VOLUME XXI,  NUMBER 3 - MARCH,  2019

McMillen gears up for sponsor’s event

Terry McMillen is especially looking forward to the Gatornationals, sponsored by his own sponsor, Amalie Motor Oil. Amalie has just extended its sponsorship of McMillen through 2023, which will mark 23 years for the collaboration.

 

“This weekend will probably be one of the biggest races in NHRA history,” McMillen said. “Being the 50th anniversary, it’s just amazing the people we’ve run into that are heading down there. It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it and how many people are going to be there. To represent Amalie at the 50th Gatornationals is amazing and a dream come true. You couldn’t script it any better. We’ll have a ton of customers, friends and family there, so it’s an exciting time and we want to end up on top.”

 

McMillen advanced to the semifinal at Pomona and qualified second in Phoenix with a career-best pass of 3.695 seconds at 330.96 mph.

 

“Rob (crew chief Wendland) has given us a great tune-up, and the car is running well and following his commands,” McMillen said. “Rob continues to bring innovations to the team, and he’s constantly thinking. We’re learning what this car wants and it’s reacting the way it’s supposed to. As you find a car that becomes consistent, everything else starts falling into place. We’ve managed to put ourselves in a better position than we’ve ever been.” 

Factory Stocks open season at Gainesville

Gainesville Raceway will host the first of eight rounds of the SAMTech.edu Factory Stock Showdown this weekend. Stephen Bell (shown) of Shreveport, LA, won the 2018 event in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, and David Barton of Robesonia, PA, was the 2017 series champion.

 

“I’ve said it many times; it’s a dream come true that new muscle cars are being made right now,” said Barton, referencing new supercharger technology for this season.

 

In addition to his own car owned by Gary Wolkwitz, Barton is tuning on a number of other entries in the class.

 

Of the 32 entries for Gainesville, 17 are Chevrolet, three are Dodge, and 12 are Ford. The Agent must note that prior to Gainesville legal F/S cars have recorded ETs in the 7.70's -- a number way below the current National Record.    

Sydney Jamboree postponed

Due to severe rain forecast for this weekend, the Sydney (Australia) Jamboree has postponed the event to Saturday, March 30. The event features sport compact drag racing and car show.

 

“Decisions to postpone events are never undertaken lightly, however the information we have from weather experts overwhelmingly points to us not being able to successfully hold either the test day or the event day on their original dates,” Jamboree Australia Director Collin Willshire said.

 

Any competitors or spectators who are unable to attend the event on the new day can contact Jamboree Australia management for an entry or ticket refund at info@jamboree.com.au.   

Zizzo already has the ‘gold’

If he’s going for the gold this season, TJ Zizzo already got it. The Rustoleum-backed Top Fuel dragster will sport a new gold paint scheme at the Gatornationals.

 

“We’ve done a couple of improvements over the offseason and that should correlate into better ETs, but that’s to be determine, right?” Zizzo said. “Anytime you lose five percent of weight off a race car, it should be a little bit of a challenge, but as always, our team members will get it organized.”

 

The Chicago-area team have shortened their race schedule to the Gatornationals, Route 66 Nationals and U.S. Nationals.  

Brogdon to give $5K to Gatornationals fan

Pro Stock driver Rodger Brogdon and his business, RBR Machine, will award $5,000 to a fan during driver introductions on Sunday, March 17, at the Gatornationals.

 

Everyone who purchases the official NHRA 50th anniversary Gatornationals t-shirt and has it signed by at least eight Pro Stock drivers can post their picture on Facebook or Instagram, using the hashtag #ProStockForLife. Tag @brogdonracing on Facebook and @rodgerbrogonracing on Instagram up to two hours after the final qualifying session on Saturday. Brogdon and his team will select the lucky winner and they will get $5,000 in 50 $100 bills, making it the perfect way for someone to celebrate the 50th running of the Gatornationals.

 

Ah, and may the luck of the Irish be with ye!    

Former champion Myers returns to TAD competition

After winning the 2004 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster championship, Mitch Myers seemed to disappear from the sport. After 15 years away, Myers has been presented with the right opportunity and will return behind the wheel of an A/Fuel Dragster owned by Larry Miersch that will be tuned by Miersch and Jim Rizzoli.

 

“I never said ‘never,’ but I haven’t set foot on a racetrack since I walked off the track in 2004,” Myers said. “It’s going to be surreal.

 

“I have no intention of running of a championship,” Myers added. Past champions are entitled entry to any national event, and one of the things I told Larry is I want to make it fun by going to the races that we want to race at. There won’t be a lack of funding or ability, so we’ll see if we can be a thorn in the side of a couple people.”

 

The team will make their first appearance at the Four-Wide Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on April 5-7.  

Super Sedan competition heats up for ANDRA final

Defending Super Sedan champion Peter Tzokas 

 

At the upcoming ANDRA Grand Final (Perth Motorplex, April 6-7) the battle for the title of 18/19 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series Super Sedan Champion is sure to be fierce following a season full of intense racing and competition.

Martin Mirco is hoping to clinch the championship at his home track of Perth.

 

At the top of the standings and tied on the max points cap heading to the April event is defending champion Peter Tzokas and series newcomer Martin Mirco. Both say they are calm going into the final event of the season.

 

“I don’t have any pressure to go back-to-back, I don’t think I have anything to prove. This is only my third year of racing and I think I have done pretty well and I am happy with what I have achieved,” Tzokas said.

 

“I am not really feeling the pressure heading into the final – Peter has 30 more bonus points than me so I will have to go a couple of rounds more than him, but anything can happen,” Mirco said.

 

Chris Lioulios (260 points), David Todd (260), Mick Fenton (250) and Alex Gkroidis (230) are also in the hunt.

New Product of the Day

 

ACCEL Ceramic Boots for Spark Plug Wires

ACCEL’S Extreme 9000 Ceramic Wire kits were specifically developed with the performance enthusiast in mind. With stainless steel terminals, they deliver excellent spark energy, while also providing the highest level of RFI/EMI (electromagnetic interference) suppression. The 8mm sets feature a premium Ferro-Spiral core and ceramic boots on their spark plug ends. These boots withstand virtually any under hood heat one may come across, proven up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1093 Celsius). Their included double silicone wiring is also very durable when it comes to heat resistance, rated up to 600 degrees. With either universal or custom fit applications, ACCEL’s new wire kits fit pre- and post-HEI vehicles. Available in an array of variations, Holley is offering the boots in 90-degrees, 135-degrees, 180-degrees, and more. Others for GM engines are a direct fit, already cut to length, allowing for an extremely easy upgrade. 

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