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[08/09/2004] PRO News: Johnson takes surprise Denso Pro Street win under the lights in 3rd

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Cordova, Ill. -- Ordinary would not be the way to describe the Third Annual Ross Pistons PRO Hot Rod and Muscle Car Nationals extraordinary would. The 3rd Annual Ross Piston PRO Hot Rod and Muscle Car Nationals were held at Cordova dragway in Cordova, IL on June 30th and 31st. This marks the first time in PRO history where both qualifying and eliminations were held in a unique Friday and Saturday format, much to the pleasure of the thousands of fans who were fortunate enough to witness one of the wildest drag races ever held at this much-storied Northwest Illinois track.

The tone was set on Friday afternoon during a quick test and tune session, which was held immediately before qualifying was to begin. With below average temperatures and humidity it didn''t take long for the record-setting pace to begin this PRO-Edelbrock Drag Racing Series event.

One of the most impressive pre-qualifying runs was posted by 2003 Denso Pro Street champ Steve Miller who drove his ''99 S-10 to a 6.59/211 mph blast. "That was the first time that truck has ever run that quick at legal weight -- even when Bob (Rieger) drove it," Miller said. Miller ended up qualifying in the top spot with a 6.60/211 run which set the tone for runs well below the 6.62 set one race earlier in Michigan by Brian Robbins'' ''72 Olds.

Joining Miller in breaking that record were Steve King and Robbins himself who ended up blistering his former record with a 6.55/213 mph run in a bye run during the first round of eliminations. But it wasn''t Miller, King, Robbins or two-time 2004 winner Tim O''Hare who ended up in the winner''s circle. When the smoke cleared from the supercharged and turbo onslaught it was the nitrous-assisted ''92 Firebird of Scot Johnson holding court in the winner''s circle. Although Johnson wasn''t even close to the record setting racers, his 6.79''s and 6.80''s turned out to be giant slayers -- not because he was quicker, but because his competition lacked consistency. Johnson faced Robbins, O''Hare and King in the final three rounds after he defeated Greg Huege in the first round. In his race against Robbins, Robbins'' Olds took a hard turn to the right after it launched forcing him to abort the run. O''Hare, who was an easy favorite left too early, and King, who had been running in the 6.60-zone, could only muster a 6.84 out of his blown-injected Viper against Johnson''s consistent 6.79. "I may not have been the fastest or quickest car here this weekend, but the car was right where it needed to be and as it turns out, that''s all I needed," a jubilant Johnson said after the win.

Johnson joined 12 other champions in post-race ceremonies held at the conclusion of the event. Among them was Dan Millen who notched another win in Nitto Tire Super Street. Millen led the five-car field with a blistering 7.41/187 mph lap. Millen went on to defeat Tim Dooley in the final.

It took Ross Stomp five races to recapture last year''s Flowmaster Nostalgia Pro Street championship form, but he finally did at Cordova. After qualifying in the top slot with a 7.62, the Ortonville, Michigan driver went on to defeat Don Rayburn and Tony Nesbitt (with a holeshot) in the final. Nesbitt who won the first three races of the year cut a very respectable .040 light and ran an impressive 7.68, but Stomp''s .007 leave combined with a 7.60 elapsed time held the Lombard, Ill driver off just long enough to trip the win light. "I know I had to cut a light to best him, but I didn''t think it would be that good. That was a little too close, but I''ll take it," Stomp said afterwards.

Vortech Xtreme Street continues to prove to be one of the most competitive classes in all of drag racing. Going into the event, five drivers all were capable of winning the class championship, but after Tony Orts won the event and Bob Curran (the points leader heading into Cordova, lost an engine in qualifying) Orts left ahead of Curran and the rest of the pack in the ''04 title chase. After qualifying on top of the field, Orts put away Mike Sasina, last year''s champ Nick Rinehart and Cameron Coble in a spectacular semifinal race that was decided by less than two-hundredths of a second! In the final, Orts put away a re-energized Gina Munden who had been running well all weekend, but lost in the final after a huge wheelstand.

With Charlie Booze out after the first round after he was forced to run a back-up car and engine due to losing an engine a week earlier at an NMRA race in Joliet, Ill. It appeared as if Jamie Stanton was positioned to win another TCI/FAST Pro Stock race. But Butch Kemp put an end to Stanton''s reign by beating the New York driver in the final with an impressive 9.07 to Stanton''s 9.17. "It''s been a long time coming, especially after we drove all the way to Florida in April land didn''t even get down the racetrack," said the Washington, Mich. driver.

A record-setting 17-cars entered MSD True Street at Cordova with Tony MacDonald of Anoka, Minn., aking home the 6-foot trophy as the newly crowned King of Illinois. MacDonald''s ''68 Nova averaged 10.16 seconds in three passes after completing the mandatory 30-mile cruise.

In Car Craft Cheap Street action Tim Hendricks again was on top with another number one qualifying shot, which couples with another win -- this time over Danny Shemmel. Andy Good once again reigned supreme in Mickey Thompson Mean Street after beating Matt Furry.

Hamburger''s Nostalgia Super Stock action saw two first time PRO finalists as Wally Krueger and Kevin Czajkowski faced off in the final round that featured a 15-car eliminator. Czajkowski, from Stegger, Ill drove his B/NSS ''66 Fairlane to a 10.51 on his 10.50 index to defeat the Appleton, Wis. based ''66 Belvedere of Krueger who got on the brakes too hard at the stripe resulting in a 11.14 on his 11-flat index.

Heath Shemwell continues to shine in his first year of racing DTS Nostalgia Muscle Car, Shemwell from Eaton, Ky., alre

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[08/09/2004] PRO News: Johnson takes surprise Denso Pro Street win under the lights in 3rd By: -

[08/09/2004] PRO News: Johnson takes surprise Denso Pro Street win under the lights in 3rd

By: -