Thursday at Pomona
 

The opening day of the new season played out pretty much the way the weatherman predicted. The only wild-card put on the table was the widely reported and much discussed encounter between John Irving and the christmas tree. As might be expected, neither John's Dodge truck nor the clearly less robust electronic marvel fared at all well. The big winner, scarred but clearly triumphant in the eternal struggle between the irresistible force and the immovable object was the concrete block that anchored the tree. In retrospect, I would put my money on the concrete block every time. The hour-plus long delay deprived Super Stock racers of their second hit of the day.

Up until that point of the morning, everything was going pretty much according to plan. The conditions this morning were very representative of Pomona. My weather station came up with a density altitude of just over 1200' with a combination of 5? degree temperatures and a depressed barometer reading, normal for being at the leading edge of a winter storm. We certainly did not have killer conditions. The traction seemed excellent to me although I heard a few reports of wheel spin from others. At the time of the tree-killing incident, we were about 2/3 of the way through the field in the second lap. Being strapped in and about four pairs behind John Irving, I missed the excitement. By the time they got the surface cleaned up and the rest of the field down the track on the second pass, my weather station showed 2400' plus. Now, at nearly 7 PM, the rain is showing no signs of letting up. One on-line weather information source suggests that Sunday may be the only non-rainy day in the next five days. Ever a pragmatist, I changed to another source and now I'm pleased to report that we'll have rain on Friday and Saturday while Sunday and the early part of next week will feature a return to our normal pattern of boring sunshine and warm weather. It would not be beyond reason to check for conditions next weekend. Actually, it's far too soon to make even an educated guess as to the eventual schedule. There's a good possibility that the Stock field is set. If the schedule dictates, the same could be true of Super Stock although a second pass for that group might materialize if there's a decent break in the weather.

So, to recap the day, there were no surprises. We knew that Jami Jones had a very fast 305 car and she's set a first trigger point for a review of her combination. Apparently, Monte Jones has been busy this winter. John Calvert likewise set a trigger for the new Mustangs while Ron Roddell earned a hefty, outright horsepower fine that should be levied against his fuel injected 265" high-winder on Monday. At this point in the event, there are a lot more questions than there are answers.

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

c

As always, love the posts, keeping those of us that can't be there up to date is much appreciated, especially with your unique way of letting us "see" through your words.
Supposed to be 70 and sunny in KC tomorrow, sorry I'm not there to enjoy your rain. No, really I am.....
Will see you in Phoenix?

Unk

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

C
There is no doubt you are the best at reporting .
DK

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

Well, now we're gettin' somewhere! Insight from a man whose command of the English language is only exceeded by... well, his command of the English language. I hope this is a harbinger of things to come. Now there's a reason to get on here and find out what's going on. Chuck, please try to find the time to post words and pictures of the happenings at Pomona and any other venues you will be attending.

Unfortunately, it sounds like Mother Nature is not going to provide much material for you until Sunday. Or beyond.

Thanks. It's much appreciated.
Ken

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

Congrats to Monty & Jami Jones on their 1st #1 Qualifier in Stock Eliminator!! Also Monty does the engine work on Ron Roddell's #1 qualifying SS/GTMA Grand Am. Pretty impressive for an engine shop in the middle of a cornfield in Nebraska!!

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

Calverts pass thursday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RatIUzWi_vA

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

Chuck

You da Man!!

RJ

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

Thanks Chuck!

Less than great weather didn't keep you new stocker from going 1+ under. Good job!

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

Chuck, thanks again for the great updates! Do you have any idea what the DA was for Stock Q2? You mentioned that the DA was 1200' in the morning and it went to 2400' later in the day. Robert Pond's 9.760 in AA/S in so so air is impressive; just wondering what the DA was when he ran in Q2; I am assuming that it was 2000+' Thanks.
Bill Seabrooks - superfan1

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

The very best.

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

Bob,
Why are you home?

We should really talk more!

EMS

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

LMAO! I wondered how long it would take for someone to find the Calvert pass I downloaded! I also have the second pass recorded, I might put it up later today. 10.11 run. For anyone who cares, I also posted Alex's first pass on YouTube -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfwFUbygeJo

He is racing a 1969 Cobra Jet owned by brothers Earl and Kay Murakami of Lancaster, CA.

Also, under the right side of the video, those of you with high-speed internet can view the video in high quality and it looks much nicer like that!

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

Robert Ponds pass is amazing, i'd love to see what it'd do if he can hook in good sea level (or below) air.

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

My thoughts exactly, Tom. I attend the Pennsylvania Dutch Classic every year here in Div.1, so I was there last year when Steve Ficacci set the AA/S ET record at 9.72. The adjusted altitude on Thurs. was 600' below sea level; on Fri. it was 200' below. Robert Pond ran 9.760 with a listed adjusted altitude, on Drag Race Central, of 2136'. What would Pond run at 200' - 600' below sea level? I am in no way trying to lessen what Ficacci did last Oct.; just stating the facts and asking a question.
Bill Seabrooks - superfan1

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

Bill

That's the problem! This is a KILLER car and makes all other in these classes obsolete!

The question is???? How long will it take for NHRA to factor this car correctly??

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

If they haven't factored a '67 Ford Fairlane correctly by now, don't expect it to happen any time soon.

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

Robert Pond drives a 1967 427ci Ford Fairlane, a combination that has been around for 42 years and has been factored a few times; don't confuse him with the new 2008 Cobra Jet Mustangs which are at their first race.
Bill Seabrooks - superfan1

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

Bill,

It should be possible to extrapolate the air on Robert's second run since he was immediately in front of me in the right lane and the air was over 2400' when I returned to the trailer. Robert was about the third car behind John Irving's assault on the tree and I followed him. This is not the first time I've been mesmerized by the sight of that Fairlane's hood pointing straight toward the sky as he left the line. I get caught up watching his launch and neglect to start my burnout on time. No doubt about it, that's the best seat in the house when Mr. Pond leaves for a day's work.

c

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

OOPS!!

My bad Bill. I thought I read in a post earlier that he and a partner had one of these cars.

Great run and one fast Fairlane! "BUT"

HIs fairlane will be obsolete along with the rest of these old combo's soon!!

Re: Thursday at Pomona
 

Junior, he and Chris Whitney, who races a B/S 1967 427 Fairlane Station Wagon (qualified #50), took delivery of one of the new Cobra Jets at Pomona on Wednesday, serial #50 to be exact. I would imagine that they will have the car on the track in the near future.
Bill Seabrooks - superfan1