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2008 NMRA vs NMCA Shootout - A Midsummer Classic
NMRA Dukes It Out With NMCA For Street-Legal Drag Racing Supremacy.
November, 2008
By Michael Galimi
Photography by Michael Galimi, Paul Rosner, Evan Smith
This is the contrast of style... This is the contrast of style that fans witnessed during the NMRA vs. NMCA Shootout at the Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing. In the near lane, Ron Lummus of Garrett Turbo represented the NMRA in his Pro Outlaw 10.5 machine. The Sport Compact-turned-Mustang racer squared off against NMCA Pro Street badass Mark Micke in his ProCharger-blown ride. Unfortunately, Micke won this pairing as Team NMCA trounced Team NMRA 8-3. Three years ago, the NMRA and NMCA sanctioning bodies spent one weekend at Route 66 Raceway (Joliet, Illinois) battling it out to see who was the leader in street-legal drag racing. The parent company of the two racing organizations, ProMedia, called it the Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing, and the winners received a special Nitto Diamond Tree ring and a bonus check. The first two years, Team NMRA dominated Team NMCA by taking more class wins. This year, things were different, as Team NMCA kicked Team NMRA to the curb in a harsh fashion. NMCA racers took the first five pairings before an NMRA racer grabbed a win light. In the end, Team NMRA lost 8-3 as Team NMCA took its first shootout title. The concept is simple-run each sanctioning body separate all weekend long. Teams consist of the class winners from each organization. Racers are paired according to class, for example, NMCA Pro Street vs. NMRA Pro Outlaw 10.5, NMCA Super Street 10.5 vs. NMRA Super Street Outlaw, and so on. Since the rules are radically different from series to series, the race director uses the racer's quickest pass (during qualifying and eliminations) as his or her index. Index/Open Comp-style classes can't break out, but the heads-up pairings are allowed to break through the index. Last year, the Shootout was dramatic, as it came down to the final pairing between Pro 5.0 and Pro Street, with Team NMRA taking the overall victory. This year, the three NMRA wins came from Drag Radial, Super Street Outlaw, and Hot Street. Tony Akins (Drag Radial) beat NMCA Xtreme Street racer Tony Orts. John Urist (Super Street Outlaw) took out local hotshot Tony Nesbitt driving his six-second Super Street 10.5 Corvette. Finally, Charlie Booze Jr. eliminated Andy Schmidt in the NMRA Hot Street vs. NMCA Pro Stock battle. Schmidt runs both H/S and P/STK classes, but he chose the NMCA category since he was doing better in the points.  NMRA officials held a meeting...  NMRA officials held a meeting for the True Street participants, informing them of the route for the road tour, reviewing instructions, and answering questions. |  Sixty-three entries took the...  Sixty-three entries took the streets of Joliet, Illinois, to prove their cars were streetworthy. By the third round of competition, 13 competitors dropped out. |  If we were to pick an Editor's...  If we were to pick an Editor's Choice, Mark Gallert's turbocharged Fox-body would be it. Gallert added a built 302ci engine with a small-frame 88mm turbo. He finished with a 10.42 average. |  True Street is open to any...  True Street is open to any Ford production model that's Ford powered. Here the Brenspeed crew brought out an '08 Mercury Mountaineer that ran mid-13s thanks to 400 rwhp. It received the full Saleen treatment, including a supercharger. |  Lawrence Bosley ran 12.30s...  Lawrence Bosley ran 12.30s on his first run, but had problems and finished with a 14.42 average. |  |  Mark Scaffidi brought out...  Mark Scaffidi brought out a wild 'vert with a ProCharger F2 supercharged 347. He normally runs in the 8s on slicks, but he had to run DOT tires for True Street, which proved to be a little trickier than he thought. Unfortunately, Scaffidi blew the exhaust off the car during the burnout in Round 3 and was backed off the track. He ran a traction-limited 9.42 in Round 2. |  Adding nitrous to a 5.0 is...  Adding nitrous to a 5.0 is always a good thing-ask Stacey Jelinek. Her coupe has a virtually stock long-block with nearly 100,000 miles on the odometer. With a little hit of the gas under normal non-True Street conditions, she drives her Pony to 11-second times. This time she finished with a 12.62 average. |  Mark Rozgh took his coupe...  Mark Rozgh took his coupe to a 12.89 average thanks to 308 ci, TFS heads, a GT40 intake, an AFM camshaft, and 4.10 gears. |
