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August 26, 2005 This page starts with Top fuel, Funny Car, Pro Mod and then Pro Stock. The bottom of the page has the sportsman results. Top Fuel Friday qualifying
More TF cars were expected at Norwalk but only tem made laps on Friday. Only one Ostrander car, no Todd Paton (probably lack of funding) and no Paul Athey (team unrest?). Cory MAc was there and was likely to make the most noise against four time champ Clay Millican. Doug Foley also would be in the hunt. After Friday Qualifying, Cory MAc was in fact the leader and was close to IHRA record standard. He turned in a great 4.56 / 323 that were track records. Doug Foley ran his first ever 4.50 lap and was second with a 4.58 / 310. All eight cars in the field made 4.80 runs with the #8 qualifier (Louie Allison) on the bump with a 4.82
Friday numbers
Four the first time this season, four qualifiers were made by the Top Fuel teams, and it was a tough battle to get in the field. Rick Cooper waited until the final session to get a full pull in and he ran a 4.789 to nail down the final spot in the field and the #8 qualifer bonus money from Torco Race Fuels. Louie Allison could not improve on his 4.82 from Friday and ended up as the 1st alternate. Chris Kramasines also ended up outside. In my recollection this was the first time that the IHRA has had an all 300 mph 8 car field. It was the second timwe there has been a 4.70 bump spot (2004 Rockingham).
The top four qualifiers all advanced to the semi finals, but only Doug Foley made a full lap in his first round defeat of Dale Creasy. His 4.74 gave him lanne choice against his rival Clay Millican but it did noot help as he smoked the tires and Clay Millican sorted out his tune-up, running a 4.74 to Foley's 12 second tire smoker. Cory Mac defeated TJ Zizzo in similar fashion, 4.72 - 8.93 That set up the dream final for all the fans with C. Mac and Millican facing off. Clay had lane choice and took the right lane but based on ealrier rounds both were completely equal. Millican took a . 04 starting line advantage, and extended it right through the 1/4 mile with an easy 4.75 - 4.90 win. His seventh win in seven final rounds this year. Round 1: T.J. Zizzo, Round Lake IL, McKinney-TFX,
Left lane, (-0.045) 8.786 93.62 def. Bruce Litton, Clay Millican, Drummonds TN, Hadman-BAE,
Left lane, (0.085) 5.187 275.17 def. Bobby Lagana Jr., Doug Foley, Sewell NJ, McKinney-TFX, Left
lane, (0.085) 4.747 279.09 def. Dale Creasy Jr, Cory McClenathan, Anaheim CA, Hadman-BAE,
Left lane, (0.135) 5.055 276.69 def. Rick Cooper,
C McClenathan, Left lane, (0.117) 4.726 308.35 def. T Zizzo, (0.068) 8.937 97.12 C Millican, Right lane, (0.058) 4.741 305.63 def. D Foley, (0.089) 12.056 86.62
C Millican, Right lane, (0.069) 4.752 303.98 def. C McClenathan, (0.105) 4.901 285.59
1. Clay Millican 1,103
Funny Car friday
The big surprise in qualifying Firday was the non performance of world champ Rob Atchison. His first lap was a loose 330 cone blasting effort that had him outsdie the field. On Fridays late run, he rolled the beams and was at least .05 - .07 slow to sixty feet (a 1.03). He still ran the second quickest lap of the session, a 5.91 but it paled in comparison to Terry Munroe's lap, a great 5.78 at only 232 mph.
