The week preceding the All-Star Nationals in Georgia, the Atlanta area was beset with wild and crazy weather events, including tornadoes, an earthquake, and even a collapsed section of I-85! Even after the bulk of the the area was still seeing strong headwinds and unseasonably cold temperatures. The racers in attendance were more than up for the challenge, and an exciting weekend of racing ensued.

Alton Clements, Jr.

After some unfortunate issues at the NMRA season opener, Alton Clements, Jr. came to Georgia with renewed energy. After experimenting with some new transmission technology that was not turning in the runs he was expecting, Clements made some changes and everything started to come together. A 7.454 qualifying run at 183.92 mph ranked him third out of the fourteen car field. From there, Alton continued to put down consistent 7.44-7.45 runs all weekend, until an overly aggressive tuneup in the '89 Mustang for the semi-finals ended his weekend.

Look for Alton & crew to continue their charge in Renegade with their Vortech V-27 YSi-BX Supercharged combination at Maple Grove next month.

Chuck Bartholme

Even with suffering an engine failure in the first round of eliminations, Chuck Bartholme still had himself quite the outing in Atlanta. Chuck ran a career best in qualifying of 7.49 at 180 mph, but the fact that he did so with the smaller V-27 YSi-B on his 363ci powerplant, instead of the YSi-BX normally found turning in the mid-7 second E.T.'s, is the real story. We are guaranteed to see some additional excitement from Chuck at upcoming events this year.

Nikki Frost

Getting better and better with every outing, Nikki Frost and her V-7 JT-B Supercharged 2013 Mustang GT did so well in Georgia that she managed to bend space and time...turning in an 8.93 E.T. at (what the clocks showed) a quite impossible 230.45 mph!!! This would have obliterated the Coyote Modified class record, as well as possibly even the track record if it were not some sort of timing glitch. No matter, they still have the time slip to prove it!

Look for more impressive times from Nikki in Maple Grove next month!

Justin Ehlin

With a brand new car and this being his first heads up racing event, Justin did a great job, qualifying #8 in Coyote Modified with an 8.72 @ 165.29 mph. The gear driven Vortech V-7 JT-B Supercharged 2011 Mustang GT features an MPR Race Engines built Coyote 5.0 engine, with Diamond Pistons, Oliver Rods, custom Blow-By Racing cams, and a Big Stuff 3 engine management system. Look for Justin & team assaulting the 1320 at more events this year.

Roxanne Shepard

Roxanne and her Vortech Supercharged "Tweety" Mustang have been a staple at NMRA events for many years. Currently boosting a Livernois-built 2 Valve engine with a Vortech Ti Supercharger and air-to-water charge cooler, Roxanne turned in consistent runs in the 9.50 range at 125 mph in the Modular Muscle class.

Chad Wendel

Chad and is Vortech V-2 Si Supercharged S197 is always consistent, which is great for running an index class like Super Stang. In Atlanta, Chad turned in repeatable elapsed times of 11.25 @ 126 mph, carrying him to Round 2 of eliminations.

See you all next month in Maple Grove for more drag racing action!

Photo Credit to NMRA Digital on several of the photos used in this entry.