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Post by rickvoegelin on Nov 4, 2012 15:46:05 GMT -7
NTRA World Finals First Round Gasser EliminationsYou can feel the electricity in the air at Lions Drag Strip – and that's not because the ace Lions crew short-circuited the power supply. Yes, it's the final day of the 2012 NTRA World Finals, and championships are on the line. Your intrepid reporting staff is standing by to bring you round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage. We've got Jon Thunderlungs in the tower, Ted Tappet at the starting line, and the divine Aurora Divine in the pits. And speaking of the lovely Ms. Divine, what are the conditions today at Lions Drag Strip?  "Jon, we've got a fine Indian summer day here on the California coast. It's sunny and 84 degrees. The track crew stayed late and arrived early to get the track in perfect condition for today's race. We expect fast times at world-famous Lions Drag Strip today." (Photo courtesy of Tom West, used with permission) Thanks for that, Aurora, you've got a big future on the Weather Channel. OK, let's get this party started.  We've got an impressive field of 16 Gassers and a big crowd of spectators for the NTRA Finals. Since qualifying ended on Saturday, there have been a couple of updates. First, the crew on TGM2054's Willys fixed a problem with the shoe braids, so he's in the show at No. 16. Secondly, cub reporter Ted Tappet mistakenly reported Johnforce's qualifying time yesterday, and he's been assigned to making tofu shakes at the concession stand for the remainder of the race. For the record, Johnforce's Willys qualified fifth at .749/20.41 mph. So with the preliminaries out of the way, it's time to go racing.  We start off with the No. 1 qualifier, the Slotfather's Big John Willys, taking on TGM's Willys. It's a tall order for the orange car. This one is the Slotfather's all the way, with a .637/21.24 to advance to the second round. TGM is still have some mechanical issues, and shuts off with handling problems just after leaving the starting line.  Next up is PCEng's pretty supercharged Anglia coupe against Jimrussell's Willys. They qualified eighth and ninth respectively, so this should be the round's closest race. Nearly identical reaction times, and it's a race to the finish line stripe! Jimrussell takes it by .056 seconds, .802/15.89 to PC's .860/16.67.  The next pair out of the staging lanes is No. 4 qualifier Wazzer against the No. 13 qualifier, Ninjatek's shoebox Chevy. Ninja knows he needs to push the Tree to make up for the performance deficit, and he goes red by two thousandths of a second. The Willys takes the automatic win at .725/17.39.  We've got Johnforce's candy apple Willys panel up against Tazman's sharp looking '33 Willys. The red car is out first by .003 seconds, and takes the win at .815/19.49 as Tasman gets out of shape at mid-track.  The Slotfather is back with his No. 2 qualifier green Willys to take on Ninjatek's flaming purple Willys. The Slotfather puts down an impressive .650/21.17 while the Ninja man shuts off after going into severe tire shake.  Kbuck's gorgeous Henry J takes on Eagleracing's flamed '57 Chevy in this pairing. Eagleracing's a little late on the light, but has the horsepower to drive around the Henry J, .782/17.00 to .934/15.36.  Race fans, have you ever seen a finer pair of NTRA Gassers? Falcon's Falcon is the No. 3 qualifier, and he meets Charley's Whoop Ass Willys. This one's all Falcon, with a quicker reaction time and a .643/21.04 to Charley's 1.319/8.67.  We close out the first round of Gasser eliminations with No. 6 qualifier PCEng's Falcon against No. 11 qualifier Charley's '57 Chevy. PC moves first and holds his advantage to the finish line lights, .753/17.39 to .975/13.75. That wraps up the first round of Gasser eliminations at the Lions Drag Strip. Up next: Nostalgia Funny Car!
