Written by Mary Lendzion
Photos by Kevin DiOssi, Rudy Rouweyha and Evan Smith
The variety of cars, combinations and competitors combined for a magnificent and memorable event at the NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Magazine, Aug. 25-28 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
The race track was hooking, and as a result, the racers were hauling at the fifth of six events on the NMCA tour.
On their minds were the memories they would make if they made it to the NMCA Winner’s Circle and collected a coveted Victor Award at America’s Racetrack.
“Summit Motorsports Park was proud to welcome the NMCA racers to our home for this exciting event,” said Bill Bader Jr., president of Summit Motorsports Park. “We were happy to celebrate their accomplishments with them, whether they had a personal best or picked up a win, and we hope the fans enjoyed the action as much as we did.”
Furiously fast cars were flying in VP Racing Lubricants Xtreme Pro Mod, where reigning champion Chip King set the pace with a 3.65 in his Mustang Mach 1. When the final round of eliminations rolled around, however, Randy Merrick and Jason Hamstra pulled to the starting line. Merrick muscled to the win with a 3.68 in his Corvette over Hamstra, who was literally right there with a 3.71 in his Camaro.
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Chuck Watson II was commanding at the start of the weekend in Holley EFI Factory Super Cars, where he led qualifying with a 7.77 in Jim Betz’s Mustang Cobra Jet. Several rounds later, AJ Berge and Tripp Carter faced each other for the final round of eliminations, and Berge earned his first win in the very competitive category with a 7.85 in his Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak. Carter was hot on his heels with a 7.87 in his Mustang Cobra Jet.
David Fallon Jr. drove to a fabulous 4.29 in his Camaro to lead his fellow ARP Nitrous Pro Street racers in qualifying. He was steady all the way to the final round of eliminations, where he won with a 4.33 over Vince Khoury, who recorded a 4.63 in his Firebird.
Edelbrock Xtreme Street saw Joel Greathouse gun to a 4.56 to lead qualifying in his Mustang. The Kentuckian kept his cool, as he always does, and it helped him head to the NMCA Winner’s Circle with a 4.59 after racing Bill Trovato, who was 4.71 at the finish line.
As usual, high-revving engines were doing the talking in Dart NA 10.5, where Robbie Blankenship’s long haul from Florida was made worthwhile with a 7.77 blast in his Mustang to set the pace in qualifying. But the final round belonged to Joe Clemente and Dan Ostgen. Clemente captured the win with a 7.81 cruise in his familiar Mustang, and Ostgen clocked an 8.15 in his Camaro.
In Chevrolet Performance Stock presented by Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center, Haley Burkhammer rocketed to a 9.92 in her beautiful blue Camaro to lead qualifying. The big Arkansas Razorbacks fan made it to the final round of eliminations, where she reacted with a .009 and won with a 9.96 over Glenn Pushis, who was right there with a 10.01 in his Camaro. That was Burkhammer’s second win of the weekend, as she also won the make-up race for the rain-delayed 2nd Annual Arrington Performance NMRA/NMCA Power Festival Presented by TorqStorm Superchargers.
The super-cool Fastest Street Car Super Stock Eliminator saw Jeff Myers lead qualifying with an 8.91 on an 10.35 index in his Camaro. On Sunday, however, Mark Nowicki used a .007 reaction time and a 9.67 on a 9.65 to upset Jeff Ross, who picked up a timeslip reflecting a 10.61 on a 10.59.
In Fastest Street Car Stock Eliminator, Pete Ricart, who has been on a roll this season, soared to a 7.87 on a 9.70 in his Mustang Cobra Jet to see his name on the top of qualifying sheets, but Michael Butter was victorious with an 11.38 on an 11.16 in his Camaro after Kyle Pawuk went -.011 red in his Camaro.
Longtime NMCA racer Jim Netherland parked his Buick GS right on his 10.25 index, with a 0, to lead qualifying in Quick Fuel Technology Nostalgia Super Stock, but meeting in the final round of eliminations were Scott Conley and Doug Poskevich. Conley collected the win with a 10.02 on a 10.00 in his Belvedere after Poskevich dipped under with a 10.98 on an 11.00 in his Fairlane.
Geary Bates turned in a 11.501 on an 11.50 index in his Cougar to lead qualifying in Detroit Truetrac Nostalgia Muscle, and Danny Towe took the win with a 12.08 on a 12.00 in his Mustang, while Ralph Trimmer trapped an 11.81 on an 11.75 in his Cutlass.
