Although Bass was the number two qualifier, it was teammate and 2005 SCSS opening event winner Tony Buhl who scored the quickest run of the event. Before the official qualifying period began, Buhl cruised to a 10.97 at 125.34 mph to show his new 306-powered ‘89 Mustang was prepared to defend the previous week’s title. However, qualifying was soon delayed when the quickest and fastest truck on the property, Phil McRath’s St. Louis-based ‘84 350 Blazer (which had earlier clocked an 11.05/114.85), disintegrated an engine just off the starting line. Even though McRath quickly pulled the pick-up to the retaining wall to avoid oiling the center of the lane, Buhl got out of the groove on his next run in the same lane and ended up in the path of oil-dry. A wildly out-of-shape, on-and-off the throttle 12-second pass did nothing to improve the maroon Ford’s position.

Later in qualifying, Buhl and Bass squared off resulting in a 10.90/123.81 for the first 2005 winner and an 11.23 at a whopping 130.24 mph for the 2004 Season Champion. The match, however, was punctuated by a plume of smoke at the finish line when Buhl’s transmission case split. With Buhl out of the event, Bass appeared to be the favorite, but the strange happenings weren’t over yet.

When the SCSS final round was called to the staging lanes, only the black Mustang of Bass could be found. First alternate Kevin Kolkmeyer was apparently unable to appear, and a call for second alternate Ken Woolsey went out. When Woolsey failed to show, it became apparent that many potential qualifiers had either left the track or had experienced mechanical problems. Finally, tenth qualifier William Eberhart’s newly-constructed ‘64 Nova pulled to the lanes to take on the Ford. Eberhart’s smallblock Chevy had made its first runs earlier in the night and was far from “sorted out." A stumble on the line ended the match after the first sixty feet, and Bass shifted his five-speed Mustang to a 10.99 at an even faster 130.82 mph for the second straight Ford victory.

“I was just waiting for somebody to race me”, said Bass after the final round, “and I was kind of glad to see the Nova finally pull in since you can’t win a race without having a race! I wish it could’ve been me and Tony in the final, but it looks like a lot of other people had problems tonight, too.”

After shaking hands with Bass, Eberhart added, “You may have gotten me this time, but I’m comin’ after you, Champ!”

Of note was the performance of Bill Hansen’s notorious ‘94 Toyota Supra, which upped it own SCSS Six-Cylinder Speed record to 124.52 mph on a great 11.80 pass to qualify sixth. The field featured Fords, Chevys, Pontiacs, Plymouths, Hansen’s Toyota and one other remarkable entry.

DragRacingOnline.com SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN RESULTS -- 4/5/2005

WIN:	Patrick Jacobsmeyer, St. Louis, MO, 1991 122 Talon 0.346 12.349 115.49
RU:	Pat Trusty, Swansea, IL, 1998 122 Eclipse -0.017 13.039 105.80

In only the second event of the new DRO Sport Tuner Showdown, a dynasty has already developed. For the second straight event, Patrick Jacobsmeyer’s amazing ‘91 Eagle Talon earned the trophy and, this time, the St. Louisan entered the record books in the SCSS Street Car Shootout Series, as well.

The Sport Tuner Showdown, which has now been expanded to include all Front-Wheel-Drive entries, all four cylinder All-Wheel-Drive and Rear-Wheel-Drive machines and all Rotary-powered vehicles, saw Jacobsmeyer’s white AWD Talon pull off the only 12-second runs in the class, culminating in a tremendous 12.10 at 115.60 mph.