9th Pomona Nitro Nationals - Part 2

By Robert Briggs

NE 2 Lonnie Bradford found the traction good at Pomona but was about three-hundredths of a second too slow to make the Show.

Les Turilli in the Caveman Funny Car looked great but bugs in the system prevented him from qualifying.

Dan Horan Jr.'s 6.110 sec 231.95 mph was good enough for the #2 qualifying position. Dan lost Round One at the line with a (0.162) 6.187 sec 222.03 mph to eventual runner-up Jim Broome, (0.091) 6.215 sec 223.84 mph.

Junior Fuel B Bud Hammer's 7.282 sec 181.67 mph was #1 in qualifying but lost to #2 qualifierJohn Rasmussen in the Final Round.

A/Gas John Taylor's '48 Chevy truck qualified 13th with a 7.759 (7.60 Index). John was caught napping in Round One with a 0.384 reaction time against Jim Data's quick 0.051 RT.

Junior Fuel A Brian Darey, from New York City, came up one spot shy of qualifying. Hopefully we'll see them again because I like where they're going with their racing program! Brian's backup babe Michele was a crowd favorite, for sure.

Second generation Top Fuel driver Adam Sorokin made the 8th spot with his 5.958 sec 250.83 mph. Adam ran well all weekend but lost to Brett Harris in Round Two.

Funny Car Dennis La Charite qualified 4th with a stout 6.162 sec 237.50 mph. Dennis ran 5.975 sec 245.14 mph in Round One for the second ever 5-second Nostalgia Funny Car run. La Charite's handling went haywire in a losing Round Two effort against Jim Broome.

AA/Gas Sean Renteria was the #4 qualifier with a 6.783 sec 204.94 mph. Sean ran well but not well enough against event winner Ed Moss in Round Two.

Hot Rod class racer Tom Harmon during eliminations Sunday. The little Chevy II was very entertaining for the fans.

NE1 Dan Schrokosch, after qualifying #4 with a 7.615 sec (7.60 Index), marched through the field into the Final Round to face super tough Don Taros. Dan ran a great (0.030) 7.614 sec 173.41 mph but Taros was a little bit better for the win, (0.001) 7.613 sec 163.65 mph.

NE1 Rick High's 7.673 sec (7.60 Index) put him in the 11th slot. Rick pulled a red light in Round One against Ronnie Lennon.

Robert Briggs
rbriggs6@charter.net