GM’s Drag Racing Marketing Manager Fred Simmonds poses with Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown winner Dave Connolly.  Connolly commented, “This may have not been a race for points, but to me, a win’s a win in my book. When you can get by some of the drivers we did today, that’s always an accomplishment.”

Cagnazzi Racing will spend the next two days testing both Connolly’s and Jeg Coughlin’s Cobalts here at Las Vegas prior to loading up for the trip to Pomona.

Going into the lights, Dave Connolly edged Jim Yates running a 6.714 ET at 204.42 MPH to the GTO’s 6.742 ET at 204.91 MPH. 

Connolly ran consistant low 6.70’s all day and said in his post-race interview, “This is definitely a morale boost for this team and all the guys at Cagnazzi Racing. We have our own in-house chassis program and I think this may be the first win for our program in Pro Stock. The guys in the engine shop, Joe Hornick, Steve Johns and Nick Ferry, they all do an excellent job and with the kind of numbers our Chevy Cobalt ran today, it showed.”

Running the two Cagnazzi cars with Jeg Coughlin in Florida testing during the off-season has been giving the team lots of data and they hope for both cars to qualify well at the Pomona Winternationals next weekend.

Dave Connolly in his ‘07 Chevy Cobalt had a slight advantage off the starting line in the Final Round of the Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown against Jim Yates’ GTO. 

“Not a bad weekend at all,” said Yates. “This is a brand-new Pontiac GTO with only about seven runs on it, so there are a lot of things we’re still trying to work on to get it ready for Pomona. At the same time, I feel like Bill (Jenkins) has found us some horsepower over the winter and now we just have to figure out how to get the most out of it with this new car.”

A sponsor-less Jim Yates in his white GTO won the first round match against V. Gaines, won the second round versus Jeg Coughlin and won the Semi Final race on Max Naylor’s foul. 

Yates meets Dave Connolly in the final round.

Mike Edwards in his Young Life/Penhall GTO defeated Allen Johnson’s MOPAR in round two, but lost in the semi’s to Dave Connolly on a redlight.  Connolly will meet Jim Yates in the Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown.

In a first round upset Max Naylor’s MOPAR Stratus defeated the GTO of Jason Line 6.744 to the World Champ’s 6.769.  Naylor went on to defeat Warren Johnson in round two running another 6.74.

Kenny Koretsky was ready in the staging lanes, but gave up his starting line advantage to Jeg Coughlin as he coasted through the finish line with an 8.440 to Jeggie’s 6.774.

#2 qualifier Allen Johnson defeated Richie Stevens Jr. in the battle of the blue MOPARS.  Johnson with a 6.698 to Stevens’ 6.754.

The racing is close… how about a .006 reaction time for Tom Martino - but getting beaten off the line with a .000 reaction time by Mike Edwards in his GTO.  Edwards ran a 6.735 to Martino’s 6.746 in Round One of the Showdown.

Round one of eliminations was an ugly one for Greg Anderson as an oil line came off his DRCE 3 GM engine - oiling the entire left lane.  WJ won the round with his 6.745 ET at 205.01 MPH.

Back in the pits… crewmen disassemble the remains of the rear end with the slicks still full of air and missing a large section of tread.  Goodyear Tire Technicians… time for your analysis.

Marty Reger Photo

The Strip at Las Vegas has uploaded their Tower Camera Video footage of Hillary Will’s crash to You Tube. 

Hillary walked in the arms of Crew Chief Jim Oberhofer before she entered the ambulance, she’ll be at Pomona for the Winternationals.

Marty Reger Photo

Hillary Will’s engine clearly without a supercharger...

Marty Reger Photo

Hillary Will’s engine tumbles into the Las Vegas dust...

Marty Reger Photo

In the afternoon Nitro Session, after the first round of Pro Stock eliminations, Hillary Will had a horrific top-end crash, but thankfully “walked away”.  According to an eyewitness at the finish line, the engine exploded throwing shrapnel then hit the rear wing and tore the wing apart as the car came through the lights on a 4.661 ET 290 MPH pass.  The chassis separated behind Will as the engine flew in a fireball-cartwheel down the right lane, over the guardrail into the dirt.  As Hillary and the chassis slowed to a stop the rear end and slicks rolled along in the right lane.

Will was alert and talking with the LVMS emergency crew and was transported to the University Medical Center for a check out by the medical staff.

