It's been awhile since I've done a personal blog on here. The main reason is, well, I haven't had much to talk about. I had about a month off of races, so there wasn't much of interest for the readers of this blog. I just got back from Indy, so now I have a ton to write about!
I've been looking forward to this year's U.S. Nationals since I pulled out of O'Reilly Raceway Park last year. It really is the biggest, most competitive, most fun race in the country, maybe even the world. The car counts are huge and there are always legends and usually a few celebrities in attendance.
Thursday morning and afternoon was spent in the car, as I had a 6 hour drive to Indianapolis. When I got to the track, I spent most of the time hanging out and helping to get everything ready for the race weekend. The Big Go was my sixth race working with Brandon Booher and the AB Construction Top Alcohol Dragster team. They've been doing really well this year, so I was expecting another great finish.
The schedule for Indy is not the same as all the other NHRA national events. For TAD, we get 1 qualifying pass on Friday, 2 on Saturday, another on Sunday morning, then 1st round of eliminations on Sunday evening. There weren't really any highlights or lowlights during qualifying, so I'll skip over that. The real excitement came when we found out who we would be facing first round: Marty Thacker. If you're not familiar with the name, he's a two-time Indy winner, the defending event champion, and a multi-time Division 3 champion. Oh yeah, he's also the guy we lost to in the Norwalk final round.
To make a long story short, we got the win over Marty, 5.45 to Thacker's 5.48. The fact that a relatively new team can beat a driver that's been driving and winning since the 90's is a statement. The car shut off right after the 1,000ft mark, so Brandon could hear Marty on his tail. We had won the battle, with hopes to win the war. As the team headed down the return road back to the pits, we stopped to watch the Chase Copeland-Matt Cummings matchup. Copeland ran 5.27 in qualifying and Cummings ran in the 5.60s. The winner of this matchup would be the next victim of the Booher Racing machine. Fortunately for us, Chase dropped cylinders and lost, so we would race Matt in E2.
The reason for the car shutting off in E1 was still elusive, so our goal for the night was to find out why. The crew was up until 4:30 am on Monday morning, making changes and trying to to find the problem. They were back at it at 8 am and continued working until just before E2. We had lots of help, including the Cantrell Brothers. guys from the Peen-Rite/Maddern Racing team, and even a couple Top Fuel crew chiefs. Their help was very important to us and was appreciated very much.
We got the car started and were pretty confident about our chances in the next round. We rolled up to the lanes, prepared to be moving on to the semifinals. As Brandon pulled through the waterbox and began his burnout, Matt Cummings just sat with the car running. He didn't start his burnout until Brandon started backing up. Once he was backed up, he didn't pre-stage until after Brandon fully staged. In my opinion, Matt was either being rude and unsportsman-like, or he's a bad driver. He finally staged, the tree dropped, and they were off. When the scoreboards lit up, the win light was in our lane! Brandon ran 5.44 to Matt's 5.46, which was a big shock. We got the car hooked up to the tow vehicle and headed back to the pits to get ready for the semifinals against Duane Shields.
I was relatively confident that Brandon would pull out the win, as I should be. In the end, Duane got the win. Brandon tree'd him on the line, leaving earlier by .029. According to announcer Alan Reinhart, Brandon lost by 2-3 feet at the finish line, about a blink of an eye was Duane's margin of victory. When we got to the car in the shut down area, we found that a broken injector nozzle ended our day. The nozzle sprays fuel into the engine. When the engine didn't get that fuel, it leaned out and torched a hole in the #2 cylinder as well as the block. Despite the loss and engine damage, Brandon made racing history. His 5.42 pass was not only his career best, it was also the quickest pass by a converter car. It's so impressive what Brandon and his dad Aaron have done with their car over the past two years.
Bill Reichert ended up getting the U.S. Nationals TAD trophy this year. I had a great time and the team still did a great job. Once we got the car back to the pits and the thrashing slowed down, my dad and I went to watch the finals, really the only spectating that I did over the weekend. After that we packed up and headed back home to Ohio, arriving around midnight.
I really want to thank Brandon Booher for everything that he's done to support and promote me and my ventures. Whether it's NVW Motorsports Promotion or Top Alcohol News, he's always gotten the name out to the racing world. I'm so proud to be a (tiny) part of his team and plan on being there when he hoists his first NHRA Wally.
Thanks for reading my latest blog entry. For complete results from the U.S. Nationals, visit the Top Alcohol News site. We'll have an event wrap-up and probably a few other stories online during the week.
Showing posts with label drag racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drag racing. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Top Alcohol News!
I was a little disappointed in the lack of coverage and exposure that the Top Alcohol categories receive. As a journalist and top alcohol fan, I decided to start a blog/news site to give fans, drivers, and crew members a place to check in on the latest news, interviews, and points standings. I also found it difficult to find Top Alcohol teams' websites, so I include links to all TA teams that have websites. Now you can find all of this on other sites, but you'll have to dig through articles and such about other classes. Top Alcohol News is streamlined and features strictly TA material.
I have big plans for Top Alcohol News, which I plan to carry out throughout the year. One of the big ones is to interview many of the drivers in the TA categories. Many times, the champions are the only TA drivers that are interviewed in the media. Through my experiences as a top alcohol race team crew member, I've had the pleasure to meet and get to know several of the drivers and I think the average fan should get a glimpse of the great personalities in Top Alcohol racing.
