2013 Year in Review

2013 was one of the most exciting years of alcohol racing in recent history for a variety of reasons. Presenting some of the top stories from 2013.


Shawn Cowie Returns with Dominating Wins
Returning to the seat after a two-year recovery from a life-threatening motorcycle accident, Shawn Cowie completed the most impressive comeback in drag racing, possibly any sport. Shawn drove his Bill Moore-tuned blown alcohol dragster to the No. 1 qualifying position at the first Woodburn regional, going on to win the race with a final round victory over friendly rival Chris Demke, 5.41 to 5.43. Cowie did it again at the Northwest Nationals, where he qualified No. 4 and defeated Garrett Bateman in the finals.

First-Time Winners
Of the sixteen national event TAD winners, four were first time winners - Gord Gingles, Brandon Booher, Robin Samsel, and Johnny Ahten. Five TAFC drivers received their first big Wallys in 2013 - Dan Pomponio, Jirka Kaplan, Annie Whiteley, Shane Westerfield, and Paul Noakes.

Troy Case photo

 



Rule Changes
Torque converter-equipped cars started the season with a 50-lb weight break, new for 2013. That break was rescinded earlier this month. Also announced earlier this month was an adjustment to the fuel-related limits for A/Fuel cars. The new rules will allow nitro-injected entries to run 95% nitromethane (up 1%), chilled to 40 degrees F (down 10 degrees), through an insulated main fuel line.

Parity Achieved
The Top Alcohol Dragster class saw extremely close competition in 2013, with the blown alcohol and injected nitro cars claiming eight national event wins each. The two combinations are also equal in national Top 10 finishers and regional championships. Season-best performances are also very close - 5.215/275.9 for blown and 5.227/276.58 for A/Fuel. For a complete look at the 2013 parity in TAD, check out Brad Littlefield's comparison for National Dragster.

Manzo and Whiteley go out on top
Eventual national champions Jim Whiteley and Frank Manzo both announced their retirement from Top Alcohol driving late in the season. Whiteley won an outstanding eight of twelve final rounds in 2013, locking up the national title at the Toyota Nationals and the West Region title a week later at the Vegas regional. Manzo started a midseason charge with a win at Brainerd, going on to win Indy, Charlotte2, Las Vegas2, and the Finals at Pomona. He finished the season with a 151-point lead over John Lombardo in the national standings.

New Crop of TAD Drivers
Several new faces joined TAD in 2013 - Rishi Kanick, a Top Dragster driver from Trinidad and Tobago, Jeff Ashwell, who previously drove TAFC, Ashley Sanford, a young sand dragster standout, Kyle Michalek, winner of Champion's Search for a Champion contest, JP Gutierrez, a Top Dragster driver and former nitro crew guy, and Jonathan Pickett, driving his family's blown car. Corey Michalek, Megan Meyer, Sadie Floyd, and Jake Sanders also started or completed the licensing process during the season.

Severance's Save
A broken oil line sent Joey Severance's blown alcohol dragster towards the centerline during eliminations at the AAA Texas Fall Nationals, close to barrel-rolling. The clip of Joey's near miss went viral and made ESPN2 highlight reels for the balance of the season.

Booher, Anderika Win Regional Titles with Converters
Brandon Booher (TAD) and John Anderika (TAFC) continued to show the potential of torque converters in 2013. Booher qualified No. 1 at five regional events, winning three of them. He broke through to win his first national event at the Carolina Nationals at Charlotte, also running one of the fastest blown alcohol speeds in history (275.39). Brandon secured the North Central region TAD title and finished No. 3 in national points. Anderika won two of five finals to win the East Region TAFC title. Jirka Kaplan also experienced success with his automatic TAFC, winning the Topeka national event.

Bartone, Jackson split
National championship contenders Tony Bartone and team owner Rick Jackson decided to go their separate ways towards the middle of the season, leaving Bartone looking for a new ride and Jackson looking for a new driver. Tony and longtime tuner Steve Boggs were back at the Topeka regional with Mickey Ferro's car. Bartone and Ferro shared the driving duties at the remaining races. Jackson finished the season with Von Smith driving at the Vegas and Pomona races.

Lombardo, Jackson Form Alliance
Top 5 driver/team owner John Lombardo Jr. announced an alliance with Rick Jackson Racing during the fall Las Vegas national event. The Jackson-Lombardo Racing team will debut a new Hadman-built Mustang at the 2014 Winternationals, with Lombardo behind the wheel, Jackson making the tuning calls, and primary support coming from NAPA Auto Parts and Lucas Oil. John's 2013 Central Region championship-winning car will be used for displays and appearances in national and regional event markets.