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WILD WEST HAS ALL THE BEST
Nov 6, 2008
Author: Bobby Martin
Have you seen the totally sick entry list for the NHRA Finals in Pomona? This race will be an alky-fest of unprecedented proportions!
Back in the early days of NHRA, like pre-1973, the World Championship was decided at just one race. No season-long points battles, just a shootout at the Finals in Pomona. The winner of TA/FC at this year's Finals may not be the official champion, but bragging rights are certainly in order. Dig this.
- 32 cars entered for the 16 car field
- 9 of the current Top Ten teams
- 6 of 7 Division points leaders (some have clinched Division championships) are entered
- All 8 Divisions (yes 8) represented. Division 8 is anywhere outside of North America. There is an entry from Sweden.
Here's the entry list. It looks like an all-star who's who of the class.
| Top Alcohol Funny Car | ||||||
| # | Cls |
Driver |
Hometown |
Make |
Eng |
Entry |
| 2 | TAFC |
Jay Payne |
|
'07 Camaro |
BAE 525 |
THUNDERSLUG/VALVOLINE |
| 3 | TAFC |
Sean Bellemeur |
|
'07
|
BAE 526 |
SYNOIL |
| 5 | TAFC |
Steve Harker |
|
'06
|
BAE 526 |
STEVE HARKER |
| 6 | TAFC |
Mickey Ferro |
|
'06
|
BAE 520 |
RYCO HYDRAULICS |
| 7 | TAFC |
Brian Hough |
|
'06
|
BAE 522 |
BRIAN HOUGH RACING |
| 8 | TAFC |
Von Smith |
|
'08 Mustang |
BAE 521 |
|
| 23 | TAFC |
Keeter Ray |
|
'08 Mustang |
BNR 526 |
FRANK HAWLEYS NHRA DRAG RACN |
| 32 | TAFC |
Mick Snyder |
Demotte IN |
'08 Mustang |
BAE 470 |
POWERSOURCE TRANSPORTATION |
| 33 | TAFC |
Marty Nothstein |
Orefield PA |
'08 Impala SS |
BAE 526 |
PERMATEX /
|
| 45 | TAFC |
Steve Burck |
|
'02 Camaro |
Chry 521 |
ARC SPECIATIES |
| 51 | TAFC |
Paul Anderson |
|
'07 Charger |
BAE 526 |
|
| 53 | TAFC |
Roger Bateman |
|
'08 Mustang |
BAE 521 |
NOBEL BIOCARE |
| 62 | TAFC |
Hank Coolidge |
|
'02 Firebird |
Font 526 |
PRO-AUTOMOTIVE |
| 63 | TAFC |
Clint Thompson |
|
'06 Chevrolet |
Font 526 |
CASCADE CHEVROLET |
| 64 | TAFC |
John Evanchuk |
|
'02 Firebird |
BAE 528 |
BIG EAGLE SERVICES |
| 74 | TAFC |
Dennis Taylor |
|
'07 2002 |
AJ 523 |
PLUMBING CONCEPTS |
| 75 | TAFC |
Doug Gordon |
Paso Robles CA |
'07
|
Font 528 |
MORRO BAY CABINETS RACING |
| 365 | TAFC |
Bobby Martin |
Beaver Falls PA |
'08 Charger |
Dodg 526 |
|
| 484 | TAFC |
Kebin Kinsley |
|
'03 Camaro |
BAE 526 |
KINSLEY RACE CARS & MARINE |
| 551 | TAFC |
Vern Moats |
|
'04 Camaro |
BAE 526 |
KENDALL/DEE ZEE |
| 727 | TAFC |
Ron August Jr |
|
'04 Camaro |
BAE 525 |
CALIFORNIA AIR, INC. |
| 756 | TAFC |
Don Hudson |
|
'02 Camaro |
BAE 523 |
REDLINE OIL VORNHAGEN BP |
| 765 | TAFC |
Bernie Harrington |
|
'06 2000 |
BAE 526 |
HARRINGTON MTRSPRT/CRTFD II |
| 777 | TAFC |
John Patton |
|
'03 1999 |
BAE 521 |
FOOLISH MONEY RACING |
| 779 | TAFC |
Daniel Oliver |
|
'07
|
BAE 512 |
RANDY GOODWIN RACING |
| 828 | TAFC |
Leif Andreasson |
|
'04 Dodge RT |
BAE 526 |
ESAB |
| 6464 | TAFC |
Russ Parker |
|
'05 Firebird |
BAE 520 |
BELLEMEUR RACING/LUCAS OIL |
| 710D | TAFC |
Alexis De Joria |
|
'07 Charger |
BAE 524 |
TEQUILA PATRON |
| 7238 | TAFC |
Bret Williamson |
|
'01 Corvette |
Font 526 |
TEAM EAGLE/BEAMS AUTOMOTIVE |
| 7338 | TAFC |
Brian Smith |
|
'07 Camaro |
BAE 522 |
CRAINCO INC. |
| 7384 | TAFC |
Sean O'Bannon |
|
'07 Charger |
BAE 521 |
PATRON TEQUILA |
| 7735 | TAFC |
Steve Gasparrelli |
|
'07 Ford |
Font 526 |
GASPARRELLI RACING |
As I write, Papa Dan Parker is already headin' west with the mighty Parkertech/Lane Automotive/CAP Charger in tow. Frank, Dan, Jennifer, and Rachel Parker along with Tom McVey have gone through every component, every nut and bolt, to prepare for this race. Frank and Dan found some electrical issues that were preventing the car from performing to its potential. The first qualifying shot will be critical, as then we'll truly know where we stand. At the same time, we wouldn't be traveling all the way out to sunny California if Frank and Dan weren't confident the car is ready.
We're very excited about this race for a lot of reasons. First, it's Pomona. Southern California is the birthplace of hot rodding and Funny Car racing in particular. The list of legends that come from there is, well, legendary. And check out that entry list and look at all those Golden State warriors on there. Obviously Funny Car racing is alive and well out west. The Division 7 battles that take place every year are notorious. How about 20 cars for an 8-car show? Other names like Force, Prudhomme, McCullough, Littlefield, Leong, and McEwen all come from the left coast. Pomona is the home of the Winternationals and the World Finals. It's the beginning and the end of the drag racing season. But this region was also home to Orange County, Bakersfield, Irwindale, and Lions. As a drag racing fan and Funny Car guy, I'm just in awe of the heritage and history associated with Southern California. The Parkers have been there, but it's been a very long time. I've never set foot on the hallowed grounds of Pomona. This is a special event for our team. We wouldn't even be going if it weren't for the kind of season we enjoyed so much this year. We want to end a very special year in a special way, and try to build some momentum to take us into 2009.
On Wednesday, November 12th, Dan and I will have the honor of participating in the Career Opportunities Fair. Nearly 3000 high school students will be on hand along with NHRA stars like Tony Schumacher and Steve Johnson. Cerritos College, one of CAP's crown jewel programs, will be our event sponsor for this race. We'll even have a hot new 2009 Ram Quad Cab in sinister Black as our support vehicle. Thanks to Ken Benson and Chrysler's Denver and West Business Centers for making that happen. We look forward to making a lot of great new friends out in "Californy." But then, after all the pre-race hand shaking, and breathing in all the great heritage and history of this event, we've got to suck it up and get down to business. With the amazing field entered for this race, just qualifying will be tough. Then every round will be a slugfest. You can follow the action at nhra.com and dragracecentral.com. Then you can see who survived the carnage when the ESPN2 broadcast airs on Sunday, November 23rd from noon to one. We're hoping to "go Hollywood" one more time before this great season comes to a close. Thanks for reading.
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