August 14, 2005
National Dragster Challenge
Richard
Williams’ ’32 Austin Super Pro drag car returned with more “Bad Attitude”,
clinching a second consecutive Top Qualifier standing. Saturday he did it with a
8.46 pass on Saturday, Sunday it flew quicker with an 8.44 e.t.
in qualifying. It stood as the low e.t. of the day until he red-lit
against Dennis Ellsworth, Jr.’s 8.43 run in the first
round of Eliminations.
Sunday saw
another all-girl final for Junior Dragsters, with Malli
Blasdell defending the previous days’ 1st place, and Kara Pettit
(previous day’s runner-up) trying to cause a different
result, with no success. Saturday’s
Consolation winner, Robbie Waddell, earned a second chance at it against Kacee Mela, and reclaimed it.
“Bomber
John” Widmann’s drag bike was a black streak hitting
dead-on his dial-in (9.02) during a 141 mph run in Eliminations Round 2. He
re-met Kirk Speelman in the Final for a second
consecutive win, but it was Speelman’s turn to take
home a 1st place trophy. John Antongiovanni’s
Chevy II Nova returned to the Pro Final for a second win of the weekend,
against
John
Farber and Chad Elgin took turns threatening the Pro and
Glen Terry
returned with his ’76 El Camino for a Street Final matchup
against Richard Williams. Williams did double duty between his Bad Attitude
Super Pro roadster and his Street bracket Prowler. He hunted down competition
all day long, but the Prowler out-ran itself with a 15.10 e.t.
breakout against Terry, whose Elko got the win with a 17.552 e.t. ( a hair
or two over its 17.55 dial-in).
Several
contenders made the National Dragster Challenge exciting with head turning
tight races, including a double-breakout race between Dale Waddell’s Super Pro
’27 T and Tim Huffine’s ’86 Mustang. Both speed
machines hit the finish line at 130 mph in a double-breakout race, with Huffine the worst offender. Eliminations Round 1 was
especially full of double-breakout results- William Bommelyn’s
’72 Chevelle ran 11.949 under his 11.95 dial-in. Roger Ponder returned with his “Nasty”
Nova. Saturday he had perfect reaction time and a near dead-on dial in, but
Sunday stung him out of eliminations with a .499 reaction time. It was Sarah
Henderson’s turn for a perfect reaction time, as she clinched a .500 in a Pro
’60 F-100. By Round 1, she brokeout with a 11.69 under her
11.70 dial-in.
The Samoa
Challenge Cup is made up of points champions and
runner-ups from last season, and major event winners of ’04 and ’05, and it was
fought this year with lots of breakouts and red-lit reaction times. In the semi-finals, Dale Waddell broke out
with a 10.389 under
his roadster’s 10.39 dial-in, tying him for 3rd with Troy
Beck (Saturday’s Pro runner up). In
Eliminations Round 1 alone, Ron Gulbransen brokeout against Beck, who ran a 12.109 . John Anton ran a 12.541 over a 12.54 dial-in against Harlan
Tucker’s Barracuda, who broke-out. Ana Toledo’s ’69 Mustang red-lit against
Dale Waddell, and Mike Scoggin’s Pro ’46 Chevy truck
red-lit against Jerry Toledo, whose ’70 Maverick met
against John Antongiovanni’s Nova in the Final for a
win (Antongiovanni broke out).
In Super
Pro Round 1, Dennis Ellsworth, Jr. cut a new low e.t. of the day with his 8.43 run against Richard
Williams. The Wonder Bros. Auto Body
dragster would race Brad Schiewe – of fellow race
sponsor AAMCO Transmissions in the Final. A second Wonder Bros. low flyer –
Rick Ellsworth – got 3rd place.
For the finale, Schiewe’s leaping ’74 Mustang
ran dead-on its dial-in (9.39), but a red-lit start killed Schiewe’s
chances for victory, as Ellsworth, Jr. took a third consecutive 1st-place
win, cementing the day’s low e.t. at 8.42.
The Eureka
Police Dept. Street Legal Drags continues its season of keeping racing off the
street come Saturday, August 27th (in addition, Racin’
Jason hosts the Thursday Night Street Drags every week at 6pm). On the 28th
bracket racing continues at the
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Tim O’Brien
-- The Voice and the Beard from the Tower Above --
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