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June 26-28, 2009: Carlisle All GM Nationals
GDR hits Central PA for a GM packed weekend
Carlisle is known around the country as hosting the best car shows in the business, and once again, they did not disappoint this weekend. The weather in Central PA was amazing, and GDR hit the Carlisle All GM Nationals Show to check out what was being offered up for everyone to see.
 On Friday, we hit Quarter Aces Drag-o-Way, a gem of a 1/8th mile strip only minutes away from Downtown Carlisle. Quarter Aces, formerly known as South Mountain Dragway, has quite a bit of history, dating back to the late 1950's. Back in November of 2007, a local businessman and drag racer bought the track, and has been making improvements to the facility ever since. The Friday night program included the Super, Pro, Street eliminator, and Pro Stick classes. Check out the GDR Photo Gallery of the Carlisle All GM Nationals Race at Quarter Aces Drag-o-way to see the action you missed!
 The Carlisle showfield was packed early Saturday Morning, full of car fans getting in their last minute detailing done in prepration of the judges coming to visit their cars. Unlike previous shows, this year's GM Nationals judging was done by judges and not participant ballot. Some of our regular racers back at home also took a break from the drag strip this weekend to show their cars. Making an amazing showing and taking up a huge chunk of the showfield were a ton of late model GTO's, many of which belong to G.O.N.E. (GTO Owners of the Northeast). Familiar faces were Jrzy Goat and LS1Melissa from GDR, showing their red GTO's. Melissa also entered the burnout contest, where she was right at home, as anyone who has seen her in the burnout box before knew she would enjoy lighting up her Mickey Thompson's for the crowd.
 GM's new Camaro was also making an impressive showing, with a handful of Camaro owners showing their brand new rides. GM brought out the Camaro Black concept car, a completely blacked out 2010 Camaro sporting some great looking body modifications and a fancy set of wheels. SLP Performance Parts was on the field showing off their ZL550 (automatic) and ZL575 (manual) supercharger packages for 2010 Camaros. These packages include a full performance package as well as a few body modifications. Only 250 of each will be built, word on the street is that they will be going fast! Skip to this page in the photo gallery to see more info on the rides.
 We stumbled upon an interesting ride in one of the featured car buldings, a 1970 El Camino done by Creative Car-Tunes for Phoenix Contact, a company that specializes in automation techonology. The El Camino was rigged up as an ultimate tailgate vehicle, featuring a ton of multimedia devices, and a grill, all hidden by an automated retractable tonneau cover. Everything on this car was done at the push of a button on a touch screen display mounted by the back glass on the passenger side. We'd love to have this ride at the drag strip for our grilling activities, we'll see if our dreams will come true someday!
 Late in the afternoon on Saturday, the grandstands filled for the ever popular burnout contest. Last year we saw some impressive burnouts that smoked out the entire area, and this year, the action was even more intense than last. The Carlisle Maintenance staff is on point with the burnout box prep, boxing the car in and shielding the crowd from flying tire pieces. Each contestant has three minutes to light 'em up, the end goal for the contestant is to get the crowd on their side and cheer for their win. To please the crowd, they need to see tire pieces flying, and the first contestant that did ended up winning the contest. Check out the GM Nationals Burnout Contest Photo Gallery.
 Noone would be leaving the showfield until the most popular event of the day went down, the Beauty Contest. 9 Beauties graced the stage of the grandstands, strutting their stuff in their bikinis as the crowd's jaws dropped. They were all given a brief question to answer (car related of course), then the crowd's reaction judged who would pick up the win. Taking it home was the gorgeous contestant #1. Check out the GM Nationals Beauty Contest Photo Gallery here. Sam Memmolo & Bryan Fuller from the Two Guys Garage TV Show were on hand to judge the contest.
Read more about the show and discuss it in our forums here
2009 Carlisle All GM Nationals - Quarter Aces Dragway Racing Pics
2009 Carlisle All GM Nationals - Show Field Pics
2009 Carlisle All GM Nationals - Burnout Contest Pics
2009 Carlisle All GM Nationals - Bikini Contest Pics
June 27, 2009: Atco Raceway Quick 8 & Extreme 275
Heads-up Outlaw 10.5 and 275 Drag Radial action!
Special Thanks to Carey Cable & Rich Bach for Event Coverage
Special Thanks to Dave Milcarek for Winner's Circle Photos
 Outlaw 10.5 Racing returned to Atco Raceway for their exciting Quick 8 Race Program. The reigning champ, Joe Newsham of J&E Performance set the bar for eliminations with a 6.88 qualifying pass to make #1 qualifier. Joe's night ended in the semi-finals though, when his Cobra crossed the center line. Some other familiar faces had trouble as well, as both Tommy Kasper and Larry Wood hurt their twin-turbo fed Mustangs.Billy Mitchell and his green S10 were hauling some ass down the track all night, as well as Gary Naughton piloting Kenny Doak's badass blown Camaro. It ended up being Gary and Billy in the finals, Gary nailed the tree and left Billy behind. Billy was not able to make up the deficit and the holeshot win went to Gary & Kenny. Outlaw 10.5 racing will return to Atco Raceway on July 26th.
