Drag Illustrated Issue 136, September 2018 | Page 28
Dirt
NMCA JOLIET
Kevin Gass’ Chevrolet
David Theisen’s Firebird
football player Fletcher Cox, and later, he lined
up against Daniel Pharris and his Mustang in
the final. When the tree dropped, both cars were
off and after a super-tight race, Ayers arrived at
the starting line first with a 4.31 to Pharris’ 4.34.
Ayers is familiar with the Aerospace Components
Winner’s Circle celebration with his third win of
the season.
Reigning Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Chev-
rolet Performance Stock champion Jesse Wilson
wheeled to a 10.11 to lead qualifying in the cap-
tivating category, and he made it all the way to
the final, where he slowed to a 10.21, but it was
enough to take the win over Scott Brown, who
turned in a 10.54 in his Camaro.
Jack Larson led qualifying in Coan Engineer-
ing Stock/Super Stock Combo, but Brad Bishop
picked up the win with a 12.33 on a 12.33 dial
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in his Mustang over Daryl Bureski, who turned
in an 11.44 on an 11.46 dial in his Oldsmobile.
Jeff Frees, who was piloting his son’s Bar-
racuda for the weekend, snagged a 10.25 on a
10.25 index to lead ATI Performance Products
Nostalgia Super Stock qualifying, but Kevin Gass
grabbed the win with a 9.86 on his 9.75 index over
Dave Schultz, who was 9.93 on his 9.75 index in
his Coronet.
Don Fotti posted an 11.50 on an 11.50 to lead in
Detroit TrueTrac Nostalgia Muscle Car qualifying,
but taking it all the way was Chad Brewer, who
won with a 10.97 on an 11.00 index in his Nova
over Brian Crawford, who was 10.20 on a 10.25
index in his Duster.
In MagnaFuel Open Comp, Rick Harden re-
corded a .002 in his Regal to land in the lead
spot in qualifying, but the final round featured
Susan Roush McClenaghan and Mike Lawson,
and Roush McClenaghan grabbed the win de-
spite breaking out with a 9.42 on a 9.48 dial
in her Mustang as Mike Lawson clicked it red
in his Nova.
Joseph Welch wheeled to an 8.02 to lead quali-
fying in Holley EFI Factory Super Cars, but his
weekend ended early when he impacted the wall
in qualifying. That opened the door to a final
boasting an all-Mustang Cobra Jet match-up
between Chuck Watson and Kevin Skinner. Wat-
son wheeled to an 8.06 to oust Skinner, who was
forced to lift.
In Gear Vendors/QA1 True Street, Randy
Thomas was the overall winner with an 8.78 aver-
age, and Mike Niehaus motored to the runner-up
with a 9.20 average. Jason Struckman was the
10-second winner, Frank Beal was the 11-second
winner and Tim Apple was the 12-second winner.
Nathan Chastain cruised to the 13-second win,
while Gastor Brown picked up the 14-second win
and Belinda Moore drove to the 15-second win.
The hot rodders were hauling in the Hemi
Shootout, and among them was Bill Lee Jr., who
was the overall winner with a 10.18 average, and
Derrick Roderweiss rolled out a runner-up finish
with a 10.19 average. Victor Cervantez was the
10-second winner, John Ridings was the 11-sec-
ond winner and Tim Hagan was the 12-second
winner. Charlie McMurray muscled his way to
the 13-second win, Vincent Carter Jr. cruised to
the 14-second win and Brian Rayburn took the
15-second win.
Fastest Street Car Magazine Bracket 3, which
was reserved for True Street racers only, saw Tom
Roche use a 13.12 on a 13.10 dial to defeat Abigail
Svoboda, who turned on the red.
As the sun was setting over the track, winners
got back behind the wheel of their cars for the
Super Bowl run-off, and when the dust settled,
Team NMRA earned the title for the ninth time.
Two events remain on this year’s NMCA tour,
including the 17th Annual Honeywell Garrett
NMCA All-American Nationals, Aug. 23-26,
at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio, and the
NMCA World Street Finals presented by Chev-
rolet Performance, Sept. 20-23, at Lucas Oil
Raceway in Indiana.
Issue 136
and Tricia Musi, who was driving the 1999 Trans
Am nicknamed “Popeye II”, which was previously
owned by her famous father, Pat Musi, and re-
cently purchased by her fiancé and fellow racer,
Mike Bankston. Both drivers stopped the clocks
at 4.51, and Musi made off with the holeshot win.
David Theisen, who came to this race with the
lead in Fuel Systems Technology NA 10.5 points,
drove his Firebird to a 7.81 to set the pace in the
high-revving category. He remained on point
through the final, where he flew to a 7.91 to win
over Chad Neuenschwander, who was 8.05 in
his Mustang in his first-ever final in the category.
In Vortech Superchargers/VP Racing Fuels
Street Outlaw, points leader Shawn Ayers secured
the lead spot in qualifying with a 4.29 in the “Gold
Dust” Mustang belonging to Philadelphia Eagles