Photos by Bill Truby

This race is as the name implies, it is a reunion for the old Pittsburgh International Drag Strip that was host to many legends of drag racing. The old track is where T.V. Tommy Ivo ran his first 5-second pass in a dragster back in October 1972.

This is an opportunity for old friend to get together to reminisce. It is also a chance for Bill Truby who has been a track photographer for some time, to display some of his well over 8,000 pictures that he had taken at P.I.D.

Along with the displays of memorabilia there was also a full day of racing. The Southern Slingshots brought in 8 cars, The GLNFCC brought 6 cars plus there were Stock/Super Stock cars, and a 1972 or older bracket.

Photos by Bill Truby

The Southern Slingshots ran a Chicago style show with three runs. The six GLNFCC cars, made 2 passes's each. First up for the funny cars were the Visionary Cuda of Scott Hohensee and the Detroit Thunder T-Bird with Bill Hallett driving. After the burnouts each car did a few dry hops. The T-Bird was out with the hole shot and hung on for the win with a 7.60/178 to a quicker 7.47/177.

Next pair was The Damn Yankee Vega driven by Mark Horvath taking on the Dazed & Confused Camaro driven by Jerry Streb. These two cars did two long burnouts with the Camaro coming to a stop at about the 1,000-foot mark. The Camaro did a few dryhops, but the Vega pulled straight up to stage. The Damn Yankee was out first and took home the reaction time award with a .033 light. The Vega crossed the stripe first with a 7.05/189 to a very respectable 7.15/187.

Last pair out for the funny cars was a local guy, Lance Good with the Sharkeys Machine Omni taking on Shaun McCattie in the Blown Money 69 Nova. Shaun is the new guy to the group and has adapted rather quickly, his burnout was probably one of the best for the day. The Omni was out first with the Nova encountering some ignition problem at about half-track as the car fell off its pace.

Photos by Bill Truby

This worked out for the best as the Omni's chute did not open and Lance needed the full length of the track to get the car stopped, just short of the sand trap.

Second round the first pair up was the Blown Money Nova and the Visionary Cuda. Both cars left about the same time and the Cuda held on for the win, but Scott had some chute issues of his own. Unfortunately he was not able to get the car stopped and plowed right into the sand trap. The car was in the sand trap approximately 30 feet. The car was not damaged, but covered with sand pretty good.

Winner Mark Horvath Driver of Damn Yankee

Next pair up was the Sharkeys Machine Omni taking on the Dazed & Confused Camaro. Lance was out first but the Camaro passed him with ease finishing with a 7.15/190 to the Omni's 7.55/177.

Last pair out was the Detroit Thunder T-Bird and the Damn Yankee Vega. After two good burnouts they both staged. Mark is usually real sharp on the lights but the T-Bird pulled out a hole shot and it was enough to give him the win at 7.62/172 to the Vega's 7.56/183.

This event has been plagued with rain for the last several years, this year it was a perfect sunny day. Greg Miller the track general manager was very satisfied with the event. He said that he plans to build on this year's success and make next years P.I.D. Reunion race bigger and better.

Photos by Bill Truby

We had a great time at Pittsburgh Raceway Park and look forward to going back next year.

This brings a close to the 2009 season for The GLNFCC. We want to thank the tracks for letting us be a part of their 2009 schedule and we also thank all of the spectators that came out to watch our shows. We hope you all enjoyed the shows and hope to see you all in 2010.

Please keep and eye on our website www.glnfcc.com for next year's schedule.

Photo by Tom Nagy

This is the second year that we have had the pleasure of being a part of this event. It has grown into a great all day show for the spectators.

This years lineup included late model nitro funny cars, nostalgia nitro funny cars, the GLNFCC, nitro front engine dragsters, a top fuel motorcycle, The Supercharged Thunder, The Great Lakes Gassers and Les Shockley's 3 engine jet truck. Plus a full day of all types of bracket cars.

The exhibition cars took to the track about 7:00 and the sun had just started to set behind the trees. This was the run that should produce the better times, as once the sun sets at this track the dew can come in very heavy.

First up for the GLNFCC was a rematch from The Marion County Nostalgia Funny Car Nationals. Mike Klontz and the Snakebite taking on Mark Horvath and the Damn Yankee Vega. This was a great run and Mark redeemed his error at the MCIR race. The Vega was way out first and never looked back. 7.06/192 to the snakebite out of the groove but trying to catch up 7.66/189.

Photo by Dave Ferrin

Next up was Rob Pfiester in Mike Little's Mutiny Mustang, taking on Lance Good in the Sharkeys Machine Omni. Rob did his usual killer half-track burnout with the Omni breaking on the burn out. The Mustang took a single at 7.38/184.

Next up was the Doran Chevrolet driven by Steve Timoszyk and the recently painted and looking real good Solid Rock Mustang driven by Rocky Ausec. Both cars did long burnouts and a few old style dry hops. Both cars left about the same time with the Camaro taking the win at 7.59/175 to the Mustangs out of shape 8.05/168.

Last pair up pitted the Fuelish Monza driven by Tracey Klingerman against the Detroit Thunder T-Bird of Bill Hallett. This pair also gave the spectators a good idea of what the old funny car shows of the 70's were like. Good burnouts and dry hops.

Photo by Tom Nagy

The T-Bird got the jump but would not hold of the Monza. Tracey rode the front tires in the air at least to the 330 mark, and stopped the timers for a personal best of 7.20/184 to the T-Birds 7.67/177.

After our cars ran, the nitro cars and the jet truck wowed the crowd with their show.

Winner Mark Horvath Driver of Damn Yankee

Second round came well pass 10:00 so the track had cooled down and the dew had moved in.

