Indy Race Wrap
Final Results, NMCA World Street Finals
(Indianapolis, Ind. Sept. 25) – Randy Merrick, Chuck Watson II and Leonard Long were among the winners crowned this weekend at the 21stannual NMCA World Street Finals presented by Chevrolet Performance at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The event was the sixth and final race in the 2022 Red Line Synthetic Oil NMCA Drag Racing Series.
Merrick won just about everything there was to win in VP Fuels Pro Mod as he won the event, clinched the championship, and also capped off the weekend with a new NMCA record of 3.609-seconds in his Corvette out of Glenallen, Mo. Merrick capped off the victory with a 3.629, 206.45 run in the final round to beat Jim Widener, who was close behind with a 3.667, 205.44 run in his ’17 Corvette.
There was also a sweep in the Holley Factory Super Car category, as Chuck Watson II of Grosse Ile, Mich., put together one of the best performances to win the event over A.J. Berge. Watson II was driving his trusty Cobra Jet Mustang scoring a win, a championship, and a record. The top qualifier, with a 7.618 elapsed time, Watson II rode that momentum to the final round where he outran the Dodge Challenger of No. 2 qualifier Berge with a 7.659, 180.65 run. Berge made it close with a 7.720, 181.20, his best run of the event in the final round.
Leonard Long came from behind to win both the championship and the race in the Dart NA 10.5 class behind the wheel of his Annville, Pa., based ’95 Mustang. Long drove to a 7.731, 176.56 in the final round to narrowly defeat Robbie Blankenship’s 7.779, 173.94. Earlier in the event, Long accumulated enough points to pass both Joe Clemente and David Theisen for the Dart NA 10.5 class championship.
The final round of ARP Nitrous Pro Street went to Derek Trimmer of Saranac, Mich., who parked his ’07 Chevy Cobalt in the winner’s circle after final round opponent David Fallon Jr., broke on the starting line. Trimmer would have been a tough opponent for anyone in the field as he made his best run of the weekend with a 4.264, 166.95 to match Fallon’s best run of the event. Fallon won three of the season’s six events to easily win the championship.
Haley Burkhammer had already locked up the championship in Scoggin Dickey Chevrolet Performance Stock long before she raced Kevin Lumsden in the final round, but that didn’t stop her from picking up another win in what has become a dominant season. Burkhammer, of Hazen, Ark., closed out the season with a 9.897 to defeat Lumsden’s 9.961 in a battle of old vs. new Chevy Camaro racers.
Terry Wilson of Pittsboro, Ind., won for the first time this season in the hotly contested Edelbrock Xtreme Street class when he outran Bill Trovato in the final round. Wilson, in his ’95 Mustang, covered the eighth-mile course with a 4.544, 154.85 in the final to finish ahead of Trovato’s very competitive 4.598, 152.64 run behind the wheel of his ’13 Camaro.
In the FSC Super Stock category, Zack Running of Lapeer, Mich., defeated his father, Randall in the semifinal round and then returned to stop Jeremy Duncan in the final. Running won the double-breakout match by running a 10.377 on his 10.38 dial in his ’84 Olds, while Duncan ran under his 9.41 dial with a 9.395.
Doug Duell of Newburgh, Ind., prevailed over a tough field in FSC Stock when he stopped low qualifier Pete Ricart in the final round. Duell, in a ’69 Barracuda, matched his 10.34 dial with a 10.348 to cover Ricart, who drove to an 8.002 on his 7.95 dial aboard his ’19 Cobra Jet Mustang.
The victory in Quick Fuel Nostalgia Super Stock went to Ricky Newmeyer of Bellfontaine, Ohio after he drove his classic ’63 Fury past Jimmy Ray’s ’65 Malibu in the final round. Newmeyer left the starting line first and then finished off the win with a 10.523 elapsed time against his 10.50 index. Ray followed with an 11.076 on his 11.00 index.
The trophy in Detroit Truetrac Nostalgia Muscle Car went home to Cambridge City, Ind., with Matthew Keiser after he drove his wheelstanding ’68 Mustang past the ’79 Malibu of Jacob Weigl in the final round. Both drivers ran quicker than their assigned indexes in the final, with Keiser using a 9.988 against his 10.00 standard to take the win. Weigl was even further under the mark with a 10.941 against his 11.00 index.
Past multi-time NMCA champion Susan Roush-McClenaghan closed out the season with a victory in Magnafuel Open Comp when she defeated Kurt Anderson in the final round. McClenaghan, who is based in Livonia, Mich. qualified No. 32 in the large 62 car field and then reached the final round where she turned on the win light with a 9.390 against her dial-in time of 9.31-seconds in her ’10 Mustang.
