August 7, 2014, AA/FD HQ—Despite a start-and-stop 2014 season, Adam Sorokin, driver of the Chevy-powered “Champion Speed Shop” AA/Fuel Dragster, is spooling up to spoil the hopes of his competition at this weekend’s Pepsi Nightfire Nationals in Boise, Idaho.
Sorokin welcomes the challenge of taking down the likes of Tony Bartone, a New York-based dragster driver who has dominated the front-engine Top Fuel circuit thus far in 2014 with back-to-back wins at the Bakersfield March Meet and Bowling Green, Kentucky.
“We can run well at Boise,” Sorokin said. “That track doesn’t necessarily reward the big-power cars, but the one that can get down the track at the end of the night. The trick is being there at the end.”
In 2014 Sorokin posted a semi-final finish in Bakersfield, but the team opted to skip Bowling Green.
“After the March Meet, we were only 3 or 4 points from being in 3rd place in the championship,” Sorokin said. “Not going to Bowling Green hurt us points-wise and dropped us to 8th. So not really being in contention for another championship, we just want to win the remaining races.”
Last week the team underwent private tests to raise performance and lower expenses.
“We’ve been working to get the combination to reduce the work the guys have to do between rounds and stop forcing us to pay these piston manufacturers so much of our money!” Sorokin exclaimed.
With three races left on the calendar, Sorokin is poised to upend the hopes of anybody in his way, meaning not only Bartone’s but also those of Jim Young, who is second in points and tenaciously giving chase.
At Boise, Young will be in his third different dragster in as many races. Having towed his own small-block Chevy-powered fueler from his home in Wisconsin to Bakersfield in March, and then commandeering the McClain’s Brothers’ big-block Bowtie rail at Kentucky in June, this weekend Young will be stabbing and steering a Chrysler-derivative Hemi in Boise.
“(This is my) first hemi,” Young confirmed, while thanking Utah-based dragster owner Steve Harwood for the opportunity to remain in contention for the Heritage Series Top Fuel Title. “I hope the wick’s longer than a Chevy’s.”
Despite long odds of catching the 2014 AA/FD Heritage Series Points leader, Young remains cagey and optimistic. “I hope to face Bartone in the first round. Go big or go home.”
In the way of Sorokin, Young and Bartone’s aspirations will be a cluster of California-based hitters, including, Jim Murphy, Rick White, Rick Williamson, and Terry Cox.
One factor working for Young: The Harwood-prepped “Nitro-Hemi” entry won Top Fuel at Boise last year. One factor is Sorokin’s favor: He likes upsetting apple carts, only to see which way the apples roll.
Follow the front-engine Top Fuel action of the AA/FD here:
http://aafd.tv
https://www.facebook.com/AAFDTopFuel
http://topfuelers.tumblr.com/
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