First up were Damn Yankee Vega and Detroit Thunder T-Bird. The Vega was in the left lane, which proved to be a real challenge for all of the show cars. The Vega was out first and held on for the win, but Bill tried real hard to catch the Vega with a 7.54/179 to a quicker 7.42/150.

Next up were Solid Rock Mustang and the Fuelish Monza. The Monza just blistered the hides and filled the track with smoke on the burnout. The tree malfunctioned and the Mustang took off first with the Fuelish car not moving. The tree was reactivated and the Monza was off on a single. This proved to be a real handful as the Monza hiked the front end hard and when it settled down the car got sideways. Tracy got the car settled down and stopped the clocks with another personal best of 7.17/185.9.

Photo by Tom Nagy

The Fuelish crew had a special guest tuner for the night, he was Don Geradot. Don had piloted his own alcohol funny cars back in the 70, 80, & 90's. He now has his own machine shop and line of speed parts used on the drag racing and truck/tractor pulling circuit.

Next up were the Mutiny Mustang and the Doran Chevrolet Camaro. Both cars did great burnouts with a few dry hops. This pair proved to be the most fun to watch. The Mustang moved first but shuddered, Rob got the car under control and finished the run in front of the Camaro. Steve really had his hands full as the Camaro got out of the groove and then turned ugly. Steve was able to keep the Camaro off of the wall but it was by mere inches. Then the car violently tried to buck Steve out and the car turned sideways and was almost up on two wheels. Steve was able to calm the car down and get it safely down the track.

Photo by Dave Ferrin

Last car out for the GLNFCC was the Snakebite Mustang. The Mustang took advantage of being in the better lane and topped the group with a 6.91/213

To close out the show they brought back the nitro cars and the jet truck one more time. This was a great show for the spectators who really seem to fill the stands.

U.S. 131 is a fantastic facility and we are very grateful to be a part of the event. If you want to see a great show for a great price keep an eye on the schedule and put the 6th. Annual Funny car Nationals at U.S. 131 on your calendar.

Next stop Pittsburgh Raceway Park on September 19th for their P.I.D. Reunion Race.

This is a big Labor Day weekend show that Grand Bend has been putting on for the past several years. This year they had two late model nitro funny cars, the extreme machine jet truck and a top fuel motorcycle. They also had a full day of bracket cars, including a quick 32 show and the PMRA. The GLNFCC was also a part of the show with two cars.

First session we were ran after the nitro funny cars. The nitro cars put on a good show and ran in the 5.50 range. Next up was Scott Hohensee in the Visionary Cuda taking on the Detroit Thunder 56 T-Bird driven by Bill Hallett. Scott and Bill did two great burnouts with the crowd really enjoying it. They both did a few dry hops and they were staged. Scott was first off the line and the first to cross the finish line with a 7.46/175 to Bills sluggish 7.74/173.

For the second session we ran first to give the nitro cars a few more minutes to get ready. When the cars were fired up and the bodies were lowered it was obvious that the Visionary's windshield had fogged up. The crew did their best to wipe off the windshield. This time the T-Bird got out first and held on for the win 7.62/169. The Visionary Cuda got out of the groove and was on and off of the throttle a couple of times finishing with a 8.15/142.

They finished with the rest of the exhibition vehicles and a very nice fireworks display. This was a very enjoyable show with a great crowd. We hope to be a part of this show next year with a larger field of GLNFCC cars.

Next stop U.S. 131 Martin Michigan for The Funny Car Nationals on September 12th.

Photo by Bill Truby

Once again the nostalgia funny car world came to LaRue, Ohio for the annual Marion County Nostalgia Funny Car Nationals. This event was sponsored in part by Mickey Thompson Tires, Mikes Roofing, Ramco Rental, Mr. Gasket, Classy Carts and Rays Custom Welding.

For some of the racers the event actually kicked off Friday Morning as Johnny DiLoretto from Fox 28 TV out of Columbus, Ohio did his morning show live from MCIR. Johnny interviewed the teams, talked about the event and what type of drag cars the spectator would see. The show was topped off with a few burnouts and a side-by-side run which pitted the Snakebite Mustang against the Damn Yankee Vega. Johnny and The Fox 28 team had a blast and said they would like to do it again next year.

Photo by Bill Truby

As the sun came up on race day we knew it would be a dry hot day. Many of the teams had arrived Friday night. The rest of the funny car teams came in Saturday morning along with a long list of gassers and other nostalgia cars.

Winner Mike Klontz Driver of Snakebite

At ten o clock the racers took to the track for bracket qualifying. This was a good time for the funny car teams to get reacquainted with old friends and mingle with the spectators.

Bill Holder from Muscle Car Review was on hand to document the event for a future issue. Bill picked out 7 cars to photograph for the magazine. These cars were brought up to the line to do burnouts.

The cars that Bill selected were the Blown Money 69 Nova of Shaun McHattie, No Money No Funny 69 Nova of Willie Johnson, Excalibur 82 Corvette of George Reidnauer, Glory Daze 68 Camaro of Kevin Johnson, Solid Rock 70 Mustang of Rocky Ausec, Doran Chevrolet 69 Camaro of Steve Timoszyk and The Illinois Patrol 79 Omni of Mike Johnstone. These guys did some great burnouts and launches. It was exciting to have an opportunity to get magazine coverage.

Midday the funny cars were brought out onto the racetrack for introductions. The cars were lined up facing the spectators on the track just like the big 32 & 64 funny car shows of the past.

Early evening brought the show to a start. First out were some exhibition vehicles. Daryl Arnold had his wheelie golf cart performing along with Jim Brewers Peacemaker wheel stander.

It was now time for the racecars. This year we had over 18 gassers. These cars are as wild and unpredictable as the funny cars with much shorter wheelbase. Next up there were four nitro front engine dragsters, which did awesome halftrack burnouts.

