Few things have brought new excitement to the world of drag racing like four-wide racing. The concept of four cars running simultaneously offers fans double the action, and gives racers double or triple the competitive challenge. zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, is the home to this unique four-lane dragstrip. Just across the street from Charlotte Motor Speedway, zMAX Dragway played host to the second annual Nitto NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals. The double event bought out all of the heavy hitters from both the NMRA and NMCA.
Coming off a victory at the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing, the cars and stars of the NMRA were poised to put on a killer show for the North Carolina fans. Time shots and qualifying kicked off Friday morning, with many racers laying down some quick e.t.'s and super-fast miles per hour.
As qualifying progressed, many racers ran into mechanical difficulties. "Dyno Joe" Cram's Three-Valve powerplant suffered a broken alternator pulley shaft, which caused damage to the timing cover, ending Cram's weekend-or so it looked. In true racer spirit, Mark Manero of UPR Products stepped up and gave Cram the company's '10 Mustang GT convertible to race for the weekend. This allowed Cram to stay in the points hunt in JDM Engineering Super Stang. Cram's mechanical problems were a blessing in disguise for some other Super Stang racers. Sondra Leslie rolled into zMAX ready for a solid showing in her Modular Depot/Livernois Motorsports-sponsored '05 Mustang. Unfortunately, she experienced some electrical gremlins, which have been plaguing the team all season. The short took out the power distribution block under the hood, along with some of the associated wiring harness. It was "Dyno Joe" to the rescue, giving Leslie the needed parts from his broken Super Stang car so she could compete. Leslie's day would be cut short in the semi-finals when she lost to JD Coon of Jena, Louisiana.
As the final rounds of Super Stang rolled around, Coon found himself in the final against Lloyd Mikeska. The Richmond, Texas-native also received a little help from Dyno Joe. Mikeska had a single into the final for Super Stang, and when his '06 Mustang GT went 0.004-second quicker then the 12.03-second dial-in, Cram offered 5 gallons of fuel to add some extra weight and slightly slow the car. The plan paid off, as Mikeska ran a 12.03 on a 12.03 dial to take the win from Coon.
Off the track, the action was equally exciting. The Saturday and Sunday car shows brought out some of the most diverse cars we've seen all year. Slick S197s shined in the same light as original Ponies on hand. Slick pickup trucks and some sick race cars assured there was something for everyone is the UPR Products car show.
When Sunday afternoon rolled around, the True Street pits were busy with excitement as racers prepared for the 30-mile cruise. Thirty-six cars came out for the cruise and three passes down the quarter-mile. The North Carolina Mustang community came out in force, with all but two True Street cars wearing a Blue Oval.
With two events left in the 2010 NMRA season, we are looking forward to some more Mustang action in Columbus. See you in Ohio!
Conrad Scarry came into zMAX...
Conrad Scarry came into zMAX looking to get back on track after his win streak ended in Joliet. Unfortunately, cylinder head issues returned. The Scarry crew thrashed all weekend and gave it their best shot, but they would miss the first round of eliminations by only a few minutes.
Sondra Leslie's been fighting...
Sondra Leslie's been fighting electrical issues all season. When things finally came to a head in North Carolina, "Dyno" Joe Cram gave Sondra all of the parts needed to keep the car running.
The Saturday and Sunday car...
The Saturday and Sunday car show was packed with some incredible American muscle.
Elaine Larson, pilot of the...
Elaine Larson, pilot of the Embry-Riddle jet dragster, loves her fans. She also loves spending time with the next generation of horsepower junkies!
Chris Van Guilder launches...
Chris Van Guilder launches hard with his DiabloSport EFI Renegade '90 7-UP Mustang. Van Guilder qualified number 3 for the event and went all the way to the finals, where he was beaten by Bart Tobener.
Rodney Melton, the president...
Rodney Melton, the president and founder of Mustang Week came out to enjoy the action with his slick Mystichrome Lightning.
Four-wide race is definitely...
Four-wide race is definitely an exciting thing to watch-especially when its four jet cars!
Terry "Beefcake" Reeves brought...
Terry "Beefcake" Reeves brought out his Kona Blue '11 Mustang GT for JDM Engineering Super Stang.
The car show area was full...
The car show area was full of some of the cleanest, slickest, and nastiest show cars we've seen all year. This New Edge Roush grabbed our attention with its Vortech Mondo Cooler. We were super-impressed when we found a V-6 under the hardware.