Only two races have passed so far this season, but the questions were already starting to pop up – would anyone ever beat Jason Rupert.
On Saturday, the answer to that question was finally revealed as Mike McIntire Jr., a rookie from Mentor, Ohio, took advantage of a wounded Rupert in the final of Nitro Funny Car to take his first career IHRA Nitro Jam victory and end a dominating start to the season for the Bays and Rupert “Black Plague” Funny Car team at the IHRA Nitro Jam Southern Nationals at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
Mike McIntire Jr. won his first-ever IHRA Ironman Saturday in Bradenton
McIntire was blessed with a golden path to his first career final with first and second round opponents Mark Sanders and Ronnie Young running into trouble. In the final, Rupert brought his injured ride to the line and completed the burnout, but was unable to take the tree as McIntire made a victory lap of 5.899 seconds at 234.55 miles per hour, his best pass of the weekend.
Two additional first-time IHRA winners joined McIntire in victory lane as Don Blackshear drove “Bullet Bob” to the win in Nitro Altered and Mike Cox took his first Ironman in Nitro Harley. Cary Goforth won for the second time this season in Pro Stock and Marisha Falk took the win in Jet Dragster on a busy night that saw the grandstands full for the second year in a row at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
Sportsman winners during day one of the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL doubleheader were Tom VanBeek (Top Sportsman), Jeremy West (Top Dragster), Allen Wade (Super Stock), Merrill Schrimscher (Stock), Todd Osting (Quick Rod), Michael Ruff (Super Rod), Brittany Snowball (Junior Masters), T.J. Butler (Junior Advanced) and Katie Craft (Junior Beginner). The final round of Hot Rod between Tim Anderson and Jacob Rutledge will be run on Sunday.
Mark Cox added his name to the list of first-time winners from Bradenton, taking down top qualifier Joey Sternotti in Nitro Harley
McIntire’s win was surprising on a number of levels. While the young driver has shown promise, his experience was considered no match for the talented field of veterans that make up the IHRA Nitro Funny Car field.
But on Saturday, McIntire put those doubts to rest with three strong runs ending with a win against the man everyone was gunning for.
Rupert qualified first for the third weekend in a row in the all-black ’69 Camaro, while McIntire took third on the ladder in qualifying in the bright orange “McAttack” machine. Rupert had wins over Mike Halstead and Tim Boychuk on his way to the final, including a very fast 5.703, 252.38 in the first round, but his semifinal run left him scrambling to get the “Black Plague” ride ready for the final.
McIntire, meanwhile, had passes of 5.950 and 6.119 in warm-up auditions for the final after opponents Sanders and Young ran into problems. In the Ironman round, Rupert just made the call, but was unable to take the tree as McIntire cruised to his first-ever IHRA victory.
Cary Goforth won for the second time this season in Pro Stock
McIntire took over the “McAttack” Nitro Funny Car for the first time at the IHRA season opener in Tucson earlier this year. His father, Mike McIntire Sr., paved the way for his son in the popular ride and officially handed the keys over for the 2014 season.
Mark Cox joined McIntire on the list of first-time winners Saturday, riding Bojangles sponsored ride to the win in Nitro Harley over top qualifier Joey Sternotti. Cox, from Wilkesboro, N.C., had three bracket-like passes of 6.363, 6.291 and 6.296 on his way to the Ironman, ending with a very fast 6.296, 220.42 in the final to take the win. Sternotti ran a 6.330, 211.16 in the runner-up effort.
Cox recorded wins over Mike Pelrine and most recent winner on the tour Randal Andras on his way to the win.
Don Blackshear was Saturday’s final first-time winner, driving the “Bullet Bob” machine to the win in Nitro Altered. Blackshear, from Brookfield, Ohio, met up with Brian Hope in the final, running a 6.168, 227.79 to take the win. Hope, in the “Pure Hell” entry, had a 7.657, 203.29.
Nitro Altered featured a number of other exciting firsts on Saturday, as Ron Hope provided a glimpse of drag racing history with a fire burnout to the delight of the full grandstands at Bradenton Motorsports Park and also matched up against his son, Brian, in the opening round.
The large Bradenton crowds loved the rebirth of the fire burnout
IHRA’s most intense rivalry continued to brew in Mountain Motor Pro Stock as Cary Goforth and John DeFlorian Jr., winners of the first two races this season, once again met in the final of the popular doorslammer division with Goforth picking up his second win of the year.
Goforth, from Holdenville, Okla., led the way throughout the weekend as the top qualifier and made easy work of John Konigshofer and DeFlorian, ending with a leisurely stroll down the quarter-mile when DeFlorian went -.005 red in the money round. With the win, Goforth also retains his early points lead over DeFlorian and the Black Diamond Motorsports team.
Finally in Jet Dragster, Marisha Falk defeated team captain Elaine Larsen in the jet final when Larsen went red. With the win in hand, Falk made a fantastic pass to close the evening, crossing the finish line with a 5.720, 278.03 to take her second win of the year. Falk was the fastest jet all weekend for the Larsen Motorsports quartet.
Day two of the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL will conclude on Sunday.
The IHRA Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series will be back in action May 2-3 at the IHRA Nitro Jam Palm Beach Nationals at Palm Beach International Raceway.
