Chuck Taylor then made a solo pass in the heavyweight '57 that was just too entertaining and reminiscent of fuel altereds of the Sixties. The '57 did a giant wheelstand, smoked the tires and then, after coasting to a stop at the end of the track, launched the blower off of the car.

After the round, action in the nitro coupe pits resembled what is usually seen in the fuel flopper pits between round at an NHRA National Event. Nordhougen's Willys and Wood's '57 Chevy were stripped to the frame-rails with the motors down to bare blocks. Eaves and Kuhlmann had the pans down and Eaves' crew was changing the oil pump on his nitro rat motor after finishing his lap with no oil pressure indicated. Heads, blowers, pistons and rods were being serviced and changed wholesale as if this was an NHRA National Event not a laid-back nostalgia race. The Nitro Coupe racers and crews came to race and each team did whatever was necessary to make it happen.

The second round was delayed because of the carnage of the first round, but at around five o'clock all five of the Nitro Coupes were ready. Once again spectators crowded around the fuel coupe pits for the warm-ups and their maintenance dose of nitro and then followed the cars to the starting line like they were following the Pied Piper of Hamlin.

The first pairing featured Nordhougen's '41 Willys versus Hill in the Budweiser-backed nitro Nova. Once again Nordhougen had traction problems with the Willys and had to shut if off. In the other lane Hill legged it to the end, but once again had to settle for a sub-200 mph pass, recording yet another 199+ lap.

That set the stage for the two quickest nitro cars of Bill Kuhlmann and Mel Eaves to duke it out. There was no extra money involved here; win or lose, the drivers got the same money. The two nitro coupe drivers were going after each other for fun, bragging rights, and in Kuhlmann's case, the track records at his home track. The pair staged their 'Vettes carefully. There was no raw fuel coming out of the pipes of Eaves' engine this time as crew chief Bryan Whytas had the wedge-headed Chevy tuned up. Kuhlmann's Fontana Hemi-Chevy in the other lane was cackling harder than you would think a 30% nitro tune-up would. At the green, Kuhlmann was ready. He launched and passed Eaves quickly, blasting down track to a 6.432/215.43. Eaves ran a very respectable 6.764 at just 193.44 mph, obviously pulling the chute early. That lap got Kuhlmann the all-time track record he had coveted at 6.432 and the doorslammer track speed record at 212.09.

Normally that race would have ended the race but there was still one nitro coupe in the lanes in the form of the Dave Wood-owned '57. Once again, these guys weren't racing for cash. They were just out to run their hot rod. The team had labored hard to get ready after launching the blower and they wanted to make a good run. For about 300 ft everything looked good, but then something in the engine went south and a huge cloud of smoke came from under the Chevy body and their day was done.

Later in the pits, fans and friends wandered around the cars getting autographs while the drivers and crews dived in the coolers.

Nitro Coupes and Nostalgia, drag racing the way it oughta' be!

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