Final qualifying With a couple rain delays causing a couple hour delay to the start of the third quaalifying session and more rain in the forecast, the floppers had to make sure the thirs session was a good one. Atchison really stepped up, with his best run of the season a great 4.76 to overtake Munroe and get the top spot on the ladder. Sickles also improved but not enough for a 5.70 lap, as he ran a 5.85 Fred Tigges also improved for his first 5 second run of the weekend, a 5.87. The final round was run, as the rain stayed away, but few improved their ealrier numbers. Jim Sickle made the best run, a 5.80 but it still kept him in the #3 spot. The pairings for first round were: #1 Atchison vs #8 Foster, #2 Munroe vs #7 Comella, #3 Sickles vs #6 Grenn-King, #4 Tigges vs #5 Thomas
Final qualifying
Atchison kept the performance level at the top with a blistering 5.77/245 to defeat Chris Foster. Mike Comella upset #2 Terry Munroe in a real close one and Fred Tigges defeated Mark Thomas. Jim Sickles was the quickest in round one, with a 5.76to take a 2/10ths stripe over Melinda Green. In the Smei finals both races were ended early as Atchison basically ended up with a single when Tigges broke right off the starting line and Sickles got the win (he would have anyway), when Comella crossed the centre line. Jim Sickles had the lane choice for the final against Rob Atchison at took the same lane he was in all day, the right. Atchison took the left lane all weekend so both ended up with their favorite anyway. Atchison had a great .019 light but rattled the tires real hard and lifted early, while Sickles stormed to a 5.80 at a blazing 246.39 mph. Points standings follow round by round #'s Round 1: Rob Atchison, London ON, '02 Firebird, Left
lane, (0.118) 5.776 245.58 def. Chris Foster, Mike Comella, Mentor OH, '04 Corvette, Right
lane, (0.054) 5.933 237.84 def. Terry Munroe, Jim Sickles, Caledonia NY, '05 Monte Carlo,
Right lane, (0.069) 5.769 245.54 def. Melinda Frederick Tigges, Holbrook MA, '97 Camaro,
Left lane, (0.095) 5.853 242.19 def. Mark Thomas,
R Atchison, Left lane, (0.042) 5.867 245.67 def. F Tigges, (0.183) NT-Broke After Staging J Sickles, Right lane, (0.073) 5.799 245.72 def. M Comella, (0.066) DQ-Centerline
J Sickles, Right lane, (0.033) 5.802 246.39 def. R Atchison, (0.019) 22.034 38.30 1. Rob Atchison 947
Pro Mod
Pro Mod friday qualifying 1. Jim Halsey Cecil County Dragway '68 Camar 6.165 227.04 Final qualifying 1. Jim Halsey Cecil County Dragway '68 Camar 6.165 227.04
Eliminations The Torco Pro Mod final did not have any of the drama of the Top Fuel final, but Mike Castellana (Westbury, N.Y.) will take the results. Castellana took over the World Championship points lead with his bye run victory at Norwalk Raceway Park. Steve Bareman (Elma, N.Y.), driving his Summit-sponsored entry for Jim Oddy, broke after his burnout and could not stage the car. Castellana is the only repeat Torco Pro Mod winner on the Hooters IHRA Tour this season, winning also in Milan, Mich. and Martin, Mich. earlier this season. "We came in here real confident, but had to change engines after the second round," Castellana said. "You never know what's going to happen when you make a change like that. But we made the changes for the final round and, with some luck, we won."
Round 1: Harold Martin, West Bloomfield MI, '05 Grand
Am, Left lane, (0.123) 6.296 225.37 def. Mike Scott Cannon, Lyman SC, '53 Studebaker, Left
lane, (0.110) 6.257 228.27 def. Quain Stott, Dennis Radford, Baker City OR, '63 Corvette,
Right lane, (0.027) 6.315 222.84 def. Burton Steve Vick, Mocksville NC, '63 Corvette, Left
lane, (0.072) 6.573 175.14 def. Billy Harper, Steve Bareman, Holland MI, '53 Corvette, Left
lane, (0.070) 6.276 229.90 def. Shannon Jenkins, Carl Spiering, Jordan Station ON, '63 Corvette,
Right lane, (0.078) 6.232 229.47 def. Milt Mike Castellana, Westbury NY, '05 Cavalier,
Right lane, (0.056) 6.193 229.66 def. Steve Engel, Rick Moore, High Point NC, '03 Grand Am, Right
lane, NT-No Time Recordeddef. Jim Halsey, Street Jim Halsey, Street MD, '68 Camaro, Left lane,
