[coverattach=1]Elma, NY – For Mel Bush Motorsports and Driver Tommy D’Aprile the rain delayed ADRL’s Ford Drive One event will be known as “The one that got away”.
When Friday’s test sessions at the ADRL’S Hardee’s Independence Drags III were over it was clear that Tommy D was at the wheel of the car to beat. Posting high 3.80 runs near 200 miles per hour when no other team had made a full pass made it clear that the Red ’62 of Mel Bush was on a mission.
When the ADRL’s Ford Drive One event re-started D’Aprile was in the second round with lane choice over veteran outlaw racer, Todd Tutterow. Tutterow took an early lead due to his reaction time but was no match for the hard charging D’Aprile. D’Aprile took the win with the quickest elapsed time of the round, 3.812 at 196.33 to Tutterow’s 3.917 at 197.31.
The win over Tutterow gave D’Aprile lane choice over Roger Henson’s Widow Maker driven by Bubba Stanton. Stanton took out Travis Swearingen and Wes Johnson on his way to the semis.
Again D’Aprile gave up a slight starting line advantage but was able to quickly overcome the deficit. Then disaster struck. Just passed half-track with the race in the bag the throttle cable broke. D’Aprile watched as a Stanton struggled to gain traction and then passed the 62’ Bel Air of Mel Bush on his way to the finals.
A dejected D’Aprile knew the race was his to loose. “We had the best car today but sometimes luck isn’t on your side. There’s nothing we can do now other than move forward and put this behind us,” said D’Aprile.
To add insult to injury the losing run counted as one of D’Aprile’s qualifying passes for the ADRL’S Hardee’s Independence Drags III, leaving only two more shots to get into the field for that event.
On his second attempt D’Aprile and his crew needed to adjust to a green race surface. Heavy rains poured down the night before leaving bald sections on the track. D’Aprile posted a 4.10 pass good enough for 15th at the end of the session.
While waiting in the lanes D’Aprile watched as his 4.10 was moved to the bump spot. As D’Aprile brought the RPMs against the two-step you could hear something was not right. The engine was screaming and when the car launched it blew the tires off ending what looked to be a promising weekend for the Mel Bush Motorsports team.
“This is tough. These guys work real hard and for two malfunctions to bite us in the same weekend is just unreal,” said Team Owner Mel Bush. “We’ll regroup and be ready for Virginia. We can’t let this get us down”.
Mel Bush Motorsports consists of:
Team Owners: Mel and Johanne Bush
62 Bel Air Driver: Tommy D’Aprile
Crew Chief: Kevin Peters
Truck Driver/Mechanic: Michael Bush
Eric Fahy: Cylinder Head Specialist/Body Specialist
Jake "Snake" Fahy: Clutch Specialist
Steve Bush
Mel Bush Motorsports is sponsored by: Melvin Bush & Sons Const. Inc.,
Headquartered at 2748 SW Casella St., Port Saint Lucie, FL 34953, is
an underground utilities contractor specializing in Water Sewer Pipeline Communication Power, and Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction.
Mel Bush Motorsports would also like to thank:
Carolyn L. Ashbee of Goodyear, Jan-Cen Motorsports and NGK Spark Plugs
When Friday’s test sessions at the ADRL’S Hardee’s Independence Drags III were over it was clear that Tommy D was at the wheel of the car to beat. Posting high 3.80 runs near 200 miles per hour when no other team had made a full pass made it clear that the Red ’62 of Mel Bush was on a mission.
When the ADRL’s Ford Drive One event re-started D’Aprile was in the second round with lane choice over veteran outlaw racer, Todd Tutterow. Tutterow took an early lead due to his reaction time but was no match for the hard charging D’Aprile. D’Aprile took the win with the quickest elapsed time of the round, 3.812 at 196.33 to Tutterow’s 3.917 at 197.31.
The win over Tutterow gave D’Aprile lane choice over Roger Henson’s Widow Maker driven by Bubba Stanton. Stanton took out Travis Swearingen and Wes Johnson on his way to the semis.
Again D’Aprile gave up a slight starting line advantage but was able to quickly overcome the deficit. Then disaster struck. Just passed half-track with the race in the bag the throttle cable broke. D’Aprile watched as a Stanton struggled to gain traction and then passed the 62’ Bel Air of Mel Bush on his way to the finals.
A dejected D’Aprile knew the race was his to loose. “We had the best car today but sometimes luck isn’t on your side. There’s nothing we can do now other than move forward and put this behind us,” said D’Aprile.
To add insult to injury the losing run counted as one of D’Aprile’s qualifying passes for the ADRL’S Hardee’s Independence Drags III, leaving only two more shots to get into the field for that event.
On his second attempt D’Aprile and his crew needed to adjust to a green race surface. Heavy rains poured down the night before leaving bald sections on the track. D’Aprile posted a 4.10 pass good enough for 15th at the end of the session.
While waiting in the lanes D’Aprile watched as his 4.10 was moved to the bump spot. As D’Aprile brought the RPMs against the two-step you could hear something was not right. The engine was screaming and when the car launched it blew the tires off ending what looked to be a promising weekend for the Mel Bush Motorsports team.
“This is tough. These guys work real hard and for two malfunctions to bite us in the same weekend is just unreal,” said Team Owner Mel Bush. “We’ll regroup and be ready for Virginia. We can’t let this get us down”.
Mel Bush Motorsports consists of:
Team Owners: Mel and Johanne Bush
62 Bel Air Driver: Tommy D’Aprile
Crew Chief: Kevin Peters
Truck Driver/Mechanic: Michael Bush
Eric Fahy: Cylinder Head Specialist/Body Specialist
Jake "Snake" Fahy: Clutch Specialist
Steve Bush
Mel Bush Motorsports is sponsored by: Melvin Bush & Sons Const. Inc.,
Headquartered at 2748 SW Casella St., Port Saint Lucie, FL 34953, is
an underground utilities contractor specializing in Water Sewer Pipeline Communication Power, and Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction.
Mel Bush Motorsports would also like to thank:
Carolyn L. Ashbee of Goodyear, Jan-Cen Motorsports and NGK Spark Plugs