There were gobs of great reaction times in MagnaFuel Open Comp qualifying, but Jon H. Pickering topped all of them with a perfect .000 reaction time in his Maverick to lead qualifying. John Hixon drove his gorgeous GSX straight to the NMCA Winner’s Circle with a 9.84 on a 9.83 after Mike Winters went red in his Mustang.
Joshua Bryant had his Mustang dialed in, as he chose a 9.50 index and then proceeded to put a 9.50 on the board to lead qualifying in LME Street King presented by Chevrolet Performance. He remained strong all weekend, as the racer from Wisconsin had a good reaction time and lifted to a 9.55 to avoid breaking out on his 9.50 on his way to the NMCA Winner’s Circle over Steve Griswold, who turned in an 8.82 on an 8.75 in his Corvette.
Alan Kasper led Proform LSX Rumble presented by Chevrolet Performance qualifying with a 12.50 on a 12.50 index in his Camaro, but it was Regina Puckett’s weekend, as she wheeled to an 11.68 on an 11.75 and took the win as multi-time champion Al Corda clicked it -.003 red. Watch for a Spotlight interview with Puckett in an upcoming issue of Fastest Street Car.
Another category increasing in popularity in TorqStorm Superchargers True Street. Drivers headed out for a 30-mile cruise around Summit Motorsports Park before returning to make three back-to-back passes down track. When it was all said and done, Dan Sharp secured the win with an impressive 8.33 average in his Chevy II, and Allen Hurley arrived at the runner-up finish with an 8.53 average in his Fairlane. Scott Oshinski of TorqStorm Superchargers was the 9-second winner in his Cutlass, Norm Jensen was the 10-second winner in his Camaro and Jason Bean belted in for the 11-second win in his Camaro. Other successful drivers were Steve Hansen, the 12-second winner, Mark Storts, the 13-second winner, Adam Retford, the 14-second winner and Tony Nguyen, the 15-second winner.
Challengers, Chargers, Demons, Durangos and other eye-catching Gen III HEMI-powered cars pulled in for the Dodge // Mopar HEMI Shootout. Joshua Schwartz wrapped up the win with an 8.92 average in his Challenger Hellcat, while Tony Demaio was the runner-up with a 9.10 in his Challenger Hellcat. Jess Richards raced to the 9-second win in a Redeye, Mike England motored to the 10-second win in a Charger Hellcat, Trevor Hilbert hooked up for the 11-second win in his Charger Super Bee and Robert Skalecki secured the 12-second win in his Challenger Scat Pak. Rounding out the category were Kim Schwarz, the 13-second winner in a Challenger, Casey Fitzgerald, the 14-second winner in a Charger Daytona R/T and Jake Corbin, the 15-second winner in a Dodge Ram.
The eight quickest drivers in the Dodge // Mopar HEMI Shootout made it into the HHP Racing HEMI Quick 8 on the final day of the event, and when the dust settled, Josh Schwartz secured the win with a 9.11 over Mike England and his 10.10.
The Cobra Jet Showdown presented by Watson Racing is an exciting element for this annual event, and taking top honors this year was Taylor Dietsch, who drove to a 9.02 on an 8.98 over Tim Potvin, who piloted to an 8.90 on an 8.77.
NMCA Vs. Buckeye Stock/Super Stock All-Stars, new for this year, was a 32-car class made up of the top points leaders in the NMCA Stock Eliminator and Super Stock, and Buckeye Stock/Super Stock Drag Racing classes. It was held on Friday, and Aaron Allison and Ryan Rudrick made it through four rounds to meet in the final round of eliminations. Each left the line just a smidge too soon, but Allison won with an 8.85 on an 8.73 and Rudrick broke out with an 11.22 on an 11.24.
In the super-slick Sick the Magazine Drag & Drive Invitational, Bob Hess hauled to the win over Tim Flanders.
Racers in the Factory Appearing Stock Tire (FAST) group were going for it at this event, and Larry Kirkum landed the win over Jordan Pennington, and in Factory Stock, Tim Clary collected the win over Bob Karakashian.
The NMCA congratulates all of the winners on their awe-inspiring accomplishments. Now, we’re officially spooling up for the 21st Annual NMCA World Street Finals presented by Chevrolet Performance, Sept. 22-25 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indiana.
For compelling NMCA content throughout the year, check out the series’ recently revamped websites at NMCAdigital.com and Racepagesdigital.com.
Photos by Kevin DiOssi, Rudy Rouweyha and Evan Smith
The variety of cars, combinations and competitors combined for a magnificent and memorable event at the NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Magazine, Aug. 25-28 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
The race track was hooking, and as a result, the racers were hauling at the fifth of six events on the NMCA tour.
