PSCA’s Maggio to Represent West Coast at Shakedown Nationals
Courtesy of PSCA
LAS VEGAS – Two-time Pacific Street Car Association champion Mike Maggio and his Magco Drilling-sponsored 1970 Duncan Racecars Camaro journey to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishton, N.J., for the 10th Annual Shakedown Nationals this weekend. Joining Mike in New Jersey is fellow PSCA racer Scott Oksas with his BAE Twin Turbo powered Mustang!!
The “Shakedown at E-Town” is one of the biggest outlaw drag races on the East Coast and Maggio is ready to represent his fellow West Coast drag racers. Last year’s Street Car Super Nationals’ runner up does have an ulterior motive however.
“We want to have a good showing with the best of the east this weekend,” said the veteran racer, “and hopefully convince some of them to come to Vegas next month!”
Maddern Racing Reaches Sixth Consecutive Final in Maple Grove
Courtesy of Maddern Racing
Mohnton, PA – Chris Demke made it to the Top Alcohol Dragster final at Maple Grove Raceway and lost to Bill Reichert. That’s what the scoreboard said at the end of the day. It may be harsh, but the story of how they got there is a testament to the spirit of the crew of Maddern Racing and their fellow racers. Twice during the weekend there was a thrash to rebuild the car. Without the assistance of many strong-handed friends, the Maddern Racing Team would have been done for.
After qualifying in the second position, Demke was paired up against Karen Stalba in the first round. A stellar 5.263/269.73 dispatched of Stalba but past the finish line something went wrong. “What I felt wasn’t good,” said Demke. “When we got back to the pits we had a ton of work to do. Due to the weather, second round was the same day and time was tight. We would have never made it without the help from a couple of Top Alcohol Funny Car teams. The guys from the Pomponio TAFC Team and Micky Ferro’s Team all pitched in and we were able to make the call for the second round.”
New home, same great action for JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals
Courtesy of Jegs
LAS VEGAS, NV – The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will come to life this weekend as several hundred of the world’s best sportsman drag racers make their way to the famed quarter-mile track for the JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals presented by K&N Filters.
The third of three annual events designed specifically to showcase NHRA’s Lucas Oil Series racers, the JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals will crown champions in the following NHRA eliminators — Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas,Super Street, Top Dragster, Top Sportsman and Sportsman Motorcycle.
Neff, alBalooshi, Hines, Krawiec and Reinhart on WFO Radio
Courtesy of WFO
HOLLYWOOD, FL – Auto Plus NHRA Nationals winners, Mike Neff and Khalid alBalooshi, plus Pro Stock Motorcycle finalists Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec all join Joe Castello, along with the NHRA’s Alan Reinhart, on WFO Radio NHRA Nitro. To listen now, go to http://www.wforadio.com/
Funny Car winner, Mike Neff, stops by WFO Radio following his huge victory over Johnny Gray. Neff discusses racing in the extremely good conditions in Reading, PA., his semi-final match up against teammate John Force, and being only 54 points behind new leader Jack Beckman.
Sikora Shatters PSCA Outlaw 10.5 Record
Courtesy of PSCA
LAS VEGAS – Four-time Pacific Street Car Association champion Doug Sikora dropped a 6.507-second run last weekend at the Mickey Thompson West Coast Shootout Presented by Edelbrock at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to break the MAGNAFUEL Outlaw 10.5 record.
The Apple Valley, Calif., native debuted a new combo in his Ford Mustang, a 499ci BAE with a 136mm F3R ProCharger, last month at the Lucas Oil Slick Mist Drags and broke the speed record with a 218.69 mph run.
Mopar®-powered Gaines Wins in Pro Stock at Reading; Gray Reaches Funny Car Final
Courtesy of Mopar
Photo courtesy of Roger Richards
Auburn Hills, MI — V. Gaines was victorious in a Mopar®-powered Dodge Avenger in Pro Stock on Monday, Oct. 8, in the rain-delayed conclusion of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa. For Gaines, it marked his first win of the season and fourth of his career.