(0.007) 6.201 227.42 def. Pat Moore, Kinsman OH, Round 2: S Bareman, Left lane, (0.036) 6.205 232.23 def. S Vick, (0.102) 6.264 224.73 C Spiering, Right lane, (0.138) 6.199 231.16 def. D Radford, NT-Broke Before Staging J Halsey, Left lane, (0.074) 6.193 227.00 def. H Martin, (0.198) 6.330 226.16 M Castellana, Left lane, (0.078) 6.213 223.80 def. S Cannon, (0.128) 6.264 228.73
M Castellana, Left lane, (0.053) 6.270 226.09 def. C Spiering, (0.012) 7.320 148.97 S Bareman, Right lane, (0.051) 6.211 232.07 def. J Halsey, (0.067) 6.224 226.81
M Castellana, Right lane, (0.111) 6.613 168.30 def. S Bareman, NT-Broke Before Staging Parity is rearing its head in Pro Mod this year particularly in eliminations at this event where two nitrous cars and two blown cars were in the semi finals. The points show an advantage for the nitrous carsas they hold the first three places, but the next three are blower cars. I do see consistancy being in the nitrous cars favor except for Carl Spiering who has his car dialed in pretty well. Points 1. Mike Castellana 637
Pro Stock 1. Steve Spiess Spiess Construction Cobalt 6.462 215.96
Final qualifying 1. Steve Spiess Spiess Construction Cobalt 6.462 215.96 Steve Spiess (Manhattan, Ill.) won his third consecutive Hooters IHRA national event, and fourth of the '05 season, when he defeated Rick Jones (Galesburg, Ill.), the man who built his '05 Chevy Cobalt, in the Torco Pro Stock final. In the process Spiess put the world championship points race in a stranglehold with his victory at Norwalk Raceway Park. "This is beyond my wildest dreams,"
Spiess said of his third consecutive win. "I'm tickled pink and
just happy everyone is doing their job well. The car is running great
and I really want to thank all the people who supply me the parts.
And it is always fun racing Rick Jones in the final. Sure, I want
to win but if I wouldn't have won it really wouldn't have mattered.
I'm having a great time and I hope it continues a little bit longer."
Round 1: Ed Machacek, Atkins IA, '05 Cavalier, Right
lane, (0.021) 6.575 209.26 def. Larry O'Brien, Pete Berner, Crete IL, '04 Mustang, Left lane,
(0.051) 6.486 213.57 def. John Nobile, Dix Hills Rick Jones, Galesburg IL, '05 Cobalt, Left
lane, (0.064) 6.499 214.59 def. Jerry Haas, Fenton John Montecalvo, Center Moriches NY, '05 Cobalt,
Left lane, (0.045) 6.540 212.66 def. Daniel Doug Kirk, Lenoir WV, '03 Mustang, Right lane,
(0.069) 6.538 214.01 def. Tony Gillig, Lake Bluff Brian Gahm, Lucasville OH, '03 Mustang, Left
lane, (0.053) 6.480 216.34 def. Bert Jackson, Glen Frank Gugliotta, Mt. Airy MD, '04 Escort, Left
lane, (0.059) 6.487 215.44 def. Chuck DeMory, Steve Spiess, Manhattan IL, '05 Cobalt, Left
lane, (0.059) 6.483 215.44 def. John Konigshofer,
D Kirk, Left lane, (0.053) 6.537 213.81 def. J Montecalvo, (0.072) 6.589 211.96 F Gugliotta, Right lane, (0.058) 6.490 216.34 def. P Berner, (0.081) 6.506 212.79 R Jones, Right lane, (0.054) 6.500 214.69 def. B Gahm, (0.056) 6.500 215.03 S Spiess, Left lane, (0.077) 6.489 215.96 def. E Machacek, (0.106) 6.539 213.77
R Jones, Right lane, (0.024) 6.528 215.68 def. F Gugliotta, (0.060) 6.509 216.93 S Spiess, Left lane, (0.101) 6.456 217.11 def. D Kirk, (0.054) 6.552 214.66
S Spiess, Left lane, (0.081) 6.477 216.83 def. R Jones, (0.077) 6.504 216.24 1. Steve Spiess 892
Sportsman final rounds Top Stock (contested Saturday) -- Monty Bogan Jr., Pontiac Firebird, 9.877, 133.25 def. Sid Bonnecarrere, Plymouth Duster, 9.875, 133.14. Top Sportsman -- Sandy Wilkins, Chevy Cavalier, 6.989, 180.09 def. Ronnie Proctor, Ford Probe, 6.995, 199.37. Top Dragster -- Jason Harris, Dragster, 6.993, 177.60 def. Jeff Miles Jr, Dragster, 6.894, 195.76. Quick Rod -- Gary Williams, Dragster, 9.061, 157.36 def. Jeff Brooks, Dragster, 9.097, 154.42. Super Rod -- Tony Gray, '27-T Ford, 9.925, 154.63 def. Corinne MacMillan, Chevy Camaro, 9.929, 149.60. Hot Rod -- Tim Shuck, Chevy Camaro, 10.936, 120.77 def. John Swink, Vhevy Nova, 10.965, 148.43. Super Stock -- Lyn Laperriere, Chevy Camaro, 9.859, 128.70 def. Michael Lyons, Ford Probe, 9.174, 149.15. Stock -- Brent Martin, Mercury Capri, 11.93, 104.24 def. Scotty Stillings, Chevy Camaro, 11.294, 113.62. ET Bracket -- Dennis Hrivnak, Chevy Malibu, 10.909, 91.44 def. Todd Crager, Chevy Camaro, 10.391, 128.74.
