The racers were masterful and the racing was mind-blowing at the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals presented by MAHLE Motorsport, April 21-24, 2022, at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina.
The event at The Rock replaced the NMCA and NMRA’s annual stop at Atlanta Dragway, which closed last year. It promised plenty of action, and it definitely delivered, with everything from hard launches and high wheelies to exciting elapsed times and edge-of-your-seat competition.
On the Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals side, VP Racing Lubricants Xtreme Pro Mod racers rocketed to 3.60s and 3.70s in their commanding cars in qualifying, and among them was Derek Ward (feature image), who set the pace with a 3.67 in his Camaro. Ward hung tough all weekend, and earned a trip to the NMCA Winner’s Circle and an alluring Victor Award with a 3.70 run against Tom Blincoe, who was quicker on the tree, but shook the tires to a 5.65 in his Corvette.
Mickey Thompson X275, featuring cars with small tires and turbo, superchargers, and nitrous combinations, was in action at this event, and Justin Palmer pushed to a 4.30 in his small-block Ford and ProCharger-powered Mustang to lead qualifying. He remained strong through the weekend and wound up in the final round of eliminations to face Ron Rhodes and his nitrous-gulping, leafspring-equipped Camaro. They were close on the tree, and Palmer earned the win in the exceptionally tight race with a 4.352 to Rhodes’ 4.356. Fans can catch this category again at the remaining combined NMCA/NMRA events in St. Louis and Martin, Michigan.
Chuck Watson II
Chuck Watson II wheeled to a wicked 7.72 in his Mustang Cobra Jet to set the pace in qualifying in Holley EFI Factory Super Cars, and he worked hard to get to the final round of eliminations. There, he lined up alongside Tripp Carter and his Mustang Cobra Jet. Watson, from the Detroit area, drove to the win with a 7.71 after Carter went red.
David Fallon Jr. flew to a 4.31 to set the pace in his Camaro in ARP Nitrous Pro Street, and the racer out of Michigan outlasted outstanding contenders to go to the final round of eliminations, where he faced fellow Michigander, Nicole Liberty-Cach and her Firebird. Fallon Jr. flew to the win with a 4.32 against Liberty-Cach’s 4.50.
NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street and NMRA VP Racing Madditives Renegade racers joined forces for this event in North Carolina, which also served as an RTRA Ultra Street points race. NMRA standout Alton Clements cruised to a 4.57 in his Mustang to lead qualifying. Later, however, reigning NMRA Renegade champion Joel Greathouse drove to the final round of eliminations in his Mustang, and went to the NMCA Winner’s Circle after piloting to a 4.61 against Becki Cram, who turned in a 4.96 in her Mustang.
Robbie Blankenship rocketed to a 7.66 in his naturally aspirated Mustang to set the pace in the rpm-loving Dart NA 10.5 category. It was multi-time champion Leonard Long, however, who landed the event win with a 7.79 in his Mustang against Tony Petrovski, who lost the brakes in his Mustang on the top end of the track in the semifinal and was able to prepare his car in time to make it to the final round of eliminations, where he was forced to lift and losing traction off the line.
In the beautiful blue Camaro CRC she debuted this year, Haley Burkhammer hauled to a 9.81 to lead qualifying in Chevrolet Performance Stock presented by Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center. Not far behind was Glenn Pushis, and the two met in the final round of eliminations. Pushis earned a trip to the NMCA Winner’s Circle and an Edelbrock Victor Award with a 9.85 in his Camaro to Haley’s close 9.87.
Bruce Lang
Mark Nowicki drove to a 9.45 on a 10.80 to lead qualifying in his Avenger in Fastest Street Car Super Stock Eliminator, but entering the final round of eliminations were Bruce Lang and Homer Carry. Lang, in his bad-to-the-bone Barracuda, went to the NMCA Winner’s Circle and earned a Victor Award with a 9.60 on a 9.61 against Carry, who broke out by more with a 9.65 on a 9.67 in his Nova.
In Fastest Street Car Stock Eliminator, Dave Swanson led qualifying with a 7.87 on a 9.70 in his Mustang Cobra Jet. He advanced to face Bryce Rohrs in the final round of eliminations, and won with a lifting 8.03 on a 7.77 after Rohrs illuminated the red light in his Camaro.