 The latest installment of the fresh Extreme 275 Radial class at Atco Raceway was sponsored by Crazy Don's Chassis Works. Four of the baddest 275 Radial cars in the area made it to the race, and they were Rich Bach, Walt Pfister, Bill Lange, and Don Barnett. Qualifying was close as Don Barnet was #1 with an 8.26, Walt Pfister right behind him with an 8.27. Rich Bach wasn't too far behind with an 8.37, and Bill Lange was having some issues with the car and was definitely the underdog for the night. Proving that the underdog can make it to the finals, Bill limped down the track for a win in the semis against Don Barnett, who lost a blower belt. Walt Pfister was able to take out Rich Bach, and also took out the hurt Lange in the finals to take his second straight win in Extreme 275 Radial. Extreme 275 returns to Atco Raceway on August 9th.
Check out Dave Milcarek's photo gallery of this event, be sure to support Dave and grab yourself a photo of your ride!
Visit this thread in our Forums for videos of the event, or head straight to the GDR Youtube Channel for Outlaw 10.5 and Extreme 275 Radial videos.
June 27, 2009: Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Shootout
Rumble at the Grove
Coverage courtesy of the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association
 The inaugural "Rumble at the Grove" at Maple Grove Raceway brought over 24 Pro Mods to fight for 8 spots in each of the two classes. In the Nitrous / Aspirated class, the final pairing was Jeff Blasi versus Ed Burnley. Jeff had a great light, a .016 reaction time over Ed's .059. Jeff's elapsed time was one thousandth of a second faster than Ed's, giving him the win for the day. Bob Blasi shared a video of one of Jeff's passes earlier in the day (a 6.35@223mph), you can see that here on Youtube.
In the Pro Mod Blower class, Tommy Gray in the Undertaker Camaro was #1 qualifier with a 6.025 elapsed time at 239MPH. Tommy made it all the way to the finals, his third in a row, against the newcomer Peter Farber. Peter burned Tommy at the tree with an .023 light to Tommy's .067, and also ran his best ET of the day for the win, a 6.110 @ 234MPH.
Visit the North East Outlaw Pro Mod Association's Results Page for full race details.
June 27, 2009: Naturally Aspirated Shootout
All Motor Nationals hit Cecil County Dragway
Coverage courtesy of the Naturally Aspirated Shootout Series and TRS Photo
RAM Racing has done it again and brought the popular Naturally Aspirated Shootout event to Cecil County Dragway. A mind blowing 55 cars made up the All Motor Index (AMI) class, full of tough competitors. For example, more than half of the field was within six hundredths of their dial-in, and six racers were within ONE hundredth! Other classes run on Saturday were Drag Radial, Naturally Aspirated 10.5, and Pro Naturally Aspirated. This race series is full of exciting, wheels up action, and close racing. The next installment will be at Maryland International Raceway on July 25th.
Follow these links for race results:
Qualifying Sheets
Run Sheets
Visit Tracy Smith's Photo Gallery of the event here.
 J&E Performance Web Site Launched
WTF Web Design does it again!
 Be sure to take the time to visit J&E Performance's brand new web site done by none other than Mark from WTF Web Design who also laid the groundwork for GDR's own homepage. J&E Performance is a full-service Performance shop based out of Blackwood NJ, home of Outlaw 10.5 Champion Joe Newsham. The site is full of media and news on not only Joe's Cobra, but his complete history as a Drag Racer. They are also a sponsor of GDR and we appreciate their help in keeping us a force on the web!
June 14th, 2009: Englishtown NHRA Supernationals
GDR Hits E-town for some Nitro fun
 We had the opportunity to spend the day with the Fonse Performance boys up at E-town to watch the elimination rounds of the NHRA Supernationals. Check out our Supernationals Photo Gallery for our view of the day, from the pits and also from the stands. The action was wicked as Larry Dixon brought home the win in Top Fuel Dragster, Tony Pedregon in Funny Car, Jeg Coughlin in Pro Stock, and Craig Treble in Pro Stock Motorcycle. The fans held their breaths as not one, but two Alcohol Funny Cars went into the sand traps at E-town. The new netting system and shutdown modifications did exactly what they were supposed to, as both drivers walked away from the wrecks with nothing but bad memories.
June 7th, 2009: Cecil County Dragway Outlaw Street Car Shootout
Finishline Performance brings back to back Outlaw Racing to Cecil County
What? Two days in a row of Outlaw racing? Only Finishline Performance and Cecil County Dragway could put on such a badass weekend of racing. Tons of racers returned for the second straight day of action and did not upset one bit.