Huge Weekend Expected at Norwalk Raceway Park When the season schedules come out, in both NHRA and IHRA, there is one race everyone circles on the schedule…the World Nationals at Norwalk Raceway Park. NRP is just one of those places, a venue that has an attraction for everyone. It is one of the nicest racing surfaces in the country. It is one of the cleanest facilities in the world. It has everything racers and fans desire, from plenty of quality seating to an abundance of pit parking. And NRP’s history? Well, it speaks for itself. A list of past champions at Norwalk reads like a who’s who of the people this sport was built around. In Top Fuel names like Joe Amato, Wayne Bailey, Doug Herbert, Del Worsham, Shirley Muldowney, Paul Romine and Clay Millican have all visited the Winner’s Circle at Norwalk Raceway Park. Kenny Bernstein has a win at NRP (1986 Nitro Funny Car) as do Ronnie Sox (’81 Pro Stock), Bob Glidden (’85 Pro Stock), Roy Hill (’86 and ’87 Pro Stock), Scotty Cannon (’95 Pro Modified), Von Smith (’98 Funny Car) and Laurie Cannister (’99 Pro Outlaw). The track is not only about its past, however. The top racers from across the country all make the journey to Northwest Ohio to give the NRP event one of the biggest car counts of any sanctioning body. Nearly 1,000 cars are expected to compete at the ’05 Skull Gear World Nationals presented by PPG…by far the largest car count of the Hooters IHRA season. Last season a rash of upsets highlighted the rain-delayed event at NRP. Doug Foley won his third Ironman of a tremendous rookie season when he defeated eventual Top Fuel World Champion Clay Millican in the final. Millican was the #1 qualifier and had the low et of the event, but he could not hold Foley off in a pedal-fest. In Torco Pro Modified, Pat Moore surprised the crowd when he was able to pilot Ed Steffey’s ’57 Bel Aire past Quain Stott and into the Winner’s Circle. It was Moore’s lone national event victory of the season. Jim Sickles won his second of three ’04 Ironmen at Norwalk when he defeated Fred Tigges in the final and Mike Bell visited the Winner’s Circle at NRP after his only victory of the season. “Norwalk Raceway Park really is a special place,” IHRA President Aaron Polburn said. “The facility is always in immaculate condition and the racing surface is always top-notch. There is a reason this event is always the biggest race of the year for us…people just love the atmosphere. Bill Bader, Jr. and his staff always do an outstanding job of keeping this racing facility among the best in the world.” This season’s Skull Gear World Nationals presented by PPG will also go a long way towards deciding the winners in the Hooters IHRA world championship points races. In Top Fuel, Clay Millican seems to have matters under control. He enjoyed a 137 point lead over second-place Doug Foley heading into the Torco Race Fuels Northern Nationals in Martin, Mich. Foley had won the last race before Martin, however, as Millican fell in the first round of eliminations following his dramatic blowover in Milan. Foley defeated Bruce Litton in the final at the ACDelco Northern Nationals. “We’re not giving anything up,” Foley said after that race. “It would take a lot for us to come up on Clay like that, but we fully intend on putting some pressure on him.” Shannon Jenkins led the Torco Race Fuels Pro Mod points race heading into Martin, but his lead is tenuous. With seven different winners in the first seven Hooters IHRA national events pretty much anything is possible. Jenkins was in the lead with 496 points while Jim Halsey (428 points) and Ed Hoover (416 points) were right on his tail. Prior to Martin the Funny Car race had narrowed to a two-man race between Jim Sickles and Rob Atchison. Atchison had the upper hand as his five national event victories and 716 points put him well ahead of Sickles’ one win and 610 points. But Atchison knows