Gateway NSS results

StillRock69 · 05-24-2013, 12:39 PM

2013 Mega Mopar Series

(at Gateway Motorsports Park, Madison IL.)

Index Nostalgia Super Stock

Final Qualifying Order

(after two sessions)

1. 7017 NSS/B Joe Ewing; Evansville IN; ’63 Dodge; 10.510; +0.010
2. 6212 NSS/C Buck Schooler; Sedalia MO; ’65 Belvedere; 11.017; +0.017
3. 7311 AAA/FX Mike Rossiter; DeMotte IN; ’64 Plymouth Fury; 8.768; +0.018
4. 7690 NSS/B Kenny Gresham; Granite City IL; ’63 Ford Galaxie; 10.556; +0.056
5. 5008 NSS/B Phil Cathey; Columbia MO; ’67 Plymouth GTX; 10.567; +0.067
6. 1967 NSS/A Larry Roff; Belle MO; ’67 Plymouth Dart; 10.088; +0.088
7. 1288 NSS/E Shaun Johnston; Milstadt IL; ’67 Belvedere; 12.091; +0.091
8. 7426 NSS/B Al Corda; Elk Mound WI; ’64 Plymouth; 10.638; +0.138
9. 7410 NSS/C Mick Alles; New Albany IN; ’64 Belvedere; 11.238; +0.238
10. 7556 NSS/C Bob Mosher; Elmhurst IL; ’67 Ford Fairlane; 10.993; -0.007
11. 1963 NSS/B Stanley Rideout; Pacific MO; ’63 Plymouth; 10.442; -0.058
12. 1965 NSS/D Randy Spurgeon; Owensville MO; ‘63 Dodge 330; 11.430; -0.070
13. 7304 NSS/B Dave Isom; Belleville IL; ’65 Belvedere; 10.323; -0.177
14. 341H NSS/G Andy Hartline; Granite City IL; ’62 Pontiac Catalina; 12.639; -0.361
15. 7004 AAA/FX Michael Sanders Jr.; Brook IN; ’68 Barracuda; DNQ broke

Ewing good and lucky in victory

By Bob Wilkiewicz
Nostalgia Super Stocks Inc.

MADISON, Ill. – Using both good work and good fortune, Joe Ewing of Evansville IN, drove his ’63 Dodge ‘Ewing & Duell’ entry to the index Nostalgia Super Stock championship of the St. Louis edition of the 2013 Mega Mopar Series May 19 at Gateway Motorsports Park.

“It would have been kind of embarrassing not to make something of all that,” said Ewing, who is always a contender at any race he attends.

Ewing used Saturday’s second and final qualifying session to grab the No. 1 spot, posting 10.510 on his NSS/B 10.50 index to slip past No. 2 Buck Schooler and No. 3 Mike Rossiter, who posted +0.017 and +0.018, respectively.

That No. 1 position proved to be very important as the ladder of the 14-car field would have required Ewing to run veteran and many-time, many-venue champion Al Corda, who had qualified No. 8, in the first round.

However, during a routine post-qualifying check, Corda saw the telltale gold dust of early bearing failure in his oil filter and decided to put his red ’64 Plymouth in the trailer. “It’s just not worth taking the risk,” he said.

This sequence gave Ewing a single in the first round and then a true bye in the second round to cruise into the semifinal.

Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the field, No. 13 qualifier and eventual runner-up Randy Spurgeon was using every trick in his veteran repertoire to slide through his first three contests with the ’63 Dodge 330 red, white and blue Ramchargers clone car, running 11.50 NSS/D.

“The brakes were gradually fading,” Spurgeon said. “It was no problem with the long shutoff area but the burnouts and staging were getting interesting.”

In the semifinals, Spurgeon defeated Kenny Gresham’s white NSS/B ’63 Ford Galaxie with a 0.150 to 0.271 reaction time advantage and Ewing advanced when Larry Roff went -0.063 red in his ‘Orange Peel’ ’67 Dodge Dart.

In the final, Spurgeon left 0.057 to 0.068 for Ewing but lost 11.445 to 10.533 on the breakout.

“Completely unexpected,” said Ewing. “Everything just fell right for me.”

