NMCA Maryland MIR 2011 Same Day Coverage

Traction was certainly at a premium this afternoon as cars took their first crack at the quarter mile in today’s test and tune session. Most of the higher horsepower cars, including Vinny Demieri, didn’t make it much further than the 60-foot clocks before ratting and/or smoking the hides and saving the parts for this evenning’s first qualifying session.

Enzo Pecchini tossed the laundry early on his shakedown lap and recorded an 8.08 at 158. Later, Drag Radial competitors Andy Manson and Jason Lee cranked off 7.73 and 7.99 elapsed times, respectively.

Current Super Street points leader Mike Murillo launched into near instant tirespin aboard his SCT Performance-backed Mustang and, like a number of others, will be looking for more later today.

After a delay for a cleanup that took well over an hour, test and tune is quickly being run to conclusion so that we can get qualifying underway. Jim Jarett cranked off a stout 7.28 to pace the Nostalgia Pro Street field heading into tonights first session.

Jeff Miller roasted the hides on his Steve King-tuned supercharged mount before going 60 feet.

Chris Rini was another of the Pro Street competitors unable to figure out the tricky starting line surface.

Alex Viscardi was the first Pro Street car to get ahold of the MIR racing surface today, clicking off the Mustang and coasting to a 6.50 at just 174 mph.

Don Baskin was the only Pro Stock driver to improve thus far today, moving from the bottom of the order to second with an 8.401 at 158.43. Robbie Blankenship holds down the top spot wtih his 8.37, while Charlie Booze’s earlier 8.40 kept him third.

Don Bowles recorded a nice 8.560 in his ’72 Maverick, which was only good for the third spot in the Pro Stock qualifying order.

Jeremy Gillam cranked off a 9.976, 133.90 efort, good for third on the Mean Street rung.

Andy Manson laid down the gauntlet from the get-go in 275 Drag Radial qualifying, posting a 7.746 at 176.72, more than two tenths quicker then second place Keith McLaughlin’s 7.996.

Opposite of Manson, reigning champ Jason Lee was busy doing what he does best: making thing exciting. Lee’s mount carried the hoops and gave Manson and up close and personal look at the Strange Engineering decals on the side of his Mustang.

Chris Rini and Joe Dunne, No.’s 1 and 2 in the Pro Street point standings, were locked together all the way to the boards, recording side-by-side 6.0 laps. Rini just edged Dunne for the provisional pole, his 6.067 at 234.13 to Dunne’s 6.090 at 234.33.

Surprise, surprise! Charlie Booze assumed his usual position atop the Pro Stock order with an 8.405, 160.08 that edged Robbie Blankenship’s game 8.465.

Bob Kurgan placed himself atop a strong field of Xtreme Street cars with a stellar 7.870 at 175.68. Kurgan is trailed by Bill Trovato at 7.929 And Enzo Pecchini at 8.074.

Pete Ricart launched his ’65 Fairlane skyward on his opening attempt before ratting the tires and coasting to a 9.00 good for fifth in the provisional order.

Tony Nesbitt finished the opening round of Super Street just behind Murillo with a pedaling 6.849 at 198.64 effort. Kevin Mitchell (7.048) and Tim Essick (7.141) trail Nesbitt.

Mike Murillo blasted his way to the number one spot in Super Street, recording a 6.756 at 219.33.

Skip Baskin skipped (pun intended) right over the new car blues to place himself second in Nostalgia Pro Street with a 7.316 at 188.52.

Andy Manson shocked the Drag Radial contingent with the quickest pass ever for the category, blasting his way to a 7.539 at 184.85. Miechal Fratena stepped up signifcantly with a 7.689, as did Jason Lee, who carded a 7.811 for third.

Jeff Coletta improved upon his earlier provisional pole-earning effort with a stout 7.199 at 189.55.

The barrage on the recordbooks continued in Super Street, as Mike Murillo made the quickest pass in the history of the category to maintain his stranglehold on the class, shelling out a 6.612 at 219.79. Frank Mewshaw stepped up in his Trans Am to the second spot with a 6.724, while the rest of the order remained mostly the same.

Chris Rini, perhaps the favorite to break the five-second barrier first, had troubles within the first 100 feet and could only watch as Dunne sailed to the quickest pass in history. Suffice it to say, these two will be at it tomorrow evening to see who can capture that five-second time slip.

