2011 NTRA WORLD FINALS STOCK ELIMINATOR QUALIFYING
Welcome to Lions Drag Strip, where qualifying for the 2011 National Thunder Rod Association World Finals is about to get underway.
Conditions here on the California coast are perfect – 67 degrees, the barometer is over 30 inches, the wind is calm, and the voltage is set at 13.8 VDC. Race fans, can you say MINESHAFT?
Racers began to arrive at the Lions Drag Strip pits last Monday, and there's been a steady stream all week. The turnout is a little light, but the quality is first rate. There are four special match races on the card this weekend as well: King of the Street, Doorslammers, Altereds, and Nostalgia Dragsters!
We're still looking for SJRacer's hauler, however. He must have taken a wrong turn somewhere en route from New Jersey.
The Stockers are first up today. Each car will have four runs to establish its qualifying time. Several racers have entered two cars, but only the quicker of the two will compete in final eliminations on Sunday.
We've got a big crowd on hand for Saturday's qualifying sessions. The first pair out of the staging lanes are two Stockers from TGM2054. The black Camaro runs 1.816 at 6.04 mph, but it’s the Challenger that will be back on Sunday with a 1.764/5.95 mph qualifying run.
Next up is a pair of sharp-looking Chevys from Ninjatek. The gold Chevelle is spinning the tires hard at the starting line; it runs 2.292 at 5.11 mph and puts Ninja's bronze Camaro on the trailer with a 2.715/4.12 mph.
OK, race fans, this is the one you came to see. 440gtx owned Stock eliminator last year with his Road Runner, but how will the Bird fly with less voltage? He's lined up alongside PCENG's white Cuda. Not exactly the Ohio Mafia, but an all-Mopar match.
440gtx doesn't disappoint. The Road Runner races to a 1.398 e.t. at 8.35 mph. Wow, that’s quicker than he ran last year on 18 volts! Looks like Matt has been massaging that Hemi over the last 12 months . . .
PCENG's Cuda runs a 2.095/5.07 and puts another Mopar in the eliminator.
If anyone can stop the 440gtx steamroller, it's probably this guy. Wood lost to Matt in last year's final round at the NTRA Finals, but he dominated the Manufacturers Funny Car Championship at Lions on the Fourth of July. Let's see if Wood's magic works with Stockers, too. Interesting that he brought a pair of short-wheelbase Stockers – does he know something the competition doesn't?
Game on! Wood's AMX runs 1.306 at a booming 9.08 mph to take the No. 1 spot away from 440gtx. Wood's green Camaro is no slouch at 1.488/8.37, but it's not even in the same universe. Wood's 1.306 is nearly a tenth of a second quicker than he ran last year at 18 volts.
The crowd is still buzzing about Wood's run as his teammate Bluegnuoy brings his Stockers to the line. His red Nova is sweet, but what's this? A Fairlane police car! Well, let's see if the Chevy can beat the heat.
The Nova is quicker, but just barely. The Chevy runs 1.410/8.82 to the cop car's 1.420/7.92.
Well, that's it for Stocker qualifying.
Hold on! There's a commotion in the staging lanes. Looks like Phyllis the Mail Lady has saved the day for SJRacer! She's pulled her mail truck into the lanes and is demanding that SJRacer get his qualifying runs after his banzai charge from Jersey to California in two days. Well, who's gonna dispute an agent of the United States government?
Better late than never, SJRacer's pair of '69 Camaros get their first shot at the Lions quarter-mile. The white Camaro is the quicker of the two at 1.669/6.86 to the blue machine's 1.887/5.83.
So the field is set for Stock Eliminator at the NTRA Finals. After removing the slower of the multiple entries, the final qualifying order is:
Pos. Car No. Entry Best ET
1 12 Wood AMX 1.306
2 6 440gtx Road Runner 1.398
3 14 Bluegnuoy Nova 1.410
4 16 SJRacer Camaro 1.669
5 2 TGM2054 Challenger 1.764
6 3 PCENG Cuda 2.095
7 4 Ninjatek Chevelle 2.292
Racemaster Rick
