The racing weekend that was - Wk 22

Cruz's record setting run

NHRA's Englishtown, New Jersey, is located about 20 miles south of Newark Int'l Airport and is one of the original seven national events. It is a race steeped in legend and it would surely not disappoint, especially since the track is just 20 ft above sea level which means the engines will be making maximum horsepower!

In Top Fuel, Australian rookie sensation Richie Crampton making his ninth career starts beat points leader Doug Kalitta to the delight of the crowd. "This is all surreal right now," Crampton said. "I'm really just living the dream. I know that sounds cliche, but I'm just lucky to be in the position I'm at in my personal life and career."

In Funny Car, two-time world champion Cruz Pedregon won over Dell Worsham. This is Cruz's first win this season and he was in the final of the last race but lost to Courtney Force.

Matusek's pro mod barely avoids sand trap

In Pro Stock, Jeg Coughlin won over Greg Anderson as the latter had to get out of the throttle as he encountered excessive wheel spin when in second gear.
During the day the sun beat down on the track making this too hot and so very slippery. I have never seen so many pedal fests, more than half the pro stock field had problems. Quite a few drivers, amongst them Anderson, were pretty bad at it, especially since the Liberty gearbox jumps into neutral as soon as you let go of the shifter handle (well, except when in fifth). Just to illustrate the difficult track conditions, Coughlin borrowed the rear tires of Allen Johnson (who had made a decent pass earlier but lost) because he feared his own tires would not get him down the track.

In Pro Stock bike the two Harley's were tough to beat and though there were some competitors questioning the size of their intake scoops, as being to small, Andrew Hines won over teammate  Eddie Krawiec in the all Vance & Hines Screaming Eagle final.

Erica's record 215 mph time slip

Talking about records, in Funny car, Cruz Pedregon laid down a national record elapsed time of 3.959 seconds at 310.48 mph during night time qualifying. In Pro Stock, Erica Enders-Stevens posted a national record top speed of 215.55 mph during a 6.473 second qualifying run (60' of 0.990) in her Elite Motorsports Camaro.

To see a short video on the finals, please click here. For the one of Steve Matusek parallel parking his car just at the sand trap, click here.

Thanks for reading.

Source: NHRA
Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas, Elite Motorsports