Norwalk: Justin Humphreys preview

Humphreys' Key to Success: Best Runs in Best Qualifying Sessions

The drag racing gods  haven't been smiling on Jason Humphreys during his
first year of NHRA Pro Stock  racing.  They have, in fact, been rather cruel.

How  else do you explain missing the starting lineup by one- or
two-thousandths of a  second?  On several occasions?

If anything, the close  encounters with Sunday race dates have made Humphreys
and his RaceRedi  Motorsports/Knoll Gas Energy Pontiac GTO team more
determined to shake off the  mille-second disappointments.  They begin that quest in
the Summit Racing  Equipment Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports
Park, Friday through  Sunday.  This is the first time the POWERade Series has
been to the former  Norwalk Motorsports Park

It doesn't take Humphreys long to point  out one reason why he's come so
close but yet been so far away. "We've run well  in the wrong sessions," he
said, noting that the good session is usually on  Friday nights.  Saturday in the
SuperNationals at Englishtown, N.J., the  blue GTO posted the eighth-quickest
time which, on most occasions, would be  enough to claim to a top 16 start.
Alas, it was a hot day and the track  was hot and slippery.

The result: A 6.645-second elapsed  time was 10th quickest for the session
and 17th overall . . . just  two-thousandths of a second shy of the goal.

"It's just one  of those racing deals," added Humphreys, who got his first
taste of drag racing  competition in the Sport Compact and Nopi Series.  "It's
not a power  issue.  The motors Richard Maskin and his crew are building have
a lot of  steam.  Now it's up to us -- me, crew chief Eric Luzinski and the
crew -- to  get in there and make the good runs.  We'll get there.  We
definitely  aren't giving up."

-credit: kgr