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Great drag racing weather at Bakersfield’s Auto Club Famoso Raceway greeted a packed, capacity crowd on Saturday with over 500 racecars showing the strength of independent West Coast Nostalgia Racing, kicking off 2008 with drivers repeat performances, a horrific crash and career bests at the 50th March Meet.
Final eliminations begin with Pre-race ceremonies at 10:30 AM Sunday.
Photo by Zak Hawthorne
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Top Fuel pilot Terry Cox filled in for Jack Beckman during Saturday March Meet qualifying, but the 120-inch wheelbase Vega proved quite a match for Cox going sideways at the launch. The “Time Traveler” owned by Doug Rose failed to qualify. Beckman had a family commitment on Saturday, returning to the event on Sunday as a color commentator during Nitro Funny Car Eliminations with Ron Capps, who also failed to qualify for the tough flopper field.
Photo by Zak Hawthorne
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Justin Grant towed all the way from Illinois to compete at the March Meet with driver Joe Haas and crew, the “Stardust” Barracuda replica sat eighteenth in the field at the end of Saturday qualifying with a best run of 6.440 E.T. at 211.81 mph.
Photo by Darr Hawthorne
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Mendy Fry, who had just completed her crossover license to Nitro Funny Car from Top Fuel, carded a strong 6.053 elapsed time at 210.03 mph grabbing the fifth qualifying position in the A-field for funny cars. Fry now drives Gary Messenger’s “Future Flash” ‘71 Dodge Charger, tuned by Donnie Couch.
Photo by Zak Hawthorne
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George Doty unveiled his Hot Wheels-sponsored “Crazy Horse” ‘71 Mustang at the 50th March Meet, but driver Rian Konno could only muster an off-pace 8.893 elapsed time. Twenty-seven Nitro Funny Cars made the call in three qualifying sessions, thought to be a March Meet record.
Photo by Zak Hawthorne
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After three rounds of qualifying at the 50th March Meet Brad Thompson, who had given notice during exhibition runs at the recent NHRA Winternationals, continued his dominance of early season performance. Thompson lead Top Fuel qualifiers with a stellar Friday 5.675 ET and showing his team’s ability backed that up with 5.746 and a 5.771 in Saturday’s sessions.
Photo by James Drew
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Troy Green in the Plaza Motorsports entry sits in the #2 Top Fuel position with 5.767 and the Utah “Sheriff” Jack Harris nailed down the third slot with his 5.796 elapsed time.
Photo by James Drew
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As in Top Fuel, Bucky Austin showed his Winternationals exhibition performance was no fluke leading Nitro Funny Car qualifiers with his stout 5.833-second Friday afternoon pass. Austin, in Steve Plueger’s “Northwest Hitter” Plymouth Arrow backed-up his early performance picking up an additional $500 in Saturday’s after dark qualifying session first with an almost half-track burnout and then laying down a 5.882 at 243.50 MPH.
Photo by James Drew
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Lee Paul Jennings in the “Code Red” Dodge Challenger sits in the second slot with the only other 5-second running funny car at Famoso Raceway a 5.967 at 242.44 miles per hour. DRO Nostalgia columnist Jeff Utterback is third in the “Pisano & Matsubara” Vega flopper with a career best 6.008 E.T. at 234.55 miles per hour.
Funny car newcomer Mendy Fry sits in the #5 spot with her 6.053 E.T. at 210.03 MPH, Fry upgraded to her funny car license only six days ago after leaving the Nostalgia Top Fuel ranks.
Photo by Darr Hawthorne
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On a very sad note...
Popular, veteran top fuel dragster owner and driver John Schumaker died during Saturday’s March Meet qualifying sessions. Schoemaker succumbed from injuries suffered when his dragster went out of control and crashed well past the top end finish line. According to photographers at that end of the track the driver was unable to shut the engine down until it finally ran out of fuel and according to reports the parachutes did not deploy.
Shoemaker was airlifted to Kern Medical Center were he was later pronounced dead. Shoemaker had competed in a variety of high-horsepower dragsters during his 42-year drag racing career.
“Our hearts go out to John’s family and the racing community,” said Blake Bowser, vice president and general manager of the Kern County Racing Association, operators of Auto Club Famoso Raceway.
John Shoemaker was 65. A moment of silence will be held in his honor prior to Sunday’s Eliminations.
Photo by Zak Hawthorne