Above is the logo used on the June 16, 2012 Event Photos.
For those of you who don't know, Asphalt Wars is a 2 class series run at Thompson Raceway Park, and Pittsburgh Raceway Park. The two classes are Outlaw Pro Mod, and Outlaw Dragster. The rules, they're pretty simple. No Nitromethane, no Screw type Superchargers. Run what ya brung, and hope it's enough!
Above is an image of Jason Hamstra in the opening round of qualifying. Jason took the #1 spot, which stuck for both rounds of qualifying.
Qualifying Recap
Out first were the Outlaw Dragsters. There was a pretty solid field of open body cars. Multiple cars in the 3 second range! If I remember correctly only 2 or 3 pairs of cars went down the track before the unthinkable happened. Just one week after the horrid shut down accident that claimed a man's life, upstate New York racer, Tony Mancini wrecked his ride in the shutdown. All anyone was thinking was, "No, not again." The TRP Fire and Rescue team were on the scene very quickly, and did a fantastic job getting Tony out of the car, extinguishing the fire, and cleaning up the wreckage! Below is a shot of Tony's burnout, and Tony on the line just before he tango'd with the guardrail.
Tony managed to run a 4.178 @ 175.6 MPH
While waiting for the wreckage to be removed from the racing surface, 2011 Outlaw Dragster superpower, Paul Molnar, and the 2011 ADRL Pro Extreme World Champ, Jason Hamstra sat in the burnout box. Molnar being an Asphalt Wars veteran, was in the right lane, and TRP newcomer Hamstra in the left. Mr. Hamstra made the journey all the way from DeMotte, Indiana. However, he was not going to let a wreck tarnish his day, or waste his trip. After a short burnout, Jason staged his American themed Outlaw Dragster against track record holder, Paul Molnar. The tree cycled, and Jason made his first pass down the TRP surface with a blistering 3.783 @ 188.8 MPH.
Below is a shot from Jason's pass that landed him the #1 spot.
Not to be ignored, a 3.84 was posted by Molnar in the other lane. This Asphalt Wars was the first time we saw the new car out of the White's Auto & Speed camp. Mark is now behind the wheel of a long skinny ride, versus the short wheelbased altered he drove in 2011. White qualified 7th in the 8 car field. He got in on the second attempt with a stout, but not satisfying 4.050, at only 168 mph pass.
Here is Mark White's 4.27 pass that landed him 9th in the opening round of qualifying.
The 2011 season was swept by Paul Molnar. He won all 4 races at TRP and the one held a PRP. This year, a different man had the idea. Ohio native Mike DiDomenico won the first two races of the season. One at TRP, and then one a week later at PRP. Mike qualified in the 2nd spot under Hamstra with an impressive 3.803. One thing we like to see at NW Photography is when some of the lesser known, low budget operations come out and run well. Mark Bliven took his R&R Racing Transmissions backed Dragster to the number 8 spot in the Outlaw Dragster field. In the opening round of qualifying, he took his supercharged entry to the number 8 spot with a 4.279. He stayed number 8 in the 2nd attempt, but bettered his time with a 4.065. Not only did his 4.06 land him Jason Hamstra first round, but it set a record for the quickest bump in TRP Outlaw Dragster history.
Below is Mark Bliven in the opening round of qualifying. He carried the front wheels about 110'.
If I remember correctly, it was also the first time Peter Edwards made an appearance at Thompson Raceway Park. Peter put his machine in the show at number 6 with an impressive 4.001 @ 178 MPH. This landed him with number 3 qualifier Paul Molnar.
Here is Peter in the second round of qualifying.
There was a few friendly faces that we haven't seen for a while in Outlaw Pro Mod. One of which would be the Ratty '57 entry of Larry Higginbottom. Larry showed up and impressed us all with a 4.170 @ 174 in the opening round of qualifying.
Speaking of friendly faces, our first Outlaw Pro Mod winner of the year was also in attendance. Mr. Scott Braskett Jumped to the top of the qualifying sheet with a 4.123 in the opening round. Lester Sensibello came out to play, as well as Asphalt Wars regular John Vergotz of Erie, PA. Lester and crew chief Leslie put their supercharged Monte Carlo in the number 3 spot with a solid 4.24. Vergotz had some slight issues again. They got in 7th, with an aborted run.
Lester's first shot at the track.
John Vergotz started out what looked to be a very strong pass, but was forced to lift down track.
Lou Pondoff brought out a car that I don't recall seeing before. Nice Chevrolet, with a nice bright paint scheme. Lou was put into competition after number 8 qualifier, Nick Jackson couldn't make the call. Pondoff would face Scott Braskett first round, and leave the line a little too soon.
Lou in the opening round of qualifying.
John Hines came out to play with his Jan-Cen powered Mustang. We saw some promising numbers out of the Ford powered wedge. Below is John in the second round of qualifying.
Both of the turbocharged entries seemed to have issues this time out. Randy Jewell toasted a converter in the opening round of qualifying, and was forced to sit out the 2nd round. The Bersani gang just couldn't hook up and go straight!
Jim decided it was time for staring contest.
Eliminations:
The opening round of eliminations turned out to be an interesting one in the Outlaw Dragster class. Number 1 qualifier Jason Hamstra took on Mark Bliven, and Molnar's track record! Ready for it? Paul Molnar held the track record with a 3.7392. Jason ran a 3.7384 in the opening round of eliminations! Jason tied the speed record held by Molnar, at 195.03. Below is Jason's record setting run!
Unfortunately Hamstra broke a rod in the burnout of the second round. He was scheduled to take on the Lake Erie Monster driven by Keith McLennan. Keith took a single to go on to the finals, where he had transmission problems and couldn't get the car into gear. Keith's misfortune helped out DiDomenico as he was able to make an easy 4.01 for the win.
It's not everyday you end up with your number 1 and number 2 qualifier in the finals, but we did in Outlaw Pro Mod. The finals consisted of Larry Higginbottom, and Scott Braskett. Higg had the quicker car in the first and second round, but Braskett had the quickest door car pass of the year with a 4.02 at the first race of the year.
Above is Scott Braskett doing his burnout in preparation for his final round match up.
Though Braskett left the starting line first, Higg took his wicked '57 to the winners circle with a 4.115, which was no match for Scott's 4.192. A huge congratulations goes out to the entire crew! They have worked so hard over the past few seasons, for this winning combination. Above is a picture of Larry in the finals against the Braskett Race Cars Corvette, as well as a link to the Higg Racing Facebook Page. Be sure to check them out by clicking the link, or the photo!
To see all the images that NW Photography has from Asphalt Wars, check back in about a week,
the link will be posted as soon as our galleries are back up!
This Saturday, July 21st, Asphalt Wars travels back to Pittsburgh Raceway Park.
In just one week from tomorrow, Thompson Raceway Park will be hosting Asphalt Wars for the 3rd time this season!
Hope you enjoyed your time at the NW Photography blog.
Until next time, be safe, and go fast!
-Cole Rokosky
NW Photography
sales@nitroworksphotography.com
Specializing in Motorsport Photography and Design!
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