rebelracewriter Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 For Immediate Release IHRA Nitro Jam Summer Nationals Wins To McIntire, DeFlorian, Tharpe, Tetsoshvili CORDOVA, ILLINOIS (May 31, 2015) -- It took an extra day to complete the IHRA Nitro Jam Summer Nationals. Rain interfered with a considerable portion of the event at Cordova International Raceway, causing racers and fans to return on Sunday after Saturday's schedule completely was wiped out. For Mike McIntire, Tii Tharpe, John DeFlorian Jr. and Ruben Tetsoshvili it was worth the wait as they won final-round eliminations in their Nitro Jam pro classes to collect the coveted IHRA Iron Man trophy, championship points and the winner's check. Due to scheduling conflicts, the Jet Dragster class was unable to stay over for Sunday's rain date. AMSOIL NITRO FUNNY CAR PRESENTED BY AEROMOTIVE: McIntire scored his fourth win of the 2015 season in the AMSOIL Nitro Funny Car Presented By Aeromotive class. It was an all-Ohio Nitro Funny Car final as McIntire (from Mentor, Ohio) faced Wayne Mellinger (North Ridgeville, Ohio) in the final round. McIntire ran 5.765 sec./253.99 mph to Mellinger's effort of 7.464 sec./126.29 mph. "It was a good weekend," said McIntire, who now is four-for-four in IHRA Nitro Funny Car competition in 2015. "The weather was a downer but today was beautiful. It was great having all of these cars out here - new faces and new cars to run against. For us it was a great weekend. We worked our tails off. It's surreal right now." When defending Nitro Funny Car champion Jason Rupert ripped off a potentially record-breaking 5.63 sec. run in the first round of qualifying, it appeared his black Camaro might charge its way into victory lane and bump McIntire from the national record column. "We were worried," McIntire admitted. "Jason (Rupert) ran that .63 in qualifying and it was a great run. Those guys can put up numbers. He's the champ for a reason. We were a little bit nervous. We weren't the fastest car this weekend but we were pretty consistent and it paid off." Rupert was unable to back up his run of 5.63 seconds to claim a new elapsed time record. His car broke on the starting line in the first round of eliminations and he lost to Steve Nichols. Nichols failed to qualify, but was able to compete after eighth-place qualifier Shawn Bowen withdrew from the event. Nichols, the first alternate in ninth place, moved up and in. U.S. BOUNTY HUNTERS PRO STOCK: John DeFlorian Jr. scored his first Nitro Jam win of 2015 by defeating Cary Goforth in the finale. Goforth cut a .002 light but DeFlorian arrived at the finish line first. After two rounds of qualifying Friday, DeFlorian found himself on the outside looking in. On Sunday, during the final round of qualifying, he rocketed to the top of the heap. "This win means everything," DeFLorian said. "We've been really struggling and it's been a long while since we've been in the winner's circle. We had some engine issues we had to work out and some general set-up stuff with the car. We kinda got behind the eight ball and really struggled to get it turned back around again. To get back to the winner's circle is huge and we had a crazy roller coaster ride today. When we got up this morning, we weren't qualified. We got everything together and the car went to No. 1. It ran consistent all day long. This win is a huge thing. We've got some great sponsors with the AMSOIL group and U.S. Bounty Hunters on the car this year. I can't ever thank Kevin and Karen Bealko enough. Without them, I wouldn't be here. Our crew is second to none. Everyone did a phenomenal job. With the runs we made today, I feel really good about where we're at." NITRO HARLEY: Tii Tharpe won his very first Nitro Harley race on Sunday. He defeated Bradenton winner Randall Andras in the final, 6.416 sec/204.57 mph to 6.464 sec./215.79 mph. He was asked the obvious question in victory lane: Was it worth the