VOLUME XX,  NUMBER 9 - SEPTEMBER,  2018

Crew chiefs at Reading keeping an eye on hurricane path

It’s not one of the usual problems race teams have to deal with, but the path of Hurricane Florence will give the tuners one more thing to factor into their tuneups this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway.

 

Tommy DeLago, crew chief for Cruz Pedregon, says he is “looking forward to seeing how the car performs in cooler, damper conditions. And, with Hurricane Florence heading up the east coast this weekend, we’ll all be constantly monitoring the water grains and the impact the humidity could have on these powerful cars.”

 

The five-day forecast calls for partly cloudy conditions and high humidity (78-92%) around Reading, PA.  (Image Credit: ESA/NASA–A. Gerst)  [09/12/18]

ManCup cancelled as Carolinas brace for hurricane

With evacuations underway and hospitals in the Carolinas bracing for Hurricane Florence to come ashore, the ManCup MTC Nationals set for GALOT Motorsports Park in Benson, NC, has been canceled for this weekend.    [09/12/18]

D’Aprile scores second PDRA win

Tommy D’Aprile (near lane) took the close Pro Boost win over Marc Caruso.  (Roger Richards photo)

 

Moroso Pro Boost No. 1 qualifier Tommy D’Aprile charged to his second win of the season Saturday night, Sept. 8, at the Professional Drag Racers Association Drag Wars at GALOT Motorsports Park. D’Aprile used a slight holeshot advantage to hold off Marc Caruso in a race determined by just 13-thousandths of a second.

 

See all the results at here.

 

The PDRA 2018 Tour will continue next month at the PDRA Fall Nationals, Oct. 4-6, at Darlington Dragway in Hartsville, SC.   [09/12/18]

Team salutes Tom Howell with one last ride

Although the Permatex/Follow A Dream Top Alcohol Funny Car team was not able to close in on the Divisional title they were hoping for, they still had an unforgettable weekend at their home track of New England Dragway in Epping, NH. In a memorial qualifying run, Phil Burkart carried the ashes of the team’s original tuner, Tom Howell, to the finish line. Howell passed away in early July after a long and courageous battle with ALS.

 

“Tommy helped me build Follow A Dream to what it is today,” said team owner Jay Blake. “We took his ashes on the final qualifying pass, which was a huge honor and incredibly meaningful to all of us. Tommy was like a brother to me, and we're all going to miss him dearly."

 

Howell's family was there along with his fellow racers to witness the pass and ceremony. Unfortunately, the team made an early exit in the first round of eliminations, losing to eventual event runner-up Dan Pomponio.    [09/12/18]

Just in time? New sponsor for Lagana to debut at Maple Grove

Running as part of Tommy Thompson Motorsports alongside teammate Scott Palmer, Dom Lagana not only has a new sponsor in Magic Dry 100% Organic Multi-Purpose Absorbent, but he also benefits from a great tuning alliance with the CAPCO race team of points leader Steve Torrence and his father Billy, who recently won in Brainerd.

 

"We have everything we need and we stay really involved even when we're not running my car," Lagana said. "I went on the Western swing to help out on Steve Torrence's car and then I also worked on Billy Torrence's car at Brainerd and Indy which was pretty cool because we won Brainerd and went to the semifinals in Indy so it's been a very busy summer.

 

"We also had a few match races with our family car in August and we were able to try out a few things in our clutch department to get the car more consistent than we were at Epping, our last NHRA race, so we're pretty confident we can run well in Reading."

 

Hey, if it rains at Maple Grove, can’t Lagana’s new sponsor just suck it up?    [09/12/18]

Hicks wins inaugural K&N 890 Series championship

Greg Hicks of Las Vegas, NV, won the inaugural K&N 890 Series championship, edging Matt Fischle for the title. Hicks won three of the seven points events, including the season-ending final. All races were held at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, CA.

 

The final points-earning event of the year saw Hicks use a .007 light to defeat points contender Zach Meziere in a double-breakout semifinal, while Dave Meziere defeated Ryan Tietz.

Hicks solidified his championship title with a .002 reaction time in the final to beat Meziere’s ’05 Cavalier, 8.914 to a losing 8.905. (Mindy Crandall photos)

 

Sunday’s non-points race was won by Ryan Tietz, as he was .007 off the index for the win. Series runner-up Matt Fischle finished second with an 8.930.  The top five in the K&N 890 Series were: Hicks, 307 points; Fischle, 244; Zach Meziere, 238; Glenn Kern, 182; and James Warden, 175.     [09/12/18]

Competition Bikes to run at Mildura for first time

Defending Australian Competition Bike champion Tony Frost is looking forward to Mildura’s first-ever Competition Bike field as part of next weekend’s Sunset Strip Nationals. The September 22-23 event will mark round three of the 2018/19 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series and the first round of the Competition Bike championship battle for the season.

 

“We are actually going to the event without our good motor – we haven’t been able to get it back together in time after destroying it at the Grand Final,” Frost explained.

 

“As well as running our Modified Bike motor, we are also running the Modified Bike frame as the Comp Bike frame is currently sitting bare on the bench in the workshop as we try out a few things – we won’t be bringing it back out until the start of 2019.”

 

There will be a new format for the Competition Bike bracket: three rounds of “Round Robin” eliminations and the two racers with the highest points will meet in the final round.  (photo courtesy www.andra.com.au)    [09/12/18]

We can’t hear you!

Look for this logo in the Departments section!

 

Either you’ve been too busy racing this summer or you can’t find the place to send a letter to the editor and share your thoughts with our readers. Visit our We’ve Got Mail page from our drop down at the top of the page in the "Departments Section" or scroll down to the bottom of the home page click the link and fill in the blanks. There is a lot going on in drag racing and we really want to hear what you have to say.     [09/12/18]

New Product of the Day

 

Maximizer EZ Progressive Nitrous Controller

The NX Maximizer EZ Progressive Nitrous Controller from Nitrous Express smoothly ramps in your nitrous system resulting in increased traction and less strain on your vehicle’s drivetrain. Ramp time is adjustable from 0 to 4.5 seconds via a simple rotary knob (no laptops required). Easy 1 minute install - Plugs directly into your existing nitrous system relay harness eliminating the need to splice wires.  [09/12/18]

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