Bob Kurgan chose to compete...
Bob Kurgan chose to compete in NMCA Xtreme Street rather than Drag Radial. It was a wise choice as he took home three victories in one event! He won a rain-delayed final from a previous NMCA race, the class victory for the Chicago race, as well as his pairing against Team NMRA racer Enzo Pecchini in the Super Bowl portion of the weekend.
Nitrous ruled the roost in DiabloSport EFI Renegade as Dan Rawls of PT Race Engines won his second straight event. He endured four rounds of action against some of the quickest supercharged cars in the category's history. Rawls stuck to his guns and blasted to an 8.52 in the finals, beating Bart Toebner, who suffered engine problems.
NMRA's quickest naturally aspirated eliminator, Edelbrock Hot Street, mimics the old days of NHRA Pro Stock, and the action was just as tight. Charlie Booze Jr. in his high-flying Fox GT took the win over Don Bowles in his Coal Digger IV Maverick, 8.64 to 8.68.
Class winners include Bruce Hemminger-Real Street, Mark Anderson-Eibach Springs Pure Street, Tommy Godfrey-ACT Clutch Factory Stock, Scott Mistro-Roush Modular Muscle, Paul Leaman-Steeda Open Comp, Rick Devito-Detroit Locker Truck and Lightning), and Ken Nine-JDM Engineering Super Stang.
The National Lightning Owner's...
The National Lightning Owner's Club held a get-together at this event, and here Dale Reibel heats the hides of his Gen 2 Lightning. Reibel made the long haul from Las Vegas, Nevada, to participate in True Street.
The Tremec/MM&FF True Street participants were treated to a special cruise at the Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing. The NMRA/NMCA officials brokered a deal with the Route 66 Raceway staff to open the gates to the Chicagoland NASCAR track across the street. The staff pulled out a few of the NASCAR pace cars, and the competitors paraded around the famous raceway to prove the street worthiness of their machines.
Once back on the property, the 39 Ford entries were paired against the Brand X machines for an honest street car shootout. Our money was on Jon Huber and his wild turbocharged four-cylinder LX, but he bowed out when he dropped fluid on the track.
Bill Glidden showed up with...
Bill Glidden showed up with his tube chassis Pro Stock car to compete in Pro Street. The car might have a Pontiac body, but a 384ci small-block Ford engine powers it. Glidden was testing a new Speedtech fogger nitrous system on top of his tried-and-true bullet. He ran mid-6s and seemed pleased with the results.
That left the door open for Chad Slattery and his '88 Mustang LX coupe. The nitrous-injected coupe blasted to a 9.16 average, besting Lou Iacopetti for top honors in True Street, but Slattery made it interesting. After clicking off an 8.87 and 8.89, his M/T drag radials spun hard on the last run and he slowed to a 9.72. Lucky for him, Iacopetti ran into trouble with his Buick Grand National (running a big-block Chevy with a ProCharger F2 blower) and fell off pace with a 9.51 in the third round (9.17 and 9.15 in the previous two rounds). Slattery was crowned the King of Chicago with a 9.16 average; Iacopetti finished with a 9.28.
Susan Roush-McClenaghan (far...
Susan Roush-McClenaghan (far lane) was competing in two categories-NMRA Modular Muscle and NMCA Open Comp. She did better with her NMCA car and won Open Comp. Here she represented NMCA and squared off against Paul Leaman's wild '32 Ford NMRA Open Comp entry. Roush-McClenaghan showed her prowess as a racer and took down her NMRA competitor.
Bruce Hemminger hangs the...
Bruce Hemminger hangs the hides in the finals of Real Street. The nitrous racer went uncontested in the final round, as Jim Pickel was unable to make the round call due to engine carnage. Hemminger ran a 9.47 at 141 mph with his coupe.
MV Performance's Bart Toebner...
MV Performance's Bart Toebner stood his car on the bumper several times over the weekend. Toebner was a consistent mid-8 player and faced Dan Rawls in the finals, but lost due to engine troubles. Toebner utilizes a Four-Valve modular engine with a Vortech YSi-trim blower.
This is the contrast of style...
This is the contrast of style when Team NMRA lines up against Team NMCA. Renegade winner Dan Rawls (near lane) goes mid-8s using stock suspension, true 10.5-inch slicks, and a 364ci engine on nitrous. Kevin Parent (far lane) has a '70 Nova featuring a 530ci engine on nitrous with a four-link suspension and giant tires. Thanks to an index system, Rawls was spotted nearly a second head start and held on for the Super Bowl win, only one of four wins for Team NMRA.
Dave Guy bounced back after...
Dave Guy bounced back after tagging the wall a month earlier at the NMRA-Milan event. He set the record in Drag Radial with a 7.97 but lost in the semifinals to Jason Lee. Guy ran as quick as 7.91 but wasn't able to back it up within one percent.
It doesn't happen often but...
It doesn't happen often but John Urist was outrun. The Nitto Tire-backed racer ran consistently in the 7.30s but was no match for Kolivas, who was a half a tenth quicker with a best of 7.32.