For the second time this season, the competitors of the NMCA and NMRA converge on the same property for the annual Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing here at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet just outside Chicago. Racers have been met with unseasonably cool temperatures that feels more like October than June, meaning we could see some record performances this weekend. Stay tuned throughout the weekend as we bring you all of the NMCA action along with Sunday’s Super Bowl Shootout against the NMRA contingent.

Special thanks to our event sponsor SCT Performance. Check out their great line of tuning products at www.sctflash.com.

We're underway this morning under suprisingly cool mid-60 degree temperatures with test and tune action, and while that's underway, we've been browsing the pits to see who's here to do battle this weekend.

With cool temperatures, a stiff tailwind, and a racing surface with a history of setting records, the assault on the five-second zone will likely end right here this weekend. While Vinni Demieri will surely be in the midst of it, he'll just be looking for a better result than last year more than anything. During one of the evening qualifying sessions, Demieri found himself upside down in the shutdown area with a mangled '68 Camaro that ended his season.

Dave Hance and the New York Motorsports team are here with their twin-turbocharged Extreme 10.5 entry sporting a big set of meats under the rear fenders for some Pro Street action this weekend. Hance and company are said to be testing out some new suspension components during one of their rare quarter mile outings.

Dave Hance discusses racing his Pro Street and Drag Radial Rides

ADRL Pro Nitrous regulars Dave Pierce (above) and and Dan Stevenson are both here at Joliet to try their hand at the Pro Street category, making an already stacked class a little tougher.

DMC Racing's Dave DeMarco recently put the finishing touches on some upgrades to his wicked Buick Regal Outlaw 10.5 machine for battle in the Super Street category. DeMarco made a nice straight hit in testing this morning, lefting early to a high seven-second lap.

After taking the recent Maryland race off, Jeff Lutz is here in Joliet with his turbocharged Grand Am in Pro Street.

Danny Shemwel had all kinds of trouble at the hit on his testing effort this afternoon, roasting the hides and belching flames out of the cowl hood on his Xtreme Street GTO.

Danny Shemwell discusses his new car blues

Mario Orsini has his turbocharged '57 Chevy here in Joliet competing in Pro Street, as well. Orsini had troubles just off the starting line on his hit this afternoon and will be back for qualifying, slated to begin at 3 PM.

Chuck Samuel and the Viscardi Boyz crew got a good look at the side of their race car as Alex Viscardi took a hard left turn toward the centerline near the 1000' marker, collecting the finish line blocks before reigning the turbocharged machine after a wild ride.

Chris Rini and the rest of the Pro Street contingent will be gunning for the fives this evening when we open qualifying. During testing, Rini got out of the groove near half track and wisely lifted.

Depressed Chris Rini talks about his Friday engine issues.

Dan Stevenson has Pro Modified legend Charles Carpenter in his corner this weekend, and that definitely makes these NMCA "rookies" a player this weekend.

Jason Mitchell had a fuel line come loose on his Camaro during his morning test hit and had a fire on the top end that brought the action to a halt. He and the rest of his crew are busy replacing the burnt hoses in the front of the car and hope to make this evening's second session.

This isn't what you want to see before qualifying even begins. Dave Hance broke a valve and subsequently cracked the cylinder head on his test hit, forcing the New York Motorsports crew to hightail it to a local shop to have the head repaired in order to continue their weekend.

Jason Lee made another of his patented 330' wheelstands and was forced to lift, rolling through to an 18.21 to anchor the field after one round of qualifying. Newcomer Brad Medlock nailed down the quickest run of the round with a 7.61 and is closely followed by Andy Manson at 7.63 and Sean Lyon at 7.69.

Chris Rini and Alex Viscardi were both no-shows in the first session, leaving the door wide open for a couple of racers. With a recent 6.00-second lap at Budds Creek, Joe Dunne we certainly the favorite, but neither he nor Dan Stevenson could get through the front half of the track under power. Jeff Lutz closed out the round atop the field at 6.13.

Scotty G and Bill Trovato provided the opening round fireworks with a pair of impressive backfires right at the hit in Xtreme Street. Jamie Stanton currently sits #1 with a 7.88 and is trailed closely by Bob Kurgan at 7.89.

Enzo Pecchini is currently fourth in Xtreme Street qualifying with an 8.09 at 169 mph.

Robbie Blankenship charged to the top of the pack in the combined Hot Street and Pro Stock category, running a nice 8.44 at 154.49. Charilie Booze Jr. is right there in second with an 8.47.

Mike Murillo continued where he left off in Maryland with another great performance to lead the combined Super Street and Pro Outlaw category with a 6.66 at 222.11 mph. Street car legend Nick Scavo is a tenth back at 6.76, while Tony Nesbitt is third at 6.77 and Tim Essick sits fourth with a 6.86.

Murillo talks about the challenges of racing in both the NMRA and NMCA

Jeremy Gillam made the best run of the opening round of Mean Street qualifying with a 9.904 that just edged Alan Von Ahnen's 9.919 and Don Baskin's 9.940.

