The 7th Annual NOS Muscle Car Nationals held at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky was said to be “off the chain” by many fans and competitors this past weekend. With an exciting first race in Bradenton already completed last month, rumors of another full 20+ Scorpion Pro Street car count were flying around the Internet before Bowling Green, and although a few racers failed to show up, 17 total Pro Streeters made the haul to show who had the baddest machine this weekend. In other news, a couple of former Nitto Super Street 10.5W champions made a showing at Beech Bend, Billy Glidden (2006 champ) and Jim Blair (2007 champ) made their 2008 debut. Combine the full fields in both heads-up and index muscle car classes, and beautiful weather on Saturday and Sunday made for a highly anticipated drag racing event that definitely lived up to the hype, despite a Friday of hellacious thunderstorms.

Some of the highlights of the weekend included Chicago’s Spiro Pappas busting a wicked “pot-stirring” 6.83 qualifying hit, which eventually led to an all-out 1320 war between Glidden and Pappas in the second round. After a nail-biting burnout and staging session, Glidden put a holeshot (and a 1.04 60ft time) on the turbo car, running a 6.99 to Pappas’ 6.95, just barely edging out Pappas by .02 of a second. Vinny Budano was able to run a killer 6.28 at 221 mph in the first round of eliminations, showing the nitrous big-blocks can run with the quicker blower cars of the event, Mark Micke, Steve King, and Jerod Wenrick. In other highlights, two Ty-Tech Racing Engines cars shattered records this weekend, Cameron Coble ran a 7.96 in the Vortech Superchargers Xtreme Street final and Jeff Knox was able to lower the three run average in Tremec True Street to 8.35. John “Fearless” Macaluso was also haulin’ the mail, running a series of 8.90 passes during the weekend.

In the Scorpion Pro Street category, 17 of the best Pro Street drivers in the country showed up but by Saturday morning, after a late, cold night of qualifying, nobody on the premises knew for certain who would be the champion as five competitors were solidly in the 6.30 range. After a slew of close side-by-side races, Vinny Budano got the glory by taking down Tony “The Sandman” Williams, Noel Felton, Steve King, and finally Bradenton winner Mark Micke in the finals with a 6.31 at 223 mph run.

In Nitto Super Street, Glidden thrashed on his familiar ride all weekend and was able to make it past the quicker turbo car of Pappas, and finally defending champ Jim Blair with a 6.99 run, despite breaking his “A” motor in a earlier round.

In ARP Nostalgia Pro Street, Kevin Parent qualified third, but was able to overthrow Barb Nesbitt in the first, Mike Schmidt in the second, and got a bye before getting to the finals to take down Jim Widener’s Mustang after the rearend catastrophically failed, chucking the pinion support and driveshaft out of the car in a huge fiery explosion.

In Vortech Xtreme Street, Cameron Coble went through a tough bunch of racers to get to finals in his BBC-powered nitrous Mustang. He faced class newcomer Aaron Stapleton in the finals and was able to get it done with a back-monkey-eliminating 7.96 run against Stapleton’s surprising 8.25.

Comp Cams Pro Stock had some very quick naturally aspirated combinations from all brands, with Michigan’s Butch Kemp topping the field with a killer 8.45. Defending Champ Bruce Maichle also ran well, busting off an 8.56 during the JE Pistons Pro Stock Shootout, taking down a surprised Kemp. Bradenton ’08 event winner Mike DeMayo grabbed the extra JE bucks for the Shootout after John Langer failed to make in to the beams in time for the round. Despite crashing at the 2007 NMCA World Finals, and the season opener last month, Andy Schmidt managed to win it all by getting through a tough field with a series of 8.6X passes, for the final win against a lifting Jeff Chandler. This is the teams very first event win in many years of both NMRA and NMCA competition.

John Macaluso qualified number one in Car Craft Street Race, with a ultra-quick 8.90 on a BFGoodrich drag radial tire. He made it to the finals to face Tim Hendricks, and was able to bust another 8.9X over the wheelstanding f-body of Hendricks for his second event win of the season.

In BFGoodrich Mean Street, it was a light field of racecars that included Alan VonAhnen, Jeremy Gillam, Don Baskin, and Jeff Swanson. Gillam qualified number one with a 10.03, but it was Swanson who won it all in Bowling Green by putting a holeshot on the brothers from Indiana and running a winning 10.07.

In Tremec True Street action, Jeff Knox lowered the boom on the rest of the field by averaging an incredible 8.34 to claim the King of Kentucky crown over Memphis winner Mike Brown.
For complete True Street results click below.
http://www.nmcadigital.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9519

In Eaton Posi Late Model EFI, Corvette racer Michael Stephens overthrew the defending champ, John McPartlin after McPartlin ran .001 too fast for his index, giving Stephen his first win since he joined the class. Hamburger Oil Pans Nostalgia Super Stock resulted in Skip Koester grabbing the victory over a redlighting “TD” Holland. In the Original Parts Group Nostalgia Muscle Car class, Ken Welbrenner won over Ed Becker from Mississippi in a double break out race to the finish. In Superchips Open Comp, John Chaille won over a Don Bowles by running a perfect 10.13 on a 10.13 dial despite is slower reaction time.

For complete results click below
http://www.1320go.com/nmca/livetiming.php#