Mike Davis
In Quick Fuel Technology Nostalgia Super Stock, Mike Davis motored to a 10.001 on a 10.00 to lead qualifying in his GTO, and he gunned all the way to the final round of eliminations to square off against equally-competitive racer Barry Camp and his Bel-Air Sports Coupe Bubble Top. Davis, of Georgia, grabbed the win with a 10.08 on a 10.00 after Camp, also of Georgia, recorded a red light.
Canadian Donald Fotti clocked an 11.507 on an 11.50 index in his Mustang to lead qualifying in Detroit Truetrac Nostalgia Muscle, and his fellow racers Jerry Stamp and Ralph Trimmer advanced to the final round of eliminations. Stamps recorded a slightly better reaction time and stopped the clock at 11.76 on an 11.75 in his Duster to claim victory over Trimmer, who ran on his 11.75 in his Cutlass.
In MagnaFuel Open Comp, where remarkable reaction times are frequently recorded, Cody Poston posted an .010 to lead qualifying in his Camaro. The final round saw Anthony Lupimacci and Jared Noel pull up to the beam, and Lupimacci headed to the NMCA Winner’s Circle with a 10.66 on a 10.61 dial in his Grand Prix after Noel tripped the red light in his Mustang.
Thomas Dabbs trapped a 10.006 on a 10.00 to lead qualifying in his Corvette in LME Street King presented by Chevrolet Performance, and later in the weekend, Kurt Anderson lifted to a 9.42 on a 9.50 and won in his wheel-standing Camaro after Casey Martin went -.003 red in his Camaro.
In Proform LSX Rumble presented by Chevrolet Performance, Richard Mace ran to an 11.003 on an 11.00 index to lead qualifying in his Corvette. On race day, Regina Puckett and Mace faced each other in the final round of eliminations, and Puckett pushed to the win with an 11.83 on an 11.75 index in her Camaro against Mace’s 11.04.
TorqStorm Superchargers True Street racers went on a scenic 30-mile cruise before returning to Rockingham Dragway for three back-to-back passes down the track. The cars were amazing as always, and when the dust settled, William Lujan wheeled to the overall win with an 8.67 average in his muscular Mustang, and Scott Oshinski of TorqStorm Superchargers sailed to the runner-up finish with a 9.20 in his cool Cutlass. Other successful racers included Gilbert Correa, the 10-second winner in his Mustang, Keith Lankheet, the 11-second winner in his Challenger, Dale Aldridge, the 12-second winner in his Mustang, Rodney Ward, the 13-second winner in his Mustang, Jonathon Baker, the 14-second winner in his Mustang and Timmy Thornburg, the 15-second winner in his Mustang.
Challengers, Chargers, Demons, Durangos and other gorgeous Gen III HEMI-powered cars came together for the Dodge // Mopar HEMI Shootout. Joshua Schwartz wrapped up the overall win with a 9.04 average in his Challenger Hellcat, and Ed Springstead secured the runner-up with a 9.47 average. Other racers claiming victory were Tony Demaio, 9-second winner, Bruce Phillips, 10-second winner, Bryce Rohrs, 11-second winner, Jerry Dixon, 12-second winner, Laura Willingham, 13-second winner, Nicole Ratliff, 14-second winner and Brett Foutz, 15-second winner.
The eight quickest drivers in the Dodge // Mopar HEMI Shootout made it into the HHP Racing HEMI Quick 8 on the final day of the event, and Ed Springstead was the winner with a 9.58 against Jess Richards and her 9.79.
Bracket Mayhem racers were in the mix at Rockingham Dragway, and Darin Emerson drove to the win with a .007 and a 6.26 on a 6.25 in his Camaro to defeat Mark Soles, who broke out with a 5.67 on a 5.68 in his Mustang.
Complete NMRA results from this event are reported in a separate story.
Racers in both series will share the stage for the second time this year at the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing presented by Fuelab, which is sure to be spectacle, May 12-15, at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois.
For compelling NMCA content throughout the year, check out the series’ recently revamped websites at NMCAdigital.com and Racepagesdigital.com.
This story was originally published on April 25, 2022. 
