SATURDAY NIGHT NITRO/NOSTALGIA FALL CHAMPIONSHIPS/FUN FORD WEEK-END
Mix together 4 parts nitromethane, 2 parts alcohol and 6 parts race gas. Stir rapidly for 5 to 13 seconds. Sizzle on a hot race track for three days. This was the recipe for a very successful Saturday Night Nitro/ Nostalgia Fall Championships/Fun Ford Weekend at Famoso Raceway September 5-7.
The week-end started on Friday with test sessions that provided a glimpse of what was to come. Hot rods and fuel cars made passes throughout the day. Funny cars were getting ready for Saturday Night Nitro and top fuel cars were sorting things out in anticipation of the upcoming Hot Rod Reunion. Everything from Hot Rods to A Gassers were getting ready for the racing that was to start on Saturday. The fuel cars continued testing throughout the day on Saturday. Among the top fuel cars that were testing were Neal and White, Adam Sorokin, High Speed, Circuit Breaker, and Forever Young.
Saturday morning the first round of qualifying started at 9:30 for the Heritage Series and Ford racers and the racing action was continuous until midnight when Dan Horan, Jr. and Jack Wright crossed the finish line during Saturday Night Nitro finals. Then came the jet cars which lit up the night with a smoky fiery run to close Saturday Night Nitro.
Sunday morning started with elimination rounds for the Nostaglia Fall Championship and Fun Ford racers. Racing ended about 3:00 Sunday afternoon when Chris Beanes and Ray Padgett met at the line to determine the A Gas winner. This was the final points race for the Group 2 Heritage Series racers and both series winners and race winners were crowned at the awards ceremony. Three classes of Fords raced and received trophies, Fast Ford SP, Quick Ford Pro and Street Ford DOT. Fords decorated the grove all day Sunday for an all Ford car show. As an extra bonus anyone driving a Ford got free admission to Famoso on Sunday.
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SATURDAY NIGHT NITRO
This was the second Saturday Night Nitro at Famoso and the 4th and final race of the Boise-Bakersfield Blitz run in conjunction with Saturday Night Nitro. James Day in Pedaler was on hand attempting to duplicate his win from the first Saturday Night Nitro – but it was not to be. Fourteen funny cars turned out Saturday night for qualifying and the eight quickest returned for the finals. It was a warm night and the stands were full as Fighting Irish paired with Thunderstuck for the first match-up. Fighting Irish took the win but didn’t make the 8-car cut.
Next up Alex Miladinovich in Hot for Teacher met Rian Konno in the Kazanjian Lemon & Konno car. Konno assured his place in the final 8 with an ET of 5.97 and Miladinovich earned his spot in the finals with an ET of 6.65.
Then Holy Toledo driven by Dean Oberg and Danny Gerber in the Gerber Family Racing car were at the line. Holy Toledo ran a blistering 5.91 ET and returned for the final 8. With an ET of 8.82 Gerber didn’t make the cut.
James Day in Pedaler sat at the line next to Jack Wright in Joker. Day with an ET of 5.75 and Wright with an ET of 6.33 both returned for the finals.
The Crusher piloted by Todd Paton and Brad Thompson in Jailbreak were next up. Thompson shut down giving Crusher a single run. Paton ran a 5.96 ET for a spot in the final 8.
The next pair was Roger Garten in War Horse and Dale VanGundy in Quarter Pounder; both were disqualified – War Horse when Garten crossed the center line and Quarter Pounder when VanGundy tagged the wall at the top end.
Then Don Hudson in Beachcomer and Bob Godfrey in Burnin’ Money sat side-by-side. Only Burnin’ Money earned a spot in the final 8 with an ET of 6.28.
The last pair was Dan Horan, Jr. in his Patriot Mustang and Robert Overholser in California Hustler. Horan streaked down the track with an ET of 5.81 and rounded out the final 8. Overholser was disqualified.
