The season opener in Bradenton is one of the biggest races of the NMCA racing season. It is where 2010 records fall and new cars are unveiled. Also, this is the place that sets the tone for who will be on top in 2011. Many records were broken last year – will it happen again? Stay tuned all weekend as we bring you updates from the first race of the 2011 NMCA racing season. Special thanks to our event sponsor SCT Performance. Check out their great line of tuning products at www.sctflash.com. For LSX Challenge Coverage, check out lsxmag.com Coverage starts Friday morning!
- Bruce Robert’s notchback mustang is back out with a fresh paint job, new Race Craft wing, and parachute. It’s powered by a 434ci SBF Nelson Competition Motor with a Wilson Manifold and Nitrous combo. The driver, Eric Kenward, hopes to be running in the 7.70’s in X275 Drag Radial. Sponsors: TRZ Motorsports, AA Performance, Eric’s Automotive, and FTI Trans & Converts.
- This beautiful ’57 Belair is owned by Rob Alder and Lynwood Wood. It’s their first time out with the car running Pro Street this year. They used to run Super Street and have been racing for years. This Chevy is powered by a 521ci motor built by their own A-Team Speed Shop, Inc. from Tinley Park, Illinois.
- Bill Trovato is running the little Olds still but has a new ride under way being built by Patrick Budd out of Maryland. He is switching brands to a 2010 Camaro and 400 ci. LS engine with a GM Performance LSX block and LS7 heads. The new ride was purchased as a body in white and is being built from the ground up.
- Louisville Mississippi racer Kevin Mitchel is here and has been 6.83 at nearly 215 with his twin turbocharged Camaro last year in Super Street. They made some changes over the winter to make it easier to work on. Crew members are Tim Mitchell, Randy Mitchell, Graham Hill and Wade Hopkins. All fab work on the car is was handled in house at Southern Speed, the 548 ci BBC was built by Proline Race Engines with TCI converter and transmission.
- Former NMCA NPS Champion Jeff Colletta is here with a new car and has made some small changes to the combination. The K & B built car has not been run by Jeff yet and they switched to a single carburetor to take advantage of the weight break and will run this year at 3125 pounds instead of 3250 for the other car.
- Dave Lovendahl is the technical advisor for JRI Shocks and the company has signed on for NMCA sponsorship for the 2011 season. They will be providing tech support on site at all the NMCA points races this year for any racers that so desire and have a shock dyno in the trailer to check and fine tune their own or competitors products.
- Chris Rini is debuting a new car here this weekend. The 69 Synergy Camaro body is set on top of a Jerry Bickel chassis. All of Rini’s sponsors have returned for 2011 including ATI and initial testing has the car going straight and running well. The same Buck Racing Engine from last year has been freshened.
Friday Night Pit Notes
- This beautiful 81 Camaro belongs to Steve Summers from Utica, Illinois. The new entry for Super Street 10.5 features a 499 cubic inch big block Chevy from Jasiak Racing Engines, then force fed by an F3-R Procharger on gasoline. The chassis started out from Fast Forward Race Cars and has been updated since by Jerry Bickel. Patrick Barnhill is is helping out tuning the fuel management.
- Joe Dunn made the switch to a clutch Lenco for this year and has seen promising results in early testing in Georgia. Jerry Bickel Race Cars did updates and the trans swap fabrication over the winter and prepped the car. Musi freshened his fuel injected 867 BBC as well. Here in Bradenton they are just trying to learn the new set up and didn’t make a full run today.
- Some other big news on the Baskin Trucking front is a new sponsorship deal with 2010 Pro Street Champion Chris Rini. The Baskin Trucking logo will be on the quarter panel soon. We will have some more info on this exciting news on Saturday. His best run today was a 6.18 @ 227 clicking it just a little early. A nice 4.01 1/8th should have the car at a .15 or slightly better according to prior data and are looking forward to Saturdays qualifying.
- I had the pleasure of meeting Pete Pagliese and his crew: Fred and Hailey Pagliese, Russ and Donna Sutherlane, and Tom Orr. Pete’s awesome Pro Street Vette has a 526ci Oddy Race Engine with chassis work done by Pat Bennett. The car shook the tires a few times today but after making a few adjustments they hope to get it hooking up and going straight down the track tomorrow! Sponsors: Pagliese Service & Performance.
- Don Lamana is testing to get his new turbo notch all dialed-in. A few weeks back in Georgia he broke a driveshaft while pulling a big wheelstand. At the NMRA race two weeks ago he ran 8.80 @ 171 mph with a bad 60 foot. He shook the tires on his only test pass today, but tomorrow he is hoping to get into the 8.30 zone if he can get it to hook! Built by Pro-Fab Performance.
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