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Post by rickvoegelin on Nov 4, 2012 16:22:10 GMT -7
Nostalgia Funny Car First Round EliminationsIt's time to make some noise at Lions Drag Strip as the call goes out for Nostalgia Funny Car eliminations! You can hear the rumble of four-gear chassis in the pits as the racers make their final adjustments.  As the pre-race ceremonies wind down, we've got some updates from the pits. TGM2054 withdrew his 12th qualified Omni, so Kbuck's Pontiac comes in as the first alternate. Then Dragfool withdrew his 13th qualified Vega from eliminations, so Falcon's Blue Max Mustang takes his spot in the ladder.  The first pair out matches No. 1 qualifier Eagleracing against No. 16 Charley. The patriotically painted Camaro set the performance pace in qualifying, and it's on kill for eliminations. The tri-colored Camaro takes the win with a 1.092/10.91 run to the Vega's 1.591/6.54.  PCEng qualified his two N/FCs eighth and ninth, which means they face each other in the first round. Well, PC's guaranteed to have a winner! This one goes to the blue Cuda, 1.285/8/72 to the green machine's game 1.408/8.34.  We've got a pair of Vegas in this match between Wazzer's Wild Thang and Dragfool's Paycheck. Wazzer takes the win, 1.218/11.20 and Dragfool cashes out with a 1.527/6.83.  Kbuck's Pontiac came in as first alternate when TGM withdrew his Omni, so he has the honor of facing JJWallace's Mustang that qualified fifth. Angry Jeff takes the win at 1.264/9.30 to Kbuck's 1.534/7.28.  No. 2 qualifier the Slotfather lines up against the fearsome Blue Max in a battle of Mustangs. The Slotfather prevails, 1.213/9.40 to the Max's 1.857/5.85.  Eagleracing's No. 7 qualifier blue Camaro takes on Wazzer's second Vega in this all-Chevy showdown. Wazzer grabs a .017-second holeshot, and holds off the Eagle's top-end charge – the win light says it's the Camaro by two hundredths of a second! Wazzer advances with a 1.306/8.75 to Eagle's close-but-no-cigar 1.310/8.72.  It's another battle of Mustangs as JJWallace's Migrane Mach 1 lines up against Tazman's late-model supercharged 'Stang. JJ qualified third and has the performance advantage; he advances to the second round with a 1.26/9.26 to Taz's 1.504/7.48.  We finish up the first round of NFC eliminations with another Mustang matchup. This time it's the Slotfather's orange FC against Jimrussell's purple Ford. The Slotfather rolls to another win at 1.361/8.57 while Jim wheelies and shuts off. Fans, be sure to stop by the Lions concession stands for those delicious tofu burgers and seaweed shakes! We'll be back with Round 2 eliminations in a few minutes.
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Post by tazman052186 on Nov 4, 2012 17:43:13 GMT -7
Did i win my round with the mustang? I know my willys is knocked out.
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Post by rickvoegelin on Nov 4, 2012 17:54:44 GMT -7
Gasser Round 2 EliminationsWelcome back to Lions Drag Strip, race fans! We're about to begin Round 2 of Gasser eliminations. Buckle your seat belt and hang on, because this is going to be a wild one!  We start off with the No. 1 qualifier, Slotfather's candy apple red Willys, against No. 8 qualifier Jimrussell. They stage, and Jim cuts down the Tree, taking a .023-second holeshot advantage! Big John's coming on strong – and takes it at the lights! The Slotfather advances with a .633/20.23 to Jim's .864/14.79.  Wazzer's Willys pickup squares off with Johnforce's panel truck in this stanza. John rips off a .695/20.17 over Wazzer's .749/17.26. Hold on, there's a problem with Force's car! Let's go to Aurora for the details.  "Jon, as Force's panel cleared the top end, we saw something fly off the chassis. The Lions safety crew found bits of copper wire in the shutdown area, and it looks like Johnforce has lost a braid! We've never seen this before, but the crew is scrambling to get the car repaired for the semifinal round. Back to Thunderlungs in the booth!" Wow, we've got some drama here in Gasser eliminations. race fans. Johnforce is set to race Slotfather in the semis. I hope that Force crew can get him ready!  On the other side of the elimination ladder, Slotfather's No. 2 Willys is lined up against Eagleracing's flamed '57 Chevy. Slotfather's out first, and he extends the lead at every increment, advancing to the semis with a .639/21.04 to the Chevy's .778/17.22.  Our last match in the second round is a pair of Falcon's – Falcon's high-riser 427 against PCEng's injected green machine. PCEng grabs a 3-tenths advantage at the starting line, but that big-block Ford is coming on strong. They're dead even at half-track, then Falcon flies to the win, .643/20.79 to PC's .825/16.27. The margin of victory was .159 seconds! The Funny Cars are pulling to the head of the staging lanes. That means only one thing: It's time for Round 2 of Nostalgia Funny Car eliminations!
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Post by Eagle Racing on Nov 4, 2012 18:11:44 GMT -7
Way to go JohnForce aka AL first race and doin fine. Now ya gotta face the SLOTFATHER lol.
