Generally, there are two West Coast tracks that have become homes to import drag racing: Palmdale and Pomona. Palmdale comes alive four times a year while Pomona happens only once. Until now, it was four years since Northern California's Sears Point (now Infineon Raceway) opened its doors to import competition. Now that the facility has undergone a $25 million reconstruction, its doors are open once again.
ProVehicle: Venom TundraPilot: Grant "I Built It and Race It" DowningBefore the race, the Venom team went out to Sonoma to shake down the truck and the results ended with a 7.05-sec. e.t. In qualifying, Venom's Tundra took the number-one spot with a 7.12 and ran straight as an arrow.
Vehicle: Summit CavalierPilot: John "The Vet" LingenfelterSince his move from the truck to the Cavalier, John's been knocking down all barriers in his way. Not only was his 7.28 e.t enough to grab the number-two spot, it was enough to secure the title of world's fastest four cylinder. Proving me wrong once again, John has shown that even in his world of pushrod technology you can still figure out the new era of OHC.
Vehicle: Nitto/Enkei Acura NSXPilot: Adam "Mr. Nice Guy" SaruwatariHis 7.38-sec. e.t. at 179 mph is now his personal best. It's been a rough road for Adam, but this is one team that's put a lot of effort into working the bugs out of the car. With Gary Hansen working the chassis and suspension, it's only a matter of time before this car knocks on the six-second door.
Vehicle: K&N Mazda RX-7Pilot: Abel "Rotary King" IbarraAbel qualified in the number-four spot with a 7.54. At the beginning of the season he started with a three rotor, but by mid season he went back to the two rotor. For this race it was back to the three rotor once again, and this time the car was charging hard and straight out of the hole. Once he gets his three-rotor combination sorted out, the RX-7 will be unstoppable.
Vehicle: DRT/Roy Hill Mercury CougarPilot: Manny "I Need Sponsors" CruzIn qualifying Manny was only able to run a 9.37 to put him in the number-five spot, but even with the low qualifying time he was still able to make it to the finals.
Finals:In the finals it was a matchup of Downing's Venom Tundra against Cruz's Cougar. These two have been battling it out at the last three NHRA events, with both exchanging their fair share of wins and losses. In this bout the race was over by the time the lights dropped. Manny's 0.085 reaction was already too quick, giving the win to Downing, who was able to bust a 7.24 at 191 mph.
Highlights:In a first round matchup John Lingenfelter broke loose at the 60-ft. mark, and although he tried to keep control of the Summit Cavalier the veteran racer was unable. The car bounced off the guard rail, crossed the centerline, hitting the opposite wall and eventually flipping over onto its roof back on Lingenfelter's side of the track. Though the race was a loss, the car ended up running a 9.0 as it skidded across the finish line. John came out of the vehicle unscathed and waved to the crowd as a signal that he was fine.
Infineon Raceway ...whew!ModifiedVehicle: Venom SupraPilot: Jimmy "The One-Legged Bandit" O'ConnorJimmy O'Connor has been on and off this season, but at this particular race he was able to motor to the top of the field with an 8.05 at 169.68 mph.
Vehicle: AEM CivicPilot: Stephan "Goat Boy" PapadakisSteph use to dominate the Modified Class, but with the field slowly growing with back-half six cylinders, the front-wheel drive chassis car is starting to lose its dominance. Regardless of this fact, Steph was still able to step up in the number-two spot in the qualifying field with an 8.32 at176 mph.
Vehicle: ACT/SR MotorsportsPilot: Ray "Hometown Hero" LochheadHometown hero Ray Lochhead jumped into the number-three spot with an 8.54 at 158.56 mph. Ray recently solved an ongoing boost problem with his ACT/SR Motorsports-sponsored RX-7
Vehicle: Bothwell MotorsportsPilot: Nelson "Just Wait for My Focus" HoyosFor now, Nelson pilots the FWD Cavalier that's been on fire throughout the season. At this race the car would break a half shaft and slam its rear quarter panel into the wall. Just when we thought the car was finished for the weekend, Steve Bothwell and crew performed last minute repairs and showed up on Sunday to qualify in the number-six spot with a 9.16.
