Champs Repeat at NMCA Season Opener

by Chris Martin
Photos by Steve Gruenwald

If the results of the NMCA Hot Rod Power Fest at Moroso Motorsports Park is any indicator, the 2000 season is going to look a good deal like last year’s points fest.

Defending NMCA champs Bob Rieger (Pro Street), Tim Davis (Hot Street), and Gary Rohe (EZ Street) all claimed wins at the first event of the year, and to further fatten the theme, Howard Spires, husband of 1999 Factory Street champ Ruth Spires, won in that class, and 1999 Outlaw Street boss Randy Adler took runner-up in his eliminator.

The remainder of the titlists at Moroso included Hank Hill (Outlaw Street), Nick Scavo (Super Street), Kurt Neighbor (Nostalgia Super Stock), Daniel Paolini (Real Street), Randy Waters (Extreme Street Bike), Larry Albright (EF-11), Robert Lamb (EF-12), and Kyle Miller (EF-13).

Of all the wins, Hill’s Outlaw Street performance was the stunner of the event. The McLeansville, N.C. driver debuted an 814-cid ’90 Ford Probe at NMCA’s closing race of the season at Atlanta last year and qualified fourth with a decent 7.14 / 197.39. He wasn’t around long, though, losing in round one.

A little different this time. Hill pushed aside champion Adler’s wild blown GTO in qualifying, taking the top spot with a 6.83 / 203.48 to the “goat” driver’s 6.957. Hill had the edge in every round of competition over Adler, his semi-final 6.868 win over Joe Cleary Jr. eclipsing Adler’s best of 6.870 in a second-round win over the only other Outlaw in the sixes, Mark Dantoni.

In the final, Adler’s mount got crossed up and Hill clocked the big bucks with a low e.t. of eliminations, 6.849 / 203.02.

Adler turned the wowser number of the race with a record 209.10-mph speed in a semi-final win over Randy Davis.

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