First up were the injected funny cars. This year we had four cars in this class. They were Kevin Johnson's Glory Daze 68 Camaro, George Monahan's Rainmaker 77 Arrow, Willie Johnson's No Money No Funny 69 Nova, and Mike Johnstone's Illinois Patrol 79 Omni, and yes Mike is a real police officer.

Photo by Bill Truby

First pair was the old school injected Glory Daze Camaro taking on the Rainmaker Arrow. Kevin was out first and hung on, as the Arrow seemed to have an ignition problem and sputtered its way down track.

Next pair was the always-smiling Willie Johnson with his somewhat unpredictable No Money, No Funny Nova taking on the Illinois Patrol Omni. Mike was out first but by the stripe Willie had caught up with an 8.53/140 to a 9.04/144.

Next up, blown funny cars. This year we had nine cars competing in the Chicago style format. They were Blown Money 69 Nova driven by Shaun McHattie, Damn Yankee 77 Vega driven by Mark Horvath, Detroit Thunder 56 T-Bird driven by Bill Hallet, Doran Chevrolet 69 Camaro driven by Steve Timoszyk, Excalibur 82 Corvette driven by George Reidnauer Jr., Fuelish 77 Monza driven by Tracy Klingermen, Mutiny 69 Mustang driven by Rob Pfeister, Snakebite 79 Mustang driven by Mike Klontz, and the Solid Rock 70 Mustang driven by Rocky Ausec.

First pair out was the freshly painted Solid Rock Mustang. This car looks great. Rocky took on the always-tough Damn Yankee Vega. Both cars put on a show for the crowd with long burnouts and a few dry hops. The Vega was out first just slightly and held on for the win at 7.34/183 to Solid Rocks very straight and solid 7.98/169.

Next up the Fuelish Monza against the Blown Money Nova. This pairing looked like it was straight out of the past. The Nova took off early, as it appeared that they were having some mechanical issues. The excitement continued as the Monza got up on the wheelie bars, then unloaded the tires and skated down the track making for a good photo opportunity.

Photo by Bill Truby

Next up was the Excalibur Corvette taking on the Doran Chevrolet Camaro. Both cars smoked out the crowd and the Camaro came up to the line and gave the crowd a show as this was the only clutch car in attendance this year. The Corvette wandered out of the groove just enough to almost put the car sideways. The crowd was on their feet for that one.

Next pair was the Snakebite 79 Mustang and the Mutiny 69 Mustang. This should have been a good paring but the always-deadly Mutiny team was experiencing some unusual mechanical issues. The Snakebite turned off the timers at 7.23/159. This made the Snakebite #1 qualifier for this round.

Last car out was the gorgeous Detroit Thunder 56 T-Bird. This was a single run. Bill ran a 7.62/171.

Second round again brought up the injected cars first. The Glory Daze 69 Camaro took on the Illinois Patrol Omni. The Camaro brought the front end up hard and had to get out of it to calm down the beast, by then it was too late with the Omni running an 8.91/147.

Photo by Bill Truby

Next the No Money No Funny Nova took on the Rainmaker Arrow that came all the way from Ontario, Canada. Again Willie was on his game and came out ahead of the Rainmaker Arrow, which seem to have the ignition problems behind them.

The two quickest injected cars were No Money No Funny 8.53 and an 8.91 for the Illinois Patrol. These two cars will compete for the injected title.

Second round of the blown cars started with two cars that had mechanical issues in the first round. Both cars did smoky burnouts and it looked like the troubles were fixed. At the hit the Mutiny Mustang bucked and shuddered and Rob just idled it down the track. The Nova appeared to have some issues at first also, but got it under control and powered down the track.

The Excalibur Corvette was next up to take on the Damn Yankee Vega. Mark was out first with the Vega trying to nail down the Good Vibration Reaction Time Award. The Vega ran a 7.33/178 against the Corvette slower but more exciting run.

Next up were the Snakebite Mustang and the Fuelish Monza. We had been waiting for an outstanding run all night and the Snakebite was the one to do it with a 7.00/198 to the Fuelish personal second best run at 7.39/176. This Fuelish car is starting to come around. They should be tough next month at U.S. 131 in Martin, MI.

The Solid Rock Mustang lined up with the Detroit Thunder. Both cars seem like they were out to make a hard run, they started with great burnouts. As they staged the Mustang was not sounding right so the crew shut him off. The T-Bird made a single at 7.7/164.

The Doran Chevrolet Camaro made a single to bring the round to a close.

Photo by Bill Truby

The two quickest blown cars were The Snakebite Mustang with a 7.00/198 and the Damn Yankee Vega with a 7.33/178. These two cars will compete for the blown title.

The injected final was first. The No Money No Funny Nova taking on the Illinois Patrol Omni. Both cars were excited to travel all the way to Ohio and get into the finals. They both did hard burnouts and were ramped up for the run. It was a close start and a very tight finish. Mike Johnstone edged out Willie Johnston with an 8.95 to a 9.09.

The blown final was next. The Damn Yankee against the Snakebite who seemed to have this one locked in. The Vega was popping like they had a killer tune up in it. The Snakebite threw down a killer burnout. As the two staged the Vega tried one last dry hop, the car sputtered and stalled. The Snakebite was staged and the starter motioned to Mike for a single. There was some confusion on the line and the timers did not work. That was a shame as the run looked hard and straight and sure looked like it was a 6 second run in the 200 M.P.H. range.

We would like to thank Daryl & Heidi Arnold of Classy Carts in Wooster, Ohio and Ray Hudic of Rays Custom Welding in Evans City, Pa. for putting up traveling money for the injected funny cars.

Good Vibrations from Whittier Ca. sponsored the reaction time award which was won by Mike Klontz with a .519

Len Hughes Magneto out of Bristol, In. put up awards for the following categories.

