During yesterday's test session, racers showed what race fans can expect to see at the 18th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Muscle Car Drag Racing, this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois. There is a lot of talk about the new format for the runoff portion of the event, the Testo Super Bowl Shootouts, which will see points leaders racing lead qualifiers, and anticipation is building for that. Check back for updates and photos!
Here is a peek at the very carefully and cleverly designed Nitto Diamond Tree Rings that racers will earn for winning in the highly anticipated Testo Super Bowl Shootouts on Saturday.
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BIGFOOT #1, the Monster Truck that started it all for owner Bob Chandler, continues to capture attention at events across the country, and we are happy to have it here this weekend. It has had a steady stream of fans around it, and many have had their pictures taken with it.
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BIGFOOT #8 also is holding its own this weekend, with its colossal tires and colorful paint, and because many events across the country only feature one BIGFOOT, it is a big deal for fans of the Monster Trucks to see two together.
Here are the points leaders for the Testo Super Bowl portion of the 18th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Muscle Car Drag Racing! They are set to race the qualifying leaders on Saturday, and winners will receive gorgeous Nitto Tire Diamond Tree Rings. Stayed tuned for a post presenting all of the pairings.
There’s been a lot of controversy in Charlie Booze Jr.’s camp lately after a recent suspension due to an alleged rules violation (since appealed and awaiting a ruling on whether or not it’ll be overturned), but he’s currently sitting atop of the NMRA Coyote Stock qualifying order after two sessions with a 9.685 at 140.97 mph hit and has just one thing to tell the haters… which he’s not afraid to say. Or wear.
Busy swapping clutch discs on Friday with help from his friends and fellow racres, Tom Mueller has been chasing the perfect piece ever since he demolished his good disc when he ran his rare 1996 Ford Mustang Mystic Cobra in outlaw trim after the 2022 NMRA Richmond Gear Factory Stock season. Mueller’s SN95 is tuned and maintained by multi-time NMRA champion Brandon Alsept of BA Motorsports, and Mueller has been experimenting with different clutch styles for several months as he's working towards eclipsing his personal best of 10.19-seconds at 3,350-pounds. This weekend, Mueller hopes to improve upon that number even further as Connelley Racing reworked his suspension over the winter and he’s confident in his car’s capabilities.
Charlie McCulloch aka “The Professor” may be down but he’s definitely not out. His silver 2004 Ford Mustang Cobra, which he runs in NMRA Exedy Clutch Mod Muscle, dropped the head of a valve on cylinder number four earlier today and completely tore up a piston, the cylinder walls, the chamber in the head, and this spark plug. So, while that car is done for the weekend, McCulloch will continue on wheeling his red 1998 Mustang Cobra in NMRA ARP Open Comp instead. Despite his always-present smile, the Georgia-based racer is bummed that he’ll have to sit out the Testo Super Bowl Shootout as the current Mod Muscle points leader would have otherwise been guaranteed a spot in the specialty race on Saturday night.
Dart NA 10.5 racer Joe Clemente, whose Mustang is motivated by a small-block Chevrolet by EIC Motorsports, Liberty's 5-speed and a Boninfante clutch, means business. He earned a runner-up finish at the NMCA race in Florida in March, won at the NMCA/NMRA race in North Carolina in April and is currently the lead qualifier with a 7.74 at the 18th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Muscle Car Drag Racing, which is this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway. According to his son and crew member, Carmine Clemente, the rear end under Clemente’s Mustang let go during the first round of qualifying, but their team was quick to replace it and they are good to go. Clemente will give it everything he has to hold onto his qualifying lead as well as his points lead.
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Bob Glenn of Pinellas Park, Florida has committed to racing in VP Racing Lubricants Xtreme Pro Mod at all six races on this year’s NMCA tour, and fans are happy that they get to see more of his beautiful 1967 Mustang-bodied Pro Mod built by G-Force Race Cars. The stunner sets sail with a Brad Anderson Hemi and Roots-style blower, and Glenn and his team are dialing it in with help from Kevin King and Brian Whytas, who use FuelTech for engine management. So far this weekend, Glenn has posted a 3.71, despite having to pump the pedal, and a 3.66, and there is more where that came from.
After borrowing a clutch from fellow NMRA Coyote Stock competitor Chad Stephens, Aaron Worstell put his 1992 Ford Mustang GT (which he and Grant Scott at GS Performance built together) on its bumper during testing on Thursday. Fortunately, other than a few minor scuffs and scrapes, nothing was hurt too badly and Aaron was able to keep on rolling. He made some suspension adjustments in hopes of keeping the front end down throughout the rest of the weekend as he is on the hunt to qualify at the top of the list in his class for a shot at scoring a Nitto Tire Diamond Tree ring in the Testo Super Bowl Shootout on Saturday. Aaron has been working with Team Z Motorsports for years to get his Fox body dialed in, and recently added all new rear upper and lower control arms, new torque boxes, a new K-member, and more along with a rear end housing featuring a PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain-built 9” center section and HPJ Performance-fabricated exhaust.
