First pair out was Rick White and Brett Harris. This would prove to be a dandy.

Harris drilled White on the tree (0.044 to 0.137) leaving the blue car to play some big time catch up.

 

In what would prove to be the quickest side by side race in Boise history, Harris' 5.847 at 257.51 beat White's 5.863 240.83. This was a drag race!

Pair two - round two gave Mike Cross the unenviable task of facing Brad Thompson.

 

Albeit not exactly on time (.140 RTs), both cars left together and both experienced engine problems down track killing multiple pistons well before the lights. Thompson's off pace 6.105 at 203.80 was good enough to hold off Cross' 6.597 at 208.76.

The final pair pitted the two quickest cars up to this point - Jim Murphy and Troy Green.

 

Green did his job on the lights but a 5.887 at 245.36 was no match for a 5.768 at 258.39 (track speed record). Murphy would move into the semi finals.

 

Weather conditions: air temperature 83 degrees, relative humidity 14 percent, barometer 29.95 inches, adjusted altitude 5,350 feet.

 

With three cars left in the semis, the pair was Brett Harris and Brad Thompson with Jim Murphy getting the single. Harris had out preformed Thompson all weekend so he was a slight favorite here.

 

Thompson got a slight lead at the hit and then had his best 60' numbers of the event. Harris was right behind him.

Both cars were nearly welded together all the way down with Thompson getting the nod with a "where did that come from?" 5.783 at 262.16 to a very game 5.824 at 260.19 by Harris. We believe this was the first ever side by side 260 MPH race in NTF history.

 

Murphy may have dodged a bullet here as the crew found some engine problems too late to fix between rounds. Opting to err on the side of caution, they decided to meet the minimal rule, fire and stage, to get back to the pits for an engine swap for the final.

 

Their decision may not have been popular with some of the fans but it was way smarter than possibly scattering parts all over the track prior to the finals in all classes.

Murphy had plenty of time to replace an engine before the final that was contested at 10:15 p.m.

 

The two quickest cars of the weekend did their burnouts. Brad Thompson had lane choice and put Murphy in the less favored side.

Thompson left first and was leading until the 1000' mark when the car got loose and impacted the right side guard wall very hard. The impact caused the car to veer sharply across both lanes and crash into the left wall as well. Murphy just got by Thompson when he came across behind him and he was not involved. The rpm came up several times and it was very difficult to determine exactly what happened. Word came back that Thompson was awake but groggy when he was still in the car. After he was extracted he complained about some pain in his back, chest and arm. He was transported for X-rays and a complete check up and remained there for seven days.

 

 

Murphy's winning time was a 5.991 at 233.94... his slowest pass of eliminations.

 

 

After losing the war, Thompson did win a battle of sorts. By going to the final he took over the 2008 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series
Top Fuel Points lead.

By Thompson's own admission, there were no parts failures - period. He said the car was drifting slightly to the right by the 900' mark and he was trying to steer it back into the groove. However, he encountered tire shake and lost his bearings for an instant. That fast the car "darted" to the right and hit the wall sending it on a sharp angle slide across the track where the rear of the cage impacted the wall. Had it not been the final round he doubts if he would have hung in that long.

 

Brad Thompson Recovery Fund

 

Due to Thompson's accident the Funny Car final didn't fire until 11:52 p.m. After the long wait, the race was anticlimax as Terry Capp went red and Chris Krabill and the Gary Turner team took a well earned title after a long hard weekend. Capps shut off while Krabill gave what fans were left a show running 6.068 at 228.07.