“All of us at Mopar would like to offer congratulations to V. Gaines on his big win at the NHRA Reading event,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “V. has been campaigning with Mopar power for many years and is a loyal and longstanding advocate for our brand. Mopar-powered Pro Stock cars have earned eight wins this year, and we look forward to V. and his fellow Mopar-powered drivers contending for more wins in the final two races of the season, as well as Allen Johnson continuing his battling for the championship.”
Resurgent Coughlin climbs to strong semifinal finish in Reading
Courtesy of Jegs
READING, PA – The consistency and quickness that five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has been searching for in his JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger finally arrived in a blast of cold air over a long and rainy weekend at Maple Grove Raceway.
Riding a string of 6.52-second passes, Coughlin beat veteran Ron Krisher on Sunday and then cracked the hottest driver in Pro Stock, Erica Enders, Monday morning to reach the semifinal round of eliminations for the first time since mid-April. With a trip to the finals on the line, he then fell to Dave Connolly by .01 seconds.
“It feels great to see our car number at the top of the (performance) sheets,” Coughlin said. “The numbers are encouraging and I feel great behind the wheel. This is the most efficient the car has felt all year, and not just in eliminations on Sunday and Monday, from the start of the weekend we were much better than we’ve been.
Summit SuperSeries prize dragsters ready to race
Courtesy of IHRA
NORWALK, OH – The Summit SuperSeries presented by AMSOIL and Moser Engineering prize dragsters awarded to the winners of the Top ET and Junior Dragster champions at this weekend’s IHRA Summit Racing Equipment World Finals are loaded up and ready to go.
But before the two machines make the trip to Memphis International Raceway and get handed out, we got a sneak peak at the two dragsters in the parking lot at the IHRA World Headquarters in Norwalk, Ohio. Both dragsters feature the unique Summit Racing Equipment blue and red design with reverse colors on both sides.
The Top ET prize dragster was built by American Race Cars and features a Trick Flow engine with major contributions from Summit Racing Equipment, Moser Engineering, Abruzzi Transmissions and Converters and many more. The Junior Dragster prize machine was built by Vic Puglia and features a Steve Waller engine with many fine companies helping make both possible.
NORTHERN FORCE RACING HEADS FOR MEMPHIS AND THE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Courtesy of Northern Force Racing
Wingham, ON – It’s been a nearly surreal season for the Northern Force Racing team from Wingham, Ontario, with two wins in only five outings, including the biggest of those victories coming at the IHRA MOPAR Nitro Jam Nationals in Grand Bend during the month of July. That win qualified the team for its trip to the Summit Racing Equipment World Finals in Memphis, Tennessee this coming weekend, where they will compete in two high-profile races.
The event, which showcases the best sportsman competitors from across North America, will feature two races for the Northern Force team, both of which have special significance in relation to the overall outcome of the weekend. The first race, the Summit Sportsman Spectacular, takes place Friday and Saturday and is the last opportunity for racers in every class to earn a spot in the Tournament of Champions, which takes place Sunday, and a chance to win the 2012 IHRA World Championship.
Memphis International Raceway takes team crown at Division 2 West Team Finals
Courtesy of IHRA
NORWALK, OH – For some drivers, winning at the IHRA Summit Team Finals means earning a ticket to the World Finals and, sometimes, packing up for a long road trip. For others, well, that necessarily isn’t the case.
For the six drivers from this past weekend’s Division 2 West Summit Team Finals presented by AMSOIL and Moser Engineering at Memphis International Raceway that earned their way to the World Finals via the Summit SuperSeries, the trip isn’t going to be all that bad. That is because this past weekend’s Summit Team Finals took place at the same location as the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment World Finals this coming weekend and for most drivers that means leaving the rigs in one place for the week in preparation for this weekend’s big race.