NSS Results - Bradenton

[StillRock69]

Author's Note: In addition to the excellent historical information posted in this section, our committee has concluded it would be beneficial for readers to be informed about news in current Nostalgia Super Stock racing.

Therefore, this will be the first post of race results, with other goings-on to also be reported as we move into the future.

For questions/comments/conversation, my contact information is (262) 955-4034; e-mail, stillrock69@hotmail.com and snail mail to 1559 White Rock Av., Waukesha WI 53186

Sincerely,
Bob Wilkiewicz
Secretary, Nostalgia Super Stock National Asssociation

2013 Ross Racing Pistons
11th annual National Muscle Car Association Nationals

(at Bradenton Raceway Park, Bradenton, Fla.)

TTI Performance Exhaust Nostalgia Super Stock

Final Qualifying Order

(after three sessions)

1. 7777 B/FX Doug Duell; Newburgh IN; ’64 Plymouth; Plymouth 540; 9.515; +0.015
2. 7770 A/FX Barry Camp; Monroe GA; ’66 Chevrolet; 572 Chevrolet; 9.266; +0.016
3. 7602 C/FX Dallas Schultz; Richmond TX; ’65 Coronet; Mopar 540; 9.524; +0.024
4. 7014 AAA/FX Michael Sanders, Jr.; Lafayette IN; ’68 Plymouth; Mopar 655; 8.778; +0.028
5. 7026 NSS/B Randy Stansbury; Ragley LA; ’63 Plymouth; Mopar 496; 10.533; +0.033
6. 7601 C/FX Dave Schultz; Richmond TX; ’60 Plymouth; Mopar 588; 9.792; +0.042
7. 7899 AA/FX D.W. Hopkins; Tupelo MS; ’64 T-Bolt; 528 Ford; 9.048; +0.048
8. 7017 NSS/B Joe Ewing; Evansville IN; ’63 Dodge; Mopar 426; 10.549; +0.049
9. 7025 NSS/E Doug Poskevich; Deland FL; ’66 Ford; Ford 390; 12.054; +0.054
10. 7051 NSS/A Brent Wheeler; Monroe GA; ’66 Coronet; Mopar 499; 10.211; +0.121
11. 7594 NSS/A Ron Carraway; Lakeland FL; ’64 Fury; Chrysler 440; 10.226; +0.226
12. 7593 NSS/B Dwight Swart; Winter Haven FL; ’64 T-Bolt; Ford 427; 11.425; +0.925

By Bob Wilkiewicz
Nostalgia Super Stock National Association
National Muscle Car Association Correspondent

BRADENTON, Fla. – For Doug Duell, it was the classic philosophy question: What is good and what is not good?

Lacking a competition-ready motor for his National Hot Rod Association Stock Eliminator Challenger, instead Duell decided to race TTI Performance Exhaust Nostalgia Super Stock at the season-opening 2013 Ross Racing Pistons 11th annual National Muscle Car Association Nationals March 21-24.
“Not a bad way to start the season,” said a teasingly deadpan Duell, who qualified first in the 12-car field and went on to win the contest.

Duell edged Barry Camp by 0.001 in Saturday’s final qualifier and then defeated the popular Georgian 9.496 to 9.232 in Sunday’s double breakout final, about a half-hour before the threatened thunderstorm finally arrived.

“He had the better light and pushed me out,” said Camp, who reacted 0.057 to Duell’s 0.025. “I had to stay in it to try and catch him. It was a turnaround of the last round; I did the same thing to Dallas (Schultz).

“Too bad I didn’t win because now I’ll have to quit… until the next race,” he said in addition before breaking open more deadpan mock seriousness with a burst of his own well-known laughter.

On the top side of the ladder, the eventual winner caught a big break in the first round after opponent D.W. Hopkins took a major 0.027 to 0.080 reaction time advantage. But then his foot slipped off the loud pedal and the mistake proved too much to recover from. “A little luck there,” said Duell.

Also on that side, Mike Sanders had advanced by a -0.006 red gift from Brent Wheeler to set up a second round showdown against Duell.