Vehicle: Konig/AEBS Honda CRXPilot: Ed "Don't Count Me Out" BergenholtzAfter a full season of engine tuning problems, the bugs are out and now the car is back on a roll. Ed qualified with a 9.68 and eventually made it to the semis by taking out the GM front-drive, but later got beat in the semis by the GM rear-drive.
Vehicle: Mazda R10Pilot: Jose VidalJose made the trip from Los Angeles and qualified number six. Impressive, considering his budget is nowhere near that of most of the cars in this field. Unfortunately, problems would occur, and although he made the cut he didn't make it past the first round.
Vehicle: Summit Racing CavalierPilot: Matt "I know Piston Rings" HartfordIn Woodburn, Oregon, Matt took the number-one qualifying spot with a 7.9, but at this race he was able to qualify fourth with an off-pace 8.82. That e.t. doesn't mean he is out of the competition, as he's proved round after round.
Finals:Matt Hartford and Jimmy O' Connor demolished the field with low eights and high sevens, so it was almost like these two were destined to race in the finals. Hartford was the first to full stage. Once Jimmy was in, the lights turned green and the race was won purely by reaction time. Jimmy's 7.99 e.t. was faster, but Matt's 8.01 would go on to win due to Hartford's 0.636 reaction to Jimmy's 0.695.
HighlightsIn a semi-final run against Matt Hartford, Ed Bergenholtz was able to break into the eight-second barrier. Watch for this car to pick up the pace at the end of the season. After a collision with the barrier, Steve Bothwell and crew pulled off a miracle by re-welding the rear suspension and fixing the quarter panel. Steve comes from an off-road background. "In off-road racing you have to make the best out of what you have around you," he said. "This fix is nothing compared to stuff we've had to fix on our race truck in Mexico."
Hot RodVehicle: Venom CivicPilot: Bruce "I'm the King of the World" MortensenBefore the race started, Mortensen was trailing Jojo Callos by 12 points in the series. After the first round, Bruce qualified in the number-one spot with an 8.72, which gave him double qualifying points for setting a national record.
Vehicle: Enkei/AC Autotecnic CivicPilot: Kenny "The Man" TranGoing into qualifying, Kenny was sitting in the number-three position with a 9.12, but during the last round of qualifying Tran clicked off an 8.97, putting him right behind Bruce Mortensen. Considering this was achieved on a bad launch, it's obvious there's plenty left in Kenny's car.
Vehicle: Bothwell Motorsports SunfirePilot: Marty "I Don't Need Stick Shift" LadwigQualifying number three with a 9.12-sec. run under the two Hondas, the GM Racing Sunfire was bound to break into the eights. In a semi-final bout against Gary Gardella, Marty was admitted into the eight-second club with an 8.92-sec. run.
Vehicle: Castrol IntegraPilot: Jojo "Shy Guy" CallosSince his move to alcohol, Jojo has been a little off pace from his normal mark. Now the Castrol Integra is showing signs of aerodynamic testing with a rear diffuser and front canards for high-speed stability. We expect his car to back on top in no time at all. At this race Jojo's best qualifying pass would be a 9.47.
Vehicle: Arospeed/Deep Stage CivicPilot: Andrew BermeaTeam Arospeed has been running the NHRA circuit for some time now, and considering their budget is a lot less than some of the other people following the race series, these guys refuse to go down. Qualifying in the number-five spot with an off-pace 9.82 was good, considering Bermea only made one qualifying pass.
Vehicle: Echo CivicPilot: Gary "I Hate Breaking Trannys" GardellaAt the last Oregon race Gary was able to get his car running to the tune of 9.05. Qualifying this round he was only able to run 11.80 in qualifying with half-track problems apparent. With a little more time this car should be the next Hot Rod Class car in the eights.