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The final eight – James Day, Dan Horan, Jr., Dean Oberg, Todd Paton, Rian Konno, Bob Godfrey, Jack Wright and Alex Miladinovich.
The final round started at 10:30 p.m. with Paton and Konno first up. Paton shut down at the line and Konno ran a single with an ET of 6.93 at 179.83 mph. Holy Toledo driven by Dean Oberg took the line next to Bob Godfrey’s Burnin’ Money. Holy Toledo was the only car in the final eight to run in the five’s with an ET of 5.96.
James Day in Pedaler and Alex Miladinovch in Hot for Teacher pulled to the line. Day had a tough run with an ET of only 10.83 but Miladinovich had the night’s 2nd quickest ET of 6.11. Last at the line were Dan Horan, Jr. and Jack Wright in the Joker. Wright was the first to the finish line with an ET of 6.13 with Horan trailing with an ET of 6.19.
DEAN OBERG IN HOLY TOLEDO was the quickest, ET 5.96 and was the winner of Saturday Night Nitro. and Horan, Jr. ended the night as the Boise-Bakersfield Blitz winner.
A couple of fuel altereds were also running. Witch Doctor, always a crowd favorite with his enormous flames. Saturday night Keith Wilson drove Witch Doctor to an ET of 5.82 at an astounding 250.82 mph. Pure Heaven took the line and did a burnout but he seemed to be having front suspension trouble and shut down. Boudakian Racing ran a fuel altered down the track. An alcohol burning altered Lil’ Nasty was also running.
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NOSTALGIA FALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
NHRA Heritage Series Group 2 racers ran their final points series race this week-end. Group 2 includes Hot Rod, NE 1, NE2, NE 3, A Gas, B Gas, C Gas, and D Gas. Gates opened at 9:30 both Sat. and Sunday.
HOT ROD: At the end of qualifying on Saturday, Jim Ringo in a ‘32 Ford was in the No. 1 spot but went out in the 2nd round of 4 elimination rounds. At the end of the day, the No. 7 qualifier Larry Cordone in Two Bit Pony, a‘68 Mustang, took home both the race and series trophies. In the finals Cordone ran an ET of 10.088 on a dial-in of 10.05 going 131.19. No. 2 finisher, John Hildebrand in a ‘31 Model A, ran an ET of 10.197 on a dial-in of 10.22 going 120.52.
NOSTALGIA ELIMINATOR 3: Jeff Harris the No. 1 qualifier went to the finals beating Lindsey Lister, the No. 8 qualifier. NE 3 is a 9.6 index class and Harris ran 9.630 at 137.75 mph. Lister broke out. Ron Kolb in the Kolb and Bodwell car went into the week-end on top of the points list and ended the day as series points winner. Kolb went out in the 3rd round of elimination losing to Lister.
NOSTALGIA ELIMINATOR 2: Miguel Lomas, the points leader, went out in the 2nd round of elimination but still took home the series trophy. Rick Nordness and J. Todd Fernandez met in the finals. Nordness ran an 8.615 on an 8.60 index to take the win. Fernandez ran an ET of 8.635. While Fernandez was faster running 152.85 mph, Nordness crossed the finish line first. Nordness had a reaction time of .027 giving him an edge over Fernandez who had a reaction time of .050.
NOSTALGIA ELIMINATOR 1: Mark Whynaught, the No. 7 qualifiier met Jimmy Morosan, the No. 6 qualifier, in the final round which ended with a double breakout. Whynaught ran an ET of 7.585 in this 7.6 index class and Morosan turned in an ET of 7.575. Since Whynaught ran closest to the index, he took the win. Bill Webber was the Heritage Series points leader but gave the points race to Whynaught when he went out in the 2nd round of elimination.