As mentioned earlier, Top Alcohol News will feature news, press releases, interviews, and multimedia throughout the season. We'll also update the points standings after each race, whether it's a divisional or national event. I'm constantly coming up with ideas for the site, so you'll never know what you'll find.
Please check out Top Alcohol News for the latest in TA news. Whether you're a drag racing fan that loves the category, or you're new to the class, I guarantee you'll have fun and learn something during your visit. It's always growing and improving, so check it out often.
Thanks for reading!
Nitro Nate
I have big plans for Top Alcohol News, which I plan to carry out throughout the year. One of the big ones is to interview many of the drivers in the TA categories. Many times, the champions are the only TA drivers that are interviewed in the media. Through my experiences as a top alcohol race team crew member, I've had the pleasure to meet and get to know several of the drivers and I think the average fan should get a glimpse of the great personalities in Top Alcohol racing.
As mentioned earlier, Top Alcohol News will feature news, press releases, interviews, and multimedia throughout the season. We'll also update the points standings after each race, whether it's a divisional or national event. I'm constantly coming up with ideas for the site, so you'll never know what you'll find.
Please check out Top Alcohol News for the latest in TA news. Whether you're a drag racing fan that loves the category, or you're new to the class, I guarantee you'll have fun and learn something during your visit. It's always growing and improving, so check it out often.
Thanks for reading!
Nitro Nate
Thursday, July 21, 2011
My Crewing History
Many of you know that I'm a crew member on a few race teams. What you probably don't know is how I got into working on 3,000 horsepower race cars. I think it's a pretty cool story, so I'm writing this blog about it. Who knows, maybe you'll find yourself wanting to crew after reading.
Over the winter of 2009/2010, I found myself wanting to get more involved in the sport, more than just a fan in the stands. I really wanted to write for a magazine, but you don't get that kinda gig overnight. My friend had just bought a Junior Dragster and "hired" me to be a part of his crew. Because of this connection, I began doing the Jr. Dragster reporting for Summit Motorsports Park, a job I'd have for the 2010 season. This experience will pop up later in this story......
After talking with several Pro drivers like Mike Edwards and Bob Bode, I learned that the best way to get involved with the sport is to help a local race team, or a Top Alcohol team in my case. I began talks with a now-defunct local TAFC team about helping them at the Norwalk divisional. Everything was set, until three days before the event, when the driver/owner informed me that they wouldn't be competing. This left me in a difficult position. I quickly fired off an email to the Division 3, asking for an entry list for the event so I would know who else might need help. I found one of the TAD drivers, Brandon Booher, on Facebook and asked if he needed an extra hand. Luckily for me, he did.
My dad and I worked with Brandon and his all-volunteer crew for the weekend, where we both learned a lot! My dad was really there just to make sure I was safe with the team, as we had never met and I was still a bit young. He ended up doing a lot more than he expected. We really enjoyed ourselves, so we made plans to help them at the Norwalk national event as well.
If you think you have fun at a national event as fans/spectators, try attending one as a crew member! It's a great experience, one that I'll never forget. As far as racing, the team did OK, but nothing really extraordinary. We qualified somewhere between 9-13, won first round over Jared Dreher, then lost to my future PR client, Darren Nicholson. But during that weekend, I got started in something that I never thought of, something that surely changed my life. Brandon asked if I'd be interested in doing his Public Relations work for him. He had seen my writing on the SMP site and was impressed. So in a way, Brandon is responsible for the madness that is NVW Motorsports Promotion.
Fast forward to the 2010 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. My dad and I were there as crew members with Booher Racing again and I was doing PR for the 1999 winner of the event in TAD, Darren Nicholson. This was my first out of state race, so also my first time at the prestigious race. The "Big Go" is truly big. The best of the best in drag racing are racing there, and they bring their A-game. The Top Alcohol categories had over 25 entries and TAD had one of it's closest fields in the history of the class. Thus, we failed to qualify. The event wasn't a total loss, as we had fun, learned a lot, and Darren ended up going to the semi-finals.
As a crew member, I've had to chance to meet some very cool people. Just recently, I got to watch the Funny Car qualifying at Norwalk between team owners and legends, Don Schumacher and Jim Dunn. In the Booher pit area, I got to sit in on a 15 minute BS'ing session with several Top Alcohol drivers, including Frank Manzo and Mike Kosky, two of the best storytellers in drag racing. I got to stand on the line when John and Ashley Force raced each other at the 2010 Night Under Fire, right between the cars. (John and Ashley Force at 2010 NUFHere's a link to my video of the run). These are experiences that the everyday fan just doesn't get.
I'm now in my second season as a part time crew member with the AB Construction Top Alcohol Dragster team. I've also helped Cathy Belcher's Pro Ectreme team at the Norwalk ADRL event. And for a change of pace, I'm in my second season as assistant crew chief on Jacob Parker's JDP Motorsports/K&N Filters Junior Dragster. On a side note-Junior Drag Racing is the most fun you can have with a single cylinder engine. If you have son or daughter within Jr Dragster age that is into racing and you have the financial resources, I highly recommend getting into the sport, it is so choice (as Ferris Bueller would say). Working with a race team is easily the best way to involve yourself in the sport, without actually owning or driving a car. Todd Okuhara, crew chief for the Spencer Massey-driven Fram Top Fuel car, started out as a low ranking crew member, doing the dirty jobs that no one else would do. Now he's calling the shots on an 8,000+ HP engine. It's my dream to move up the ranks like he did.