wait? "Absolutely," proclaimed Tharpe, "and the extra thousand bucks in plane tickets. It's the first time I've ever won a Nitro Harley race and I've been trying since 2003. So was it worth it? Absolutely. It hasn't really set in yet and I'm almost at a loss for words. It's a great day and my first win means a whole lot to me." The Nitro Harley class welcomed rider Brian Jernigan back to competition. Jernigan was involved in an accident at Nitro Jam Baton Rouge and made his return to competition at CIR. Jernigan's qualifying passes were not quick enough to get him into the eight-motorcycle field. Larry Brancaccio was involved in an accident after running off the end of the drag strip during the second round of Nitro Harley qualifying Friday night. The Nutley, New Jersey, rider was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Because Brancaccio was unable to compete, Jernigan, the first alternate, joined the field. CROWER PRO MOD: Ruben Tetsoshvili of Wesley Chapel, Florida, became the third winner in as many races in the recently-reinstated Pro Mod class. He defeated John Welter of Mitchellville, Iowa, in the first round and faced Dina Parise in the final. A better reaction time off the starting line made the difference and he won, 6.963 sec./163.16 mph to 7.560 sec./134.55 mph. IHRA Nitro Jam Summer Nationals final-round results, indicating driver/rider, hometown, vehicle, reaction time, elapsed time and top speed: AMSOIL NITRO FUNNY CAR PRESENTED BY AEROMOTIVE Winner: Mike McIntire (Mentor, Ohio) 1970 Camaro "McAttack" .091 5.765 sec. 253.99 mph Runner-up: Wayne Mellinger (North Ridgeville, Ohio) 1970 Challenger "Candies Family Motorsports" .082 7.464 sec. 126.29 mph CROWER PRO MOD Winner: Ruben Tetsoshvili (Wesley Chapel, Florida) 1970 Camaro .120 6.963 sec. 163.16 mph Runner-up: Dina Parise (New Freedom, Pennsylvania) 2013 Cadillac .502 7.560 sec. 134.55 mph U.S. BOUNTY HUNTERS PRO STOCK Winner: John DeFlorian Jr. (Arnold, Missouri) 2015 Camaro .159 6.252 sec. 224.92 mph Runner-up: Cary Goforth (Holdenville, Oklahoma) 2013 Camaro .002 6.415 sec. 222.18 mph NITRO HARLEY Winner: Tii Tharpe (East Bend, North Carolina) .044 6.416 sec. 204.57 mph Runner-up: Randal Andras (Amelia, Louisiana) .048 6.464 sec. 215.79 mph Sportsman classes - Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour Presented By AMSOIL Final-round results, indicating driver/rider, hometown, vehicle, reaction time, dial-in, elapsed time, top speed: GOOD VIBRATIONS TOP DRAGSTER Winner: Lane Dicken (Long Grove, Iowa) 2010 TNT .014 7.08 sec. 7.102 sec. 180.07 mph Runner-up: Don Speer (Davenport, Iowa) 2012 CH Concept .042 6.56 sec. 6.567 sec. 205.07 mph GOOD VIBRATIONS TOP SPORTSMAN Winner: Steve Maas (Manito, Illinois) 1996 Firebird .035 7.46 sec. 7.503 sec. 175.62 mph Runner-up: Mike Jones Jr. (Monmouth, Illinois) 1990 Beretta .090 7.54 sec. 7.580 sec. 181.76 mph SUPER STOCK Winner: Mark Nowicki (Holmes Beach, Florida) 1998 Avenger .003 9.65 sec. 9.645 sec. 135.36 mph Runner-up: Matt Lund (Bettendorf, Iowa) 1998 Firebird .009 9.69 sec. 9.633 sec. 136.50 mph STOCK ELIMINATOR Winner: Joe Schaechtor (Moline, Illinois) 1966 Chevy II .031 10.90 sec. 10.921 sec. 113.41 mph Runner-up: Greg Anderson (Grand Mound, Iowa) 1969 Camaro .058 12.07 sec. 12.108 sec. 101.96 mph QUICK ROD Winner: Travis Colangelo (Bayview, Ohio) 2014 American .018 8.90 sec. 9.128 sec. 136.26 mph Runner-up: Terry Ayers (Sherrard, Illinois) 1927 Roadster .061 8.90 sec. 9.246 sec. 141.02 mph SUPER ROD Winner: Brian Folk (Durand, Illinois) 2006 Camaro .035 9.90 sec. 9.911 sec. 148.07 mph Runner-up: Steven Heidlauf (Wadsworth, Illinois) 1969 GTO .048 9.90 sec. 9.693 sec. 137.23 mph HOT ROD Winner: Wayne Christopher (Milan, Illinois) 1984 Monte Carlo .013 10.90 sec. 10.901 sec. 127.20 mph Runner-up: John Miller (Waterloo, Iowa) 1990 Trans Am -.001 (foul) 10.90 sec. 10.730 sec. 145.94 mph BOX E.T. Winner: Pat McGlynn (Eldridge, Iowa) 2001 Undercover .012 7.52 sec. 7.544 