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- Dan Stevenson clicked off an opening shot of 6.42 seconds at 223 MPH.
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- Popeye himself, Pat Musi, is in the house this weekend, helping Joe Dunne and team as they take on a very impressive field of Pro Street cars this weekend.
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- After a lazy front half, Willard Kinzer’s machine poured on the coals in the back half, clicking off a 7.13 at a booming 220 MPH to the cheers of Patrick Barnhill and the rest of the team.
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- This was the result of Super Street racer Dave Laurer’s testing hit at the Beech Bend quarter mile, putting us on hold as the track was checked for fluids. After a brief deay, we’re back at it.
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- Tony Nesbitt had the quickest Super Street lap of testing with a 6.99.
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- This is not the quickest route to the finish line, as Clint Hairston found out on his only hit this afernoon.
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- Dave Laurer confirmed that the torque converter in his Mustang had seen better days. He and his crew were busy replacing the converter and doing it with a smile as they crawled around under the car in the heat and humidity.
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- Jamie Stanton clicked off the only seven-second pass of the round, a 7.989 at 175.68 to pace the impressive Xtreme Street field. Michael Keenan sits second with a stellat 8.008 from his Mustang, while Phil “Conrndog” Smith sits third at 8.08.
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- Jim Jarret sits atop the provisional qualifying order at 7.347 and 187.21 MPH. Andy Vought’s Trans Am sits second at 7.45, followed by Chuck DeMory Jr. at 7.47, Skip Baskin (7.58), and Keith McCoy (8.76).
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- Mike Murillo continues to the break the backs of the Super Street contingent with his SCT Performance Mustang, cranking off a 6.70 at a 216.90 after throwing the chutes a couple hundred feet early. That effort was nearly two tenths quicker than #2 Tony Nesbitt at 6.88. Steve Summers’ 7.19 was the only other full pass of the session.
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- It was a round of struggles for the Pro Street contingent, as Dave Pierce conslused the session atop the charts with his 6.229 at 223.69. Alex Viscardi tossed the laundry before the traps, recording a 6.33 for second. Jeff Lutz’s shutoff 6.37 at 206 and Joe Dunne’s 6.41 rounded out the top four.
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- Don Baskindrove his Chevy II tyo the top of the leaderboard in Mean Street, recording a 9.96 at 132.14.
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- Robbie Blankenship sits atop a tight Pro Stock field with an 8.571 at 161.98 from his Mustang. Miiechal DeMayo trails just behind with an 8.593, Charlie Booze Jr. is third with an 8.604. Greg Delaney anchors the field in his killer Camaro at 8.881.
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- Orson johnson also took the scenic route down the Beech Bend quarter mile, wisely lifting and achoring the 275 Drag Radial field.
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- The corrected altitude and humidity here in Western Kentucky presents some interesting challenges for a naturally-aspirated engine, such as that in Chuck DeMory Jr.’s Mustang. Chuck has been playing with air bleeds and other things this weekend to get his beautiful machine to perform up to par.
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- Mike Keenan cranked off a lap just .006 shy of his personal best in his Automatic Transmission Factor0-backed Xtreme Street Mustang during yesterday’s opening session. Keenan, who is active Navy, was overseas and missed the Joliet event, but showed up here at Beech Bend with a new gear drive from Jason Gatlin and the crew at ATF.
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- Just prior to the call going out to the lanes for the heads-up categories, the skies opened up, sending the bracket and index racers scrambling and leaving the racetrack soaked. Officials have begun the drying process, but according to radar, we’ve got more rain on the way, so we’ll keep you posted.
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- We’re back to racing here at Beech Bend. Well, we were anyway. Dallas Jones and the crew had the track dry and sent bracket cars down the track to lay down some rubber for a good half hour before the sprinkles returned. With Open Comp and Late Model EFI in the lanes, we’re currently in a holding pattern as we wait for the drizzles to subside.
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- Certainly no one can say 83-year old Willard Kinzer isn’t making the most of his “younger” days. Kinzer brought a Camaro down to Bowling Green specificaly for the purpose of winning the burnout contest, and that he did in spectacular fashion. The tubbed Camaro was outfitted with a set of red-dyed street tires, and Kinzer, with his wife in the passenger seat, roasted the hides until his machine caught fire, even ripping up a chunk of the track surface in the process. Jeff Lutz performed a nice burnout in one of Kinzer’s other cars, a turbocharged Corvette, but he was no match for the elder.
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- Robbie Blankenship concluded qualifying right where he started, in the #1 spot, thanks to his 8.530 at 156.83. Don Baskin sits second at 8.553, Michael DeMayo third at 8.571, and Charlie Booze Jr. a surprising fourth eith his 8.601.
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- In another category that saw plenty of improvement, Don Baskin stepped up to second in the order with an 8.562 from his Chevy II, just behind Robbie Blankenship’s class-leading 8.532. Greg Delaney continues to anchor the field with an 8.77.
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- Bill Trovato went 8.06 this afternoon in Xtreme Street qualifying, placing him third on the provisional order. Once again, the field is chasing Jamie Stanton, who also improved with a stellar 7.925 at 172.67.