I hope this blog post has inspired you to get more involved with our amazing sport. You'll never regret in and I guarantee you'll have a ton of fun. I really appreciate all of my readers and their comments, so let me know how you like the blog. If you really enjoy it, pass it along to your friends.
Thanks for reading!
Nitro Nate
Over the winter of 2009/2010, I found myself wanting to get more involved in the sport, more than just a fan in the stands. I really wanted to write for a magazine, but you don't get that kinda gig overnight. My friend had just bought a Junior Dragster and "hired" me to be a part of his crew. Because of this connection, I began doing the Jr. Dragster reporting for Summit Motorsports Park, a job I'd have for the 2010 season. This experience will pop up later in this story......
After talking with several Pro drivers like Mike Edwards and Bob Bode, I learned that the best way to get involved with the sport is to help a local race team, or a Top Alcohol team in my case. I began talks with a now-defunct local TAFC team about helping them at the Norwalk divisional. Everything was set, until three days before the event, when the driver/owner informed me that they wouldn't be competing. This left me in a difficult position. I quickly fired off an email to the Division 3, asking for an entry list for the event so I would know who else might need help. I found one of the TAD drivers, Brandon Booher, on Facebook and asked if he needed an extra hand. Luckily for me, he did.
My dad and I worked with Brandon and his all-volunteer crew for the weekend, where we both learned a lot! My dad was really there just to make sure I was safe with the team, as we had never met and I was still a bit young. He ended up doing a lot more than he expected. We really enjoyed ourselves, so we made plans to help them at the Norwalk national event as well.
If you think you have fun at a national event as fans/spectators, try attending one as a crew member! It's a great experience, one that I'll never forget. As far as racing, the team did OK, but nothing really extraordinary. We qualified somewhere between 9-13, won first round over Jared Dreher, then lost to my future PR client, Darren Nicholson. But during that weekend, I got started in something that I never thought of, something that surely changed my life. Brandon asked if I'd be interested in doing his Public Relations work for him. He had seen my writing on the SMP site and was impressed. So in a way, Brandon is responsible for the madness that is NVW Motorsports Promotion.
Fast forward to the 2010 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. My dad and I were there as crew members with Booher Racing again and I was doing PR for the 1999 winner of the event in TAD, Darren Nicholson. This was my first out of state race, so also my first time at the prestigious race. The "Big Go" is truly big. The best of the best in drag racing are racing there, and they bring their A-game. The Top Alcohol categories had over 25 entries and TAD had one of it's closest fields in the history of the class. Thus, we failed to qualify. The event wasn't a total loss, as we had fun, learned a lot, and Darren ended up going to the semi-finals.
As a crew member, I've had to chance to meet some very cool people. Just recently, I got to watch the Funny Car qualifying at Norwalk between team owners and legends, Don Schumacher and Jim Dunn. In the Booher pit area, I got to sit in on a 15 minute BS'ing session with several Top Alcohol drivers, including Frank Manzo and Mike Kosky, two of the best storytellers in drag racing. I got to stand on the line when John and Ashley Force raced each other at the 2010 Night Under Fire, right between the cars. (John and Ashley Force at 2010 NUFHere's a link to my video of the run). These are experiences that the everyday fan just doesn't get.
I'm now in my second season as a part time crew member with the AB Construction Top Alcohol Dragster team. I've also helped Cathy Belcher's Pro Ectreme team at the Norwalk ADRL event. And for a change of pace, I'm in my second season as assistant crew chief on Jacob Parker's JDP Motorsports/K&N Filters Junior Dragster. On a side note-Junior Drag Racing is the most fun you can have with a single cylinder engine. If you have son or daughter within Jr Dragster age that is into racing and you have the financial resources, I highly recommend getting into the sport, it is so choice (as Ferris Bueller would say). Working with a race team is easily the best way to involve yourself in the sport, without actually owning or driving a car. Todd Okuhara, crew chief for the Spencer Massey-driven Fram Top Fuel car, started out as a low ranking crew member, doing the dirty jobs that no one else would do. Now he's calling the shots on an 8,000+ HP engine. It's my dream to move up the ranks like he did.
I hope this blog post has inspired you to get more involved with our amazing sport. You'll never regret in and I guarantee you'll have a ton of fun. I really appreciate all of my readers and their comments, so let me know how you like the blog. If you really enjoy it, pass it along to your friends.
Thanks for reading!
Nitro Nate
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Drag Racing Collectables
In drag racing, there are so many different varieties of collectables. I'm going to focus on one specific branch in this blog. Some people like to collect diecast models of the race cars, I've been known to buy a few, but I really like to collect things that you can't buy. Mostly, because they're free! I'm talking about hero cards and used parts.
Hero cards first started popping up in the mid to late 70's, usually reserved for big-name drivers with sponsors, such as Big Daddy Don Garlits and Don Prudhomme and Tom McEwen. Now, almost all of the pro teams provide hero cards to fans. Even Pro Mod and Sportsman teams have hero cards. Hero cards are really a win/win for the team and the fans. For the team, the cards help get the name of the team out to fans and potential sponsors, as well as promoting the team's current sponsors. Fans benefit because they get a free souvenir to remember their day at the track by. If the hero card is signed, it's always more valuable to me, but it can also be worth money in the future. Who knows, that driver in the back of the Top Alcohol pits might be a future Top Fuel champion.
