DRAGS: Rain, Wind Claim Ultimate Victory at Goodguys Nitro Nationals
18 April 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma, CA - An uncharacteristically strong spring storm forced the cancellation of final eliminations of last weekends Goodguys 12th Nitro Nationals at Sonomas Sears Point Raceway. Just as trumpet player Tom Leps of Marin County was putting the finishing touches on a tear-jerking National Anthem, the rains came and stayed forcing Goodguys to officially cancel final elminations at 2:30pm PDT. This was the first time in the events 12 year history final eliminations were rained out.
Saturdays qualifying took place under cloudy skies as one hundred and sixty-five Pro and Pro Sportsman racers battled for position in their respective classes. Bob Truluck of San Carlos, CA provided the events only significant incident as he destroyed his radical 48 Fiat Toppolino during Saturdays final Nostalgia Eliminator qualifying session. After losing traction due to a loose fuel line, Trulucks car slid sideways before barrel rolling some eight times down the center of the racetrack. Although the car was seriously damaged, Truluck was treated and released by on-site medical personnel.
Santa Rosa, CAs Jim Murphy grabbed the pole position in Top Fuel, beating out twenty-two Top Fuel dragsters for the number one qualifying position. Murphy was relegated to one qualifying attempt after suffering a giant wheelstand in the opening session. One chance was all this crafty veteran needed however to steal the Top Fuel limelight as his WW Two dragster stormed to a 6.06 @ 236 in Saturdays second and final qualifying session. Nitro Neil Bisciglia of Kenosha, Wisconsin anchored the field with a 6.31. Larry Gotelli of South San Francisco, CA had top speed in Top Fuel, turning in a top-end blast of 240mph in his big-block Chevy powered Gotelli Speed Shop entry.
In Pro Supercharged qualifying, Steve Woods of San Leandro, CA grabbed the number-one spot in his Brad Anderson hemi equipped 48 Prefect by running a career best 6.87 @ 203.4mph. Six of the eight qualifiers in Pro Supercharged ran sub-seven second times, providing the quickest qualified field in Goodguys Pro Supercharged class history.
Sixty-Nine year old Steve San Paolo of Monterey picked up where he left off at the season-opening March Meet, putting Darell Jensens Lights Out Chevy powered alcohol burning dragster on the pole in A/Fuel with a 6.53 @ 210mph. In Junior Fuel qualifying, new Goodguys Junior Fuel National record holder Bill Wayne of Bullhead City, AZ grabbed the number-one spot with a 7.28. An interesting side-note on Wayne, just three weeks ago, he was diagnosed with cancer but decided to hold off pending surgery in order to compete at the Nitro Nationals.
With the rainout, Goodguys declared the race, a Non-Race with no makeup date. The qualifying points will count towards the Goodguys/Red Line Oil Championship Series. The next event on the five-race 2000 Goodguys/Red Line Oil Championship Series is July 29th & 30th at Pomona Raceway for the 5th & final running of the West Coast Hot Rod Happening.
Text provided by John Drummond
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