Note: Hillary is in the front half of the chassis against the near guardrail, the rear-end and slicks are still attached to the rear end rolling to a stop in the far lane… and the engine is headed for the hills!

Marty Reger Photo

Erica Enders qualified 14th with a 6.733, but had to withdraw from eliminations with engine damage in her David Nickens-built MOPAR powerplant.

Kurt Johnson qualified 11th with a 6.716 and grabbed the top mile per hour of the meet at 206.51.

Veteran Warren Johnson is entering his 36th season of NHRA competition and qualified his GTO on the bump spot with 6.767 ET at 205.47.

V. Gaines in his Colorado-based Dodge Stratus qualified in the top half of the Showdown field #5.  He’ll race two-time Pro Stock Champ Jim Yates who qualified 12th.

Dave Connolly qualified 6th for eliminations in his ‘07 Slammers/Torco-sponsored Cobalt with a 6.707 ET and will line-up against Kurt Johnson in the first round.  KJ starts from the #11 spot having run a 7.716 ET.

Saturday at the Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown found a shuffling from Friday’s testing as Greg Anderson in his ‘07 Pontiac GTO nailed the #1 slot running 6.694 ET at 205.98 MPH.  Anderson may have missed out on last season as teammate Jason Line wears the 2006 Pro Stock Championship crown but Greg is back on top here as the best Line could muster was 6.715 for #9. 

After two rounds of qualifying today Line will race Max Naylor in the first round of eliminations and Anderson will race WJ.

Frank Manzo led the Top Alcohol Funny Cars in Friday Time Trials running a stout 5.562 ET at 259.66 MPH.  ‘Ace” Manzo’s Lucas Oil-sponsored funny car leads the field of cars testing by over 1/2 second with Bob Tasca III second quickest at 6.080 ET.

Erica Enders and her David Nickens led team are still working to improve since their 2006 mid-season switch to MOPAR.  Her first pass of the day netted a 6.785 ET at 203.58 MPH.  Enders improved in the final session of Friday with a 6.766 ET at 203.65 MPH. 

Saturday’s first round of qualifying for the Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown is scheduled for 10:00 AM.

Former NBA power forward and two-time all-ACC basketball standout at Georgia Tech Tom Hammonds is back after taking three seasons off - away from Pro Stock competition.  Now back in the seat of a new Chevy Cobalt, Hammonds ran 6.849 ET at 201.55 MPH, he last competed at an NHRA Pro Stock event in Gainesville in 2003.  Hammonds said, “When I raced before, I was still playing in the NBA, and then when I retired from basketball, I was devoted to completing the GM Minority Dealership program.”

Hammonds plans to return to Pro Stock full time behind the wheel of this Rick Jones-built Chevy Cobalt.

Louisiana’s Greg Stanfield driving the Pirana Z Pontiac GTO ran 6.719 ET at 204.66 MPH during the first session at Las Vegas to sit in the third position.  Stanfield stepped-up in the final round of the day with a 6.691 ET at 205.26 MPH to end up second quick for Friday.

The second annual Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway gives NHRA’s best Pro Stock drivers a last chance warm-up and some tight competition as we close in on the Pomona Winternationals starting the 2007 POWERade season. 

After Friday’s first session of time trials three-time NHRA champion Jeg Coughlin led two dozen Pro Stockers with his 6.705 ET at 205.22 MPH in his Slammers Ultimate Milk/Jegs.com Chevy Cobalt.  Coughlin’s Cagnazzi Racing teammate Dave Connolly grabbed the second slot with his 6.726 ET at 205.01 MPH pass in the early afternoon session.

Jeggie came back for the next session and slightly bettered the time in his first with a 6.704 ET.  Then in the final session of Friday he came up with the quickest pass of the day at 6.690 ET at 205.29 MPH.  Although unofficial, Coughlin’s time is quicker than the existing Las Vegas track record.

“I made three runs today and all three of them were clean and fast,” said Coughlin. “Just about every Pro Stock car that is entered for Pomona is also here testing this weekend so that should give us a good barometer of how we stand in relationship to other teams. Right now, I’d have to say I like our chances.”

Coughlin and the remainder of the Pro Stock drivers in Las Vegas will qualify for the 16-car Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown field on Saturday morning before heading straight into eliminations, which are scheduled for 1 p.m.