Three ProFWD cars in the "teens!" What an excellent representation of Sport Compact Drag Racing.
With the three Chevy drivers all looking to back up their qualifying time for a new national record, the heat was on, literally.
It didn't look like Sport Compact would get another chance to make a run on a cool racetrack. But, as luck would have it, there was a delay and the first round of Sport Compact eliminations was pushed back. The sun dipped below the bleachers and shade fell across the track. Gary Gardella and Jason Hunt both laid-down 7.24-seconds runs, but only Jason's was close enough to his previous run to set a record (7.19 seconds) and get the valuable 20 points.
The event win, however, went to Gary Gardella. In front of a huge crowd, the two Chevy Cobalts of Gardella and Hunt blasted clean, side-by-side passes. Gardella's 7.37-second final run was enough to edge out Hunt's 7.41-second run. That makes two consecutive wins here at Indianapolis for the Gardella Racing team and a first for any ProFWD driver at U.S. Nationals. Congratulations!
With Gardella's win and Hunt's elapsed time record, the championship points race became even more interesting. Hunt moves back into the lead, with a slim 22-point advantage over Chevy driver Marty Ladwig. Gardella remains in third, but he tightened up the gap significantly. It will be a fierce championship battle between these three drivers -- all powered by ECOtec race engines.
Our next race is another Powerade series event, near Dallas Texas on Sept 21-23. If you're in the area, be sure to come out and support your Sport Compact Drag Racers. In the mean time, check out the U.S. Nationals photos on flickr.