• Longest tow which was given to Willie Johnson with The No Money No Funny Nova who came all the way from Edison, N.J.
• 2nd. & 3rd. Fastest M.P.H. in the first round which went to The Detroit Thunder T-Bird driven by Bill Hallet at 171 and Solid Rock Mustang driven by Rocky Ausec at 169.
• 2nd & 3rd. quickest E.T. in the second round which went to The Damn Yankee Vega driven by Mark Horvath at 7.33 and Fuelish Monza driven by Tracy Klingerman at 7.39.
• Len also awarded Rocky Ausec with the hard luck award.

Photos By: D. Young, RINet/CMSports.com

St. Thomas Dragway put together a great line up of racing for the 12th Annual Wiseco Hot Rod Reunion. Set to do battle was the Ontario Nostalgia Drag Racers. Various AA Supercharged Gassers, plus the GLNFCC brought four cars from the states to bring funny cars back to St Thomas.

Saturday started with rain and it stuck around for most of the day. By the time it dried up and the track was prepped for the Saturday Evening session it rained again and the race was called for the day.

Waiting for the weather to improve is never any fun, but it allowed the teams to socialize and get to know everyone a little better.

Sunday morning greeted us again with rain and some lightning. The rain stopped and the track was prepped for a 1:00 start time. The funny cars and gassers were displayed on the track for the fans to meet the drivers and get autographs. The track owner Dave Mathers interviewed the drivers.

The racing was under way at 1:00 and it was discovered that the lightning storm had hit the timing system. After many attempts the track personnel was not able to fix the system and the bracket cars were ran on a one-lane racetrack.

Photos By: D. Young, RINet/CMSports.com

Finally it was decided that the gassers and funny cars would run using a flagman. The tree still was working but no times were available.

The first pair out was the Detroit Thunder T-Bird taking on Sharkeys Machine Omni. Both cars thrilled the crowd with long burnouts. The T-Bird was out first and took the win. The Omni got a little sideways about half-track and had to pedal the car.

The next pair was the Visionary Cuda taking on the Doran Chevrolet 69 Camaro. After several dry hops the Cuda moved into the beams. There seem to be some problem staging the Camaro and the tree came down in the Visionary's lane and he was off. The tree was reactivated and the Camaro made a single.

The first pair was the consolation round with Sharkeys Machine taking on The Doran Camaro. The Omni took the flag just in front of the Camaro.

The next pair was the final of the day. It paired the two winners from the first round. That was Bill Hallet's Detroit Thunder and Scott Hohensee's Visionary. Scott did his usual smoky burnout followed by a few dry hops. Both cars were real close at the stripe with the T-Bird pulling off a hole shot win.

Thanks to the fine people at St. Thomas Dragway and the spectators that braved the less then desirable weather.

The GLNFCC was not scheduled to appear at this event but got a last minute call in the middle of the week when The Shockwave Jet Truck had to cancel his appearance.

This was to be a spectacular Night Of Fire. They had the two jet funny cars of Al Hanna's plus his Queen of Diamonds jet dragster, which did battle with another jet dragster. Plus the two jet trains, Chattanooga Choo Choo and Cannonball Express. To add even more excitement the Rebellious wheel stander was there and the Grocery Getter wagon took on the mid engine Chevy Astro van known as Blastro.

After we fought the rain several times in the afternoon we made our way up to the staging lanes at 7:00. After a few delays we were up next. Then the rain came again; luckily the funny cars were under the tower so we did not have to make the mad dash back to the trailer.

At 9:30 the track was dried off and we were set to run. Due to the rain we ran 1/8th. mile. We had four cars running this evening and the first pair out was the Blown Money 69 Nova taking on the Doran Chevrolet 69 Camaro. A classic muscle car showdown. With the track being a little green the burnouts were not as smoky as usual but both drivers did there best. They also added a few dry hops. The Nova took off first and fought off some tire shake to take the win.

The next pair out was the Damn Yankee Vega taking on the SnakeBite 79 Mustang. It was overheard in the pits that the snakebite was using this opportunity to get his low ET tune-up for the upcoming Marion County Nostalgia Funny Car Nationals.

The Damn Yankee was out first but it was all over by the 330 mark. The SnakeBite went through the lights with a 4.36/165 to a 4.59/154. First up in the second round was the Damn Yankee taking on the Doran Chevrolet 69 Camaro. Both cars did a few old style dry hops before they staged. The Camaro staged first and brought the rpms up and when he did they hit the moon. This caused the car to lurch forward and Steve just continued down the quarter mile. The Vega went thru with a 4.91/148.

Next pair brought out the Snakebite taking on the Blown Money Nova. They both did a long burn out, but that might have been due to the changing conditions on the track and not so much on purpose. At the hit the Nova shook the tires like a fuel car and ended up just motoring down the track. The Snakebite made a not so straight 4.67/144 pass.

This was too be a Chicago style show so the fastest two funny cars came back for a final run. This pitted the Snakebite with a 4.36 against The Damn Yankee's 4.52. There was still a good crowd that stuck it out to see the final, which was, ran at 12:40. Again Mark Horvath left on Mike but the big Hemi came rolling right by again with a 4.38/163 to a close to the wall 4.89/139.

As they had done previously all of the jet cars ran behind the funny cars. This run they put an exclamation point to the end of a long day of racing. Topped off by a traditional fireworks display.

Thanks again to the always-courteous personal at National Trail, we hope to be back there next year.

Next stop...the 12th Annual Wiseco Hot Rod Reunion at St. Thomas Raceway in Sparta, Ont. Canada. On July 25th & 26th.

Photo courtesy of Bob Wenzelburger

We were at Dunn Tire Raceway Park the night before and most of the teams were still packing up at 12:30 A.M.

A short night of sleep and off to Salem, OH to run at Quaker City Raceway. This is about a four-hour ride.