 

 

Final Order of Qualifying

1 Michael Grekul - '73 Mustang 6.036 230.41
2 Bucky Austin - '79 Arrow 6.037 230.23
3 Terry Capp - '77 Firebird 6.070 217.12
4 Mike Halstead - '69 Charger 6.115 237.96
5 Mark Sanders - '70 Nova 6.122 234.43
6 Lee Paul Jennings Jr - '72 Challenger 6.147 218.87
7 Stephen Romanazzi - '77 Firebird 6.159 224.49
8 Chris Krabill - '79 Arrow 6.179 229.47
9 Dennis La Charite 6.188 205.80
10 Rick Rogers - '70 Duster 6.229 229.18
11 Dale Pulde - '77 Trans Am 6.239 199.33
12 Jack Harris - '77 Firebird 6.280 229.94
13 Jeff Bennett - '69 Camaro 6.346 215.62
14 Twig Zeigler - '73 Satellite 6.465 215.98
15 Craig Michael - '72 Satellite 6.469 218.60
16 James Day - '68 Jeepster 6.483 215.00

------------ DNQ ------------

17 Ed Dougan - '78 Arrow 6.583 203.06
18 Leah Pruett-LeDuc - '69 Mustang 6.667 215.51

 

Terry Capp in the Ron Hodgson owned, Roland Leong tuned Bubble UP Pacemaker Firebird.

 

 

 

Jack Harris is still sorting out his Firebird - especially in the tire/clutch department. He prefers to run M&H tires but can't get them to hook up. When he puts Goodyears on the car it shakes violently. Not a good spot to be in.

 

 

 

 

Once Harris gets the car to hook up it flies on the top end.

 

Dennis La Charite in his "Back In Black" GTO.

 

 

Bucky Austin qualified #2 but was among the many upsets in Funny Car falling to Craig Michael in round one after a huge wheelstand.

 

Chris Krabill put away Mike Grekul in the Plueger & Gyger Mustang abruptly ending the weekend for the team of Plueger and Austin.

Dale Pulde had a good first outing for his War Eagle Trans-Am qualifying #11 and winning round one with a nice 6.15.

Rick Rogers was in the seat of the beautiful Donnie Couch tuned Bomb Squad '70 Duster. However, after an overzealous Saturday night pass damaged the car badly enough to take it out of Sunday's program.

It was great to see Twig Zigler back in action after a 30 year layoff. He qualified good but lost to Terry Capp in round one.

The "Featured" cars Friday and Saturday night were a pair of AA/Fuel Alterds - Fast n' Forty and the Lisa Coil driven Plastic Fantastic. If nothing else they made some noise and were entertaining in that they couldn't stay in their own lanes.

What has become a welcome tradition for the drivers and fans at the Nightfires, is the Saturday afternoon autograph session. This year some of the Funny Car shoes joined the Top Fuel guys to sit in 90 degree sun to sign everything from their handouts to T-shirts.

 

After asking "How many angles can we shoot this deal from." Mark King, Mark Hovsepian, Jim Sorenson and Chris Graves decided to amuse each other.

The best place to be at Firebird on a hot day is the air conditioned tower.

Blake and John Bowser along with their starter Bill Condit made the trip to Boise to watch somebody else work their tails off all weekend to put on a race. They will soon be prepping Bakersfield for the 17th California Hot Rod Reunion in October. Joining the boys was Rose Dickinson Manager of Marketing and Advertising for the NHRA Wally Parks Motorsports Museum who was manning the souvenir booth.

Ex-Top Fuel shoe Dan Richins, Steve Gibbs and Roland Leong chat in the shade of the Nitro Thunder pit.

 

The unsung heroes of these deals are the photographers who stand in the hot sun for hours on end to record events so fans and racers alike can relive them.

Above the team of Darrell Conrad and Pam Schavrien.

Walt Stevens (out to back up Troy Green) with Dan Kaplan and Pam Schavrien.

 

Steve Plueger, Bucky Austin and Pam - again.

Dale Pulde enlisted the help of a couple of old vets, Dudly above helping Pulde pack his chutes and Honda Doug not working so hard selling T-shirts.

Ya gotta love a car named "Nitro Pimp".

Session Three and Round One Sunday

Dan Kaplan Photos

Darrell Conrad - Pam Schavrien

Chris Graves Photos

Related Links

WW2 Racing

Thompson & Bless Racing

High Speed Motorsports

All American Fuel Dragsters

 

 

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