Jim Halsey scores IHRA win; predicts 5-second pass in 2008
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<img src="http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii284/writevan/ADRL-Maryland2008664.jpg"
<br><font color="Navy">I saw a whole lot of Firebird on that final run, but my car started pulling pretty hard on him at 1,000 feet." - Jim Halsey </font>
<P> (8-6-08)Street, Maryland - In a remarkable all-nitrous final elimination round, Pro Modified sensation, Jim Halsey, added yet another win to his stunning list of single season accomplishments. Halsey chased down Mike Castelanna in the closing moments of their final round thriller last Sunday, August 2, at the IHRA Torco Racing Fuels Northern Nationals. This latest win, held at the storied 1/4 mile in Martin, MI, represents Halsey's third career IHRA National Event trophy.
Halsey's infamous "Big Red Machine" from Maryland lit up the cool Saturday night qualifying session with a header flame blazing 6.04 elapsed time, good enough for the #2 slot. This was Halsey's best qualifying effort since sitting on the pole at Norwalk several years ago. Although the lap on Saturday night was an eye-opener, Halsey admits his tune-up was a little soft in the clutch. "I could have probably ran a 6.01 or 6.02 if I'd have stood on it," commented Halsey. "For Sunday, I just put in a combination of what I thought the track could take, and what I thought I needed to win," added Halsey.
Next came the usual Saturday night train of thoughts that can so easily take a driver down the nerve-racking rails of uncertainty. "First round on Sunday is always the worst," declares Halsey. "Even when the car runs great you can still find yourself staying up half the night thinking about it, then wake up second guessing yourself," admits Halsey. After taking delivery of an 820 c.i. Fulton Competition powerplant in recent months, sorting out the combination didn't come immediately. Feeling as though he turned a corner on Saturday night in Martin, Halsey was convinced he had all the tools in the shed of performance to go the distance on Sunday.
First round jitters began to subside as Halsey rolled to the lanes to meet Kenny Lang. Halsey was out of the gate first, as Lang's Corvette went into violent tire shake. Halsey's Tim McAmis-built 68 Camaro sailed to a smooth as silk victory, clocking 6.07 elapsed time. In the second round match-up, Halsey then faced Steve Salvadore - the Massachusetts competitor making this Martin, MI event his first IHRA showing of the year. Salvadore left good, but his 6.20 fell short against Halsey's 6.09 et. This set up a semi-final show down with defending event champion Jason Hamstra.
Hamstra's run was troubled, but he stayed with it the entire 1/4 mile, eventually tagging the wall near the finish line. Halsey continued to move forward in eliminations with a 6.10 et. Just past 6:00pm, Halsey rolled to the lanes to face President's Cup winner, Mike Castelanna.
With burnouts complete, both are staged and ready. Tree flashes yellow, with Castelanna out of the gate first. Castelanna, who qualified #1 for this event, jumped to an early lead in this all-nitrous final round. At the 1,000 foot mark, Castellanna was still game, but the trailing white smoke suggested his motor might be laboring. "I saw a whole lot of Firebird for a long way," commented Halsey, but my car started pulling pretty hard on him at 1,000 feet."
At 235 mph, Jim Halsey took one last look beside him to gauge his chances, but still couldn't determine the outcome. Right about the time Halsey was feeling the tug of the parachutes cracking the wind, the familiar voice of Eric Davis came across the radio headset. "You won!" said Davis, 6.08 to his 6.12," added Halsey's long-time crewman. "I think I might have bent the throttle peddle on that run considering the way I was standing on it," Halsey later laughed.
Along with the outcome of the Martin event, comes a buzz of chatter that suggests Pro Modified's nitrous contingent has officially staged a full-fledged comeback, with Halsey among the elite competitors who's taken a major step forward in performance. "Not only do I think fans will see a 5-second nitrous pass this season, I predict it happens at Epping," says Halsey, referring to the IHRA staple event in New Hampshire, scheduled for September 5-7. "There's 2, maybe 3 cars right now that's capable of doing it," added Halsey.
With the completion of the Martin, MI event, Halsey and Castelanna find themselves in the exclusive club of nitrous-assisted doorslammer drivers to win on the IHRA National Event circuit in 2008. Halsey also joins Kenny Lang as the only pair of competitors to win multiple events this year. Jim Halsey's stellar season includes national event victories in both IHRA and ADRL, as well as a season-opening victory in Don Plemmons' North Carolina-based Quick-8 Racers Association.
