Sunny Skies Help Attract Record Field at Pre-Season Test

You could sense the first testing opportunity of the year was going to be a hit when Academy Award winning actor George Kennedy rolled into the facility to take in Firebird’s opening day of the 2009 Season. I mean, it’s not every day a motion picture star of his caliber drops into the drag races. Kennedy was not only out watching his grandson (who will compete in this year’s High School Series), but also a wide variety of other racers who participated at the one-day test `n tune.

The event was literally slammed with entries. In fact, a record 240 racers rolled in to make practice runs throughout the morning and afternoon. The skies were filled with bright, blue skies and amazing, mineshaft air. The most common comment heard throughout the day was “I just ran a career best e.t. and speed” or “my car ran its quickest run ever”, largely because of a steady tailwind throughout the day. Temperatures topped out in the lower 60’s and the racing surface was in outstanding shape, especially when you take into account this was Firebird’s first event in over five months.

Perhaps the biggest group—there must have been over a hundred cars in the 10.00-13.99 break. The day was filled with tons of wheelstands. Bill Muchow put his blue Maverick nearly two feet in the air to start the day. Bruce Compton delivered another beauty with his black Oldsmobile. Not to be outdone, Melissa Jarboe cranked up several nice passes with her colorfully repainted Vega, although much tamer (with a new chassis set-up for this year) in comparison to her often “out-of-the-park” skylaunches late last season.

The Sleds and Bikes were out in force, too. Two bike competitors and one sled rider successfully knocked out their NHRA license passes, amongst of field of better than two dozen rides out testing.