11th Carquest Empire Nationals
July 13-15th (Leicester, NY)
Notes|
Results | Photos
NATIONALS NOTEBOOK:
Clay Millican stretches out his IHRA Championship points lead in Top Fuel with a second consecutive circuit victory driving Peter Lehman’s Werner Enterprises dragster. Millican powers by 3-time defending IHRA Champion Paul Romine in the final round when Romine smokes his tires. NYIR event is first race back driving for Romine who suffered burns to his hands during NHRA St. Louis 2 weeks before. Romine resets both ends of the track record during qualifying at 4.698 secs and 318.17 mph. 12 Top Fuel cars show for Top Fuel at New York. Millican also beats Jim Bailey and Bruce Litton during eliminations.
Pro Modified racing produces the second quickest field in IHRA class history with a bump spot of 6.338 secs. 8 of the 16 qualified cars run in the six twenties led by points leader Mike Janis who runs 6.221 secs (low ET) driving his supercharged ‘63 Corvette. Final round however is an all nitrous-injected affair with Shannon Jenkins driving Mike Castellana’s “Western Beef” Camaro past Quain Stott’s LeBoy Corvette. The win for Jenkins is his first on the IHRA trail since the 1999 season. Quain Stott runs a huge 229.43 mph in the final round while losing -- but that speed is the fastest seen yet in the Pro Modified class!
Nitro Harley racing produces some astounding math. Bump spot at NYIR is a wild 6.621 secs which blasts the previous all time quick mark of 6.734 secs mark set at Virginia this year. Riders also produce the quickest and fastest runs ever seen in the class. Doug Vancil rides the Vance & Hines fuel burner to a IHRA national record 221.85 mph. Steve Stordeur hits an unreal 6.387 secs which is low ET of the event and the quickest run of all time. Event is won by Tony Mattioli riding for Jim McClure who bounces back nicely after his crash at Cordova one month before.
Exhibition Jet-powered truck driver Bob Motz produces the event’s wildest moment. Motz’s first run on Saturday is marred by a major parachute failure, which sends his 25,000 HP Kenworth on scary meander past the finish line. Motz gets completely sideways at least three times but saves the fan favourite beast with some sensational driving. Motz clips the guard wall but damage is only slight. He switches back to regular parachute and makes two flawless runs later in the event.
Racers Jim Bailey and Alan Pittman produce a couple of fiery incidents during qualifying. Bailey has a big time engine explosion in the lights during Top Fuel’s second session and clips the wall driving Bobby Rex's Havoc car. Pittman also experiences a major top end fire driving his popular Pro Mod Willys as that car lights up like a fuel Funny Car during qualifying. Both Bailey and Pittman teams do however make repairs and race on Sunday.
Iowa’s Dale Brand continues his emergence as a star in Pro Funny car as he wins for the second time this season driving his “Co-Line” sponsored Pontiac Firebird. Brand set low ET of the event (5.826 secs) to earn the pole and is the quickest car throughout eliminations. Brand beats Canada’s Larry Dobbs in the final round. Dobbs and his partner Fred Speight have their best performance of the season at NYIR, which includes a career quick 5.966 secs in qualifying.
Top Dragster program is absolutely awesome with no less then 57 cars showing for the gruelling eliminator. 48-car bump spot is a shocking 7.057 secs. Field is paced by Florida’s Charlie Gambino who runs low ET at 6.316 secs with his blown altered, however the event is won by number 11 qualifier, Ohio’s Mike Didomenico, in his supercharged dragster.
Super Stock final round at New York is a true battle of titans with class hitters Anthony Bertozzi and Sal Biondo facing off. Biondo wins driving his GT/IA Firebird as points leader and multi-time Champion Bertozzi goes .499 red. Bertozzi has been in every single IHRA national event Super Stock final round this season!
Carl Spiering and racing partners Dave and Mike Perscio debut their flashy new Cutler-Hammer sponsored supercharged ‘57 Chevy at NYIR. Spiering runs a career best 6.417 secs at 218.58 mph with the promising new machine but that misses the super quick Pro Mod 6.338 secs bump. Defending IHRA Pro Mod World Champions Fred Hahn and Jim Oddy are also on the outside looking in on eliminations for the 4th time this season. They run 6.338 secs but that run is 17th. Steve Cossis, also runs 6.338 secs but is awarded the 16th and final slot based on a superior qualifying speed : 222.69 mph to Hahn’s 214.69 mph.
Gene Wilson continues his remarkable season in Pro Stock winning for the 4th time in five races driving Charlie Hunt’s incredible Mercury Cougar. Wilson has low ET of the meet at 6.614 secs and handles surprise finalist Tim Nabors who makes the final round with his brand new 2001 Chevy Cavalier which he debuted at the event. Carl Baker, driving the Summit Racing Equipment 2001 Cougar, sets top speed with a track record 211.36 mph. Pro Stock racing sees top points contending team owner Charlie Taylor surprisingly pull the plug and go home after only one qualifier after Tommy Lee blows the motor in his record-holding Mustang. Exit comes despite the fact that Taylor’s home shop (and spare motor) was only 5 hours away in Ohio and numerous motor loaning offers from other teams present ( !?)