On their minds were the memories they would make if they made it to the NMCA Winner’s Circle and collected a coveted Victor Award at America’s Racetrack.
“Summit Motorsports Park was proud to welcome the NMCA racers to our home for this exciting event,” said Bill Bader Jr., president of Summit Motorsports Park. “We were happy to celebrate their accomplishments with them, whether they had a personal best or picked up a win, and we hope the fans enjoyed the action as much as we did.”
Furiously fast cars were flying in VP Racing Lubricants Xtreme Pro Mod, where reigning champion Chip King set the pace with a 3.65 in his Mustang Mach 1. When the final round of eliminations rolled around, however, Randy Merrick and Jason Hamstra pulled to the starting line. Merrick muscled to the win with a 3.68 in his Corvette over Hamstra, who was literally right there with a 3.71 in his Camaro.
Chuck Watson II was commanding at the start of the weekend in Holley EFI Factory Super Cars, where he led qualifying with a 7.77 in Jim Betz’s Mustang Cobra Jet. Several rounds later, AJ Berge and Tripp Carter faced each other for the final round of eliminations, and Berge earned his first win in the very competitive category with a 7.85 in his Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak. Carter was hot on his heels with a 7.87 in his Mustang Cobra Jet.
David Fallon Jr. drove to a fabulous 4.29 in his Camaro to lead his fellow ARP Nitrous Pro Street racers in qualifying. He was steady all the way to the final round of eliminations, where he won with a 4.33 over Vince Khoury, who recorded a 4.63 in his Firebird.
Edelbrock Xtreme Street saw Joel Greathouse gun to a 4.56 to lead qualifying in his Mustang. The Kentuckian kept his cool, as he always does, and it helped him head to the NMCA Winner’s Circle with a 4.59 after racing Bill Trovato, who was 4.71 at the finish line.
As usual, high-revving engines were doing the talking in Dart NA 10.5, where Robbie Blankenship’s long haul from Florida was made worthwhile with a 7.77 blast in his Mustang to set the pace in qualifying. But the final round belonged to Joe Clemente and Dan Ostgen. Clemente captured the win with a 7.81 cruise in his familiar Mustang, and Ostgen clocked an 8.15 in his Camaro.
In Chevrolet Performance Stock presented by Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center, Haley Burkhammer rocketed to a 9.92 in her beautiful blue Camaro to lead qualifying. The big Arkansas Razorbacks fan made it to the final round of eliminations, where she reacted with a .009 and won with a 9.96 over Glenn Pushis, who was right there with a 10.01 in his Camaro. That was Burkhammer’s second win of the weekend, as she also won the make-up race for the rain-delayed 2nd Annual Arrington Performance NMRA/NMCA Power Festival Presented by TorqStorm Superchargers.
The super-cool Fastest Street Car Super Stock Eliminator saw Jeff Myers lead qualifying with an 8.91 on an 10.35 index in his Camaro. On Sunday, however, Mark Nowicki used a .007 reaction time and a 9.67 on a 9.65 to upset Jeff Ross, who picked up a timeslip reflecting a 10.61 on a 10.59.
In Fastest Street Car Stock Eliminator, Pete Ricart, who has been on a roll this season, soared to a 7.87 on a 9.70 in his Mustang Cobra Jet to see his name on the top of qualifying sheets, but Michael Butter was victorious with an 11.38 on an 11.16 in his Camaro after Kyle Pawuk went -.011 red in his Camaro.
Longtime NMCA racer Jim Netherland parked his Buick GS right on his 10.25 index, with a 0, to lead qualifying in Quick Fuel Technology Nostalgia Super Stock, but meeting in the final round of eliminations were Scott Conley and Doug Poskevich. Conley collected the win with a 10.02 on a 10.00 in his Belvedere after Poskevich dipped under with a 10.98 on an 11.00 in his Fairlane.
Geary Bates turned in a 11.501 on an 11.50 index in his Cougar to lead qualifying in Detroit Truetrac Nostalgia Muscle, and Danny Towe took the win with a 12.08 on a 12.00 in his Mustang, while Ralph Trimmer trapped an 11.81 on an 11.75 in his Cutlass.
There were gobs of great reaction times in MagnaFuel Open Comp qualifying, but Jon H. Pickering topped all of them with a perfect .000 reaction time in his Maverick to lead qualifying. John Hixon drove his gorgeous GSX straight to the NMCA Winner’s Circle with a 9.84 on a 9.83 after Mike Winters went red in his Mustang.
