2011 NTRA Finals Eliminations

2011 NTRA WORLD FINALS RATT ROD ELIMINATIONS

Hide the women and children, here come the Ratt Rods! These cars are as wild and wooly as the racers who drive them. With 14-ohm arms, slip-on silicone tires, braids and shunts, and 13.8 volts under the hood, they're quick and unpredictable.



With five cars in the eliminator, No. 4 qualifier TGM2054's supercharged '57 Chevy takes on No. 5 qualifier Bondoman2K's Wild Thang Jeep. The good news is that they're both great looking Ratts. The bad news is that the winner has to race No. 1 qualifier 440gtx in the next round.

The big Chevy spins the tires hard at the hit of the throttle and that kills TGM's reaction time. Bondo's not looking back – he knows he's got a chance now against the quicker car. Bondo hangs on for the win at 1.616 at 6.70 mph to the Bel Air's fast-closing 1.673/7.76 mph. Bondo's driver darn near broke an arm patting himself on the back after that race.



Bondo is thrashing in the pits because the racemaster is already calling the cars back to the lanes for the next round.

NTRA FINALS STOCK ELIMINATOR ROUND 2

It's the semifinal round of Stock Eliminator at the NTRA World Finals, and we've got a quartet of quick T-jets in the staging lanes.



It's AMC versus the heartbeat of America in the first race. No. 1 qualifier Wood has his AMX running to the max today; SJRacer made the long haul from New Jersey, and he's ready for an upset.

SJ's first off the line, but he doesn't have enough for the AMX in this race. Wood runs 1.338 at 8.85 mph to advance to the final round. The Camaro runs a game 1.785 at 6.85 mph.



This is a crucial race. If Bluegnuoy's Nova advances, the final round will be an intramural match between the Indiana teammates. 440gtx knows he's got to get around the Chevy if he wants to defend his Stock Eliminator title.

The Road Runner moves first at the green by 15 thousandths, but the Nova is right there. They're welded together at the 1/8th mile, but the Mopar is first to the stripe. The dayglo Bird flies to a 1.378 e.t. in its quickest run so far. Blue's Nova is right there with a 1.461. Both cars run identical speeds at 8.41 mph.

So it's going to be a replay of last year's final round in Stock, with Wood against 440gtx. It's gonna be a battle, race fans!

Stock class final round looking like a classic in the making.
Cars well matched. Drivers must be sweating.

NTRA FINALS MATCH RACES ROUND 2

The action is nonstop at Lions Drag Strip. While the finalists in Stock and Ratt Rod are preparing their cars, we're back with the second round of Match Races at the Beach!



We lead off with King of the Street. 440gtx won the first race, so it's do-or-die for Wood. Both racers are keeping their hoods and their mouths closed. We asked Wood what he's packing in that Yenko Camaro; he said it was a 396, but we're guessing LS7 big-block. Could that be a Viper V10 in Matt's Mopar? The Ohio Mafia ain't talkin'.

The cars switch lanes for this race, the Mopar in the left and the Camaro in the right. The racemaster checks the power at 13.8 VDC, and the drivers stage. The Camaro moves first, he's got 12 thousandths in the bank. But the Challenger is coming on strong. The win light flashes in the right lane – Matt's Mopar is the King of the Street in two straight!



Here are the numbers: a .921 e.t. at 13.29 mph for the Challenger, the quickest Muscle Car run ever seen at Lions. Wood runs a respectable 1.021 at 12.74, but it's game over.



The sound of slamming doors can mean only one thing: Round 2 of Doorslammer Match Bash! PCENG won the first race, so Bondoman has to stop the Fairlane now or concede defeat. The power supply is set at 22 volts, these guys are loaded for bear.

PC is wired to the Tree, and it looks like this one's over, race fans. The Cuda spins the tires again, and the Ford takes the win in two straight at .828/14.23. The Pistonator runs .904 at a faster 15.97, but it's time for Bondo to head back to Texas.



Eagle Racing's Nostalgia Dragster was on the edge in the first round; can he keep the magic going for another pass and take two straight over Ninjatek?

This was a weird one, race fans. Ninja knew he had to push the lights to have a chance, and he pushed too hard – red by 11 thousandths wastes a 1.467 at 7.12 mph! As soon as the Black Magic machine launches, it goes into severe tire shake, deslots, and silently coasts down the track on the guidepin.

Well, it's first or worst, and Ninja's driver made the first mistake. So Eagle Racing takes Nostalgia Dragster at the NTRA Finals.



There's no time to celebrate because Eagle Racing has got to get ready for the Altered match race with Hairy Canary's Pure Hell. The Canary took the first round by a big margin, so Eagle needs some help here. Hairy knows he's got this one in the bag if doesn't make a mistake.

The Grim Reaper comes through with a three-tenths holeshot, but Pure Hell didn't need to cut down the Christmas Tree. The roadster runs a .692 e.t. – the Low ET of the Meet – at a booming 18.73 mph – Top Speed of the Meet. Eagle Racing checks in with a .992 at 10.72 mph.

So that's it for match racing at the NTRA Finals – all four were decided in two rounds.

NTRA FINALS RATT ROD ELIMINATOR FINAL ROUND

The sun is going down and the shadows are growing long at Lions Drag Strip. The cool ocean air is rolling in from the Pacific, and that means just one thing: Fast times at the Beach!

We're down to the last run at the 2011 NTRA World Finals, the final round in Ratt Rod Eliminator.



It's the bad-in-black Willys of 440gtx versus the supercharged Corvette from PCENG. We don't know what's under the hood of that ominous pickup, but we're guessing Hemi power for the Ohio Mafia and a supercharged Rat motor in PC's Vette.

Matt's Willys has been the class of the Ratt Rod field, and that doesn't change in the final round. PC's driver knows he needs a miracle to overcome the Willy's performance advantage, while the wheelman for the Willys knows that a safe green will seal the deal.

PC's Vette is out first, but the Mopar just powers around him with an .888 e.t. at 15.60 mph. The Vette takes runner-up honors at 1.173/10.13 mph.

Congratulations to 440gtx for another win at Lions Drag Strip. It wasn't a clean sweep like last year's NTRA Finals, but two out of three is a good day for Big Daddy!

So that's a wrap for racing at the 2011 NTRA World Finals, but it's not the end of the day. There are still celebrations and awards to be presented – not to mention a date with the tech crew in the teardown barn for the winners.

Congratulations to all the winners.

Eagleracing, you have humbled me with your impressive wins in the
dragster match races. Look forward to meeting you again during the NTRA
2012 racing season.

Good looking cars everyone.

Great event Rick. Big thanks to you and the crew.

Rick awesome race, this is my second race and your racemaster skills are second to nobody!! Hairy Canary that is a very fast car and the design is as good as it gets. Ninjatek great job on the dragster look forward to seeing that dragster on the Blacktop here in Texas. I will be getting with you soon for our first race of 2012. To all the other racers what great cars you guys put together. I hope I learn how to build my chassis setups as good as what I have seen here in the NTRA.