Pro Stock class racing steals the show during the IHRA event at New England Dragway as class racers record barrier breaking runs. No less then three drivers dip sub 6.4 secs for the first time in Pro Stock drag racing. History will show the name Brian Gahm with the first ever 6.3 elsaped time. The Ohio-based racer records a superb 6.395 secs effort driving his Ford Mustang which beat out Steve Spiess who ran an even quicker 6.380 secs in the opposite lane. Gahm earns the bragging rights however as his machine did cross the finish line first during the final round qualifying match up on Saturday evening. Spiess however, driving his Chevy Colbalt, did leave the event as the official ET record holder.

Frank Gugliotta also makes big class news while winning the event driving his Ford Escort. Gugliotta is also credited with a 6.3 secs run (6.398 secs) in round one, however all eyes are on the scoreboard MPH clock which flashes at 220.26 mph – the first ever 220 mph seen in Pro Stock racing. Gugliotta is able to back up that speed for an official national record. He out gunned the Chevy Colbalt of Rick Jones in the championship final – winning a 6.442 secs 219.33 mph to 6.481 secs 216.86 mph decision. Jones’s runner-up finish was his 3rd straight final round defeat in IHRA competition. Gugliotta’s win moved him into 2nd place in IHRA Pro Stock points – 1 point ahead of Robert Patrick.

Overall IHRA points leader Steve Spiess also records a 220 mph lap – at 220.04 mph while winning over Robert Patrick in round one. Spiess lost out to Jones in the semi-final round however that finish all but mathematically clinched the ’05 Pro Stock crown for the Chevy pilot.

Canada’s Larry O’Brien notched himself a little bit of history at the event also. Driving the Bears Performance Products Dodge Stratus, O’Brien was credited with a career best run of 6.472 secs at 216.38 mph to become Canada’s quickest and fastest Pro Stock driver. O’Brien’s ET edged out the 6.474 secs recorded by Ron Miller driving the Toronto-based Paone Brothers Chevy during the autumn of 2004. O’Brien’s speed is also a new fast Canadian mark topping the 215.27 mph he was credited with at TMP’s ACDelco Nationals.

Pro Modified racing produced a first time winner as Oregon’s Dennis Radford prevailed driving his nitrous-injected ’63 Corvette. Radford, driving the car formally owned by Rickie Smith defeated Steve Bareman, driving Jim Oddy’s Summit Racing equipment ’53 Corvette for the title. Radford ran a winning 6.321 secs at 221.92 mph while Bareman’s first ever IHRA event win dissipated following a heart-wrenching -.001 foul start. Bareman had during earlier competition reset the IHRA national speed record to 236.46 mph.

Radford’s first ever career victory included round wins over Scott Cannon, Milt Decker and Shannon Jenkins.

Low ET of the meet for the Pro Mod cars went to the powerful Eaton Cutler-Hammer ’63 Corvette driven by Canada’s Carl Spiering. Carl had a career best run of 6.107 secs during round two however that effort was beaten to the stripe by a quicker leaving Bareman (.027 to .079 RT) who won with a 6.151 secs effort. Spiering had entered the Pro Mod class eliminator on the pole after hitting a 6.125 secs to pace the field.

Racing in Alcohol Funny Car also included new national records by Chevy-pilots Jim Sickles and Fred Tigges.

Sickles kept his IHRA points championship hopes alive by winning his 2nd race in a row. Sickles drove the Meyer RV Superstores Chevy Monte Carlo to a final round win over Mark Thomas 5.730 secs at 248.43 mph to 5.829 secs 241.76 mph. Sickles’s top end charge backed up an earlier 248.75 mph as a new IHRA national speed record.

The victory moved Sickles to 66 points of season-long leader Robbie Atchison with 2 events remaining on the ’05 calendar. Atchison was upset in round one by the every improving Amalie Oil sponsored Dodge Avenger driven by Terry McMillen.

Fred Tigges unexpectedly reset the long standing IHRA ET record to 5.702 secs during qualifying. That mark had stood the test of time, being previously set at 5.722 secs by Dale Brand way back in September 2001.

Top Fuel eliminator racing featured the 2nd win of 2005 for New Jersey’s Doug Foley. Driving his Torco Race Fuels machine Foley was able to had Clay Millican an extremely rare IHRA Top Fuel final round defeat, winning decisively, 4.835 secs 288.89 mph to 5.223 secs 203.68 mph.

Foley’s event victory came from the pole (4.641 secs) and included round wins over Chris Karamesines and his Torco teammate Rick Cooper. R/U Cooper was credited with top speed of the meet at 314.97 mph.

Pro Stock class car racing included the late season debut of a few new machines. New York’s John Bartunek debuted his absolutely gorgeous all new Chevy Colbalt and qualified with a 6.503 secs effort. His spectacular looking machine earned the event’s “Best Appearing” Pro Car. Popular class racer Elijah Morton debuted an all new Ford Escort and promptly qualified #12 with a 6.500 secs. Morton went even quicker – 6.440 secs in round one however that was ousted by Rick Jones’s even quicker 6.425 secs. California’s Art Hodges, from NHRA Competition eliminator class fame, made his IHRA Pro Stock debut behind the ’04 Dodge Stratus that was formally owned by Rick Jones. Hodges ran a 6.541 secs best but that missed the 6.505 secs cut. Hodges announced he will run the remaining two IHRA events in 2005 at Budds Creek MD and Rockingham NC.