Opening day of NHRA qualifying complete in Fontana.
From Jerrie Foss down at the track:
The NHRA JEGS SPORTSnationals presented by K&N kicked off today at Auto Club Dragway at Auto Club Speedway. The three-day event is an NHRA national event designed to highlight sportsman racers. More than 400 of the best drivers in eight categories from the West Coast are on hand vying for points leading to national championships and a share of the purse worth nearly $65,000. It is the last of three NHRA JEGS SPORTSnationals events scheduled across the country this year. Claremont resident John Edwards set the pace in Comp Eliminator while Upland's Frank Grossi leads the Super Stock qualifiers.
Edwards slipped his '99 Neon in just .533 seconds under his 8.02 index. The No. 2 qualifier is Dan Fletcher of Churchville, N.Y. This is veteran racer Fletcher's first season in Comp Eliminator, driving the entry of longtime Pacific division racer Rick Braun, and he is in contention for a national championship.
Grossi is just ahead of Fred Moreno of La Verne in the Super Stock field. Don Forester of Riverside wheeled his '80 Delta 88 to the top of the Stock Eliminator field. He is followed closely by Jimmy DeFrank, Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Alta Loma racer Ryan McClanahan. In Top Sportsman, Robert Broguiere, Wildomar, Calif., leads the field in his '06 GTO. Chip Rumis, Ramona, Calif., is No. 1 in Top Dragster.
Racing continues Saturday and Sunday at Auto Club Dragway. Qualifying and time trials resume at 8 a.m. Saturday. Top Dragster, Comp Eliminator and Top Sportsman qualify at 10:30 a.m. The Top Sportsman/Top Dragster Shootout starts at 1 p.m. Eliminations start Sunday at 8 a.m.
Tickets for the NHRA JEGS SPORTSnationals presented by K&N are $20 Saturday and $20 Sunday. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a paid adult.