Kelly
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First Time Winners Dominate Goodguys/DuPont 7th Blue Suede Cruise
Norwalk, OH - Close racing and spectacular show cars highlighted the Goodguys/DuPont 7th Blue Suede Cruise at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio this weekend. In all, 230 race cars and close to 2,000 show cars converged on the pristine facility known fondly as "America's Race Track." The event was the second of a three-race Midwest vintage drag racing series this season promoted by Goodguys.
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<P>Nostalgia Funny Car action brought fans to their feet all weekend long as eight vintage floppers did battle over two days. Newark, Delaware racer Steve Nichols guided his "Mill Road Boys" 1970 Chevrolet Camaro to his first-ever Goodguys event win, defeating previous 2008 Goodguys Funny Car Champion John Dunn in the final. Dunn, coming off a June win at the Goodguys Hot Rod Nationals in Indy looked poised to make it two wins in a row this season, but Nichols saved his best performance of the weekend for the tension filled final by cutting a .037 light and carrying the front wheels to a spectacular, engine expiring 6.060 @ 236.34 to Dunn's gallant 6.176 @ 215.93. The run was the quickest-ever for a Chevrolet powered Funny Car. Nichols gave credit for the performance to his California based crew chief Ray Zeller. In other Funny Car news, twenty-eight year old Kyle Wurtzel of Piereceton, Indiana got the top speed of the weekend guiding his "Motown Shaker" Vega tribute car to a booming 241.07 in Saturday's opening round of eliminations. Grand Blanc, Michigan's Shawn Bowen qualified #1 with a 6.286 but an accident in the shutdown area precluded him from continuing to race here this weekend. He did not suffer any injuries in the mishap.
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<P>The Nostalgia Top Fuel eliminations pitted the two fastest cars on the grounds in the final with Tatum, Texas' David Pace taking on Muscatine, Iowa's Kevin Brewer. Both drivers were racing in their first-ever Goodguys Top Fuel final and both had run career-best numbers earlier in the weekend (a 6.135 for Brewer and a 6.189 for Pace). At the flash of the final green light of the day, Brewer was long gone on his way to Low Elapsed Time of the Meet with a 6.083 to snag the trophy. "This is only my second year racing in Nostalgia Top Fuel," the 46 year old heating and air conditioning contractor said. "Dale Suhr and Roger Lechtenburg of Cedar Falls (Goodguys Indy TF winners) have given me the tuneup for this car. We finessed it here this weekend and it worked like a charm."
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<P>In the 7.0 second index Pro Comp I eliminator, it was a battle of Hoosiers for the trophy. Sean DeWitt took his first-ever Goodguys win over Indy winner Richard Edwards' 1948 Fiat. Pro Comp II, which features a 7.50 class index was won by Mentor, Ohio's Bill Lehman when his competition, #1 qualifier Rich Barnard broke. Ironically, Lehamn ran 5 thousandths of a second under the index which would have disqualified him.
Owensboro, Kentucky's Darrell Wathen put on a show in B/GAS (8.50 index) ran an 8.500 in the semi finals then ran an astonishingly close 8.508 in the
final to defeat Kevin Sievers who ran too quick.
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<P>Other winners included Bob Lair (Nostalgia Comp), Sam Patrick (Nostalgia Gas) and David Conover (Hot Rod Eliminator)
The third and final stop on the 2008 Goodguys Midwest Vintage Drag Racing Circuit is scheduled for October 17-19 at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky. For more visit Goodguys Rod & Custom Association
<http://www.good-guys.com/>
Final Elimination Results
Goodguys/DuPont 7th Blue Suede Cruise
Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH
Top Fuel:
Winner: Kevin Brewer, Muscatine, IA, 6.083 @ 225.07
Runner Up: David Pace, Tatum, TX, 6.794 @ 191.13
Funny Car:
Winner: Steve Nichols, Newark, DE, '70 Camaro 6.060 @ 236.34
Runner Up: John Dunn, Monticello, IL, '69 Nova 6.176 @ 215.93
Pro Comp I:
Winner: Sean DeWitt, Royal Center, IN, 23 Ford Altered 7.051 @ 183.07
Runner Up: Richard Edwards, Terre Haute, IN, '48 Fiat 7.041 @ 192.71
Pro Comp II:
Winner: Bill Lehmann, Mentor, OH, '48 Fiat 7.456 @ 184.65
Runner Up: Rich Barnard, Conneaut, OH, Dragster (no time)
B/GAS:
Winner: Darrell Wathen, Owensboro, KY, '41 Willys 8.508 @ 150.55
Runner Up: Kevin Sievers, Livonia, MI '70 Mercury 8.486 @ 162.08 (index
foul)
Nostalgia Comp:
Winner: Bob Lair, Lake Mills, IA, Dragster 8.042 @ 162.84
Runner Up: Kerry Millet, Piqua, OH '27 Ford 8.050 @ 161.36
Nostalgia Gas:
Winner: Sam Patrick, Sand Point, MI '37 Ford 10.028 @ 130.96
Runner Up: David Mills, Osseo, MI '62 Chevy II 9.986 @ 127.46
Hot Rod Eliminator:
Winner: David Conover, Cincinnati, OH '71 Nova 10.509 @ 123.26
Runner Up: Ed Hoskins, Howell, MI 1930 Ford 10.618 @ 123.95
