We do very little to hide the soft spot in our hearts for Tremec True Street and its participants. Some of you may tire of our rambling about the class and its 13-, 14-, and 15-second winners, among others, but the truth is that we love True Street and everything it stands for. Few national drag racing circuits have a class like it. Though many offer "street" classes, they don't require a cruise, proof of registration and insurance, working headlights, or street-legal tires. For the regular guy on a blue-collar budget, there's no better way to get your quarter-mile thrills than attending an NMRA (or NMCA) event and running True Street.
Karl Wesson of Satellite Beach,...
Karl Wesson of Satellite Beach, Florida, stands next to his ’92 coupe before the True Street competition on Saturday. Wesson is a mechanical engineer and assembled his car in less than three months in preparation for the Shootout.
Larry Albright of Jensen Beach,...
Larry Albright of Jensen Beach, Florida, laid down an 8.50 and an 8.54 before breaking and dropping out of the competition.
TMS Motorsports’ Tedd Siegel...
TMS Motorsports’ Tedd Siegel brought out his personal daily driver, this ’08 GT. The Coconut Creek, Florida-native builds some amazing street and show cars, and this S197 is no exception.
NMRA's season-opener and home of the MM&FF- sponsored Spring Break Shootout is held every year in early March in Bradenton, Florida. This is the event where everyone shakes off the departing winter chill and converges on Bradenton Motorsports Park for what is one of the NMRA's largest events in terms of participation and attendance.
This year proved as exciting as ever. By Friday afternoon, nearly 50 cars were registered. On that list were heavy-hitters Chris Segura, Alan Happell, Randy Seward, and 7-second-capable Angel Padillaùall vying for a coveted spot in the Spring Break Shootout class, made up of the top 16 True Street qualifiers.
Padilla laid down a low-8-second average in Houston last November, followed by multiple 7-second passes in the Lone Star Shootout. Padilla and car-owner Joel Cura weren't shy about shooting for the first ever 7-second True Street average. "We're hoping to average 7s," said Padilla in an interview on Friday. "The car is running great, and we feel really good about it," he added.
James Watson of Perry, Georgia,...
James Watson of Perry, Georgia, is only 16 years old but wheeled his stepdad’s ’11 GT to 14.88-second average in Tremec True Street. Just think, Watson wasn’t even born yet when the first Spring Break Shootout was held,
John Sheffler’s ’85 SVO was...
John Sheffler’s ’85 SVO was super-clean but didn’t make it off the start line on the first pass. It sounded like he broke something in the driveline, but we didn’t get a chance to talk to him before he headed out.
Doug Fiero of Fort Meyers,...
Doug Fiero of Fort Meyers, Florida, and his ’93 LX hatch averaged 12.014 for the 12-second win. Clean silver paint and old-school Centerlines makes us wish his Fox were ours.
By late morning on Saturday, a total of 82 cars lined up for the 30-mile cruise. After NMRA's Jeff Conley instructed the contestants of the rules, the scenic tour began. All but four made the entire cruise and were lined up in the staging lanes for cool-down.
After all three back-to-back passes were made, 62 were left standing. Orlando, Florida's Randy Seward, a serious favorite, broke his trans on the first pass, sending him to the pits. John Sheffler of Fort Meyers, Florida, showed up with his '85 SVO but broke on his first pass as well. In the end, San Antonio, Texas' Angel Padilla stood victorious. His 8.040-second average was good enough to bring home the coveted six-foot trophy, $250, and a new national True Street recordùbreaking his previous record by one hundredth of a second.
The runner-up spot went to Mike Jovanis of Wall, New Jersey, with an 8.883-second average, while the 9-second win went to Chris Segura of Fort Meyers, Florida. Tampa, Florida's Julio Don averaged 10.074 to take the 10-second victory with his turbocharged '89 GT. In the 11-second category, Sunrise, Florida's Connie Greiner laid down an 11.057-second average to take the win in her nitrous-fed '98 Mustang.
This former MM&FF feature...
This former MM&FF feature car, owned and driven by Roger Feldner, averaged 10.80 but lost in Round 1 of the Shootout to Alan Happell.
Tampa, Florida’s Julio Don...
Tampa, Florida’s Julio Don wheeled his ’89 GT to a 10.074-second average in True Street, enough for the 10-second win. The 348ci Windsor is backed by a ’glide and boosted with a Turbonetics 76mm turbo.
With a 12.014-second average, Doug Fiero took the 12-second win in his Fort Meyers, Florida-based '93 Mustang. Steve Bouffard of New Port Richey, Florida, took home the 13-second plaque with a 13.018-second average. The '95 Cobra clone is powered by a homebuilt 331ci stroker and made two high-12-second passes on the first two runs. Bouffard took a little off on the third run to take the win.
Jeff Girardello of Palm Harbor, Florida, wheeled his '98 GT to a 14.041-second average to take the 14-second win. The Tremec-shifted coupe is mostly stock with a built rear and aftermarket suspension. With an average of 15.114, Tampa's Louis Fernandez, a first-time True Streeter, won 15-second bragging rights. His '03 GT convertible is stock with a cold-air intake.
One contestant of previous years whose absence must be noted is Pensacola's Chris Escobar. He wasn't able to get his '86 SVO ready in time, but we fully expect the champ to make an appearance in Commerce in April with his new power combination and 25.5-certified cage.
Jeff Girardello and his stock-looking...
Jeff Girardello and his stock-looking ’98 GT won the 14-second victory in True Street. Other than suspension, a Tremec trans, a built rear, and a couple of exterior mods, Girardello’s SN-95 is stock as a rock.
Tremec True Street winners...
Tremec True Street winners hold their plaques during the awards ceremony on Saturday. The overall winner is awarded $250 and a six-foot trophy; the other winners are awarded a plaque and $100.
Faithful Tony Whetstone was...
Faithful Tony Whetstone was at it again this year. He shows up year after year, and we really appreciate his support. He averaged 9.82—good enough for a SBS invite, but he was eliminated in Round 1 by Deneen Segura.
The final four Spring Break...
The final four Spring Break Shootout participants wait in the staging lanes before the semifinals.
Participant Chris Segura checks...
Participant Chris Segura checks his spark plugs between rounds during the Spring Break Shootout.
Segura's nitrous-fed ’86 GT...
Segura's nitrous-fed ’86 GT (near lane) led him to the semifinals, where he was eliminated by Padilla. “It was on a run,” said Segura. But the 1.28 60-foot wasn’t enough to hold off Padilla.