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NMRA Ford Motorsport Nationals - Grabbin' Air At The GroveRound 3 Of The NMRA-Denso Tour Stopped At The 22nd Annual Ford Motorsport Nationals. From the November, 2006 issue of Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords By Michael Galimi
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Uncle Robin Lawrence (above)... Uncle Robin Lawrence (above) scored his first Real Street event win at Maple Grove. In his fourth year in the heads-up power adder category, he snatched the win with a 10.19 run to beat a flailing Tim Matherly. Lawrence's '05 Stang relies on a Paxton-blown engine backed by a Tremec five speed. Amazingly, The Ford Motorsport Nationals took place for the 22nd time, and in the summer of 2006 it once again hosted the traveling NMRA-Denso national event series. It was the third stop on the NMRA tour, where the championship battles have already started to take shape. In addition to the competitive heads-up categories, each NMRA event features bracket racing, a huge car show, and a manufacturer's midway. The highly touted MSD Ignition Super Street Outlaw class saw a changing of the guard as points-leader Sam Vincent didn't make the final round for the first time since last summer, as 2003 champion, John Urist, delivered his powerful Nitto Tire-sponsored ride to the winner's circle. DiabloSport Pro 5.0 is enjoying its most competitive championship season since the series' inception in 1999. At the Grove, former IHRA Pro Stock racer-turned-Pro 5.0 competitor, Chuck DeMory, took the win and ran a best of 6.66 at 211 mph in the NMRA's top racing class. Vortech Outlaw 10.5 was also added to the Maple Grove event this season. Run three times a year, it is reserved for the wildly popular 10.5W-tire racers. New York's David Hance was the big dog with his '05 Mustang GT as he took the win with consistent 7-second performances. The NMRA tech staff worked... The NMRA tech staff worked overtime at Maple Grove as they tore into a few key players' vehicles. Here, Bad Brad Meadows' engine is out of the car and being inspected. It checked out 100 percent legal. Meadows was runner-up and lost on a holeshot in the finals. George Seeger took his first win in the ProCharger EFI-Renegade category when he knocked down the competition, making 8.70 runs. BFGoodrich Drag Radial's Chad Doyle became a triple-crown winner by taking the number-one qualifying position, setting the e.t. record, and winning the race. Charlie Booze Jr. continued his reign of terror on the naturally aspirated Edelbrock Hot Street field. In the Real Street category, Robin Lawrence knocked down his first victory since entering the class four years ago. Tremec Pure Street was a dogfight as 16 racers vied for the title. JPC Racing's Ryan Hecox took the win due to a superior reaction time and a 10.68. The K&N Filters Factory Stock class is tough thanks to the '06 rules bringing the modular cars closer together with the pushrod Stangs. Despite the rule changes, Shawn Johnson continues to dominate with high-11-second runs on drag radials and a near stock engine. The index classes-Toyo Tires Open Comp, Detroit Locker Truck and Lightning, and Vortech Modular Muscle-compete in the Open Comp format. That means the cars (and trucks) qualify and establish an index, then are allowed a one-tenth of a second breakout margin. It works well as these classes enjoy healthy car counts. The Open Comp victory went to Robert Motycka. The assassin, Robert Hindman, won the Modular Muscle class. Defending series champion Keith Kohlmann was victorious in the Truck and Lightning slugfest.  The Red Freight Train, the...  The Red Freight Train, the Terminator, or whatever his competitors call him-Charlie Booze Jr. won again in Hot Street. The naturally aspirated, 400ci engine from Kuntz and Company was consistently quicker than the rest of the field. Booze's 9.008 beat Andy Schmidt's 9.101 in the final round.  EFI Renegade still requires...  EFI Renegade still requires street-type equipment like eight-rib blower pulleys, C4 transmissions, true stock suspensions, long-runner intakes, hydraulic roller camshafts (0.550-inch lift max), and street-type intake manifolds. George Seeger of Kauffman Motorsports ran 8.70s with a Vortech YSi-Trim blown engine. His first event win came by beating Aaron Stapleton.  Bob Kurgan continued to be...  Bob Kurgan continued to be in the thick of the Drag Radial class. He qualified ninth with an 8.44 in the 20-car field.  Drag Radial racer Chad Doyle...  