 Today's 8.50 race was an exciting one, with Saturday's champ TJ Kasper in the #1 qualifier spot, setting the stage for everyone else to after him to try and win. Making his first 8.50 Index final ever was Al Jr. from Fonse Performance in his Naturally Aspirated Camaro. Al Jr. was chopping the tree all day, giving him a big advantage over opponents throughout the race. The Fonse family was out in force, and met their friends the Kaspers as TJ Kasper made it to back to back finals this weekend. TJ ended up taking his second win of the weekend in the 8.50 Index class, the second time this season that Kid Kwik one back-to-back races 2 days in a row.
 John Ballinsky's "On A Budget" Cutlass was up against some big names in the Drag Radial world today. He wasn't the quickest during eliminations, but his magic at the tree and hard work all around put him in the finals against Francis Johnson's flamed up Firebird. Ballinsky put the petal to the metal and did not let off, even as he got a little squirrely going through the traps. Team "On A Budget" made it to the winner's circle and showed that you don't need a ton of resources to take home the win!
 Mo Hall's nitrous fed beast of a Camaro was haulin' some ass yet again today, with racers like Tommy Kasper and Joe Newsham also showing the power of their rides. Spectators experienced a bit of Deja Vu, as Mo Hall made it to the finals yet again against Tommy Kasper's Mustang. Mo and Tommy raced side by side to the stripe, with Mo taking todays win with a 4.528 @ 167.49. Mo and Tommy had identical e/t's during qualifying, the only difference between the two cars was about 8mph.
Detailed news along with pictures and videos from the race can be found in our forums by clicking here.
June 6th, 2009: Cecil County Dragway Outlaw Street Car Shootout
Finishline Performance kicks off a weekend full of racing
It was hot and humid for this month's installment of the Finishline Performance Outlaw Street Car Shootout held at Cecil County Dragway. Mother Nature dropped a few day's worth of rain on Rising Sun, causing a delay in the start of racing while the track was dried out and prepared properly. As usual, the Cecil County staff were on top of things and provided a safe racing surface for everyone to try and put up their best times.
 23 cars filled up the 8.50 Index field, with Bill Verzilli heading up the top of the pack after qualifying was over. Billy made it all the way to the Semi-Finals where Rob Poochigian finally put an end to his run for the day. No surprise to many, TJ 'Kid Kwik' Kasper from Christy & Kasper Racing went rounds and also took home the win for the day. The Kid was not phased by any of the other racers trying to throw him off his game, his experience proves that he belongs at the top of the pack.
 Big Daddy Dwayne Gutridge's Twin Turbo foxbody was on a roll Saturday, resetting the track record elapsed time in the Outlaw Drag Radial 1/8th mile category. Just as it looked like noone would take him down, Alex Vrettos lined up against Big Daddy in the finals and took the win for the day. Alex's Corupt Motorsports Twin Turbo Mustang's 4.876 was good enough to send him to the Winner's circle, still wearing that "lucky" (not so sure about that) NJ Devils T-shirt.
 13 big names in Outlaw 10.5 Drag Racing battled for the 8 spots to make it to the show. Qualifying in the number one spot was Christy & Kasper Racing's Twin Turbo Mustang, with a 4.455 pass. Right on his heels all day was Mo Hall's Nitrous fed Camaro. Both Tommy and Mo made it to the final round, where Tommy was able to overpower Mo's Camaro and take home his first win in his new Pro-Line Racing machine. Another big accomplishment for this team was the father/son combination wins, Tommy winning Outlaw 10.5 and his son TJ winning the 8.50 Index Class.
Detailed news along with pictures and videos from the race can be found in our forums by clicking here.
May 30th, 2009: Snap-On Night Of Thrills at Englishtown
No Comprimise Tour comes to a packed house at Raceway Park
 Snap-On Tools brought the No Comprimise tour to Englishtown Raceway Park, packing the stands with a fun filled night of action for all. The stands were PACKED and heads up racing got some good publicity! The 8.50 Index race from 5/29 was rained out, those that purchased a tech card were invited back to run at the Snap-On event. 2 qualifiers were held, then an 8 car field went to eliminations. Headed to the finals were Rob Poochigian and the kid TJ Kasper. Rob went red by a hair, and TJ took home yet another win in the 8.50 Index program at Englishtown.
 Running exhibition passes were a couple of funny cars, nostalgia funny cars like US Male, also a few Pro Stock cars. A few Pro Mods were in the house as well, it was nice to see Blasi Racing's Pro Mod making some wicked passes, with the exhaust lit up on the night time pass. Also keeping the crowd busy was a fleet of car crushing monster trucks, like Grave Digger, Wild Thang, and Captain's Curse.
Be sure to check Englishtown Raceway Park's web site for their schedule of Thrill events going on throughout the summer. These events are awesome and you do not want to miss them!
Detailed news along with pictures and videos from the race can be found in our forums by clicking here.
Weather Alert: 5/29/2009 Englishtown Rained out
May 22nd, 2009: Atco 8.50, 10.0, 12.0 Index Racing
The race for points continues....
As some of you know, our staff was out of commission for this race, but we still do our best to bring you results from the race.
