(10-10-08)Street, Maryland - Jim Halsey laughingly confessed once that "Scoreboards were the worst thing ever invented for drag racing." "I felt that way right up until last Saturday," laughed Halsey. After a historic qualifying blast in Englishtown, NJ rang out the first 5.99 in the history of nitrous Pro Mods last weekend, it is in fact a "scoreboard" that will forever define Jim Halsey's Pro Modified drag racing career.
The race for the fives ended at Englishtown NJ's Old Bridge Township Raceway Park on Saturday, October 4. On the second of 3 qualifying sessions scheduled at the Al-Anabi Racing - sponsored Shakedown at E-Town, Halsey's 1968 Camaro launched from the starting line of the right-hand lane, and into the record books forever. Although the 5.99 elapsed time was the recognized milestone, Halsey's McAmis-constructed hardware also thundered through the traps at a record-destroying 240mph, the fastest speed ever recorded from a Pro Mod of this distinction. Over the course of the next day and a half, Halsey's Fulton Competition-powered doorslammer made 4 more trips down this storied 1/4 mile, all of which were in the 5-second zone.
Although Halsey's performance in Englishtown was nothing short of spectacular, the days prior to the event were anything but. During a test session at Cecil County Dragway on Thursday, Halsey made 4 bids to get down the track, never making it past 60 feet on any attempt. "We had planned to leave for Englishtown that night, but because of the way we performed we decided to stay and test on Friday too," commented Halsey.
A period of evaluation drew late into the night as the team discussed and considered a radical move toward getting the car down the track. A plan was put into action - the result of which clocked 6.05 at noon on Friday - far and away the quickest time Halsey ever recorded at the facility he's owned since 1998.
Locked and loaded for Englishtown, Halsey was fully expecting to drop a bomb in New Jersey. With the first tire-shaking attempt on Saturday out of the way, the stage was set for history. The run which garnered Halsey such wide-spread recognition wasn't your typical picture perfect run. The car danced around a little bit and by Halsey's own admission, he didn't nail the shift points as well as he could have. "I've been 6.0's a bunch of times, and although I knew I was on a good pass, it didn't feel like what I thought a 5.99 would feel like, " says Halsey.
Crossing the finish line, Halsey still wasn't sure what he'd ran. "We had a problem with the radios all weekend and I could tell that Eric (Davis) was excited about something, but I couldn't hear a word he was saying," laughed Halsey. After rounding the corner of the shutdown area, Halsey came to a complete stop, telling Eric to calm down and repeat that last part. The message came through loud and clear the second time. For the next half hour, racing at Englishtown completely ceased. His 5.99 elapsed time was left on the board - at which the fans admired and the competition trembled.
As Eric, Alan and longtime girlfriend, Cathy Crouse, towed Halsey and the Camaro slowly up the return road, Halsey was greeted with a standing ovation and shouts of "You da man, Jimmy!" His smile was firmly cemented on his face as he waved back to the fans, many of whom compete and spectate at Halsey's own Cecil County Dragway. "I was honestly too exhausted for it to really sink in, but after I got home the phone has rung for 2 days," says Halsey. With his feet hardly touching the earth, Halsey received a hero's welcome back at his drag strip on test and tune night the following Wednesday. "If you're gonna do something spectacular you want to do it close to home," laughed Halsey. "I've never really been able to do it until now."
Jim Halsey's involvement in drag racing began early, and like a lot of people who went on to do great things in the sport, enjoyed weekends at the strip with his dad, Glenn Halsey. Ironically, his first trip to a drag strip was when his dad took Jimmy and his brother, Rich, to Cecil County Dragway in the 1970's, the very track Halsey would later own. Spectating eventually gave way to competing when Glenn Halsey and his boys began construction on a 72 Vega in their back yard. With motivation from a 350 Chevy, the Vega produced time slips in the 12 second range. "All three of us used to drive the car and it was a big competition to see who was the fastest," recalled Halsey.