Drag Radial racer Chad Doyle could do no wrong at Maple Grove. He reset the e.t. record with a demented 8.13 (on 325/50 BFGoodrich drag radials, no less), qualified number one, and won the event. The 8.13 performance shocked the field, as it was done in the heat of the day. Doyle earned the impressive results by using a 347 with a ProCharger F1R blower.  It was a great weekend for...  It was a great weekend for the Sutton High Performance-sponsored '05 Mustang GT. With Aaron Stapleton behind the wheel, the late-model Stang qualified number two (in the 18-car field) with an 8.724 at 157.85 mph. Stapleton set high mph in the EFI Renegade class and scored a runner-up finish. It was the first time out with the new Four-Valve modular engine. The engine is Vortech-blown and sets the standard for modular engines in the Renegade category.  Rookie Pro 5.0 pilot Chuck...  Rookie Pro 5.0 pilot Chuck DeMory has been around the block a few times in IHRA Pro Stock competition, so winning isn't new to him. He had noted engine builder Chris Holbrook on the property helping the pit crew. DeMory paced the eight-car field with a 6.66 at 211 mph. The Escort relies on a gigantic 814ci mill and has no power adder.  Don Walsh Jr. (left) had problems...  Don Walsh Jr. (left) had problems on Sunday in the semifinal round when his Mustang went into severe tire shake, which snapped parts in the Lenco transmission. The team thrashed to fix the transmission, only to come up short. They rebuilt the trans twice, but both times the gears did not work properly. Their valiant efforts still netted them with a runner-up finish.  Hot Street has become the...  Hot Street has become the grassroots racer's version of NHRA Pro Stock, and racers like the Schmidt brothers (pictured) rely on high-winding Windsor engines. The norm for the category are times in the 8.90-9.20 range.  Clearly, Shawn Johnson has...  Clearly, Shawn Johnson has both front wheels off the ground. That's quite an impressive feat for a Factory Stock racer considering the 3,400-pound car runs on a set of BFGoodrich 275/60-15. Johnson mowed through the field showing that Four-Valve mod motors are still king in Factory Stock.  Manny Buginga had his Super...  Manny Buginga had his Super Street Outlaw car running quick. The team, led by Pat Speer and Job Spetter Jr., used a little luck and a lot of experience to get down the hot and greasy race track. Buginga went home with runner-up money.  Captain Keith Kohlmann is...  Captain Keith Kohlmann is defending his first Truck and Lightning title and doing a fine job at it. The final was anticlimactic, as Mike Motycka left before the Tree was activated.  Defending Outlaw 10.5 series...  Defending Outlaw 10.5 series champion, Jim Briante, had a new 400ci engine under the hood. He was running what he called an engine they "just threw together" for the race. The team is awaiting the completion of a sick ProCharger-blown 445ci engine-one they say will deliver them to the sixes in Outlaw 10.5 trim.  David Hance had his seven-second...  David Hance had his seven-second Outlaw 10.5 Mustang on the property. The '05 Stang was built by Cajun Pro Cars and is powered by a Steve Petty 449ci engine with twins. Hance fought the track all weekend but managed to survive and win his first NMRA event. He beat Tim Esseck in the finals.  Three weeks before Maple Grove,...  Three weeks before Maple Grove, the Motive Gear-backed Pro 5.0 car was involved in a racing accident. The team (Joe Morgan, Tom Sanders, Jimmy Barry, and Vic Williams) purchased this '04 Mustang GT built by RJ Race Cars and got it ready. They shoe-horned their 638ci engine (complete with three Edelbrock Nitrous foggers) into the car and headed to Maple Grove. New-car bugs prevented them from running deep into the sixes, but we expect this team to make some noise.  WinnerCan anybody beat Robert...  WinnerCan anybody beat Robert Hindman? He took the class win in Modular Muscle, and ran 11.74 on an 11.60 index. It was a bit off his normal runs, but Hindman's killer reaction times made up for the difference-his best light of the weekend was 0.002.  This is one of 107 '93 Cobra...  This is one of 107 '93 Cobra R models ever made. We're willing to bet that Shane Jennings' is the quickest of all. He qualified 16th in the 20-car Drag Radial field with an 8.92 at 162 mph. The Vortech-blown entry has gone 8.60s in cooler conditions.  Robert Motycka drove the family's...  