Sunday Coverage 14th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bow

Posted By: Mike Galimi

Jul 28, 2019

With one round of eliminations completed the 14th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing Presented by FST Carburetors hits the home stretch as racers battle it out for a shot at a trip to the Aerospace Components Winner's Circle. Today will also see the eight quickest racers from the Dodge // Mopar HEMI Shootout will clash in the ArringtonPerformance HEMI Quick 8 Presented by Red Line Oil.

Once the two series complete their programs the fastest racers from each series will clash in the Bob Curran Memorial Super Bowl Shootouts. These match races were renamed to honor the late ambassador for both series, and the Curran family boosted each purse by $500 in his honor. To raise the stakes, the winning team members will each earn a prestigious Nitto Tire Diamond Tree ring.

You can keep up with all the action right here and live over on SpeedVideo.com. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="14357,14358"]

This is the plan for today's NMRA and NMCA eliminations action, as well as the titanic clash between the two series quickest racers known as the Bob Curran Memorial Super Bowl Shootouts.

One of the cleanest rides on the property at Route 66 this weekend is Phil Puleo's 1967 C10 pickup. With a beautiful blue paint job and a just right stance, his truck stood out in the Chevrolet Performance Street Car Challenge class yesterday. Powered by a 6.0-liter LS backed by a 4L80 trans and rides on Ridetech coilovers. With boost from a big 80mm turbo he was having trouble getting it to leave, but now this dual-threat machine will turn heads in the car show.

One of the most unique rides running in yesterday's Gear Vendors True Street class was hand-built by Al Guerra. His 1934 Ford is powered by a Chevy 327 and rides on a stretched, 113-inch wheelbase. He has driven the car across the country from New York to Los Angeles and from up north in Chicago to as far south as you can go in Key West. He has run in the class at Joliet for the past six years, and he had a blast taking the cruise around the Chicagoland Speedway oval.

Randy Adler and his 1957 Bel Air-bodied car attract attention wherever they go, and there are a lot of good reasons for that. In the beautiful orange beast boasting a PSI screw blower-topped 521 cubic-inch Hemi engine built by A-Team Speed Shop, which he owns with his brother, Rob Adler, he arrived at a 3.79 to qualify in the third spot in VP Racing Fuels Xtreme Pro Mod, won the first two rounds of eliminations and is preparing for the third round of eliminations today. "We're leaning on the combination really hard, more than I would like, but I think we can run with the big dogs," said Adler, who advanced to the semifinal at this event last year and won at this event several years ago. "We have a good hot rod."

There are some real beauties in the 14th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing Presented by FST Carburetors car show. Once such example is John Schiavone's purple 1969 Camaro.

ARP Nitrous Pro Street racer Jordan Ensslin was playing with weight and nitrous jet adjustments to find the right tuneup. He already swapped out an ignition box and he is ready for the car to fly. The downside is if he keeps winning he will face his dad, Jeff, in eliminations. The elder Ensslin is dialing in a new car with a mirrored combo to his son's, but with a different wheelbase.

Dewayne Massengale looked pretty relaxed for a guy who was about to race his son Nicholas in Proform Rumble. His 2000 Camaro ran well in qualifying, but spun in the first round of eliminations. He hopes to find the hook against his son, who won the race the last time they clashed in eliminations. One of them is hoping to take a trip to the Aerospace Components Winner's Circle.

Randy Dolensek ran a new personal best of 4.57 at 155.44 mph in his ARP Nitrous Pro Street 1969 Mercury Cyclone. He has owned Cyclones all his life, and this one is powered by a massive, 632-cube Ford engine built by legendary racer Chuck Samuels, who is also on hand this weekend at the 14th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing Presented by FST Carburetors providing tuning support.

Haley Burkhammer, who finished in second place in points in Chevrolet Performance Stock presented by Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center last year, continues to show that she has what it takes to go rounds in the category. She earned a runner-up finish at the NMCA/NMRA event in Georgia in April, and a number one qualifier and a runner-up finish at the NMCA event in Tennessee in May. So far this weekend, she posted a 10.197 to qualify in the second spot in her Camaro, just behind Jesse Wilson, who posted an oh-so-close 10.191 to lead qualifying in his Camaro, and after making a few undisclosed tweaks, she headed to the lanes for eliminations, and has so far won two rounds.

Running today in the True Street Bracket category, Dan Nusbaum put down a string of 9.90s in the Gear Vendors True Street category yesterday. His Fox Mustang sports a grafted-on Terminator Cobra lower valance, but under the hood is an old-school, naturally aspirated Chevy small-block that he slows down with a full set of Aerospace Components brakes. Behind the 408-cube engine is an ATI Turbo 400 trans, and the suspension is mainly TRZ parts with a few items from UPR Products and Team Z. Nusbaum just installed the engine and converted it to E85 fuel last week before making the trip from Maryland. He really enjoys running in True Street and said the car did great on the cruise around Chicagoland Speedway.