INAUGURAL WORLD DOORSLAMMER NATIONALS
VONNIE MILLS’ LAST-MINUTE
DECISION PAYS OFF
MARYLAND’S VONNIE MILLS came into the World Doorslammer Nationals
planning to test ahead of the NHRA Gatornationals in nearby
Gainesville, not really knowing if she would be able to run the
Orlando race. After qualifying sessions on Friday night, she decided her
2006 Chevrolet Cobalt was in a good spot and they were going to race.
And not only was her car in a good spot, but her driving was too. Out of
her four elimination runs on Sunday, her worst reaction time was a .020.
Her other lights included a .011 in round one, a .013 in round three and
a perfect .000 in the final round. “We try to get as close as we can,” she
said about her perfect reaction time in the finals.
Not only was her reaction time perfect, she also ran dead-on her dial-in,
a 4.196 on a 4.19, making the final round run a six-thousandths package,
impressive by any standards.
The runner-up in Top Sportsman was Stanley Albritton of Bradenton,
Florida. He had a -.004 light in the finals, immediately giving the win to
Mills. – ALLYSON JOHNSON DI
FIRST-ROUND MATCHUP DRAWING ADDS
TWIST TO PRO STOCK RACE DAY
THE WORLD DOORSLAMMER NATIONALS was decidedly different than what
the Pro Stock racers had grown accustomed to at NHRA national
events – in more ways than just the massive $75,000 prize.
Before the first round of eliminations, the Pro Stock drivers and teams
were called to the lanes with their cars in tow. The drivers gathered on the
starting line and drew numbered poker chips out of a bag. If a driver drew
chip #R4, he would line up in the right lane in the fourth pair against the
driver who drew chip #L4.
Though most drivers were made aware of the change-up to the usual
ritual of qualifying to determine the ladder, the drawing added an element
of surprise to the race day routine.
“We asked all the Pro Stock teams to congregate in the staging lanes
– with their cars ready to race – before we drew names,” says promoter
Wes Buck, who’s also used a similar drawing to determine first-round
pairings at the last three World Series of Pro Mod races at Bandimere
Speedway. “This kept everyone honest. You had to go up there thinking
you might have to race Greg Anderson or Jeg Coughlin Jr. You had to
have it set on kill.” – NATE VAN WAGNEN DI
76 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated.com Issue 156