| 2009 Simply put 2009 was 4 races, 4 cars (all funny cars!!) and 4 different tracks. The season began late for me as the 1st race was the National Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green KY. Very cool deal got to drive Kevin Sine's new BB/FC blown alky hemi with a 3 speed Titan Pedal clutch. It was HOT in BG but an awesome event. We ended up #3 qualifier and lost in the 1st round but Kevin was thrilled as his car got down the track under power for the 1st time and he got good data. Next up was Salt Lake City and the chance to drive one of the most recognized funny cars ever, Ron and Ed Lenarth's Holy Toledo Jeepster. This was a fun and laid back event. 1 day deal make 2 passes and call it a night. We were 2nd pair out and did side by side burnouts to put on a show with the Pure Heaven car. After the 1st session we were the 4th quickest car on a 1000 ft click off pass. For our final run we made a slight clutch change to see how it would react. So after being a little squirrely in the burnout it launches heads towards the wall I pedal once and it heads to te middle so I give up and idle through. Not what we had hoped for but again more solid data and the beginning of more races with the Lenarth's. Next event was the Nitro Nite of Fire in Sacramento. For this race I would be driving Dennis Murphy's BB/FC in CIFCA a 7.20 index. We qualified really well with a 7.24 making us number 4. The car was real consistent and I did a decent job on the starting line and we made the semi finals and would have made the finals but hurt the tranny and called it a night. The last event of the year would be the California Hot Rod Reunion and for this race, George Doty's HotWheels Crazy Horse nitro funny car. It was a great event, as always but we struggled and just could not get the fuel system right and ended up with a DNQ. It was an interesting season of nothing but Funny Cars and hopefully leads to some good things for 2010. 2008 The Reunion Back together with Dennis Murphy and Scott Sharp AND I get to be part of the Cacklefest!!! About 2 months before the Reunion I got a call from Bruce Bartlett. Bruce was part of Fred Smith's team when I drove for them a few years ago and just a gem of a guy. Well Bruce calls me and ask if I would shoe his NEW CackleFest digger...YES. The car is gorgeous and totally period correct. The Hustlers Car Club Las Vegas digger and me in a firesuit from 1964 Just Too Cool. Being part of the Cacklefest I have watched for so many years was incredible, and Sabrina and Ty really dug it as well... As for racing we just couldn't get a handle on the car and shook every time. On our first pass we were the last pair and in front of us was Lisa LaVoie and Darrell Waters, they ended up in a bad wreck, both were OK but Lisa's car was a write off, thank goodness for our safety measures cause this could have been SO much worse. We ended up 1st alternate but due to the tragic loss of Shawn Corbari's brother we got to race on Sunday. I went over to see Shawn Sunday morning and let him know how sorry we all were and that I was truely racing for his family and would do my best. We were paired up with Doc Bates and I got the jump at the line but he flat flew and we were down on power with our blower. Race Year OVER... Oh Yes 1 thing to add in, Dennis Murphy set it up so I could drive his Funny Car in Sacramento and we made the necessary passes so I am now officially a licensed Funny Car Driver!!! 713 N/FC In what was one of the most pleasant surprises in a while was the call I got while crewing for Sean Bellemuer during the Autolite Nationals, Butch Blair, owner of the Fugowie!! Top Fueler contacted me and asked if I was interesting in driving for him at the NightFire Nationals in Boise...I could not pass up the chance to be back in a fuel car, especially hte car that had won the event the year before. Boise is just an AWESOME event we qualify at night Friday and Saturday and race on Sunday. On Saturday afternoon they have a HUGE driving signing event and there were just a ton of people lined up to get autographs from the Funny Car and Dragster drivers. I was seated near Adam Sorokin, James Day and Leah Pruitt- LeDuc and I would say I have not laughed that hard in a long time, we drivers had as much fun as the fans, maybe more... Getting to drive for Butch and Terri Blair was a highlite of my driving career, they were great, the crew was great and the car is awesome. We struggled in qualifying losing a fuel line Fri. nite and spinning the tire hard on Saturday but due to the car count we were #12. Sunday morning Butch tells me he has something for these guys be ready to grab some brake and haul butt!!! So we have #1 qualifier Jim Murphy in Rd1 at the green I got a bit of a jump and the car went out and rattled some, which Butch told me to drive through and just then we lose a fuel line, again...Day over... But no complaints from me, back in an awesome fuel car and at Boise. Plus as we learn later at The Reunion the data Butch got worked cause he ran 5.89....Congrats to them and there is a possibility I may get to drive for them again. Fuel & Gas Championships Back together with Ed in the Eddie Camp A/FD car. After struggling through qualifying we got together saturday night and figured out we were having fuel pump problems so we borrowed one from Genco Racing, our 1st round opponent and the car reacted the way it should and we got into Rd 2. Having a semi final finished moved me up to 6th in points. I didn't think either team, Eddie Camp or Dennis Murphy were gonna make the Fontana event so next looked to be the Hot Rod Reunion... March Meet The NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series kicked off in a BIG way, the 50th March Meet. It was so cool to just be a part of this event. I remember being a kid and going to March Meets and seeing all the biggest names in Drag Racing so getting to race at the 50th was BIG... Due to personal issues Eddie Camp was not able to race SO he set it up for me to drive once again for Dennis Murphy. Dennis and his crew chief (and my dear friend) Scott had put a whole new combination in the car with a BAE Hemi motor and due to limited testing did not really have a handle on the car yet. Our goal was to make passes and get data... Well we exceeded our goals as we got alot of good data and qualified!!! We were #8 in an eight car show but we were in. In the 1st round we lost to Darrell Waters but We did have a holeshot with my .026 light but we were down on power and fought tire shake. No complaints we raced at the 50th March Meet and are currently in the top 10 in points... Next up the Fuel & Gas Championships, Hot Rod Heritage event in Bakersfield at the end of May. 2007 Season We were again driving for Eddie Camp Racing and his Blown Alky Digger. We only ran the March Meet and Reunion as the Nostalgia Series really did not have a true "series" to speak of... Alot of rumors and finally the announcement that NHRA will host the Heritage Series meaning 2008 could be looking up. The Highlights of 2007 were running a 6.66 in Ed's car, a best ever at the Reunion. The 2nd was getting to make some runs in James Hartley's blown alcohol Funny Car. It looks like I will get to do some additional racing in James' car for 2008 as he switches it over to a Blown Altered to race in the new 7.0 class. James has a 1st class operation and he and his wife are just wonderful. 2006 Season I was offered the opportunity to drive for Eddie Campana with his A/Fuel Dragster. Ed runs a really nice operation and the car a stunner, maroon and black with gold leaf. A blown BBC for power and a really great group of guys. We will only run a partial schedule for 2006 highlighted by a # 4 qualifying spot semi final finish at the Governors Cup event in Sacramento and a 1st round loss at the Hot Rod Reunion. We are looking forward to 2007 where Ed has asked me to continue to drive for him... November 2005 Jerry Kumre Jr. and the Foothill Flyer AA/FD Nostalgia Dragster team have parted ways. I just want to take the opportunity to thank everyone from the Free Mexican Airforce and especially to Pete Jensen for the 2005 season. We had some highs and lows during the season but I have learned so much and truly enjoyed my time with Gerry Ninnes, Jim Wilson, Mike Civelli, Skippy, CIA Mike, Wingman and everyone involved for helping me accomplish something I had as only a passing dream, driving a Top Fuel car. The parting is amiable and everyone involved feels it is best to move in separate directions moving forward towards 2006. In addition to driving the dragster I was involved with the filming of a Nostalgia Racing reality documentary through Media Group titled Fast Lane Summer, http://www.mg-films.com/ I am currently looking for opportunities for the 2006 season and am open to AA/FD, A/Fuel as well as the new Nostalgia Funny Car class June 2005 BIG NEWS In what may be the biggest thing to hit the Nostalgia Drag Race Scene to date the Foothill Flyer race car and crew are being featured in a documentary type film. A film crew has been following the Flyer to events throughout the 2005 season and is looking to end filming at the 2005 Hot Rod Reunion in late September with the goal of putting together a 1 1/2 to 2 hour production. Smile you might be on camera..... The Movie Is In Production... www.mg-films.com and click on "what we are up to" Fast Lane Summer is high speed high drama. It is an inside picture of what life is like for a top fuel nostalgia racing team. Weeks of preparation for six seconds of speed… ending with the burst of a parachute to slow you back down… or a burst of flame from an exploded engine. It is a spectacularly colorful sport, surrounded by a much looser atmosphere than most top racing championships. And both on and off the grounds of the circuit, and the owners, drivers and crew chiefs tend to mingle freely with the crowd. Fast Lane Summer is an inside picture of what life is like for the owner… and for the people he depends on… his crew chief and his mechanics, his friends and family, his sponsors, and of course, his driver. It chronicles the constant tuning, testing, and traveling… the good times and the bad times... and the desperate times as well. The times when things are running smoothly and everyone is getting along, and the times when nothing seems to work… and you don’t know who to blame. Fast Lane Summer is an exciting subject for fans familiar with racing because it brings you right inside the team… and inside a racing series as well. Fast Lane Summer will be equally exciting for the layman… because it is an interesting story, filled with interesting characters, and interesting cars. © mediagroup 2005 Feb. 2005 2005 has been a building year for the Foothill Flyer team. The team was parked for all of 2004 to reorganize. In 2005 a new motor and fuel system was added to the venerable Foothill Flyer, which included the new 392 Billet heads recently allowed for Nostalgia Drag Racing. The other new addition was behind the wheel. Jerry Kumre Jr was tabbed to drive for 2005 and beyond. Jerry had competed in the Nostalgia scene in both Nostalgia Eliminator 1 (7.60 index) as well as A/Fuel. |
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:: 713 AA/FD::713 N/FC
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