Jim Halsey wishes to thank:
Cathy Crouse
Eric Davis
Allen Lay
Richard Crouse
Gene Fulton
Tim McAmis
Patrick and Constance Smith
YB.com
Story and photo by:
Van Abernethy Press Releases
<p style="width:300px;float:right;font-weight:bold;padding-right:0px;">
<img src="http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii284/writevan/ADRL-Maryland2008664.jpg"
<br><font color="Navy">I saw a whole lot of Firebird on that final run, but my car started pulling pretty hard on him at 1,000 feet." - Jim Halsey </font>
<P> (8-6-08)Street, Maryland - In a remarkable all-nitrous final elimination round, Pro Modified sensation, Jim Halsey, added yet another win to his stunning list of single season accomplishments. Halsey chased down Mike Castelanna in the closing moments of their final round thriller last Sunday, August 2, at the IHRA Torco Racing Fuels Northern Nationals. This latest win, held at the storied 1/4 mile in Martin, MI, represents Halsey's third career IHRA National Event trophy.
Halsey's infamous "Big Red Machine" from Maryland lit up the cool Saturday night qualifying session with a header flame blazing 6.04 elapsed time, good enough for the #2 slot. This was Halsey's best qualifying effort since sitting on the pole at Norwalk several years ago. Although the lap on Saturday night was an eye-opener, Halsey admits his tune-up was a little soft in the clutch. "I could have probably ran a 6.01 or 6.02 if I'd have stood on it," commented Halsey. "For Sunday, I just put in a combination of what I thought the track could take, and what I thought I needed to win," added Halsey.
Next came the usual Saturday night train of thoughts that can so easily take a driver down the nerve-racking rails of uncertainty. "First round on Sunday is always the worst," declares Halsey. "Even when the car runs great you can still find yourself staying up half the night thinking about it, then wake up second guessing yourself," admits Halsey. After taking delivery of an 820 c.i. Fulton Competition powerplant in recent months, sorting out the combination didn't come immediately. Feeling as though he turned a corner on Saturday night in Martin, Halsey was convinced he had all the tools in the shed of performance to go the distance on Sunday.
First round jitters began to subside as Halsey rolled to the lanes to meet Kenny Lang. Halsey was out of the gate first, as Lang's Corvette went into violent tire shake. Halsey's Tim McAmis-built 68 Camaro sailed to a smooth as silk victory, clocking 6.07 elapsed time. In the second round match-up, Halsey then faced Steve Salvadore - the Massachusetts competitor making this Martin, MI event his first IHRA showing of the year. Salvadore left good, but his 6.20 fell short against Halsey's 6.09 et. This set up a semi-final show down with defending event champion Jason Hamstra.
Hamstra's run was troubled, but he stayed with it the entire 1/4 mile, eventually tagging the wall near the finish line. Halsey continued to move forward in eliminations with a 6.10 et. Just past 6:00pm, Halsey rolled to the lanes to face President's Cup winner, Mike Castelanna.
With burnouts complete, both are staged and ready. Tree flashes yellow, with Castelanna out of the gate first. Castelanna, who qualified #1 for this event, jumped to an early lead in this all-nitrous final round. At the 1,000 foot mark, Castellanna was still game, but the trailing white smoke suggested his motor might be laboring. "I saw a whole lot of Firebird for a long way," commented Halsey, but my car started pulling pretty hard on him at 1,000 feet."
At 235 mph, Jim Halsey took one last look beside him to gauge his chances, but still couldn't determine the outcome. Right about the time Halsey was feeling the tug of the parachutes cracking the wind, the familiar voice of Eric Davis came across the radio headset. "You won!" said Davis, 6.08 to his 6.12," added Halsey's long-time crewman. "I think I might have bent the throttle peddle on that run considering the way I was standing on it," Halsey later laughed.
Along with the outcome of the Martin event, comes a buzz of chatter that suggests Pro Modified's nitrous contingent has officially staged a full-fledged comeback, with Halsey among the elite competitors who's taken a major step forward in performance. "Not only do I think fans will see a 5-second nitrous pass this season, I predict it happens at Epping," says Halsey, referring to the IHRA staple event in New Hampshire, scheduled for September 5-7. "There's 2, maybe 3 cars right now that's capable of doing it," added Halsey.
With the completion of the Martin, MI event, Halsey and Castelanna find themselves in the exclusive club of nitrous-assisted doorslammer drivers to win on the IHRA National Event circuit in 2008. Halsey also joins Kenny Lang as the only pair of competitors to win multiple events this year. Jim Halsey's stellar season includes national event victories in both IHRA and ADRL, as well as a season-opening victory in Don Plemmons' North Carolina-based Quick-8 Racers Association.
Jim Halsey wishes to thank:
Cathy Crouse
Eric Davis
Allen Lay
Richard Crouse
Gene Fulton
Tim McAmis
Patrick and Constance Smith
YB.com
Story and photo by:
Van Abernethy Press Releases
