Racing action at reputed Maryland International Raceway lives up to it’s reputation of being very fast as the 2006 President’s Cup Nationals produces both the quickest field in Pro Stock and in Pro Modified history.

“Tricky Rickie” Smith, who won four straight IHRA World Championship titles between 1986-89, but only recently rejoined the IHRA Mountain-motor circuit, won big driving his Skull Gear Chevy Colbalt. Smith used a final round holeshot (.042 to .084) to hold off the Ford Mustang of overall IHRA points leader Tony Gillig in the final round (which was held on Monday due to rain). Smith’s 6.374 secs at 219.22 mph prevailed over Gillig’s quicker 6.352 secs at 220.19 mph.

Smith’s victory came over a ridiculously quick field -- featuring a bump spot of 6.429 secs which eclipsed the 6.457 secs mark set at San Antonio last March. The record fast field was paced by Robert Patrick whose low ET charge of 6.320 secs earned the pole.

While Patrick did not win on Monday, he did come away from the event with a large payout winning the prestigious Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock Showdown held on Saturday evening. Patrick used some great driving and some spectacular speed while winning that classic including the all time quickest and fastest runs in Pro Stock history at 6.312 secs and 221.70 mph (!) Patrick’s 2007 Ford Shelby collected a cool $20G when he downed Frank Gugliotta’s Ford Escort in the final round: 6.320 secs 221.20 mph to 6.352 secs 220.19 mph.

Pro Stock racing featured a slew of 6.3 secs elapsed times and the elite 220 MPH Pro Stock Club sponsored by Sonny’s saw new membership for Tony Gillig, Pete Berner, John Nobile and Frank Gugliotta.

The Pro Modified racing program featured an all time quick bump spot of 6.165 secs which bettered the IHRA’s previous mark of 6.188 secs set at Martin MI in August.

PM teammates Quain Stott and Tommy D’April (battled?) for the event championship in very weird fashion as they both elected to idle down track in the final in what has to be the slowest side-by-side Pro Mod match in history. Stott won with a time of 41.82 secs compared to D’April’s 44.48 secs in what was later revealed to be an apparent tribute to U.S. troops serving overseas.

Pro Mod racing was paced by South Carolinian 2nd generation driver Scott Cannon who drove his Torco Race Fuels GTO to a 6.019 secs for the pole. That was followed closely by Canadian Raymond Commisso who ran 6.033 secs at a thundering 239.44 mph (top speed). Both Cannon and Commisso, who were using Al Billes tune-ups, were however early round victims on Sunday.

The event featured the 49th win in the career of Clay Millican and with that the popular driver of the Werner Enterprises Top Fuel car has all but mathematically clinched his 6th consecutive IHRA World Championship title. Millican’s final round run of 7.276 secs was good for the victory when opponent Rick Cooper went -.180 red in the far lane.

Millican’s victory came from the #3 qualified position and included round wins over Kevin Jones and T.J. Zizzo. Zizzo set both top speed and low ET during qualifying when he ran a 4.615 secs and 325.92 mph.

Millican is assured the IHRA title as long as he enters the season-ending World Finals at Rockingham – a given.

Nitro Funny Car class racing produced a monumental upset with relative unheard of driver Jeff Diehl emerging victorious driving his California-based Toyota. Diehl, who had entered only two other IHRA events this season, never did run very fast but won the event anyways. He qualified #7 at 7.647 secs and then used some good fortune running 7.06 secs and 5.69 secs to beat Dale Creasy Jr. and Jack Wyatt. In the final round he recorded his best time of the weekend at 5.399 secs at 241.07 mph to turn back Paul Lee’s Rislone Chevy Monte Carlo which ran a losing 5.773 secs at 247.20 in its 4th final round appearance of the ’06 season.

NFC racing was paced by Bob Gilbertson’s Autolite XP Dodge Stratus which during qualifying ran a track record 4.762 secs at 325.35 mph before being beaten by Jack Wyatt in round one – 5.97 to 6.13 secs.

Alcohol Funny Car racing produced the first class win for Neal Parker who drove his “Excavator” past Ohio’s Mark Thomas in an all Chevy Monte Carlo final round. Parker won based on a terrific final round RT (.006) as his 5.841 secs at 240.04 mph held off Thomas’s superior 5.773 secs at 247.20 mph. Parker’s “Ironman” was his first in AFC racing although he did have 3 previous career IHRA wins in the now defunct Pro Outlaw category.

The R/UP finish for Mark Thomas did put him into 1st place overall in the IHRA eMax Alcohol Funny Car points chase. He was able to surpass Canada’s Robbie Atchison who was a shocking DNQ at the event. Robbie’s best run of 5.963 secs just missed the 5.962 secs bump.

The event also included the final round of the Jegs-sponsored Top Stock series with that overall season championship going to Bo Kenny’s Pontiac. Kenny won the rather wild final round over teammate Monty Bogan Jr as both drivers got very crossed up. Only 5 Top Stock cars in total showed at M.I.R. once again causing most fans to ponder – why bother?