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Pro Stock Notes
The 20-car Pro Stock field at San Antonio featured
12 Fords, five Chevys, two Mopars and one lone
Pontiac. The field was separated by just over
a tenth of a second and the number one qualifier
and the number 16 qualifiers drove Chevy Cavaliers.
Two drivers who finished in the Top Ten in
IHRA Pro Stock points in 2003 failed to qualify
at San Antonio, both Ford racers. Doug Kirk
and Jason Collins, who finished fifth and sixth
respectively in Pro Stock points, didn't make
the cut at San Antonio.
PRO FUNNY CAR
Just seven IHRA Funny Cars showed at San Antonio
and that is four fewer cars than made the trek
from the South last year. The fact the IHRA
alky funnies have their own unique rules keeps
NHRA-legal cars from competing at IHRA events.
This class was dominated at San Antonio by the
same two racers that dominated this class all
during the 2003 season: Rob Atchison and Mark
Thomas. These drivers qualified first and second
with times of 5.853 and 5.856, respectively,
and then marched to the finals where Mark Thomas
used up Atchison with a .427 light to Atchison's
.462 and then held on for the win by just eight-thousandths
of a second at the stripe with a winning 5.897
to Atchison's quicker but losing 5.870.
Funny Car notes
Rob Atchison has to be one of the last cars
in the Alcohol Funny Car ranks that is able
to make a wedge-head engine combination not
only run with the Hemis but beat 'em.
Pro Mod World Champ tuner Jimmy Rector was
tuning Mark Thomas' car at San Antonio which
he has been doing for a couple of years.
Ronnie Midyette did have his '02 Camaro flying
in Texas. Even though his best elapsed time
was a 6.03, his speed of 240.38 equaled that
of Mark Thomas and Midyette did it first.
One official ventured that IHRA may consider
expanding the Pro Mod field to 32 cars instead
of 16 and just not have an Alky Funny Car field.
Judging from the number of Alky Funnies that
have shown the last two years in Texas, those
racers probably wouldn't mind.
THE SPORTSMAN REPORT, OR
.004 OF A SECOND REALLY IS IMPORTANT
Both Top Sportsman and Top Dragster fields
were short in Texas with just nine Top Dragsters
and 15 Top Sportsman qualifying. North Dakota
racer Daniel Fjeldahl got the Top Dragster gold
win when his opponent G. Williams went red by
.004.
That .004 number was also significant in the
Top Sportsman title. Milan, Mich. racer Ricky
Adkins, driving his 396 c.i. Chevy-powered '69
Camaro, had a .504 light which forced Darrell
Froboese, who had a respectable .536 light,
to break out trying to catch him. Adkins ran
7.559 on a 7.53 dial for the win.
Monty Bogan Jr was the Super Stock class winner
and that .004 of a second was also a factor
in this race. Number one qualifier Bogan ran
a 9.196 on a 9.19 dial in his PDA-1 car that
beat Michael Lyons' SS/BM pass of 8.756 on an
8.76 dial, which broke him out by .004 of a
second. (Just wondering why the results sheets
don't list the brand of car, engine size or
speed. Guess no one but the drivers care.)
In Stock Eliminator action top qualifier Nick
Folk won the class over Bill McClister. Another
of the Folk clan who are headquartered in upstate
Illinois Ron Folk was the Quick Rod Champion
when his opponent Damon Dabbs went red by two
thousandths. Folk ran it out the back door and
broke out by six thousandths. First or worst
rule applied here.
Michael Pennington was the Super Rod winner
and Louisiana racer Bill Levatino Jr. got the
bucks and trophy in Hot Rod. 
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