Photos courtesy of David Smith
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (November
26) – Racing in just his third full season in the NHRA's quickest
and fastest sportsman class, 31-year old Brandon Booher drove his
torque converter-equipped Top Alcohol Dragster to three regional
event wins to claim his first NHRA North Central Regional
championship. Booher's regional title is just one of many high points
in a season that included several firsts and accomplishments for the
father-son Booher Racing team.
Though Booher won three
regional events – Joliet, Cordova, and Columbus – in the middle
of summer, he didn't officially clinch the North Central region title
until qualifying was complete at the final Lucas Oil series race of
the year in Las Vegas earlier this month. Challenger Bill Reichert
would’ve taken the points lead with a win at the race.
“If you look at any of the
other regions, if you had three wins and two semis you would have
such a points lead that it's laughable, and we didn't. That's how
tough this region is. We had a few missteps at the two races early in
the season, odd parts broke at the last two regionals, and those hurt
our chances. Bill Reichert would've gone around us if he won the
Noble or Las Vegas races. We were on pins and needles waiting to see
how it would shake out,” said Brandon, a former Pro Top Outlaw
dragster champion.
Booher's championship season
was a result of hard work, a combination of quality parts and pieces,
and a strong support system. Brandon knew that a regional
championship was possible with this combination, but he didn't expect
it to come so early in his TAD career.
“I have always believed in
the capabilities of our car, our crew, and the manufacturers who work
with us. We didn't perform as well in our previous two seasons mainly
because the converter technology hadn't progressed enough. With a few
new items added to the car over the offseason, we were able to make
the car reach its potential. It's not as simple as changing the
converter or camshaft; it did take a lot of time and hard work. It's
nice to see it all come to fruition.”
The AB Construction team's
success wasn't limited to regional competition. Brandon won his first
national event at the NHRA Carlyle Tools Carolina Nationals at zMax
Dragway in September. Another final round appearance followed at the
NHRA Auto-Plus Nationals a month later, running two 5.307s during the
course of the event. Booher ultimately finished third in LODRS
national points standings.
Considering the season that
included so many firsts, career-bests, and accomplishments, Brandon's
proudest accomplishment might be surprising – his 275 MPH speed in
the second round at the Carolina Nationals. The run ranks in the top
five fastest blown alcohol passes. The Booher Racing dragster is now
the second-fastest blown alcohol dragster and fastest ever torque
converter-equipped car.
“The most impressive thing
to me was the 275 MPH with a torque converter. I would even go so
far as to say that was the best run of the year in alcohol racing.
Big mile per hour like that is an indication of horsepower and a
reflection of what my dad and I have been working on. To anyone who
thought I was silly for wanting to make this combination work, it was
a wake-up call – this is for real,” Brandon said.
As for next year, Brandon is
expecting even better performance out of his car.
“I'm just getting started.
It's only going to get better from here because I have gobs of data
and manufacturers who are excited to work with us. It was a dream
year, but I have no intentions of settling. Next year needs to be
better; more consistency and better performance. I think that's
doable with what we learned this year.”
The driver/tuner is very
grateful to the people and companies who made the 2013 season
possible.
“You can't have
performance without people there to work on it. All of the crew guys,
whether they were full-time or just a race or two – Pete, Drew,
John, Nate, Ed, and of course my dad, Aaron. 2014 will be our
twentieth season racing together. My wife Shannon and my mom also
came out and supported us at a lot of races this year.
“On the manufacturer side,
I want to thank Ken Juszczyk at Motorsports Unlimited Performance
Parts Distributors. Ken always has parts on-hand at the races, which
is extremely helpful for a team like ours. Mike Spitzer and everyone
at Spitzer Enterprises have been great to work with, ever since I
started racing a Spitzer Junior Dragster almost twenty years ago.
Goodson Tools and Bell Helmets also provided support.”
Brandon Booher and the AB
Construction/Torque Management team expect to run a full schedule in
2014, with the goals of reaching the 5.2s, defending their North
Central region championship, and contending for the Lucas Oil Series
national championship.
Booher Racing is a
Champaign, Illinois-based Top Alcohol Dragster team, competing in the
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Former Junior Dragster driver
Brandon Booher pilots the family-owned AB Construction blown alcohol
dragster. The team owns the record for quickest and fastest torque
converter-equipped TAD. Booher Racing receives support from
Motorsports Unlimited, Spitzer Race Cars, Goodson Tools, Bell
Helmets, and Torque Management.
For news and results from
Booher Racing, follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/booherracing)
and Twitter (www.twitter.com/booherracing).
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