics@ACM: Seductive Supercars” – offer a glimpse into the histories of countless different marques and vehicle types.

 

In addition to the June 3 celebration, ACM will be offering discounted admission on every fifth day of the month throughout the year, discounts for membership and additional items for existing members.  [06/02/17]

Lombardo is confident after two consecutive wins

John Lombardo Jr. and the NAPA Filters/Lucas Oil Camaro seem to have seized momentum in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class after two consecutive victories.

 

“When you look back at the last couple years, we had a half-tenth on most everybody with the exception of [2015-16 champion Jonnie] Lindberg’s car,” said Lombardo. “At about the middle of last year it really tightened up. At the same time, we were having some reliability issue. [Shane] Westerfield, [Doug] Gordon, and [Annie] Whiteley all really tightened the gap, and it show at the beginning of this year. Les [tuner Davenport] and Rick [owner/crew chief Jackson] went back and dug in and found some more.”

 

A victory at the Lucas Oil Regional in Las Vegas in April started the turnaround. At Topeka last month, Lombardo recorded a career-best 5.398 run and went on to win the event. He is currently fourth in points.

 

The Jackson-Lombardo Racing team will be at Joliet, IL, this week for the Burndown at Sundown, followed by stop in Denver and Tulsa before returning to Route 66 Raceway for the JEGS Allstars special event. [06/02/17]

National Trail to host NMRA Ford SuperNationals

With new owners, National Trail Raceway has undergone a major facelift with essentially an entirely new racing surface. The National Mustang Racers Association will take to the track June 8-11 for the largest all-Ford drag race in Ohio.

 

Street driven cars will compete in the True Street class for the “King of Ohio” honors with a race appreciation party on Saturday evening.

 

Other classes include Street Outlaw, Renegade, Coyote Modified and Coyote Stock along with bracket racing, a manufacturers’ midway and swap meet. [06/02/17]

Crampton to drive A/Fuel at Joliet Divisional

Richie Crampton will drive Alex Laughlin’s Gas Monkey Energy Drink A/Fuel Dragster at this weekend’s Division Three Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event in Chicago.

 

It is the second time Crampton has driven the Anthony Dicero Racing/Nitro University car this year, having filled in for Laughlin at the rained-out divisional race at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg in April.

 

A seven-time NHRA Top Fuel winner in just three seasons on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour, Crampton was left without a top-level drive this year after Morgan Lucas Racing shut its competition operations at the end of last season.

 

He has remained working within the Lucas organization building racing car chassis in the Lucas Oil Fabrication shop.

 

Crampton recently returned from a short trip to his native Australia where he drove his 2016 MLR Top Fuel car for its new owners, Lamattina Racing, at Sydney Dragway’s Nitro Thunder event. He earned a runner-up finish for the team, setting low elapsed time of the event at 4.53 seconds for a quarter mile.

 

Crampton is hoping to return to the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series in a competitive ride in 2018.  [06/02/17]

Sand wins three classes at Brainerd -- again

Kevin Sand is officially the hottest drag racer in Brainerd International Raceway’s Muscle Car Series.

 

During last weekend’s Street Car Showdown – the first race in the three-race Muscle Car Series – Sand drove his 1983 Olds Cierra to wins in the Strip Eliminator 1 and 10.00 Index classes and then won the Index Class Champion by beating the nine other Index class winners. He won 12 straight races during Sunday’s elimination rounds, collecting an armload of trophies and plaques in the Winner’s Circle, and heading into the next series race as the guy to beat.

 

Sand and the other drivers almost didn’t get a chance to finish the race. Rain continually interrupted racing Sunday, but the BIR track crew was able to scramble late afternoon to dry the track for the remaining pairings. Sand was in the last pair of cars to race – at 9:06 p.m. It was for the Strip Eliminator 1 title and the finish to a great day of racing for the Cambridge driver.

 

What makes Sand’s finish even more impressive is that he did the same thing last year during the GSTA Muscle Car Shootout on Labor Day weekend, which is the series finale. He won 14 straight races to earn the same three titles. In fact, the last time he lost a series race was July 3 during the 2016 PleasureLand RV Show & Go, when he lost in the finals of all three classes.  [06/02/17]

Hawley teaching the next generation of racers

Many people have gone through Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School and two currently getting instruction are the third generation of some pretty famous names. Austin Prock and Jordan Vandergriff are currently going through a multi-year program to get ready for their future in drag racing. Both young men have already attended Hawley’s S/C and S/G programs.

 

Austin Prock is the 21-year-old grandson of Tom Prock, a former NHRA Funny Car driver, and the son of Jimmy Prock, a crew chief for John Force Racing. Austin is part of the JFR driver development program.

 

Jordan Vandergriff is the 22-year-old grandson of Bob Vandergriff, the owner of Hedman Hedders, and the nephew of NHRA racer Bob Vandergriff Jr.  [06/02/17]

VOLUME XIX,  NUMBER 5 - May  2017

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Kevin Sand is officially the hottest drag racer in Brainerd International Raceway’s Muscle Car Series.

Many people have gone through Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School and two currently getting instruction are the third generation of some pretty famous names. Austin Prock and Jordan Vandergriff are currently going through a multi-year program to get ready for their future in drag racing. Both young men have already attended Hawley’s S/C and S/G programs.

 

Austin Prock is the 21-year-old grandson of Tom Prock, a former NHRA Funny Car driver, and the son of Jimmy Prock, a crew chief for John Force Racing. Austin is part of the JFR driver development program.

 

Jordan Vandergriff is the 22-year-old grandson of Bob Vandergriff, the owner of Hedman Hedders, and the nephew of NHRA racer Bob Vandergriff Jr.  [06/02/17]

John Lombardo Jr. and the NAPA Filters/Lucas Oil Camaro seem to have seized momentum in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class after two consecutive victories.

 

“When you look back at the last couple years, we had a half-tenth on most everybody with the exception of [2015-16 champion Jonnie] Lindberg’s car,” said Lombardo. “At about the middle of last year it really tightened up. At the same time, we were having some reliability issue. [Shane] Westerfield, [Doug] Gordon, and [Annie] Whiteley all really tightened the gap, and it show at the beginning of this year. Les [tuner Davenport] and Rick [owner/crew chief Jackson] went back and dug in and found some more.”

 

A victory at the Lucas Oil Regional in Las Vegas in April started the turnaround. At Topeka last month, Lombardo recorded a career-best 5.398 run and went on to win the event. He is currently fourth in points.

 

The Jackson-Lombardo Racing team will be at Joliet, IL, this week for the Burndown at Sundown, followed by stop in Denver and Tulsa before returning to Route 66 Raceway for the JEGS Allstars special event. [06/02/17]

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