Division 2 E.T. Finals at SGMP: Wally and I became friends again!
10-16-2005, 02:12 PM
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Division 2 E.T. Finals at SGMP: Wally and I became friends again! Well, I somehow got my act together and managed to have a great weekend at the NHRA Division 2 E.T. bracket finals at South Georgia this past weekend.
Arrived early Thursday, and as Nate posted elsewhere, it was PACKED! 20 tracks and 630-something cars!
I was a little close on the 'tree on Thursday, going out after the 2nd round in the gambler's race after cutting .009, -.003 and -.010 lights in my last 3 passes.
So Friday comes, and after 2 time runs, the Race of Champions (my 2nd time in 2 years) begins. I'm just a little nervous, as last year I exited 1st round to a multi-time track champ from Orlando, and I was determined to not go home early this year, but we had some tough hitters there, and I didn't want to red-light.
1st round I pulled a yellow S-10 p/u. After he tree's me .030 to my .061 (making sure to not red-light) he breaks the transmission at 500 feet so I can "back-off" to a 7.339 on my 7.31 dial-in.
Round 2 I face the 2000 national champion Tim Griffith and his stock eliminator 86 Camaro. His .005 to my .007 light, and I just catch him at the stripe by .017 to win 7.321 on my 7.31 dial-in to his 7.490 on a 7.46 dial.
Round 3 I'm running a guy in a blue/white Mopar dialed 6.73. I tree this guy .034 to a .101 and slam the brakes to go 7.303 on my 7.30 dial to his 6.700 et.
Round 4 I get the bye-run to the final, and get to face Franky Bishop in the final. This guy is a 10-time or more track champ, won Race Of Champions last year and is sponsered by Budweiser (yeah, he's that good). Real nice guy, and we split the purse $500/400 and went for the wally. His 6.84 to my 7.29 dial-in, I cut the tree .026 to his .059 and brake the stripe down to .011 and go 7.319 to his right-on 6.847. Man, I screamed so loud I'm surprised I could talk after in the winner's circle.
Of course I'm hanging out with a bunch of Ocala/Gainesville rednecks we race with, so after they consumed 2-1/2 cases of beer they are all drunk and crazy, and I got 3 beers poured/sprayed on me and the car after winning the final!
The winner's circle shot was awesome (I'm the only guy wearing a non-white t-shirt, and you can tell I got soaked in something), and 3 hours later back in the hotel room my boxer shorts were still soaked in beer. 
I managed to get a few hours of sleep before 1st round at 9 am the following morning, and made the 3rd round before Manny Sousa put me out (Frank95Z, I somehow knew we'd end up on him again!), but not before pulling a .000 light off in the 1st round.
Was a great weekend, and I now have a new Wally to add to my mantle!
If you want to read the write-ups, check out these links:
Now it's Super Chevy this weekend, followed by a race at Bradenton, and then my "off-season" begins in November, which means upgrades and maybe some golf!
Derek
Arrived early Thursday, and as Nate posted elsewhere, it was PACKED! 20 tracks and 630-something cars!
I was a little close on the 'tree on Thursday, going out after the 2nd round in the gambler's race after cutting .009, -.003 and -.010 lights in my last 3 passes.So Friday comes, and after 2 time runs, the Race of Champions (my 2nd time in 2 years) begins. I'm just a little nervous, as last year I exited 1st round to a multi-time track champ from Orlando, and I was determined to not go home early this year, but we had some tough hitters there, and I didn't want to red-light.
1st round I pulled a yellow S-10 p/u. After he tree's me .030 to my .061 (making sure to not red-light) he breaks the transmission at 500 feet so I can "back-off" to a 7.339 on my 7.31 dial-in.
Round 2 I face the 2000 national champion Tim Griffith and his stock eliminator 86 Camaro. His .005 to my .007 light, and I just catch him at the stripe by .017 to win 7.321 on my 7.31 dial-in to his 7.490 on a 7.46 dial.
Round 3 I'm running a guy in a blue/white Mopar dialed 6.73. I tree this guy .034 to a .101 and slam the brakes to go 7.303 on my 7.30 dial to his 6.700 et.
Round 4 I get the bye-run to the final, and get to face Franky Bishop in the final. This guy is a 10-time or more track champ, won Race Of Champions last year and is sponsered by Budweiser (yeah, he's that good). Real nice guy, and we split the purse $500/400 and went for the wally. His 6.84 to my 7.29 dial-in, I cut the tree .026 to his .059 and brake the stripe down to .011 and go 7.319 to his right-on 6.847. Man, I screamed so loud I'm surprised I could talk after in the winner's circle.
Of course I'm hanging out with a bunch of Ocala/Gainesville rednecks we race with, so after they consumed 2-1/2 cases of beer they are all drunk and crazy, and I got 3 beers poured/sprayed on me and the car after winning the final!
