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ROCKINGHAM, NC. - Josh Hernandez became the first driver in U.S. Torco's CompetitionPlus.com Pro Modified history to record a legal five-second pass with a 5.990 during the second round of eliminations at the IHRA Universal Technical Institute World Finals in Rockingham, NC. This record-setting run was the highlight of a weekend that yielded a semi-final finish and ended his consecutive IHRA round win total at ten.
Cool air temperatures and potentially dangerous conditions forced IHRA officials to delay professional eliminations until Monday morning. Hernandez made his run towards the end of Sunday's competition.
As the temperature began to plummet and the dew point began to rise, Hernandez laid down the 5.990, 236.80. The run was an official record at the conclusion of the event thanks to the 6.030 he posted in qualifying.
"That felt just a little quicker than a six-second run," Hernandez said. "It felt good from beginning to end. When I heard the guys on the radio, I immediately became awestruck. This team never lets me down. Howard [Moon] and the boys make this happen time and time again. I might as well be a sticker on the car during that run. I had a wonderful time and feel honored to be a part of history."
Hernandez posted incremental times of .996 (sixty-foot), 2.608 (330-foot), 3.928, 188.96 (eighth-mile) and 5.046 (1000-foot).
"The numbers speak for themselves and there's nothing I can say to make this any better."
The only disappointment of the weekend was the conclusion of a winning streak that had spanned from the spring Rockingham event and spanned through the IHRA Torco Race Fuels Northern Nationals in Martin, Michigan. A cold Monday morning race track proved to be the one opponent that Hernandez couldn't beat.
"It was just too cold to lay down a run indicative of what our cars were capable of," Hernandez said. "That's a shame because this was the quickest show in the history of the class and it should have ended that way. We disappointed that we couldn't continue winning but there is always next season and we will be ready for the challenge."
Hernandez entered eliminations as the second quickest entry (in a record-setting field) and used a string of strong performances to eliminate Steve Bareman and Tony Pontieri before losing to eventual winner Scott Cannon Jr., who had low elapsed time of the round with a 6.537.
Tommy Lipar was responsible for building this record-setting team and is pleased with the results of his efforts.
"I may have assembled it, but those guys did all of the work," Lipar said. "Howard, Mac [Burnet], Bryan [Perkins] and James [McDunnah] did all of the work. They are champions in every sense of the word and I am extremely proud of them."
About our sponsor"
AMS Staff Leasing is one of the nation's largest Professional Employer Organization (PEO) serving the construction industry. AMS specializes in providing integrated and cost effective services by contractually assuming substantial employer rights, responsibilities, and risks with employees assigned to our clients.
Founded in 1991 in Dallas, Texas, AMS currently assists thousands of clients and more than 40,000 employees through our specialized PEO program. AMS helps contractors outsource non-revenue-producing tasks, saving their clients time and money.
Photo courtesy of IHRA
HERNANDEZ NAILS DRAG RACING HISTORY IN ROCKINGHAM; Completes 2006 IHRA Record at 10 - 1
ROCKINGHAM, NC. - Josh Hernandez became the first driver in U.S. Torco's CompetitionPlus.com Pro Modified history to record a legal five-second pass with a 5.990 during the second round of eliminations at the IHRA Universal Technical Institute World Finals in Rockingham, NC. This record-setting run was the highlight of a weekend that yielded a semi-final finish and ended his consecutive IHRA round win total at ten.
Cool air temperatures and potentially dangerous conditions forced IHRA officials to delay professional eliminations until Monday morning. Hernandez made his run towards the end of Sunday's competition.
As the temperature began to plummet and the dew point began to rise, Hernandez laid down the 5.990, 236.80. The run was an official record at the conclusion of the event thanks to the 6.030 he posted in qualifying.
"That felt just a little quicker than a six-second run," Hernandez said. "It felt good from beginning to end. When I heard the guys on the radio, I immediately became awestruck. This team never lets me down. Howard [Moon] and the boys make this happen time and time again. I might as well be a sticker on the car during that run. I had a wonderful time and feel honored to be a part of history."
Hernandez posted incremental times of .996 (sixty-foot), 2.608 (330-foot), 3.928, 188.96 (eighth-mile) and 5.046 (1000-foot).
"The numbers speak for themselves and there's nothing I can say to make this any better."
The only disappointment of the weekend was the conclusion of a winning streak that had spanned from the spring Rockingham event and spanned through the IHRA Torco Race Fuels Northern Nationals in Martin, Michigan. A cold Monday morning race track proved to be the one opponent that Hernandez couldn't beat.
"It was just too cold to lay down a run indicative of what our cars were capable of," Hernandez said. "That's a shame because this was the quickest show in the history of the class and it should have ended that way. We disappointed that we couldn't continue winning but there is always next season and we will be ready for the challenge."
Hernandez entered eliminations as the second quickest entry (in a record-setting field) and used a string of strong performances to eliminate Steve Bareman and Tony Pontieri before losing to eventual winner Scott Cannon Jr., who had low elapsed time of the round with a 6.537.
Tommy Lipar was responsible for building this record-setting team and is pleased with the results of his efforts.
"I may have assembled it, but those guys did all of the work," Lipar said. "Howard, Mac [Burnet], Bryan [Perkins] and James [McDunnah] did all of the work. They are champions in every sense of the word and I am extremely proud of them."
About our sponsor"
AMS Staff Leasing is one of the nation's largest Professional Employer Organization (PEO) serving the construction industry. AMS specializes in providing integrated and cost effective services by contractually assuming substantial employer rights, responsibilities, and risks with employees assigned to our clients.
Founded in 1991 in Dallas, Texas, AMS currently assists thousands of clients and more than 40,000 employees through our specialized PEO program. AMS helps contractors outsource non-revenue-producing tasks, saving their clients time and money.
Photo courtesy of IHRA
