Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Beard Teams Up with Knott for Michigan Stock Win

IHRA Northern Nitro Jam
US 131 Motorsports Park, Martin, MI
August 12-14, 2011

Vehicles:
Dart Sport
-- Moser Axle Mania Shootout: Lost 1st Round
-- Stock Eliminator: WON EVENT! (2-page event coverage with story and photos will be featured in an upcoming issue of Drag Review Magazine)

Volare
-- Super Stock: Lost 1st Round by .006 seconds
Duck Tape Racing's Michael Beard qualified for the Moser Axle Mania Shootout by virtue of his 2010 IHRA Div. 2 Stock Championship. Since the Duck Tape Volare is now a Super Stock car and the Turismo doesn't have Moser Axles to meet eligibility requirements for the shootout, Beard needed to borrow a car to run in Shootout and in Stock. Longtime friend and teammate Terry Knott once again offered up the seat in his Dart Sport, which Beard drove to the 2003 IHRA Stock World Championship under the Loctite and Duck Tape banners. Ironically, Knott had purchased Beard's crate motor out of the Volare earlier this year. While Beard was still shaking the rust off during the Moser Shootout Friday night, and persistent rain denied any Saturday racing, the duo found their old stride by Sunday to claim the Stock Eliminator title at the IHRA Northern Nitro Jam. Beard was already qualified for the IHRA Summit Tournament of Champions coming up at Virginia in October, but the win knocks out one other potential competitor from the TOC roster.
Notables...

- It was Beard's 5th final round of the season, boosting his career tally to 162 event wins out of 237 final round appearances.

- The Dart Sport was shod with some brand new 28x10 Mickey Thompson bias ply slicks on Friday, with 60' times varying just thousandths all weekend.

- Although Beard has technically driven the Dart Sport before (the last time resulting in a National event runner-up in Maryland in 2005), it marks the third time in four years that he has found the winner's circle in the first weekend out with a 'new' car.

- the Volare continues to go through 'new car blues', and we've made a little headway, but we feel confident that we have finally located the source of our lost performance. It's back to the shop on Thursday, then testing at Rockingham on Friday. The win in Stock shows that once we get this car sorted out, good things will quickly follow.

Media

Drag Review Magazine, Issue 13 (July 15, 2011), Michael Beard and Chip Johnson named "Best of the Best" Sportsman Racer by IHRA President Aaron Polburn, pg 96

Drag Review Magazine, Issue 14 (July 29, 2011), Moser Axle Manis Qualifier photo pg 15

Drag Review Magazine, Issue 15 (Aug 12, 2011), FF/SA Class Winner photo pg 34 from the Sportsman Spectacular event at Maryland


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