Kuhlmann Backs Up 230.88
mph Run
Story by John Lindsey
Photos by Scott Meier
Bill Kuhlmann, 1998 Nitro Coupe champ and
1999 runner-up, reset his own Super Chevy Series speed record twice in
just a single week, urging his torquey 1968 Summit Racing Corvette to the
absolute edge of doorslammer racing.
July 16, Indianapolis, IN: Kuhlmann’s
228.60 mph, 1st round pass was 18 hundredths faster than his
record setting run in Gainesville, FL last season.
July 23, Maple Grove, PA: Kuhlmann pushes
his Corvette to 228.94 mph during qualifying, then makes a national record
230.88 mph pass in the 1st round of eliminations against Bruce
Boland, who broke during his burnout. The record toppled Randy Merrick’s
unofficial 230.72 mph pass from the prime spot on national doorslammer
speed lists. Australian Victor Bray’s 233.12 currently sits
atop the world standings.
Kuhlmann also owns the Nitro Coupe ET
record, a 6.201 second winning pass during the Super Chevy Series final in
Indianapolis July 16, and is considered one of the favorites to first take
doorslammer racing into the fives.
"That’s where we’re
headed," Kuhlmann said. "I don’t think it will come this
season, because you sort of chip away at ETs, you don’t make huge gains
at once."
Kuhlmann ran a 6.170 ET last season to
set a career record, but was rained-out of a chance to back it up. Summit
Racing’s Fred Hahn, who campaigns his blown 1954 Corvette in IHRA Pro
Mod, backed up a 6.179 second run to set the low ET record in Grand Bend,
ON in June. [And Australian Top Doorslammer racer Robin Judd equaled
Hahn's 6.179 during qualifying at the ANDRA Winternationals in June. bp]
Kuhlmann has won seven of ten Super Chevy
Series events this season, and is first in the 2000 Nitro Coupe
championship standings with 280 points. Jeff Brozovich is second with 190
points.
Kuhlmann, the longtime Summit Racing team
member, is a drag racing pioneer. He was the first to break the
doorslammer 200 mph barrier in 1987, is considered the father of IHRA Pro
Modified competition, and hosts the popular Tech Tips segments during
ESPN2’s coverage of the Super Chevy Series.
Bill Kuhlmann’s biographical
information and season-long post-race wrap-ups are available at www.summitracing.com.