Aside from the shootout, spectators and racers received twice the fun for one ticket. The NMRA and NMCA completed four days of racing and showing. We saw everything from old muscle cars to brand-new Mustangs, as well as a new '08 SRT8 Challenger. A combined NMRA/NMCA True Street Competition had 63 cars compete, and the NMRA staff even paired a few racers to give the fans a good show when the fast cars pulled to the starting line. Nearly 500 cars showed up to compete in the NMRA and NMCA race and show classes-there was no bracket racing this weekend. Tight racing action combined with a Team NMRA vs. Team NMCA twist makes this one of the can't-miss events of the year.  Garrett Turbo showed off its...  Garrett Turbo showed off its new twin-turbo S197 kit in True Street action. Using just a turbo kit, an upgraded transmission, and a set of sticky tires, Ron Townsend finished with a 12.02 average. |  Don Bowles Sr. (left) and...  Don Bowles Sr. (left) and Jack Roush (right) had fun. Bowles competed in Open Comp with his familiar yellow Roush Stage 3, but this time he was running a former NASCAR engine that was used in one of Roush's team cars. Roush hung out and watched his friends and daughter compete in the NMRA. It was the second straight year that Roush attended the event. |  Jimmy and Vic Keen did battle...  Jimmy and Vic Keen did battle in NMCA Pro Street with a turbocharged Mustang. This car was campaigned by Chuck Samuel and Kevin Marsh. It has countless championships and records in its history. The Keen brothers ran mid-6s at 215 mph. |  Not all Mustang enthusiasts...  Not all Mustang enthusiasts compete in the NMRA, as some prefer NMCA action and a battle against the Brand-X racers. Here, Jeff Swanson (near lane) and Jeremy Gilliam (far lane) compete in Mean Street. They're the top contenders in the class as they take on an assortment of Chevy entries. Swanson was runner-up at the Super Bowl and Gilliam holds the class ET record. |  John Urist scored a double...  John Urist scored a double win by taking the NMRA SSO title as well as the team challenge win. He pushed the ProCharger-blown ride to 7.40s at speeds near 190 mph. |  Here's a real contrast in...  Here's a real contrast in style. Ray Johnson competed with his class-winning Truck and Lightning entry ('93 SVT Lightning) against Ralph Seran's '70 Super Bee. A quick eyeball of the two sitting next to each other in the lanes revealed the Super Bee is actually a bigger vehicle. Seran beat Johnson, 11.96 on a 12.00 index, to the turbocharged Lightning's 10.79 on a 10.90 index. Both broke out, but Seran broke out by less. |  Matt Amrine won the Factory...  Matt Amrine won the Factory Stock class in just his second outing with his Two-Valve Mustang. The car breezed to the win thanks to times in the 11.30 range with a virtually stock Two-Valve engine. Factory Stock is a close cousin to NHRA's Stock Eliminator category, but without the dial-ins. |  Real Street competitor Bruce...  Real Street competitor Bruce Hemminger had a golden horseshoe at the event. He won two straight rounds when his competitors went red both times, handing him the automatic win. He needed it as the coupe suffered a mysterious electrical gremlin. The car shut off as soon as he let the clutch out. Hemminger got it fixed for the Shootout round but lost to Tim Hendricks' NMCA Street Race ride, 9.63 on a 9.63 to Hendricks' 8.92 on a 9.02. |  A mobile chassis dyno was...  A mobile chassis dyno was onsite for rental and test and tune. Here John Lesley Jr. tunes up his Factory Stock ride before the start of qualifying. |  Jarrett and Darrin Halfacre...  Jarrett and Darrin Halfacre posted a historic run at Route 66 Raceway. They pushed their Super Street Outlaw ride into the 7.30s, the first in class history. The Illinois-based team did the deed with a stellar 7.38 at 197 mph. | 
NMRA Girls! |  |  |  |  Jim Breese goes wheels-up...  Jim Breese goes wheels-up with his ProCharger-blown Real Street ride. |  Corky Markwart wheeled Jimmy...  Corky Markwart wheeled Jimmy Barry's Motive Gear-sponsored Pro Street car. The team ran a career best of 6.50s thanks to the 638 ci from Scotty Racing Technology and a Steve Johnson Induction Solutions nitrous system. Not bad for a former NHRA Super Gas national event winner. |  |  |
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