Well about 1:00 most of the teams were making their way into the track. The Damn Yankee team was the last to pull in. Being so close to Niagara Falls they thought they would check out the scenery. This is one of the things that make traveling and racing a lot more enjoyable.

Today we share the stage with The Cool Bus, Bob Motz's Jet Truck and some local nostalgia top fuel cars.

Considering today is July 4th. The track had a good crowd; they also seem to have a fair amount of bracket racers.

Seven O Clock came around and it was show time. First up was The Total Insanity Monza that made a rare NY/OH appearance. He was paired up against the always-consistent Detroit Thunder T-Bird. If you have not seen the Total Insanity car in person you need to, the pictures just don't do the paintwork justice. We were to have the typical 4/10th tree. Unfortunately someone forgot to tell the starter and we had the 500 pro tree. Well Chris was off first but drew a red light in the process. The T-Bird crossed the stripe first with a 7.52/180 to 7.77/177.

Photo courtesy of Bob Wenzelburger

Rocky Ausec with the Solid Rock Mustang also made a rare Ohio appearance. He came all the way from Joliet, IL. His first round opponent was the Dazed & Confused Camaro. Both cars did great burnouts and Rocky did a few old style dry hops. The Camaro was out first and never looked back with a 7.52/178 to Rocky's somewhat out of the groove 8.61/149.

Sharkys Machine Omni was next up against The DeCort Brothers Old & Fuelish 78 Corvette. John did one of his signature half-track burnouts. Lance did his best to help smoke things up also. The Corvette was out first and stopped the timers at 7.33/185 to Lance's 7.58/164. John also took the Good Vibration Reaction Award on this run.

The Visionary Cuda was slated next to take on the Damn Yankee Vega. Both cars seem to hook up well the night before in NY so it looked like this should be a good race. Again two great side-by-side smoky burnouts and some wicked dry hops. Mark was out first with a slight advantage, the Vega found the groove and ran thru at 7.17/188 to the Cuda's 7.87/164. It was later determined that the Cuda had some bearing issues on that run.

Photo courtesy of Bob Wenzelburger

Next up was an extra pair for the evening. The Red Baron injected Mustang II taking on the Blown Money 69 Nova. The Nova was brought in as a back up car. For an injected car Butch sure does boil the tires on that Mustang II. Butch was out first but the Nova came screaming by with a 7.34/182 to an 8.90/145. The 7.34 for the Nova was only their fifth pass on the car, plus it's a 406 SBC.

The top fuel cars and the Cool Bus ran next, and then it was time for the big Jet Kenworth to make its return to the Quaker City quarter mile. Bob as always made a spectacular run.

Second round up first was the Red Baron making a single; this was another great run turning the clocks off at 8.91

Next up was to be the Visionary, but he could not make the call so the Blown Money Nova filled in. His opponent was the primered gray Mustang of Rocky Ausec. The Nova left early and did not turn on the timers; maybe he was intimidated by the experience that was in the next lane. Rocky took a very nice straight down the track run at 8.01/165. After that run Rocky said that he feels that the bodywork that he had done has helped the handling of the car.

Winner John DeCort Driver of Old & Fuelish

He said he should be in the 7-second range next time out. I think this car will be one to watch at The Marion County Nostalgia Funny Car Nationals in August in August.

Next up was the Old & Fuelish Corvette taking on the Total Insanity Monza. John was out first and ran an impressive 7.26/189 against Chris's 7.77/173.

The Dazed & Confused Camaro was next up against Sharkys Machine. Both cars did great burnouts and Sharkys Machine did a few dry hops. Lance was sleeping on the tree but tried real hard to catch the Camaro with a losing 7.64/165 to Jerry's 7.59/174.

Next up was the Detroit Thunder T-Bird Taking on the Damn Yankee Vega. The Vega did a few dry hops so Bill tried his hand at it also. Both cars had problems with the track on this run. It was a pedal fest with the T-Bird getting very close to the wall. The Vega was all over the track also but turned off the clocks with an 8.36.

To close out the show there's nothing better on a hot summer night then a big jet truck. In my opinion, nighttime is the only time to really watch a jet vehicle. Bob put on another spectular show running thru at 6.90.

We would like to thank all of the spectators for coming out. We would also like to thank the staff at Quaker City for having The GLNFCC as a part of their show.

Next Stop St. Thomas Canada July 25 & 26th.

This was to be a big weekend for The GLNFCC as we had an 8 car show booked in on Friday night at Dunn Tire Raceway Park in NY and an 8 car show the next day at Quaker City in OH.

The day started out cloudy and gloomy. It looked dicey at best. By four o clock in the afternoon all of the teams had arrived. We had some parking issues that were taken care of very swiftly by the friendly track personal.

Photo courtesy of Bob Wenzelburger

This is a 1/8-mile track, which also has an oval track on the property. They also run that on a weekly basis. The track has been around for many years and it has that walk back in time feeling.

This was to be a funny car show; we shared the night with two late model alcohol funny cars that run with The Mid American Funny Car Circuit. Somewhere around six o'clock the very dark skies decided they could hold no more. It rained for a short while and finally cleared up. It was enough time for the teams to talk over tuning strategies and cook some burgers on the grill.

On the bill that night was also a gasser class that seem to bring a lot of cars in. Plus with the normal brackets I would say the track had a very good car count. Right about ten o clock they pulled us in the lanes for our first run.

First up The Visionary Cuda taking on the Dazed & Confused Camaro. After two long smoky burn outs only the Cuda could be seen. It seems the Camaro had some issues and drove off the track. Scott drove the Cuda straight down the track with a 4.92/141.15.

Next pair brought out the Detroit Thunder T-Bird and a new member, Shaun Mchattie with the Blown Money 69 Nova SS. The T-Bird took the win light with a 4.92/119. The Nova appeared to have some new car bugs on that run and slowed to an 8.43.

