N ORTH E AST D 366 Easton Road, Warrington, Pa. (215) 343-2558 Fax (215) 343-0159 IVISION NEWS Issue 2, 2003 Rain stops first weekend of U.S. 13 Open Competition Photos photos Bob Kemp reset the national record in his E/S 71 Ford. Pepsi First State National Open U.S. 13 Dragway; Delmar, Del. The first of four races in the Northeast Division Open Series, scheduled for March 29-30, was rained out no big surprise because the forecast for the East Coast was poor and fewer racers than normal ventured to Delaware. As of Sunday morning, The Weather Channel showed rain and some snow from Florida to Maine and no relief in sight. The event Super Stock National records was run Friday, June 6, in conjunction with the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event. Thanks to all those who attended. However, there was some action before the rain hit. Saturday morning began sunny and bright but with a strong headwind. Nearly 100 NHRA Sportsman racers attempted to set national records in Stock and Super Stock. As the day progressed, the temperature dropped and the sky got cloudy. Conditions were better Friday, when three of the five Stock records and the only Super Stock record were set (see accompanying boxes). Due to the rain threat, racing began early and there was time for plenty of runs. Quarter- Quarter- Eighth- Eighthmile e.t. mile speed mile e.t. mile speed Larry Eagle, GT/B 91 Olds Calais 9.27 142.47 5.85 115.71 Stock National records (Above) George Cottell showed his patriotism with his race car. (Left) Pete Lucky Luciano showed off his new paint job. Quarter- Quarter- Eighth- Eighthmile e.t. mile speed mile e.t. mile speed Cecil Frazier, G/FIA 91 Camaro 11.95 110.18 7.52 89.05 Bob Kemp, E/S 71 Ford 10.92 121.01 6.89 98.59 Dennis Martins, N/SA 79 Chevy 12.34 105.32 7.73 86.08 Tony Curcio, H/SA 71 Chevy 11.85 110.53 7.44 90.28 Cecil Frazier, F/FIA 92 Camaro 11.87 110.67 7.55 89.86 U.S. 13 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Schedule Below is the schedule for Friday s portion of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at U.S. 13 Dragway. Qualifying will count toward both events in Stock and Super Stock. The first round, as at all Northeast Division NHRA Open Series events, will be randomly paired. Friday, June 6 Gates Open................................................. 8 a.m. NHRA Inspection................................... 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Time Trials.......................................... 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Run Order...................................... SST, Stk, SC, SS, SG (Time Trials will be in two sessions; one run per session. Two runs total.) SS & Stk Record Runs: First two sessions only Comp Qualifying.............................................. 8 p.m. TAFC & TAD Qualifying..................................... 7 & 9 p.m. Supercharged Warriors.......................... 5, 6:30, 8:15 & 9:15 p.m. National Open Eliminations..................................... 2 p.m.
Competition Photos photos Schonberger, Jewell, Harrington, Smulligan, Garbinski, Muller score at Meissner Chevrolet NHRA Open Low qualifier Doug Harris, near lane, and No. 2 Jonathan Aloisio battled in Comp. G ray skies and warm temperatures greeted the NED racers who made the trek to Atco, N.J., April 11-13 for what was scheduled to be the second of four National Opens in the Northeast Division in 2003. With the Delmar event postponed due to rain two weeks earlier, the Atco race became the first event for division racers to earn points toward a 2003 Division 1 NHRA Open title. The 10 cars in Comp put on a good show. Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals runner-up Doug Harris qualified low in his PST/A Chevy S-10. He ran.578 under his 8.30 index to grab the No. 1 spot. The B/SM 98 Grand Am of Jonathan Aloisio was right behind with a.522-under 8.318 to take the second spot. However, neither driver advanced past the first round. Harris lost to the B/AA of Val Smeland after a.116 light, and Aloisio lost to the C/ED of Greg Horrocks. Harris, who had run a 7.72 during qualifying, slowed to a 7.79 in eliminations to lose to the Jeff Lawrence-tuned Pontiac of Smeland, who ran a 7.314 on a 7.81 index. Aloisio apparently rolled the car through the staging beams as the Tree was coming down and received a redlight. Horrocks new unpainted dragster suffered severe vibrations during his solo run, and he elected not to return for the second round. The final pitted longtime NED racers Richard Schonberger in the Philadelphia Racing Engines I/SM Firebird against the F/A 92 Ford Probe of Erich and Herb Bollman from Newark, Del. Both drivers had nearly identical reaction times, and it was anyone s race at the top end. Schonberger s V-6 Firebird pulled out the win with a 9.247 on a 9.76 index to an 8.384, 161.71 for Bollman on the F/A index of 8.85. The difference was just.027-second at the stripe. Schonberger said after the race, Today is my birthday, and to win here at Atco today is so cool. We got lucky today after smoking our good clutch during qualifying and having to go to the backup unit. But thanks to my dad, Jules, and my brother, Jay, we got it done. Schonberger, who turned 27 Sunday, was also quick to thank his mother, Barbara, and his fiancée, Kimberly Reale, for their support. Super Stock featured a good turnout: More than 30 cars vied for a spot in Sunday s eliminations. The low qualifier was the GT/HA 95 Grand Am of Vito Savino at a 1.154-under 10.196. Right behind was the SS/GA 67 Camaro of Bob Hertline with a 1.026-under 9.824. As in Comp, the top qualifiers weren t around for the final, which pitted the wheelstanding Firebird of Angelo DiTocco against the red-hot 67 Corvette of Larry Jewell. Both drivers got off the line quick; Jewell recorded a.024 r.t. to DiTocco s.039. At the stripe, it was close. Jewell took the win with a 9.565 on his 9.54 to beat DiTocco s just breaking-out 9.988 on a 9.99. The Stock final showcased a battle of braking Camaros. Happy Harry a.k.a. Jim Harrington avoided the breakout in his F/FIA 91 Camaro, running.017 over to page 4 (Above left) MDC winner Ken Schafroth. (Above right) MDC winner Chuck Eldridge. (Below left) MDC winner David DeLong. (Below right) MDC winner Ed Johnson.