 The 12.0 Index class looked tough judging from what we see on the eliminations results! Most of the winners in Round #1 were laying down 12.0X numbers which shows how good this group of racers is. Best in round 1 was a 12.008 w/ a .051 light, an impressive package from Nick Berti. Walt Haas was right on his toes with second best of the round, a 12.014. Round #2 looks like the racers were battling the cool night, with every single racer breaking out and running too fast for the Index. For the rest of the night it looks like the challenge continued, but going rounds and taking his second and back-to-back win was Walt Haas in his Malibu Hemi Wagon. Congrats on the repeat Walt!
 I'll say it time and time again, the 10.0 Index racers that make their way to Atco do not fool around. Most of these guys test a lot, and also race many other classes and other 10.0 programs, so they are on their games and on top of their tune-ups. Round 1 brought 20 racers to the beams, and we saw some impressive times like a 10.008 from Doug Frisch, a 10.019 (with no red light) from Carey Cable, and a perfect reaction time of .000 from Mike Romeo. Round #2 saw Ray Wallis Jr. in his bad purple mustang put up a 10.000 on the boards, but Mark Plucinski caught him at the tree and took the holeshot win. Mark went on to run subsequent 10.030 and 10.012 passes, and took home the win for the night after his opponent in the finals could not make the call.
 A small crowd at 8.50 tonight, but a good group of teams, most if not all who have all had their turn in the Winner's Circle at some point. All eyes were on teams like the Fonse Performance team, back in business with a fresh trans, as well as the Kid TJ Kasper who is the reigning track champ. Al Jr. got his ticket to round #2 after a disappointing breakout for Craig Buscio, who was only seven thousandths of a second over the 8.50 Index. Rockin' Rob Cherkas, Brian Ferrari, and Michael Conway set the tone for the night, all running 8.5X numbers. The Kid took a bye in round #1. In Round #2, Al Jr. put up an amazing .008 light but that would not do the trick against Rockin' Rob who is never far off of the 8.50 dial. In a tough matchup, TJ Kasper took the win against Brian Ferrari and the Green Machine. In the semi-finals, Mike Conway pulled off the upset and beat TJ Kasper, Mike's impressive 8.506 doing the trick for him. In the final round, Rockin' Rob broke out, but Mike Conway earned his win with an 8.516 pass and .035 light.
Detailed results from the race can be found in our forums by clicking here.
Snap-On Tools teams up with 8.50 Index Shootout
No Comprimise Tour comes to Raceway Park
Word on the street from Keith @ Finelines is that the Snap-On Tools No Compromise Tour is coming to Raceway Park for two days, May 29th-30th 2009. Coincidentally (or not) there is a regularly scheduled Index race on Friday the 29th. Snap-On will be having a huge tool show, welding seminars, a car show, and many more things to do. In addition, they have added about $1400 to the 8.50 Index payouts in the form of tools for the May 29th race. The winner of the race, the #1 qualifier, and the best appearing car will be awarded the Snap-On tools, along with a huge trophy.
The following night, Saturday May 30th, is the Snap-On Tools Night of Thrills at Raceway Park. Don't miss out on this fun filled night packed full of some wild action at the strip (check out the photo galleries from last year's event here). Selected 8.50 Index points leaders will be invited to race on Saturday the Night of Thrills Event.
For more information, see this thread in our forums or Raceway Park's web site.
May 15th, 2009: Atco NMRA
Mustang power!
 Unfortunately our staff had to cut our trip to the 2009 NMRA race at Atco short due to personal reasons, but we were there for coverage on Friday and caught a good bit of the action. Click here to see our picture galleries from Friday night. Additionally, please visit NMRA's Web site for further information on the race.
May 10th, 2009: Heads Up Naturally Aspirated Shootout
Day full of awesome Heads up, Wheels up action!
GDR had the privilege of being invited to cover the Heads Up Naturally Aspirated Shootout series opener on Mother's Day at Maple Grove. The weather was great and so was the racer turnout, with a total of seven classes being featured at the event. In addition to the normal PRO N/A, 10.5 N/A, N/A Drag Radial, and All Motor Index, there were also 8.50 Index, Outlaw Drag Radial, and Outlaw 10.5 classes.
 Taking home the win in the Pro N/A Class was Merv Moyer in the sleek looking Black Mustang. Merv made it through tough competition from the likes of Rich Scioscia, Randy Harshman, and John Gaydosh. Moyer's fastest pass of the day was in the first round, a 7.406 @ 184.6 mph.
 The All Motor Index (AMI) class brought out over 40 cars, dialed in to half second increments from 9.50 up to 13.00 seconds. This class was pretty wild to watch as there were some skilled drivers who participate in weekly bracket and index races throughout the region, all well capable of running dead on numbers. After five rounds, the final matchup was between Carey Cable running 10.00 Index, and Dan Walleigh with a 10.50 dial. The matchup ended up in a double breakout situation, Walleigh closer to the mark and taking the win light for the day after going rounds.