he can’t afford to relax. “We have to just keep going rounds,” he said. “If we can continue to put ourselves in the final it’ll be pretty hard for anyone to catch us.” The Torco Pro Stock points race is the tightest, with nine racers still holding a decent shot at winning the title. However, if Steve Spiess continues to run like he did at Toronto Motorsports Park, the rest of the drivers can probably start thinking about next year. Spiess set the IHRA mph and et world records at the ACDelco Canadian Nationals as well as missing becoming the first Pro Stock driver to run in the 6.30’s with his 6.400 pass. Spiess leads the points race with 640 while Robert Patrick (601 points) and two-time winner this season Dan Seamon (524) are right behind him. Clay Millican holds the Top Fuel et record at NRP with a 4.631 pass while Paul Romine is the mph record holder at 320.66 mph. Rick Distefano holds both ends of the Torco Pro Mod track record at 6.193 et and 230.29 mph. Jim Sickles is the Funny Car et record holder with a 5.769 pass while Jeff Craig’s 248.42 mph run set the speed bar. Tony Gillig has the quickest Torco Pro Stock run in track history, 6.475, while Rob Mansfield achieved the highest speed, 214.76 mph. The Skull Gear World Nationals are scheduled to begin Aug. 24 and run through Aug. 27. For many fans, the appeal of drag racing comes down to two things: speed and power. And those principles are never more evident than when thousands of screaming fans are shouting themselves hoarse for Top Fuel dragsters. These 8,000 horse power beasts can turn the quarter mile in just over four and a half seconds. By the time you’re finished reading this sentence, Clay Millican would already be making the turn and heading over to the Winner’s Circle to be interviewed on TV. For this year’s Skull Gear World Nationals presented by PPG at Norwalk Raceway Park, Millican will be joined by one of the toughest Top Fuel fields ever at an IHRA race. The four time consecutive World Champion will not only be facing the likes of resident rivals such as Doug Foley, who currently sits second in the points after eight races, or Bruce Litton, who currently sits third, but Millican will have to face the likes of Cory McClenathan, T.J. Zizzo, and Dale Creasy, Jr. The biggest news may be that McClenathan, who owns 27 career victories in NHRA, is coming to Norwalk to try and tame the track. To say that a driver like McClenathan is essentially a shark in a fish bowl may be an understatement. “When we got the announcement in the office, all I could do was smile,” said IHRA President Aaron Polburn. “Cory Mac is a popular driver, but not only that, he has one of the best teams in the Carrier Boyz in all of drag racing. His addition to the field will certainly make it interesting.” Also making some noise will be T.J. Zizzo and Dale Creasy, Jr., part of the Torco/Skull Gear contingent. Zizzo, in his first IHRA race at the Torco Northern Nationals at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, made a lot of noise, nearly matching Clay Millican run for run in qualifying and before bowing out in the semi finals. Creasy, a longtime NHRA competitor, also comes to Norwalk with a solid foundation to build on. “What Evan Knoll and the folks at Torco/eRaceFuels have done with sponsorship is nothing short of amazing,” said Polburn. “These are quality Top Fuel teams racing with us, and that only makes our event better. It brings the level of racing up for everybody.” And bringing up the level of racing is exactly the effect the new entries have had. The Top Fuel bump at U.S. 131 was a blistering 4.836—the second fastest in IHRA history. “I think every driver out there stepped it up a little bit,” said Top Fuel driver and fan favorite Bobby Lagana. “We race as hard as we can on every pass regardless, but when you have some extra cars in there that you normally don’t see, I think it has some effect.” Lagana, who has been running a limited IHRA schedule this year due to other driving commitments, will be at Norwalk, and gunning for some more runs like he had at U.S. 131. He