In the Drag Radial final,...
In the Drag Radial final, it appeared Jason Lee had his fourth-straight win in the bag, as his orange '86 hatchback was literally dragging Sean Lyons' '93 coupe down Route 66 Raceway, as the cars passed the eighth-mile mark. My, how the tables turned at the stripe!
It's sort of funny how in the world of motorsports, certain races are considered bigger than others. It's also an interesting coincidence that a racing sanction's major events typically comprise a trifecta that is referred to as a "Triple Crown." The NHRA's Big Three consists of its Winternationals in Pomona, California; U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis; and the World Finals, also at the Pomona Fairplex. In NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway/Charlotte, and Brickyard 400 (at the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway) are the trio of major races that every driver in the series wants to win at some point in their career.
For the last 11 years, the NMRA's season opener at Bradenton and World Finals in Bowling Green, Kentucky, have stood as the events to compete in and win at some point, as capturing glory at either race ranks high on a Ford drag racer's list of career accomplishments. In the last five years, ProMedia's Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing-an us-against-them meeting of the NMRA and the all-brands sanction known as NMCA-has emerged as the second jewel in the unofficial Triple Crown for Mustang and Ford racers.
Each year, the 'Bowl brings hard-core 'Stangbangers (including several NMRA veterans, some of them legends that have been away for a while) to the Windy City, for four days of off-the-meter competition within their own ranks (for plaques, purses, and points). They also square off against the NMCA's finest in a team-versus-team showdown for some classy rings that rival those of champions in other sports courtesy of Nitto Tire.
Enjoy the following photos and captions of the 5th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing; a race that definitely has earned its place as one of the premiere events for both ProMedia racing series.
It has been a couple of years...
It has been a couple of years now since Bob Kurgan has competed on the NMRA side of the ProMedia house, so it was cool to see Bob and his legendary T-top '86 GT at the Super Bowl. The former EFI Renegade and BFGoodrich Drag Radial standout now competes in the NMCA's Xtreme Street class, where he's always in the hunt for event wins and points championships.
While comeback awards aren't...
While comeback awards aren't presented at the Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing, we have to acknowledge Billy Glidden, who made it to Joliet with a repaired Mustang (the '10 GT suffered major front-end and roof damage after crashing at an ADRL event two weeks before the 'Bowl) and reached the semifinals in NMCA's Pro Street class.
What does an NMRA racer do...
What does an NMRA racer do while waiting for track personnel to finish a cleanup? We caught NMRA Hot Street racer Charlie Booze Jr. sending a text message to his wife during some brief downtime in Friday's qualifying session.
Many of you are fans of Tech...
Many of you are fans of Tech Editor KJ Jones' '86 T-top coupe LX; a car that, as Foxes go, should be saved or preserved for posterity, as there were only a few made between 1979 and 1986. Julie and Terry Allen are proud members of the small T-top-coupe-owners fraternity. The couple debuted their remarkably restored Wild Strawberry '84 T-top notch at the Super Bowl. The car features a twin-turbocharged 331 stroker, mini-tubs, and an OEM-looking rear seat, which is hard to pull off with mini-tubs. The coupe was transformed from junk to jewel by Terry in the couple's home garage, and according to Julie, the super-special LX is a blast to drive on the street.
From high above Route 66 Raceway,...
From high above Route 66 Raceway, we see that Sam Vincent (right lane) quickly recovered from being a little later at the 'Tree (John Urist's 0.050 reaction time was slightly better than Sam's 0.069), and motored away from the defending Super Street Outlaw champion in the final round.
From high above Route 66 Raceway,...
From high above Route 66 Raceway, we see that Sam Vincent (right lane) quickly recovered from being a little later at the 'Tree (John Urist's 0.050 reaction time was slightly better than Sam's 0.069), and motored away from the defending Super Street Outlaw champion in the final round.
Longtime Mustang racer Travis...
Longtime Mustang racer Travis Franklin made the haul from Texas to join the action in SSO. After a brief hiatus from the sport, Travis is back in action with a proven small-tire coupe that he plans to campaign in the weekly eighth-mile madness in the Lone Star State.