The pit grapevine was saying Duell might be struggling to run his number due to the persistent and and increasing straight into and then quartering uptrack wind, blowing 23 and gusting to 30 mph. The warm ambient air (75F) and relatively high humidity (1430-foot density altitude) added to difficult tuning decisions.

Knowing this would be one of the few times he would be the chased (8.75 to 9.50), Duell considered a jetting change to gain a few numbers. But with the class calls likely coming quicker, it would be risky to be caught with two disassembled carburetors.

“I was a little light but close enough and figured it would be better to go with what I had been doing,” said Duell. “My reaction times had been pretty good.” With some more good fortune, Duell won the coin toss and immediately grabbed his preferred right lane (first into the wind). “I knew it was likely I couldn’t break out,” he said.

Sanders pre-staged first and then immediately staged after Duell’s pre-stage. Then Duell took about four more seconds to move into the staging beam. Each driver posted a 0.024 reaction time.

“I knew I had a good light and that the difference would be about five feet coming up,” said Duell, who prevailed 9.530 to 8.794. “At that speed there’s no way to tell for sure, you just have to trust it. I got there and just blipped once real light. That was a race.”

And that victory gave Duell a bye into the final.

Meanwhile on the other side – Camp took his first two rounds courtesy of consecutive red lights from Joe Ewing (-0.018) and Randy Stansbury (-0.034).

And the father-son team of Dave Schultz and Dallas Schultz, respectively, headed for a rematch of a second round contest at Indy last autumn. “We’ll just run it,” said Dave Schultz. “If anything he’s the higher qualifier (No. 3) so that would be better from a season-opening points perspective.”

However, the elder Schultz was a little twitchy on the trigger, going -0.008 red and 9.777 to +0.119 and 9.544. “Maybe he’ll go on to win the whole thing,” said Dave Schultz, who added the wind factor was worth perhaps a half tenth.

The contested semifinal was a double breakout of inversed numbers as Camp edged Dallas Schultz 9.248 to 9.482.

For the final, Duell said he set up to run a 49. “I didn’t want it softer like a 52 and taking a chance on the wind that could make a guy look foolish,” he said. “I looked back and he was about 10 feet behind so I figured things were OK and just kind of rode the brakes thru. I knew I had a good light (0.025) and if I had broke out more, shame on me.”

As for what is ultimately good and what isn’t, we’ll all have to wait until October to know.

Notes

Listening to the scuttlebutt during the first lap around the pits, it sounded as if there wasn’t much NSS news at Bradenton.

There was no talk of the amended ignition box rule. No chatter about the six-event season schedule and the championship points system.

A 12-car field, though? Plenty of speculation.

Timing? It’s early, the third week of March. Location? Florida is an anomaly, it could easily be argued.
It’s a long haul from the NSS foundation in the Midwest; local racers, not so many. There were as many entries from Indiana as from Florida.

The general economic background appears weak. In many locales, the cost of diesel fuel is north of $4.00 per gallon.

But no definitive reasons.
--------------------------------
For 2012, Duell displayed a beautifully restored Drag’n Wag’n, appearing in fresh paint and graphics. He also could not have been more open about his determination to win a third season championship.

However, when that bid ended last October in a round with an inability to run the number, he articulated a two-word plan, “more power.”

And so for 2013 a better engineered Drag’n Wag’n has appeared, again running 9.50 B/FX, but now with two 850-cfm Holley carburetors atop the intake manifold.

After eight pre-season test passes at Beech Bend, Kentucky, the well-known NSS machine went an all-time best 9.392 at 142.85 mph during an early Bradenton event pass.

Not only is the added power capability present, there is another feature Duell especially likes.

“These carburetors are responsive,” said Duell, pointing to a column of reaction times in his log book. Of the 12 entries listed, two were driver errors in the 0.1’s but most of the others were in a range between 0.020 and 0.040. “That is something I really like.”

©2013 by The Nostalgia Super Stock National Association and The National Muscle Car Association