Taylor, DeFlorian, Laurita Head Qualifying List At X-DRL’s Bash On The Bayou At No Problem Raceway

Frankie Taylor once again found himself at the top of Pro X-treme qualifying in the X-treme Drag Racing League (X-DRL), this time in its debut at No Problem Raceway for the Bash On The Bayou.

Hot conditions didn’t bother Taylor during Friday’s qualifying, as the Pro X-treme standout went 3.70 at 206.45 mph, putting him at No. 1 through three qualifying sessions in Belle Rose, La.

“That would be real cool to be No. 1 again,” Taylor said. “We were pretty happy with that pass, especially doing that in some pretty hot conditions. Just getting down the track with a good run like that is what matters.”

Other No. 1 qualifiers after Friday’s three sessions included Jim Laurita (Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous), John DeFlorian (X-treme Pro Stock), Bob Gulitti (Mickey Thompson Top Sportsman), Michael Kile (Top Dragster), Jeffrey Cummins Jr. (X-treme Pro Modified), Todd Moyer (Precision Turbo & Engine Pro Turbo) and Joseph Teuton (Supercar Showdown).

The final qualifying session for the Bash On The Bayou takes place at 12 p.m. local time with eliminations to follow.

Just like in Bristol, Tommy D’Aprile is right behind Taylor with a 3.713 at 200.74, while Taylor’s teammate, Tim Tindle, is third with a 3.718 at 206.20 mph in his new Mustang. Dan Millen’s new 2013 Mustang from Jerry Bickel Race Cars topped out with a 3.726.

A broken blower belt kept Taylor from making a third pass on Friday, but he has big expectations for eliminations.

“My brother (Paul) did a great job making adjustments,” Taylor said. “The first pass went good and that allowed us to step on it. This track definitely has a 3.65 in it or quicker.”

Jim Laurita appears on track for his second straight No. 1 qualifier in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, running an impressive 3.813 at 196.53 mph. The run came in the third qualifying session under the lights and was a strong improvement on Laurita’s first two runs of the day.

“It was pulling good and I knew it was on a good run. We got a good handle on the car throughout the day and it worked out really well,” Laurita said. “We wanted to turn it up for that last run and the car really responded.”

Jeff Naiser started the string of runs in the 3.80s in the night session, running a 3.86 to sit in second. Pat Stoken also ran in the 3.80s, running a 3.87 right after Naiser, but Laurita followed that with another strong pass in his Jerry Bickel Race Cars Camaro that features a Switzer Dynamics EFI set-up.

“Things are really coming together. I had never run a clutch car before Bristol and it was a little bit of a challenge, but it’s worked out really well,” Laurita said.

“I got comfortable really fast and I’m really tickled with how it’s worked out. I’m really looking forward to eliminations.”

John DeFlorian’s struggles on Friday were wiped away with one tremendous pass in X-treme Pro Stock, as he jumped to the No. 1 spot with a 4.096 at 177.39 mph.

It was his first full pass after a day filled with problems and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Black Diamond Motorsports XPS points leader.

“It was a soft set-up, but when the car left, I knew it was on a pretty good run,” DeFlorian said. “I was ecstatic because I knew a 4.09 was a great run in these conditions. It was a pretty frustrating day.

“The first run we blew the tires and when I hit the starter button on the second run, the battery went dead. That really put us behind the 8-ball, so it was good that we were able to come back from that.”
In Mickey Thompson Top Sportsman, Bob Gulitti overcame nearly crashing into the wall on his first qualifying pass to become the No. 1 qualifier in the class with a 4.137 at 175.18 mph.

Gulitti got sideways at the finish line of his first run, let the parachutes out and darted back the opposite way, but somehow saved it from crashing into the wall.

Despite that, he ran a 4.24 for the top spot during that session, though Earl Folse took it over by running a 4.20 in the second round.

Folse finished third with a 4.209, and Keith Raftery posted a solid 4.17 in the final session, but Gulitti stepped it up even more, putting him in line for the $1,500 prize for the No. 1 qualifier in the class.

Local sponsor Garrison Construction is offering an additional $1,000 top qualifier bonus on top of the $500 bonus Tim McAmis Performance Parts offers to the No. 1 qualifier in Mickey Thompson Top Sportsman at each race.

“It was going to the center line and I just tried to hang with it,” Gulitti said of his first run. “Right before the finish line, I let out the chute and it was a good thing I did because once the chute hit, it straightened me up. That really made the difference because I had the wheel cranked.

“It rattled me for a second, but we made an adjustment going into that third pass. Jeff Pierce made a great call, we got it adjusted and the car straightened out. We saw turned on that third stage and it worked out really well. The car went right down the track for me. I wanted that No. 1 qualifier spot and we went after it, so that was pretty exciting.”

Michael Kile was one of two Top Dragsters to reach the 3-second mark in a huge field, and he ended up as the No. 1 qualifier with a 3.947 at 183.57 mph.

A total of 28 cars made up the field, and Coby Jones was the first to get in the 3-second zone, running 3.963 at 182.13 mph.

Kile, though, responded moments later with an incredible pass, putting together the quickest time and speed of the day. X-DRL sponsor Vicari Auctions added an additional $1,000 to the Top Dragster purse for the Bash On The Bayou, adding even more incentive for Kile and the other 27 cars in the field.

Jeffrey Cummins Jr. took the top spot in X-treme Pro Mod, running 4.052 at 187.47 mph. Kevin Rivenbark ran a 4.057 at 182.23 mph.

Todd Moyer finished as the No. 1 qualifier in Precision Turbo & Engine Pro Turbo, running 3.889 at 202.36 mph.

Joseph Teuton put on a show for the fans in the Supercar Showdown class and finished as the No. 1 qualifier in the process, running 5.732 at 118.28 mph in his 2011 Dodge Challenger.

Teuton displayed two impressive wheelstands during the day, adding a bit of flair to his strong runs in the Challenger.

In Pro Junior Dragster, Tia Tutterow is currently No. 1 with a 7.901.

One Comment

1. 

   John Jackson

   May 20, 2013 at 1:38 pm

   That was a great show at Noproblem . I hope y’all come back

   Reply