The lone similarity was under the hood where both vehicles flexed four-cylinder power. The Lingenfelter truck, a mainstay in the now-defunct NHRA Pro Truck division, was making its first appearance on the import side of the sport. The HKS 180SX isn't merely a mainstay, it's a legend in the ranks of Japanese drag racing and it's making its first foray into the American import scene. During qualifying, Lingenfelter made a big impact in the truck's first competitive pass, dropping a 7.51 at 184 mph on the field of 14 cars vying for the eight available spots on the ladder. The run was merely a prelude.
Tetsuya Kawasaki, the burnout king of the event, made it clear the Nissan did more than granulate rubber as it blasted to a best-ever 7.18 at 190.62 mph to take the top spot. Many wondered if the 180SX had a chance to upset the Turbonetics Celica in its quest for 200 mph and the $25,000 payoff. Those in the know could tell you that adding 10 mph at these speeds is a tall order.
We were impressed with the Nissan's e.t. The four-cylinder single turbo's 7.18 was right on the tail of the Celica's best effort of 7.10 and the Celica had twice the pistons and twice the turbos. The HKS 180SX was definitely the star of the event. In the first round, Lingenfelter was stronger in his victory, running a 7.48 to Kawasaki's 7.59. In the semis, Kawasaki got back in the groove with a 7.19 at 191.46 mph while Lingenfelter kept consistent at 7.44. In the finals, the HKS 180SX screamed to a 7.25 at a whopping 193.46 mph as Lingenfelter registered a 9.25 at 104 mph.
In Modified, the 2001 champ, Carlos Gonzalez, was once again laying down the law in his Mazda RX-3. Gonzalez set a class e.t. record with an 8.10 at 165 mph. Stephan Papadakis and the AEM drag Civic was solidly in the number two spot with an 8.31 at 174 mph. Nelson Hoyos and the GM Racing Cavalier were third at 8.82. All the favorites won in the first round.
In the second round, Papadakis faced off against Hoyos. Papadakis had problems getting to the burnout box and Hoyos showed great sportsmanship by delaying his burnout until the AEM crew could make a tweak and re-attach the nose of the Civic. He was rewarded when the car ran a personal best of 8.69 at 172.65 mph and beat Papadakis, whose Civic was ailing and posted a 12.35. In the finals, the Cavalier suffered from transmission problems and Gonzalez left no doubts by tearing off an 8.26 to take the cash.
In Street Tire, John Shepherd made quick work of the field. As the only single-digit qualifier at 9.95, he ran 9.98, 10.03 and 9.88 at 148.76 in the finals to skate away with the winner's payout. It should be noted that Ari Yallon, 2001 class champion and undefeated in NHRA competition, was a no-show and the Titan Motorsports Supra, which made a big splash (9.52) at Gainesville didn't compete. This class looks like it will heat up as the season unfolds.
The big news in All Motor was Jesus Padilla's 1985 Mazda RX-7 with three-rotor power. We're surprised no one has tried this before, but Padilla did and rewrote the record books by qualifying first with a 9.45. In the second slot were Tony Shagday and the Skunk2 Integra, which also impacted the recorded books becoming the quickest all-motor Honda with a 10.67 at 125.08 mph. The cutoff for the eight-car field was a swift 11.69 and seven competitors were left on the sidelines. There were no big surprises in the first round. Shagday red-lit in the second round and Padilla's 7 laid down 10s all the way into the final where he posted a 10.43 to take home the cash.
The NHRA Summit Racing Sport Compact Racing Series upped the bar even further after the season's promising start in Gainesville. The Englishtown crowd was huge. It was standing room only during the Pro Class and even the far side bleachers were full. On the asphalt, e.t. records in four of the five previously existing categories fell.
The only survivor, Street Class, established its latest record at the season opener at Gainesville. Also, as predicted in our Gainesville story, the Summit boys did have to open their wallets to the tune of 25 large as Matt Scranton and the Turbonetics Celica crushed the 200-mph barrier. What more will 2002 hold?