Rocky Ausec traveled all the way from Joliet, IL to be a part of this show. He came up against the Sharkys Machine Omni, which was sporting some new graphics. Both cars had some trouble with the tricky surface, with Sharkys Machine taking the win with a 5.47 to a 6.05.

Last up was another car that was making its GLNFCC debut. The beautiful 77 Total Insanity Monza. This car is owned and driven by Chris Massarella. Chris and his crew came all the way from N.J. to be a part of this show. They were up against the always-tough Horvath's Family Damn Yankee Vega. Unfortunately for Chris, Mark laid a hole shot on him and took the win 4.95/137 to 5.12/118.

Photo courtesy of Bob Wenzelburger

After first round the funny car pits were buzzing with action as several teams had some problems on their runs.

First the Dazed & Confused Camaro had issues with the idle on that run and found they had lost part of the gasket under the injector, which in turn was sucking in too much air.

Next to the Camaro the Detroit Thunder T-Bird seem to have some bigger problems. By the time I got over to their pits, the injector was off, the blower was coming off and they were not done there. It seems that after the run they tried to turn the motor over and it would not turn. After close inspection it appeared that a bolt on the injector hat was missing. This was presumed to be in the motor somewhere.

Next over to the Blown Money Nova, where the back tires were off. Talking with the driver, it appeared that he lost the brakes on that run and they are having issues with the master cylinder.

Due to the rain and the larger than usual car count our run times were pushed back. This turned out to be a good thing as two out of the three cars that had problems were able to get the cars fixed and made the call for second round.

Winner Mark Horvath Driver of Damn Yankee

First up was the Dazed & Confused Camaro taking on the Solid Rock Mustang. Rocky was traveling light this trip with one crewmember. He was able to get some help from D.J. Johnson who was at the track to do some reporting for The East Coast Drag News. D.J. is from the Pittsburgh area and had helped on several UDRA alcohol funny cars back in the 80's. I talked with D.J. later and he said it all came back to him real quickly and he had a great time. The Camaro took off first and held on the entire 1/8 mile with a 5.05/114 to a 5.80/124.

Next up Visionary taking on Total Insanity. These two smoked up the track pretty good and made it a real good race. Chris was off first but with a red light. The Cuda clicked the timers first with a 4.91/142 to the losing 5.03/125.

Next pair, two cars that could win a burnout contest just about anywhere. Sharkys Machine Omni and the Damn Yankee Vega. There must have been some distraction on the track because both cars left with an uncharacteristic .590 & a .561 light. But the Vega made up for the difference real quick crossing the stripe with 4.77/128 (low E.T.) to the Shark's 5.29/118. At the end of the run the Omni would not move and had to be towed off the track. It was later found that one of the front brake pads had broken lose and froze up the brake disc.

The Detroit Thunder was apart in the pits, so the Blown Money Nova came out to do a single. After a good burnout the Nova was staged and ready for the run. When Shaun hit the gas the Nova literally jumped off the ground. Finally hooking up he took off and made a 7.73/61 run. It was later decided that the wheelie bars were way to high and they would adjust them down and make a test pass at Quaker City the next day.

Oddy's Performance from nearby Elma, NY sponsored this event. Bill Leverentz the owner was on hand that night and helped diagnose the problems with the Detroit Thunder T-Bird. He even offered his shop to the team if they needed it, that's first class.

It is great to have sponsors like this on board, please help us keep our sponsors in business and patronize them when you can.

Mark Horvath in the Damn Yankee Vega won The Good Vibrations Reaction Time Award.

The GLNFCC had a great time at Dunn Tire Raceway Park and look forward to coming back. The track personal and the spectators were great.

Next stop Quaker City Raceway in Salem, OH

The GLNFCC brought 6 cars to Kanawha Valley to be a part of their 5th. Annual Thunder Jam event.

This year they had the Cannonball Express and the Chattanooga Choo Choo jet trains. Les Shockley had his twin engine 57 Pickup, plus The Cool Bus and a jet powered Quad.

The pits were crowed with exhibitions vehicles and spectators by 5:00. The Thunder Jam series has a pit party, which gives the spectators a chance to see the cars up close and get autographs. The GLNFCC used this time to warm up the funny cars.

The show started promptly at 7:00 with spectators still coming in the gate.

First out for the funny cars was the Old & Fuelish Corvette taking on the Detroit Thunder 56 T-Bird. John DeCort in the Corvette did one of his typical KILLER burnouts. The crowd went wild. The T-Bird was off the line first and made it a good race but the Corvette crossed the stripe first 4.83 139.74 to a 4.98 141.93

Next pair a rematch from our event at Grand Bend Canada. Dazed & Confused 69 Camaro against the SnakeBite 79 Mustang. When these two ran at Grand Bend they had a pair of 6-second runs but the Camaro had extensive engine damage. There were no problems with this pass & the Camaro was not snake bit. The Camaro stopped the timers at 4.92 141.86 to a 5.25 150.43

Last pair was the Visionary Cuda taking on the Fuelish Monza. These two are know for their burnouts and the Visionary did not disappoint the crowd. The Monza had some problems firing up and did a short burnout while the Cuda used the time to do a few dry hops for the crowd. The Fuelish team did get their act together as the Monza went thru the lights first with a quickest for the round 4.82 145.09. The Cuda ran a 5.51 136.73

Second round came and saw the jets and the wheel stander thrill the crowd. We were slated to miss this round and run again in the final session.

Winner Mike Klontz Driver of SnakeBite

First pair brought up the Fuelish Monza and the Dazed & Confused Camaro. As both cars did burnout the Monza made a hard right toward the starter booth. It was later found out that a wheelie bar pin came out. The crew spotted it and replaced it before the run. The excitement did not end there. After the launch the Fuelish Monza again decided it did not want to go straight. The car veered hard toward the wall, missing it by about a foot or so. Then as Tracy corrected the car it veered toward the centerline getting up on its side.