When Pro Modified was launched in 1990, Halsey immediately began putting together a plan of participation, and in 1991 hit the scene with a Chevrolet Beretta that he acquired from the Georgia quick-8 scene. Halsey later campaigned a Lumina that was purchased from Mike Ashley, and then raced a Corvette before disappearing from Pro Mod in 1994, electing instead to become a track owner and focus on business. Six years passed before Halsey made another pass is a Pro Mod car, but when he finally did the fire has burned out of control ever since.
"Tommy Gray was doing a match race at Englishtown in 2000, and he asked me if I'd like to drive the car," recalled Halsey, who called the opportunity a dream come true. On his first pass in 6 years, Halsey ripped off a 6.43 et. "That's all it took," laughed Halsey, who acquired another race car for himself within 3 or 4 weeks. Emerging with a yellow Willys, Halsey once again hit the Pro Mod scene. He later drove a 63 Corvette before buying his first of a trio of Tim McAmis 68 Camaros, and currently awaits delivery of his fourth.
Perceived to be a team adequately funded, but certainly not of limitless backing, Halsey does well with the tools he has and strives to make every move count. "We work hard for our money, so we spend it wisely," says Halsey. Employed at Crouse Construction and Structural Concrete since 1986, Halsey admits that his job as Vice President has gotten a little easier over the years. "Now days I get to sleep an hour longer than I used to and I'm involved with a lot of land development projects," says Halsey. He may be the Vice President of a successful company, but Halsey much prefers his Pro Mod to a shirt and tie. In the end, Jim Halsey is a man like many of us - just working for the weekend.
Jim Halsey's single-season list of accomplishments includes event wins in IHRA, ADRL and Quick-8 Racers Association. His latest win, the Al-Anabi Racing - sponsored Shakedown at E-Town, produced a big payday and records in both elapsed time and speed. Still a mathematical long shot for the IHRA Pro Modified World Championship, Halsey will give it his best shot at Rockingham Dragway next week with the running of the IHRA World Finals.
Jim Halsey wishes to thank:
Cathy Crouse
Eric Davis
Allen Lay
Richard Crouse
Gene Fulton
Tim McAmis
Patrick and Constance Smith
YB.com - Where the weak are killed and eaten
Story and photo by:
Van Abernethy Press Releases
The race for the fives ended at Englishtown NJ's Old Bridge Township Raceway Park on Saturday, October 4. On the second of 3 qualifying sessions scheduled at the Al-Anabi Racing - sponsored Shakedown at E-Town, Halsey's 1968 Camaro launched from the starting line of the right-hand lane, and into the record books forever. Although the 5.99 elapsed time was the recognized milestone, Halsey's McAmis-constructed hardware also thundered through the traps at a record-destroying 240mph, the fastest speed ever recorded from a Pro Mod of this distinction. Over the course of the next day and a half, Halsey's Fulton Competition-powered doorslammer made 4 more trips down this storied 1/4 mile, all of which were in the 5-second zone.
Although Halsey's performance in Englishtown was nothing short of spectacular, the days prior to the event were anything but. During a test session at Cecil County Dragway on Thursday, Halsey made 4 bids to get down the track, never making it past 60 feet on any attempt. "We had planned to leave for Englishtown that night, but because of the way we performed we decided to stay and test on Friday too," commented Halsey.
A period of evaluation drew late into the night as the team discussed and considered a radical move toward getting the car down the track. A plan was put into action - the result of which clocked 6.05 at noon on Friday - far and away the quickest time Halsey ever recorded at the facility he's owned since 1998.
Locked and loaded for Englishtown, Halsey was fully expecting to drop a bomb in New Jersey. With the first tire-shaking attempt on Saturday out of the way, the stage was set for history. The run which garnered Halsey such wide-spread recognition wasn't your typical picture perfect run. The car danced around a little bit and by Halsey's own admission, he didn't nail the shift points as well as he could have. "I've been 6.0's a bunch of times, and although I knew I was on a good pass, it didn't feel like what I thought a 5.99 would feel like, " says Halsey.
