Throwaway Thursday?

There was a bird circling in the overcast sky as the Agent climbed the stairs to the second story penthouse of the Phlegm Building Thursday morning. Strange, it looked kind of like a vulture….

 

He entered the office, poured a cup of coffee and sat down at his desk to look at the over 100 emails that had come in overnight. After about an hour, he noticed that that he wasn’t getting any new emails, which usually come in at a regular pace throughout the day. Checking the phone, he found no dial tone and there was no cable TV either.

 

Well, over the last couple of weeks there had been spotty service from Charter/Spectrum in our area, out for an hour or two a couple of times. So, the Agent began working on a story for the new October issue. Getting back from lunch, there was still no service so the Agent called Spectrum and found out that a large portion of the town was without service. “We can call you back between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. to tell you when service has been restored,” the helpful customer service representative said. Thanks, but we can probably figure that out for ourselves.

 

By 5 p.m. there was still no service, so the Agent headed for home. By the time he arrived, the cable TV was working, but still not the office phones or internet. OK, being a life-long Yankees fan, at least he could watch the Yankees-Indians playoff game. Well, the Indians beat the Yankees 4-0.

 

So, we’re going to throwaway Thursday and pretend it never happened. Now, back to drag racing news.   [10/06/17]

Big cars and little cars go for championships at Rockingham Dragway

Rockingham Dragway track champions Barry Nall (shown) of Eagle Springs, NC, and Mark Soles of Delco, NC, try to parlay “home track advantage” into Southeast Division championships this weekend when The Rock plays host to the most proficient grassroots drag racers from seven states and Puerto Rico in the NHRA’s Summit ET Finals.

By way of contrast, Rockingham’s unique 132-foot long mini-track, built to accommodate remote-control replicas of NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars, simultaneously will host racers from more than 15 states in the International Model Drag Racing Association World Finals. (photos courtesy Rockingham Dragway)

 

Nall, whose 1968 Plymouth Barracuda has been winning races at Rockingham for 20 years and most recently prevailed in last month’s Carolina Coalition event, will battle drivers from 18 other NHRA tracks for the Super Pro Championship. Soles will vie for honors in the Pro class.

 

Each of 19 Southeast Division tracks can send a 25-member team to the Finals augmented by a separate Jr. Dragster contingent. On Saturday, Southeast champions will be crowned in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Super Pro Motorcycle and High School classes. The Jr. Dragsters, including one driven by current Rockingham point leader Kimberly Messer of Four Oaks, will race to a championship on Sunday.

 

All of Saturday’s winners will earn berths in the Summit National Championship to be contested next month during the Auto Club Finals at Pomona, Calif.

 

The IMDRA Finals will feature the Top Fuel Extreme RC car of world record-holder Tony Rudis of Nutley, N.J., who last year lowered the 132-foot record to 1.120 seconds at The Rock while crossing the finish line at more than 125 miles per hour. Among those against whom Rudis will compete are RC racers from the Carolinas, Puerto Rico, California, Maryland, New York and Illinois. Admission to the IMDRA World Finals is free.   [10/06/17]

Summit extends SuperSeries sponsorship deal with IHRA

The International Hot Rod Association and Summit Racing Equipment have entered into a multi-year agreement to extend one of the longest running and most successful partnerships in motorsports history.

 

Summit will continue as series sponsor of the Summit SuperSeries, which will enter its 17th season in 2018. The Summit SuperSeries is held at nearly 100 IHRA-sanctioned tracks throughout North America with more than 8,000 racers competing in the program annually.

 

"It takes the entire family of racers, member tracks, and support staff working together with Summit Racing Equipment to move the Sportsman racing component of IHRA Drag Racing to the incredible level of support and enthusiasm we have today,” said Summit Motorsports and Events Manager Jim Greenleaf. “We are proud to continue our efforts in this successful program."

 

This season, IHRA Sportsman racers earned points at their local tracks for an opportunity to compete in the $200,000 IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals, Oct. 20-21 at Memphis International Raceway. There, track champions from participating IHRA tracks will race in Top ET, Mod ET and Junior Dragster divisions.  [10/06/17]

Nicholson has a thing or two to say about NHRA Pro Stock

After the announcement from NHRA about changing nine events next season to just eight-car fields for Pro Stock, our Bracket Editor, Jok Nicholson, has a few thoughts on how to improve the class. See his ideas at here.  [10/06/17]

Ferre to drive for Ahten at Vegas and Pomona

RacePak will have a prominent space on the dragster as primary sponsor.

 

Cameron Ferre will be piloting Johnny Ahten’s nitromethane-injected Top Alcohol Dragster for the final two NHRA national events at Las Vegas and Pomona.

 

“I’m so ready to be back in a nitro car. That’s where I am the happiest,” said Ferre. “This year we have kind of taken it easy while working on funding for a Top Fuel program. It’s been nice to take a few months off and has allowed my new wife Angie and I to get settled in our new place, upgrade our sportsman set up, and do some bracket racing.  I did get to race my now, father in laws, Nostalgia nitro funny car this summer to get a little nitro fix in the meantime. That was a blast doing it as a family but now we are back and ready to hit it hard to finish out the year with Ahten Racing.”

 

Johnny Ahten will be back behind the wheel for the Vegas LODRS Regional race Nov. 2-5.  [10/06/17]

Milan reschedules Heads Up Season finale

The Aeroquip Heads Up Race Season Finale REMIX will be held at Milan Dragway on Friday, Oct. 13. Racer gates open at 11 a.m., spectator gates open at 2 p.m.

