While this was the second annual BFGoodrich NHRA Sport Compact Nationals, it was the first nighttime event in the history of the series. We could go on for pages about how the action on the track was even hotter than the Texas heat or how the rain couldn't dampen the spirits of the crowd on hand-but that would bite. Suffice it to say, it was hot outside and it did rain before the racing started on Saturday night. The biggest news of the weekend was the debut of a handful of hardcore cars with a dash of controversy thrown into the mix for good measure. Oh yeah, and the racing was even hotter than the Texas heat. Damn, we really do bite, don't we?
Pro V-8 Class
The biggest buzz in the Pro V-8 Class is that there will be no Pro V-8 Class next season. The NHRA announced it would disband the class after the conclusion of this season (see this month's News for more). Matt Scranton continued to dominate this class at Ennis as this was his sixth straight Pro V-8 win. The only other car in the class was the Mustang, er, Cougar that was debuted by John Mihovetz. Both the Scranton brothers and John's Accufab Racing team are regulars on the Outlaw Mustang circuit, but at the Texas Motorplex, they lined up the Celica against the Cougar. Scranton nailed the start with a 0.438 reaction time that gave him a 7.169 @ 195.65. Mihovetz could do no better than a 7.996 @ 175.47 and in the shut-down area the Cougar did anything but that as a transmission seal gave out, creating some flames. The car was a little crispy, but fortunately Mihovetz only suffered minor burns.
Pro Class
During the long break between the Maple Grove and Ennis events, John Lingenfelter shelved his Ecotec-powered Sonoma in favor of a pair of Ecotec-powered rear-wheel-drive Pro Class Cavaliers. Actually, one of these Cavys was a Modified Class entrant driven by Matt Hartford but you could've fooled us. Both of the Summit Racing Cavaliers looked like Pro Class cars except that Matt's had just enough of the floorpan and firewall left over to get into the Modified Class. In the Sonoma, Lingenfelter laid down a 7.287 @ 186.90, so it was no surprise to see him on top of the qualifying ladder with a 7.321 @ 186.91 effort from the new car powered by the same basic powerplant. Grant Downing grabbed the second slot albeit at the expense of the Venom Tacoma's Supra engine. In the semis Lingenfelter's march to victory was halted by an uncharacteristic red light from the Summit Cavalier driver. This gave Manny Cruz and his twin-turbo V-6 Cougar a free ride to the finals to face Downing. Cruz broke off Downing at the lights with a 0.490 to the Venom driver's 0.564 and the green Cougar hung on at the top end-as the Tacoma struggled with a bad injector-giving Manny his first NHRA Pro Class win.
Modified Class
At Ennis, the Modified Class tech inspection area was a flurry of commotion surrounding the debut of Matt Hartford's Summit Racing Cavalier. This class is controversial enough with the disparities between the FWD and RWD camps, and this new Cavalier only fuels the flames more. At issue is the car's front suspension and firewall, but after much discussion the NHRA inspectors gave the nod to the car with some added weight. After only his third pass down the track, Matt put the Cavalier second on the grid with an 8.237 @ 139.16, just behind Cesar Febus, who came very close to being the first NHRA Modified car into the sevens with his 8.020 @ 153.55. Febus wanted this record to go with his record-setting seven-second IDRC pass earlier in the season. This attempt cost him a blown motor, which he was unable to repair in time for the eliminations. Jimmy O'Connor and his Venom Supra also missed the first round because of an asthma flare-up.