Bil Clanton's 4.003 that put him second in qualifying was a career-best run for the Rome, GA-based racer. Clanton's Big Money '53 Stude weighs a little over 2,400 pounds and runs 50 percent overdrive on the blower. After taking the win over Philip Osborne in the first round of the Quick 8 Clash, Clanton ran 4.093 against Mike Neal's 4.096, but by less than 10-thousandth due to Neal's .032 reaction to Clanton's .036. It doesn't get any closer that that!

Dale Brinsfield substituted for Richie Stevens in Roy Hill's blown 2004 Mustang at Dragstock, as Stevens was at home attending to an ill relative. Although Stevens is an AMS regular, Brinsfield competed for the Outlaws team since he has never entered an AMS Pro Mod event. Brinsfield lost to Lynam in the opening round of the Clash after his car started creeping at the starting line. "Strictly driver error," Brinsfield admitted. "I didn't have enough brake pressure, so I had to let off [the throttle] and then get back on it and it blew the tires off." Crew chief Ron Capps said the Mustang was running "dead stock" at Dragstock, with NHRA-legal blower overdrive and weight.

Philip Osborne, from Naples, FL, put his '63 'Vette into the 7th-place slot on the qualifying list, but fell to Bil Clanton in round one of the Clash. In Sunday's team action, however, Osborne put together the best average elapsed time for all three racing sessions, earning himself a $5,000 bonus. After qualifying 6th at 4.029 seconds, Tommy Mauney ran 4.036 in the first round on Saturday night, but lost to a holeshot by Mike Neal. Mauney said his 1941 Willys was running the same engine Danny Rowe won with at St. Louis earlier this year and it was "100 percent legal," although the car had about 150 pounds removed from it.