The 2017 NHRA Mello Yellow tour moved east to Gainesville Raceway for the 48th Annual Amalie Gatornationals, and amazing conditions gave fans record-breaking performances in a multitude of classes.
NHRA national events offer enthusiasts the opportunity to get up close with everything from thunderous nitro-burners to the production-based cars in Stock, Super Stock and the relatively new heads-up Factory Stock class, be it on the track or in the pits. Anticipating great action, Hot Rod covered the grounds to capture the sights and sounds and to give you a close-up look at the variety of cars and stars of the NHRA.
Insanely cool weather gave racers a natural advantage and Stockers were the first to breathe enriched air. Those muscle cars were flying high and running big speeds right out of the gate. Carl Tasca, son of legendary Bob Tasca Sr. lit up the board with a 170mph pass in his 2016 Ford Cobra Jet Mustang. This was the second highest speed recorded for a Stock Eliminator car, and the first Ford over 170 mph. In addition to Tasca, Roy Hill ran the quickest Super Stock pass in history, when he blasted to a 7.78 at 175 mph in his 2010 supercharged Cobra Jet.
The evolution of Stock Eliminator is the School of Automotive Machinists and Technology Factory Stock Showdown. FSS cars represent the ultimate in performance from the Big Three Detroit automakers and include the Dodge Drag Pak Challenger, the Chevrolet COPO Camaro and the Ford Cobra Jet Mustang.
Producing over 1,000 hp from supercharged engines, the FSS cars run low 8s at nearly 170 mph and they do it on 9-inch tires! It’s the 1960s all over again as the factories are hands-on, providing support to teams on Sunday with the hopes of finding victory and selling more cars on Monday. Fans get behind their favorite brand, media members hustle to the wall to get the shots, and each time to the line something exciting seems to happen. Both the NMCA (National Muscle Car Association) and the NHRA now have a category for these cars with the same race format, so the template is set for growth.
In Gainesville, 17 racers attempted to qualify for the 8 spots on the FSS ladder, and it was David Barton taking the pole, running 8.101/169 mph with his COPO. Chris Holbrook was right on his heels with an 8.109/169 in his Ford and the lone Dodge was driven by Geoff Turk (8.20/168). After three intense qualifying sessions, the bump was 8.23, held by Chuck Watson Sr. and his CJ. Also in the field was Competition Eliminator standout Todd Patterson, two-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders-Stevens and the field was rounded out by the Camaros of Stephen Bell and Peter Gasko Jr.
The final came down to Barton and the number eight man, Chuck Watson Sr. Barton was clean on the tree and blistered to an 8.13 to top Watson, who was tardy on the line and ran a slower 8.22. FSS provided amazing action, and we’re planning to follow the series, right down to the championship.
Of course, the Gatornationals was packed with exciting action in Pro Mod, Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and the sportsman ranks, too. We enjoyed every moment, and we especially enjoyed watching the winners as they collected their coveted “Wally” trophies.
The post Muscle In Motion at the 48th Annual Mello Yellow Amalie NHRA Gatornationals appeared first on Hot Rod Network.