Tracy saved the run and idled down the track. Meanwhile in the other lane the Camaro made a great 4.87 140.25 down the middle run.

Next pair was the SnakeBite and the Old & Fuelish. Again the Corvette fogged the track with burnout smoke. The Mustang corrected whatever problems they might have had on the first run and made a 4.75 157.18 pass. The Corvette had some handling issues and was out of it by half-track.

Last pair up was the 56 T-Bird taking on the Visionary Cuda. They both did good burnouts and the Cuda is getting good at doing those dry hops. The T-Bird was off first, ever so slightly, but this was too be a tight race. The T-Bird crossed the finish line first 5.06 128.25 to a 5.08 131.31.

The night came to a close and the sold out crowd went home satisfied. This facility is a very nice 1/8-mile track setting, out in the middle of farm country. If you get a chance check it out.

Next up our July double header. Friday, July 3rd: 8 cars at Dunn Tire Raceway Park in Lancaster, NY then Saturday, July 4th: Mid Summer Explosion at Quaker City Raceway in Salem, OH. This will be an 8-car show with Bob Motz Jet Semi and The Cool Bus wheel stander.

Photo courtesy of Bob Wenzelburger

This was to be the 8th. Installment of The Gasser Magazine Gasser Reunion. In the years past this race was plagued with rain. I don't mean rain storms...I mean monsoon-style rain.

Not to be this year. They were greeted with three sunny days with the temperatures in the low 70's.

The track was packed with an assortment of cars from The Gasser Era. Jim Curtis the track manager said they had well over 200 cars.

This event was a well-rounded Gasser Reunion. Not only did they have local gasser groups, AA/GS, FED, but also this year for something different they had the UMTR with their brand of wheels up excitement. Pre 1972 of course.

The GLNFCC brought four cars to help compliment an already exciting event. At six o'clock the call came out for the first round of show cars.

Photo courtesy of Bob Wenzelburger

First up for The GLNFCC was Rocky Pirone's Screamin Eagle '77 Trans Am. All ready to do business against Steve Timoszyk in The Doran Chevrolet '69 Camaro. After two killer burnouts the two were set to duel. These two cars are clutch cars so as they were staged they both brought the rpm's up as the tree came down.

Rocky was off first and never looked back. The Screamin' Eagle turned off the clocks at 7.50 139 MPH. Steve had some issues and slowed to an 8.44 132 MPH.

The next pair was The Damn Yankee Vega taking on The Visionary Cuda. After some starting problems with The Damn Yankee both cars did great 1/8-mile burnouts. The Vega had some handling problems on this run but Mark drove it hard and went through at a 7.25 166 MPH to a losing 7.61 174 MPH.

While the cars were being towed up the return road the Doran Chevrolet team created a little excitement. The toolbox fell off of their golf cart spilling tools on the ground. In turn the car rolled over the tools and believe it or not right onto a RPM chip that stuck in the tire.

The Doran team had the tire off and fixed before the next round. Steve Timoszyk would like to thank his team and all of The GLNFCC members that helped them get the car ready for the next round.

As the sun started to set the cars were in the staging lanes awaiting their next assault on The Thompson quarter mile.

Winner Mark Horvath Driver of Damn Yankee

Photo courtesy of Bob Wenzelburger

First up were The Doran Chevrolet and The Visionary Cuda. The Cuda was out first and was never challenged by the '69 Camaro. When Steve hit second gear the car went into tire shake and vibrated the fuel shutoff off. The Cuda ran a 7.64 164 MPH. Two very consistent runs for The Visionary.

Next pair up the two quickest from the first pass. The Damn Yankee Vega with a 7.25 and the Screamin' Eagle Trans Am with a 7.50.

They fired up together and did two Smokey side-by-side burnouts. As they both inched toward the staging beams they barked at each other doing old style dry hops. The Vega was off first but not for long. Rocky stopped the clocks at a stunning 6.89 164 MPH. And he did this in the supposed bad left lane. The Vega made a show out of it and hung on for a 7.41 145.

The night came to a close too soon. The crowd filed out and talked with the teams as they put their cars away. All went well and we look forward to racing at Thompson Raceway Park again.

Next stop O'Reilly Auto Parts Thunder Jam at Kanawha Valley MotorSports Park in Point Pleasant, WV near Charleston on Saturday June 20th.

Photo courtesy of Bob Wenzelburger

It was a beautiful sunny Saturday. A perfect day for spending a day celebrating 45 years of a track that has seen probably every act that has graced the cover of National Dragster at any time.

We shared the event with The Geezer Gassers, The UMTR, local Super Stocks and many beautiful street rods and customs that participated in the car show that was going on all day.

First round saw all 8 cars come out plus a new member that runs an injected Mustang II.

First pair up was the Fuelish Monza taking on the Detroit Thunder 56 T-Bird. After many engine issues in 2008 The Fuelish team was ready to put that behind them and start 2009 on a high note. The Detroit Thunder took off first but The Fuelish stopped the clocks at 7.29 182 MPH. The Thunder a little off at 7.61 178 MPH. The 7.29 was a career best for the Fuelish team.

Next up a pair that had a few battles in 2008. The Dazed & Confused 69 Camaro and The Mutiny 69 Mustang. The Camaro hurt the motor two weeks ago, but true to team commitment Jerry Streb borrowed a motor from his buddy John DeCort and made sure he was at Columbus.

Rob driving the Mutiny is always a killer on the tree and this was no different. Rob had a .015 light. This helped the Mutiny just edge out the Camaro at 7.269 181 MPH to a 7.287 186 MPH.