 The 8.50 Index class was a special addition to the series opener. Some of these dedicated racers made it to the Grove for their third straight day of racing. Both Billy Verzilli and Mike Pyott were out for their first time this season, and it proved to be a good day for the pair as they both made it to the finals. Billy took home the win, Mike beat him at the tree but Billy made it to the line first with an 8.608 @ 156mph. Want to dress like Sue Verzilli?? Hit up the GDR store for one of those fashionable 8.50 Index shirts.
 The Naturally Aspirated 10.5 class was made up of 10 heavy hitters, most of the teams within 1 tenth of each other and providing us with some exciting side by side racing throughout the day. Henry Jackson and John Langer put up the fastest times in the first round, and those times were good enough to take them all the way to the finals. John could not get the Pontiac going, and Henry coasted on to take the win for the day in his Chevelle.
 The Naturally Aspirated Drag Radial class was full of wheels up action, with the racers laying down some impressive numbers for riding on such small tires and having no power adders. Ron Rhodes set the tone early, taking the #1 qualifier spot. He continued on his tear, laying down 9 flat passes in the first two rounds of eliminations, and finished off his day with a 8.968 pass in the finals to take the win over Bill Perkins.
 Gary Kramer spent his day figuring out how to get down a slippery track on radial tires, getting the right tune in his wicked Procharged Chevelle. He did what he needed to do, and took home the win for the day in the Outlaw Drag Radial class. Mike Cerminaro had Gary's number, but did not make it down for the finals. Also out for his first race with a new setup was John "wazslow" Kokinda, fresh off his 1200hp+ dyno session over at Fonse Performance.
Detailed news along with pictures and videos from the race can be found in our forums by clicking here.
Be sure to check out the official event coverage at the Heads Up Naturally Aspirated Shootout web site. In addition, professional photos are available from this event and the entire series for your viewing pleasure and purchase from Tracy @ TRS Photo at this link.
May 9th, 2009: Englishtown - Neverlift for Jenna
Great day of racing for a great cause
 The first Annual Neverlift for Jenna race held at Englishtown Raceway Park was a huge success, raising at least $13,000 (and still counting) for Jenna Barnaby. A total of 11 classes were racing at E-town, but the two classes featured for the Neverlift race were 8.50 Index and Outlaw 10.5. Taking home the win in the 8.50 Index class, his second for the weekend, was TJ Kasper and Christy & Kasper Racing. In a great show of class and sportsmanship, Kasper and Runner-up Shawn Gallagher decided to donate all of the first place purse of $2000 to Jenna Barnaby's fund before heading to the starting line for the final race.
 The Twin Turbo Outlaw 10.5 Shootout exhibition was exciting for the fans, bringing about many local teams to come and strut their stuff. We saw Team Harris and their new GTO, getting in some track time and showing off the bad new ride. Dale Collins Jr. brought the pink Camaro out and won the shootout. Christy & Kasper Racing brought out both their Lincoln Mark VII and Mustang, as well as Disomma Racing's bright orange Mustang. Tommy Deez was also out, tearing it up in his red S10.
Also raising a ton of money for Jenna Barnaby's fund was Harry and Jackie of H&J Motorsports. H&J raffled off a basket full of car products as well as accepted cash donations for the fund all day long. It was great to see the entire racing community reach into their wallets for such a good cause.
Thank you to Wayne Keegan, Keith Mitterman, the Englishtown Staff, and everyone involved for putting up such a good race for such a great cause. We hope to be involved with this race for many years to come!
Detailed news along with pictures and videos from the race can be found in our forums by clicking here.
Professional quality photos and event coverage of this race are available from Steve Bell, visit his site by clicking here.
Be sure to support Dave & Steve and pick up a framed photo of your ride for your shop or office!
May 8th, 2009: Englishtown Index Season Opener
11.50 Debut, 10.0 Pros are back again, Kasper continuing his reign
Yes folks, it actually stopped raining for a few hours!! The sun came through the clouds up in Englishtown for their Index racing season opener.
 The first run of the new 11.50 Index class brought many crossover racers from Englishtown's very successful Corvette Challenge class, along with a few more regular faces. Shawn Cavanaugh in his '03 Vette took home the win for the night. Shawn caught a break in round 1 as his opponent lit the red bulb and he broke out with an 11.38, but he was able to slow it down to the number and make it to the winner's circle.
 In 10.0 Index, everyone was keeping an eye on Mike Romeo who is fresh off a win at Atco Raceway and a number two spot at Cecil County Dragway's Real Street Car Shootout. Mike made it to the finals again, but Michael Beck was on his game all night and took home the win in a double breakout situation. Michael was #5 qualifier with a 10.165, but quickened up in eliminations and layed down 10.017, 10.003, and 9.953 passes.
