Merghelani, whose St. Louis-based “Team Rigged & Jimmied” silver
2002 Camaro had been torn apart since its win in July,
made two easy check-out runs of 12.42/117 and 12.12/118.
Early qualifying was led by Ray Elliott's wild silver '86
Monte Carlo from Alton, IL, (complete with Cadillac front
end bodywork), which hit an 11.16/120.35 and a later
11.13/120.49.
Midway through the qualifying period, Merghelani returned
to unleash a 10.82/128.84 on the field which would remain
the pole qualifier. Meanwhile, drivers repeatedly clocked
their quickest and fastest runs ever in an attempt to gain
the second spot and a match with Merghelani for the championship.
Derrick Roeslein, whose pewter 2002 Z28 from Fenton, MO, had earned two previous
final-round berths, (including a SCSS Series victory on June 29th), began the
event with an 11.42 and worked his way into the 11.30s. After a best of 11.346/119.37
to qualify third, Roeslein was called to the staging lanes for the final round
after Elliott informed the tower crew he had blown a head gasket on his last
attempt. Roeslein quickly made a timed trial only sixteen minutes before the
final round and clocked a nearly identical 11.342/119.33.
Although Merghelani could afford to give up a starting line advantage, Roeslein
nailed the 'Tree with the second-best final-round Reaction Time of
the 2004 SCSS Series, (0.019 RT), and actually led Merghelani's
Z28 to just before the 330-feet mark. At that point, however,
Faisal thundered by on his way to a 10.57 at a whopping
131.33 miles per hour, erasing even Roeslein's best-ever
11.28/119.70.
The sixteen-car qualified field may have been the most diverse of the 2004
season; SCSS decals were earned by 8-cylinder, 6-cylinder, 4-cylinder and
rotary-powered machines.
A tremendous battle for the quickest 4-Cylinder performance of the event
found Fenton, Missouri, racer Kyle Belobraydic's black '96 Talon TSi clock
a tremendous 12.305/111.26 a half-hour before qualifying began and then hitting
a 12.343 at 111.40 mph during the official period. Patrick Jacobsmeyer's
122-cubic inch white '91 Eagle Talon from St. Louis opened with an unofficial
12.50/108 before the official qualifying period and then, twenty-six minutes
after qualifying ended and only nine minutes before the event concluded,
Jacobsmeyer returned to clock a 12.335 at 110.43 mph.
Belobraydic kept the quickest official 4-Cylinder ET through
the remainder of qualifying and earned an SCSS Fastest
Street Car qualifier decal. Ironically, the fastest 4-Cylinder
speed came from the driver who also set Low ET for Front-Wheel-Drive
entries; Justin Bondurant's blue 2004 Dodge Neon SRT-4
from Fenton, MO, ran 12.98/111.69. Bill Simpson’s
impressive ‘91 Toyota MR2 pulled out a 12.895/113.72,
but it came more than thirty minutes before qualifying
began!
Although he failed to better his own SCSS Rotary ET and Speed records with
a best of 12.06/113.66, Eric Cheatham's Belleville, Illinois-based blue Mazda
RX-7 stunned onlookers with a series of 1.5-second 60-feet ETs during the evening,
(with a best of 1.557!), while experiencing problems downtrack on almost every
run.
The best 6-Cylinder performances came from the Gillespie, Illinois, '87 Regal
T-Type of Cliff Hughes at 12.04/118.33 with Mike Dohack's Fenton, MO, '94 Toyota
Supra at 12.83/116.95.
Equally impressive was a trio a Ford F-150 Lightnings which dominated the truck
action. Andrew Strauss' red model from St. Louis hit an amazing 12.55 at 113.20
mph, followed by Jeff Fritz's Florissant, MO, silver entry, (12.69/108), and
Mark Corneglio's grey version, (12.82/109).
Of note was defending champion Kevin Autenreith, who was unable to make a run
with the previous week's winning 9-second S-10 pickup after experiencing nitrous
selenoid problems and a blown starter! Three-time SCSS finalist and past event
winner Mike Faller suffered fuel delivery problems with his Springfield, Illinois,
'98 Camaro and ran a best of 11.45 after qualifying had ended. Likewise, Rick
Wilson's St. Louis-based '78 350 Malibu never got to the finish line under
power during qualifying despite nearly perfect reaction times and a 7.17-second
eighth-mile ET which indicated 11.20 potential.
Mother Nature wiped out the final two events in the 2004 SCSS Series, allowing
Faisal Merghelani's win to wrap up the Manufacturers' Championship. Chevrolets
beat out Fords for overall wins, 11.5 to 9.5.
