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CompetitionPlus.com
Spring Open Friday Recap
March 9, 2001
 Petersburg,
VA - SUMMIT FastNews - For the second day in a row, Friday, the
weather forecasters were wrong about the weather at Virginia Motorsports
Park. Clear blue skies greeted the racers Friday morning and they
responded by turning the wick up a bit on their race cars for the second
day of the CompetitionPlus.com IHRA Spring Open presented by Lizzard
Racing Engines. Aside from a stiff headwind that reduced the top speeds a
bit, the weather was close to ideal for top performance.
Mike Lockwood suffered through two more nitrous explosions Friday and then
recovered in fine form with the best Pro Modified full pass of the day, a
6.428 second, 214.93 mph effort late in the afternoon. Paul Athey was
second, but was on a quicker pace than Lockwood until he pulled the chutes
well before the finish line, finishing at 6.459/192.41 after running
173.72 mph at half track.
 Chris
Holbrook continued to pace the Pro Stock runners, but Angelo Alesci closed
the performance gap considerably. Holbrook opened the day with his
quickest run of the weekend, 6.684 seconds at 205.91 mph, while Alesci's
second run was within holeshot distance at 6.695 at 204.88.
Many of the Pro Mod runs were half-track efforts, either by design or
necessity. Alan Pittman recorded the most amazing half pass of the day on
a run that started with a 1.010 60-foot time. Then the engine bogged down
and Pittman pedaled the throttle. The car recovered and hooked up so hard
that it recorded the quickest and fastest half-track numbers of the
weekend, 4.060 seconds and 180.94 mph before he shut it off. By
comparison, the next-best set of numbers at half track were Athey's
4.143/173.72.
 Buoyed
by that run, Pittman came back, loaded for bear, only to collect the
"cone-killer" award when the car skated left on the launch,
taking out the 330-foot timing reflector.
The Spring Opener continues Saturday in a "Chicago-Style
Shootout" format, the quickest two cars during qualifying meeting at
the end of the day in a winner-takes-all eliminations match.
----------------- Detailed Run Log ------------------
Pro Modified:
Paul Athey - Very loose 1,000-foot pass, 6.631/177.30. 1.041 at 60 feet,
4.234/171.25 at half track. Second run, 6.459/192.41, with intermediate
times of 1.024 at 60 feet and 4.143/173.72 at half track.
 John
Bartunek - Half-track pass, 1.042 at 60 feet, 4.215/173.03 at 660. Second
try, the car went left immediately. Third try was almost a duplicate of
the first, 1.044 at 60 feet and 4.216/172.08 at half track.
Mike Castellana - Soft launch, a 1.099 60-foot time, 4.203/176.72 at 60
feet. Second run produced hard shake with a 1.225 60-foot time.
Steve Cossis - Rolled the beams, then nailed it, 4.316/172.98 at half
track, then put the chutes out. Second run, carried the left front wheel
about 300 feet on a nice pass, 6.485/206.99 at the finish line after
intermediate times of 1.048 and 4.181/173.90.
Hector Estrada - Good half-pass, 1.051 at 60 feet, 4.381/148.59 at half
track. Second run 0.979 at 60 feet, 4.318/160.81 at half track, then shut
it off. Third run was a nice full pass, with a 0.964 at 60 feet,
4.218/167.72 at half track, and 6.606/202.97 at the line.
Marc Hayes - Laurel, Md., '97 Monte Carlo. Loose launch, a 1.159 60-foot
time, and pedaled it to a 4.645/165.72 at half track and 6.989/209.69 at
the finish line. Second run, a full pass, 1.075 at 60 feet, 4.360/167.41
at half track, 6.693/210./05 at the finish line.
 Marc
Henley - '63 Corvette. Made a very soft launch check. Second run was a
full pass, 6.525/214.76. Intermediate times were 1.070 at 60- feet,
4.267/174.14 at half track. Third try was a not-enough-clutch run, a 1.126
60-foot time the first clue.
Shannon Jenkins - The car launched hard, with a 1.028 60-foot time, then
turned right and headed for the wall. On the second try the car made a
hard left turn.
Mike Lockwood - First run, had the chutes out at half track, no time.
Second run - another nitrous explosion on the line. Third run 1.076 at 60
feet, 4.234/172.54 at 660, 6.514/212.86, first full pass by a Pro Mod car.
Fourth run, another nitrous explosion. Fifth pass, a nice run, 1.050 at 60
feet, 4.168/175.50 at half track, 6.428/214.93 at the line.
 Carl
Moyer - First run, the car made a hard right turn on the launch. Second
run, the car launched with a 1.038 60-foot time, then turned hard left. On
his third try the car fishtailed violently on the launch and he smoothly
brought it back to the groove to record times of 1.046 at 60 feet,
4.220/173.27 at half track, 6.500/213.20 at the line. His final run,
closing the day, produced tons of tire shake with a 1.045 60-foot time.
Alan Pittman - Hard shake with a 1.021 60-foot time. Second try, had a
1.012 60-foot time, then the car went to the right and he shut it off.
Third run was an amazing effort, the car bogging after a 1.010 60-foot
time. Pittman pedaled it and continued, clocked at 4.060/180.94 at half
track, by far the quickest and fastest to that point, then he shut it off.
He came back and posted an even quicker 60-foot time, but the car skated
left and took out the 330-foot timing reflector.
Wayne Torkelson - Launched into very hard shake. Second run, 1.067 at 60
feet, 4.315/168.45 at half track, then shut it off.
Pro Stock:
 Angelo
Alesci - First run was a nice, smooth 6.730/203.98. 1.034 60-foot time,
4.337/164.21 at half track. Second effort was his best of the weekend so
far, 6.695/204.88. 1.021 at 60 feet, 4.311/164.71 at half track.
Tony Fox - A rookie, blue flames on bright blue '01 Mustang. Did a couple
launch checks, the best a 1.069 with shake. Came back for a clean pass,
1.058 at 60 feet, 4.395/162.59 at half track, 6.803/203.55 at the finish.
Third run, went through the clutch.
Chris Holbrook - Nice pass, 1.025 60-foot time, 4.309/165.25 at half
track, 6.684/205.91 at the finish line. Second run, the car was very loose
for the first 300 feet, 1.034 at 60 feet, 4.339/164.85 at half track,
6.719/205.35 at the finish line.
Funny Car:
Terry McMillen - Posted a 1.031 60-foot time with one dead cylinder on the
left side, then the car went left and he shut it down.
 John
Vouros - Strong launch, 0.939 60-foot time, and a good-looking run until
the car drifted right and out of the groove.
---
### ---
Results provided by the FastNews Network,
courtesy of Summit Racing Equipment
** www.summitracing.com
**
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