31st HOLLEY SPRING NATIONALS
(Mar. 30-Apr. 1st, 2001) Rockingham, NC
Notes| Results
| Photos
NATIONALS NOTEBOOK:
Pro Modified class opens it's 2001 season in high gear establishing
drag racing's all-time quickest field -- 6.340 secs -- right out of
the box. Previous all time quick field was 6.379 secs also set at Rockingham
last fall. Noted Pro Mod car builder Alan Pittman (C-P Race Cars) is
dominant as he wins for the first time in his career driving his South
Carolina-based '40 Willys. Incredible Pro Mod field also produces much
desired nitrous versus supercharged affair which is much to IHRA rules
makers delight. Quain Stott rewrites IHRA speed record to 228.92 mph
driving nitrous-injected '63 Corvette but falls in round two. No less
then 46 cars are entered for Pro Mod class!
Defending IHRA World Champion Paul Romine draws first blood in Top
Fuel. Romine who has been plagued this season by numerous mechanical
failures (including NHRA Phoenix and Gainesville) manages to keep it
all together for the final and takes out Bruce Litton narrowly. Romine
is docked 30 points during the event for "black flag" violations
setting up a drag racing oddity -- he is the winner of the first event
of the season but is second in points. Jim Head qualifies on the pole
at Rockingham with a 4.766 secs but it is Clay Millican who sets low
ET with IHRA's quickest run ever -- 4.621 secs.
Pro Stock racing produces a first time winner as Gene Wilson (son to
T.V. fisherman Orlando Wilson!) knocks out the field driving Charlie
Hunt's '01 Mercury Cougar. Wilson's win comes in an upset and using
a holeshot as he beats Tommy Lee who is driving Charlie Taylor's '01
Mustang. Wilson's .423 light makes his 6.60 at 208.59 mph a winner over
Tommy Lee's all time quick run of 6.552 secs (national record). Lee
also runs 210.11 mph which is top speed of the meet.
Pro Mod racing sees a gaggle of new and radical machines debut. Entry
list has and even more international flavor then usual, including for
the first time IHRA circuit appearances by Western Canadian racers Mike
Gondziola and Glen Kerunsky as well as Puerto Rico's William Rojas.
Rojas is the most impressive of the foreign invaders as he qualifies
his nitrous-injected '01 Firebird with a truly unexpected 6.340 secs
at 217.84 mph. Canadian's Gondziola and Kerunsky run hard but cannot
crack the record quick field.
Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley racing is a record-setting program as
it takes a 6.673 secs to make the 8-bike cut. Doug Vancil paces the
field with a 6.545 secs but loses a weird final round to Johnny Mancuso
when both bikes break and it is a coasting race to the finish line.
Low ET of the event comes in round one when Mike Romine hits a career
best 6.518 secs.
2000 IHRA Pro Outlaw World Champion Laurie Cannister makes her Funny
Car class debut but her 6.199 secs best in her new Camaro just misses
the field. Monty Todd emerges as the winner also driving a new Camaro.
Todd puts together a steady string of 5.8s during eliminations to take
his second career IHRA title. Mark Thomas, who has teamed up with Jim
Lape for the 2001 season, sets low ET of the event at 5.809 secs.
The DNQ list from Rockingham includes some real shockers. Defending
IHRA World Champs Jon Yoak (Pro Stock) and Fred Hahn (Pro Mod) are on
the sidelines on Sunday when eliminations begin. Yoak's best run of
6.945 secs misses the PS bump by a mile and Hahn/Oddy struggle first
time out with their unreal 2001 C-5 which enters the Spring Nationals
event untried due to construction delays.
Anthony Bertozzi is the event's Sportsman star once again. Bertozzi
who won both the Modified and Super Stock World Championship titles
last year wins again in Super Stock. Bertozzi is however not the only
Sportsman World Champion to get his 2001 season off to a fast start.
Dewayne Silance who won in Top Sportsman last season is also a winner
driving his nitrous-injected Pontiac.
New York's Mike Janis has his best ever outing in IHRA Pro Modified.
Janis runs a career best 6.260 secs at 223.84 mph to qualify second
and goes to the semi final round. Janis, driving his supercharged '63
Corvette, looks to be a serious class player in 2001.
Quick 8 Shootout winners at Rockingham are Jimmy Pergine in Lenco TD
and Phillip Osborne in Lizzard TS. Osborne's win in Top Sportsman is
wacky -- he is awarded the title after winning the semi final round.
That's because the other semi final round pairing sees both Kenny Rucker
and John Benoit leave before the tree is activated -- a double disqualification.