I've been collecting hero cards since I went to my first "serious" drag race, the 2006 IHRA World Nationals, the last IHRA race at Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk Raceway Park in it's IHRA days. I now have almost four 3-inch binders full of hero cards, starting with Top Fuel and ending with show cars. There are a wide range of autographed cards in my books, from John Force's to local sportsman driver's. It's always cool to look through the books and see how the cars, sponsors, and drivers have gotten in and out of the sport.
One of my favorite parts of working with an NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team is that I usually get first dibs on burnt up or useless parts. One of my favorites is a set of busted blower belts from the 2010 Norwalk national event. One belt, the "Sportsman Belt" as I call it, has been signed by Frank Manzo, Bill Reichert, the Force sisters, Steve Harker, and Dave Hirata, to name a few. It also has a few Pro drivers on it, like Allen Johnson, Greg Anderson, Jack Beckman, and Kenny Koretsky. The second belt has been signed by so many drag racing personalities, there really aren't any open spots. Paul Page, Bob Bode, Jeff Arend, Morgan Lucas, Tim Wilkerson, and the #NTG favorite, Terry McMillen are some of the fantastic people that are on the belt.
In total of used parts, I have five pistons, two and a half connecting rods, two head gaskets, 4 burst panels, a few assorted Lenco/automatic transmission parts, and a "pop 'chute", the part the pops the parachutes out. One of the pistons came out of Steve Harker's TAFC engine, when he ran 5.50 at 260 mph at the 2010 NHRA Nationals at Norwalk. If you know anything about Top Alcohol Funny Car racing, you'll know that's a pass! Luckily, I didn't have to do much to come across these parts, but if you have enough time when you're at the track, ask a few of the teams if they have any bad parts. Many of the nitro teams, (besides JFR, DSR, Al-Anabi,), will have used pistons or head gaskets that they'll give you. It's instantly a cool collectable, especially if it's signed.
At the 2011 U.S. Nationals in Indy, I had the opportunity to meet one of my idols in automotive drawing and design, Chip Foose. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Chip was at the Mac Tools booth, signing a few tool boxes, then signing some Oakley posters featuring his new line of shoes. I was standing in the area when they formed the line, so I was the first fan after the Mac executives got their items signed. Chip not only signed and personalized an Oakley poster for me, he also did a quick sketch and autograph on one of my NVW Motorsports Promotion hats. Mr. Foose was one of the most humble and kind people that I've met in the industry. It was really one of the highlights of the trip. This is a kind of collectable that will probably never leave my possession, mainly because it will never be as valuable to someone else as it is to me.
Drag racing is one of the very few sports that has such a wide variety of collectables and souvenirs that fans can acquire at the track. I always love finding more collectables and hearing about the great items that other NHRA fans have. If you have some really awesome items, tell me about them in a comment, or maybe you could do a blog about them.
Thanks for reading the latest installment of my random ramblings. I'd like to congratulate fellow #NTG member Nitro John on his appearance on Joe Castello's WFO Radio Nitro Tuesday night. It was a great opportunity to promote the Nitro Twitter Group and he did a great job. I'm not really sure what my next blog will be about, so be prepared for anything!
Thanks again for reading!
Nitro Nate
Hero cards first started popping up in the mid to late 70's, usually reserved for big-name drivers with sponsors, such as Big Daddy Don Garlits and Don Prudhomme and Tom McEwen. Now, almost all of the pro teams provide hero cards to fans. Even Pro Mod and Sportsman teams have hero cards. Hero cards are really a win/win for the team and the fans. For the team, the cards help get the name of the team out to fans and potential sponsors, as well as promoting the team's current sponsors. Fans benefit because they get a free souvenir to remember their day at the track by. If the hero card is signed, it's always more valuable to me, but it can also be worth money in the future. Who knows, that driver in the back of the Top Alcohol pits might be a future Top Fuel champion.
I've been collecting hero cards since I went to my first "serious" drag race, the 2006 IHRA World Nationals, the last IHRA race at Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk Raceway Park in it's IHRA days. I now have almost four 3-inch binders full of hero cards, starting with Top Fuel and ending with show cars. There are a wide range of autographed cards in my books, from John Force's to local sportsman driver's. It's always cool to look through the books and see how the cars, sponsors, and drivers have gotten in and out of the sport.
One of my favorite parts of working with an NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team is that I usually get first dibs on burnt up or useless parts. One of my favorites is a set of busted blower belts from the 2010 Norwalk national event. One belt, the "Sportsman Belt" as I call it, has been signed by Frank Manzo, Bill Reichert, the Force sisters, Steve Harker, and Dave Hirata, to name a few. It also has a few Pro drivers on it, like Allen Johnson, Greg Anderson, Jack Beckman, and Kenny Koretsky. The second belt has been signed by so many drag racing personalities, there really aren't any open spots. Paul Page, Bob Bode, Jeff Arend, Morgan Lucas, Tim Wilkerson, and the #NTG favorite, Terry McMillen are some of the fantastic people that are on the belt.
In total of used parts, I have five pistons, two and a half connecting rods, two head gaskets, 4 burst panels, a few assorted Lenco/automatic transmission parts, and a "pop 'chute", the part the pops the parachutes out. One of the pistons came out of Steve Harker's TAFC engine, when he ran 5.50 at 260 mph at the 2010 NHRA Nationals at Norwalk. If you know anything about Top Alcohol Funny Car racing, you'll know that's a pass! Luckily, I didn't have to do much to come across these parts, but if you have enough time when you're at the track, ask a few of the teams if they have any bad parts. Many of the nitro teams, (besides JFR, DSR, Al-Anabi,), will have used pistons or head gaskets that they'll give you. It's instantly a cool collectable, especially if it's signed.