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- Jason Lee improved his 7.77 from last night to a 7.72 as he continues to pace the 275 Drag Radial field by a sizeable margin. Orson Johnson return from his sideways excursion yesterday to run an 8.06, good for second.
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- Mike Murillo maintained his dominating pace in the second session, clicking off a 6.73.
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- Jim Widener and Tony Bischoff have brought their Extreme 10.5 Cougar, which has been rebuilt following a crash in 2009, to compete in Pro Street. Widener blew off the tires right at the hit on his first pass of the weekend this afternoon.
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- Clint Hairston recorded a booming 239.36 MPH speed to go along with his 6.167, good for the fifth spot as we head into the final session this evening.
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- This is what you hope for from a drag race. Dave Pierce (near lane) clocked a 6.155, while Alex Viscardi just edged him out for the third spot in the order with a 6.151. Much of thr Pro Street field improved during a rahter humid session, with Chris Rini making the biggest shot of the round with a 6.128 at 227.11 to move to the top of the order.
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- Vinny Demieri who indicated his Pat Musi-built powerplant had O-ring woes that cut short his Joliet weekend, concluded qualifying in seventh with a 6.21 best, but the laundry was a little late coming out on his Camaro, sending him off the end of the racetrack into the grass.
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- Chris Rini saved his best shot for last, recording a 6.105 at 233.92 MPH to solidify his top qualifying position. Rini’s ATI Performance Camaro began heading out of the groove near halftrack, forcing Chris to pedal, making the lap all the more impressive.
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- Tony Nesbitt (far lane), imprived on his earlier 6.88 to a 6.81 to remain second in Super Street, while Willard Kinzer blasted to a 7.03 at a booming 224 MPH to close out qualifying in third.
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- Jim Summers concluded qualifying fourth in Super Street, thanks to a 7.09 at an even 200 MPH from his gorgeous ’81 Camaro.
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- Jeff Colleta made a slight improvement in the final session, running a 7.317 to remain atop the Nostalgia Pro Street field as we head into eliminations. Jim Jarrett sits second with his 7.325 effort, and Andy Vought closed out qualifying third with his 7.420. David Beeson struggled during his only two attempts today and anchors the field with a coasting 15.14 elapsed time.
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- Enzo Pecchini will head into eliminations in Xtreme Street from the third spot with his 8.04 best. Jamie Stanton remained atop the order with his earlier 7.92, while Micheal Keenan’s 8.00 best from Friday held for second.
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- Thanks to some internet forum mongers, the Lutz and Kinzer camp pulled the “sissy sticks” (that’s slang for wheelie bars for the uninfomed) last night and still cranked off the impressive 7.03 at 224 that placed 83-year old Willard Kinzer third in the Super Street order.
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- Rain has once again soaked the Beech Bend facility, putting us a couple of hours behind schedule. Track drying is complete and we’ve got bracket cars on the track. Eliminations for our heads-up categories were scheduled to get underway at noon, but we’ll obviously have some adjustments today.
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- Jamie Stanton continued his domination of Xtreme Street in this afternoons first round of eliminatons, downing Danny Shemwell with a 7.93, low ET of the round. Bob Kurgan bested Steve Cagle with a great 8.03, and Michael Keenan, who had the second quickest pass of the round at 8.02, had troubles at the starting line with a two-second reaction time, was unable to run down Scotty G’s 9.87.
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- Alex Viscardi was on the winning end of a side-by-side race with Dan Stevenson with both racers wiggling their way down the racetrack. Viscardi’s 6.20 at 229 was more than enough to handle Stevenson’s 6.45 at the stripe. Chris Rini went low for the round on his competition bye run at 6.103. Joe Dunne advanced with a singlw when Tony Williams was unable to mke the call, and Vinny Demieri and Joe Dunne both also moved on to round two.
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- Mike Murillo is showing no signs up letting up on the competition, cranking off his best pass of the weekend on an opening round solo at 6.665 and 213.81 MPH. In a great drag race, Tony Nesbitt grabbed a scant .053 to .055 holeshot, but his 6.97 couldn’t fend off the 6.94 posted by Ed Rice.
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- Willard Kinzer came up a little short of Frank Mewshaw in a great opening round matchup, 6.83 to a 7.04. But in the process, Kinzer reset the Super Street speed record another notch with a 226.09 MPH blast.
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- Andy Vougt recorded a nice 7.42 in his opening round race with Keith McCoy to advance on to the next round, where he’ll be joined by Jim Jarrett, Skip Baskin, and Jeff Colletta.
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- Benny Smith, at the wheel of one of Don Baskin’s parking lot full of race cars, defeated Gary Duncan in the first round of Mean Street, 10.37 to 10.55. Baskin himself, the top qualifier, moved on thanks to a first round single in which he staged, backed up, and drove it back to the trailer.
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- Michael DeMayo was able to overcome a sizeable holeshot by Don Bowles to advance to the next round of Pro Stock, his 8.63 and .057 light edging Bowles’ 8.70 combined with a stellar .011 reaction time. Don Baskin, Charlie Booze Jr., and top qualifier Robbie Blankenship also made their way into round two.
