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NMRA at Bradenton

Results and photos courtesy NMRA
3/30/04

he crowd count was the best ever at the National Mustang Racers Association season opener, the third annual Nitto Tire NMRA Spring Ford Nationals, held March 11-14 at Florida's Bradenton Motorsports Park.

The event was marred when number two qualifier Peter Champani's car caught on fire during the last round of BFGoodrich Drag Radial qualifying. Champani was taken to the hospital with burns to his face, but was released the following Tuesday and is recovering at home. He already has plans for a new car.

PRO 5.0: Unfortunately, many of the cars being built over the winter just were not finished in time for this race. Vic Williams and Chip Havemann were the only competitors. Williams won with a 7.27 at 186.02 mph.

MSD SUPER STREET OUTLAW: A full field of twenty 10.5-inch tire cars were in attendance. Six cars qualified in the 7's. Jim Blair's supercharged '95 Corbra R set the pace at 7.68/167 in qualifying. In the final round he met Sam Vincent's nitrous car. Vincent got a holeshot, but couldn't hold off Blair's thundering 7.63-second winning pass.

PROCHARGER EFI RENEGADE: Defending champion, Kurt Gallant, was No. 1 qualifier at 8.79/154. In the final he faced Larry Prykucki, who made his first-ever final round appearance in NMRA action. Prykucki knew he needed a holeshot, but redlit instead, handling the victory to Gallant.

EDELBROCK HOT STREET was the Charlie Booze Jr. Show. Booze qualified on top of the field with a 9.002. The finals came down to Booze and number four qualifier Mike Curcio. Curcio got the holeshot, but his 9.18 at 146 wasn't enough to hold off Booze's charging 9.012 at 149.

BFGOODRICH DRAG RADIAL: Philip Clemmonds, who finished No. 2 in points last year, threw down a brutal 8.55 at 166 mph to qualify at the top of the field. He held the top spot all the way to the final round where he faced Frank Provenza. Clemmons got the holeshot and kept in front with another 8.55 to het his first-ever NMRA win.

5.0 MUSTANG REAL STREET:
It was all blown modular power as Tim Matherly took his first NMRA win with a 9.89 against defending class champ Chris Tuten's nitrous-aided 9.999.

TREMEC PURE STREET came down to a close race between the two top qualifiers. Rich Groh got a slight head start with an .073 light to Gene Hindman's .093, but Hindman crossed the line first with a 10.531 to Groh's 10.584.

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BFGOODRICH FACTORY STOCK: Looking to avenge his final round loss at Bowling Green (his only round loss of the 2003 season), defending champ Mike Washington came loaded for bear, but it wasn't to be as Bob Cosby's '99 Cobra nosed him out 11.77 to 11.80.

VORTECH MODULAR MUSCLE: Joe DeCaria ran 10.619 on a 10.60 dial to beat Robert Hindman's 10.967 on a 10.95 dial-in.

TOYO TIRES OPEN COMP: John Brady's 10.81 on a 10.77 dial won over Chet Caminita, who broke out.

DYNOMAX TRUCK & LIGHTNING: John Ashcroft

SUPERCHIPS PRO FORD: Tim Butler

SUPERCHIPS SUPER FORD: Larry Bianchi

SUPERCHIPS STREET FORD: Noel Fetters