MSA Pro Modified
Having stepped up to Pro Modified at the start of the year with his Robinson Race Cars constructed Superbird, Graham Ellis came into the National Finals with a faint hope of securing the prestigious 2008 MSA British Drag Racing Championship title. Unfortunately there weren’t sufficient rounds of elimination for him to topple Bert Englefield off the top of the charts, despite qualifying low with a 6.7680/213 and taking the event win after Roger Moore’s (another Pro Mod rookie in 2008) nitrous Viper refused to restart after losing fire attempting to burnout.
Top Methanol
The four car Top Methanol field saw a pair of dragsters and a pair of funny cars aim for event honours. The natural order of things settled out with Rob Turner and Derek Flynn wheeling their long cars to the top two qualifying spots, Flynn on pole with a 5.4722/246.50 (a new PB from the Gold RV A/Fuel team). Rob Turner struck back for the blown alcohol brigade with low ET at 5.4661/249.50 in a first round victory over Danny Bellio and then out ran Flynn with a 5.5260/246.69 (to a 5.607/255.98) to back up the earlier ET as a national record.
Nostalgia Fuel Altered Association
2008 has been a year of attrition among the NFAA ranks, but Dennis Wratten and the Dirty Harry crew (resplendently attired in suits and black ties throughout the course of the weekend) managed to just take the association’s points title. The Flowtech Topolino delivered Wratten to the winner’s circle at the National Finals when a 6.8708/195 outran Tony Betts in the Venom 2 car.