DRAGS: Goodguys Vintage Drag Racers Gear up for 'Spring Swing'
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
April 13, 2001Sonoma, CA - The 2001 Goodguys /VRA West Coast Championship Series, presented by PAC WEST TRAILERS.COM hits a crucial “Spring Swing” the weekend of April 21 & 22 as the 13th Nitro Nationals visit’s Sonoma’s Sears Point Raceway. Two short weeks later, the Goodguys inaugural Spring Nitro Classic visits Las Vegas Motor Speedway May 5 & 6. The point standings for the 10 Pro and Pro Sportsman categories will be severely impacted by the close grouping of the two spring events, requiring the country’s vintage drag racing stars to plan ahead and take advantage of limited opportunities in both qualifying and eliminations.
The same basic event-layout will again take place in September as the 12th Fall Classic hits Sears Point Raceway September 8 & 9, followed two weeks later by the 2001 season finale, the 2nd Fuel & Gas Finals, September 21-23 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. You guessed it; the two fall events will unofficially be referred to as the “Fall Fling.” The tight grouping of the remaining four events on the 2001 WCCS should play out in dramatic fashion.
Goodguys officials have already pre-determined the 13th Nitro Nationals will feature two 8-car fields (A & B) in the Top Fuel class. A strict curfew at Sears Point Raceway is the main reason Goodguys will run the 8-car A & B format in Top Fuel. At the season opening March Meet, Goodguys held the first-ever 16-car Top Fuel field for Nostalgia Top Fuelers. While the racing action was thrilling, it forced Pro Eliminations to begin at 10:00am and required the teams, many of whom were accustomed to preparing their cars for three rounds of eliminations on Sunday, to make an extra round. Goodguys will most likely schedule 16-car Top Fuel fields at the two remaining Las Vegas Motor Speedway events due to a more racer-friendly curfew.
Top Fuel points leader Jack “The Sheriff” Harris is armed and ready to protect his series lead. “The Posse and I have the war-wagon loaded for the Goodguys Spring Swing,” said Harris from his Kayesville, Utah home base. “With only two-qualifying shots at both Sears Point and Vegas, we’ll be ready to make a safe run in the morning which will hopefully put us in the show, then get aggressive in the afternoon session.”
Securing 2001 WCCS points leads in other classes heading into the Spring Swing are Jim Paul (A/Fuel), Steve Wood (Pro-Supercharged), Bill Wayne (Jr. Fuel), Sean Renteria (A/GAS), DeWayne Sanders (Nostalgia Eliminator), Brad Chaffee (B/GAS), Monty Fitzgerald (C/GAS), Bob Lander (NE/II) and Dave Gruzen (NE/III).
Several bonuses await both Pro and Pro Sportsman entries at both “Spring Swing” events. At the 13th Nitro Nationals, Gotelli Speed Shop of South San Francisco will award the Low Qualifier in Top Fuel $500 cash. Troy’s Body & Paint of Tracey, CA will award $500cash to the Low Qualifier in Pro-Supercharged. At the Spring Nitro Classic in Las Vegas, Mooneyes, USA, Inc. has stepped to the plate to award both the Low Qualifier and event Champion in Top Fuel $500 cash each! Not to be overlooked is the Goodguys/MBNA Bonus Bucks program which offers double winner’s payouts to a randomly drawn Pro class as well as a Pro Sportsman class.
The race-schedule is the same for both the 13th Nitro Nationals at Sears Point and the Spring Nitro Classic in Las Vegas. Pro Qualifying will be at 11am and 2:00pm (approx.) on Saturday and final eliminations will begin at 11:00am Sunday.
Text provided by John Drummond
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