 Reigning track champ TJ Kasper qualified #2 in the 8.50 Index class. He had some tough competition through the rounds, like round #1 where Wiso Melendez treed the life out of him (.001 to .079) but TJ was able to drive around the deficit. Further rounds brought just as much difficulty, from the likes of Craig Buscio, Al Jr., and Gary Romonoyske. In the final vs. Romonoyske, it was a tight race, and we were all held in suspense while the timing system took a vacation before lighting the win light on Kasper's side.
Detailed news along with pictures and videos from the shootout can be found in our forums by clicking here.
May 1-2, 2009: Armdrop Live @ Atco Raceway
Rich Christensen & crew brought one heck of a race to our area!
 We were fortunate enough to have Armdrop Live come out to Atco Raceway this weekend, starring Rich Christensen along with his brother Kent, and President Brian Bossone. Rich and company brought a killer show for the fans and racers, with plenty of cash from sponsor NAPA up for grabs and a full race program of heads up, Arm Drop racing.
 Mother Nature was not cooperative on Friday, giving us a few breaks and a late start to the rushed race program. Friday night's race turned into a possible final race, as we had no idea what the weather would do on Saturday. Rich Bruno in his wild Gremlin won the Armdrop competition on Friday, and if it turned out to be a washout Saturday, he would be the winner for the weekend.
 The racers and fans were dedicated and determined on Saturday morning, sitting out the rain in their trailers and under the bleachers, hoping for a break in the weather to watch the show that Rich and crew are known for. The raindrops at Atco stopped early afternoon on Saturday, and by about 2:30, racing got underway. We ended up with four different fields, including cars in the 9.0, 10.0, and 11.0 range, as well as bikes mixed in with some killer quads. Familiar faces from the site were in attendance such as Carey Cable, Chris Ely, Dave Harvey Jr., Doug Frisch, and a few others. Doug Frisch made it all the way to the finals of his class where he was narrowly defeated by John Paone by .024 seconds.
Click here for the Arm Drop Live @ Atco Raceway Picture Gallery
Weather Alert: Cecil 5/1 Outlaw Shootout postponed until Sunday, June 7th
April 26th, 2009: Atco Raceway Quick 8 / Extreme 275 Radial
More hot weather, more debut classes at Atco
Continuing on our with our busy weekend, we returned to Atco Raceway on Sunday for the first Quick 8 (Outlaw 10.5) race of the season, as well as a new class for Atco, the Extreme 275 Radial class, brought to us by the Small Block Posse and Mouth Racing.
 The Quick 8 class brought some heavy hitters to the track, but after qualifying was finished, it was anyone's race as they all scrambled to get tunes in the car that didn't overpower the track. Kasper & Christy Racing were laying down the best numbers in their new Mustang during eliminations, but the champ Joe Newsham wasn't too far behind them. Both South Jersey teams made it to the finals, Kasper had some technical problems on the line and the car cut off as soon as it was staged. The tree was already activated and Newsham took off, going A to B for the win.
 The Small Block Posse and Mouth Racing's Extreme 275 Class brought a small but determined crew of racers to the track. A bunch of the guys are still getting their setups together, so expect this class to grow as the season goes on. The hot weather and small tires these guys run on did not help their already difficult job! Team Mar-Schan was running the class today, trying to figure out the bugs in the Deuce and be dangerous in the 275 class. Don Barnett was also back in his Firebird, making some smoking passes, but hurt something and he did not make it to the finals. Taking home the win for the day was Walt Pfister in his 87 Mustang, congratulations!
Detailed news along with pictures and videos from the race can be found in our forums by clicking here.
April 25th, 2009: Atco Raceway Index Season Opener
Scorcher of a day brought about a tough field of heads up competition
Wait a second, is it still April? It felt like late summer today as Atco Raceway kicked off their Index Racing season opener, featuring 8.50, 10.0, and 12.0 classes. This race was a rain date for the rained out April 10th race... some of us may have quietly been wishing for rain to cool off at some point during the day, but instead we dealt with the heat and kept focused on watching the intense action go down!
 The entire 12.0 Index field today was full of racers that were on their game and ready to roll, some fresh from Cecil County's 12.0 Index just last week.. Only once did we see a reaction time slower than .049 during eliminations, and the guys going rounds were all right there on the number all day. Taking home the first win of the season was Walt Haas in his recognizable '80 Malibu Hemi wagon, smooth sailing after a big first round win against Dave Harvey Jr. We'd like to give a special thanks to Walt for the kind words he had for GDR and wish him continued success this season. Walt dedicated today's win to the memory of Curt George.
 In 10.0 Index, one of our favorite characters, Mike Romeo, delivered on his promise to refrain from the red lights and took home the win. Mike, #2 qualifier today, finished runner-up at last week's 10.0 race. The semi-finals pitted Romeo against #1 qualifier Brendan Mills who was ripping it up for the whole day until breaking out in the semi-finals putting Romeo in the final race.
