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January 29-30, 2010
Palm Beach International Raceway WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Saturday and Weekend wrap-up Photo gallery is here courtesy Dean Murdoch (photos Pat Welsh)
(continued)........excellent....to be expected at a race track holding a major event for the first time ever. The car counts were not........139.... The total for the three pro class and the sportsman class cars (exhibition and Nitro Harleys numbers were not counted or reported). The brackets are not included in the total. This is not a back gate event to be sure. It is an event based on spectators, so the show is the most important aspect for the Nitro Jam series. My honest opinion is if the show is the same for the next few events as what it was this weekend, the deal will fail miserably. I know it is race one, but half the expected field for Pro (A/Fuel) Fuel showed up and they did not run well. Yes there were 5.40's, but these car run 5.20's at 94% in the conditions at Palm Beach. Bill Evans went to the final each day, and was the two day winner. The Nostalgia or Prostalgia Funny Car class did not perform even to conservative estimates. One 5 second pass out of 25+ laps. A fair bit of carnage also from the class. Peter Gallen and Steve Nichols were expected to be the two dominant cars and Gallen showed his cars potential with Top Fuel was okay, because of Bobby Lagana.
It was the Bobby Lagana show. The Paul Smith tuned Top Fuel cars with the last two IHRA world champions (Del Cox and Spencer Massey) drivers flat out fell on their faces Bruce Litton made one good run out of four, and Lagana was great with three of the four laps well in the 4 second 300mph range.
I think that the events at well established IHRA tracks may get a decent crowd for one day of the races, but unless they add more meaningful classes, such as Pro Mods (I know one or two will have Pro Mods), full fields of Pro Fuel and possibly eight car shows of Top Fuel, the experiment will not succeed. Edmonton will be solid (for the IHRA to say the crowd at Palm Beach was bigger than the Rocky Friday crowd....ah, I don't see it), so will Salt Lake, Grand Bend will be good, and Martin and Budd's Creek pretty good. I can't see Rockingham and Epping being all they can be..... But I have been wrong before. Weekend pit notes Courtesy Pat Welsh (photos Pat Welsh) Prostalgia Funny Car
Spoke with Jeff Diehl driver of Bob Floch's "Bullet
Bob" Corvette the
He added, "It wasn't stupidity it's just one of those things
that Regarding the new IHRA format Jeff says, "It's a good thing
for us. Tim Wood is the crew chief and the car is based out of Ohio.
PETER GALLEN - POVERTY STRICKEN PROSTALGIA FC "This is an ex Scott Kalitta chassis made in 2007. It's a copy
of a So what happened in the first round Friday when the car wouldn't
start
MIKE McINTIRE- McAttack Prostalgia FC The car he's driving is a 2006 Murf McKinney chassis that he bought
"We are number one qualifier 6.14, 229. It hurt the motor on
that Mike is based out of Ohio and ran a fuel altered in 2009. His crew
RICK KRAFFT - Chicago Fire Corvette Prostalgia FC I spoke at length with Mike Faser, owner of the Chicago Fire Funny Car. Mike said, "We had ordered some 34" wide tires and when
we got down He added, "We were in the lanes for the second round but we
decided to Regarding the IHRA series, "Love it! It's a great thing for
the sport The Chicago Fire is a real nostalgia funny car. The chassis built
by Mike's a cool guy, always has a smile on his face, and you can tell
GREG "JAKE" JACOBSMEYER - RUG DOCTOR/ALL STAR PROSTALGIA
FC The team is based out of St. Louis, MO and they're committed to eight
JOHN DUNN - DUNN AND GONE PROSTALGIA FC Regarding their approach to racing tonight John said, "We're
going to
ARMY ARMSTRONG - TEXAS JUNGLE PROSTALGIA FC Regarding the new series Army told me, "The fans love it and
this will Army lives in Lewistown, PA and runs the Funny Factory which build
Pro Fuel
MIKE MANNERS - PRO FUEL DRAGSTER He's driving a Spitzer chassis that he bought turn key from Tom JEFF HAMELINK - PRO FUEL DRAGSTER Jeff is based out of Minneapolis, MN and his crew chief is Chuck Ericson. Bob Ottow with Automan Technologies popped up and gave me a little
I asked him about the performance of these cars, "Four seconds,
300 Top Fuel MITCH KING - TOP FUEL SPENCER MASSEY - TOP FUEL (note) Spencer is currently looking for an NHRA ride in Top Fuel.