Photo courtesy of Bill Truby

The Damn Yankee had the honors of pulling up against another new member that proved he would be a force in 2009 two weeks ago in Grand Bend Canada. The SnakeBite 79 Mustang had some issues off of the line and finally gave up at half-track. The Vega went thru at 7.35 185 MPH. Another good beginning for the Damn Yankee. Once in the pits it was determined that the SnakeBite had hurt the Lenco transmission and was done for the day.

Rocky Ausec in The Solid Rock 70 Mustang was up next against the beautiful 69 Camaro of Steve Timoszyk. After two fantastic burnouts the Camaro could not back up so Steve shut it off and they pulled him off the track so the Mustang could make a single. Rocky made some body modifications over the winter, as the car was very violent last year. The modifications seem to work as the Mustang went fairly straight and clicked the timers at 8.2 169 MPH.

Last car out was the Red Baron injected Mustang II. Dan did a great burnout and ran a 8.55 146 MPH.

Second round brought out the Fuelish Monza and the Mutiny Mustang first. These two can fog out a track with their burnouts. Rob was out first again but this time it was a .009 RED. Rob did cross the finish line first with a 7.299 170 MPH to a 7.343 182 MPH.

Photo courtesy of Bill Truby

Next up were the 56 T-Bird and the Dazed & Confused 69 Camaro. The T-Bird was out first but by half-track the Camaro was driving around him. Dazed & Confused ran a 7.38 182 MPH to the T-Birds 7.488 179 MPH.

Next up were the Damn Yankee and the Doran Chevrolet Camaro. Steve driving the Doran Camaro must have taken some burnout lessons over the winter because he was laying down some smoky ones. Not to be showed up the Damn Yankee also did a great burnout. This was not going to be the quickest run of the day but it surely was the most fun to watch. Both drivers had their hands full and pedaled the cars at least three times. The Vega stopped the timers first with a 7.672 165.6 to the Camaro's 7.689 168.79.

After the run Steve Timoszyk said that was the most fun he ever had racing.

Winner Rob Pfeister Driver of Mutiny Mustang

Since we did not want a single, we brought up the injected car from the minors to run with the show. The Solid Rock Mustang obliged and took on the Red Baron Mustang II. Rocky laid down another old style smoky burnout. The Red Baron knew what he had to do if he expected to beat Solid Rock. Dan pulled a .007 light and had the Mustang till about half-track, then Rocky motored around him. 8.137 167 MPH to losing 8.85 145.

When Dan got out of the Red Baron, grinning from ear to ear he said that he was planning on moving up and putting a blower on his car soon.

The two quickest cars of the day came back for the final. This was a rematch from the first round. The Dazed & Confused Camaro took on the Mutiny Mustang. These two cars came out and did killer burnouts and I believe the Camaro finally came to a stop around the 1,000-foot mark. Again Rob was trying to get the jump off the line but was waaay early. Rob pulled a .108 red and still went across the finish line second with a 7.44 to Jerry's 7.33.

Rob Pfeister won the Good Vibration Quick Reaction award with his .015 light. Although the Red Baron had a better light at .007. The injected cars are charter members, but Mike Little the owner of the Mutiny Mustang was gracious enough to share the award with The Red Baron team.

We all had a great time and want to thank the National Trails staff for giving us a good race track and letting us bring our traveling show to their track.

Next stop Thompson Raceway Park for The Gasser Reunion.

This is a big yearly race and party weekend for all of the people in the Grand Bend area. Unfortunately we were greeted with rain Friday night that lingered until early Saturday afternoon. We finally made one run Saturday night.

This was our first show in Canada and the first show of the 2009 season. We brought 5 cars for this show. They were Old & Fuelish 78 Corvette, Dazed & Confused 69 Camaro, Detroit Thunder 56 T-Bird, Visionary 72 Cuda and a new addition to the group for this season Snakebite 79 Mustang.

The Saturday night runs were unpredictable as expected. The track was cold and not a lot of bite. The Visionary Cuda lined up against The Dazed& Confused Camaro. The Camaro shook violently off the line. The Visionary had a real nice straight 7.57 pass.

Next up was the Old & Fuelish and the Detroit Thunder. The cold track, came up and bite the Detroit Thunder as Bill had his hands full of steering wheel coming very close to the wall twice. The Corvette had its own problems. The engine shut off after hitting the rev limiter. John fired it up and drove off the track It was later determined the transmission had been hurt on that run.

The Snakebite made a single on its maiden GLNFCC run. Mike did make it interesting as shortly off the line the car charged hard to the centerline. After correcting that the car went toward the wall. He again straightened up the car and clicked off the timers at 6.92 175.16. and that was on a cold track.

Sunday brought us a cool sunny day. First run brought out the Visionary against the Detroit Thunder. Both cars did long smoky burnouts. This was a great match with the T-Bird taking the win with a 7.34 171.98 to a 7.75 174.38.

Next pair was the Snakebite and the Dazed & Confused. This turned out to be a great match up as both cars sounded like they were ready for a battle. The Camaro was out first and about half-track, started smoking from one cylinder. The Snakebite crossed the finish line first at 6.76 189.2 with the Camaro right behind with a 6.94 at 171.3. The Camaro did push out a head gasket on that run.

The next round brought up the Snakebite against the Detroit Thunder. The T-Bird put up a fight till half-track when the Snakebite slowly pulled away. The T-Bird did make its best run to date at 7.33 183.59. The Snakebite clicked the timers at 6.93 173.47.

To finish off the show The Visionary came out to make a single. After a great burnout and a soft leave The Cuda ran thru the lights at 8.02 158.08.

This was a great outing for The GLNFCC. The spectators and the track all seem to like our show. We were asked to come back in the future. Were looking forward to it.

Next stop National Trail Raceway in Columbus, OH on May 30th.