G03 Day One - Wednesday
G03 Day Two - Thursday
G03 Day Three - Friday
G03 Day Five - Sunday

Saturday:
Saturday started much the same that Friday ended: RAIN. Perfect racing weather. The forecast called for scattered thunderstorms all day, but we decided to risk it and go ahead with the track rental. Good thing! It took them about an hour to dry the track, but once complete, it was fine for the rest of the day. The Mo-Kan track operators were great, we had a huge, 19-car field for the brackets, and we were able to make all the passes we wanted (just ask Dan Didier and Craig Hitchcock!).

After racing we went back to the motel, got cleaned up, and went to a nice dinner at Marketplace Grill and ended the night with more chatting in the back corner of the motel parking lot.

Here are Aren and David blowing past on the way to Mo-Kan Dragway in Asbury, Missouri. Rich Marshall somehow managed to get ahead of my minivan as well. Weird.

We're getting there....probably took about 25-30 minutes.

Everyone needed a wristband or they were shown the door.

The pits:

Drying the track:

Waiting....waiting....

Finally! Okay, let's break in the track with some heavy-hitting domestic iron! That's John Heard and Mark Scott facing off. Mark has some guts racing a Ferd at a Nova event! Wait, Bruce raced a Dodge. Traitors everywhere!

Everyone watching the Top Eliminator competition:

Here's Craig W and Karl B facing off in the brackets:

Here's Jim A about to dispatch Karl B in the semi-finals:

The crowd collectively praying that by some miracle Jim doesn't win Top Eliminator!

Jake Webb proving that his engine made too much power to live! Well, maybe not that, but he did manage to bend all eight exhaust pushrods and hang one valve in the guide on Thursday night on the way home. We were really looking forward to seeing his first 12-second ET, too. I think his smile might be forced.

Well, sadly, another track day done. No huge carnage other than Angella's '63 developing some rod knock. Oh, and the carnage that resulted from Bruce's minivan edging out John Heard's pickup in a grudge match.

Driving back to the motel, apparently John's not too down about the grudge-match loss.

Mr. Streetable and his 10-second Nova.

The rest of Craig's and Angella's Saturday pictures:

   

Banana Boy Bruce captures some of the racing action on film.

   

Craig gets tired of running 11.0s (worn out slicks and bad air), so he uncorks the headers and shoots for 10s.  A new Gathering record is set on the following run--10.99.

Some shots of the pits.

 

Angella's convertible developed a rod knock in its 90,000 mile bottom end and was done early.  Thanks to the Hitchcocks, the Vert got a ride back to the motel.

Larry "Chevystroker" Davis laid down solid 12s off the bottle all day long and then dipped well into the 11s with some giggle gas.

More shots of Craig's Death Nova.

6'5" Brian Heise--that poor little bike.

Craig Hitchcock gave up his spot on the trailer so that Ang's Vert could ride back to the motel in comfort.  Thanks!

After a long day of racing, we did what we do best...sat around and ran our mouths!

Mike "The Pan Man" Parsons' Disco Nova--also known as Rick Montalbano's crew chief.  Mike went above and beyond the call of duty to assist Rick with a seized wheel bearing on the way to Joplin.  I always knew Nova Nuts were the best people in the land :-)

Aren's radar detector--surely he wouldn't treat a speed limit as an arbitrary number would he?

Another shot of Dave Smeal's beautiful ride.  That baby is sweet!

 

Copyright © 2003 Bruce Johnson and Craig Watson