from page 3 his 12.30 dial at 99.91 mph to defeat the G/SA 68 Camaro of Stan Giermanski. The low qualifier in Stock was the C/FIA 98 Trans Am of Jack Matyas with a 1.296-under 10.704. The 73 Buick of Lee Zane was second with a 1.264- under 11.686. Super Gas winner Jim Smulligan, who parked his trusty Chevy Beretta after nearly six years of racing, showed with a brand-new Worthy-built Corvette roadster and put the car in the winner s circle the first time out. Late in 2002, Smulligan decided to get some new iron for the 2003 season and wanted a turnkey deal. He knew that Ben Worthy Race Cars in Palmetto, Fla., had built cars for Jeg s Racing and Jason Lynch, and he liked what he saw. So after the NED season, Smulligan dropped off his big-block Chevy and trans at the Florida chassis builder and told Worthy to call him when it was ready to go. In addition to assembling the entire Corvette, Worthy had the car painted by GT Custom & Graphics with a design that Smulligan and the painter created together. The results are truly stunning. In the final, Smulligan faced longtime NED racer Ray Sawyer. Sawyer had run a 9.925 in the semifinals, and Sawyer to page 6 Larry Jewell took on Angelo DiTocco in the Super Stock final and won. Don Garbinski defeated Matt Schurman in the Super Street final round. Jim Harrington took the Stock title against Stan Giermanski. National records Quarter- Quarter- Eighth- Eighthmile e.t. mile speed mile e.t. mile speed Joe Carnasciale, E/SM 92 Camaro 8.85 147.31 5.62 121.78 Vito Savino, GT/HA 95 Grand Am 10.19 130.20 6.44 105.29 Joe Mendillo, GT/G 90 Camaro 10.09 133.47 6.42 106.78 Keith Ohanesian, F/FIA 85 Camaro 11.82 111.23 7.43 89.92 Jack Matyas, C/FIA 98 Camaro 10.70 123.98 6.74 99.68 Bob Horgan, I/SA 85 Camaro 11.41 115.62
from page 4 and his crew chief and son, Mike, decided with the dropping temperatures not to touch anything for the final. They should have; Sawyer slowed, and Smulligan s new Vette took a narrow win, 9.912 to 9.935. Earlier, Smulligan took out Ray Fordyce in the first round and defeated Fordyce s son, Jim, in the second. Sawyer defeated NED hitters Ken Bowers and John Martin to get to the final. After the race, Smulligan, who builds his own transmissions and engines, thanked Lyle Essick from Motorsport Trailers in Morgantown for the assistance with the trailer. He also said that his new bride, Kathy, and puppy, Digger the Dog, had a lot to do with his win at Atco. Don Garbinski, the 2002 Open Series champion, began the year well by defeating Matt Schurman in the Super Street final. Garbinski had a nearly perfect.004 reaction time in his 71 Dodge Challenger and committed the lesser of the two breakouts on the top end with a 10.873. Schurman wasn t too far off with a.019 reaction time in his small-blockpowered 68 Camaro but was under the 10.90 standard with a 10.844. From a heavy field of 56 in Super Comp, Frank Richichi snagged the No. 1 qualifier spot with an 8.90. But David Muller defeated Jim Morrison to take the Super (Above) Richard Schonberger won Comp on his birthday, defeating Erich Bollman in the final. (Left) Jim Smulligan debuted a new car and won Super Gas by defeating Ray Sawyer in the final. to page 8 www.dynamicconverters.com Jerry Davis 2003 Converter Technology Equals Impressive Performance. Improvements of up to 15 hundredths Dave Layer Nat. Record Holder F/SA 10.89 ET R/U Memphis Div. 4 Race Vito Savino Nat. Record Holder GT/GA 9.90 ET 132.78 MPH #1 Qualifier Gators & Orlando Class Winner Gators Al Corda Nat. Record Holder GT/HA 10.19 ET 130.20 mph We are now paying contingency on our Pro-Formance Transmissions! First Fuel Injected Stocker In The Nines 9.97 ET CALL TOLL FREE: 1-877-846-L 5U 8P 7O 6 DYNAMIC CONVERTERS L.L.C./PRO-FORMANCE TRANSMISSIONS L.L.C. 122 Sandy Dr. Suite F Newark, DE 19713 1-302-454-9203