2010 March Meet

 

SOROKIN WINS THE BIG ONE
Lea Pruett-LeDuc Wins AA/FC

 

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Bakersfield, CA - March 05-08, 2010: Horrible economy and a mixed bag of adverse weather conditions aside, the 2010 edition of the March Meet wrapped up on Monday with a hugely popular win in Top Fuel and the first woman to win Funny Car title in 52-year-old history of the March Meet. For Adam Sorokin, winning the March Meet for the first time (his first win ever in NTF) was an emotional roller coaster ride. His dad Mike won this prestigious event in 1966 in the Surfers AA/FD but tragically died racing in 1967. Adam was one year old when his dad passed away.

The racing on Monday – the first in the races long history -- capped an exciting and at times somewhat frustrating event at Famoso. “We had a few weather-related issues during the weekend, but what a great ending,” said Blake Bowser, vice president and general manager of the Kern County Racing Association, operators of Auto Club Famoso Raceway and producers of the March Meet. “This is one for the record books.”

After defeating Howard Haight for the win, Adam Sorokin could not hold back the tears. “My mom told me I was conceived at this race track, and to come back after all these years and win it is to big a dream to be true. We only had six laps on the brand new car and for it to run a 5.70 is amazing.” Sorokin ran a 5.764 at 241.61 to beat Haight’s 5.935 at 246.23.

As late as Thursday heavy rain was predicted for Saturday into Sunday. On Friday the track was so cold that there were 3 accidents and virtually no teeth for the fuel cars. But the upside was the weather report was getting better by the hour. On Saturday (some say miraculously) the rain virtually "surrounded" the valley leaving Famoso dry. However, no rain did not mean a good track. Saturday yielded another tricky surface for the 2nd fuel qualifying sessions leaving the TF bump spot at a dismal 10.23 (Murphy was #1 with a 6.16).

Weather aside, the only big question is should a meet the size of the March Meet even try to run a 32 car fuel show? Most say no. In the day, the 32 car shows were stand alone events where there no concern about 450 other cars. By running Top Fuel qualifying after funny car on both sessions the fuelers were denied any chance of getting a shot at a decent track. In the name a fairness the order should have been reversed on Saturday.

Nonetheless, the sun finally put some heat in the track on Sunday and the times reflected it. 5s were common place in both Top Fuel and funny car with Rick White going low in the dragsters with a 5.705 at 255.24 and Ron Capps setting a new flopper mark of 5.703. But with 5 rounds of funny car to get through they simply ran out of time on Sunday forcing the conclusion into Monday.

 

 

 

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Photos by: Bob Brown, Stephen Justice, Dan Kaplan, Steven C. Wallace, Ken Hughes, Pam Schavrien, Darrell Conrad, Warren Merriman, Don Atkinson, John Ewald and Don Ewald.

 


Dedicated to the memories of Tim Hanaseth
and "Pit Crew" Pete Starrett. RIP my friends.

 

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1st Qualifying Session

Friday, Following 55 minute clean up of a 2500 foot oil down by Mendy Fry's funny car, the first session of TF qualifying got under way 2 hours late and 20 degrees too cold.

 

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An oil down at Bakersfield can't get any longer that this. Starting line to turnout - right down the middle.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally there was nitro in the cold afternoon air with Randy Eakins in the seat of the Arizona based Botelho-Compston-Patterson late model entry. Like the Cox car which also uses the 426 configuration the team came in hoping that the new rule allowing them to run the 44 amp mags would at least let them play.

 

 

 

The car had a decent launch and looked pretty good until sever tire shake set in at the 60' mark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eakins clicked it and coasted through.

 

 

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Next out was 2009 CHRR champ Rick McGee in the Tedford & McGee "Overtime Special" and Lincoln Hassell who made the long trip to Meca from Raleigh, NC. What made his trip even more daring was the fact this car runs a small block Chevy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both cars were a bit off at the hit. Hassell's SBC was sawing through the clutch and McGee's hemi didn't sound right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hassell started smoking the tires at the tree.

 

McGee knew the engine wasn't happy and shut off by the 60' mark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both coasted through with dismal times. It turned out that the cam in the purple car was put in 70 degrees advanced thus the unhappy tune-up. Its kind of incredible the engine started at all.

 

 

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Next out was Howard Haight in the long distance award winning "Nitro Diction" from New York. In the other lane was the return of the "Foothill Flyer" with James Day in the seat and Chris Nance doing the tune-up.

 

 

 

Haight blew the tires at the hit - big time.