BRUCE LITTON - LUCAS OIL TOP FUEL DRAGSTER Mike Wolfarth is crew chief on the car and he has been with Bruce
IHRA communications weekend wrap up......... All eyes were on Palm Beach International Raceway
Friday and Saturday night as the Nitro Jam series opened its season
with the first major motorsports event of 2010. "We are obviously pleased with the results this weekend. We came in here with a plan to put on an incredible show for the fans and we feel we did just that," said IHRA President Aaron Polburn. "This being a first time event we expected to have a big weekend, but this event exceeded our expectations in every way." Traffic backed up for miles on the Beeline Highway and shuttles were brought in to transport the thousands of fans that packed PBIR Saturday night to see the nitro thrill show. "It was a thrill to see the stands packed with thousands of excited fans enjoying this wonderful sport," said Polburn. "With results like these we could have run into problems, but Jason Rittenberry and his staff did a tremendous job making sure there were no issues and that everything flowed smoothly. "What a tremendous way to open the year for IHRA Nitro Jam and Palm Beach International Raceway." On the track a pair of repeat winners were crowned in Top Fuel and Pro Fuel while a new driver graced victory lane in Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car. Longtime IHRA veteran Bobby Lagana Jr. (Scarsdale, N.Y.) swept Top Fuel with his second victory of the weekend, joining newcomer Bill Evans (Hialeah, Fla.) who doubled the feat in Pro Fuel. Steve Nichols (Newark, Del.) joined the club of first time Nitro Jam winners with the win in Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car. Other winners from Saturday's Nitro Jam included Elite 8 champions John Benoit (Montpelier, Vt.) in Top Sportsman and Sheldon Bissessar (Marabella, Trinidad) in Top Dragster. Sportsman winners from Saturday's IHRA Tournament of Champions qualifier included Mark Brown (Lake Worth, Fla.) in Top Dragster, Keith Russell (Jupiter, Fla.) in Top Sportsman, Scott Richardson (Barbousville, Ky.) in Super Stock, Michael Beard (Seagrove, N.C.) in Stock, David Bledsoe (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) in Quick Rod, Steve Furr (Harrisburg, N.C.) in Super Rod and R.L. Koontz (Sarasota, Fla.) in Hot Rod. Saturday's race was a hit with the fans who had a chance to see racing throughout the day followed by an incredible show put on by the new stars of the IHRA. And topping that list is Lagana. Lagana, aptly dubbed the People's Champion, faced one of the toughest Top Fuel fields in years this weekend with the past three champions on hand battling it out for Top Fuel gold. Going against a trio of past champions Lagana defied all odds with back-to-back wins giving Lagana one of his most memorable moments in his decade long Top Fuel career. "The number one reason why we race is that we love that race car and we love what gravitates to that car including the fans," said Lagana. "While we love this sport with or without a crowd, to see the stands packed like that was unbelievable. I can't explain how nervous I was. I haven't felt like that in years." Lagana defeated 2009 champion Del Cox in the final despite having some trouble on his run. Lagana, who fired off three straight 300 mph passes and consistent elapsed times over the weekend, crossed the line with a 6.339, 136.52. Cox also had problems on his run. While Lagana was clearly disappointed that he couldn't close the weekend with another solid run, he did enjoy the opportunity to put on a show under the new format. "IHRA took a big chance on doing this and I am glad that they did. Kenneth Feld is an awesome man and I really appreciate the respect he has shown to the IHRA, to the racers and the fans," said Lagana. "He wanted to see something that works for everyone and it worked. I have to thank Mr. Feld for this opportunity." Lagana reached the final with a first round win over Spencer Massey. Lagana ran a 4.635, 312.78 to Massey's 5.170, 216.27. Cox reached the final with a bye over Bruce Litton who broke on the starting line. In the consolation round Litton got things worked out and took down Massey who finished without a round win on the weekend. "We could not ask for a better weekend. I hope the fans are satisfied with the show they saw. We want them back twice fold next year," said Lagana. "This is incredible. If we don't win another thing the rest of the year, to win these first two races is unbelievable."