qualified eighth—his was the 4.836, and he knows that it might take an even faster pass to make the show at Norwalk. “We’re capable of running 4.65,” Lagana said. “We’ve done it. There were an awful lot of 4.70s at U.S. 131, so we’re going to have to be on our game at Norwalk.” The Top Fuel line up is strong from top to bottom. Louie Allison, winner at the Dukes of Hazzard Motor City Nationals presented by GM Performance Division and brought to you by Heritage Newspapers and currently fifth in the points and Rick Cooper, who sits in fourth will both try and break Millican’s stranglehold on IHRA Top Fuel. Chris Karamesines, the 75 year old ageless wonder, came dangerously close to qualifying at U.S. 131. “Turbo” Tim Cullinan is also looking to break through in 2005. “There are no gimmes in this field,”
said Millican. “The competition has improved immensely. But that’s
good. It keeps us on our toes, to constantly improve, and it’s
even better for the fans.”
Steeped in tradition, the 28th Skull Gear World Nationals presented by PPG, is IHRA's most prestigious event, the one every driver wants to add to his list of victories. Naturally, this weekend's race at Norwalk Raceway Park is the one Clay Millican wants to add to his growing collection of IHRA Top Fuel triumphs. Millican boosted his career-wins total to 43 two weeks ago at Martin, Mich., in claiming his sixth decision in eight 2005 races. And the driver of the Werner Enterprises/Kenny Koretsky Motorsports dragster will be attempting to protect his 159-point advantage (959-800) over Doug Foley in the chase for his fifth consecutive IHRA Hooters Series championship. "I love racing at Norwalk," said Millican. "There will be big crowds and it's a lot of fun. Obviously, we want to win the race. It is IHRA's biggest race, and it's nice to be able to say that you won a race at Norwalk." The Drummonds, Tenn., driver has been able to say that three times in Top Fuel (2000, 2001 and 2002), and he's been to five straight title rounds, losing in 2003 and 2004. "We broke a rocker arm against Bruce Litton in the '03 finals and smoked the tires against Foley last year," Millican recalled. It was at Norwalk where Millican advanced to his first IHRA final round when he was driving in Modified Eliminator. Millican, who set the track elapsed time record at 4.631 seconds last year, believes that could fall this time around, should cooler weather prevail. Then again, the Werner Enterprises team might not need the temperature to drop too low. Crew chief/tuner Mike Kloeber has been fiddling with the car's fuel system and might have created more horsepower in the process. "Mike is nonstop working on things," Millican says. "He's always making small moves that will make the car run good." Kloeber, the only one to tune Millican's Top Fuel dragster, found the horsepower he was seeking, although it worked against him last weekend at Memphis when Millican lost in the opening round of his hometown race. The car smoked the tires. It was extraordinarily hot and the hot track conditions didn't help, but Kloeber pointed out that the motor made more power on that run than he expected, thereby causing the tires to lose traction. "The new fuel system was responding nicely and improved the horsepower," Kloeber said. "We had a couple bad cylinders on Clay's last qualifying run and I cleaned those up and wound up with too much power. We did get a lot of valuable information we can use at Norwalk." A strong field of challengers awaits Millican and Kloeber. That's fine with them. "Any time you elevate the competition level, we try harder," Millican said. Skull Gear World Nationals qualifying is scheduled Friday and Saturday at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday's eliminations begin at 11 a.m. Event Schedule WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 2005 THURSDAY AUGUST 25, 2005 FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 2005 SATURDAY AUGUST 27, 2005 SUNDAY AUGUST 28, 2005 Pro Sessions will start at the times listed above.
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