Bob Hanlon's old-school Mustang...
Bob Hanlon's old-school Mustang beat out Charlie Booze and laid claim to the Hot Street national record as he secured the top qualifying position by running an 8.80 at 152 mph.
Atco Raceway, located in southern New Jersey, was home to some historic clashes in the early days of the 5.0 Shootout scene. Back in the late '80s and through the '90s even a 10-second or 9-second Mustang was the big dog. Monster wheelstands were reserved for the NHRA Super Stock crowd-not Mustang racers. Times have changed, however, as the NMRA regulars showed up at Atco to put on a wild show. Not only did racers post performances in the mid 6-second zone in the DiabloSport Pro 5.0 cate-gory, but records fell by the handful in the other heads-up categories. That was in large part due to unusually cool August air and great traction.
Having to put on a sweatshirt in August was not normal for Jerseyans, but the fans and racers were willing to accept the trade-off for the performance-enhancing weather. NMRA's Saturday program starts late in the afternoon, and the final rounds of qualifying are held "under the lights." It adds drama, and it also presents the racers with an outstanding racing surface and cooler air. With the season points battles taking shape, many class leaders had their equipment set on "kill" to grab the few extra points for breaking an elapsed time record.
Team Aruba's entry, driven...
Team Aruba's entry, driven by Burt Kelkboom, dropped a 6.57 at 213 mph to grab the top qualifying position. The night air and Atco's legendary traction provided conditions for Kelkboom to unleash the quickest Pro 5.0 pass in the NMRA's seven-year history. The team made it to the finals on Sunday, but a broken throttle linkage prevented them from racing against Bischoff.
The battle for quick times was no more prevalent than in Pro 5.0 and Edelbrock Hot Street. In the Pro 5.0 class the top racers went blow for blow during the first rounds of qualifying by bettering each other as they ran down the track. The two drivers who separated them-selves from the six-car field in that last round of qualifying were Michael Hauf and Burt Kelkboom. Hauf was first to run in the final session, and he ran a demented 6.59 at 212 mph. It marked the first time a naturally aspirated car ran in the 6.50s in NMRA action.
While the team was high-fivin' and the crowd cheered, the newly constructed race car of Burt Kelkboom, which is sponsored by the island of Aruba, came to the starting line. At the flash of green, Kelkboom let out the clutch pedal and marched to a 6.57 at 213 mph-the quickest and fastest pass in the history of the NMRA's Pro 5.0 class. Just like that, the attention and celebration went to Team Aruba.
The drama was also running high in the Hot Street division where competitors run naturally aspirated small-block engines. It was a clash in style between Bangin' Bob Hanlon with a 359ci engine and G-Force five-speed clutchless transmission, and Charlie Booze Jr. who does battle in Hot Street with a large Windsor engine (backed by an auto tranny) that pumps up the P&G meter at 439 ci. The Kuntz and Company- built small-block sees 9,000-plus rpm, and due to its size the Booze freight train has a minimum weight in the 3,250-pound range. It's a radical difference in approach to H/S racing, but the close competition points to fairness between the two powerplants and drivetrain combinations.

Brandon Alsept of MD Motorsports...

Brandon Alsept of MD Motorsports pushed his modular-powered '98 Stang into the 10.50s and went to the semifinals. His was one of two modular cars to run deep into the 10-second zone in Pure Street competition. The other Stang belonged to Victor Downs. Both raced Four-Valve, 284ci engine combina-tions from Al Papito's Boss 330 engine shop. Pure Street rules restrict the competitors to naturally aspirated combinations and street-type camshafts.

Winner Brian Mitchell went...

Winner
Brian Mitchell went back to the winner's circle with his EFI Renegade race car. The YSi-Trim-blown, 310ci engine combination gave the stock suspension and 28x10.5-inch slicks all they could handle. The car soared through the air on each run, and Mitchell took out Zoop Zellonis in the finals.

Congratulations were in order...

Congratulations were in order to Mike and Tammy Abdalla as they scored their first 8-second perform-ance in Hot Street. The Abdalla family traveled from New Mexico to compete, and it was worth the trip thanks to the 8.99 Mike posted in qualifying. The '88 GT gets it done with a Jerico four-speed transmission and a high-winding 358ci engine.

New-car blues was the theme...

New-car blues was the theme of the weekend for Chip Provenza as he showed off his brand-new Drag Radial racer. The black car sports a 25.1-certified cage and the same 1,300hp Vortech-blown engine from last year. He ran 8.25 in testing the night before qualifying, but he couldn't keep the BFGoodrich tires glued in qualifying or eliminations. Once the team sorts out this ride, they are expecting to run 8.10 at more than 173 mph.

Don Bowles and the rest of...

Don Bowles and the rest of the Roush Performance team were on the property, with an assortment of Mustangs testing various products. Through their drag-racing efforts, Roush continues to refine and release new products that are up to the task of street use as well as drag racing applications. Bowles and the team compete in the Modular Muscle category. He made it to the third round in the five-round eliminations ladder. The supercharged, 330ci mod motor runs mid-nines.

Winner The win at Atco marked...

Winner
The win at Atco marked the fourth straight in SSO for John Urist of Hellion Power Systems. His ProCharger-blown Saleen was outstanding, and he even showed off some runs in the 7.50 zone. Urist beat Phil Hines in the finals, 7.62 to 7.90.

Dave Hance was running his...

Dave Hance was running his twin-turbocharged Mustang in Pro 5.0 competition. Some recent upgrades have pushed this tube-chassis Stang to consistent runs in the 6.60 range. His best at Atco was 6.63 at a scorching 213 mph. Hance became a force to reckon with in NMRA competition that weekend-except he took himself out by going red in the first round of eliminations.

It was a brutal battle in...

It was a brutal battle in Hot Street as two heavyweights went blow-for-blow during qualifying. Charlie Booze Jr. fired off several quick passes only to have Bob Hanlon knock him off the top qualifying spot each time. He also was runner-up to Ben Mens in the final round.