Reigning champion Open Comp runner-up Kurt Anderson drove to another victory in LME Street King when he stopped Cody Poston in the final round. Anderson, of Eau Clarie, Wis., left the starting line first in his ’69 Camaro and never looked back as he won in a double breakout with a 9.495 on his 9.50 dial to an 8.933 against a 9.00 dial for Poston.
Al Corda, a two-time winner of the NHRA U.S. Nationals, returned to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park to claim a victory in the Proform Rumble class. Corda drove his ’15 COPO Camaro to a 9.992 to win over Kevin Rowland’s ’08 Corvette in a double-breakout final. Corda was also the No. 1 qualifier while Rowland was No. 2.
A day after winning the Hemi Shootout event, Ed Springstead returned to claim a second win in the High Horse Performance Hemi Quick 8. Springstead outran Joshua Schwartz, 8.570 to 8.984 in a battle of Dodge Hellcat Challengers.
The popular TorqStorm True Street class was the featured attraction on Saturday with a large field of street-legal vehicles competing in a grueling event that requires a 30-mile street cruise followed by three consecutive runs down the famed IRP quarter-mile. Tony Karamitos drove his ’69 Camaro to a three-run average of 8.275 seconds to distance himself from runner-up Matt Caldwell, who registered a 9.256 average in his ’86 Mustang. Individual class winners included Jeremy Holbrook (10.00 second), Mike Sampler (11.00 second), Mike Barker (12.00 second), Mark Storts (13.00 second), Adam Retford (14.00 second), and Elaine Mositner (15.00 second).
A large field of more than 40 cars took part in the Dodge Mopar HEMI Shootout, which is reserved for vehicles using the late-model Dodge HEMI engine platform. Ed Springstead of Boung, La., was quickest with a three-run average of 8.794-seconds in his ’15 Hellcat Challenger to edge Joshua Schwartz, who was just a fraction of a second behind with an 8.809 average in his ’18 model Hellcat Challenger.
Finally, in the FSC Bracket Open class, Layla Dillman of Camby, Tenn., closed out the event with a victory after her opponent, Scott Tuttle, red-lighted at the start in his Ford Pinto.
Final Results, NMCA World Street Finals
(Indianapolis, Ind. Sept. 25) – Randy Merrick, Chuck Watson II and Leonard Long were among the winners crowned this weekend at the 21stannual NMCA World Street Finals presented by Chevrolet Performance at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The event was the sixth and final race in the 2022 Red Line Synthetic Oil NMCA Drag Racing Series.
Merrick won just about everything there was to win in VP Fuels Pro Mod as he won the event, clinched the championship, and also capped off the weekend with a new NMCA record of 3.609-seconds in his Corvette out of Glenallen, Mo. Merrick capped off the victory with a 3.629, 206.45 run in the final round to beat Jim Widener, who was close behind with a 3.667, 205.44 run in his ’17 Corvette.
There was also a sweep in the Holley Factory Super Car category, as Chuck Watson II of Grosse Ile, Mich., put together one of the best performances to win the event over A.J. Berge. Watson II was driving his trusty Cobra Jet Mustang scoring a win, a championship, and a record. The top qualifier, with a 7.618 elapsed time, Watson II rode that momentum to the final round where he outran the Dodge Challenger of No. 2 qualifier Berge with a 7.659, 180.65 run. Berge made it close with a 7.720, 181.20, his best run of the event in the final round.
Leonard Long came from behind to win both the championship and the race in the Dart NA 10.5 class behind the wheel of his Annville, Pa., based ’95 Mustang. Long drove to a 7.731, 176.56 in the final round to narrowly defeat Robbie Blankenship’s 7.779, 173.94. Earlier in the event, Long accumulated enough points to pass both Joe Clemente and David Theisen for the Dart NA 10.5 class championship.
The final round of ARP Nitrous Pro Street went to Derek Trimmer of Saranac, Mich., who parked his ’07 Chevy Cobalt in the winner’s circle after final round opponent David Fallon Jr., broke on the starting line. Trimmer would have been a tough opponent for anyone in the field as he made his best run of the weekend with a 4.264, 166.95 to match Fallon’s best run of the event. Fallon won three of the season’s six events to easily win the championship.