Joshua Bryant had his Mustang dialed in, as he chose a 9.50 index and then proceeded to put a 9.50 on the board to lead qualifying in LME Street King presented by Chevrolet Performance. He remained strong all weekend, as the racer from Wisconsin had a good reaction time and lifted to a 9.55 to avoid breaking out on his 9.50 on his way to the NMCA Winner’s Circle over Steve Griswold, who turned in an 8.82 on an 8.75 in his Corvette.
Alan Kasper led Proform LSX Rumble presented by Chevrolet Performance qualifying with a 12.50 on a 12.50 index in his Camaro, but it was Regina Puckett’s weekend, as she wheeled to an 11.68 on an 11.75 and took the win as multi-time champion Al Corda clicked it -.003 red. Watch for a Spotlight interview with Puckett in an upcoming issue of Fastest Street Car.
Another category increasing in popularity in TorqStorm Superchargers True Street. Drivers headed out for a 30-mile cruise around Summit Motorsports Park before returning to make three back-to-back passes down track. When it was all said and done, Dan Sharp secured the win with an impressive 8.33 average in his Chevy II, and Allen Hurley arrived at the runner-up finish with an 8.53 average in his Fairlane. Scott Oshinski of TorqStorm Superchargers was the 9-second winner in his Cutlass, Norm Jensen was the 10-second winner in his Camaro and Jason Bean belted in for the 11-second win in his Camaro. Other successful drivers were Steve Hansen, the 12-second winner, Mark Storts, the 13-second winner, Adam Retford, the 14-second winner and Tony Nguyen, the 15-second winner.
Challengers, Chargers, Demons, Durangos and other eye-catching Gen III HEMI-powered cars pulled in for the Dodge // Mopar HEMI Shootout. Joshua Schwartz wrapped up the win with an 8.92 average in his Challenger Hellcat, while Tony Demaio was the runner-up with a 9.10 in his Challenger Hellcat. Jess Richards raced to the 9-second win in a Redeye, Mike England motored to the 10-second win in a Charger Hellcat, Trevor Hilbert hooked up for the 11-second win in his Charger Super Bee and Robert Skalecki secured the 12-second win in his Challenger Scat Pak. Rounding out the category were Kim Schwarz, the 13-second winner in a Challenger, Casey Fitzgerald, the 14-second winner in a Charger Daytona R/T and Jake Corbin, the 15-second winner in a Dodge Ram.
The eight quickest drivers in the Dodge // Mopar HEMI Shootout made it into the HHP Racing HEMI Quick 8 on the final day of the event, and when the dust settled, Josh Schwartz secured the win with a 9.11 over Mike England and his 10.10.
The COPO Camaro Shootout presented by COPO Parts Direct was a big hit at this event two hours outside of the Motor City. In the Chevrolet Performance COPO Battle, John Simbeck secured the victory with a dead-on 8.67 over Ed Hawkins, who dipped under his 9.63 with a 9.61. And, in the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center COPO NA, Rich Rinkie raced to a 9.09 and the win over John Evans and his 9.25.
The Cobra Jet Showdown presented by Watson Racing is an exciting element for this annual event, and taking top honors this year was Taylor Dietsch, who drove to a 9.02 on an 8.98 over Tim Potvin, who piloted to an 8.90 on an 8.77.
NMCA Vs. Buckeye Stock/Super Stock All-Stars, new for this year, was a 32-car class made up of the top points leaders in the NMCA Stock Eliminator and Super Stock, and Buckeye Stock/Super Stock Drag Racing classes. It was held on Friday, and Aaron Allison and Ryan Rudrick made it through four rounds to meet in the final round of eliminations. Each left the line just a smidge too soon, but Allison won with an 8.85 on an 8.73 and Rudrick broke out with an 11.22 on an 11.24.
In the super-slick Sick the Magazine Drag & Drive Invitational, Bob Hess hauled to the win over Tim Flanders.
Racers in the Factory Appearing Stock Tire (FAST) group were going for it at this event, and Larry Kirkum landed the win over Jordan Pennington, and in Factory Stock, Tim Clary collected the win over Bob Karakashian.
The NMCA congratulates all of the winners on their awe-inspiring accomplishments. Now, we’re officially spooling up for the 21st Annual NMCA World Street Finals presented by Chevrolet Performance, Sept. 22-25 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indiana.
For compelling NMCA content throughout the year, check out the series’ recently revamped websites at NMCAdigital.com and Racepagesdigital.com.