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TORKELSON WINS AT INDY



Words by Hank Schmitt
Photos courtesy Super Chevy
7/20/05
For the second year in a row, a rookie is threatening to take command of the Mickey Thompson Nitro Coupe World Championship chase in the AutoZone Super Chevy Show series.

Wayne Torkelson, from Belpre Ohio (by way of California) took the WorkMat.net Nitro Coupe win at Indianapolis Raceway Park July 17 over veteran Mel Eaves and lengthened his world championship points lead. Torkelson, in his Water Wetter '54 Corvette Nitro Coupe, went through defending world champion Randy Adler in the semis and Merrillville, Indiana, Nitro Coupe racer Jeff Merritt in the first round. The win in the semis over Adler was especially significant for Torkelson as Adler is currently number two in the points. Eaves was the event's top qualifier with a 6.276-second blast at 223.88 miles per hour. He defeated Canadian ace Bruce Boland in the semis.

In the finals, Torkelson had two hundredths of a second in the bank on the tree and drove to a 6.305 at 220.66 miles per hour, edging Eaves, who ran a 6.337 at 220.87 miles per hour.



Top Sportsman Winner Mark Conkle

Top Sportsman belonged to Etna, Ohio, racer Mark Conkle, who was also the classes top qualifier at 7.245 seconds at 192.99 miles per hour. In the finals, Conkle defeated a red-lighting Dennis Jordan of Greenwood, Indiana. Conkle's '87 Sunbird ran a 7.278 on his 7.28 second dial with a top speed of 192.85 miles per hour but got away with it because of his opponent's red light. Jordan's run ended with the red light, but he ran it out to a 7.859 on a 7.80 second dial at 176.19 miles per hour.

The Chicago Super Stock Outlaws made a special appearance at the Super Chevy Show's Indy event and these street-legal monsters put on a great show. Smokin' Joe Stiles of Plainfield, IL, did it all as he turned in the low qualifying pass and then took the win on Sunday. Stiles, driving a '71 Camaro Z-28, qualified at 7.934 seconds at 172.83 miles per hour. In the finals, he tangled with Chicago Outlaw Super Stock founder Bill Houghton and took him out. Smokin' Joe ran a 7.921 at 173.47 in the finals; Houghton's '93 Camaro Z-28 ran a 7.98 at 173.03 miles per hour.


Nitro Coupe Qualifying - Saturday 7/16/05

Position Driver/Hometown Car ET MPH
1 Mel Eaves, Bayonet Point, FL '63 Corvette 6.276 223.88
2 Wayne Torkelson, Belpre, OH '54 Corvette 6.346 218.94
3 Randy Adler, Tinley Park, IL '57 Chevy 6.514 218.19
4 Bruce Boland, Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada '53 Corvette 6.645 209.46
5 Mike Swinarski, Hamburg, NY '57 Chevy 6.681 205.82
6 Dave Tomasino, Holley, NY '69 Camaro 6.913 210.87
7 Jeff Merritt, Merrillville, IN '00 Trans AM 7.275 159.31

Nitro Coupe Eliminations - Sunday 7/17/05

Semi-Finals RT ET MPH
Wayne Torkelson def. 0.089 6.304 222.73
Randy Adler 0.086 6.64 176.12

Mel Eaves def, 0.091 6.396 221.16
Bruce Boland 0.038 8.669 124.51
Finals
Wayne Torkelson 0.079 6.305 220.66
Mel Eaves 0.105 6.337 220.87

Top Sportsman Qualifying - Sat. 7/16

Position Driver/Hometown Car ET MPH
1 Mark Conkle, Etna, OH .87 Sunbird 7.245 192.99
2 Mark Christian, Belleville, WI '83 S-10 7.48 174.68
3 Dennis Jordan, Greenwood, IN '96 Firebird 7.824 176.63
4 Danny Tye, Indianapolis, IN '90 Beretta 7.892 168.11
5 Jamie Sotter, Morgantown, IN '97 Firebird 7.918 174.23
6 Don Rayburn, Indianapolis, IN 7.971 170.75

Top Sportsman Eliminations - Sun. 7/17/05

Driver R/T Dial-in ET MPH
Winner Mark Conkle, Etna, OH, '87 Sunbird 0.018 7.28 7.278 192.85
Runner-Up Dennis Jordan, Greenwood, IN, '96 Firebird FOUL 7.8 7.859 176.19
Semis Jamie Sotter, Morgantown, IN, '87 Firebird