The NMRA family was thrilled when Gary “Hollywood” Parker returned to racing at the end of the 2022 season, after an incident involving the wall at the top end of the track in Atlanta a few years prior. The NMRA Exedy Clutch Mod Muscle and ARP Open Comp competitor is also thrilled to be back, but was flummoxed on Friday morning by an elusive electrical issue. Gary’s Mustang had been running extremely well after a new Holley EFI system was installed, its engine was freshened up, and a new torque converter was installed, but his fan went out and the replacement didn’t work, either, which clued him in to the fact the program was elsewhere. A small hiccup that will surely be resolved sooner than later, Gary was still feeling positive overall as he had already gone 9.78 at nearly 140 mph earlier in the morning.
No, NMRA Coyote Stock racer FKN Randy Soper isn’t ditching his driving career to host radio shows, but he did make a special appearance recently on the Clutch Burners Podcast from Stick Shift Nation. Soper guest starred in Episode #18 and spoke about all things drag racing, from suspension tuning to different Driven Racing oils and everything in between – including some hilarious stories that listeners won’t want to miss. So far this weekend, the Coyote Stock category has completed its first round of qualifying and Soper shifted the gears of his ACT clutch-outfitted G-Force transmission to go 9.743 at 137.08 mph. He receives assistance with his bright Team Z Motorsports-backed 2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1 from Donathen Racing, GS Performance, and plenty more.
Partnership matters, and, together with their daughter, husband and wife Casey and Jamie Flora’s Team Duo Racing has partnered with SunCoast Performance. The couple is on the property as they work towards completing their first full season of NMRA competition together. Casey – who picked up a win at the prior event in Rockingham, North Carolina and is hoping for a repeat this weekend – runs his 2016 Ford Mustang GT in the SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race category with Precision-turbocharged TKM-built Coyote power under the hood and multi-time NMCA champion Jessie Coulter of Jessie’s Garage on tuning duty. Meanwhile, Jamie is a fierce competitor in her own right as she earned the 2022 Women & Wheels championship with her nitrous-assisted 2019 Mustang GT that’s tuned by Juggernaut Performance. With support from SunCoast as well as a plethora of partners including Jessie’s Garage, Holley, RaceQuip, UPR Products, Aerospace Components, Ignite Fuels, and more, Jamie is running in NMRA Exedy Clutch Mod Muscle and hopes to finish in the top ten in championship points for the season.
Brayden Creamer heats the slicks before laying down a 10-second elapsed time. Creamer is currently 12th in ARP Open Comp after one round of qualifying. In addition to launching his 1985 Mustang GT, the young driver is training to be a pilot.
Catherine Kosiba, who debuted her Drag Pak in Holley EFI Factory Super Cars last year, has been proving what she and her car are capable of ever since. With a Hemi and Whipple supercharger under the hood, Kosiba has been consistently competitive in the category, and she is currently in fifth-place in points. She is focused on holding onto that spot, or even improving on it, at the 18th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Muscle Car Drag Racing this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway, her first Super Bowl race. When we stopped by her pit area, she and her husband, Brad, were installing a lighter passenger’s seat in her car, and when we asked if she was ready to wheel to some wicked passes, she said she certainly was. We believe her, and we know she is one to watch.
After hurting his engine at this event two years ago, Dart NA 10.5 racer Rick Riccardi is back in action at the 18th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Muscle Car Drag Racing this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway, and it’s great to see his Capri. It is powered by a new small-block Ford built by Dave Jack and B&B Performance and topped with custom heads and intake by Dave Jack. Marc Poldino of Red Eye Racecars, where Riccardi works, helped set up the chassis. With help from his wife, Jenni, and an equally committed crew, Riccardi made some test passes yesterday, and he is working toward getting his car race-ready.
Amy Faulk has accomplished a lot in the past 40-plus years. She earned a world championship in NHRA Super Stock in 1979, was entered into the NHRA Division 2 Hall of Fame and she served on the SEMA Board of Directors. For the past several years, however, she has set her sights on being successful in NMCA Micro Strategies Super Stock, and she is succeeding. She came to this race in the tenth-place in points, and she is giving it everything she has to get closer to the first-place in points in her Firebird featuring an LS engine and dialed in for the 10.45 zone. Recently, she and her husband, Kenny, installed a new Coan transmission, Coan converter, Coan shifter and transbrake, and in addition to getting all of the new items dialed in, she is adjusting from the move from foot-braking to trans-braking. “I like change, and it can make you appreciate what other racers are doing, but sometimes, when I make a change to my program, I ask myself if I’m nuts,” said Faulk, with a laugh. The talented Tennessean is currently qualified in the fourth spot out of fourteen racers, with more qualifying to come.