The winner's circle shot was awesome (I'm the only guy wearing a non-white t-shirt, and you can tell I got soaked in something), and 3 hours later back in the hotel room my boxer shorts were still soaked in beer. I managed to get a few hours of sleep before 1st round at 9 am the following morning, and made the 3rd round before Manny Sousa put me out (Frank95Z, I somehow knew we'd end up on him again!), but not before pulling a .000 light off in the 1st round.
Was a great weekend, and I now have a new Wally to add to my mantle!
If you want to read the write-ups, check out these links:
Now it's Super Chevy this weekend, followed by a race at Bradenton, and then my "off-season" begins in November, which means upgrades and maybe some golf!
Derek
Last edited by Villain281H; 10-17-2005 at 07:28 AM. Reason: Added website links
10-16-2005, 03:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Villain281H
Well, I somehow got my act together and managed to have a great weekend at the NHRA Division 2 E.T. bracket finals at South Georgia this past weekend.
Arrived early Thursday, and as Nate posted elsewhere, it was PACKED! 20 tracks and 630-something cars! I was a little close on the 'tree on Thursday, going out after the 2nd round in the gambler's race after cutting .009, -.003 and -.010 lights in my last 3 passes.
So Friday comes, and after 2 time runs, the Race of Champions (my 2nd time in 2 years) begins. I'm just a little nervous, as last year I exited 1st round to a multi-time track champ from Orlando, and I was determined to not go home early this year, but we had some tough hitters there, and I didn't want to red-light.
1st round I pulled a yellow S-10 p/u. After he tree's me .030 to my .061 (making sure to not red-light) he breaks the transmission at 500 feet so I can "back-off" to a 7.339 on my 7.31 dial-in.
Round 2 I face the 2000 national champion Tim Griffith and his stock eliminator 86 Camaro. His .005 to my .007 light, and I just catch him at the stripe by .017 to win 7.321 on my 7.31 dial-in to his 7.490 on a 7.46 dial.
Round 3 I'm running a guy in a blue/white Mopar dialed 6.73. I tree this guy .034 to a .101 and slam the brakes to go 7.303 on my 7.30 dial to his 6.700 et.
Round 4 I get the bye-run to the final, and get to face Franky Bishop in the final. This guy is a 10-time or more track champ, won Race Of Champions last year and is sponsered by Budweiser (yeah, he's that good). Real nice guy, and we split the purse $500/400 and went for the wally. His 6.84 to my 7.29 dial-in, I cut the tree .026 to his .059 and brake the stripe down to .011 and go 7.319 to his right-on 6.847. Man, I screamed so loud I'm surprised I could talk after in the winner's circle.
Of course I'm hanging out with a bunch of Ocala/Gainesville rednecks we race with, so after they consumed 2-1/2 cases of beer they are all drunk and crazy, and I got 3 beers poured/sprayed on me and the car after winning the final! The winner's circle shot was awesome (I'm the only guy wearing a non-white t-shirt, and you can tell I got soaked in something), and 3 hours later back in the hotel room my boxer shorts were still soaked in beer.
I managed to get a few hours of sleep before 1st round at 9 am the following morning, and made the 3rd round before Manny Sousa put me out (Frank95Z, I somehow knew we'd end up on him again!), but not before pulling a .000 light off in the 1st round.
Was a great weekend, and I now have a new Wally to add to my mantle!
Now it's Super Chevy this weekend, followed by a race at Bradenton, and then my "off-season" begins in November, which means upgrades and maybe some golf!
Derek
Arrived early Thursday, and as Nate posted elsewhere, it was PACKED! 20 tracks and 630-something cars!
I was a little close on the 'tree on Thursday, going out after the 2nd round in the gambler's race after cutting .009, -.003 and -.010 lights in my last 3 passes.So Friday comes, and after 2 time runs, the Race of Champions (my 2nd time in 2 years) begins. I'm just a little nervous, as last year I exited 1st round to a multi-time track champ from Orlando, and I was determined to not go home early this year, but we had some tough hitters there, and I didn't want to red-light.
1st round I pulled a yellow S-10 p/u. After he tree's me .030 to my .061 (making sure to not red-light) he breaks the transmission at 500 feet so I can "back-off" to a 7.339 on my 7.31 dial-in.
Round 2 I face the 2000 national champion Tim Griffith and his stock eliminator 86 Camaro. His .005 to my .007 light, and I just catch him at the stripe by .017 to win 7.321 on my 7.31 dial-in to his 7.490 on a 7.46 dial.
Round 3 I'm running a guy in a blue/white Mopar dialed 6.73. I tree this guy .034 to a .101 and slam the brakes to go 7.303 on my 7.30 dial to his 6.700 et.
Round 4 I get the bye-run to the final, and get to face Franky Bishop in the final. This guy is a 10-time or more track champ, won Race Of Champions last year and is sponsered by Budweiser (yeah, he's that good). Real nice guy, and we split the purse $500/400 and went for the wally. His 6.84 to my 7.29 dial-in, I cut the tree .026 to his .059 and brake the stripe down to .011 and go 7.319 to his right-on 6.847. Man, I screamed so loud I'm surprised I could talk after in the winner's circle.