 Many familiar faces and sweet rides made up the 8.50 Index class. Mark Bowen ('72 Nova) and Craig Buscio ('62 Chevy deuce) qualified #3 and #2 respectively, and were going rounds with #1 qualifier Tommy Romeo until the semi-finals when Romeo redlit and put Bowen in the finals. At that point, both of these seasoned racers were equal favorites to win. Craig had already taken out the reigning champion TJ Kasper in round #1. Craig got the jump on Mark in the final round, but Bowen drove around and edged out Buscio to take the win. Maybe getting rid of the pony tail is working?? Time will only tell..
Besides the Index program, fans were treated to a good group of test & tune cars. In the house testing for tomorrow's Quick 8 race was Joe Newsham, Outlaw 10.5 champ of just about everywhere last season, with his twin turbo mustang. Joe was ready to roll into the lanes as soon as humanly possible this morning, reminding us "he's a driver." Also around bringing their twin turbo powered 10.5 Mustang was Kasper & Christy Racing. On top of those two big name rides, we saw a few nostalgia funny cars and even a top alcohol funny car. GDR was also testing our new in-car camera in a few cars today, be on the lookout for some cool video from that to be posted.
Detailed news along with pictures and videos from the race can be found in our forums by clicking here.
Professional quality photos and event coverage of this race are available from Dave Milcarek, visit his site by clicking here.
Be sure to support Dave and pick up a framed photo of your ride for your shop or office!
April 18th, 2009: Cecil Real Street Car Shootout Results
Series debut a hit!
The debut of Cecil County Dragway's Real Street Car Shootout brought about new classes and many familiar faces from the Northeast racing scene.
 Noone was surprised to see the pair of 10.0 Index veterans Mike Romeo and Carl Ungaro make it to the finals through a tough field, but we were definitely shocked to see the red bulb lit as Romeo takes off .013 seconds too early, giving Ungaro the win. The entire 10.0 Index field was keeping the crowd pleased by showing off some killer wheelstands and expert driving skills.
 A solid group of 12.0 racers opened up this new class to Cecil County dragway with many rounds of tight races. Taking the win home for the day was Lynn Townes, in his unique gold colored '67 Camaro. The rest of the field was close behind Townes with half the field being within 1 tenth of the Index. These mean street machines will only get better as the racers get dialed in and get more races under their belts.
 Both 275 Drag Radial class finalists showed off their driving talent as they had to pedal their way to victory in the debut of the 275 class at Cecil County. Don Barnett took it home, edging out victory over Craig Wallis. Making an appearance was Jeff Kinsler's baaaaad all motor Pontiac, be sure to check him out at the Heads Up Naturally Aspirated Shootout Series this season.
 Surprising all, against a tough field including Alex Vrettos and Gary Kramer, Larry Rhodes and his naturally aspirated Camaro took home the win for the Limited 10.5 class. Alex was on point with his .003 light in the finals but blew the tires off and Rhodes took advantage. Rhodes came over from the Test and Tune class to run Limited 10.5 during the #2 round of qualifying.
 Also in the house and taking advantage of the great weather and track conditions were many familiar faces from our area. Mike Pyott was out testing his 8.50 Ride along with fellow 8.50 racers Marc Schankweiler, Rob Poochigian, Mike Cerminaro, Guppy, BlownchevyII, and the Romeo crew.
 The brand-spankin new Stanley & Weiss Racing Promod Camaro was also out to make its debut pass, and ran into some unfortunate luck with the car going into tire shake and getting completely sideways. John Stanley's driving saved it and the Camaro ended up scraping the wall. John is OK, but the car will need some TLC to get back into action. Check out the video by clicking the thumbnail to the right.
Detailed news along with pictures and videos from the shootout can be found in our forums by clicking here.
May 10th, 2009 - Super Sunday Shootout at Maple Grove Raceway
A Series Opener you do NOT want to miss!! Includes Outlaw 10.5, Outlaw DR, and 8.50 Index Classes
 The Heads-Up Naturally Aspirated Drag Racing Series, along with help from all of our members at GDR, will kick off its season with a bang on Sunday, May 10th at Maple Grove Raceway. Not only will the naturally aspirated show and race be held, but this Super Sunday Shootout will include Outlaw 10.5, Outlaw Drag Radial, and 8.50 Index Classes as well. As if that isn't enough for you to see and do, there will also be a Car Show, Swap Meet, and Vendor Midway to keep you busy.
Don't miss this chance to get together with the GDR crowd and MAKE SOME NOISE!!!
Rules, Payout Info, and Entry fees can be found by clicking here.
Visit the Heads-Up Naturally Aspirated Drag Racing Series web site for more information as well.
Weather Alert: Atco 4/10 Index Season Opener postponed til Saturday 4/25
For more information click here
Ulsch, Vrettos, Kasper and Schroeder Take Cecil Victories:
A Strong Opening Despite High Winds:
Looking into the month of April, rain is the first thing on your mind but wind played havoc on the scenic Cecil County Dragway Street Car Shootout Sponsored by Finishline Performance as high gusts forced the race to be cut down into all 1/8th mile for safety reasons only a veteran owner like Jim Halsey can call.
