Dirt
All-Star Nationals
NMRA and NMCA join forces for Atlanta event
By Mike Galimi
28 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Street Outlaw class, and Andy Manson grabbed
the top spot in qualifying with a wicked 4.28-sec-
ond run. Clicking a 4.23 off during eliminations,
Shawn Ayers driving Fletcher Cox’s Gold Dust
Mustang worked his way to the final round of
competition where he would face Manson. Both
cars left strong, but Manson lost traction half way
into the run, and Ayers charged hard to a 4.24
and the event win.
ARP Nitrous Pro Street saw the return of 2016
NMCA Top Sportsman champion Shawn Mor-
row, but longtime class racer John Trobiani put
his 1968 Camaro on top of qualifying with a 4.69,
eighth-mile time. Trobiani took out Morrow in the
first round, but fell in the second and final round
when James Noel took the win with a 4.79 run to
Trobiani’s 4.86.
Coming off a huge showing at the season open-
er where Geoff Turk was the first to dip into the
7-second zone, the Holley EFI Factory Super Cars
contingent was back in action with Carl Tasca
leading qualifying thanks to an 8.06 time. Turk
had once again worked his way to the final round,
and edged out Chuck Watson for the trip to the
Aerospace Components Winner’s Circle with a
close 7.99-to-8.04 win.
Hard-charging Edelbrock Xtreme Street fea-
tured a number of new competitors in the class,
one of whom was Shaun Arnold, who topped the
qualifying sheets with a 4.80-second performance
at the wheel of his turbocharged 1969 Ford Falcon.
Another debut entry was Tim Knieriem, who put
his nitrous-enhanced Mustang into the final round
against Arnold. It was a tight, all-Ford race to the
finish with Knieriem edging out Arnold for the
4.73-to-4.81 victory.
The cool weather this weekend looked favorably
upon the naturally aspirated cars of the ARP NA
10.5 class. Twelve hungry competitors entered
the fray and David Theisen set the pace with a
Issue 133
T
he NMRA/NMCA All-Star
Nationals presented by MAHLE Motor-
sport celebrated its 10th year at Atlanta
Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, April
5-8, 2018, and while the cool, wet weather provid-
ed some challenges, the NMRA/NMCA/Atlanta
Dragway staff and the racers worked hard to give
spectators a great show and complete the event. A
combined event showcasing both the NMRA and
NMCA series, the All-Star Nationals delivered
exciting, side-by-side racing for fans of all brands.
Boasting the world’s fastest street cars, the VP
Racing Fuels Xtreme Pro Mod class saw 22 cars
try to qualify for the 16 available spots, and Jason
Hamstra set the pace and the unofficial class
record in qualifying with a 3.67 performance.
Hamstra would go out in the semifinals to Eric
Gustafson, who went on to meet Craig Sullivan
in the final round. This was the first time both
drivers had been to an NMCA Pro Mod final,
and Sullivan drilled the tree with an .020-second
reaction time, but Gustafson drove around him
for the win, 3.77 to 3.85.
Bradenton Mickey Thomson Radial Wars win-
ner James Lawrence was hoping to double up in
Commerce, but he was outshined in qualifying
by 2016 champion DeWayne Mills, who took
the top spot with a 3.88 run at 206 mph. In the
final round, it was Marty Stinnett and his Mustang
facing Mills and his Camaro. The drivers were
neck and neck down the track and both made
moves toward the centerline. Both drivers clocked
3.88-second runs, but Mills was ahead at the stripe
for the win, and took the trip to the Aerospace
Components Winner’s Circle.
At this event, the NMRA’s VP Racing Fuels
Street Outlaw class runs with the NMCA’s Vortech