Yeppers... Won the B-1 (15.00 seconds and slower) bracket class today. And I did it shallow-staging the entire event.
Those here who've raced with me know that I've been deep-staging the Daytona for the past 6 or 7 years. And with NHRA slowly phasing out deep-staging at their races I figured what better time to practice staging and launching with the pre-stage beam still lit than at an import event.
I practiced a bit at B-P-O and again on the 1st day of the Sport Compact FallNationals (before reverting back to deep-staging for the 2nd day). Wanted to find my new spot on the tree before next season's Points Series.
By a fluke I wound up with the bye 1st round and then raced 3 consecutive hitters on the ladder on my way to the Final. Turns out my best light was during the Bye because when each of my other opponents all fouled it distracted me from my own bulbs, as they went red while (or just before) my 3rd amber came on and I'd be momentarily distracted thinking my own red had come on. Didn't really matter because once they did go red I could have sat there for 10 seconds and still won. It's exceedingly rare, even at an import event, that you could run an entire day with nothing but Bye runs and Red lit opponents and nobody green alongside you.
The guys that went red against me did so because they knew I'd be a tough out & can cut a light, plus my car was deadly all day, so they admittedly all went heavier on the tree to try to beat me. Turns out they beat themselves and gave me freebies.
Once we got rolling, my car ran almost dead on the same number every run but 1 from noon onward, including time shots. Final round I was off by only 0.005 seconds flat out (though I had adjusted my dial down for that final run thinking the cooler air would have resulted in a quicker time). So I'm confident I could have won most of those rounds had any of them stayed green.
Because we had an unexpectedly low turnout (my class took only 4 rounds to finish instead of the expected 6 or 7) they pro-rated the payouts. Therefore I only got $125 instead of the posted $300, though they left my gold sticker and 30" trophy intact.
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OLD BRIDGE TOWNSHIP RACEWAY PARK
Englishtown, N.J. (Oct. 26)
Toyo Tires Import Survival Series
Bracket 1
W: Mitch Speert ('93 Dodge) — 16.875, 80.68 (16.84 dial). R/U: Antoine Jett ('94 Accord) — foul. Semi's: Jack Cogliano ('95 Eagle); Harrison Widelitz ('01 Chevy).
Bracket 2
W: Richard Santa Maria ('07 Honda) — 15.233, 91.66 (14.99 dial). R/U: Marquis Fogg ('02 Acura) — foul. Semi's: Stanley Ramirez ('81 Toyota).
Bracket 3
W: Albert Marty ('98 Honda) — 12.301, 110.42 (11.98 dial). R/U: Kirby Castillo ('92 Honda) — 11.709, 113.23 (11.75 dial). Semi's: Nicholas Graniello ('83 Mazda).
Sport Front Wheel Drive
W: Michael Ellersick ('92 Honda) — 16.561, 64.95. R/U: Adriano Pratissoli ('97 Honda) — broke.
Class H
W: Frankie Rodriguez ('98 Honda) — 11.953, 112.06. R/U: Greg Samaroo ('94 Honda) — 16.693, 59.73.
Class PA
W: Ryan Loforte ('93 Eagle) — 10.623, 136.68. R/U: Anthony Maharaj ('93 Mazda) — broke.
Pro Import Shootout
W: Wilfredo Silva ('86 Mazda) — 11.503, 105.18 (10.60 dial). R/U: Angel Cruz ('81 Toyota) — 13.218, 95.52 (11.90 dial). Semi's: Scott Pocaro ('69 Volkswagen); Anderson Belgrave ('73 Mazda).
Threaded Mode