D GAS: D Gas, a 10.6 index class, ended with a double breakout between Steve Barta’s ’62 Nova and Don Fournier’s ’48 Anglia. Barta turned in an ET of 10.567 and Fournier ran an ET of 10.549 giving Barta the win. Barta ran 126.14 mph to Fournier’s 121.13 mph. Barta met Ed Carey in the 3rd round of elimination to advance to the finals, but Carey took home the Heritage Series trophy.
C GAS: The finals in this 9.60 index class was between Neal Westerbrook in a ’68 Camero and Tom Cwaywa in a ’63 Tempest. Before this race Westerbrook was leading in points and stayed on top when he beat Cwaywa. Westerbrook ran an ET of 9.667 at 138.54 mph and Cwaywa ran 9.656 at 136.04 mph. Westerbook took home trophies for both the race and the series.
B GAS: Fourteen cars turned out for eliminations in this 8.6 index class. Jim Stewart in a ’67 Nova and Brandon Stalnaker in a ’63 Nova made it through the ladders to reach the finals. Although Stalnaker had a reaction time of .019 he gave up the race of Stewart who ran quicker. Stewart had a reaction time of .039 and ran an ET of 8.609 at 155.79 mph. Stalnacker ran an ET of 8.630 at 157.21 mph. Jessie Wooton finished the week-end on top of the points to take home the Heritage Series trophy.
A GAS: A gas had the largest field of the week-end with 21 cars going into elimination rounds. Chris Beanes in his ’51 Henry J and Ray Padgett in a ’63 Corvette were side-by-side in the finals. Beanes ran a near perfect index with an ET of 7.601 on the 7.60 index and Padgett ran 7.623. Beanes was No. 6 in the points before this final round but moved up to take home the Series trophy as well as the race trophy.
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FUN FORD WEEK-END
The Fords ran in three classes. Fast Ford SP, Quick Ford Pro, and Street Ford DOT. Vic Hudson was the winner of the Street Ford DOT class running an ET of 13.349 on a dial-in of 13.15. We did get a photo of the Fast Ford SP winner in a 1957 Ford but we didn’t get final run info from the tower on either the Fast Ford SP or Quick Ford Pro classes.
This week-end provided a wide variety of drag racing. Despite the 100 degree heat Famoso was the best place to spend the week-end. Next up at Famoso will be Hot Rod Reunion Oct. 17, 18, and 19.
Photos of the award ceremony are posted on our SmugMug page.
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SATURDAY RECAP
THE WINNER OF SATURDAY NIGHT NITRO – DEAN OBERG IN HOLY TOLEDO WITH AN ET OF 5.96 AT 232.23 MPH.
THE WINNER OF THE BOISE-BAKERSFIELD BLITZ – DAN HORAN, JR. IN HIS PATRIOT MUSTANG.
As of 5:45 p.m. Saturday evening we have results from the 3rd round of qualifying in A Gas, B Gas, C Gas, D Gas, NE2, and NE3 and results from the 2nd round of qualifying for NE 1. We are not reporting results for NE 1 at this time. A 4th round of elimination will start at 6:00 pm. Below are the No. 1 and No. 2 qualifiers in each class:
A Gas: This class is a 23 car field and runs on a 7.6 index. Richard Wilson is the No. 1 with an ET of 7.603 and Ray Padgett is No. 2 with an ET of 7.604.
B Gas: This class has a 14 car field and runs on a 8.6 index. Brandon Stalnaker sits in the No. 1 spot with an ET of 8.600 and Jim Stewart is No. 2 with an ET of 8.604. In the 3rd round of elimination Stalnaker had a reaction time of 0.000.
C Gas: This 9.6 index class had a 13 car field. William Becker is No. 1 with an ET of 9.05 and Mike Munoz is No. 2 with an ET of 9.612.
D Gas: This class runs a 10.6 index and fielded 12 cars. At No. 1 is Greg Sadeau with an ET of 10.602 and Steve Barta is No. 2 with an ET of 10.606.