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- Orson Johnson bested Michael Fratena in the opening round of 275 Drag Radial, setting up a final round match with the heavily favored Jason Lee.
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- Vinny Demieri is having an outstanding weekend after engine woes sent him home early in Joliet. In th second round of Pro Street, Demieri used a great 6.24 at 226.58 MPH to oust Alex Viscardi, whose Mustang struggled down the racing surface and slowed from his earlier pace to a 6.45. In the round’s other heavyweight matchup, Chris Rini shook as he went by the christmas tree and had to pedal, allowing Jeff Lutz to sail into the semifinals with a 6.30. Joe Dunne, meanwhile, earned another single run into the semi’s, clocking a 6.22.
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- Frank Mewshaw was unable to make the call for the second round of Super Street, handing a competition single to Ed Rice. In the other pairing, Mike Murillo reminded us all that he’s human, slowing to a 6.95 at just 175 MPH as his SCT Mustang left a plume of smoke the stripe. Nevertheless, he’ll have lane choice over Rice in the final, his 6.95 to Rice’s 7.01.
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- It wasn’t a pretty way to win, but Dan Kroll will certainly take it. Opponent Bill Trovato broke in the burnout, giving Kroll a single, to which he broke just off the starting line and rolled to a stop downtrack. In the semifinals, Kroll will be joined by Bob Kurgan, Phil Smith – who took Enzo Pecchini in a great drag race – and Jamie Stanton.
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- On paper, it would’ve taken an error on Jason Lee’s part for Orson Johnson to earn the Drag Radial win, but unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance to try as his Mustang broke in the staging lanes. Adding insult to injury, Lee blew the tires off right at the drop of the green.
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- Jeff Lutz, Patrick Barnhill, and the rest of the Lutz crew are thrashing in the pits with an ignition issue as the call goes out for Pro Street to head to the lanes for the semifinals.
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- Mike Murillo indicated that the puff of smoke from his machine was nothing more than baby powder exiting the car. He’ll face Ed Rice for the Super Street crown in a short while.
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- Robbie Blankenship was pretty well dominated Pro Stock this weekend, and moved into the final with a semifinal rout of Michael DeMayo, 8.53 to an 8.76. In the final, he’ll meet the always tough Charlie Booze Jr.
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- It was an all Baskin Racing finale in Mean Street, with the family patriarch taking the victory with a 10.08 from his Chevy II, easily handling the 10.32 posted by Benny Smith.
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- With Jeff Lutz broken, the semifinals ebcame the finals, and Vinny Demieri used consistency to cap a great weekend with a win, running a 6.21 in the final as Joe Dunne got out in the marbles and did a great job of driving to keep his Camaro out of the wall.
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- Andy Vogt had a great weekend reaching the finals in Nostalgia Pro Street, but unfortunately this is about as far as his Firebird would make it under power, as Jim Jarrett cruised to a 7.32 victory.
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- It’s not a very common ocurrence, but Charlie Booze Jr. came into the Pro Stock final as the underdog, and true to form this weekend, Robbie Blankenship led this one virtually wire-to-wire, leaving just .005 behind Booze Jr. and clicking off an 8.53 to a losing 8.76.
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- Ed Rice’s Mustang popped and banged right off the starting line and that was all the window that Mike Murillo needed, running his slowest elapsed time of the day at 7.27 and 188.75 MPH for the Super Street title.
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- With Jamie Stanton broke, Phil Smith had an easy trip to the final with an 8.12 solo, while Bob Kurgan won out on the other side of the ladder with an 8.06 defeat of Dan Kroll. In the final, Smith’as run came to an end with a -.229 red light, giving an easy win to Kurgan.
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- Dave Pierce was the first of the high-horsepower cars to take to the racetrack this morning. Pierce’s Camaro rattled the tires hard right at the hit and headed straight for the centerline before he wisely lifted.
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- Keith McCoy, who has been a longtime fixture in Nostalgia Pro Street, is making his first outing of the season this weekend. His father, David (pictured), helps put the classic Firebird down the racetrack.
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- Clint Hairston is making his season debut with the NMCA this weekend in the family’s GTO that Troy Coughlin has been campaigning in the NHRA Pro Modified series this year. Coughlin’s new mount was picked up last week, allowing Clint, father Jim, and brother Jake to come out this weekend. According to Jim, the team plans on taking the car to the NHRA U.S. Nationals as a backup to Troy’s new car, and will then enter the NMCA Finals in indy in October. This car has been in the 5’s this season, so they’re a player right out of the box.
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- Dan Stevenson, who had a stellar outing at Joliet, coming up just short of Randy Adler in the Pro Street finale, is back for another crack at the tough Pro Street division this weekend. The Bolingbrook, Ill. based team has broughr along the legendary Charles Carpenter once again to turn the knobs and dials.
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- Honk if you’ve seen this race car from this angle before. 84-year old Willard Kinzer, who purchased David Wolfe’s dominant, record-setting Outlaw Drag Radial machine this spring, is here competing in Super Street on the radials. Kinzer is here with the Jeff Lutz camp, and has the one and only Patrick Barnhill assisting in the tuning department.