 

Day made it to the tree before his M&Hs lit up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both took another stab at it with the same results. Again, two cars coasted through.

 

 

 

 

 

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Next out was Terry Cox in the Cheetah V of Wilson-Ninnis-Cox and Shannon Stewart in Bob Richardson's "Circuit Breaker".

 

 

 

 

 

Both cars moved good - for a few feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before the tree it was a classic dual burnout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stewart reeled it in and pedaled to a 7.069 at 214.33.

 

 

 

Cox would end up 17th.

 

 

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For his first qualifying pass ever in his new ride, Brad Thompson in the High Speed Motorsports "Great White" was paired with Mike Chrisman in the "Paso Posse" entry of John Rodeck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thompson had a decent launch and carded an acceptable 60' time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But the cold track was unforgiving and Thompson was unable to stay in the groove (as if there was one).

 

 

 

 

 

After a couple of fruitless attempts to hook up Brad, getting close to the wall, called it quits and coasted through with a 7.23 and just 131.35. An exciting first ever qualifying run in the car that momentarily left the HSMS crew collectively breathless.

 

 

 

Chrisman had his own traction problems and pulled the plug early.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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With the track getting cooler by the minute out came Rick Rogers in the Blair's "Fugowie!" for a single.

 

 

 

 

The car actually left pretty good and got past the tree under power.

 

 

 

 

 

But alas - on a track where a Zamboni would work better than VHT Rogers followed suit and blazed the tires.

 

 

 

After a close encounter with the center line Rogers rolled on through.

 

 

 

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John Ewald, Dan Kaplan and Dave Kommel caught the action (or lack of it) from above.

 

Out next was Brendan Murry in his new Running Wild entry and Denver Schutz in the Cullen & Schutz "Raisin Express".

 

 

 

Murry was soft and it ultimately served him well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schutz performed a now familiar act -- smoking the tires just after the hit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not being one to quit, Schutz did some pedaling and managed a 7.81 at 199.

 

 

But Murry was there first with a 6.647 at 190.19 which was, at the moment, low ET of the session and would end up being good for #4.

 

 

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The next two cars to take a shot at mission impossible were Mark Malde in the Birky Bunch Chevy car and Adam Sorokin in the brand new and very beautiful RB Entertainment - Champion Speed Shop entry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming to the end of his burnout Malde's engine started to lean out and then died. Only speculation but it might have had something to do with the fuel coming out the vent.

 

While Sorokin was backing up Malde was bailing out.

 

 

 

 

Since the new Neil & Parks car didn't even have a full pass on it yet, the tune-up on this track at this time was a real crap shoot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a nice leave guess what -- it lit the tires by the 60' clocks.

 

 

 

A 9.50 wasn't going to impress anyone but it did gather some good bottom end data.

 

 

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Since the first qualifying session is based on where one finished in the 2009 points standing the so-called better cars started to show their faces starting with Mike McClennan in Mike Fuller's Forever Young and Rick Williamson in the CBS Racing entry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both cars got off clean but Williamson started hazing the tires before the tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

McClennan actually made it past the 60' then the 330' clocks under power.

 

 

 

Williamson rolled it out and stabbed it again - this time hooking up.

 

For some reason McClennan clicked it early and Williamson drove by to clock a 6.619 at 246.30 (top speed of the session). That would put him #1 for a minute while McClennan's 7.23 would end up good enough for #5.

 

 

 

 

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If anyone could find a number on this track it would have been the final pair. Rick White in the Neal & White car and Jim Murphy in his WW2 racing entry debuting with an old school Enderle 3 port upright injector.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both cars left better than any before them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not knowing what the new fuel system would do Murphy shut off early to a 6.165 and just 210.97. Incredibly this would stand for low ET of both qualifying sessions. White landed in the #2 spot with a 6.485 at 233.03.

 

 

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And so ended one very ugly first qualifying session for Top Fuel.

 

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Page 2 - Session 2 of TF Qualifying

Page 3 - Round One of Top Fuel

Page 4 - Round Two of Top Fuel

Page 5 - Semis & Finals - Random Funny Cars

Page 6 - More Random Funny Cars

Page 7 - People, Pits N' Other Cars

 

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Order Photos

Bob Brown Photos

Stephen Justice Photos

Dan Kaplan Photos

John Ewald Photos

Don Ewald Photos

Pam Schavrien Photos

Darrell Conrad Photos

Ken Hughes Photos

 

Related Links

Jack Harris Racing - Nitro Thunder

High Speed Motorsports

Jim Murphy WW2 Racing

All American Fuel Dragsters

 

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