WFO Goes to the Quarterfinals in Orlando (1 Viewer)

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Deby

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WFO Goes to the Quarterfinals in Orlando

PHOENIX, AZ - The WFO MotorSport/Dyno-Flo/SI-Valves Chevrolet Cavalier of Steve Paulauskis, headed by crew chief Kelly Bluebaugh of WFO Racing and Machine, qualified in the 9th position and made it to the quarter-finals at the Real World Street Nationals at Speed World Dragway in Orlando, FL. The team, based in Phoenix, AZ, arrived at the track after a crankshaft failure demolished their engine at California Speedway in Fontana just two weeks before the nation’s most sought after street car event. The new bullet, a 728 CI Fulton BBC, was delivered to the track and installed by none other than Pro Mod great Charles Carpenter. With no time for testing, Paulauskis and the WFO team pulled off a 6.690 @ 211.41 during the first round of qualifying, which put the team in the #3 position right out of the box. In round two, Paulauskis repeated the 6.69 of the previous run, but torched the clutch on the changing and unfamiliar track conditions that seemed to be plaguing many competitors. Round three brought some improvement with a 6.605 @ 215.98 on a mild tune up and was enough to lock down the 9th qualifying position and earn Paulauskis a prestigious top ten qualifier jacket. Even more impressive was the fact that the WFO team was one of the few Super Pro Street cars to lay down a solid number in all three rounds of qualifying.

On Sunday, the team’s first round match-up came against the turbo-powered car of #24 qualifier Mike Moran. The WFO MotorSport/Dyno-Flo/SI-Valves team knew on race day Moran would present a significant challenge and tension was high as the opening round drew near. Paulauskis sent Moran to the trailer with a 6.510 @ 218.39 over a 6.806 @ 221.18. In round two of eliminations the WFO team faced off against Tony Pugliese, who qualified 25th and battled his way by #8 qualifier Annette Summers in round one. The top end of the track brought Paulauskis some trouble as the car lost traction and moved around, but in the end Paulauskis’ driving ability brought the team through round two with a 6.663 @ 212.06 over Pugliese’s 6.922 @ 203.61. After the round the team discovered a sheared adjustment bolt on the clutch, which had most likely been an issue during round two and led to misinformation about track conditions heading into round three. The team moved into action, letting the wrenches fly to get the problem fixed. In the third round the team would face Steve King, the number one qualifier in his wickedly fast Dodge Viper. Problems in the previous run also cost Paulauskis lane choice, a major factor at Orlando Speed World. Shortly into the run, the WFO Cavalier shook the tires. King ran a stout 6.443 @ 214.84 to the pedaling 6.965 @ 216.03 of Paulauskis, which wrapped up the weekend for the WFO MotorSport/Dyno-Flo/SI-Valves team.

Paulauskis and the team will finish out the year by locking down the Pro Street Championship at the Pacific Street Car Association’s Edelbrock World Finals at the California Speedway in Fontana, California this weekend. The team will also compete at the Street Car Super Nationals in Las Vegas on November 16th-19th, 2006.

Special Thanks/Our Sponsors- The WFO MotorSport/Dyno-Flo/SI-Valves team is sponsored by…

DYNO-FLO One-stop shopping mail order for all your high performance parts. Also providing custom engine machine, complete assembly, and engine-dyno service. Home
SI VALVES providing high quality valves and service for street and racing applications. SI VALVES- ANTIQUE/VINTAGE ONLINE CATALOG
WFO RACING and MACHINE Phoenix’s best by-appointment-only custom nitrous engine and machine shop reserved for the serious racer. Contact Kelly Bluebaugh at (602) 435-8080

For information about sponsorship contact Steve Paulauskis at (602) 399-5580

The WFO team is led by crew chief Kelly Bluebaugh, and crewed by Deborah Woodard, Wally Tuttle, and Bill Kincaid.

The WFO MotorSport/Dyno-Flo/SI-Valves team would like to thank Charles Carpenter, who prepared and tuned the engine and provided in-person consultation to the team throughout the entire event. Thanks also to Carl Weisinger, who let us use his garage to install our engine and did an outstanding job hosting the 2006 Real World Street Nationals. Thanks to Scott at Airea 5150, House of Kolor/Valspar refinishes, Dale Cubic of Cubic Flow Modifications, and Larry Larson of Larson Race Cars.

Photo courtesy of Competition Plus
 
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