Haley Burkhammer had already locked up the championship in Scoggin Dickey Chevrolet Performance Stock long before she raced Kevin Lumsden in the final round, but that didn’t stop her from picking up another win in what has become a dominant season. Burkhammer, of Hazen, Ark., closed out the season with a 9.897 to defeat Lumsden’s 9.961 in a battle of old vs. new Chevy Camaro racers.
Terry Wilson of Pittsboro, Ind., won for the first time this season in the hotly contested Edelbrock Xtreme Street class when he outran Bill Trovato in the final round. Wilson, in his ’95 Mustang, covered the eighth-mile course with a 4.544, 154.85 in the final to finish ahead of Trovato’s very competitive 4.598, 152.64 run behind the wheel of his ’13 Camaro.
In the FSC Super Stock category, Zack Running of Lapeer, Mich., defeated his father, Randall in the semifinal round and then returned to stop Jeremy Duncan in the final. Running won the double-breakout match by running a 10.377 on his 10.38 dial in his ’84 Olds, while Duncan ran under his 9.41 dial with a 9.395.
Doug Duell of Newburgh, Ind., prevailed over a tough field in FSC Stock when he stopped low qualifier Pete Ricart in the final round. Duell, in a ’69 Barracuda, matched his 10.34 dial with a 10.348 to cover Ricart, who drove to an 8.002 on his 7.95 dial aboard his ’19 Cobra Jet Mustang.
The victory in Quick Fuel Nostalgia Super Stock went to Ricky Newmeyer of Bellfontaine, Ohio after he drove his classic ’63 Fury past Jimmy Ray’s ’65 Malibu in the final round. Newmeyer left the starting line first and then finished off the win with a 10.523 elapsed time against his 10.50 index. Ray followed with an 11.076 on his 11.00 index.
The trophy in Detroit Truetrac Nostalgia Muscle Car went home to Cambridge City, Ind., with Matthew Keiser after he drove his wheelstanding ’68 Mustang past the ’79 Malibu of Jacob Weigl in the final round. Both drivers ran quicker than their assigned indexes in the final, with Keiser using a 9.988 against his 10.00 standard to take the win. Weigl was even further under the mark with a 10.941 against his 11.00 index.
Past multi-time NMCA champion Susan Roush-McClenaghan closed out the season with a victory in Magnafuel Open Comp when she defeated Kurt Anderson in the final round. McClenaghan, who is based in Livonia, Mich. qualified No. 32 in the large 62 car field and then reached the final round where she turned on the win light with a 9.390 against her dial-in time of 9.31-seconds in her ’10 Mustang.
Reigning champion Open Comp runner-up Kurt Anderson drove to another victory in LME Street King when he stopped Cody Poston in the final round. Anderson, of Eau Clarie, Wis., left the starting line first in his ’69 Camaro and never looked back as he won in a double breakout with a 9.495 on his 9.50 dial to an 8.933 against a 9.00 dial for Poston.
Al Corda, a two-time winner of the NHRA U.S. Nationals, returned to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park to claim a victory in the Proform Rumble class. Corda drove his ’15 COPO Camaro to a 9.992 to win over Kevin Rowland’s ’08 Corvette in a double-breakout final. Corda was also the No. 1 qualifier while Rowland was No. 2.
A day after winning the Hemi Shootout event, Ed Springstead returned to claim a second win in the High Horse Performance Hemi Quick 8. Springstead outran Joshua Schwartz, 8.570 to 8.984 in a battle of Dodge Hellcat Challengers.
The popular TorqStorm True Street class was the featured attraction on Saturday with a large field of street-legal vehicles competing in a grueling event that requires a 30-mile street cruise followed by three consecutive runs down the famed IRP quarter-mile. Tony Karamitos drove his ’69 Camaro to a three-run average of 8.275 seconds to distance himself from runner-up Matt Caldwell, who registered a 9.256 average in his ’86 Mustang. Individual class winners included Jeremy Holbrook (10.00 second), Mike Sampler (11.00 second), Mike Barker (12.00 second), Mark Storts (13.00 second), Adam Retford (14.00 second), and Elaine Mositner (15.00 second).
A large field of more than 40 cars took part in the Dodge Mopar HEMI Shootout, which is reserved for vehicles using the late-model Dodge HEMI engine platform. Ed Springstead of Boung, La., was quickest with a three-run average of 8.794-seconds in his ’15 Hellcat Challenger to edge Joshua Schwartz, who was just a fraction of a second behind with an 8.809 average in his ’18 model Hellcat Challenger.
Finally, in the FSC Bracket Open class, Layla Dillman of Camby, Tenn., closed out the event with a victory after her opponent, Scott Tuttle, red-lighted at the start in his Ford Pinto.