At the 2011 U.S. Nationals in Indy, I had the opportunity to meet one of my idols in automotive drawing and design, Chip Foose. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Chip was at the Mac Tools booth, signing a few tool boxes, then signing some Oakley posters featuring his new line of shoes. I was standing in the area when they formed the line, so I was the first fan after the Mac executives got their items signed. Chip not only signed and personalized an Oakley poster for me, he also did a quick sketch and autograph on one of my NVW Motorsports Promotion hats. Mr. Foose was one of the most humble and kind people that I've met in the industry. It was really one of the highlights of the trip. This is a kind of collectable that will probably never leave my possession, mainly because it will never be as valuable to someone else as it is to me.
Drag racing is one of the very few sports that has such a wide variety of collectables and souvenirs that fans can acquire at the track. I always love finding more collectables and hearing about the great items that other NHRA fans have. If you have some really awesome items, tell me about them in a comment, or maybe you could do a blog about them.
Thanks for reading the latest installment of my random ramblings. I'd like to congratulate fellow #NTG member Nitro John on his appearance on Joe Castello's WFO Radio Nitro Tuesday night. It was a great opportunity to promote the Nitro Twitter Group and he did a great job. I'm not really sure what my next blog will be about, so be prepared for anything!
Thanks again for reading!
Nitro Nate
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Meet the Nitro Twitter Gang
I'm proud to be a part of a group that I consider to be the greatest drag racing "advocates" online, the Nitro Twitter Gang (#NTG). We're an elite gathering of die-hard drag racing fans, crew members, and drivers, including Top Fuel driver Terry McMillen, who has recently been dubbed the "poster child" of the NTG. We use various online outlets, such as Facebook and Blogspot, along with Twitter, obviously, to show our enthusiasm for the greatest sport on the planet.
There aren't really any "gang leaders" in the Nitro Twitter Gang, but if there were, it's safe to say John Amorosano (@nitrojohn) and Steve Emerson (@sremerson) would be the leaders. They're probably the most active members, tweeting links to drag racing stories, promoting NHRA drivers' Twitter accounts, and organizing meetings at national events for NTG members. John and Steve are also two of the members that also blog. John's blog, John's Nitro World, has been online for a few months now and is one of the best NHRA blogs available. It highlights certain drivers or teams in the NHRA, many of which are part of the NTG, along with reviews of races that John attends. Steve's blog has only been online for a few weeks, so I can only write so much about it. Steve's Drag Racing Views features posts about some of the big stories in NHRA drag racing right now, like Tony Schumacher's winless streak and rookie Vincent Nobile's successful year so far. Both blogs are done very professionally and I look forward to reading their future posts.
If you're on Twitter, I highly suggest you become a member of the Nitro Twitter Gang. Basically, include the hashtag #NTG on your tweets, and you're in! If you're not on Twitter yet, you really should consider joining Twitter, as it's a lot of fun. I guarantee you'll make new friends on Twitter and with the Nitro Twitter Gang. You can find links to Steve and John's blogs, as well as their Twitter profiles on the Links section of this blog.
My next blog will either be about my trip to Murrell's Inlet, SC or the JDP Motorsports team's return to the track after a short hiatus. For those of you attending the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 Nationals in Chicago, have fun and good luck!
Thanks for reading!
Nitro Nate
There aren't really any "gang leaders" in the Nitro Twitter Gang, but if there were, it's safe to say John Amorosano (@nitrojohn) and Steve Emerson (@sremerson) would be the leaders. They're probably the most active members, tweeting links to drag racing stories, promoting NHRA drivers' Twitter accounts, and organizing meetings at national events for NTG members. John and Steve are also two of the members that also blog. John's blog, John's Nitro World, has been online for a few months now and is one of the best NHRA blogs available. It highlights certain drivers or teams in the NHRA, many of which are part of the NTG, along with reviews of races that John attends. Steve's blog has only been online for a few weeks, so I can only write so much about it. Steve's Drag Racing Views features posts about some of the big stories in NHRA drag racing right now, like Tony Schumacher's winless streak and rookie Vincent Nobile's successful year so far. Both blogs are done very professionally and I look forward to reading their future posts.
If you're on Twitter, I highly suggest you become a member of the Nitro Twitter Gang. Basically, include the hashtag #NTG on your tweets, and you're in! If you're not on Twitter yet, you really should consider joining Twitter, as it's a lot of fun. I guarantee you'll make new friends on Twitter and with the Nitro Twitter Gang. You can find links to Steve and John's blogs, as well as their Twitter profiles on the Links section of this blog.
My next blog will either be about my trip to Murrell's Inlet, SC or the JDP Motorsports team's return to the track after a short hiatus. For those of you attending the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 Nationals in Chicago, have fun and good luck!
Thanks for reading!
Nitro Nate
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Winning is Fun!
Wow, I had an amazing time at Norwalk this past weekend! I was working with Brandon Booher and the AB Construction Top Alcohol Dragster team, who just happened to runner-up at the event! Well, it didn't just happen, it took a fantastic driver and crew to get there.
