22nd Amalie Summer Nationals
June 14-16, 2001 (Cordova, IL)
Notes|
Results | Photos
NATIONALS NOTEBOOK:
The potent Top Fuel team owned by Chicago’s Peter Lehman and his driver Clay Millican find victory lane for the first time this season. The win allows Millican to assume the overall points podium in the 2001 IHRA World Championship chase -- a first for the sophomore driver. Millican defeats recent IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals winner Jim Bailey in the final round. Crew chief Mike Klober tunes the Werner Enterprises-sponsored dragster to a new IHRA World speed record hitting at 318.17 mph. That big speed comes while beating Paul Romine in the semi-final round. Millican also sets low ET of the event -- running a track record 4.662 secs while earning the pole.
New York’s Mike Janis stretches out his points lead in Pro Modified with another convincing win driving the Jan-Cen/Weber’s supercharged Corvette. Janis clobbers the field, qualifying low (6.241 secs) and setting both low ET (6.231 secs) and top speed (218.44 mph). Janis’s low ET effort comes while beating the nitrous injected Corvette of Ed Hoover in the final round.
Defending IHRA World Pro Mod champions Fred Hahn and Jim Oddy make the 16-car program at Cordova -- it is the first time this season they have qualified their radical new 2001 Corvette. Hahn runs a 6.274 secs which is good for 4th and then has a strong run during eliminations going to the semi-final round before parts breakage eliminates him. Pro Mod racing at Cordova produces yet another all sub 6.4 secs program featuring a stout 6.373 secs bump spot.
Nitro Harley class racing produces an interesting winner with European rider Stan Verheuen (from Netherlands) emerging victorious. Verheuen’s win comes after his first ever-qualifying effort -- he makes the show on the bump (6.676 secs). In the final he out rides defending IHRA World Champion Jay Turner. Nitro Harley round one features a scary moment when Tony Mattioli, rider for Jim McClure, runs off the end of the track and into the sand after a 217+ mph lap. Mattioli is taken to hospital with bruised ribs but is later released OK. Mattioli had low ET of the event at 6.531 secs which came during qualifying. Michigan’s Mike Romine had top speed at 218.44 mph.
Gene Wilson’s bid to win a fourth consecutive event and remain undefeated in 2001 in Pro Stock is stopped short when the clutch the Charlie Hunt owned 2001 Mercury Cougar blows up in the final round. That allows Wilson’s archrival Tommy Lee a free ticket the winners circle driving Charlie Taylor’s national-record holding Mustang. Lee’s win is the 6th of his career. Wilson had been the performance star again in the class running 6.625 secs (low ET) during qualifying. Another Mercury Cougar, driven by Carl Baker, nets top speed at 210.67 mph.
The Top Dragster and Top Sportsman Quick 8 Shootout winners at Cordova are Brandon Booher and Bryan Stover. Both win their titles on singles when their scheduled opponents can not make the call for the final rounds.
Booher runs 6.582 secs in the Lenco-sponsored TD final. Stover takes his Camaro to a winning 7.068 in the Lizzard-sponsored TS final. The IHRA shootout victories are career firsts for both drivers.
For the second time this season, and for only the third time in IHRA history, the Top Stock eliminator is presented. Kevin Helms, from Texas, wins that beating Louisiana’s Bobby Brannon in a final round battle of ‘69 Camaros. Helms wins 10.36 secs to 10.64 secs. Another big block ‘69 Camaro, driven by legendary Paul Mercure, has both low ET and top speed in Top Stock at 10.285 secs at 129.73 mph. 14 cars show for the eliminator.
Kentucky’s Billy Harper makes his first appearance of the season in Pro Modified with his wild nitrous-injected Dodge Viper. Harper’s second Viper which was driven by Shannon Jenkins last year but was sold during the off season to Oregon’s Dennis Radford, is also on hand at Cordova. Both cars run identical 6.383 secs elapsed times during qualifying but that just misses Sunday’s super quick 16-car field.