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Here is a schedule showing all of today's action.
Here is a peek at the very carefully and cleverly designed Nitto Diamond Tree Rings that racers will earn for winning in the highly anticipated Testo Super Bowl Shootouts on Saturday.
BIGFOOT #1, the Monster Truck that started it all for owner Bob Chandler, continues to capture attention at events across the country, and we are happy to have it here this weekend. It has had a steady stream of fans around it, and many have had their pictures taken with it.
BIGFOOT #8 also is holding its own this weekend, with its colossal tires and colorful paint, and because many events across the country only feature one BIGFOOT, it is a big deal for fans of the Monster Trucks to see two together.
Here are the points leaders for the Testo Super Bowl portion of the 18th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Muscle Car Drag Racing! They are set to race the qualifying leaders on Saturday, and winners will receive gorgeous Nitto Tire Diamond Tree Rings. Stayed tuned for a post presenting all of the pairings.
There’s been a lot of controversy in Charlie Booze Jr.’s camp lately after a recent suspension due to an alleged rules violation (since appealed and awaiting a ruling on whether or not it’ll be overturned), but he’s currently sitting atop of the NMRA Coyote Stock qualifying order after two sessions with a 9.685 at 140.97 mph hit and has just one thing to tell the haters… which he’s not afraid to say. Or wear.
Busy swapping clutch discs on Friday with help from his friends and fellow racres, Tom Mueller has been chasing the perfect piece ever since he demolished his good disc when he ran his rare 1996 Ford Mustang Mystic Cobra in outlaw trim after the 2022 NMRA Richmond Gear Factory Stock season. Mueller’s SN95 is tuned and maintained by multi-time NMRA champion Brandon Alsept of BA Motorsports, and Mueller has been experimenting with different clutch styles for several months as he's working towards eclipsing his personal best of 10.19-seconds at 3,350-pounds. This weekend, Mueller hopes to improve upon that number even further as Connelley Racing reworked his suspension over the winter and he’s confident in his car’s capabilities.
Charlie McCulloch aka “The Professor” may be down but he’s definitely not out. His silver 2004 Ford Mustang Cobra, which he runs in NMRA Exedy Clutch Mod Muscle, dropped the head of a valve on cylinder number four earlier today and completely tore up a piston, the cylinder walls, the chamber in the head, and this spark plug. So, while that car is done for the weekend, McCulloch will continue on wheeling his red 1998 Mustang Cobra in NMRA ARP Open Comp instead. Despite his always-present smile, the Georgia-based racer is bummed that he’ll have to sit out the Testo Super Bowl Shootout as the current Mod Muscle points leader would have otherwise been guaranteed a spot in the specialty race on Saturday night.
Dart NA 10.5 racer Joe Clemente, whose Mustang is motivated by a small-block Chevrolet by EIC Motorsports, Liberty's 5-speed and a Boninfante clutch, means business. He earned a runner-up finish at the NMCA race in Florida in March, won at the NMCA/NMRA race in North Carolina in April and is currently the lead qualifier with a 7.74 at the 18th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Muscle Car Drag Racing, which is this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway. According to his son and crew member, Carmine Clemente, the rear end under Clemente’s Mustang let go during the first round of qualifying, but their team was quick to replace it and they are good to go. Clemente will give it everything he has to hold onto his qualifying lead as well as his points lead.
Bob Glenn of Pinellas Park, Florida has committed to racing in VP Racing Lubricants Xtreme Pro Mod at all six races on this year’s NMCA tour, and fans are happy that they get to see more of his beautiful 1967 Mustang-bodied Pro Mod built by G-Force Race Cars. The stunner sets sail with a Brad Anderson Hemi and Roots-style blower, and Glenn and his team are dialing it in with help from Kevin King and Brian Whytas, who use FuelTech for engine management. So far this weekend, Glenn has posted a 3.71, despite having to pump the pedal, and a 3.66, and there is more where that came from.
After borrowing a clutch from fellow NMRA Coyote Stock competitor Chad Stephens, Aaron Worstell put his 1992 Ford Mustang GT (which he and Grant Scott at GS Performance built together) on its bumper during testing on Thursday. Fortunately, other than a few minor scuffs and scrapes, nothing was hurt too badly and Aaron was able to keep on rolling. He made some suspension adjustments in hopes of keeping the front end down throughout the rest of the weekend as he is on the hunt to qualify at the top of the list in his class for a shot at scoring a Nitto Tire Diamond Tree ring in the Testo Super Bowl Shootout on Saturday. Aaron has been working with Team Z Motorsports for years to get his Fox body dialed in, and recently added all new rear upper and lower control arms, new torque boxes, a new K-member, and more along with a rear end housing featuring a PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain-built 9” center section and HPJ Performance-fabricated exhaust.
