Hopkins, Tripp, and Horensky take Micro Strategies National Open
Drag Racing Action Online
Images David Smith/Diane Kubicke
In the first of a double header at Numidia Dragway in Central Pennsylvania, Mark Hopkins from Phoenixville, Pa. drove his ’92 Beretta, D/A to a Competition Eliminator win over the PST/A S-10 of Chip Ippolito. At the Open sponsored by Micro Strategies , Competition Eliminator, Top Dragster, and Top Sportsman were running an eight mile while the rest of the NHRA Sportsman were using the ¼ mile.
Hopkins running of a 5.31 index, cut a 0.029 light to Ippolito’s 0.064 and ran a 4.963 as Ippolito was right there with a 4.934 on his 5.25 index.
Former NHRA Summernationals champ Jeff Tripp drove his SS/AM Monte Carlo to a win in Super Stock defeating the FSS/C Mustang of Anthony Bongiovanni. Tripp dialed in with a 8.93 posted a 8.943 as Bongiovanni went too quick on his 8.93 losing with a 8.904.
Stock Eliminator featured a heads-up A/SA clash of two of the best in the East with former NHRA World Champ Allison Doll in the Porta Tree Firebird up against the Mustang of Ryan Horensky. Doll was off the line first with a 0.17 reaction time to a 0.065 of Horensky, the Mustang chased the Pontiac down winning with a 10.081 to Doll’s 10.281.
Joey Cambria driving the Air Lift dragster won Super Comp beating Bill Krug in the finals. Cambria got the jump off the line with a 0.021 to the 0.060 of Krug. Cambria’s reaction time made the difference at the strip as Krug had to push his dragster too far breaking out with a 8.862 to a winning 8.902 of Cambria.
As in Super Comp, Super Gas went to who got the best light. The finals went down to a pair of first-generation Camaros as D3 racer Corrine MacMillan defeated Bill Trum in the finals with a 0.012 aided 9.954 to the losing 9.872 of Trum.
In the Super Street final, it was once again, the racer with the better reaction time, won the race. Darren Wood behind the wheel of his ’68 Firebird was off with a 0.032 to a sleepy 0.116 of runner up Jonathan Leahy’s Chevy Nova. At the stipe it was Wood’s nearly right on 10.907 taking the win light over the breaking out 10.865 of Leahy.
Winning Top Dragster was first time finalist Jessica Eastburn beating long time racer “Fast” Freddie Perkins. Eastburn dialed in a 4.71 and ran a 4.734 to defeat Perkins’ red lighting 3.968 on his 3.96 dial.
Finally Top Sportsman went down to former NHRA World Champ Ronnie Proctor in his ’09 Cobra Mustang against George Forster driving his ’98 Monte Carlo. Forster got antsy on the starting line and left 0.006 too soon giving the Ford of Proctor the NHRA Open win.
Best Engineered went to the Nostalgia Dragster of NED/NHRA official Bill Massielo
For more Images from the Numidia Open, go to: