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Corda Out-Foxes The Field For GM Performance Parts Top Stock Title
Corda’s semi-final round victim, Matt Morgan, said it best. "There is no doubt in my mind that Al Corda has the fastest car in the country," explained Morgan. "I ran Corda in the semis and I ran 127 mph and he pulled me so bad in high gear it was not funny. I was at his back tire when I pulled high gear and from the 1/8 mile to the 1200-foot mark he pulled me at least ¾ of a car. I can’t get it out of my head." Corda, who tripped quietly into the winner’s circle at the inaugural Top Stock running at Norwalk Raceway Park last year, made a repeat running at the ACDelco Nationals presented by Chevrolet at Virginia Motorsports Park in the same fashion. Corda displays the best of poker player skills with a hefty mix of Roosevelt’s "speak softly and carry a big stick" doctrine. He qualified fifth in the twelve-car field at a 10.410, seemingly light-years away from the stunning 10.128 belted out by Team Checkmate’s Paul Mercure in his ’68 Camaro. As eliminations began, the hand that Corda held started to reveal itself, as he picked off the competition, one by one.
No. 2 qualifier and Red River Raceway Top Stock Shootout winner Bobby Brannon was set to battle Corda in the second round. In Friday morning’s Stock session, Brannon pounded out one of only two sea-level 10-oh passes in A/SA history, a 10.07. Both drivers did their job on the tree, but once again, Corda was sharper with a deadly .519 reaction time. Brannon’s ’69 Camaro turned the tires on the starting line, losing the crucial momentum needed to chase down the Firebird. At the finish, Corda matched Brannon’s 127 mph top end charge, and led him across with a 10.32 to 10.36 wire-to-wire victory. Matt Morgan advanced past a slowing Matt Rover, while Kenny Koonce, Jr. took an upset win over Paul Mercure, whose violent wheelstand forced him to lift.
Koonce took a bye run into the final round, leaving Corda to face Matt Morgan’s ’69 Mustang in the semi-finals. Just as Morgan described, Corda’s Firebird walked him from end to end, and with power to spare, a 10.300 at just 119 mph to Morgan’s game 10.399 at 127 mph. Despite the distinct advantage of the LS-1 350 Firebird, Kenny Koonce, Jr. did his best in the final round, earning a .538 to .552 holeshot off the starting line over Corda. The lead was short-lived, however. Al Corda took the GM Performance Top Stock win light with a 10.313 at 126 mph, leaving Koonce to trail with a 10.398 at 124 mph. Top Stock tech head Terry Bell said, "The car is 100% legal. Al is a quiet and private person who lets his car do his talking for him. He uses every trick he has learned in the many years of racing from car prep, using the existing rules to his advantage, and yes psych jobs on his competition. That’s racing. He plays by the rules. He prepares for a race. He tests. He can drive. "Too bad I have to add some HP to his combination, but as I have said we will be adjusting HP ratings where needed after each race to have a level playing field. The LS-1 combo really needs to be looked at. The combo has the potential to run very low 10's and quite possibly in the 9's, as I have hear he has done in testing. I just want to say congratulations Al, for a job well done. You will have some closer runs at the next event." ACDelco Nationals GM Performance Top Stock Results HOME
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Norwalk,
OH – In the wake of the first running of GM Performance Parts Top
Stock, the competitors were left feeling beaten up by former Stock World
Champion Al Corda. The disbelief and frustration with the small-block
fuel-injected 2001 Firebird by the ranks of the original musclecar
drivers and new crate-motored entries alike resounded with, "He did
it to us again?"
Right
out of the box, Corda laid down a stellar .511 reaction time on the .500
Pro Tree start, and posted a 10.395 at only 110.81 mph to do away with
Arnold Greene. The tell-tale low speed earned a collective groan from the
rest of the GM Performance Parts Top Stock field, despite the low E.T and
top speed of the round 10.334 at 127.75 effort by No. 1 qualifier Paul
Mercure. It was evident that Corda was holding back. The primary question
was, "how much?" The game was on.
