SPRING FLING MILLION WEDNESDAY RESULTS

While The K&N Spring Fling Million presented by Optima Batteries began yesterday with a free Test & Tune session sponsored by Yukon Gear & Axle along with the Poulsen Trailer Shootout that was won by Pennsylvania’s Dan Northrop, today began the official start of the event with Maytag Silverstate Refrigeration Wednesday a $20,000-to-win race.

The event itself is primarily a Super Pro only event, however as a way to include the many bottom bulb Pro-class cars that have previously competed in that class at the first four years of the Vegas ‘Fling, the event includes an elite Pro 32 field which included 32 bottom bulb cars. Those racers run separate from the Super Pro cars until a winner is crowned. That winner is then seeded into the sixth round of the Super Pro race and as such at that point is allowed to install a delay box if he or she chooses.

With Chamber of Commerce weather, the day began sharply at 8:00am with one time trial for all competitors followed by eliminations. As can be expected, it takes quite bit of time to pare down the field to the ladder round of 16 or less.

The Pro 32 final came down to ironically two Super Stock cars, former NHRA world champion Justin Lamb and RJ Torres, another hitter in the NHRA Division 7 Super Stock wars. In the final Lamb used an .014 reaction time and a dead-on the dial with a “3” for a .017 package to defeat Torres and move into the seventh round of the Super Pro class where they’ll be nine cars left after the sixth round of Super Pro for the $20K to win.

For the Super Pro round of 16, the winning players were Ken Sweo, Sean Shaffer, Blu Hayball, Mera Silvia in a door car, Jay Fitzgerald, Dan Lafferty in his fast Camaro, Lane Dicken, Courtland Carter, and of course the Pro 32 winner Lamb.

In the round of nine, based on his perfect reaction time in the previous round, Lafferty received the bye run to move him to the eighth round. The remaining players were Lafferty and Silvia with their door cars, Shaffer, Hayball and Pro 32 winner Lamb once again.

Five cars left and the dragsters were outnumbered three to two. Hayball received the bye to move him to the semifinal round. Lamb and Silvia faced off with Lamb advancing. Lafferty then defeated Shaffer to make up the round of three cars left with door cars still outnumbering the lone dragster. The rules are clear; if you’ve had a bye run previously, you’re not eligible for one except… All three remaining drivers had already had a bye run so the rights to the bye reverts to the best reaction time and the person will be… Hayball who had just received a bye the round before. When the luck is on your side…

For the semifinals, Hayball took his bye run with the two remaining door cars of Lamb and Lafferty facing off and what a race it was. Lafferty was .008 and dead-on with “5”, while Lamb shut him out with a .005 light and dead-on with a “1”.

In the final, the Pro 32 winner Lamb left first with a .004 reaction time to Hayball’s .031 but a .008 runout by Lamb handed the win to Hayball’s dead-on the dial with a “5”.

“This is a dream come true,” said the Fort Hall, ID, racer. “I’ve dreamt about winning one of these for a long time.”

For more information, visit www.bracketraces.com for race results and other info. The entire event will continue to be broadcast live on www.Bangshift.com sponsored by JEGS and Hoosier Tires.