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Post by rickvoegelin on Nov 4, 2012 18:25:26 GMT -7
NFC Second Round EliminationsIt's Round 2 of Nostalgia Funny Car eliminations featuring the eight quickest cars still in the running for the NTRA World Finals title!  We start off with PCEng's Cuda against EagleRacing's patriotic Camaro. PC's blue car qualified eighth, so he has to dig deep to win this one. PC's on the Tree with a .016 holeshot, but that's not enough to hold off Eagle's storming Camaro. Eagle steps up to a 1.073/11.50 to take the win over PC's 1.331/8.03 and advance to the semi-final round.  JJWallace, a.k.a. "Angry Jeff", lines up his Twisted Texan Pinto against Wazzer's Wild Thang Vega. JJ's out first, but Wazzer reels him in, 1.202/11.34 to the Pinto's 1.265/9.07. Wazzer is in the semis, where he'll race Eagleracing.  The Slotfather's Mustang squares off with Wazzer's second Vega in this second-round match. They leave the line together, this is a great race! The Slotfather takes a close one, 1.239/9.42 to 1.282/9.19.  We finish up the second round of NFC with a match between two Texas Mustangs. JJWallace's Migrane has been giving the competition headaches, and he sends the Slotfather home with a 1.227/9.28 to 1.349/8.57. So JJ will face the Slotfather's faster 'Stang in the other semi-final pairing.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2012 18:25:30 GMT -7
Drama at its finest! I thank the crew at Lions for attempting to get me ready for the next round but if I am up against the Slotfather its gonna take more then copper wire!
This is BLAST!
Al aka johnforce
Thanks again Lions crew
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Post by rickvoegelin on Nov 4, 2012 19:00:05 GMT -7
Gasser Semi-Final RoundWe're down to the Final Four in Gasser eliminations at the NTRA World Finals! This is getting tense, race fans.  Johnforce has impressed the troops in his first appearance at Lions Drag Strip, taking his Willys panel to the semis in a very tough Gasser class. He lost a braid in his second round victory over Wazzer, so the crew has decided to adjust the shoe and bring it to the line against the Slotfather's Big John Willys. We admire his fighting spirit! Johnforce needs a miracle, and he chops down the Tree with a great reaction time. He's got .023 seconds in the bank, but the Slotfather is coming! The Mazmanian coupe takes the win with a .625/21.65 to Johnforce's strong .686/19.65. Who needs braids, anyway? Our second semi-final round race in Gasser pits the Slotfather's No. 2 Willys against Falcon's Falcon. There's not much to choose between them – Slotfather ran .639 in the second round and Falcon put a .643 on the scoreboard. This is anyone's race!  The light goes green – and the Slotfather's out of control! He wheelstands violently, spinning across the track and narrowly missing Falcon's Ford. Falcon doesn't look back, and runs .639/20.91 to advance to the final round against Slotfather's No. 1 Willys. Let's go to Aurora for a report from the starting line.  "Jon, this is another one we've never seen before at Lions! The Slotfather lost one of the traction magnets; it looks like the glue debonded where it was attached to the chassis. When he dropped the hammer, the car launched sideways and deslotted. Wow, that was a close call! Fortunately the Slotfather's OK, and he's already hustling back to the staging lanes for his final round showdown with Falcon." Thanks for that report, Aurora. Let's take a break to catch our breath, and we'll be right back with the semi-final round in Nostalgia Funny Car. I need a drink.
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Post by rickvoegelin on Nov 4, 2012 19:15:01 GMT -7
NFC Semi-Final RoundAfter the excitement in Gasser eliminations, we can't wait to see what happens in the semi-final round in Nostalgia Funny Car at Lions Drag Strip! We've got four of the finest NFCs in the country, and they're ready to rumble!  First out of the staging lanes are the Chevys of EagleRacing and Wazzer. EagleRacing's Camaro has set the pace in NFC at the Finals, but as we just witnessed in Gas class eliminations, there are no sure things in NTRA drag racing. They stage, and EagleRacing is out first by a tenth – that's bad news for Wazzer's Vega. Eagle stretches his advantage and runs the Low ET of eliminations at 1.058/11.72 to Wazzer's 1.229/10.79. The Eagle has landed in the NFC final round!  The Texans are standing tall at the NTRA Finals. This half of the NFC semi-final round matches JJWallace against the Slotfather in a pair of Lone Star Mustangs. How many times have these guys raced before? Well, that doesn't matter – it's about who wins the next race and advances to the final round! JJ ran 1.227 in the second round and the Slotfather ran 1.239, so these are pair of equally potent ponies. This time the Slotfather is out first by .027 seconds, but JJ is coming. The Slotfather holds on to take the win and earn a trip to the final round with 1.215/9.51 to JJ's 1.240/9.31. Another great NFC race! We're down to two cars in Gasser and two cars in NFC. The final rounds of the 2012 NTRA Finals are about to begin.