On Thursday night, I headed out to the track to help Brandon and his dad, Aaron, set up the pit area. We got set up and prepared the car for two rounds of qualifying on Friday. Or so we thought. Periodic drizzles and downpours wreaked havoc on the area, leaving track officials to cancel all of the day's events, including the aforementioned qualifying sessions. By Saturday morning, NHRA decided to give TAD two qualifying runs, with 1st round around 10 pm. When qualifying was all said and done, we were qualifed 7th with a 5.44 at 260 MPH, leaving us to run Robin Samsel, who qualified 10th with a 5.49.
We entered the staging lanes around 9:30, optimisticly hoping to win first round. I thought we had a pretty good chance of winning the round, considering the gap in between our qualifying ET's. Well, I was wrong! Brandon did win the round, but Robin and crew put up one heck of a fight! Robin ran a 5.38, to Brandon's winning 5.46. Now that took a serious holeshot!
Here's a summary of the rest of our eliminations:
(W) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.047 5.460 259.76
(L) Robin Samsel (A/FD) 0.127 5.389 260.31
(W) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.045 5.476 259.61
(L) Dan Page (A/FD) 0.070 5.533 263.77
(W) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.023 5.497 259.26
(L) Karen Stalba (A.A. Auto Salvage A/FD) 0.142 5.574 250.64
(W) Marty Thacker (Rapid Transit B/AD) 0.048 5.403 263.26
(L) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.015 6.465 107.66
It was cool to run Marty Thacker and the Rapid Transit team in the finals, mostly because we're friends with him and a few of his crew guys. We couldn't have lost to a better group!
Although we had a great weekend, easily the team's most successful in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster competition, the motor took a serious hit. Around the 1,000 ft mark, crap hit the fan. Standing on the starting line, all we could see was the parachutes come out early, which usually means a problem with the supercharger. Upon further inspection in the turnoff area, it was determined that the rods failed, putting holes in the oil pan and block, also damaging the pistons and sleeves. It was a disappointing end to an exciting day. Now the team is forced to miss the rescheduled NHRA divisional at Norwalk, as well as the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Brandon's home track.
Even though it was big set-back for the team, the weekend was still a huge morale boost for the whole team, especially Brandon and his dad, Aaron. The car hadn't been running well for almost a year, so the consistent E.T.'s and results were a sign of a turning point in the car's performance. The car wasn't the only thing performing well. Brandon took the holeshot in every single round, even against Marty, who cut a perfect .000 light earlier in eliminations. Without the driver doing his job on the line, we would've been packing up after Round 1.
With all that being said, winning makes racing a lot more fun! I had never experienced such a winning weekend in previous trips to the track. To be with the runner-up team at my home track's national event was such a blast. I look forward to more round wins and hopefully a few Wally's in the future! Before I end this little smorgasbord of literature, I'd like to congratulate our final round opponent, Marty Thacker and his crew, as well as Troy Stone and the Vintage Trailers Top Dragster team. Also, final congratulations to Brandon, Aaron, and the crew; Shannon Pappas, Pete Brady, and John Halloran.
Thanks for reading my blog this week, I'll post another after this weekend's NHRA Division 3 race in Norwalk. To read more on Brandon and the AB Construction team, visit www.nitronate.com/booher, www.facebook.com/booherracing, or www.twitter.com/booherracing.com. Congratulate him while you're there! Follow me on Twitter (@nitronate1320) at www.twitter.com/nitronate1320.
Thanks again for reading!
Nitro Nate
On Thursday night, I headed out to the track to help Brandon and his dad, Aaron, set up the pit area. We got set up and prepared the car for two rounds of qualifying on Friday. Or so we thought. Periodic drizzles and downpours wreaked havoc on the area, leaving track officials to cancel all of the day's events, including the aforementioned qualifying sessions. By Saturday morning, NHRA decided to give TAD two qualifying runs, with 1st round around 10 pm. When qualifying was all said and done, we were qualifed 7th with a 5.44 at 260 MPH, leaving us to run Robin Samsel, who qualified 10th with a 5.49.
We entered the staging lanes around 9:30, optimisticly hoping to win first round. I thought we had a pretty good chance of winning the round, considering the gap in between our qualifying ET's. Well, I was wrong! Brandon did win the round, but Robin and crew put up one heck of a fight! Robin ran a 5.38, to Brandon's winning 5.46. Now that took a serious holeshot!
Here's a summary of the rest of our eliminations:
(W) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.047 5.460 259.76
(L) Robin Samsel (A/FD) 0.127 5.389 260.31
(W) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.045 5.476 259.61
(L) Dan Page (A/FD) 0.070 5.533 263.77
(W) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.023 5.497 259.26
(L) Karen Stalba (A.A. Auto Salvage A/FD) 0.142 5.574 250.64
(W) Marty Thacker (Rapid Transit B/AD) 0.048 5.403 263.26
(L) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.015 6.465 107.66
It was cool to run Marty Thacker and the Rapid Transit team in the finals, mostly because we're friends with him and a few of his crew guys. We couldn't have lost to a better group!
Although we had a great weekend, easily the team's most successful in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster competition, the motor took a serious hit. Around the 1,000 ft mark, crap hit the fan. Standing on the starting line, all we could see was the parachutes come out early, which usually means a problem with the supercharger. Upon further inspection in the turnoff area, it was determined that the rods failed, putting holes in the oil pan and block, also damaging the pistons and sleeves. It was a disappointing end to an exciting day. Now the team is forced to miss the rescheduled NHRA divisional at Norwalk, as well as the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Brandon's home track.