Crossing the finish line, Halsey still wasn't sure what he'd ran. "We had a problem with the radios all weekend and I could tell that Eric (Davis) was excited about something, but I couldn't hear a word he was saying," laughed Halsey. After rounding the corner of the shutdown area, Halsey came to a complete stop, telling Eric to calm down and repeat that last part. The message came through loud and clear the second time. For the next half hour, racing at Englishtown completely ceased. His 5.99 elapsed time was left on the board - at which the fans admired and the competition trembled.
As Eric, Alan and longtime girlfriend, Cathy Crouse, towed Halsey and the Camaro slowly up the return road, Halsey was greeted with a standing ovation and shouts of "You da man, Jimmy!" His smile was firmly cemented on his face as he waved back to the fans, many of whom compete and spectate at Halsey's own Cecil County Dragway. "I was honestly too exhausted for it to really sink in, but after I got home the phone has rung for 2 days," says Halsey. With his feet hardly touching the earth, Halsey received a hero's welcome back at his drag strip on test and tune night the following Wednesday. "If you're gonna do something spectacular you want to do it close to home," laughed Halsey. "I've never really been able to do it until now."
Jim Halsey's involvement in drag racing began early, and like a lot of people who went on to do great things in the sport, enjoyed weekends at the strip with his dad, Glenn Halsey. Ironically, his first trip to a drag strip was when his dad took Jimmy and his brother, Rich, to Cecil County Dragway in the 1970's, the very track Halsey would later own. Spectating eventually gave way to competing when Glenn Halsey and his boys began construction on a 72 Vega in their back yard. With motivation from a 350 Chevy, the Vega produced time slips in the 12 second range. "All three of us used to drive the car and it was a big competition to see who was the fastest," recalled Halsey.
When Pro Modified was launched in 1990, Halsey immediately began putting together a plan of participation, and in 1991 hit the scene with a Chevrolet Beretta that he acquired from the Georgia quick-8 scene. Halsey later campaigned a Lumina that was purchased from Mike Ashley, and then raced a Corvette before disappearing from Pro Mod in 1994, electing instead to become a track owner and focus on business. Six years passed before Halsey made another pass is a Pro Mod car, but when he finally did the fire has burned out of control ever since.
"Tommy Gray was doing a match race at Englishtown in 2000, and he asked me if I'd like to drive the car," recalled Halsey, who called the opportunity a dream come true. On his first pass in 6 years, Halsey ripped off a 6.43 et. "That's all it took," laughed Halsey, who acquired another race car for himself within 3 or 4 weeks. Emerging with a yellow Willys, Halsey once again hit the Pro Mod scene. He later drove a 63 Corvette before buying his first of a trio of Tim McAmis 68 Camaros, and currently awaits delivery of his fourth.
Perceived to be a team adequately funded, but certainly not of limitless backing, Halsey does well with the tools he has and strives to make every move count. "We work hard for our money, so we spend it wisely," says Halsey. Employed at Crouse Construction and Structural Concrete since 1986, Halsey admits that his job as Vice President has gotten a little easier over the years. "Now days I get to sleep an hour longer than I used to and I'm involved with a lot of land development projects," says Halsey. He may be the Vice President of a successful company, but Halsey much prefers his Pro Mod to a shirt and tie. In the end, Jim Halsey is a man like many of us - just working for the weekend.
Jim Halsey's single-season list of accomplishments includes event wins in IHRA, ADRL and Quick-8 Racers Association. His latest win, the Al-Anabi Racing - sponsored Shakedown at E-Town, produced a big payday and records in both elapsed time and speed. Still a mathematical long shot for the IHRA Pro Modified World Championship, Halsey will give it his best shot at Rockingham Dragway next week with the running of the IHRA World Finals.
Jim Halsey wishes to thank:
Cathy Crouse
Eric Davis
Allen Lay
Richard Crouse
Gene Fulton
Tim McAmis
Patrick and Constance Smith
YB.com - Where the weak are killed and eaten
Story and photo by:
Van Abernethy Press Releases