Jim Jarrett currently leads an impressive field of Nostalgia Pro Street racers with a 7.277 from his '69 Camaro. Joe Bucaro is right behind with a 7.28 and the nautrually-aspirated Mustang of Chuck Demory Jr. is third at 7.35.

Darkness is upon us here at Route 66 Raceway and with a current air temperature of just 66 degrees, horsepower should be in abundance in the second round of qualifying.

Alex Viscardi and the Viscardi Boyz team are thrashing in the pits to complete an engine change after losing the primary bullet on the earlier test pass. Water from the engine, which would be clearly seen in the earlier photo, got under the tires, sending Alex on an exciting ride.

Final Friday Qualifying

Compulink StarTrak Kooks Headers Pro Street Qualifying for 15 entries
Low ET 6.001 1957 Randy Adler
Top Speed 237.00 1957 Randy Adler
1957 PS ’57 Chevrolet Hemi 521 Randy Adler Tinley Park Il 6.001 237 237
1151 PS ’70 Camaro Chev 855 Dan Stevenson Bolingbrook IL 6.089 209.56 209.56
1560 PS ’05 Grand Am Chev 540 Jeff Lutz Callery PA 6.139 235.8 235.8
1988 PS ’67 Ford Ford 532 Alex Viscardi New Iberia LA 6.202 234.66 234.66
1204 PS ’63 Corvette Chev 526 Tony pugliese Madiera Beach FL 6.548 215 215
1003 PS ’69 Camaro Chev 526 Tony Williams Millington TN 6.581 212.19 212.19
1323 PS ’66 Nova Chev 565 Hollis Jones Lemont IL 7.272 192.41 192.41
1013 PS ’68 Camaro Musi 860 Vincent Demieri Dix Hills NY 7.574 154.47 154.47
1964 PS ’57 Chevy Chev 526 Mario Orsini Lombard IL 8.936 111.7 111.7
1311 PS ’68 Camaro Musi 864 Joe Dunne Wolcott CT 9.999 90.54 90.54
1409 PS ’62 Impala Chev 477 Mike Holdridge Seymour WI 10.35 188.73 188.73
1009 PS ’66 Chevelle Chev 555 Joe Priola Villa Park IL 11.69 69.24 69.24
1 PS ’07 Stratus Dart 825 Chris Rini Carmel NY 12.284 73.17 73.17
1262 PS ’68 Camaro Rehr 820 Dave Pierce Claremore OK 27.49 26.3 26.3
1127 PS ’00 Firebird Pont 526 David Merritt Demotte IN 27.518 22.73 22.73

Compulink StarTrak Pro Outlaw/Super Street 10.5 Qualifying for 10 entries
Low ET 6.638 2 Mike Murillo
Top Speed 224.36 2069 Nick Scavo
2 PRO ’93 Mustang Ford 549 Mike Murillo San Antonio Tx 6.638 222.11 222.11
2069 SS Chev 510 Nick Scavo Chicago IL 6.765 224.36 224.36
2999 PRO ’02 Corvette Chev 737 Tony Nesbitt Lambard IL 6.775 203.77 203.77
2011 PRO ’84 Regal Chev 545 David DeMarco Reading MA 6.818 223.1 223.1
1003 PRO ’03 Mustang Ford 427 Tim Essick Brandywine MD 6.869 205.88 205.88
2918 PRO ’81 Camaro Chev 498 Steve Summers Utica FL 7.164 194.69 194.69
2001 PRO ’95 Mustang Ford 440 Ed Rice Springfield IN 8.3 110.17 204.94
2030 SS ’02 Camaro Chev 545 Kevin Mitchell Booneville MS 8.827 113.41 113.41
3 PRO ’03 Cobra Ford 440 Dwayne James Albuquerque NM 9.231 85.32 94.09
2930 PRO ’74 Dodge Hemi 526 Brian Hicks Genoa IL 10.282 105.95 105.95