Notes

The event was unprecedented in NSS history as it presented two different racing styles – heads-up exhibition and index – in the same program. The total car count for NSS was 31 – 15 index and 17 heads-up. “We especially liked the wheels-up launches of the quicker cars,” said Gateway Chief Operations Officer Mike Stambaugh.
------------------------------------------
There were four delays, one minor rain, and three majors.
-----------------------------------
A no-injury oil-down occurred when Len Grimsley Jr. blew up the motor of his NHRA B/SA Stock Eliminator Challenger at the 1,000-foot mark. “It was unusual because it just didn’t let go, something broke and the engine over speeded big time before coming apart,” said crew chief Paul Habura. “We won’t know what happened until we get a really close look at all the details.”
---------------------------------
With the finals in the staging lanes, a dragster went into the end-of-track net and sand trap and became a dragster tree, stuck vertically. The wheelie bars, four feet into the sand, had to be cut off before the machine could be untangled and removed. The driver was not injured but the laborious process took more than an hour.
--------------------------------------
The major obstacle came early Friday morning when a contractor digging a foundation for a new restaurant/grill building on the property cut through a power cable, disrupting electric service to the entire facility. Four hours later, it became apparent there would be no quick repair so track management brought in a portable generator to power the tower and timing systems and an hour later racing started.
On Saturday morning, another attempt at power through the basic supply line failed and it was back to portable for the remainder of the event.
“We were at high risk for damaging equipment and had to be very careful in booting up computers and other devices,” said Gateway General Manager Chris Blair. “We felt staying on the generator was the best choice for completing the event.”
--------------------------
The father-son team of Michael Sanders Sr. and Jr. was in pit Thursday afternoon with their custom-built high-technology ’68 Barracuda and ready for action. But during a few warm-up laps around the pits on Friday morning, a valve lifter came apart, scattering metal throughout the motor. “We have to take it back to the shop and completely clean it up,” said Michael Sanders Jr.
---------------------------------------------
And one more valve lifter story, one with a more favorable ending. After breaking a valve lifter during a Saturday morning time trial, Buck Schooler disassembled, repaired, reassembled the motor and then ran 11.017 on his NSS/C 11.00 index to take the No. 1 spot in the first qualifying session.
--------------------------------------------
Both Nostalgia Super Stocks Inc. and The Nostalgia Super Stock National Association are always looking for younger racers in the class; two 20-somethings came out and enjoyed their first experience in NSS.
Shaun Johnston of Milstadt IL competed strongly in his well-prepared ‘67 Belvedere, qualifying in the No. 5 position.
And Andy Hartline, who is a tech inspector and manages the fuel concession for Gateway and also works for the last surviving local bricks-and-mortar speed shop in St. Louis, was running 13.00 NSS/G with his very clean ’62 Pontiac Catalina.
He also assisted me big-time by coming up with a National Muscle Car Association rule book. Thanks, Andy.
--------------------------------------------
After racing was over on Saturday, Joe Ewing came over to the heads-up pit and spent more than an hour visiting, telling stories and being Joe – a move with major class. Thank you, Joe.
-------------------------------------------
Finally, I also need to make a special thank you and appreciation to Kenny Gresham, who is relentless with his positive enthusiasm and support for NSS racing. He did major background work and promotion and was the spark who made the event possible.