 

Testing will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12.  [10/06/17]

Mid Atlantic .90 champs crowned at Atco

he Mid Atlantic .90 Association crowned its 2017 Champions after an action-packed weekend of racing. All three series champions came down to the final day of competition with Race # 10.

In Super Comp Amanda Boicesco became the first women champion of the series and the first father-daughter duo to win a championship as she joined her father, Iggie, who is a multiple time MASGA Champion. She did so after the closest competitor Bill Hardifer red-lighted in the thirrd round ending his hope at the championship.

In Super Gas, a battle ensued between George Smith, Derek Clark and Tom Goldman. Once the dust had settled for the weekend all three racers held the points lead at least once in a 48-hour period. In the end George Smith and his “Livewire” Camaro would claim his first MASGA championship by defeating Clark in the second round and clinching the championship after a tough semi-final race with Mike Handras. (photos courtesy Mid Atlantic .90 Assn.)

 

The final class to be settled was Super Street. Martin Ganjoin needed a lot to happen for him to be claimed champion at days end on Sunday. Sitting in third place and behind by almost five rounds to point’s leaded Dom Burgese, Ganjoin was determined to go the distance. Early exits by Burgese and second place Keith Mayers on Saturday gave him the opportunity he needed and he took full advantage by winning Race # 9 and taking over the points lead. On Sunday, with a crowd watching on Burgese lost in the 1st round and Mayers bowed out in the 2nd round opening the door for Marty. When Rick Mattioli lost in the semi-finals it officially clinched the championship for Ganjoin.

All three champions are first-time winners of the series.

 

Saturday (race #9) winners were: Jay Neville (Super Comp); Oscar Olt (Super Gas); and Martin Ganjoin (Super Street). Sunday winners were Don Bangs (Super Comp); George Smith (Super Gas), and Dave Harvey Jr. (Super Street).  [10/06/17]

Ennis FanFest to feature NHRA drivers next Thursday

Four of the biggest names in recent NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car championship history will highlight the drivers participating in the free Pre-Stage FanFest on Thursday, Oct. 12, in downtown Ennis, TX.

 

Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force will be joined by two-time champion Matt Hagan as well as 2009 champion Robert Hight and 2012 champion Jack Beckman. The quartet of Funny Car drivers who are all vying for the 2017 Mello Yello NHRA championship will be joined by Arlington-based Top Fuel racer and U.S. Nationals runner-up Kebin Kinsley, Pro Stock stand out Shane Tucker, Top Fuel racer Shawn Reed, and Top Alcohol Dragster racer and future NHRA Mello Yello Series star Ashley Sanford.

 

The City of Ennis and Texas Motorplex are partnering for the fourth family-friendly Pre-Stage Fan Fest on between 5-9 p.m. in Downtown Ennis. Dallas Street and Knox Street will be blocked off for fans to wander between NHRA pro and sportsman cars, food trucks, music and more. Professional racers will be available for autographs during the event from 7 to 8 p.m.   [10/06/17]

Papa John’s Pizza announces online deal

Leah Pritchett sponsor Papa John’s Pizza has a special deal now through Nov. 12. Get 30% off regular menu price at www.PapaJohns.com using promo code: LEAH30. And, no, Leah won’t be delivering that pizza.  (Ron Lewis photo)  [10/06/17]

Gateway to host rescheduled Hot Rod Showdown in two weeks

Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, IL, will host the annual $20-per-carload All-American Hot Rod Showdown on the weekend of October 20-22. The event originally was scheduled for July but excessive heat warnings at the time necessitated a rescheduling.

 

This NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event features Top Alcohol Dragsters and Top Alcohol Funny Cars. And admission is $20 per carload -- as many people as you can squeeze into your vehicle for only $20.

 

In addition, the companion Hot Rods & Hops Beer Festival will take place on the Gateway property on Saturday, Oct. 21.   [10/06/17]

Going, going, gone…

Our Bracket Racing Editor, Jok Nicholson, tells the Agent that he put his Oldsmobile up for sale on Facebook and it was sold in two days. Somebody got a nice car!   [10/06/17]

Autonomous driving teams add to combat robot tournament

It’s Friday and once again the Agent brings you some news off the straight-and-narrow track.

 

SparkFun AVC 2017, an event that includes a combat robotics tournament and an autonomous vehicle race, will welcome nearly 200 teams to Denver, CO, on October 14-15. With over 120 combat robot teams and the inclusion of 12-lb and 30-lb robots for the first time, the tournament has grown 400 percent from 2016. Classic AVC, the autonomous vehicle portion of the event, enters its ninth year with over 60 teams participating.

 

“We’re excited to bring an event of this size to the western states,” said Casey Kuhns, tournament manager for SparkFun Electronics (www.sparkfun.com) and former competitor on ABC’s Battle Bots television show. “Clearly there’s a growing demand for opportunities for students and adults to build their own robots and find a community that supports them.”

 

SparkFun AVC 2017 will be held for the first time at Maker Faire Denver after eight years in SparkFun’s hometown of Boulder, Colo. Autonomous vehicle teams will be asked to run a course similar to that in years past, with variations on obstacle types and objectives designed to challenge teams to develop DIY technology that mimics real-world conditions for autonomous vehicles.  [10/06/17]

New Product of the Day

 

Dry Sump/External Oil Pump Drive from Moroso

Moroso Performance Products  has a new pump drive for use with a Dry Sump or External Oil Pump with a 5/8-inch diameter shaft. Part # 62208 makes the task of priming a pump quick and easy with this drive turned by an electric drill. Machined out of stainless steel for years of use. Hardware included  [10/06/17]

VOLUME XIX,  NUMBER 9 - SEPTEMBER  2017

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