The NMRA family was thrilled when Gary “Hollywood” Parker returned to racing at the end of the 2022 season, after an incident involving the wall at the top end of the track in Atlanta a few years prior. The NMRA Exedy Clutch Mod Muscle and ARP Open Comp competitor is also thrilled to be back, but was flummoxed on Friday morning by an elusive electrical issue. Gary’s Mustang had been running extremely well after a new Holley EFI system was installed, its engine was freshened up, and a new torque converter was installed, but his fan went out and the replacement didn’t work, either, which clued him in to the fact the program was elsewhere. A small hiccup that will surely be resolved sooner than later, Gary was still feeling positive overall as he had already gone 9.78 at nearly 140 mph earlier in the morning.
No, NMRA Coyote Stock racer FKN Randy Soper isn’t ditching his driving career to host radio shows, but he did make a special appearance recently on the Clutch Burners Podcast from Stick Shift Nation. Soper guest starred in Episode #18 and spoke about all things drag racing, from suspension tuning to different Driven Racing oils and everything in between – including some hilarious stories that listeners won’t want to miss. So far this weekend, the Coyote Stock category has completed its first round of qualifying and Soper shifted the gears of his ACT clutch-outfitted G-Force transmission to go 9.743 at 137.08 mph. He receives assistance with his bright Team Z Motorsports-backed 2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1 from Donathen Racing, GS Performance, and plenty more.
Partnership matters, and, together with their daughter, husband and wife Casey and Jamie Flora’s Team Duo Racing has partnered with SunCoast Performance. The couple is on the property as they work towards completing their first full season of NMRA competition together. Casey – who picked up a win at the prior event in Rockingham, North Carolina and is hoping for a repeat this weekend – runs his 2016 Ford Mustang GT in the SunCoast Performance 8.60 Street Race category with Precision-turbocharged TKM-built Coyote power under the hood and multi-time NMCA champion Jessie Coulter of Jessie’s Garage on tuning duty. Meanwhile, Jamie is a fierce competitor in her own right as she earned the 2022 Women & Wheels championship with her nitrous-assisted 2019 Mustang GT that’s tuned by Juggernaut Performance. With support from SunCoast as well as a plethora of partners including Jessie’s Garage, Holley, RaceQuip, UPR Products, Aerospace Components, Ignite Fuels, and more, Jamie is running in NMRA Exedy Clutch Mod Muscle and hopes to finish in the top ten in championship points for the season.
Brayden Creamer heats the slicks before laying down a 10-second elapsed time. Creamer is currently 12th in ARP Open Comp after one round of qualifying. In addition to launching his 1985 Mustang GT, the young driver is training to be a pilot.
Catherine Kosiba, who debuted her Drag Pak in Holley EFI Factory Super Cars last year, has been proving what she and her car are capable of ever since. With a Hemi and Whipple supercharger under the hood, Kosiba has been consistently competitive in the category, and she is currently in fifth-place in points. She is focused on holding onto that spot, or even improving on it, at the 18th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Muscle Car Drag Racing this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway, her first Super Bowl race. When we stopped by her pit area, she and her husband, Brad, were installing a lighter passenger’s seat in her car, and when we asked if she was ready to wheel to some wicked passes, she said she certainly was. We believe her, and we know she is one to watch.
After hurting his engine at this event two years ago, Dart NA 10.5 racer Rick Riccardi is back in action at the 18th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Muscle Car Drag Racing this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway, and it’s great to see his Capri. It is powered by a new small-block Ford built by Dave Jack and B&B Performance and topped with custom heads and intake by Dave Jack. Marc Poldino of Red Eye Racecars, where Riccardi works, helped set up the chassis. With help from his wife, Jenni, and an equally committed crew, Riccardi made some test passes yesterday, and he is working toward getting his car race-ready.
Amy Faulk has accomplished a lot in the past 40-plus years. She earned a world championship in NHRA Super Stock in 1979, was entered into the NHRA Division 2 Hall of Fame and she served on the SEMA Board of Directors. For the past several years, however, she has set her sights on being successful in NMCA Micro Strategies Super Stock, and she is succeeding. She came to this race in the tenth-place in points, and she is giving it everything she has to get closer to the first-place in points in her Firebird featuring an LS engine and dialed in for the 10.45 zone. Recently, she and her husband, Kenny, installed a new Coan transmission, Coan converter, Coan shifter and transbrake, and in addition to getting all of the new items dialed in, she is adjusting from the move from foot-braking to trans-braking. “I like change, and it can make you appreciate what other racers are doing, but sometimes, when I make a change to my program, I ask myself if I’m nuts,” said Faulk, with a laugh. The talented Tennessean is currently qualified in the fourth spot out of fourteen racers, with more qualifying to come.
Here is a schedule showing all of today's action.