Muncy is the Man in Ardmore
Ardmore Dragway - Sept 5th, 2015
Event number two of the Southwest Junior Fuel Association season brought the series to Ardmore Dragway as a part of their annual reunion event. Odie Coker entered the event in the points lead with Mike Millsap hot on his heels just six points back. It was a typical late summer afternoon in southern Oklahoma with plenty of heat, but the SWJFA racers were eager to get going and kick off two rounds of qualifying.
(Odie Coker)
After the completion of two qualifying sessions, Ron Muncy put the "Foolish Pleasure" dragster in the top spot with a 4.81 at 143 mph. Mike Millsap and Mike Buchanan also posted 4.81 elapsed times as the top three were separated by only .002 of a second heading into eliminations. Points leader Odie Coker struggled with a new tire combination and rounded out the field in the number six spot with a 6.59 time slip.
(Ron Muncy)
Final Qualifying Order:
Final Qualifying Order:
1. Ron Muncy (Weatherford, TX) - 4.81 @ 143
2. Mike Millsap (Sachse, TX) 4.81 @ 144
3. Mike Buchanan (Goddard, KS) 4.81 @ 143
4. Bill Tumlinson (Victoria, TX) 5.11 @ 132
5. Tony Patterson (Ponca City, OK) 5.24 @ 130
6. Odie Coker (Dallas, TX) 6.59 @ 69
Eliminations:
Ron Muncy and Bill Tumlinson kicked off the opening round of eliminations and this one ended on the starting line when Tumlinson went -.007 red, while Muncy posted a 4.80 at 144 mph to move into the semis. Millsap crept to the starting line alongside Tony Patterson in the next pairing. Patterson was looking to upset the higher qualified car, but his 5.24 was no match for Millsap's 4.82 at 144 mph. In the final pair, Buchanan met points leader Coker and blasted off the line first and never looked back, posting a 4.81 at 144 to Coker's close 4.82 at 143 as Coker made a wild move to the centerline at the hit of the throttle but almost ran Buchanan down.
(Coker vs. Buchanan)
First Round Results
(W) Ron Muncy (.106 rt) 4.80 @ 144 vs. (L) Bill Tumlinson (-.007 rt) 5.15 @ 129
(W) Mike Millsap (.184 rt) 4.82 @ 144 vs. (L) Tony Patterson (.219 rt) 5.24 @ 131
(W) Mike Buchanan (.016 rt) 4.81 @ 144 vs. (L) Odie Coker (.071 rt) 4.82 @ 143
(Mike Millsap)
With the points leader on the trailer, Millsap had the chance to make a move to the front and opened the semi-finals with a match up against Buchanan. This one was decided on the starting line as Millsap went -.031 red while Buchanan dipped into the 4.70 zone with a 4.79 at 143 mph. Ron Muncy had a solo shot and clicked off a 4.81 at 144 mph as Buchanan and Muncy were final round bound in what was shaping up to be a very close final round bout.
Semi-Final Results
(W) Mike Buchanan (.041 rt) 4.79 @ 143 vs. (L) Mike Millsap (-.031 rt) 4.85 @ 143
(W) Ron Muncy (.110 rt) 4.81 @ 144 vs. BYE
(Mike Buchanan)
In the final, the veteran Muncy showed he still has what it takes and took a healthy starting line advantage coupled with a 4.80 at 144 mph to hold off Buchanan's 4.82 at 143 mph. This marked Muncy's first win since 2013 and capped off a perfect weekend for the team as they qualified number one and took home the big win in Ardmore.
Final Round Results
(W) Ron Muncy (.030 rt) 4.80 @ 144 vs. Mike Buchanan (.151 rt) 4.82 @ 143
(Ron Muncy - Ardmore Winner)
The SWJFA series would like to thank Lubrication Engineers Inc, Hayden Enterprises, Champion Spark Plugs and Hilborn Fuel Injection for their support of the 2015 racing season. The next stop on the tour will take the series to Tulsa Raceway Park on September 19th as a part of the "Nitro Nationals" event.
