Goodguys Get Wet At Sears Point
By Dave Wallace
Photos By Jim Phillipson

SONOMA, CALIF. — Mutha Nature finally caught up with Goodguys' Vintage Racing Association at Sears Point International Raceway. After 12 years of squeezing the annual Jim Davis Memorial/Nitro Nationals between April and May storm systems — including one entire edition that was crammed into a single Sunday — the oldest VRA event was washed out just as the first pair of AA/Fuelers prepared to fire for Round One. Relentless rainfall and the looming expiration of their two-day track rental forced Goodguys officials to officially pull the plug at 2:30 p.m.

Only the first rounds of Junior Fuel, Nostalgia, and e.t. bracket racing were completed Sunday morning. Because the rest of the show never got underway, the event was declared a "non-race," and none of these round wins earned championship points. (No rain dates or makeup dates have ever been offered by Goodguys.)

That's not to say that some minor rearrangement of the points did not result, however. Because both of Saturday's scheduled qualifying sessions were completed in six professional categories, normal qualifying points were awarded: Sixteen-car fields offer one point for each position, in reverse order (i.e., 16 points for pole position, down to eight points for the bump spot); eight-car programs distribute two points per spot, in reverse order.

Thus, not even the first event cancellation in the history of the Goodguys West Coast Championship Series could prevent pro polesitters Mark Mahood (A/Gas) and Steve San Paolo (A/Fuel) from extending respective points leads in the Red Line Oil-sponsored series. The maximum 16 tallies were earned by March Meet winners Mahood (7.52) and San Paolo (6.53). In qualifying Number One at both 2000 events to date, plus winning Bakersfield's season opener, the defending-world-champ Mahood has snatched every single point available to an A/Gas contestant this year!

Gaining ground on the leaders in the additional pro categories were low-qualifiers Jim Murphy (Top Fuel, 6.06 seconds); Steve Woods (Pro Supercharged, 6.87); Bill Wayne (Junior Fuel, 7.28); and Robert Murphy (Nostalgia One, 7.51). The fact that both Saturday sessions were completed in six different classes was a credit to Sears Point's dedicated staffers, and to the jet dryer that Bruton Smith bought them. Unfortunately, time-consuming track drying either limited or altogether eliminated qualifying runs in Nostalgia Two (8.50 index), B/Gas (8.50), and all four e.t. brackets. Goodguys repeatedly thanked and apologized to these frustrated racers over the PA system, announcing that all will receive free entry (car and driver) when the circuit returns to Sonoma on September 9-10.

Jim Murphy's final-session 6.06 at 236.69 mph was nearly as dramatic as his wheelstand in the opening session (see photo next page). The former Funny Car pilot's Stirling slingshot slammed earthward with sufficient downforce to bend its front end, folding up both front wheels. A lesser team than the WW Two operation might've retired to the barbeque and beer barrel for an afternoon of bench racing. Anyone not surprised to see Murphy back in line in time for the subsequent session was plenty surprised when his hastily repaired chassis belted out the quickest quarter-mile of this abbreviated event, earning 16 valuable points towards a fourth world championship.

Close behind came Larry Gotelli (6.08), whose father-son tuning team of Pete and Fritz Kaiser was second to none in the horsepower department. An opening shot of 236.69 mph was bettered by Gotelli's subsequent speed of 240.60 — believed to be the fastest number ever recorded by a front-mounted Chevrolet engine. Rick McGee (6.14), Rance McDaniel (6.15), points-leader Bill Alexander (6.17), Lance Osborn (6.22), Jack Harris (6.30), and Kenosha, Wisconsin, commuter Neil Bisciglia (6.31) rounded out a show that attracted 22 contestants from as far away as North Carolina (Roger Lechtenberg). Bisciglia's "soft" last-ditch effort marked the first time that the popular Cheesehead has been able to put John Blanchard's beautiful Uyehara car in the Top Eight. Now that this talented duo has finally exterminated its new-team bugs, "Nitro John" is ready to up the horsepower, and "Nitro Neil" is ready to rock.

The same combination of cool air and cold surface that caused the long, skinny cars to spin their 12-inch spec slicks proved nothing less than ideal for the methanol-burning Pro Supercharged contingent. Ignoring intermittent drizzles and dire forecasts, one of the largest qualifying crowds ever to witness a Sears Point nostalgia show was rewarded with the swiftest series of runs ever made by these vintage "gassers."

The second session saw veteran Steve Woods produce unprecedented personal numbers of 6.87/203.43 with the steel-bodied 1948 Ford Prefect that he started racing in 1962. No less satisfying for Steve was a prior ride beside the high-tech, swing-arm Stingray of arch-rival Ronnie Nunes: Woods' 6.912/199.57 and Ron's near-identical 6.913/199.46 added up to the quickest, closest side-by-side performances in class history.

Personal bests were contributed by Howard Anderson's '38 Chevy (6.89); Steve Wood's '53 Studebaker (6.91); Mike Leonard's '68 Chevelle (6.96); and Gary Reinero's '48 Austin (6.96). Brett Williamson (7.04), driving the Mallicoat brothers' freshly painted Barracuda (lead photo), and Rick Souza's bubbletop Impala (7.38) filled the final two positions.

Among the eight Nostalgia One cars that would've advanced to the second round, had eliminations continued, was the impressive dragster- altered of the Hall brothers (see photo). Running off a 7.50 class index, Mark Hall qualified the alcohol-burning "dragterd" Number Three at 7.51 (176.84), then upset former-world-champ Bob Shearer with a 7.52 (177.91). Another past points champ who went out in Round One — but earned an historical footnote, all the same — was Brendan Murry. The San Jose veteran entered his new (ex-Alicia Stirling) Top Fueler and clocked a 6.56 (205.99) on his first full pass in the nitro car. Had eliminations been run, this first alternate would've replaced Gerry Steiner's piston-burning fueler in the "B" show, becoming the first racer in memory to simultaneously race different diggers in two professional Goodguys categories.

The five-race Goodguys series commences July 29-30 with the fifth — and final — West Coast Hot Rod Happenin' at Pomona. Sadly, the L.A. Fairplex has elected not to renew the Goodguys' lease for 2001, reportedly due to noise concerns. (One wild rumor has it that the Goodguys show was bumped in favor of an NHRA midsummer national event planned for Pomona next year — at night!) Watch for complete coverage of every Goodguys event on Hot Rod Nostalgia's Magalog Online.

Qualifying Results