NE 2: NE 2 rounds on an 8.60 index. In a field of 15, Jeff Crider sits at No. 1 with an ET of 8.60 and Charlie See is No. 2 with an ET of 8.603. Dragster Jeff had a reaction time of 0.000 and See had a reaction time of 0.003.
NE3: This class had a 12 car field and ran on a 9.60 index. At No. 1 is Jeff Harris with an ET of 9.602 and Rick Harrison is No. 2 with an ET of 9.604.
Saturday Night Nitro will start at 8:00 p.m. with the first round of Funny Cars. The second round will be at 10:30 pm. Dan Horan and his Patriot Mustang and Robert Overholser in California Hustler are tied in the points for the Boise-Bakersfield Blitz with 57 points each. Both are here. The June Saturday Night Nitro was won by James Day in the Pedaler and Day will be running tonight.
We will continue to update race results as we receive information.
FRIDAY RECAP
Today was testing. Tomorrow qualifying starts. Rumor has it there will be 18 funny cars and 6 top fuel cars running in Saturday Night Nitro. Some of those fuel cars were testing today.
The gassers were also running today as were the Nostalgia Eliminators.
A new timing tower is under construction along side the legendary Famoso timing tower. The old timing tower will remain but will be retrofitted into luxury boxes. With luck it will all be ready for Hot Rod Reunion.
Auto Club Famoso Raceway wraps up the Summer with a spectacular weekend of racing September 5-7, 2014, The 3 day event will be the penultimate event for the Saturday Night Nitro, Boise-Bakersfield Blitz series and will also be the final round for the Group 2 participants in the NHRA Heritage Series. To add to the event, the show will be featuring the West Coast Outlaw Pro-mods as well as hosting the Fun Ford Weekend.
NHRA Nostalgia Fall Championships –
Racing will kick off Saturday morning when the diverse cars that make up Group 2 take to the track. Time trials and qualifying for the NHRA Heritage Series – Nostalgia Fall Championships will start at 9:30 am. This is the last race of the series for the group 2 participants and the coveted Championship Wally is up for grabs. Race winners and series Champions will be crowned on Sunday.
Fun Ford Weekend –
The whole weekend is also home to any Ford owner as the Fun Ford Weekend joins the fray. Ford lovers from all eras are invited to bring their Fords and enjoy the festivities as part of the event. Fun drag races as well as a Show and Shine will give the spectators and Ford owners an exciting weekend.
West Coast Outlaw Pro-Mods –
The Pro-Mods will be mixing it up all weekend as they make a stop at the hallowed grounds of Auto Club Famoso Raceway. Mike Maggio will look to extend his points lead as the series draws to a close. The racing action is incredibly close with these 260mph door slammers.
Saturday Night Nitro –
Funny Cars, Fuel Altereds, Dragsters and Bikes will be competing during the Saturday Night Nitro Show. As the sun sets the Nitro Cars will take the stage and light up the sky with the first of their 2 sessions at 8pm. Dan Horan Jr. is looking to defend his title but is facing stiff competition from Robert Overholser as they are both tied for 1st. Only 2 points behind them are Richard Townsend and Roger Garten, both tied for second place. Any one of them could take the title Saturday Night. First round is at 8pm with the final round at 10 pm. Jet Cars will finish off the show in thundering style.
Saturday Night Is Fan Appreciation Night –
Saturday Night will be fan appreciation night with prizes being awarded all night to lucky fans. One lucky race fan will go home with the grand prize; 2 tickets to the Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas. Complete with a 2 night stay at the Hooters Casino & VIP access to the NAPA VIP Lounge during the event. A Family Fun 4 Pack from SeaWorld an Deigo will go into the hands of another lucky fan as our second grand prize. Many more prizes will be given away during the Saturday Night Nitro Show.
Tickets are $40 for the whole weekend. $20 on Saturday or Sunday. Saturday night after 4 pm. Nitro fans can get in for only $25 a car load. Car, truck, bus, motorhome, whatever you drive and how many people you can get into it, will get into the Event for only $25.
