Goodguys 17th Nitro Nationals on Tap for This Weekend

By John Drummond

 

Santa Rosa’s Jim Murphy will put his 40 years of drag racing experience on the line as he attempts to win Top Fuel Eliminator at the Goodgusy 17th Nitro Nationals. Murphy’s “WW II” dragster is the world’s quickest at 5.71 seconds in the quarter mile.

Infineon Raceway - Sonoma, CA – The second leg of the Goodguys Vintage Drag Racing Association’s  5-race West Coast Championship Series launches down the Infineon Raceway quarter mile this Saturday and Sunday April 23 & 24 with the 17th running of the Nitro Nationals! Over 400 1972 & earlier vintage drag racing entries are expected to compete for top honors in 14 different classes. Joining the drag racing action will be a colorful rod & custom car show along with a Manufacturer’s Midway offering speed equipment and other hot rodding related items. Back in 1989, Goodguys, based in Pleasanton, CA held their first-ever vintage drag race right here in Sonoma. The inaugural event launched the vintage drag racing scene into its current position as one of America’s favorite vintage motor sports.

Nostalgia Top Fuel and Nostalgia Funny Car highlight the playbill this weekend. No less than twenty, nitro burning, flame-belching 3,000 horsepower top fuel cars are expected, lead by Santa Rosa’s Jim Murphy. Murphy last tasted victory at Infineon in 2000 driving his popular “WW II” entry. He’ll have an enormous cheering section for the race having invited over 100 friends and business associates. Jim Murphy and Associates is one of the North Bay Area’s largest construction firms.

Tucson, Arizona’s Mike Savage will attempt to win his second consecutive Goodguys Vintage Drag Race behind the wheel of Jim Broom’s “Heat Wave” 1978 Dodge Funny Car.

Funny Car points leader Mike Savage of Tucson, Arizona, pilot of the “Heat Wave” 1978 Dodge Challenger, comes to the 17th Nitro Nationals with some momentum following a victory at the season-opening Goodguys March Meet held last month in Bakersfield. A group of eleven nitro burning plastic bodied Nostalgia Funny Cars are expected to attempt qualifying runs for the 8-car field. Like Murphy in Top Fuel, Savage and team owner Jim Broom will also have a raucous cheering section. They donated a handful of event tickets to Northern California Marines returning from the Iraq war.

Former NHRA Top Fuel standout Frank Bradley of Santa Rosa and Sacramento custom car icon Dick Bertolucci will be honored by Goodguys/VRA as the 17th Nitro Nationals official “Hot Rod Heroes.” Both men will be presented with special awards and introduced to the crowd Sunday morning during pre-race ceremonies. They will also be signing autographs in the Infineon Raceway Winner’s Circle Sunday at Noon.

Professional qualifying is scheduled for 10:00am and 1:30pm Saturday. First round eliminations for the 16-car Top Fuel field is also set for Saturday, with a 4:30pm blast off time. Final eliminations are set for Sunday at 10am.

For additional event information visit www.good-guys.com or call (925) 838-9876.

John Drummond