It was a record-breaking night here at MIR as officials made the call to contest a second, previously unscheduled qualifying session under the lights with the temperatures cooled off significantly. There was a buzz in the air as Joe Dunne and Chris Rini pulled to the line alongside one another to close the evening and they didn’t dissapoint, as Dunne came oh-so-close to the magic five-second zone with a quickest-ever 6.005 at 2367.13 mph.

Fredy Scriba, whose ’63 Corvette has been in the fives before, was the final car down the racetrack and the last chance to get the deed done, but, like Rini, he too had troubles early and coasted on through the quarter mile.

Robbie Blanenship leapfrogged Charlie Booze Jr. in the second session, carding an 8.375 at 159.04.

Ryan Hecox, near lane, currently sits fourth in the Mean Street order with a 10.044 at 132.99 mph. Alan Von Ahnen far lane, is second with his 9.890. Don baskin improved on his earlier effort with a 9.852 to remain atop the sheets.

Bill Trovato’s 7.929 at 170.71 from his Olds Starfire has him currently in third in the Xtreme Street order. Bob Kurgan remains atop the list with his 7.870, while Jamie Stanton move his way up to second with a nice 7.896.

Crew chief Chuck Samuel was busdy in the pits this afternoon getting Alex Viscardi’s machine ready for today’s final rounds of qualifying. Alex was unable to get ahold of the racing surface last night and hopes a new set of Goodyear meats will get the job done today.

According to Mike Murillo, he and his team had trouble getting ahold of the front half of the racetrack and pulled more power out in the early going of his 6.61-second effort than ever before. Mike plans on going aftert the record backup in the early session in the heat of the day, of which he will need a 6.678 or quicker to make official.

Rick Ellison solidifed his #1 qualifying effort with an improved 9.718 at 139.53 in the strong 11-car Unlimited Hemi field.

ATI Performances’ JC Beattie is currently second in the Unlimited Hemi category at 9.945 from his DragPak Challenger. He is trailed by Sohrab Fakhar at 10.04, Peter Mitchell at 10.21, and Erik Keoni at 10.32.

Jeff Colletta remains atop the Nostalgia Pro Street field with earlier 7.199, while Skip Baskin, far lane, is still second based on his 7.31 also recorded on Friday.

tim Essick was the only mover in the third session in Super Street, improving to a 6.92 to move up a spot in the order.

Mike Murillo may be cleaning out his shorts after it appeared the wind got ahold of his parachutes just after the stripe and sent his SCT-backed mount careening into the left lane. Fortunately, Mike had a solo run and was able to use up the opposing lane in the shutdown area to corral the Mustang without incident.

Chris Rini made the best run of the round but was unable to improve upon his 6.06 from yesterday, mantianing his spot in second just behind Joe Dunne.

Joe Dunne and Chris Rini were unable to break into the five-second zone on today’s first pass in the heat, but a just-announced fifth qualifying session will give them both two more shots at the racetrack this evening.

Alan Von Ahnen made a minute improvement today, gaining .005 with a 9.885, to hold down the second spot in Mean Street.

Jamie Stanton remains second in Xtreme Street based on his 7.896 from Friday, trailing just behind Bob Kurgan and his 7.87.

Andy Manson was unable to back up his 7.53 for a national record in today’s third session, but remains solidly atop the 275 Radial field.

Jason Lee got his act together and moved himself up the ladder with a stout 7.68 at 180.43 mph.

Joe Bucaro move himself up two spots to second with a nice 7.27 at 180.16.

Tim Essic blasted into the evening Maryland sky on his way to a killer 6.83 at 204.85 mph. Tony Nesbitt also used the twiight session to close the gap between himself ans Mike Murillo, running a 6.78 at just 199 mph.

No doubt that Chris Rini and Joe Dunne were once again loaded for bear and there was a sense in the air that whoever got the finish line first would be the firswt in the fives, but it wasn’t meant to be. Rini rattled the hides about 100 feet out and Dunne could only muster a 6.05 at a bomming 236 mph.

