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THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
The father and son team of Jim and Cody McManama had a
week that started out bad and ugly but ended up looking pretty good.
When they received their invitation from NHRA on the Tuesday before
the race they basically had no team because of the team's amicable parting
with veteran racer Tony Christian.
After picking up their ex-Carl Moyer '57 Chevy from Christian's
Texas shop, the team went to Florida to test their with the help of
veteran nitrous racer/tuner Jeff Ensslin and his father Larry. While
testing on Wednesday prior to the race, the team brushed the wall with
the rear quarter and burned a piston in their only engine. While enroute
to Gainesville they found out that someone had called a magazine and
told them that driver Cody McManama had not only totaled the car but
suffered two broken legs.
Despite all of the last minute thrashing, the team was
able to coax a 6.361 out of the car on the last lap to qualify for the
eight-car field on just the third lap on the car. Not a bad performance
from a 19-year-old driver and a team that basically came together two
days prior to Gainesville.
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, PT II
The AMS group put on a huge party to introduce everybody
to the AMS Pro Mod Challenge series at the infamous Ale House of Gainesville,
where many of the racers and fans hang during the race weekend. A capacity
crowd, including many NHRA execs and pro racers attended the blowout.
Was it the free beer or the Pro Mods? That's the good part. (Photo courtesy
AMS Pro Mod Challenge)
The bad and ugly was that one of the star attractions
was the brand new "Gravedigger" 'Vette driven by Alan Pittman. Just
as the car was about to be introduced, the team got a call from someone
representing their sponsor, telling them to load up and leave the party.
(Photo courtesy Westbrook Motorsports)
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