IHRA NITRO JAM SOUTHERN NATIONALS FINAL RESULTS
Bradenton, Fla. – Final results from the 2014 IHRA Nitro Jam Southern Nationals at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
Nitro Funny Car – Mike McIntire Jr., Mentor, Ohio, ’69 Camaro, 5.899, 234.55 def. Jason Rupert, Yorba Linda, Calif., ’69 Camaro, broke
Pro Stock – Cary Goforth, Holdenville, Okla., ’13 Camaro, 10.293, 98.66 def. John DeFlorian Jr., Arnold, Mo., ’12 Camaro, foul
Nitro Harley – Mark Cox, Wilkesboro, N.C., ’13 Weekend, 6.296, 220.42 def. Joey Sternotti, Naples, Fla., ’12 Harley, 6.330, 211.16
Nitro Altered – Don Blackshear, Brookfield, Ohio, Altered, 6.168, 227.79 def. Brian Hope, Thompson Station, Tenn., Altered, 7.657, 203.29
Jet Dragster – Marisha Falk, Port Orange, Fla., dragster, 5.720, 278.03 def. Elaine Larsen, Daytona Beach, Fla., dragster, foul
Top Sportsman – Tom VanBeek, Fernandina, Fla., ’88 Beretta, 5.531, 89.25 def. Rick McDonough, Southwest Ranches, Fla., ’01 S10, broke
Top Dragster – Jeremy West, Port Charlotte, Fla., dragster, 4.736, 148.14 def. C.J. Keen, Palmetto, Fla., dragster, 4.708, 144.95
Super Stock – Allen Wade, Rochester, Ind., ’69 Camaro, 5.792, 116.47 def. Scott Sanders, Zephyrhills, Fla., ’94 Camaro, 7.059, 94.08
Stock – Merrill Schrimscher, Lake Mary, Fla., ’85 Camaro, 7.263, 88.60 def. Lee Tuttle, Albany, Ga., ’81 Camaro, 8.890, 74.97
Quick Rod – Todd Osting, Tampa, Fla., dragster, 5.686, 127.24 def. Mark Miles, Flinstone, Ga., dragster, foul
Super Rod – Michael Ruff, Orlando, Fla., ’67 Camaro, 6.451, 116.62 def. Terry Cross, Brunswick, Ga., ’12 Camaro, 6.415, 122.56
Hot Rod – (Finals to be run on Sunday) Tim Anderson, Cape Coral, Fla., ’00 Cutlass vs. Jacob Rutledge, Savannah, Ga., ’79 Capri
Junior Dragster Masters – Brittany Snowball, Loxahatchee, Fla., dragster, 8.242, 77.41 def. Zach Pennington, Lexington, S.C., dragster, 7.896, 81.02
Junior Dragster Advanced – T.J. Butler, Sarasota, Fla., dragster, 9.129, 68.97 def. Cody Krohn, Rotonda, Fla., dragster, foul
Junior Dragster Beginner – Katie Craft, Melbourne, Fla., 12.906, 48.24 def. Jimmy Cavanaugh, Melbourne, Fla., dragster, 12.741, 46.29
IHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS FINAL ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS
Bradenton, Fla. – Final round-by-round results from the 2014 IHRA Nitro Jam Southern Nationals at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
Nitro Funny Car
Round 1 – Jason Rupert, 5.703, 252.38 def. Mike Halstead, 6.206, 233.64; Tim Boychuk, 5.930, 238.79 def. Bruce Litton, 6.009, 241.93; Ronnie Young, 6.291, 188.83 def. John Hale, 8.211, 114.91; Mike McIntire Jr., 5.950, 216.29 def. Mark Sanders, broke
Semis – Rupert, 5.858, 248.75 def. Boychuk, 5.875, 243.30; McIntire, 6.119, 165.10 def. Young, broke
Final – McIntire, 5.899, 234.55 def. Rupert, broke
Pro Stock
Round 1 – Cary Goforth, 6.290, 223.26 def. BYE, John Konigshofer, 6.502, 186.76 def. Kevin Bealko, 18.785, 79.46; John DeFlorian Jr., 6.631, 187.26 def. Todd Hoerner, 8.317, 116.23
Semis – Goforth def. Konigshofer, 6.502, 186.76; DeFlorian, 6.469, 220.75 def. BYE
Final – Goforth, 10.293, 98.66 def. DeFlorian, foul
Nitro Harley
Round 1 – Joey Sternotti, 6.296, 212.41 def. BYE; Steve Dorn, 6.462, 215.36 def. Jay Turner, 7.450, 148.39; Randal Andras, 6.528, 218.60 def. Tracy Kile, 8.006, 145.46; Mark Cox, 6.363, 217.23 def. Mike Pelrine, 11.492, 76.92
Semis – Sternotti, 6.378, 192.84 def. Dorn, broke; Cox, 6.291, 230.76 def. Andras, 7.857, 119.95
Final – Cox, 6.296, 220.42 def. Sternotti, 6.330, 211.16
Nitro Altered
Round 1 – Brian Hope, 6.586, 193.34 def. Ron Hope, 6.845, 193.34; Don Blackshear, 6.406, 178.71 def. Mike Hilsabeck, 6.673, 183.11; Steve Harter def. Ron Maroney
Final – Blackshear, 6.168, 227.79 def. Hope, 7.657, 203.29
Jet Dragster
Round 1 – Elaine Larsen, 5.771, 273.05 def. Dawn Perdue, 5.851, 271.82 def. Marisha Falk, 5.770, 275.81 def. Kat Moller, 6.268, 237.15
Consolation – Perdue, 5.835, 253.73 def. Moller, 6.245, 135.71
Final – Falk, 5.720, 278.03 def. Larsen, foul