sec. 166.62 mph Runner-up: Travis Colangelo (Bayview, Ohio) 2014 American .026 8.90 sec. 8.944 sec. 163.89 mph NO BOX E.T. Winner: Grant Zimmerman (Morton, Illinois) 1979 Mustang .034 11.54 sec. 11.558 sec. 113.19 mph Runner-up: Myranda Cozad (Davenport, Iowa) 1989 Camaro .053 11.37 sec. 11.384 sec. 108.95 mph BOX-NO BOX RUN-OFF Winner: Pat McGlynn (Eldridge, Iowa) 2001 Undercover .040 7.52 sec. 7.535 sec. 170.54 mph Runner-up: Grant Zimmerman (Morton, Illinois) 1979 Mustang .042 11.55 sec. 11.536 sec. 113.36 mph. Final qualifying results for the IHRA Nitro Jam Summer Nationals: AMSOIL NITRO FUNNY CAR PRESENTED BY AEROMOTIVE - after two rounds 1 Jason Rupert (Yorba Linda, California) 1969 Camaro 5.631 sec./259.01 mph 2 Paul Romine (Fishers, Indiana) 1979 Mustang 5.693 sec./250.92 mph 3 John Hale (Addison, Texas) 1969 Camaro 5.750 sec./247.93 mph 4 Tim Boychuk (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) 1977 Firebird 5.765 sec./242.93 mph 5 Mike McIntire (Mentor, Ohio) 1970 Camaro 5.801 sec./245.23 mph 6 Wayne Mellinger (North Ridgeville, Ohio) 1971 Challenger 5.919 sec./235.31 mph 7 Greg Jacobsmeyer (Flourissant, Missouri) 1970 Challenger 5.953 sec./241.58 mph 8 *Shawn Bowen (Grand Blanc, Michigan) 1970 Challenger 6.010 sec./195.10 mph Did not qualify: 9 Steve Nichols (Newark, Delaware) 1970 Camaro 6.015 sec./235.19 mph 10 Bruce Litton (Indianapolis, Indiana) 1974 Vega 6.038 sec./236.92 mph 11 Doc Halladay (Eagan, Minnesota) 1978 Arrow 6.038 sec./225.30 mph 12 Mark Sanders (Maple Valley, Washington) 1970 Mustang 6.044 sec./222.29 mph 13 Marc White (Chicago, Illinois) 1977 Monza 6.227 sec./204.29 mph *Bowen withdrew. First alternate Steve Nichols took his place to race Jason Rupert in the first round. CROWER PRO MOD - after two rounds 1 Dina Parise (New Freedom, Pennsylvania) 2013 Cadillac 6.913 sec./154.35 mph 2 John Welter (Mitchellville, Iowa) 1968 Firebird 7.235 sec./201.31 mph 3 Ruben Tetsoshvili (Wesley Chapel, Florida) 1970 Camaro 9.404 sec./96.18 mph U.S. BOUNTY HUNTERS PRO STOCK - after three rounds 1 John DeFlorian Jr. (Arnold, Missouri) 2015 Camaro 6.253 sec./224.92 mph 2 Cary Goforth (Holdenville, Oklahoma) 2013 Camaro 6.261 sec./224.43 mph 3 Brad Waddle (Salina, Kansas) 2013 Mustang 6.296 sec./223.25 mph 4 John Montecalvo (Center Moriches, New York) 6.303 sec./224.10 mph 5 Kevin Bealko (Bridgeport, West Virginia) 2014 Camaro 6.314 sec./222.55 mph 6 Dean Goforth (Holdenville, Oklahoma) 2015 Camaro 6.320 sec./220.58 mph 7 Scott Hintz (Odessa, Texas) 2013 Mustang 6.320 sec./217.84 mph 8 J.R. Carr (Pasco, Washington) 2015 Camaro 6.344 sec./223.58 mph Did not qualify: 9 Matt Bertsch (Tecumseh, Michigan) 2007 Mustang 6.347 sec./220.04 mph 10 Trevor Eman (Pos Chiquito, Aruba) 2011 Mustang 6.381 sec./219.19 mph 11 Larry O'Brien (Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada) 2014 Avenger 6.451 sec./219.19 mph NITRO HARLEY - after three rounds 1 Jay Turner (Julian, North Carolina) 6.334 sec./220.66 mph 2 **Larry "Drums" Brancaccio (Nutley, New Jersey) 6.377 sec./214.38 mph 3 Randal Andras (Amelia, Louisiana) 6.404 sec./218.80 mph 4 Rickey House (Humble, Texas) 6.539 sec./221.13 mph 5 Tracy Kile (Asheville, North Carolina) 6.695 sec./213.47 mph 6 Alvin Kobernusz (Manly, Iowa) 6.723 sec./214.08 mph 7 Jim Fagan (Valley City, Ohio) 6.810 sec./209.17 mph 8 Tii Tharpe (East Bend, North Carolina) 6.934 sec./163.77 mph Did not qualify: 9 Brian Jernigan (Cypress, Texas) 7.975 sec./166.62 mph 10 Chris Streeter (Cleveland, Ohio) 8.733 sec./126.34 mph 11 Paul Kelly (Mohall, North Dakota) 8.744 sec./128.19 mph ** Brancaccio was unable to compete. First alternate Jernigan moved into the top eight to compete in the first round of eliminations. NEXT IHRA NITRO JAM EVENT: IHRA Nitro Jam President's Cup Nationals June 19-20 Maryland International Raceway - Mechanicsville, Maryland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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