The Atlanta area is ideal for a drag race. In a world all about location, location, location, Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, might as well be in the middle of it all. It makes sense for the NMRA and the NMCA to come together for one big race in this Mustang hot bed.
The 4th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals was the place to be as the biggest names from each sanctioning body battled it out for drag racing supremacy. For NMRA racers, it presents an opportunity to beat up on the bad guys from the NMCA and run cars other than Mustangs.
The All-Star race also presents racers a chance to get their year started if they were unable to make the Bradenton race. Some guys aren't able to make the Bradenton opener because of cars not being ready. Many use Bradenton as their throwaway race, and start their year in Georgia, which is more centrally located.
And, what a race to start the season with. From a fan's perspective, if you like drag racing, this race is a must-see. You get to see quality cars from both the NMRA and NMCA side of the fence. Best of all, we get to see Mustangs beating up on Brand X cars. That's worth the price of admission.
With the fold of Pure Street...
With the fold of Pure Street into NMCA's Mean Street, that class has become flooded with even more Mustangs. The Gillam brothers used to be the dominant Mustang in the class, but now they have company. The last Pure Street champion, Brandon Alsept made the move over to Mean Street, and has picked up where he left off. Utilizing a BES Racing Two-Valve with a carburetor, Brandon qualified in the top spot and rode that performance all the way to a win over Jeremy Gillam in the final.
Matt Amrine took off from...
Matt Amrine took off from Factory Stock for 2011, allowing Brian Campbell to run the car in the process. At Atlanta, Matt proved he was back with a runner-up finish to race-winner Carlos Sobrino. Matt runs a Two-Valve in Factory stock, and at Atlanta had to rig up a between-round system to keep everything cool and fast. With his runner-up finish, Matt is going to make a run for the rest of the races at the Factory Stock championship.
MPS Auto Salvage isn't far...
MPS Auto Salvage isn't far from Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, home of the All-Star Nationals. Hence, the MPS guys throw all the parts they can fit in the trailer and head on over. We even had the opportunity to do some shopping prior to the race and gather a few parts for Project Roadkill. Remember that car? We were trying to use '03-'04 Mach 1 electronics but never could get all the needed harnesses, so we sourced a '97 Cobra computer and harnesses for the car, shipping them right away to JMS Chip & Performance to get the car running once again. Hopefully with help from MPS, we can get Roadkill back on track to being done. And yes, MPS is truly a Mustang enthusiast's shopping mall.
Adam Cox runs out of Louisville,...
Adam Cox runs out of Louisville, Kentucky, with Jacob Lamb and the boys. We won't hold that against Adam since his Mustang's pretty nice. Adam's 'Stang runs a carbureted Four-Valve and has one of the cleanest engine compartments we've ever seen for a racecar. Adam usually runs in the 11.0 range; at Atlanta, he was taken out by eventual Modular Muscle winner Randy Mounce in Round 3.
Pro Outlaw 10.5: Thanks to...
Pro Outlaw 10.5: Thanks to the Atlanta race being of the All-Star variety, Pro Outlaw and the NMCA's Super Street classes were thrown in together to battle it out. That meant NMRA regulars Mike Murillo, Jim Monson, and Tim Essick had bad company on the qualifying ladder. Jim Monson redlit his way home, wasting a 6.94 pass in the process, so that left Mike and Tim, but when they met in the semis, Mike took the win. In the final, he had Mustang turncoat Eric Leferriere in the other lane at the wheel of a Malibu. Thankfully, Mike showed Eric the fast way down the track with a 0.421 reaction time combined with a 6.70 at 222 mph to a losing 6.73 at 221 mph.
Super Street Outlaw: When...
Super Street Outlaw: When John Urist's usual crew, Mike King and Mike Rousch, a.k.a. The A-Team, weren't scheduled to arrive at the track until Friday afternoon, The Fireball had to scramble to find a couple crew guys to help get the car ready for action. Unfortunately for John, your favorite Associate Editor (that would be me, right?) and FordRacingNation.com's Chad Houghton stepped in to become the C-Team. The B-Team is Dwayne James' crew so that name was already taken. Chad and I were able to help get the car ready and string things along until Mike and Mike made it to the track. With everyone's mind at ease, and proving anyone can "work" on a Super Street Outlaw car, John was able to qualify in the top spot and get past Filthy Phil Hines in the semis, followed by Kenjo Kelley in the final round thanks to a redlight start by Kenjo.