EFI Renegade has been one of those classes up for grabs all year long. There hasn't been a clear-cut favorite at any of the 2006 races. But with tuning help from Turbo People's Job Spetter and a handle on the suspension, Zoop Zellonis' program has become more consistent down the stretch. Zoop made it to the final at Atco against Brian Mitchell, but Brian got him there. At Columbus, Zoop turned the tables on Brian when the pair again battled in the final. Zoop ran another 8.55 to best Brian's 8.63, taking his first victory of 2006.
Brian Mitchell didn't have the best qualifying effort at Columbus, but he kept making adjustments to get the car right. It's a good thing he was on his game in round one, because he was almost gone due to a stellar hit by Joel Howard. Brian pulled out a 0.411 reaction time, and he needed every bit of it because Joel was ready for battle. Joel's 0.480 light wasn't quite enough, and Brian was able to squeak by. In round two, he reacted even quicker with a 0.402 light combined with an 8.69 to get past George Seeger. In the semis, Tony Orts redlit, but Brian had a nice 0.425 light. In the final, Matt Wirt lined him up with Zoop Zellonis in the other lane, and Brian had a stellar 0.425 light. Zoop countered with his own 0.421 reaction time. Down track, Zoop ran an 8.55 to beat Brian's 8.63.
As usual, Hot Street was a close knit group at Columbus, but Charlie Booze Jr. once again rose to the top with an 8.87 rip. With eight cars in the field, Charlie would have to earn every round. He relied on his Kuntz and Co. powerplant because he was Tree'd in rounds one and two by Mad Max Gross and Leo "Blingmaster" Johnson. Blingmaster whipped out a 0.417 light against the defending Hot Street champion, but just like against Mad Max, Charlie was able to get Big Red out front by the stripe. Charlie didn't have to worry about outrunning Mike Demayo in the final, since he was the beneficiary of a redlight start by Mike. Charlie still ran it out to an 8.86 at 152 mph.
Mike Demayo's new SN-95 ride is already paying big dividends. Even though his old car won Atco with Ben Mens at the wheel, Mike's new car came into its own at Columbus by qualifying second with an 8.95 and 400ci of Roush power under the hood. Mike made it past Michael Abdalla and Andy Schmidt to meet up against Charlie Booze Jr. in the final. With Charlie's times averaging roughly a half-tenth quicker, Mike knew he had to get a good start. A heartbreaking 0.398 reaction time ended the race at the Tree, allowing Charlie to get the victory. Photo by Paul Rosner
Columbus was hard on parts in several classes, including Real Street. Bruce Hemminger qualified number one, but had issues and fell off to a 10.30 in round one for an early exit. Tim Matherly capitalized on the attrition, but didn't get out of Columbus without any issues. He ran in the 9.90s all weekend, which was enough to get him past Mark Magnuson in round one, Brian Meyer in round two, and take it easy in the semis with his competition bye run. Tim is just fortunate his damage didn't come out until the final when a head gasket blew against teammate Jim Breese. Jim left too early anyway, so good fortune was on Tim's side at Columbus.
Ever since his Modular Muscle days, Jim Breese has been known for his reaction times and consistency. In this age of Modular Muscle racers winning with automatics, Jim won a championship with a stick car. Ask any racer how hard it is to win an index-style class with a stick, and you'll discover the significance of that feat. At Columbus, Captain 10.0-Jim's racing alter ego-was back with a 10.09 in qualifying. In eliminations, it would be a 10.08 in rounds one, two, and the semis to beat Robin Lawrence. In the final, Jim stepped it up with a 10.04, but he also pushed the Tree and redlit, handing the win to Tim Matherly.