Monty Mikho
05-02-2008, 08:29 PM
Las Vegas, NV – The Accufab drag racing team accomplished one half of their goal of a win and a runner up at this past weekend’s Pacific Street Car Association, K&N Filters Las Vegas Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. At the first PSCA race of the season the two car team featuring a 2002 Mercury Cougar and a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air both with twin turbocharged engines did accomplish their goal and finished 1st and 2nd. It was a much different story in Las Vegas however. Both cars were mired in problems from the beginning of the weekend.
With the 57 Chevy driven by Ed Thornton of Chino Hills, CA the team could not manage to get grip on the race track and never made a full run down the course. They wound up in the 18th position in qualifying out of 18 cars; a disappointment to say the least.
Meanwhile the Cougar owned and driven by John Mihovetz of Ontario, CA was having drive train problems but was still able to run a 6.42 elapsed time at 220 mph and was good enough to place him on the pole for the race. Unfortunately for the team that meant a first round match up with each other.
At the green Mihovetz took a slight advantage and by 100 feet the 57 predictably spun the tires as it had all weekend. Mihovetz then fought to keep his car straight and won with a 6.76 et at just 213 mph.
Team driver Thornton, “we sucked this weekend. Since we ran that 6.34 a few weeks back we have not been able to go down the track. Were going to have to get our (stuff) together in a hurry this was embarrassing.”
Round 2 saw the Cougar take a ladder bye but despite the automatic pass to the next round Mihovetz legged the car through running a raspy sounding 6.70 et at 207 mph the result of a fouled spark plug. That meant Mihovetz gave up lane choice to Bob Griffith and their Dodge Viper for their 3rd round match. The Cougar came through victorious with a slightly better 6.53 et at 221 mph when Griffith had a backfire which ended his run just past the midpoint of the racetrack. The run gave lane choice in the semifinal to Mihovetz when his opponent Giuseppe Gentile idled down track during his ladder bye into the semifinal round. Gentile with his turbocharged Mustang had just taken the et record from Mihovetz one round before when his 6.34 backed up a stout first round 6.297 for the new PSCA Pro Street et record.
The Semifinal match looked to be the race of the weekend at least on paper but by 60 feet the race was over as Mihovetz 6.45 et at 220 mph easily outdistanced Gentile’s troubled 10.127 et.
The final round pitted Mihovetz Cougar against Kelly Bluebaugh and his WFO Racing Nitrous assisted Monte Carlo. Mihovetz earned lane choice when Bluebaugh idled down track during his semifinal round ladder bye. Unfortunately during the burnout part of one of the waste gates which control how much boost can be made broke off the Cougar and rendered it powerless against Bluebaugh. At the green the Cougar leapt forward and them immediately bogged the tires and shook. Mihovetz legged it through but his 6.76 et at just 217 mph was outdistanced by Bluebaugh’s 6.60 et at 214.
“We struggled this weekend with both cars. I think the track actually has too much bite for our tune ups this weekend. We are going to test these cars and get them sorted out before we go to Fontana,” explained Mihovetz. “You can count on that.”
Team Accufab will be racing in Fontana, CA on May 16th – 18th at the PSCA Borla Performance California Shootout.
With the 57 Chevy driven by Ed Thornton of Chino Hills, CA the team could not manage to get grip on the race track and never made a full run down the course. They wound up in the 18th position in qualifying out of 18 cars; a disappointment to say the least.
Meanwhile the Cougar owned and driven by John Mihovetz of Ontario, CA was having drive train problems but was still able to run a 6.42 elapsed time at 220 mph and was good enough to place him on the pole for the race. Unfortunately for the team that meant a first round match up with each other.
At the green Mihovetz took a slight advantage and by 100 feet the 57 predictably spun the tires as it had all weekend. Mihovetz then fought to keep his car straight and won with a 6.76 et at just 213 mph.
Team driver Thornton, “we sucked this weekend. Since we ran that 6.34 a few weeks back we have not been able to go down the track. Were going to have to get our (stuff) together in a hurry this was embarrassing.”
Round 2 saw the Cougar take a ladder bye but despite the automatic pass to the next round Mihovetz legged the car through running a raspy sounding 6.70 et at 207 mph the result of a fouled spark plug. That meant Mihovetz gave up lane choice to Bob Griffith and their Dodge Viper for their 3rd round match. The Cougar came through victorious with a slightly better 6.53 et at 221 mph when Griffith had a backfire which ended his run just past the midpoint of the racetrack. The run gave lane choice in the semifinal to Mihovetz when his opponent Giuseppe Gentile idled down track during his ladder bye into the semifinal round. Gentile with his turbocharged Mustang had just taken the et record from Mihovetz one round before when his 6.34 backed up a stout first round 6.297 for the new PSCA Pro Street et record.
The Semifinal match looked to be the race of the weekend at least on paper but by 60 feet the race was over as Mihovetz 6.45 et at 220 mph easily outdistanced Gentile’s troubled 10.127 et.
The final round pitted Mihovetz Cougar against Kelly Bluebaugh and his WFO Racing Nitrous assisted Monte Carlo. Mihovetz earned lane choice when Bluebaugh idled down track during his semifinal round ladder bye. Unfortunately during the burnout part of one of the waste gates which control how much boost can be made broke off the Cougar and rendered it powerless against Bluebaugh. At the green the Cougar leapt forward and them immediately bogged the tires and shook. Mihovetz legged it through but his 6.76 et at just 217 mph was outdistanced by Bluebaugh’s 6.60 et at 214.
“We struggled this weekend with both cars. I think the track actually has too much bite for our tune ups this weekend. We are going to test these cars and get them sorted out before we go to Fontana,” explained Mihovetz. “You can count on that.”
Team Accufab will be racing in Fontana, CA on May 16th – 18th at the PSCA Borla Performance California Shootout.