72-year old Don Bowles wowed the crowd here at MIR in the final session, nearly putting his ’72 Maverick on the bumper. Bowles’ mount slapped the pavement hard on it’s way down and word from the top end is there may be a littles less oil in the pan than before the run. Nonetheless, Don earned plenty of style points for this perfomance.

Bob Kurgan set the pace early in Xtreme Street with his 7.870 and was never contested the rest of the way, remaining atop the stout field.

Andy Manson put a period on qualifying in Drag Radial with a stellar 7.57 to back up his earlier 7.53 for a new national record in 275 Drag Radial. Marc Shankweiler (pictured) anchored the field with his ’67 Chevy II at 8.372.

Chuck Demory Jr. and his naturally-aspirated ’68 Mustang finished Nostalgia Pro Street qualifying in the fifth slot with a 7.359.

Jim Jarrett and his gorgeous ’69 Camaro concluded qulifying in the third slot with a 7.328 at 188.60.

Tony Nesbitt gave it a valiant effort in the nights final pass as qualifying leader Miike Murillo sat the session out, but he couldn’t improve upon his earlier 6.78 and remained third.

The race to the fives in Pro Street came and went without a bang. Joe Dunne indicated that after four sessions, he’d beat on his equipment enough and opted to sit out the fifth and final session. Chris Rini put the ATI-backed machine right down broadway, but “only” a 6.062 flashed on the scoreboard.

Rick Ellison had JC Beattie Jr. and the rest of the Unlimited Hemi field covered by more than two tenths, but in the final, his supsrcharged Challenger incurred trouble right at the hit and he was forced to pull to the side and watch the ATI Performance driver cruise to the win with a 9.93.

In the semifinals of the Stroker Hemi category, AJ Berge came out on the winning end of a great drag race with James Miller, a 10.73 defeating a 10.76 after a scant .017 starting line advantage.

Kent Irwin, far lane, qualified #1 in 5.7 N/A Hemi and recieved a first round bye. In round two, he downed Greg Green with an 11.60, and in the final, bested Jon Dalton and his Challenger, 11.66 to 12.11.

AJ Berge, far lane, left just a little too soon with an .014 redlight, handing the win to Nick Mendolia and his Charger, which recorded an 11.10.

Once all of the individual clases were complete, all of the winners faced off in a handicap start shootout, and taking the whole shootin’ match was Unlimited winner JC Beattie Jr., who defeated 5.7 N/A winner Ken Irwin, 10.00 to 11.50 after a sizeable starting line advantage.

Bill McFadden put his Magnum in the 6.1 N/A Hemi winners circle after he defeated Steven Kowelski and his Charger in the final, 11.56 to a 12.26.

Don Bowles indicatd that he had made a front suspension adjustment last night following an earlier wheelstand, and as could be seen by his acrobatics in the final session, things didn’t go quite according to plan. Some minor damage was done to the oilpan, but the vacuum pump kept all the fluids in the motor and off the racing surface after a spark-showering crash to earth.

While all eyes were on the pair at the top of the Pro Street pack in their pursuit of the fives, they certainly aren’t the only cars on the property capable of getting it done. The Demieri team went after it last night and said this morning they definitely have the power to go sub-6.00, but like Rini and Dunne, it’s just a matter of putting it all together in the right conditions.

Enzo Pecchini recorded his best lap of the weekend at 7.97 and will meet top qualifer Bob Kurgan in round two. Bill Trovato and Dan Kroll both advanced and will also meet in the second round.

Alex Viscardi carded a nice 6.17 to defeat Rick Blaisdell in the first round of Pro Street. In round two, he’ll face Chris Rini, who ran a 6.07 on a break single when Jeff Miller’s car broke on the burnout. Joe Dunne went 6.09 to easily handle Vinny Demieri and will have a bye into the final.

Tim Essick came out on the losing end of a great race with Tony Nesbitt, 6.75 to 6.87. Kevin Mitchell recieved a break single when Frank Mewshaw’s weekend-long troubles kept him from making the call, and Mike Murillo blasted to a 6.68 to advance, where he’ll earn the bye into the final.

Chuck Demory Jr. spun the tires instantly, headed for the guardrail, and wisely lifted off the throttle on his break single. Jim Jarret took down Pete Ricart in a good drag race, 7.35 to 7.42. Skip Baskin and Joe Bucaro both advanced, as did Jeff Colletta who got the opening round bye.

