NickHolt Posted February 28, 2003 Report Share Posted February 28, 2003 Amalie Oil Texas Nationals Presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks and RVs By Bruce Mabrito South Texans are going to be exposed to the explosive spectacle of modern day drag racing this weekend at San Antonio Raceway east of the Alamo City. The International Hot Rod Association has rolled into the three-year old San Antonio Raceway facility located on IH-10 near Marion and the professional and "sportsman" drivers are revving their engines to set new quarter-mile records. The IHRA is the second-largest drag racing organization in the world, following the National Hot Rod Association, and it's growing quickly. Bill Bader, president of the IHRA, has sparked bought the IHRA organization six years ago and he has been the spark plug that has ignited the growth cycle. This Texas Nationals event is the first of 12 national meets around the nation in 2003. Nothing in any form of sports has the lasting impact on an individual like a national level drag race. With two Top Fuel dragsters, each with over 6,000 horsepower blasting off the starting line, the ground shakes, your ears need protection to save you from the noise pain, and the air is filled with the smell of nitro methane fuel. The spectacle of such racing draws spectators from great distances to view the competition. This unique event has now entered the San Antonio and South Texas scene after being absent for 20 years. The last NHRA national event was held at Alamo Dragway in the early 1980s. The San Antonio Raceway facility, formerly called River City Raceway, was built by Todd and Judy Zampese and opened three years ago. They have endured several challenges from the local neighbors in court, and this is what Todd Zampese has been planning for many years. At the kickoff of activities, Ernesto Ancira was present to support the IHRA and the drivers, and provide his corporate backing to this race. Clay Millican of Drummonds, Tenn. took 11 of the 12 national races in the IHRA Top Fuel category and was present to lend his enthusiasm to this San Antonio Raceway first-ever event. "You can't really describe what this is like," Millican said, "it's like rock and roll music. Nothing else compares to it. Car alarms will be set off in the parking lots. There are no bad seats for this Top Fuel race. It is big time sports." Millican, 2002 IHRA Top Fuel champion by a long shot, has covered the 1,320-foot dash in his rear engine dragster in less than 4.6-seconds with a top terminal speed of 326 miles per hour. The performance figures for such vehicles are impressive: zero to 100 miles per hour in less than a second (0.8-seconds typically), with five times the weight of gravity on the driver at launch and another four times the weight of gravity after they cross the finish line under braking. Jim Marchyshyn, the IHRA director of communications, stunned the media with the statement that for the quick Top Fuel run, it is like nine shower heads of nitro methane being injected into the giant engine to produce the explosive power surge. Superchargers compress the air to provide even more power to the wide rear slicks. Dr. Tom Clanton, an oral surgeon from Victoria, was brought in to talk about the "sportsman" (non-professional category) racers. "My professional career has allowed me to compete at the level I'm at," Clanton said. "I really want that Iron Man trophy and am doing my best to earn it. I don't make many guarantees, but I will guarantee you that this event is like nothing you have ever seen before." Gates open at 8 a.m. each day of the Amalie Oil of Texas Nationals, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Friday, the Pro qualifying starts at 1 p.m. and continues at 3 p.m. On Saturday, Sportsman qualifying starts at 8:30 a.m. with eliminations at 3:30 p.m. Pro qualifying starts at 7 p.m. and there will be jet trucks and all types of supporting entertainment Saturday evening. Sunday the Sportsman final eliminations begin at 8:30 a.m. with the Championship finals at 11 a.m. Finals are set for 1 p.m. Sunday. San Antonio Raceway can be contacted at 210-698-2310. To get to the track, go east from San Antonio on IH-10 and take the Santa Clara Road Exit to the cross-over bridge to San Antonio Raceway. The web site address is www.sanantonioraceway.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelracewriter Posted March 1, 2003 Report Share Posted March 1, 2003 Mr Mabrito's recap of the same event has little more "polish" than mine! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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