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Post by rickvoegelin on Nov 4, 2012 19:28:33 GMT -7
Gasser Final RoundAnd then there two, race fans. It's the final round of Gasser eliminations at Lions Drag Strip. The Gas class has certainly provided plenty of thrills today, so let's see what happens in the final round. We've got the Slotfather in Big John Mazmanian's legendary candy apple red Willys in the right lane. The Slotfather was the top qualifier, and he's run the quickest elapsed time in every round of eliminations so far: .637, .633, and .625. But he had a wild ride in the semis when his No. 2 Willys lost a traction magnet; could the Slotfather be spooked? Slotfather's competition for the NTRA Gasser trophy is Falcon's Falcon. The Bird qualified No. 3, and has been the picture of consistency, running .643, .643, and .639 to advance to the final round.  Both cars inch their way into the staging beams, knowing that every millisecond counts. The starter throws the switch – and it's Falcon off the line first! He's got a .032 holeshot, can he make it work? The red Willys is coming, but it's Falcon at the finish line! Falcon runs .648/20.72 to take the NTRA World Finals Gasser championship! The Slotfather slips to a .676 at 18.28 in the final – perhaps he spun the tires under pressure. Congratulations to Falcon, 2012 NTRA World Finals Gasser winner!
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Post by rickvoegelin on Nov 4, 2012 19:42:24 GMT -7
NFC Final RoundIt's the final race of the 2012 NTRA World Finals at Lions Drag Strip. You couldn't ask for a better match to end the season. We've got EagleRacing's red-white-and-blue Camaro up against the Slotfather's Mustang. It's Chevy vs. Ford, but no matter which driver wins, the big prize is going to Texas! EagleRacing's Camaro has been the class of the NFC field at the World Finals. He qualified in the No. 1 spot, and ran 1.092, 1.073, and 1.058 to advance to the final round. The Slotfather is out to avenge his upset loss in the Gasser final. His Mustang qualified No. 2 and ran 1.213, 1.239,and 1.215 en route to the final. He's facing a performance deficit to EagleRacing, but as we just saw in the Gasser final, anything can happen at Lions.  Here we go, race fans! EagleRacing stages first, the Slotfather takes his time. The lights flash, and they leave the line together. There's no stopping EagleRacing today, and he steadily pulls away over the Lions quarter-mile. EagleRacing wins Nostalgia Funny Car with a 1.087 e.t. at 11.10 mph! The Slotfather takes runner-up with a 1.213/9.60. Congratulations, EagleRacing! You are the 2012 NTRA World Finals Nostalgia Funny Car champion! Darkness has descended at Lions Drag Strip, but the celebration has just begun. There are prizes to be awarded and the winning cars to be torn down before the results are made official. Join us tomorrow for the festivities. That's all, folks. The management and staff of Lions Drag Strip hope you enjoyed the race.
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kbuck
Pro Stock
"THUNDER BUCK RACEWAY"
Posts: 437
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Post by kbuck on Nov 4, 2012 19:49:48 GMT -7
 Congrats to Eagle and FAlcon, perhaps next time I'll run some kind of bird too. Great race coverage and hats off to Lions crew and miss divine. Kaboom Maybe I can still win Rookie of the year. LOL.
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Post by AJR on Nov 4, 2012 20:03:47 GMT -7
Congratulations to Falcon and Eagleracing for their wins. Very exciting commentary for sure. Rick awesome job. You run a very good race. Thank you and your crew!!!
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Post by falcon on Nov 4, 2012 20:33:21 GMT -7
I am still in shock!!!! All I can say is thanks to Rick for a great race and out-a-sight drivers!!!!! I also need to say thanks to all on this board for all the tips and help especially: Sam <SKR> for getting me started, Rick<Hairy Canary> for great body help< sorry the Max didn't do as good as it looks> , Tjetsrig for his help and hints on motors and set ups and Bob Case for the wheelie bars! Thanks again All !! Bob |
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Post by Eagle Racing on Nov 4, 2012 21:03:14 GMT -7
Thank you Rick and the Lions team for running another outstanding race. My first NTRA race was NFC at Lions last year and it is sweet to win this class at this track ;D. Congrats to all the NTRA racers for racing you guys are great.
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