05-24-2013, 12:39 PM	#1
StillRock69 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 7 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Gateway NSS results 2013 *Mega Mopar Series* *(at Gateway Motorsports Park, Madison IL.)* *Index Nostalgia Super Stock* *Final Qualifying Order* *(after two sessions)* 1. 7017 NSS/B Joe Ewing; Evansville IN; ’63 Dodge; 10.510; +0.010 2. 6212 NSS/C Buck Schooler; Sedalia MO; ’65 Belvedere; 11.017; +0.017 3. 7311 AAA/FX Mike Rossiter; DeMotte IN; ’64 Plymouth Fury; 8.768; +0.018 4. 7690 NSS/B Kenny Gresham; Granite City IL; ’63 Ford Galaxie; 10.556; +0.056 5. 5008 NSS/B Phil Cathey; Columbia MO; ’67 Plymouth GTX; 10.567; +0.067 6. 1967 NSS/A Larry Roff; Belle MO; ’67 Plymouth Dart; 10.088; +0.088 7. 1288 NSS/E Shaun Johnston; Milstadt IL; ’67 Belvedere; 12.091; +0.091 8. 7426 NSS/B Al Corda; Elk Mound WI; ’64 Plymouth; 10.638; +0.138 9. 7410 NSS/C Mick Alles; New Albany IN; ’64 Belvedere; 11.238; +0.238 10. 7556 NSS/C Bob Mosher; Elmhurst IL; ’67 Ford Fairlane; 10.993; -0.007 11. 1963 NSS/B Stanley Rideout; Pacific MO; ’63 Plymouth; 10.442; -0.058 12. 1965 NSS/D Randy Spurgeon; Owensville MO; ‘63 Dodge 330; 11.430; -0.070 13. 7304 NSS/B Dave Isom; Belleville IL; ’65 Belvedere; 10.323; -0.177 14. 341H NSS/G Andy Hartline; Granite City IL; ’62 Pontiac Catalina; 12.639; -0.361 15. 7004 AAA/FX Michael Sanders Jr.; Brook IN; ’68 Barracuda; DNQ broke *Ewing good and lucky in victory* By Bob Wilkiewicz Nostalgia Super Stocks Inc. MADISON, Ill. – Using both good work and good fortune, Joe Ewing of Evansville IN, drove his ’63 Dodge ‘Ewing & Duell’ entry to the index Nostalgia Super Stock championship of the St. Louis edition of the 2013 Mega Mopar Series May 19 at Gateway Motorsports Park. “It would have been kind of embarrassing not to make something of all that,” said Ewing, who is always a contender at any race he attends. Ewing used Saturday’s second and final qualifying session to grab the No. 1 spot, posting 10.510 on his NSS/B 10.50 index to slip past No. 2 Buck Schooler and No. 3 Mike Rossiter, who posted +0.017 and +0.018, respectively. That No. 1 position proved to be very important as the ladder of the 14-car field would have required Ewing to run veteran and many-time, many-venue champion Al Corda, who had qualified No. 8, in the first round. However, during a routine post-qualifying check, Corda saw the telltale gold dust of early bearing failure in his oil filter and decided to put his red ’64 Plymouth in the trailer. “It’s just not worth taking the risk,” he said. This sequence gave Ewing a single in the first round and then a true bye in the second round to cruise into the semifinal. Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the field, No. 13 qualifier and eventual runner-up Randy Spurgeon was using every trick in his veteran repertoire to slide through his first three contests with the ’63 Dodge 330 red, white and blue Ramchargers clone car, running 11.50 NSS/D. “The brakes were gradually fading,” Spurgeon said. “It was no problem with the long shutoff area but the burnouts and staging were getting interesting.” In the semifinals, Spurgeon defeated Kenny Gresham’s white NSS/B ’63 Ford Galaxie with a 0.150 to 0.271 reaction time advantage and Ewing advanced when Larry Roff went -0.063 red in his ‘Orange Peel’ ’67 Dodge Dart. In the final, Spurgeon left 0.057 to 0.068 for Ewing but lost 11.445 to 10.533 on the breakout. “Completely unexpected,” said Ewing. “Everything just fell right for me.” *Notes* The event was unprecedented in NSS history as it presented two different racing styles – heads-up exhibition and index – in the same program. The total car count for NSS was 31 – 15 index and 17 heads-up. “We especially liked the wheels-up launches of the quicker cars,” said Gateway Chief Operations Officer Mike Stambaugh. ------------------------------------------ There were four delays, one minor rain, and three majors. ----------------------------------- A no-injury oil-down occurred when Len Grimsley Jr. blew up the motor of his NHRA B/SA Stock Eliminator Challenger at the 1,000-foot mark. “It was unusual because it just didn’t let go, something broke and the engine over speeded big time before coming apart,” said crew chief Paul Habura. “We won’t know what happened until we get a really close look at all the details.” --------------------------------- With the finals in the staging lanes, a dragster went into the end-of-track net and sand trap and became a dragster tree, stuck vertically. The wheelie bars, four feet into the sand, had to be cut off before the machine could be untangled and removed. The driver was not injured but the laborious process took more than an hour. -------------------------------------- The major obstacle came early Friday morning when a contractor digging a foundation for a new restaurant/grill building on the property cut through a power cable, disrupting electric service to the entire facility. Four hours later, it became apparent there would be no quick repair so track management brought in a portable generator to power the tower and timing systems and an hour later racing started. On Saturday morning, another attempt at power through the basic supply line failed and it was back to portable for the remainder of the event. “We were at high risk for damaging equipment and had to be very careful in booting up computers and other devices,” said Gateway General Manager Chris Blair. “We felt staying on the generator was the best choice for completing the event.” -------------------------- The father-son team of Michael Sanders Sr. and Jr. was in pit Thursday afternoon with their custom-built high-technology ’68 Barracuda and ready for action. But during a few warm-up laps around the pits on Friday morning, a valve lifter came apart, scattering metal throughout the motor. “We have to take it back to the shop and completely clean it up,” said Michael Sanders Jr. --------------------------------------------- And one more valve lifter story, one with a more favorable ending. After breaking a valve lifter during a Saturday morning time trial, Buck Schooler disassembled, repaired, reassembled the motor and then ran 11.017 on his NSS/C 11.00 index to take the No. 1 spot in the first qualifying session. -------------------------------------------- Both Nostalgia Super Stocks Inc. and The Nostalgia Super Stock National Association are always looking for younger racers in the class; two 20-somethings came out and enjoyed their first experience in NSS. Shaun Johnston of Milstadt IL competed strongly in his well-prepared ‘67 Belvedere, qualifying in the No. 5 position. And Andy Hartline, who is a tech inspector and manages the fuel concession for Gateway and also works for the last surviving local bricks-and-mortar speed shop in St. Louis, was running 13.00 NSS/G with his very clean ’62 Pontiac Catalina. He also assisted me big-time by coming up with a National Muscle Car Association rule book. Thanks, Andy. -------------------------------------------- After racing was over on Saturday, Joe Ewing came over to the heads-up pit and spent more than an hour visiting, telling stories and being Joe – a move with major class. Thank you, Joe. ------------------------------------------- Finally, I also need to make a special thank you and appreciation to Kenny Gresham, who is relentless with his positive enthusiasm and support for NSS racing. He did major background work and promotion and was the spark who made the event possible. ©2013 by Nostalgia Super Stocks Inc.