NORWALK, Ohio (May 20) – Booher Racing Top Alcohol Dragster driver Brandon Booher prevailed over adverse conditions, a stacked field, and mechanical issues to claim the Cavalcade of Stars NHRA North Central regional race title last weekend.
Qualifying alone was challenging enough for any of the nineteen Top Alcohol Dragster teams who showed up from all over North America to race in front of the legendary Norwalk crowd. Booher was on a decent run during Friday's session until a torque converter issue slowed down the AB Construction dragster to a 6.09. Brandon and his crew put a new converter in the car for the remainder of qualifying, which was shortened to just one session on Sunday morning due to Saturday rain storms.
“Luckily the conditions were very similar to those of the Reading national event last year, the race where we ran this particular converter. Though I had very little data, it was quality data. I was able to look back on areas of improvement from those runs and work that into the set-up for Norwalk. With the capabilities of the other cars trying to qualify, I knew I had to throw a number up on the board to qualify well and set us up for a good race day,” said Booher, whose 5.312/268 MPH run was enough to qualify second.
Warming track temperatures caused Brandon to pedal on his first round pass against Richard Bourke, but the AB Construction entry was well-ahead of a tire-smoking Bourke. Booher ripped off a career-best 5.304 pass in the semifinals, taking out Cavalcade of Stars grand marshal Bill Reichert in the process. While impressive, the competitive driver/tuner was looking for more; perhaps his elusive first 5.2 run.
“I actually thought it would've been a little quicker. I made some changes after qualifying, and it was two hundredths quicker to the sixty foot in the first round before I had to pedal it,” Brandon recalled.
The win over Reichert, who is widely considered to be the best in the Top Alcohol Dragster business, was a confidence booster for Brandon and his team.
“That was a huge upset. I talked to Bill at the end of the track and said, 'Now I'm one for three hundred against you. Every time we run you we break something.' I can tell you the dates, rounds, and locations – I've never been able to beat him.”
With a pair of strong runs under his belt, Booher went into the final round against fellow blown alcohol driver Marty Thacker. The pair of supercharged machines didn't take to the Summit Motorsports Park quarter-mile until almost midnight. The race was over before it started, as Thacker had mechanical issues and hopped out of his car by the time Brandon backed up from his burnout. Booher took the tree, shook the tires on the cold track surface, and idled to his fourth regional event victory.
Brandon Booher and the AB Construction/Torque MGMT Top Alcohol Dragster team will next compete at the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka, May 23-25.
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ABOUT BOOHER RACING
Booher Racing is a father-son NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team led by owner/crew chief Aaron Booher and his son, driver/tuner Brandon Booher. The AB Construction team holds the title of quickest and fastest torque converter-equipped vehicle in the world. The 2013 NHRA North Central TAD Regional championship-winning Booher Racing team receives support from Motorsports Unlimited Performance Parts Distributors, Spitzer Enterprises, Bell Helmets, Torque MGMT, and PK Construction.
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