"It feels great. It is this team, they get all the credit," said Nichols. "We knew to be successful we needed a great team and we have that. Hopefully we can keep this going." Nichols ran a 6.217, 226.70 in the final to defeat Jacobsmeyer who ran a 6.235, 228.73. "I was absolutely blown away at the crowd both nights. We have never been to an event like this," said Nichols. "I was amazed at the first timers. I sat there and signed autographs for a lot of children and a lot of them it was there first time. "I have to thank IHRA for taking a chance with this and giving us a shot." Nichols reached the final with a first round win over Peter Gallen with the second lowest E.T. of the round at 6.425, 218.05. Jacobsmeyer produced the lowest time at 6.217, 229.82 in a win over Mike McIntire. In the consolation rounds John Dunn defeated McIntire and Gallen defeated Army Armstrong. First round winners included Jacobsmeyer, Dunn, Armstrong and Nichols. In Pro Fuel Evans continued his undefeated streak at Palm Beach International with a win over Michael Manners to win the first two Pro Fuel races in IHRA history. "It is great. One thing about it we will always be the ones that won the very first Pro Fuel race - and we won two of them," said Evans. "My guys are ecstatic. This is actually the first race I have had this crew so it is like taking four rookies and going and winning the Super Bowl." Evans ran a solid 5.498, 263.26 to defeat Manners who struggled off the line. In the consolation round Robin Samsel defeated Jeff Hamelink with a super 5.454, 257.04. In the first ever Elite 8 showdown Benoit and Bissessar walked away winners. Benoit won the Top Sportsman edition of the Quick 8 shootout with a victory over Matthew Buck, while Bissessar, the IHRA's fastest sportsman, won the Top Dragster shootout over Edward Careccia. Benoit defeated Buck with a 6.512, 212.49. He reached the final with a victory over Gary Bingham and a bye run. Top Dragster champion Bissessar defeated Careccia with a blistering 5.820, 233.56. He also claimed wins over Dean Brazell and Daniel Seidel. With the first Nitro Jam of the season in the books the series moves to Baton Rouge for the Mardi Gras Nitro Jam March 6-7. Saturday's final results from the IHRA Palm Beach Nitro Jam at Palm Beach International Raceway. The race is the first of 10 in the 2010 Nitro Jam Series: Top Fuel Dragster -- Bobby Lagana Jr., 6.339 seconds, 136.52 mph def. Del Cox Jr., 10.158 seconds, 80.78 mph. Prostalgia Funny Car -- Steve Nichols, Chevy Camaro, 6.217, 226.70 def. Greg Jacobsmeyer, Dodge Challenger, 6.235, 228.73. Pro Fuel Dragster -- Bill Evans, 5.498, 263.26 def. Michael Manners, 9.445, 95.79. Elite 8 Top Sportsman -- John Benoit, Chevy Camaro, 6.512, 212.49 def. Matthew Buck, Pontiac Firebird, 7.148, 167.22. Elite 8 Top Dragster -- Sheldon Bissessar, Dragster, 5.820, 233.56 def. Edward Careccia, Dragster, broke. Top Dragster -- Mark Brown, Dragster, 6.996, 183.77 def. Charlie Cullotto, Dragster, 6.912, 199.88. Top Sportsman -- Keith Russell, Chevy Camaro, 7.571, 181.81 def. Wayne King, Pontiac Firebird, foul. Quick Rod -- David Bledsoe, Dragster, 15.037, 156.46 def. Deborah Bogle, Dragster, 8.891, 160.79. Super Rod -- Steve Furr, Chevy Camaro, 9.917, 160.38 def. Steve Corker, Chevy Cavalier, 9.916, 159.12. Hot Rod -- R.L. Koontz, Chevy Beretta, 10.904, 141.40 def. Rick Nowlan, Chevy Vega, 10.857, 130.27. Super Stock -- Scott Richardson, Oldsmobile Achieva, 9.531, 134.60 def. Anthony Bertozzi, Pontiac Grand Am, 9.104, 145.52. Stock Eliminator -- Michael Beard, Plymouth Volare, 11.205, 114.55 def. JJ Carnero, Pontiac Firebird, 11.970, 109.93. ET Bracket -- Bobby Taylor Jr., Chevy Camaro, 10.272, 128.11 def. Mike Lago, Dragster, 7.133, 188.73. Top ET -- Mike Lago, Dragster, 7.172, 186.54 def. Kenny Underwood, Chevy Camaro 9.459, 139.93. Mod ET -- Bobby Taylor Jr., Chevy Camaro, 10.295, 125.95 def. Adam
Holmes, Chevy S-10, 10.067, 132.74. Friday wrap up Courtesy Pat Welch (photos courtesy Pat Welsh)
Possibly the coolest thing was starting all of the nitro cars at once in the pits (6:30 pm I think). It was cool. REAL COOL. Lots of nitro in the air.
Highlights from the on track action saw Peter Gallen in the Poverty Stricken ran a 2nd round 5.82, 246.62. I asked him about the pass. "It was beautiful, but the car got a little loose and skated around" Gallen said. His career best run was at the Geezers at the Grove last year where he ran a 5.80, 246.
Jeff Diehl driving the Bullet Bob Corvette blew it
up BIG TIME in his second round matchup. The car ignited in a big
fireball at the finish. The flames went down but erupted again. The
car ended up in the sand trap at the end of the track. No report on
his condition. - Spencer Massey was on hand driving Mitch King's car.
A few career highlights from Peter:
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. --
"I think we made one heck of a statement here tonight. What we proved tonight is that if you believe in what you are doing and put the fans and drivers first you will succeed in a big way," said IHRA President Aaron Polburn. "We knew what we are doing was going to work, we just didn't know how quickly it would take off. "I think we can officially say mission accomplished." While Saturday events have typically been the biggest draw at IHRA events, Nitro Jam's new format gave way to a new look that drew thousands to the West Palm Beach track.
