Opening the season at Atco

Words and photos by Phil Hutchinson

The Northeast Division racing season is officially on with the completion of the Sony/PC Richard.com National Open at Atco Dragway April 8-12. Windy and rainy conditions on Friday forced the NHRA crew to finish the event on Sunday under sunny skies.

Canadian racer Tiina Duncanson wheeling her 2010 Ski Doo won the Pro Stock Snowmobile title, the first ever at a NHRA event. Duncanson was the class of the field qualifying in the #1 spot and setting low ET with an 8.275 and Top Speed at 156.72 MPH. In the finals her competition, John Evans, was second off the line and second across the stripe running an 8.772 to Tiina’s quick 8.275.

“This was the first regular NHRA Prostock sled race ever run,” Duncanson said after the win. ”We have run for years in NHRA/IHRA as an exhibition class. The Wally I won is the first ever for a sled. That win on Saturday was a gigantic step for sled racing and the most exciting win for me”.

Also taking his first ever NHRA win was long time Stock racer Steve Calabro. Calabro, driving the big block ’69 Corvette A/SA of Joe Fasano, used a little luck in getting to the winner’s circle as two of his late round opponents left too soon giving him a free pass to the finals where he faced the C/SA Barracuda of Bill Kirpens Jr. Just like his earlier opponents, Kirpens lit the red light giving the Arlington NJ racer his first NED victory.

“This is great,” said Calabro after the race, “I have been racing in Stock forever and this is my first win.”

John Murphy has been racing in the NED for a long time and he finally took home the bacon, wheeling his ’85 S-10 to a win in Super Street. In the finals Murph was off the line with a 0.03 light but it didn’t matter as his competition, the 1968 Camaro of Dave Harvey, left too soon giving him the win.

Atco Dragway must really like Dave Muller or Dave really likes Atco as he took his second win in as many weeks at the New Jersey facility driving his ’06 Race Tech dragster to a Top Dragster win. Muller, who won a $5,000 bracket race at Atco the week before, had his car in the low 7-second zone all weekend. In the finals he was up against 2009 series champ Jeff Serra. Unfortunately for Serra, he joined the ranks of the red lighters leaving too soon, handing Muller the win.

“Atco has been so good to me,” Muller said in the winner’s circle. “I have been in the finals six times in the past two years at this track.”

On his way to the win over a large field, Muller defeated former Dutch Classic winner Dave Petrofske in the quarter-final round.