WFO Goes to the Street Car SuperNationals Finals

(11-21-06) PHOENIX, AZ - The WFO MotorSport/Dyno-Flo/SI Valves Chevrolet Cavalier of Steve Paulauskis, tuned by Pro Mod legend Charles Carpenter in conjunction with crew chief Kelly Bluebaugh of WFO Racing and Machine, raced to a runner-up finish in the Pacific Street Car Association’s second-annual Street Car Super Nationals at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The final round was a true East vs. West showdown of the nitrous powered Pro Street Champions as Team WFO, winner of the west coast’s 2006 PSCA Pro Street Championship, took on the east coast’s 2006 NMCA Pro Street Champion Vinny Budano in his Scott Shafiroff-backed ‘68 Camaro. Paulauskis left the line first, putting a mean tenth of a second hole-shot on Budano, and led the race nearly to the end. Budano charged hard, taking the win at the last possible moment by a narrow .02 margin with a 6.391 @ 220.73 over Paulauskis’ 6.512 @ 216.27 to claim the $20,000 prize.

It was determination and the help of fellow racers that brought Team WFO to the final round after battling a weekend of unusual problems. The day before qualifying, the WFO MotorSport/Dyno-Flo/SI Valves Cavalier snapped an axle in half during a test run, which demolished the rear quarter of the body and brake components. Larry Larson of Larson Race Cars, the builder of the Team WFO Cavalier, responded quickly, coordinating axle replacement with Jerry Bickel Race Cars and Mark Williams Enterprises on a same day delivery. Robbie Ward of Magna Fuel sponsored shipping costs and Justin Lamb of Lamb Components came through with the needed parts to repair the brakes. WFO’s own team of fabricators repaired the body damage with the help of local racer Rick Webb. Many racers offered to help including the Budano Brothers, Hairston Motorsports, Toy Factory Racing, countless Pro Street team members, and many fans.

The down time cost Team WFO two of four qualifying rounds, resulting in the late discovery of clutch tuning needs that were causing persistent tire shake problems for not only Paulauskis but for most of the Pro Street division as well. In the fourth round of qualifying, Paulauskis drove through tire shake and pedaled the WFO MotorSport/Dyno-Flo/SI Valves Cavalier to a 6.943 @ 216.48 placing Team WFO in the #23 qualifying position.

Still plagued with an unusual amount of tire shake, Paulauskis and the WFO Team took out John Mihovetz in his 2002 Accufab twin-turbo Cougar with a 6.592 @ 216.20 to a 6.940 @ 206.42 in the first round. In round two, Team WFO met up with previous PSCA Pro Street Champion Ed Thornton in the FAST Motor Sports/Extreme Speed turbo-powered ‘57 Chevy, taking the win with a 6.480 @ 218.05 to a 6.542 @ 223.95. Following round two, the cause of the tire shake was attributed to a malfunctioning rear shock damaged during the axle failure Thursday night. David Schorr contributed a spare set of shocks and the WFO crew swapped them out with moments to spare. In round three, Team WFO caught a much-needed break when Brad Personett of Titan Motorsports, the 2006 NHRA Pro/RWD Champion, went red and sent Team WFO to the semi-finals. In the semis Paulauskis faced off with 2002 West Coast Pro Mod Champion Dennis Radford, taking the win again by red light.

This has been a fantastic first season for Paulauskis, Bluebaugh, and the WFO team, qualifying in the top ten and scoring a quarterfinal finish in Orlando, taking runner-up at SCSN II, and winning the PSCA championship. All this success shows Team WFO has great potential to become one of the top national contenders in the streetcar wars. Paulauskis and the WFO team are already planning for next season and will continue to battle it out with all the PSCA and national events have to offer in 2007.

The WFO MotorSport/Dyno-Flo/SI-Valves team is sponsored by:

DYNO-FLO One-stop shopping mail order for all your high performance parts and providing custom engine machine, complete assembly, and engine dyno service. www.dynoflo.com SI VALVES providing high quality valves and service for street and racing applications. www.sivalves.com WFO RACING and MACHINE Phoenix’s best by appointment only custom nitrous engine and machine shop reserved for the serious racer. Kelly Bluebaugh (602) 435-8080.

Our newest sponsor: Bobby D’s Towing

Thanks to Scott at Airea 5150, House of Kolor/Valspar refinishes for our fine custom paint, graphics, and color coordination.

Special mention to Robbie Ward at Magna Fuel, who has provided WFO Racing and Machine with top-notch fuel system products for years.

For information about sponsorship contact Steve Paulauskis (602) 399-5580

The WFO MotorSport/Dyno-Flo/SI-Valves team is led by Kelly Bluebaugh, and crewed by Deborah Woodard, Wally Tuttle, Wally Tuttle Sr., and Bill Kincaid.

Much appreciation and thanks to our team consultants: Pro Mod legend Charles Carpenter, Mike Carpenter, Larry Larson of Larson Race Cars, and Dale Cubic of Cubic Flow Modifications.