Compulink StarTrak Mr Gasket Nost Muscle Car Qualifying for 18 entries
Top Speed 128.07 8063 Colton Alexander
8058 F/NMC ’63 Falcon Ford 302 Cindee Hall DeLand FL 13 0 0
8850 A/NMC ’67 Camaro Chev 406 Jim Wickas Baraboo WI 10.503 0 0.003
3 B/NMC ’70 Duster Mopr 360 Tony Miles Tiplersville MS 11.006 0 0.006
8044 C/NMC ’69 Chevrolet Chev 540 Wade Wells Springville AL 11.507 0 0.007
8063 A/NMC ’67 Mustang Ford 347 Colton Alexander Clinton IL 10.509 0 0.009
8169 B/NMC ’79 Chevrolet Chev 383 Jacob Weigl Eastview KY 11.01 0 0.01
1 A/NMC ’71 Caprice Chev 427 Andy Warren Rineyville KY 10.519 0 0.019
8170 F/NMC ’66 Barracuda Mopr 273 Jeff Anderson New Smyrna Beach FL 13.03 0 0.03
8262 B/NMC ’68 Charger Wedg 440 Rocky Norris Milwaukee WI 11.054 0 0.054
8999 E/NMC ’63 Chevy II Chev 364 Willie Benner Tuscola IL 12.566 0 0.066
8372 E/NMC ’72 Nova Chev 350 Michael Pryka Bartlett IL 12.57 0 0.07
8238 G/NMC ’59 El camino Chev 409 Dennis Eudaley LeClaire IA 13.579 0 0.079
8019 E/NMC ’66 Chevy II Chev 350 Gerry Vizzo Land o lakes 12.625 0 0.125
8311 D/NMC ’70 Nova Chev 396 Paul Osipoff Plainfield iL 12.13 0 0.13
8428 C/NMC ’68 REAL Cobra Jet Ford 428 Don Fotti Winnipeg Manitoba 11.667 0 0.167
8487 F/NMC ’72 Nova Chev 454 Mike Griffin Beecher IL 13.225 0 0.225
8038 A/NMC ’69 Camaro Chev 327 Heath Shemwell Trenton KY 19.482 0 8.982
8020 C/NMC ’76 Grand Prix Pont 461 Michael Slaviero New Lenox IL 11.411 0 -0.089

Compulink StarTrak ARP Nostalgia Pro Street Qualifying for 13 entries
Low ET 7.249 3228 James Jarrett
Top Speed 190.06 1 Jeff Colletta
3228 NPS ’69 Camero Dart 639 James Jarrett St Clair MI 7.249 189.42
1 NPS ’69 Camaro Chev 640 Jeff Colletta Walker LA 7.264 190.06
3244 NPS ’04 Cobra Ford 398 Joe Bucaro Carol Stream IL 7.288 187.34
3112 NPS ’68 Mustang Ford 640 Chuck DeMory Jr Geneva IL 7.359 184.75
3919 NPS ’90 Trans Am Chev 522 Andy Vogt Des Plains IL 7.389 183.84
3201 NPS ’11 Camaro Chev 638 Skip Baskin Covington TN 7.436 186.98
8 NPS ’65 Fairlane Ford 638 Pete Ricart Pickerington OH 7.514 182.18
3059 NPS ’85 Firebird Pont 522 Shawn Baker Mundelein IL 7.559 180.67
3005 NPS ’85 Camaro Chev 632 Mitch Mika Arlington Hts IL 7.624 181.72
3076 NPS ’69 Nova Chev 522 Rob Vander Woude Homerglen IL 7.7 176.44
3036 NPS ’02 Mustang Ford 438 George Jowik Hometown IL 7.813 175.46
3336 NPS ’02 Camaro Chev 495 Bill Hougton Homer Glen IL 7.846 177.67
3988 NPS ’88 Mustang Ford 434 Bob Kernwein New Lenox IL 9.532 92.77

Compulink StarTrak CFE Xtreme Street Qualifying for 10 entries
Low ET 7.814 4444 Bob Kurgan
Top Speed 178.73 4019 Jamie Stanton
4444 XS ’86 Mustang Ford 364 Bob Kurgan Byron IL 7.814 178.35 178.35
4019 XS ’02 Camaro Chev 525 Jamie Stanton Canastota NY 7.882 178.73 178.73
4627 XS ’88 Mustang Ford 355 Enzo Pecchini Woodridge Ont 8.059 171.84 171.84
4419 XS ’85 Firebird Pont 525 Phil Smith Granger IN 8.091 173.78 173.78
4632 XS ’70 Camaro Chev 532 Henry Schneider GraysLake IL 8.175 167.86 167.86
4664 XS ’72 Nova Chev 523 John Warren Vine Grove KY 8.339 169.38 169.38
4999 XS ’01 Mustang Chev 582 Danny Shemwell Elkton KY 9.044 152.45 152.45
4442 XS ’81 Olds 442 Chev 523 Scott Guiler Salem OH 12.052 92.93 92.93
4005 XS ’96 Corvette Chev 365 Bob Curran Bartlett IL 17.391 47.6 47.6
4177 XS ’78 Olds Starfire Olds 403 Bill Trovato Rochester NY 22.608 56.31 56.31

Compulink StarTrak BFG Tires Mean Street Qualifying for 6 entries
Low ET 9.904 1 Jeremy Gillam
Top Speed 133.74 4 Alan Von Ahnen
1 MS ’91 Mustang Ford 347 Jeremy Gillam Schererville IN 9.904 133.66 133.66
4 MS ’79 Mustang Ford 347 Alan Von Ahnen Pennsville NJ 9.919 133.74 133.74
2 MS ’67 Chevy II Chev 358 Don Baskin Covington TN 9.94 133.43 133.43
6 MS ’85 Camaro Chev 359 Gary Duncan Olive Branch MS 10.644 89.42 89.42
5 MS ’99 Mustang GT Ford 350 Doug Johnson Joliet IL 10.684 126.33 126.33
7 MS ’82 Mustang Ford 347 Mike Winters Shelby Township MI 11.097 127.62 127.62