16th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA Spring Break Shootout

Rocking a Four-Valve 5.0 modular boosted by a Vortech, Alton Clements' Fox also wears a giant bullseye, otherwise known as the big number "1" on the window. Yep, being last year's champ carries no advantage this year-it only means you're expecting a tough race in every round. From the moment qualifying began, the young champ was looking at a murderer's row.....

.....The top four qualifiers were in the 8.30 range, and Alton ended up four ticks behind number-one qualifier Bart Tobener's 8.30. After narrowly escaping an off-pace run against Brian Mitchell in the first round, Alton actually had a pretty smooth run to the finals, where Dan Rawls had issues to the tune of 11.35 and Alton stayed on his game with an 8.38.

Running in Brian Mitchell's old Wizard 1 ride, engine-builder Dan Rawls strutted his stuff with a push-rod/nitrous combo. With 364 cubes built by his own hand, Dan is proud to pilot the quickest and fastest nitrous Renegade around. He gives lots of props to his nitrous sponsor, Induction Solutions, especially for that company's lightweight ADRL-style solenoids. While getting his ride to 60-foot was an issue, Dan still qualified in the top three, right behind Alton, with an 8.39/164 hit. After easing past Mike Catapano in Round 1 and having a close call with Bart Tobener in Round 2, the track got the best of Dan in the finals and Alton took the easy win (8.389 to 11.356).

The naturally aspirated rpm maniacs that make up the Hot Street class were in their element at Bradenton. Five-count 'em, five-revving maniacs dropped 0.40s on the board, and there were only six cars racing in the class. Clocking in right behind Charlie Booze in the number-two spot was Robbie Blankenship with his 8.448/158.31 pass. Of course, in Hot Street, no matter where you qualify you're facing a brutal lineup of competitors.....

....This time around it was Robbie's competitors that were in for it. Robbie was choppin' down the tree and never left the 8.40s in eliminations. Come finals time, Robbie stepped up his work at the tree, getting a big jump on perennial favorite Charlie Booze Jr. (0.013 to 0.075) and never looking back (8.44 to 8.63).

Despite the quick pace of the NA action at Bradenton, Charlie Booze looked poised to win another one. After dropping the top qualifying number on board and resetting both ends of the record with an 8.40 and a 160.850 mph, Charlie was the man to beat (again). The Booze Brothers Racing machine bested Tim Eichorn in Round 1, and thanks to the big qualifying number rode a bye into the finals. There Charlie decided to take the long way down the track, riding a 300-foot wheelstand toward the wall, then bringing the car back down the middle of the track. That wild ride scrubbed off some e.t. and handed Robbie the easy win.

Stepping out of the shadow of his teammate, Jim Breese finally cast aside his always-a-bridesmaid look to lay claim to a Real Street victory. After a successful run in open-comp-style racing, Jim showed immense dedication to soldier for years in the RS ranks. Always a model of consistency, Jim clocked in just ticks behind Dan Bauman in the number-two qualified spot with a 9.65/140.....

....From there on out, Jim was one with the track, doing just enough to comfortably best his opponents. Each round seemed like it would provide a challenge, and each time Jim took the easy win. In the finals, Jim bested the nascent Dan Baumann for the big win, instantly boosting the value of his for-sale ride.

No, your eyes don't deceive you. Uncle Robin has not returned from the dark side-well, not exactly. You see, Dan Baumann purchased Unc's Fox when he made the move to the historic '05 car, and ran the car in various local races back in Illinois. This year he decided to make a run at our beloved Real Street class, and brought Robin along in a crew chief role. Obviously, our old pal hasn't forgotten about making a Vortech and Ford small-block sing, and Dan proved he can wheel a 'Stang with the best of them. He topped the qualifying sheet with a 9.548/141.59. After a close call in Round 1 against Dave Ginter, Dan rode a bye in the finals, where he fell to Jim Breese. Dan got the jump but Jim had the muscle on the top end.

Pure Street
Ryan Hecox wasn't too excited about running at Bradenton due to his car boasting a stock block powerplant. He really didn't have high expectations, but the car kept getting quicker each pass. Steve Gifford appeared to be the only roadblock for Ryan....

....after blasting a 10.04 at 134 mph, but Steve ran into problems in eliminations. This opened the door for Ryan, who was able to cruise to victory with a 10.17 at 131 mph in the final against David Hill.

David Hill is Florida racer from Casselberry, which is near Orlando. He's been a regular Bradenton attendee for several years now, and has continually improved his Pure Street coupe with help from Real Street Performance's Jay Meagher. This time around, David made it to the finals with consistent 10.20s, but an off-pace 10.60 wasn't enough in the final against Ryan Hecox.