Robert Motycka drove the family's Mustang to victory in the Open Comp category. He ran 9.99 on a 9.96 index and combined that with a 0.070 reaction time. Motycka beat Gary Beyer Jr. in the final round.  Hot Street allows a variety...  Hot Street allows a variety of engine sizes at different weight breaks. Some feel the 440ci engine is optimal, while others have chosen to run a 400ci mill. Racers like Mike Demayo (shown) seem to think the lightweight car combo with the 360ci engine is the way to go. With backing from Roush Racing, these guys surely did their homework. During the first race out with the tiny engine, Demayo went a few rounds and ran as quick as 9.01. He reported he could run quicker but needs to science out the correct torque converter and rear gearing.  Mike Curcio is another Hot...  Mike Curcio is another Hot Street racer who feels the 360ci engine is the way to go. He showed off a best of 9.09.  Chris Saddler and Mike Johnson...  Chris Saddler and Mike Johnson (of No Limit Race Cars) brought out a new Pro 5.0 entry. The chassis was run in the Pro Mod ranks, but the team bought it as a roller and stuffed an Edelbrock nitrous-injected, 598ci engine under the hoodscoop. It was the Stang's first time out, and the team plans on running deep into the sixes once they get the new-car jitters worked out.  Yanni Papakosnas brought out...  Yanni Papakosnas brought out a brand-new Super Street Outlaw ride built by Miller Race Cars. The 25.2-certified chassis rolls on real 10.5-inch slicks and has a 91mm turbo on top of a Yates-headed 375ci powerplant. Papakosnas ran a best of 8.23 at 171 mph and the team is shooting for mid 7-second runs at over 180 mph.  One month before the NMRA...  One month before the NMRA event, Zoop Zellonis had a terrible fire in his garage. Upon initial inspection it was believed the car was a complete write-off. But thanks to generous friends and fellow racers, Zellonis thrashed and rebuilt the Mustang in record time. He made it to the race on Saturday and was still buttoning up the minor stuff as he rolled into the track. With repairs complete, he qualified number one with an 8.72 at 156 mph in EFI Renegade.  WinnerRyan Hecox stuffed Rich...  WinnerRyan Hecox stuffed Rich Groh's controversial Pure Street engine into his radical (by Pure Street standards) '03 Cobra and hit the ground running. With backing from JPC Racing, the team scored a runner-up at the NMRA-Reynolds race and grabbed the win at Maple Grove despite the tough 16-car field he had to race against. Hecox nailed the Tree in the finals and ran 10.68 to beat Brad Meadows, who had run a quicker 10.62.  We love the simplicity of...  We love the simplicity of John Kolivas' pristine '95 Cobra. A Bennett Racing 359ci engine with a Precision 88mm turbocharger on board powers this Drag Radial entry.  Don Burton was hot off a win...  Don Burton was hot off a win at the World Ford Challenge and qualified number three with a 7.61 in Super Street Outlaw. He made it to the semifinals where John Urist got revenge for the loss he suffered at WFC. Burton smoked the tires when he brought in the nitrous too soon on his Gene Fulton 500ci engine.  Joel Howard had the quickest...  Joel Howard had the quickest nitrous entry in the 18-car EFI Renegade field. It packed 353 cubes and had two hits of nitrous on top of it. The flawless '86 Mustang GT ran 8.83 at 152.16, and Howard advanced to the quarter-finals.  Gene Giroud of Wild Rides...  Gene Giroud of Wild Rides Race Cars showed up with his twin-turbocharged coupe and qualified number one in Outlaw 10.5 with a 7.24 at 201.52 mph. Unfortu-nately, something let loose in the 449ci engine during qualifying, and Giroud was forced to park the car for the rest of the weekend.  Michael Hauf was in the Pro...  Michael Hauf was in the Pro 5.0 field with his Gomaco-backed entry. An 814ci engine motivates the Mustang. Hauf struggled a bit, but the team got it together and ran 6.72 at 209 mph in qualifying. They shook the tires in Round 1, however, and lost.  Brian Mitchell goes wheels...  Brian Mitchell goes wheels up in EFI Renegade on another eight-second run.  Chris Little was back in action...  Chris Little was back in action in the Drag Radial category with a completely revamped coupe. The two-time NMRA champion had the Wohlford Brothers install a 25.5-certified cage and convert the car to a turbocharged setup. Little set high mph for the weekend with a demented 174.9-mph performance. He'll be tough to beat once he gets the car to leave hard and not blow away the BFGoodrich tires.
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