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Friday, July 10th, 2009 Walker extends PSCA Pro Street points lead with win, career best performance in Vegas...
PALM DESERT, CA - The only match for the
searing hot temperatures at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway June
19-20 was the Pacific Street Car Association's hottest Pro Street
driver, Randy Walker.
As he's already done several times this season, Walker used a series of blistering mid 6.30 passes and double-oh reaction times to lay claim to the PSCA MagnaFuel Summer Nationals Pro Street crown under the lights in Vegas. After struggling with ring & pinion and clutch issues during qualifying, Walker and his flat-black '74 El Camino ended up in the fourth qualifying position with a solid 6.460, 217.74 MPH effort. "The car has been running so well lately that the problems we were running into in qualifying really caught us off guard," Walker said. "Luckily we were able to still land somewhere up near the top of the field, and I had complete faith in our team to get the problems sorted out before eliminations." Crew Chief Duane Walker and team consultant Charles Carpenter went to work to resolve the problems, but the clutch issues again cropped up in the first round of eliminations and luckily Walker's off-pace 6.459 was enough to hold off Richard Klann's 7.101 elapsed time. Round two would bring about a tough match up with Bob Griffith's blown Viper, but this time around Carpenter and Duane Walker had found the problems plaguing the clutch, and Walker's much more on-pace 6.364 was too much for Griffith's game 6.398. It also marked the first time the team has eclipsed the 220 MPH barrier, posting a career-best 220.19 MPH speed on the scoreboard. "I know this team has been shooting for that number for a long time," said Carpenter. "I'm glad to see them do it. 220 may not sound like much in today's times, but to do it in a 2600 pound truck that's as big and boxy as this one, and in these hot conditions, is quite the feat." It's a good thing the Walker Racing Group had found their stride once again, because they would need every bit of it if they were to get around their semi-final round opponent, Tim Henry. Henry's fuel-injected Firebird has been a top performer on the series all season long and qualified number one at this race with a 6.340 at over 223 MPH. Both drivers left the gate with incredible reaction times (.014 for Walker to Henry's .021), but in the end Walker's El Camino was too much for Henry, running a 6.374 to Henry's engine-damaging 6.417. The final round would once again pit Walker against a familiar friend and foe, Phoenix's Kelly Bluebaugh. Bluebaugh had struggled throughout the day to get his MagnaFuel Monte Carlo to work on the 130-plus degree racing surface, but relied on his veteran savvy to carry him all the way to the finals.
Bluebaugh's
run ended at the hands of Walker once again, as the Palm Desert, CA
hot rod shop owner laid down his best pass of the weekend, a 6.352 at
almost 221 MPH, to score the win over a tire-shaking Bluebaugh.
"Our
incredible season just keeps getting better," Walker said. "That’s our
third win this season, and I feel like we still haven't reached our
full potential. My brother Duane and Charles both made great calls to
keep the car consistent throughout eliminations, and I did my job on
the tree. It just doesn't get much better than this."
With the win, Walker extends his lead over Clint Hairston, Henry, and Bluebaugh in the Hughes Performance Pro Street championship points.
"We're
not going to rest on our laurels" said Walker. "We’ve come a long way,
but there is still a lot of racing left to be done, and we've got our
eyes on a championship or two this year."
Walker Racing Group would like to extend a special thanks to Charles Carpenter, Derrick Lamb & Lamb Components, Lenco, Goodyear Tires, Joch at True Carbon Components, and Inland Driveline. Walker Racing Group is actively seeking primary sponsorship for 2009. For more information, please visit www.walkerracinggroup.com. |
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