Vehicle: Honda CRXPilot: Tony PhamAnother hometown hero, Tony Pham, was out representing the Bay Area, but his CRX was only able to muster up an 11-second pass. He was then eliminated in the first round by Tran, who ran a 9.0
Vehicle: Honda CivicPilot: Bryan "I'm Finally Getting the Hang of This Car" BridgesThough he made the field due to the alternate cars breaking, Brian is one guy you don't want to underestimate. This car has been proven to run low nines, but this time around he would only make it in with a 9.99 due to car problems.
Finals:Bruce Mortensen is known for always making it in to the finals, and this time around he would be up against Marty Ladwig, who's a newcomer to the finals. Marty was able to post personal best records of his own, but this race would be the one to win. Out of the hole it was Marty's 0.579-sec. reaction that would make the difference. The clocks flashed 9.116 and 9.118 with the quicker time going to Mortensen.
Highlights:Four eight-second front-drives all in one field, yet only three proved it in this competition. Get ready for a war at Pomona on October 26 and 27 after NHRA's last stop in Englishtown.
All MotorVehicle: Mazda RX-7Pilot: Jesus PadillaWith all the drama involved with this car, driver Jesus Padilla is bound to take the series points in the All-Motor Class. The 20B three rotor, back halved with a sequential transmission, earned Jesus the number-one qualifying spot with a 10.25-sec. run, which was three tenths faster than the fastest the number-two qualifier.
Vehicle: Toyo Tires VW FastbackPilot: Scott KellyScott Kelly has been known to rock the All-Motor Class in the past. This day he found himself landing in the number-two spot with a 10.65-sec. e.t.
Vehicle: Toyo VW BeetlePilot: Larry KellyThe newest addition to the All-Motor class is Scott Kelly's dad, Larry Kelly. Just like his son, Larry Relies on an air-cooled VW engine to propel him to a 10.89 qualifying time. Later in the semis he would meet up with his son to see who would advance to the finals.
Vehicle: RX-7.com Mazda RX-7Pilot: Ken ScheeperComing out of Rotary Performance's stable is Ken Scheeper's first generation RX-7. Ken qualified in the number-four spot with an 11.05, and the top of the field consisted of Mazdas and Volkswagens.
Vehicle: Castrol/K&N Honda CRXPilot: Joel "Yappy" MandlJoel Mandl is finally working the bugs out of his CRX. Although he is still testing out engine combinations, he was able to qualify with an 11.12 at 123 mph.
Vehicle: Honda CivicPilot: Adam DeLeonAdam Deleon made the field with an 11.21 but was eliminated in the first round by Larry Kelly. In any case, the 11.21 e.t. is still quick for a front-drive Honda.
Vehicle: Skunk2 Acura IntegraPilot: Tony ShagdayThe Skunk2 Integra came out hard in the beginning of the season, but has faded away from the scene lately. With the team's recent move down to L.A., they felt that making the trip up to the Bay Area was in their budget. The car was not running up to par, mainly due to a set of test slicks. Tony qualified the car with an 11.23.
Vehicle: Honda CivicPilot: Danny TranFilling the number-eight spot was Danny Tran, who made the field with an 11.42, just beating out Cloyse Holland's Civic, which ran an 11.47.
Finals:What normally ends up as a Honda-versus-Volkswagen rivalry has now made a turn towards Volkswagen versus Mazda. In this battle of Wankle versus Boxer it would be Jesus Padilla's 10.28-sec. e.t. that took the victory over Scott Kelly's 10.81.
Highlights:In the final round we saw a dual manufacturer shootout, Mazda versus Volkswagen. Interestingly, in the semis it was VW versus VW and Mazda versus Mazda. The two Volkswagens running in the semis showcased a father-son shootout with the father, Larry Kelly, beating his son, Scott, as far as reaction times, but Scott still came out on top at the end of the 1320.