Millsap Masters Tulsa's 50th Nitro Nationals
Tulsa Raceway Park - Sept 19, 2015
The third race of the season for the Southwest Junior Fuel Association took the tour to historic Tulsa Raceway Park to join the festivities at the 50th Annual Nitro Nationals featuring special guests Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen among many others. It was an action packed day of racing on Saturday, Sept 19th. Seven junior fuelers were on hand to battle down the quarter mile as the call went out to get qualifying underway.
(Odie Coker)
Defending event winner Odie Coker wheeled the Ron Ussery owned and tuned Hemi powered slingshot dragster to the top spot with a 7.33 at 178 mph. Ken Hawkins posted a 7.41 at 175 mph in the Charlie Smith owned and tuned entry and Ron Muncy rounded out the top three with a 7.49 at 175 mph. Frank Johnston made his SWJFA debut and wrapped up the field in the number seven spot with an 8.48 at 155 mph as the teams returned to the pits to prepare for eliminations. Back in the pits, Ron Muncy discovered an oil pressure issue and was unfortunately sidelined early, coming off his win at the last event in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Tony Patterson also ran into mechanical issues and was forced to load up early, as five cars were paired up and returned to the staging lanes for eliminations.
(Ron Muncy)
(Frank Johnston)
(Tony Patterson)
Final Qualifying Order:
Final Qualifying Order:
1. Odie Coker - 7.33 @ 178
2. Ken Hawkins - 7.41 @ 175
3. Ron Muncy - 7.49 @ 175
4. Mike Millsap - 7.51 @ 173
5. Mike Buchanan - 7.55 @ 174
6. Tony Patterson - 8.26 @ 146
7. Frank Johnston - 8.48 @ 155
Eliminations:
In the first round, Odie Coker kicked off the action with a solo shot 7.37 at 177 mph to move into the semi-finals. Ken Hawkins and Mike Buchanan rolled out next, but after the burnout Buchanan struggled to find reverse and was forced to shutoff. Hawkins soloed to a 7.50 at 172 mph pass to advance. In the final pair, Frank Johnston took a huge starting line advantage on Mike Millsap, but Millsap had the ponies to drive around with a 7.49 at 173 win over Johnson's 8.47 at 154 mph.
(Mike Buchanan)
(Millsap vs. Johnston)
First Round Results
(W) Odie Coker (.109 rt) 7.37 @ 177 vs. (L) Bye Run
(W) Ken Hawkins (.009 rt) 7.50 @ 172 vs. (L) Mike Buchanan (No Time)
(W) Mike Millsap (.470 rt) 7.49 @ 173 vs. (L) Frank Johnston (.289 rt) 8.47 @ 154
(Ken Hawkins)
Semi-final racing kicked off with a bye run from Millsap where he clicked off a 7.50 at 173 mph to move into the final round. The top two qualifiers were lined up next as Coker took on Hawkins. Hawkins encountered unexpected electrical issues on the starting line and was forced to shutoff. Coker had a solo shot and had his hands full on the starting line when the car lost traction immediately, coasting to an 11.76 winning time. The dew point was rapidly approaching and giving the teams some challenging tuning conditions.
Semi-Final Results
(W) Mike Millsap (.131 rt) 7.50 @ 173 vs. (L) Bye Run
(W) Odie Coker (.113 rt) 11.76 @ 77 vs. (L) Ken Hawkins (No Time)
(Mike Millsap)
In the final, Coker was the favorite on paper as the defending event winner and top qualifier, but consistency went to Millsap who had made clean runs in all his runs in Tulsa. The cars crept to the line and at the flash of amber, Coker took a slight starting line advantage. A repeat of Coker's semi-final run ensued as the car lost traction and made a wild move to the centerline as Coker had the best seat in the house to watch Millsap post yet another 7.49 elapsed time to claim victory in Tulsa, his first win since 2013.
Final Round Results
(W) Mike Millsap (.113 rt) 7.49 @ 175 vs. (L) Odie Coker (.103 rt) 12.16 @ 74
(Odie Coker - Tulsa Runner Up)
(Mike Millsap - Tulsa Winner)
One race remains in the 2015 SWJFA season to be held Saturday, October 17th at Pine Valley Raceway in Lufkin, Texas. Mike Millsap claimed the position at the top of the points standings with a 15 point lead over Coker. This one will come down to the end and whomever performs the best in Lufkin will likely be crowned the season Champion. The SWJFA would like to thank Lubrication Engineers Inc., Champion Spark Plugs, Hayden Enterprises and Hilborn Fuel Injection for their support of this racing season.
