Spring Open

March 10th - 13th

 

Weekend Schedule:

 

    Thursday                                        Friday                                       Saturday                              Sunday

Gates open at 9:00am                           Gates open at 8:30am                        Gates open at 8:30am                   Gates open at 8:30am

Test & Tune at 10am                              Test & Tune at 9:30am                       Test & Tune at 9:30am                   Test & Tune at 10:15am

Track Secures at 8pm                            Track Secures at 8pm                        Track Secures at 10:30pm            Track Secures at 6pm

 

 

Gate Fees:                                           

 

Adults:                $15 Daily

Full Events:        $30

4 Day T&T         $65 (Pre-Entry)

4 Day T&T         $75 (At Gate)   

1 Day T&T         $26

 

 

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Personal Marks and Records Common at VMP

(3-12-2004) - When the second day of testing ended at the Fourth Annual Competitonplus.com Spring Open presented by Torco Racing Fuels today, Frank Gugliotta had made the quickest and fastest Pro Stock pass ever, Mike Moran had proven that his quick time of yesterday's session was no fluke, and Steve Salvadore had the lowest ET among the Pro Modified drivers this weekend.

As they did yesterday here at Virginia Motorsports Park, many of the drivers worked on their 60-foot and mid-track times, getting off the throttle before they reached the end of the quarter mile. But those who made a complete pass down the drag strip were rewarded Saturday evening with some of the quickest times ever seen at Virginia Motorsports Park.
In his only run of the day, on Friday evening, Moran covered the quarter mile in 6.259 seconds at 236.84 miles per hour for the quickest time of the weekend. On Thursday, Moran took his twin-turbo, Chevy big block powered Chevy Monte Carlo down the track in 6.26 seconds at 239 miles per hour.

Just a few minutes later, Gugliotta made the quickest and fastest run ever in a Pro Stock car when he covered the drag strip in 6.407 seconds at 215.41 miles per hour. Gugliotta's 60-foot time was 0.931 seconds and he reached the eighth-mile marker in 4.129 seconds at 171 miles per hour.

"How can I put it into words," Gugliotta said. "When I stuck it in third and went into high gear, I knew it was getting out of here. It wasn't hard to tell. It threw me back in the
seat."

Team owner Steve Thodos was smiling ear to ear after the run. "It feels great, don't it,"
Thodos asked. "Times like this confirm that I made the right choice for a driver."

The quickest Pro Mod pass of the day was Salvadore's 6.294 second pass at 227.38 miles per hour. Rookie Tom Carter earned his Pro Mod competition license when he made the first complete pass of his career in 6.623 seconds at 212.83 miles per hour.

Jim Sickles and Ronnie Midyette were the only two funny car drivers to hit the track on Friday but neither made a complete pass. Bobby Lagana launched his Top Fuel dragster but shook the tires and shut it down before he reached the 60-foot mark.

The corrected air during Friday evenings session was 275 feet below sea level and weather forecasts for Saturday call for the air to be even better then. The action continues here on Saturday with time trials starting at 10:00 a.m. and Chicago-style eliminations beginning at noon for the Pro Mod, Pro Stock, Pro Street and other professional classes. Gates open at 8:30 a.m.


Frank Gugliotta records quickest and fastest run in IHRA Sunoco Pro Stock history at VMP

(3-12-2004) – On his last run of the day, Frank Gugliotta of Mt. Airy, Md., made unofficial Pro Stock history. The hired gun for Steve Thodos put the team’s brand new Ford Escort into uncharted territory with a 6.407, 215.51. The atmospheric conditions were incredible as the air was at 275-below sea level.

A stunned Gugliotta was at a loss for words as he was handed the time slip for confirmation.

“How can you put this into words,” added Gugliotta, voted the most improved driver in IHRA.

“When I stuck this car into third and went high, I know this thing was on a pass” Gugliotta smiled as he kissed his brand new Rick Jones-built Escort. “That old Jon Kaase horsepower threw me back in the seat and those Hoosier Tires just held on to the track.”

Thodos was confident that his team can repeat in tomorrow’s “Chicago Style” eliminations.

“It feels absolutely great and I’m happy for Frank and my guys,” added Thodos. “It’s times like this that confirmed that I made the best choice for the driver.”

Just two years ago, former IHRA Pro Stock World Champion Gene Wilson ran a 6.51.

Chicago Style eliminations for the 4th annual CompetitionPlus.com Spring Open presented by Torco Racing Fuels begin at Noon on Saturday.

Salvadore, Montecalvo and Musi claim wins at the 4th annual CompetitionPlus.com Spring Open presented by Torco Race Fuels

(3-13-2004) - The action continued here in the Fourth Annual Competitionplus.com Spring Open presented by Torco Racing Fuels at Virginia Motorsports Park with another full day of testing and time trials accompanied by Chicago-style eliminations in the Pro Stock, Pro Modified, Pro Street and Funny Car divisions. At the end of the day, the winners were John Montecalvo in Pro Stock, Steve Salvadore in Pro Modified and Pat Musi in Pro Street. The Funny Car final will be run tomorrow.

Montecalvo, from Center Moriches, N.Y., got the win in the Pro Stock division after he beat Rick Jones in the final round of eliminations. Montecalvo earned his spot in the finals by record the low ET of 6.503 seconds during the first two rounds of qualifying today and Jones was second quickest with an ET of 6.513 seconds.

In the final round, Jones had the better start with a 0.052-second light against Montecalvo's 0.098 second start. But Jones' car started to shake the tires and he had to back off the throttle. Meanwhile in the right lane, Montecalvo had a strong run from start to finish and ended up with a 6.495 second elapsed time at 215.34 miles per hour for his quickest and fastest run of the weekend.

In the Pro Modified division, the two low qualifiers were Steve Salvadore, from Borre, Mass. and Kasey Janzen, from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Salvadore covered the quarter mile in 6.164 seconds at 232.43 miles per hour while Janzen had an ET of 6.195 seconds at 227.04 MPH.

When they faced off against each other in the elimination round, Janzen cut a 0.073 second light for the early lead. But by the time they reached the 60-foot mark on the track, Salvadore had already passed him and began to pull away for the win. Salvadore finished with a 6.294 second ET at 212.03 miles per hour and Janzen had a 6.496 second elapsed time and speed of 223.28 miles per hour.

After both air and track temperatures dropped, Pat Musi was declared the winner of the Pro Street division, based on his low ET of 6.593 seconds compared to runner-up Tony Christian's second quickest ET of 6.658 seconds.

Rather than declare a winner based on qualifying ETs, Funny Car finalists Jim Sickles and Mick Snyder decided to run their elimination race tomorrow afternoon. Sickles had the quickest run of the day at 5.699 seconds at 252.61 miles per hour and Snyder was just a but slower at 5.701 seconds at 249.72 miles per hour.

Torco Racing Fuels awarded a $500 prize to both Salvadore and Musi for having the lowest elapsed times in their divisions. Dragracinggirls.com also awarded a $500 prize to Salvadore for winning "Chicago Style" eliminations in the Pro Modified division.

Additional testing and the Funny Car elimination round will continue on Sunday here at Virginia Motorsports Park. Gates open at 8:30 a.m. and racing will start at 10:00 a.m.

Not bad for a test session

Uh oh, he'd better call a lawyer

(3-13-2004) - Full-time attorney and part-time Pro Modified racer Joe Buckley found out the legal ramifications of having a stuck throttle. He was examined by the medical staff and released. Buckley suffered no injuries. (Brian Wood Sequence) (Story by CompetitionPlus.Com)