Even though it was big set-back for the team, the weekend was still a huge morale boost for the whole team, especially Brandon and his dad, Aaron. The car hadn't been running well for almost a year, so the consistent E.T.'s and results were a sign of a turning point in the car's performance. The car wasn't the only thing performing well. Brandon took the holeshot in every single round, even against Marty, who cut a perfect .000 light earlier in eliminations. Without the driver doing his job on the line, we would've been packing up after Round 1.
With all that being said, winning makes racing a lot more fun! I had never experienced such a winning weekend in previous trips to the track. To be with the runner-up team at my home track's national event was such a blast. I look forward to more round wins and hopefully a few Wally's in the future! Before I end this little smorgasbord of literature, I'd like to congratulate our final round opponent, Marty Thacker and his crew, as well as Troy Stone and the Vintage Trailers Top Dragster team. Also, final congratulations to Brandon, Aaron, and the crew; Shannon Pappas, Pete Brady, and John Halloran.
Thanks for reading my blog this week, I'll post another after this weekend's NHRA Division 3 race in Norwalk. To read more on Brandon and the AB Construction team, visit www.nitronate.com/booher, www.facebook.com/booherracing, or www.twitter.com/booherracing.com. Congratulate him while you're there! Follow me on Twitter (@nitronate1320) at www.twitter.com/nitronate1320.
Thanks again for reading!
Nitro Nate
Monday, June 20, 2011
Norwalk National Event Week!
It's finally time for the race I look forward to the most, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park. This is easily my favorite race weekend of the year because Norwalk is my hometrack and I have a lot of local friends that will be in attendance. This is also one of the few national events that I'll be attending this year, so I try to have as much fun at this race as possible. Along with the typical race activities, there are a few special parts of the event.
One of those activities that is sure to be fun is an NHRA Countdown to the Championship PS2 tournament, held by Stefan Kontos and the Kon Rodz Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team in their pit area. If everything goes as planned, we'll be playing from 10:30 Friday night until the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. So far, the entry list includes some top alcohol and nitro crew guys, with a few possible Pro drivers attending. If you're at the track, stop by and enter the race, it'll be a good time. $10 entry fee, winner recieves $100, RU gets $25, then there are $10-20 awards for low qualifier, top speed, etc.
Another cool feature of the Norwalk event is the K&N Filters Horsepower Challenge. This is a special bonus race for the Top 7 drivers in Pro Stock, along with an eighth driver that is voted in by the fans. As of June 5th, the drivers are Jason Line, Allen Johnson, Mike Edwards, Greg Anderson, Ron Krisher, Rodger Brogdon, Shane Gray, and Erica Enders as the fan-voted driver. The winner goes home with a cool $50,000, so all of the drivers will be on their A-game, providing a great show for the fans.
One of the factors that make this race so enjoyable for myself, the drivers, fans, and anyone at the track is the hospitality and show that the Bader family puts on. I feel that they go above and beyond when it comes to promoting and scheduling all of their events, especially the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. This year's special attractions include passes by Bob Motz's jet Kenworth and Danny O'Day's wheelstander, a Sunday pre-race concert, and the fantastic fireworks show after Friday Night qualifying. And we can't forget the famous $1 for a pound ice cream that everyone raves about.
The amount of cars on the entry lists for the race are some of the highest of NHRA national events this year. In the nitro classes, there are currently 17 drivers entered in Top Fuel Dragster and 20 in Fuel Funny Car. Pro Stock has the highest Pro counts, with 27 in Pro Stock Car and 24 in Pro Stock Motorcycle. The top Sportsman classes (Pro Mod, Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car) have 26, 15, and 20, respectively.
All of these factors should make for another amazing weekend in "the Maple city". If you're within 200 miles of the track, I'd give the track a call, order tickets, hop in the car and head to Norwalk! If not, be sure to watch it on ESPN2, as well as the results on NHRA.com and dragracecentral.com. Check back here later in the week for another blog about the upcoming race weekend.
See ya at the track!
Nitro Nate
One of those activities that is sure to be fun is an NHRA Countdown to the Championship PS2 tournament, held by Stefan Kontos and the Kon Rodz Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team in their pit area. If everything goes as planned, we'll be playing from 10:30 Friday night until the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. So far, the entry list includes some top alcohol and nitro crew guys, with a few possible Pro drivers attending. If you're at the track, stop by and enter the race, it'll be a good time. $10 entry fee, winner recieves $100, RU gets $25, then there are $10-20 awards for low qualifier, top speed, etc.
Another cool feature of the Norwalk event is the K&N Filters Horsepower Challenge. This is a special bonus race for the Top 7 drivers in Pro Stock, along with an eighth driver that is voted in by the fans. As of June 5th, the drivers are Jason Line, Allen Johnson, Mike Edwards, Greg Anderson, Ron Krisher, Rodger Brogdon, Shane Gray, and Erica Enders as the fan-voted driver. The winner goes home with a cool $50,000, so all of the drivers will be on their A-game, providing a great show for the fans.
One of the factors that make this race so enjoyable for myself, the drivers, fans, and anyone at the track is the hospitality and show that the Bader family puts on. I feel that they go above and beyond when it comes to promoting and scheduling all of their events, especially the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. This year's special attractions include passes by Bob Motz's jet Kenworth and Danny O'Day's wheelstander, a Sunday pre-race concert, and the fantastic fireworks show after Friday Night qualifying. And we can't forget the famous $1 for a pound ice cream that everyone raves about.