Of course I'm hanging out with a bunch of Ocala/Gainesville rednecks we race with, so after they consumed 2-1/2 cases of beer they are all drunk and crazy, and I got 3 beers poured/sprayed on me and the car after winning the final!
The winner's circle shot was awesome (I'm the only guy wearing a non-white t-shirt, and you can tell I got soaked in something), and 3 hours later back in the hotel room my boxer shorts were still soaked in beer. I managed to get a few hours of sleep before 1st round at 9 am the following morning, and made the 3rd round before Manny Sousa put me out (Frank95Z, I somehow knew we'd end up on him again!), but not before pulling a .000 light off in the 1st round.
Was a great weekend, and I now have a new Wally to add to my mantle!
Now it's Super Chevy this weekend, followed by a race at Bradenton, and then my "off-season" begins in November, which means upgrades and maybe some golf!
Derek
overall you deserve each can of beer esp. at that time !!
Congrats man & have a great day
peace
10-16-2005, 07:00 PM
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I was just on the NHRA site and there is a nice write up of you on the win at the divisional championship. Also noticed 4 of the top 5 tracks were from FL #1 Sunshine(Tampa),#2 Gainsville,#3 Bradenton, #4 Moroso and Orlando was #6 damn there is some good dragracers in FL!!
10-17-2005, 07:26 AM
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Thanks for all the kind words guys!
I added the NHRA & Summit write-ups to the first post.
Caveman,
Yep, we have some bad racers here from Florida. If you ever want a break-down of them, let me know as I have most likely had my *** spanked by them at one time or another.
Bad95,
Yeah, the beer was a little over the top, but fun nonetheless. I have pictures coming in a few weeks, and I'm anxious to see how crazy it was, as I remember time flew by after winning, and before I knew it I was in bed trying to
, but not much success!
Coach,
I'm sorry to hear you have hit a skid the last few races. Most bracket racers know that means a nice turn-a-around is coming soon! I hope that's the case for you!
Derek
I added the NHRA & Summit write-ups to the first post.
Caveman,
Yep, we have some bad racers here from Florida. If you ever want a break-down of them, let me know as I have most likely had my *** spanked by them at one time or another.
Bad95,
Yeah, the beer was a little over the top, but fun nonetheless. I have pictures coming in a few weeks, and I'm anxious to see how crazy it was, as I remember time flew by after winning, and before I knew it I was in bed trying to
, but not much success!Coach,
I'm sorry to hear you have hit a skid the last few races. Most bracket racers know that means a nice turn-a-around is coming soon! I hope that's the case for you!
Derek
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10-17-2005, 08:45 AM
#8
Great showing Derek! 
Looks like you will be coming out next month. 
We are going to be at the POWERade finals on Sunday only though. 
I have to work at SEMA, but we plan to be there to help out our friend Jack Beckman (Menards Top Fuel driver). If you can look us up, I would love to meet in person. 
Once again, congratulations! 
Looks like you will be coming out next month. We are going to be at the POWERade finals on Sunday only though. I have to work at SEMA, but we plan to be there to help out our friend Jack Beckman (Menards Top Fuel driver). If you can look us up, I would love to meet in person. Once again, congratulations!
10-17-2005, 10:00 AM
#9
Great racing Derek!!....BIG, BIG CONGRATS!!!!
I think that most people (especially those who haven't competed in a bracket program) don't realize how difficult it is maintain the mental attitude, focus and the mechanical integrity necessary to to be a champion.
Bracket racing is a game of inches and you play that game extremely WELL!!
Good JOB!
Maggie
Derek Putnam's MOV: 0.0112 seconds (approximately 20 inches).
Bracket racing is a game of inches and you play that game extremely WELL!!
Good JOB!
Maggie
10-19-2005, 08:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Flame Throwing SS
Great showing Derek! Looks like you will be coming out next month.
Looks like you will be coming out next month.
Originally Posted by Maggie
Great racing Derek!!....BIG, BIG CONGRATS!!!!
I think that most people (especially those who haven't competed in a bracket program) don't realize how difficult it is maintain the mental attitude, focus and the mechanical integrity necessary to to be a champion.
Bracket racing is a game of inches and you play that game extremely WELL!!
Good JOB!
Maggie
I think that most people (especially those who haven't competed in a bracket program) don't realize how difficult it is maintain the mental attitude, focus and the mechanical integrity necessary to to be a champion.
Bracket racing is a game of inches and you play that game extremely WELL!!
Good JOB!
Maggie
I'm sure you know that as soon as you do well, it just motivates other racers to try and beat you even more! I somehow feel I'm in for more "target practice" next year!
Derek
you down. Just like a the fast gun fighter in the old west!! You are a marked man now! 