Eliminations
Sunday's elimination rounds were the scenes of some of the best racing we have ever witnessed. After an all-night thrash to replace a grenaded block, Cesar Febus was optimistic about his chances in the modified class and Matt Scranton (who also faced a very late night in the pits replacing a motor) looked good to go when the first elimination rounds came around.
The all-motor class looked like it would be a two-horse race between the RX7s of Jesus Padilla and the ever-consistent Ken Scheepers. Then Scheepers broke a rear end in the semi-final, but his bad luck was good for Mopar's Scott Mohler who went on to face Padilla in the final.
Unfortunately Mohler's luck didn't hang around and he threw a rod during the burnout, leaving Padilla to take his first win of the 2003 season with a 10.624 at 123.02mph.
The modified class was also a battle between two drivers: Cesar Febus in the old-school 300ZX and Jimmy O'Connor in the Venom Supra.
Febus was obviously having a little trouble with his car after an all-night wrenching session in the pits. In the final the 300ZX expired early in the run, leaving O'Connor to claim his first Wally of the year with an 8.553 at 136.70mph.
O'Connor was ecstatic to take the victory. "We have been fighting to get the car dialed in and thankfully lady luck was smiling on me today." He commented. "I knew we would need a break to beat Cesar as he is running consistent 7.70s. Maybe this means my luck has finally turned around."
Top qualifier Marty Ladwig was on a roll in the uni-body Hot-Rod class,. After claiming the top qualifying spot and setting a new E.T. class record with an 8.533, Ladwig maximized his points earnings by scything through the field to a final-round appearance against Jo Jo Callos.
After a little gamesmanship by Callos on the line, Ladwig steered the Pontiac Sunfire to an easy win after the Castrol Integra stumbled. Ladwig's 8.724 at 163.73mph was more than enough to claim the second win of the year for the GM Hot-Rod, giving Ladwig a healthy lead in the points chase.
"That was the perfect end to a perfect weekend," Ladwig said. "It's great to get out to an early lead in the championship and the car is running like a champ so I am very optimistic about the rest of the season. I know that it will get harder as the other guy's get their cars sorted out but at least we have a cushion now thanks to the way my Pontiac Sunfire is running."
Kenny Tran was disappointed after a freak problem sidelined him in the second round. "The Quaker State Civic was running great and we were shooting to make a strong pass in the second round. As I launched the car, it just died completely. The battery cut-off switch was faulty and it switched itself off. Needless to say we will have a new one on the car before the Gainesville race."
The Pro-FWD class was the scene of much celebration for the GM backed Bothwell Motorsports team. After Ladwig had clinched a win in the Hot-Rod class, teammate Nelson Hoyos finally won an NHRA event in the Pro-FWD Cavalier. The final round was a rematch of the Moroso final, as Hoyos lined up against John Brown.
As the pair launched, it was neck-and-neck until mid-track when Browns Honda slowed, leaving Hoyos to take the win with an 8.684 at 169.51mph.
By Chris Harrington
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