The amount of cars on the entry lists for the race are some of the highest of NHRA national events this year. In the nitro classes, there are currently 17 drivers entered in Top Fuel Dragster and 20 in Fuel Funny Car. Pro Stock has the highest Pro counts, with 27 in Pro Stock Car and 24 in Pro Stock Motorcycle. The top Sportsman classes (Pro Mod, Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car) have 26, 15, and 20, respectively.
All of these factors should make for another amazing weekend in "the Maple city". If you're within 200 miles of the track, I'd give the track a call, order tickets, hop in the car and head to Norwalk! If not, be sure to watch it on ESPN2, as well as the results on NHRA.com and dragracecentral.com. Check back here later in the week for another blog about the upcoming race weekend.
See ya at the track!
Nitro Nate
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Wacky Weather season...
Hey folks, sorry I haven't updated the blog lately. Between school and keeping up with the race teams, I've been busy. Here in northern Ohio, we've been dealing with very rainy days that put a real damper on our racing plans. Thanks to Mother Nature, the Cavalcade of Stars divisional race at Norwalk was rescheduled for July 2-3.
Speaking of the Cavalcade, it was a great time even if we didn't get much racing in. Two of the teams I write for, Dave Hill's Nitro Fever Racing A/fuel team and Brandon Booher's AB Construction blown alcohol dragster team were in attendance to compete in Top Alcohol Dragster. I spent the weekend in Boohers' pit area as a crew member, waiting out the rain with the rest of the team. TAD only got one qualifying run in, so we spent the majority of the weekend chilling out. It was a fun weekend thanks to good company and I'm really looking forward to the make-up date.
Over the course of the weekend, I got to speak with and get to know one of the emerging drivers in NHRA Division 3 Top Alcohol Dragster competition, Dave Hill. I've been writing for Dave since the end of the 2010 season, but I hadn't met him until the Cavalcade weekend. I don't think I've benefitted from a conversation as much as I did with my conversations with Dave that weekend. Due to the lack of on-track action, I had lots of time to listen to him talk about his history, both racing and personal. If you're ever at a race where Dave and Team Nitro Fever are competing, stop by and say hi, he's really one of the coolest guys in the pits. He also gave the JDP Motorsports Junior Dragster team a lot of ideas that we're eager to try out. Dave and his sons used to race Jr's in Michigan and Indiana, where they were very successful.
One of the main reasons that I'm anticipating the rescheduled Cavalcade weekend is because all of the teams I do PR work for will be there. Jake Parker and the JDP Motorsports/K&N Filters team and Noah Rambow and the NAPA Auto Parts junior dragster team will be racing in their weekly points race on Saturday morning, than Brandon and Dave in Top Alcohol have qualifying on Saturday and Sunday, with eliminations on Sunday afternoon. This is a rare opportunity to get the whole group together for a big photoshoot. The photos that will be taken will be used for an upcoming NVW Motorsports Promotion ad in a magazine, Drag Illustrated probably. My friend John Stutsman will be doing the photography, as well as Chris Ternaux of RC Ternaux Photography.
Alright, enough of my random ramblings. Before I end this post, I want to mention a project that I'm working on, Nitro Cribs. It's basically MTV Cribs on NITRO. I'll get into more detail about it on my next post. Until then, keep it between the lines.
Thanks for reading!
Nitro Nate
Speaking of the Cavalcade, it was a great time even if we didn't get much racing in. Two of the teams I write for, Dave Hill's Nitro Fever Racing A/fuel team and Brandon Booher's AB Construction blown alcohol dragster team were in attendance to compete in Top Alcohol Dragster. I spent the weekend in Boohers' pit area as a crew member, waiting out the rain with the rest of the team. TAD only got one qualifying run in, so we spent the majority of the weekend chilling out. It was a fun weekend thanks to good company and I'm really looking forward to the make-up date.
Over the course of the weekend, I got to speak with and get to know one of the emerging drivers in NHRA Division 3 Top Alcohol Dragster competition, Dave Hill. I've been writing for Dave since the end of the 2010 season, but I hadn't met him until the Cavalcade weekend. I don't think I've benefitted from a conversation as much as I did with my conversations with Dave that weekend. Due to the lack of on-track action, I had lots of time to listen to him talk about his history, both racing and personal. If you're ever at a race where Dave and Team Nitro Fever are competing, stop by and say hi, he's really one of the coolest guys in the pits. He also gave the JDP Motorsports Junior Dragster team a lot of ideas that we're eager to try out. Dave and his sons used to race Jr's in Michigan and Indiana, where they were very successful.
One of the main reasons that I'm anticipating the rescheduled Cavalcade weekend is because all of the teams I do PR work for will be there. Jake Parker and the JDP Motorsports/K&N Filters team and Noah Rambow and the NAPA Auto Parts junior dragster team will be racing in their weekly points race on Saturday morning, than Brandon and Dave in Top Alcohol have qualifying on Saturday and Sunday, with eliminations on Sunday afternoon. This is a rare opportunity to get the whole group together for a big photoshoot. The photos that will be taken will be used for an upcoming NVW Motorsports Promotion ad in a magazine, Drag Illustrated probably. My friend John Stutsman will be doing the photography, as well as Chris Ternaux of RC Ternaux Photography.
Alright, enough of my random ramblings. Before I end this post, I want to mention a project that I'm working on, Nitro Cribs. It's basically MTV Cribs on NITRO. I'll get into more detail about it on my next post. Until then, keep it between the lines.
Thanks for reading!
Nitro Nate
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)