 Even with winds as high as they were, the bad blown combo of Gil Mobley Motorsports / Chuck Ulsch Camaro streamlined down the asphalt at a blistering 190MPH to take the first win of the season and gain a points advantage that will pay off in the long run as his car is tight as ever and the team has it together already this early into the season with the massive power not faltering from last years performance.
Tom Kasper was right behind as runner up with his new car from Team Christy / Kasper Racing seeing its first competitive race.
 Alex Vrettos comes back in style with Team Corupt right next to him as the car made ridiculous power from J & E Performance, the car was put on a diet yet it looks like it will take some time to sort out the chassis but more than enough for an opening win in Drag Radial against Quentin Methany in the runner up spot.
Team Corupt Motorsports will be back for more and willing to be challenged with Alex Vrettos back to schooling the radial racers.
 The 8.50 Index had more than enough showing and despite he track being cut in half it made no difference to defending points champion and class winner T.J. Kasper in the Christy / Kasper Racing Mustang.
T.J. Kasper held three points championships last year and Runner Up Bill Canon was feeding off his last victory as the Shakedown At E Town 2008 winner in the same designated class. With a full field, expectations were high and the racers didn't disappoint again.
 John Schroeder; a hall of famer in big tire classes took a graceful win with dead on numbers in the eight mile to out his only opponent Pete Pace in the newly created 7.50 Index class designed for all types of cars to run on a fast index and give the fans a side by side race to the finish. Schroeder has been a leader in the sport and a model of consistency over the years; the Camaro can run the numbers and still break off into a heavy class and go much quicker and faster with just opening up a run. John's specialty is flat out winning.
More Cecil County Street Car Shootout Results Here:
Spotlight On The Northeast's Season Champions:
Northeast Champions Set To Defend Their Titles:
Joe Newsham / Outlaw 10.5 Champion:
 What can you say about this "Heads Up Warrior" of 10.5 racing other than he's proved himself in many ways to the point of capturing three titles including The Outlaw Street Racing Associations "ORSCA" battle as points champion, Cecil County's Street Car Shootout Series champion by Finishline Performance, The J & E Performance Quick 8's champion at Atco Raceway.
On The Heels of these championships Newsham also won the largest and most recognizable victories of the year winning the northeast’s infamous Shakedown at E Town in the J & E Performance Twin Turbo Cobra in 2008 defeating the unbeaten champ Tim Lynch.
 Newsham has been a standout in the racing arena by keeping himself in the spotlight but not letting it go to his head with performance that speaks for itself, His honors come from being a racing friend and competitor are well know.
The teams crew of Ed Harper and Chris Cline from Injection Connection made Joes ride so consistent it took all challenging teams to be on their game to at least take a shot at Newsham in the opposing lane. Newsham credits reach much farther than just this year, prior to 2008 his standing as an opponent was more than well known as the man to beat as Outlaw 10.5 was becoming more popular.
The team of J & E Performance is readying the car for another season featuring more power and a series schedule that will again devastate competitors.
T.J. Kasper: 8.50 Index Champion
 You'd think that seasoned racers would have the upper hand on the youngster just starting out in a heads up class that is this fast; a class designed to be a precursor to the Outlaw 10.5 racing's up and coming competitors.
T.J. Kasper may have proved everyone wrong taking home three titles in 8.50 Heads Up Racing throughout the 2008 season. Most have seen promise from racers before but nothing in years by a man of this caliber coming from a family that eats, sleeps and breathes drag racing and family participation with his own father "Tom" and Uncle Todd both racing in heads up to this day and
 T.J. following in their footsteps all along the way with titles previously as a Jr. Dragster track champion. T.J. Kasper took on all challenges and fought tough on both ends of the track with his titles at Atco Raceway, Raceway Park and Cecil County as the 8.50 Index Series Points leader. Fans of this now proven racer had no doubt of his capabilities as other racers would soon find out as the season closed, this man can race and the team of Christy / Kasper Racing is a force now with T.J also having spent time in his fathers Outlaw 10.5 Lincoln, he knows big speed and will surely find a way to possibly do double duty at events in both classes.
Blasi Racing: Northeast Outlaw Pro Modified Champion
 We've all been taught to be patient and it will come to you in the end with prosperity, this was the year for Team Blasi Racing with father and team captain "Bob" showing his son what time and effort will do for him as Jeff Blasi took the title of the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Associations point’s championship home.
Jeff drove the Musi powered Corvette to a top points standing in this group of racers built on outlaw style rules and tour the area tracks as a new school "Wild Bunch" featuring themselves as a show for fans of the fastest door slammer racing in the northeast.
Down south there are many more opportunities to find races and competition but the northeast has had its limits until a couple of years ago. Prominent now is Pro Modified racing making a huge break to the top of the racing features and you'll find Blasi Racing again charging up the ladder of points and wins to try and fend off the surge from competition on the opposite side of the track.
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