Presented by Ingersoll Rand and MSC Industrial Supply Co. and hosted by Ray Evernham, former
NASCAR championship crew chief, star of “AmeriCarna” on Velocity and founder
of IGNITE, the second annual “AmeriCarna LIVE” car show attracted auto
enthusiasts and some of Evernham’s NASCAR friends.
This year’s event stars
included Lou Santiago from Velocity’s Car Fix, Denny Hamlin, driver of the No.
11 FedEx Toyota, Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Pennzoil/Shell Ford, Ryan
Newman, driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, Ron Malec, car chief of the
No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, Chad Knaus, crew chief of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet
and “Crazzzy” Jake Crimmins. The celebrity cars on display included Dale
Earnhardt Jr.’s 1988 Chevrolet S-10,
Joey
Logano’s 1939 Rat Rod, Denny
Hamlin’s 1967 Lincoln Continental, Kelley
Earnhardt Miller’s 1972 Volkswagen Beetle, Rusty
Wallace’s 1966 El Camino, Chad
Knaus’ 1972 Camaro, several
cars from the collection of Rick Hendrick and cars
from Season II of “AmeriCarna.”
“Today was a great day for car
lovers of all ages,” said Evernham. “We had an incredible lineup of cars,
a great turnout of attendees and terrific partners who made it all
possible. Together, we were able to raise more than double what we did
last year for IGNITE. I’d like to offer a sincere ‘thank you’ to everyone
who came out to support this great cause.”
The
top winners at this year’s “AmeriCarna LIVE” were:
·
Ingersoll
Rand Choice Award – Dennis Hamlin’s ’40 Ford Coupe
·
MSC
Choice Award – Tony Darrell’s ‘54 Buick Roadster
·
Mayor
of Davidson Choice Award -- Tony Darrell’s ‘54 Buick Roadster
·
5/3
Bank Choice Award -- Tony Darrell’s ‘54 Buick Roadster
·
Lake
Norman Currents Choice Award -- Tony Darrell’s ‘54 Buick Roadster
·
Hendrick
Performance Choice Award – Kevin Neild’s ‘35 Dodge Coupe
·
Joey
Logano Choice Award – Kevin Neild’s ‘35 Dodge Coupe
·
Ryan
Newman Choice Award – Mike Cranford’s Junior Johnson race car
·
Furthest
Drive Award – Joey Mason’s ’62 Camaro
·
Denny
Hamlin Choice Award – Virgil Scaggs’ ‘57 Chevy Bel Air
·
Hendrick
Northlake Choice Award – Michael Wafer’s ‘69 Camaro 228
·
4x4
Choice Award – Richard Lowe’s ’74 Bronco
·
JT
& the Drag Pipes Choice Award – Anthony DiDonato’s ‘50 Ford Lincoln
·
Carlisle
Companies Choice Award – Leroy Maybry’s ‘52 Chevy
·
Ray
J Choice Award – Steve Bradford ‘67 Volkswagen Beetle
·
AmeriCarna
Choice Award – Carl “Punch” Nichols’ ‘40 Ford Coupe
·
Ray
Evernham Choice Award – Dwayne Contreel’s ‘47 Studebaker
·
IGNITE
Choice Award – Carl Freman’s ’68 Camaro
In memory of Dale Armstrong, courtesy of NBC Sports
ReplyDeleteale Armstrong, a highly-respected crew chief that helped drag racing legend Kenny Bernstein win five of his six NHRA championships and also had a successful driving career himself in the 1970s, has passed away at the age of 73.
The NHRA reports that he was suffering from complications of sarcoidosis before his death on Friday at his home in California.
Armstrong won the 1975 NHRA Pro Comp title, and a year later claimed the IHRA title. He was also a multi-time winner in the sport’s most important race, the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis (1974, 1975, 1977).
After closing his driving career in 1981, Armstrong became a crew chief for Bernstein’s Funny Car outfit in 1982. Eventually, the duo helped power one of the NHRA’s top dynasties as Bernstein’s Budweiser King won four consecutive Funny Car crowns from 1985-1988.
Following the end of their reign, Bernstein and Armstrong moved to the Top Fuel category in 1990. Two years later, they made history that March in Gainesville, Florida.
Utilizing a cylinder head/magneto combination developed by Wes Cerny, Armstrong tuned Bernstein’s machine to the sport’s first-ever 300 mile per hour run – a 4.823 at 301.70 mph during qualifying at the GatorNationals.
“Being the crew chief on the first car to run 300 means more to me than any national event win or any Winston championship,” Armstrong said in 2001 after being voted No. 10 on a list of the NHRA’s Top 50 drivers ever. “There isn’t any question at all. People will forget what years we won the Winston championship, but they’ll never forget when the first 300 was run and who did it.”
Another championship for Bernstein followed in 1996 before the duo parted ways after five titles and 48 national event wins together.
Armstrong moved on to Don Prudhomme’s squad at the end of 1997, and continued to push the levels of performance; in 1999, he guided Larry Dixon to the first sub-4.50 second run ever, a 4.486, in an event in Houston.
In addition to his work behind the wheel and in tuning, Armstrong was hailed by his peers as an innovator par excellence.
He was the first Funny Car crew chief to utilize wind-tunnel testing and data recorders, and he also developed the first multi-stage clutch, a dual-source fuel delivery system, and dynamometer testing for engines that used nitromethane.
Additionally, Armstrong is credited with a variety of other creations that were in fact outlawed by the NHRA. Among that group of “offenders” was a two-speed supercharger and a cylinder head that accepted three spark plugs.
Following his retirement from the sport, Armstrong served as a consultant (most notably to John Force Racing) and worked on restoration of classic vehicles and racing machines.
He is a member of multiple motorsports Halls of Fame, including the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame, the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time.
D NJ