Michael Fratena advanced over Mike Schankweiler in Drag Radial with an 8.07 and will meet Jason Lee, who carded a 7.65, in the next round. Andy Manson lifted early on his first round single to an 8.17.

Charlie Booze Jr. let it all hang out on his first round break single as Greg Delaney was unable to make the call. In round two he’ll face top qualifer Robbie Blankenship. Don Baskin meanwhile will have the bye run into the money round.

Jeremy Gillam went low for the round in Mean Street with a 9.94 to take down Teddy Weaver and w2ill face Don Baskin in round two. Alan Von Ahnen, (9.95) will square off with Chris Cloude.

Michael Fratena had torubles just off the starting line while Jason Lee blasted to another 7.6-second lap to advance to the money round, where he’ll face Andy Manson in what, on paper, should be an epic battle.

Alex Viscardi came into his semfinal bout with Chris Rini and that he did, as Rini shook and was forced to peddle near the 60 foot marker and couldn’t run down Viscardi’s best run of the weekend, a 6.09. In the final, he’ll meet Joe Dunne, who threw the chutes early and coasted to a 6.33.

Alan Von Ahnen used a nice 9.94 to down Chris Cloude to advance to the final in Mean Street, where he’ll face Don Baskin, who bested Jeremy Gillam in a great 9.91 to 9.98 match.

Top qualifier Bob Kurgan defeated Dan Kroll with an 8.03 to advance to the final in Xtreme Street, where he’ll meet Jamie Stanton, who has lane choice with a 7.93.

#1 qualifer Jeff Colletta did likewise in Nostalgia Pro Street downing a struggling Skip Baskin, who put his brand new Camaro in the final in its maiden outing, 7.286 at 189.66 to 7.592 at 184.40.

In the Pro Street finale, Alex Viscardi, who earned lane choice with his impressive 6.09 in the semis, left just a tick too soon, allowing Joe Dunne to collect a parts-eating 6.077 at 226.24 victory.

Jamie Stanton and Bob Kurgan, the two top qualifers this weekend in Xtreme Street, faced off for all the marbles. Kurgan lost something from his mount early on and could only watch Stanton cruise to an 8.125-second, 176.72 mph win.

The 275 Drag Radial final had the makings of an incredible matchup, and Jason Lee and new national record holder Andy Manson didn’t dissapoint. Lee took a miniscule .062 ot .063 advantage at the tree, but couldn’t find off Manson, who recorded a 7.593 to Lee’s right-there 7.595. The margin at the stripe was a scant .014.

Don Baskin put a sizeable holeshot on Robbie Blankenship in the Pro Stock finale, and instant tirespin for Robbie sealed the deal, as Baskin laid down an 8.480 at 157.56 .

It was certainly Don Baskin’s day here in Maryland. Not only did he capture the Pro Stock crown, but he defeated Alan Von Ahnen for the Mean Street crown, 9.88 to a 9.97.

Mike Murillo took Super Street from wire-to-wire, qualifying #1 and taking a commanding 6.71 win over Kevin Mitchell and his 7.04 effort.

This certainly isn’t how you want to start your weekend. Frank Mewshaw and team believe they have some issues in the valvetrain in their Super Street machine and have the entire top half of the twin-turbocharged powerplant apart.

This trick fifth-gen Camaro out of the B&B Race Cars shop is the altest addition to the Baskin Racing empire. The new Nostalgia Pro Street entry, which Skip Baskin will pilot, was compelted just a week ago and has only a handful of shakedown laps at Holly Springs to its credit. The new ride is powered by Bischoff-built 630-inch Big Block backed by a Turbo 400 transmission.

Rick Blaisdell has brought a new Tommy Mauney-built ’63 Corvette here to MIR to contest what is expected to be a strong field in Pro Street.

Longtime followers of the NMCA and Pro Street racing will certainly remember the name Jeff Miller. Miller was one of the early pioneers of the Pro Street category and has the titles to prove it. Jeff raced with Steve King in the late 90’s and early 2000’s and eventually purchased King’s infamous Dodge Viper. The ’57 Chevy you see here, which Miller competes with regularly in the Northeast Pro Modified Series, actually contains part of the original chassis that was once King’s Viper.