TAROS, SEE, MERENDA, AND STEWART SWAT THE BIG HITS AT FAMOSO RACEWAY’S FALL NOSTALGIA DOUBLEHEADER
Bakersfield, Calif. – The Auto Club Famoso Raceway hosted the NHRA Heritage Racing Series final two events for Group 2 competitors with a separate points race each day along with their Good Vibrations Saturday Night Nitro. With eight championship titles up for grabs, there would be plenty of points available for the racers to earn and shake up the standings. And juggle them they did. Only three of the leaders in first place coming into the event, made it to the Famoso Raceway winner’s circle Sunday afternoon.
Dale Taros beat some big odds and tough opponents to make up seventy-five points on NE 1 leader, Brandon Seraphine, and claim the 2016 class championship. To do it, Taros won both Saturday and Sunday’s races, leapfrogging past Seraphine as well as then number two Steve Schoenfeld. On Saturday night the La Mirada drag racer defeated Sabrina Capps for the first of his two needed wins. Schoenfeld was in the lane across from Taros for the Sunday final round. Dale took a .015 advantage at the light with Steve in hot pursuit. With the likelihood of a DQ high, both drivers jockeyed back-and-forth in an effort to “take the stripe” without breaking out. It would turn out to be Taros’ finest weekend in his thirty-five years of racing as Dale won the race decisively.
Charlie See was also on fire at the Fall Nostalgia Championships. Although he did not win the 2016 NE 2 overall title, the Fresno, CA racer grabbed two Wallys by winning the class both Saturday and Sunday. Despite Charlie’s gallant charge, leader Gary Ryan held on to first place by a scant nine points over the late charging See. In NE 3, Lindsey Lister started her weekend in second place twelve points behind Ed DeStaute. Ed’s early exit on Saturday opened the door for Lister and she promptly walked in. By winning Saturday night, Lindsey ostensibly slammed the door closed on DeStaute. When Ed lost in E2 to Ken Fullerton on Sunday, his championship hopes all but vanished. Wes Anderson won Sunday’s race to finish in second place.
For the pre-1979 coupes and sedans and Hot Rod, only Ed Carey in D/G and Kurt Kaemerle in Hot Rod were able to stay ahead of their pursuers and win Heritage Racing Series 2016 titles. Carey and Kaemerle both failed to make any final rounds, but their leads were such that their antagonists could not overtake them, though Steve Barta’s win Sunday in D/G left him a mere one point behind Carey in the final standings. Justin Lee’s win in H/R Saturday bought him within ten points of champion Kaemerle. Former champion Mike Williams won D/G Saturday, and Rocky Young’s hot pink (actually fuchsia) ‘41 Studebaker took the H/R Wally on Sunday.
In A/G, B/G, and C/G, the points races were totally different from H/R and D/G. All three of the points leaders failed to hold onto their leads. Jerry Jahnsen, the A/G pacesetter, failed to win a single round of eliminations opening the door for number two Frank Merenda. Merenda won Sunday’s race and outpointed number three Brandon Frye (147 to 104) to win the 2016 title. Brian Rogers’ victory Saturday night earned him second place.
By far the most riveting competition occurred in B/G. When leader Roy Castagnetto dropped to third place after Saturday’s competition, Jim Stewart and Tim Mulvihill, second and third respectively, charged through the gap. Stewart and Mulvihill would meet in Sunday’s final for all the marbles with the winner being champion. Stewart cut a great .008 RT and Tim broke out by a thousandth (8.599) in an attempt to run him down; Jim’s MOV was .002. In C/G, Brian Smith charged all the way from fifth to first place, despite being unable to meet the call for Sunday’s semi-final round due to a dead battery. Mark Capps took first Saturday night and Wayne Hoover won Sunday’s session. Scott Morgan, the leader going into Sunday’s big showdown, would end up in a tie with Hoover for second place just one point behind Smith.
The Auto Club Famoso Raceway also celebrated their Fan Appreciation Night with their Saturday Night Nitro program. Nitro funny cars, fuel dragsters, and altered roadsters and coupes all competed in one eliminator on a 6.00 index with the top eight qualifying for the final round. Geoff Monise drove the Van Gundy and Clark nitro funny car to the win with a 6.051/232.87 run.
Story by Stephen Justice
