cacklefest – Timing Tower https://www.timingtower.com Hot Rod and Racing News Wed, 01 May 2024 23:51:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.25 32289303 CALIFORNIA HOT ROD REUNION https://www.timingtower.com/california-hot-rod-reunion/ https://www.timingtower.com/california-hot-rod-reunion/#respond Wed, 15 Oct 2014 23:30:21 +0000 http://www.timingtower.com/?p=4365  THE 23rd CALIFORNIA HOT ROD REUNION IS OVER. TOP FUEL WINNER – TONY BARTONE FUNNY CAR WINNER – DAN HORAN, JR. This year the California Hot Rod Reunion was the 23rd time “we’re only going to do this once”.  The now infamous quote from Steve Gibbs, the godfather of the Reunion, lives on.   After three solid days of racing, the California Hot Rod Reunion (CHRR) came to a close after the final rounds of elimination held on Sunday.  This year while the CHRR brought together race teams from around the country and around the world, not all the action was on the ground — with funny car bodies flying through the air and military style twin rotor helicopters and stunt planes buzzing the track, looking up was also entertaining. On Friday Funny Car driver Mike Lewis, in Nitro Nick, launched his fiberglass body after a blower malfunction caused the burst plate to blow.  However, Nitro Nick reappeared on Saturday to loud  applause and hoots from the crowd, body stitched back together by rivets and fiberglass resin, to qualify No. 11 in the 16 car field.  Lewis made it through the first round of elimination, but fell to Dan Horan,Jr., the class winner, in the second round.  During Saturday qualifying the body of Donnie Watkins’ Funny Car Thunderstruck shot into the air.  Watkins failed to make the cut into the 16 car field.     Exhibition cars, including AA Fuel Altereds ran throughout the week-end.  Saturday Winged Express took the line next to Pure Heaven, Bradford sat beside Mr. Boston and just like in times past, Pure Hell and Rat Trap, were side by side at the start, and Iron Mistress ran a bye. Throughout the day Saturday, cars were pushed down the return lane and fired up in preparation for Cacklefest.   Cacklefest, another brainchild of Steve Gibbs, was first held in 2000 with seven cars taking part.  Now – 14 years later, to quote Gibbs again “more than 10 times that number”  participated on Saturday night.  Many of the cackle cars were on display during the day Saturday in one section of the pit area near the staging lanes.  The newly recreated Barnstormer, the first supercharged fuel dragster raced by Tommy Ivo, was one of the many as was the Yeakel Plymouth AA/FD originally driven by Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen.             When there was a lull in the racing, the Grove offered a look at whole lot of rat rods and hot rods.  The Bay Area Roadsters were on hand with about 20 roadsters.  Also in the Grove were the food vendors,  where lunch could be fashioned with a Bud Light,  Sid’s Redneck BarBQue and an A&W root beer float.  The Manufacturers’ Midway and the Swap Meet provided ample opportunity to find needed parts, t-shirts, and memorabilia items. Or you could take a look in the staging lanes which were full most of the time.   The elimination rounds started at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning and the final pair, A Fuel, finished at 5:15 p.m. TOP FUEL:  This was a contest between the No. 1 Tony Bartone and No. 2 qualifier White.  White in the Neal and White dragster broke at the line giving Bartone a win.  Bartone with a reaction time of .352 ran 212.39 mph with an ET of 5.864. Bartone was on top the whole week-end – No. 1 qualifier, Top Speed 256.34 and Low ET 5.635.  Bartone also took home the Heritage Series trophy. FUNNY CAR:  The Funny Car finals was a repeat of last year pitting Dan Horan, Jr. in his Patriot Mustang, against John Hale in the Mike Burkhart Tribute Car.   Last year Hale came out on top  This year Horan took home the money.  Horan ran an ET of 5.724 at 254.mph.  Jason Rupert, the No. 1 qualifier had the low ET and top speed in this class but was sent home by James Day in the Pedaler in Round 2 of eliminations.  This win gave Horan the Heritage Series trophy. PRO MOD:  Mike Maggio got a free ride in the finals when Rob Cacioppo broke at the line.  Maggio ran an ET of 5.699, at 259.01 mph.  With these results Maggio set low ET and top speed of the day. A FUEL:  Bobby Cottrell was in the winner’s seat in both A Fuel and 7.0 Pro.  In A Fuel he met Bill Wayne in the finals.  Wayne broke at the line giving Cottrell the win with an ET of 6.355 and speed of 216.06.  After a slow reaction time of .156,  Kin Bates, who had top speed of the day, didn’t advance to Round 2.  Ryan Davenport, No. 1 qualifier and holder of low ET 6.257 broke in the semi-finals sending Wayne to the finals.  Davenport held on to his Heritage Series points lead to win the series.   7.0 PRO:  This class was split in two – 7.0 Pro and 7.0 Pro B.  Cottrell met Eily Stafford, in the Killer Crower dragster in the finals.  This is a 7.0 index class and Cottrell ran a near perfect index with an ET of 7.033 to take the win.  Stafford broke out with an ET of 6.994.  Stafford was the No. 3 qualifier.  Both the No.1 qualifier, Chuck Roark, and the No. 2 qualifier, Richard High, went out in Round 1 of eliminations.   Cottrell was the No. 9 qualifier. High was the Heritage Series points leader going into the race, but Cottrell ended up with both the race trophy and the series trophy. This proves the old adage – It’s not where you start that counts, but where you finish.  Clearly, Cottrell finished in the right place. 7.0 PRO B:  Running on a 7.0 index, in the final rounds Jesse Adams met Joey Steckler.  Adams left the start with a reaction time of .096 to Steckler’s .103. Adams cross the finish with an ET of 7.046 and Steckler with an ET of 7.094.  […]

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