Drag Illustrated Issue 119, March 2017 | Page 71

LIGHTS OUT VIII PRESENTED BY Tony Alm is Ultimate Street It was lights out for the competition as Floridian Tony Alm took the prized paycheck home with him at the conclusion of the Lights Out 8: “Cash is King”. Going up against a field of 44 of the baddest Ultra/Ultimate Street cars in the nation, Alm set the bar when he flew to the number-one spot during the first qualifying session with a super-quick run of 4.767 at 147.25 mph. He slipped slightly to number two at the conclusion of qualifying, but Alm knew the big fight was still yet to come. Running an alcohol-fueled, Holley EFI-equipped ’93 Mustang that’s decked out in the latest from Schoneck Composites, Alm relied on his Precision-boosted MPR Racing Engines 400ci bullet to supply plenty of power and an ATF Turboglide transmission with ProTorque Gen X converter to help him put that power to good use. From the moment the first eliminations pair staged until the time he crossed the finish in the finals, Alm never slowed down. “What can I say but damn! We won Ultra Street at the Super Bowl of Drag Radial Racing. I couldn’t be more proud right now. We went through some tough competition and some of the best drag races I’ve been in,” noted Alm, who was elated to have won such a monumental race. “Thank you to Richard Colas from NRP for help with the chassis and tuning at the track, and my wife, Patti Roell Alm, for everything. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be racing.” - AINSLEY JACOBS ‘Scotty G’ Breaks Through Sponsored by Captain Morgan rum (not really, but he should be, epsecially considering how much he loves and promotes the booze brand), outspoken New Yorker and old school outlaw racer “Scotty G” Guadagno finally got the monkey off his back after chasing a win at Donald “Duck” Long’s infamous small-tire races for nearly a decade. In a category dominated by boosted race cars, Guadagno, who is currently based out of Florida, is loyal to his first love – nitrous. A Diamond Pistons-equipped, Scotty’s Racing Technology-built 960ci nitrous oxide-huffing engine can be found under his fourth-gener- ation F-body’s hood along with a Proformance Racing Transmission unit with matching ProTorque converter. Pro 275 qualifying at the Lights March 2017 Out 8 saw Guadagno claim the top spot with a 4.068 at 181.37 mph pass from his ’02 Camaro, affec- tionately known as “Ol’ Blue,” and set the elapsed time record for the category. From there, Guadagno went on officially join the “Home of the Flying Cars” club when his Camaro wowed the crowds by producing a massive wheelstand with the candles lit courtesy of VP Racing Fuels. With Team JetBlue safely back on all four of its Mickey Thomp- son tires and its landing gear no worse for the wear, Guadagno fought his way through each elimination round until he wound up back in the finals for the fifth time ever. There, his 4.118 at 180.86mph hit put Don Lamana back on the trailer and Guadagno finally got to head to the winner’s circle at the race’s conclusion. “I never imaged that enter- ing Pro 275 at LO8, we would qualify number one, make the quickest legal-275 run in his- tory and ultimately win the race,” proclaimed an aston- ished Guadagno, who enjoyed a bounty of booty including a prized hat, saber, champagne, and giant check. “I would like to thank the guy who makes it all happen, Peter Bilello. Without his dedication, passion and work eth- ic, none of this would be possible. A special thanks to my wife, Yanel Guadagno, team and friends for their ongoing support and love of the sport.” - AINSLEY JACOBS DragIllustrated.com | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | 71