Spectators lined the Beeline Highway Friday night for a chance to see the debut of the new Nitro Jam series and nearly two dozen nitro-burning vehicles race two rounds and plenty of extras including jet vehicles, the Cool Bus wheelstanding school bus, Top Dragster and Top Sportsman action and plenty of pyrotechnics.
When the smoke finally settled on the biggest night in IHRA drag racing history three drivers stood at the summit as the first three winners under the new format were crowned in Top Fuel, Pro Fuel and Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car. Those winners were Bobby Lagana Jr. (Top Fuel), Bill Evans (Pro Fuel) and Greg Jacobsmeyer (Prostalgia NFC).
"We are absolutely thrilled to have a packed house on the first night of Nitro Jam at Palm Beach International Raceway," said Jason Rittenberry, president and CEO of Palm Beach International Raceway. "Not only did we have a great turn out, but the fans were treated to a tremendous show put on by the IHRA racers. I'm really excited to see what Saturday brings."
Along with the new classes fans also saw only the second ever side-by-side jet truck drag race and the debut of Fan Fest. With sportsman racers running throughout the day, racing was stopped in the early evening hours for a two-hour fan spectacular that included autograph sessions, family activities and the most exciting few minutes in motorsports - Thunder in the Pits.
As Fan Fest came to a close spectators were invited to stand in the pits and experience the sights, sounds and smells as every nitro-burning vehicle on the property warmed up at the same time. "From Fan Fest to the on-track action we are very pleased with our first outing and things are looking even better for Saturday," said Polburn. "I do realize that this is just one night at one event and you can't forecast the future based on just one event, but what a start this has been." On the track fans were treated to some immediate excitement with a pair of first-round upsets in Top Fuel that set up an unlikely matchup in the finals. In the final Bobby Lagana Jr. defeated Bruce Litton after the pair defeated the last two IHRA Top Fuel champions. Lagana ran a 4.700, 305.63 as Litton had some trouble just after hitting the throttle.
"What a win. We came out here with the goal of coming away with a win and we accomplished that goal," said Lagana. "It has been a while for us, but we will take it however we can get it." Even more interesting, Lagana's victory comes on the same night he debuted a new writable body used in Fan Fest. Hundreds of fans signed Lagana's car moments before he made back-to-back 300 mile-per-hour passes on his way to picking up the win. "It was great to be a part of Fan Fest and to have all those people sign the car and then to go out and win it is just great," said Lagana. "I don't know that we will take this wrap off for a while after tonight." With the last two IHRA world champions back together for the first time in two years many thought that the tandem of Spencer Massey and Del Cox would make up the final Friday night at PBIR, but two others had something to say about that. Bruce Litton, who finished runner-up in the championship standings the past two seasons behind Massey and Cox, finally got the better of the two Friday as he defeated Cox with a blistering 4.615 pass at 321.73 miles per hour under the pristine Florida conditions. Litton's opponent in the final, fan favorite Bobby Lagana, pulled off the other upset with a victory over 2009 NHRA Rookie of the Year Massey. Lagana ran a 4.744 at 302.75 while Massey lit the tires. In the consolation round Cox defeated teammate Massey.
"What a way to start the year. With a new format and us being new out here it is great to walk away from here with the first ever win," said Jacobsmeyer.
Diehl reached the final with a victory over Army Armstrong while Jacobsmeyer eliminated Steve Nichols. McIntire originally held the spot in the final with the low E.T. of the round in a victory over John Dunn, but he could not make the call. Other first round winners in Prostalgia NFC included Jeff Diehl and Rick Kraft. In the consolation rounds Dunn defeated Armstrong and Peter Gallen, running one of the fastest Nostalgia passes ever, defeated Nichols with a 5.82, 247.
"We are thrilled to be out here and to pick up the win is just great. Now we have a chance to do it all again tomorrow," Evans said. Evans defeated Mike Manners in the opening round while Hammelink got by Robin Samsel. In the consolation round Samsel defeated Manners. All three professional classes and all of the exhibitions will be back in action on Saturday at Palm Beach International Raceway. Friday's final results from the IHRA Palm Beach Nitro Jam at Palm Beach International Raceway. The race is the first of 10 in the 2010 Nitro Jam Series: Top Fuel Dragster -- Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.700 seconds, 305.63 mph def. Bruce Litton, 12.244 seconds, 84.60 mph. Prostalgia Funny Car -- Greg Jacobsmeyer, Dodge Challenger, 6.209, 227.57 def. Jeff Diehl, Chevy Corvette, broke. Pro Fuel Dragster -- Bill Evans, Spitzer, 5.469, 267.43 def. Jeff Hamelink, Dragster, 5.538, 238.64.
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