Clark, Taxis “Double-Up” at Mid Atlantic .90 Opener

Clark, Taxis “Double-Up” at Mid Atlantic .90 Season Opener, Fahnestock & Smith end winless streaks

Atco Dragway, Atco, NJ – April 27th & 28th – The Mid Atlantic .90 Association kicked off it’s 2019 season at the famed Atco Dragway in Atco, NJ. A large crowd of .90 racers joined together for 2 races despite mother nature throwing them a curve-ball on Saturday.

Mid Atlantic .90 Association Season Preview

Gail force winds of over 40+mph made officials adjust the distance and run 1/8 mile due to safety concerns. For many drivers except for a few who had run in the old IHRA sportsman days had data for that distance but, many adapted quickly by the time Q2 came around to put their cars right on the corrected indexes.

Mid Atlantic .90 Association Comes to Atco Dragway

In Super Gas, Maugansville, Md resident Derek Clark hadn’t been down the track yet in 2019 but, that didn’t stop him from marching through the field on Saturday and into the final round. In the finals Clark laid down a .13 thousandths package to make final round opponent Marc Marsico mathematically ineligible for the win. Clark’s .009 light matched with his 6.304 on the 6.30 adjusted index took the win at Race # 1.

Steve Taxis was a newcomer to the series but, not to 10.90 racing with his Camaro. The North Jersey driver had some luck on his side with 3 red-lights in the first 3 rounds to vault himself into the final round against multi-time Top 5 finisher Kelli Barbato. At the flash of the green Taxis took a slight advantage (.020 to .027) and went almost dead on the 6.90 dial with a 6.901 to Barbato’s break-out 6.895.

In Super Comp, Johnny Smith from New York took his Rev-X lubricants dragster to victory when Randy Winfelder Jr. lit the red-bulb. This was Smith’s first victory since winning the 2016 New England Nationals also in Super Comp.

On Sunday and Race # 2, the series went back to the traditional ¼ mile distance even with Mother Nature throwing another change-up with a rain delay midway through Q1. With only one qualifier for most racers and the first time many had run the full quarter this year it was anyone’s race.

In Super Comp, it has been almost 3 long years since Chase Fahnestock had held a .90 trophy in the winner’s circle. The Elizabethtown, Pa resident earned his way to the finals with a match-up against good friend Eric Reiff’s dragster.

In the finals, Fahnestock wasn’t going home empty handed as the 2016 Champion strapped a .009 thousandths package on Reiff and sending home the trophy to the DWM Inc. Dragster driver.

In a repeat of Saturdays final Marc Marsico was looking for revenge on Derek Clark but, it would be all for not as Clark lead from the hit (.023 to .037) and parlayed that into a 9.935 to 9.925 victory.

Finally, in Super Street, Taxis was looking to start the season off hot with another victory. This time 2018 D1 Super Street Champ Keith Mayers was the final round opponent. The anticipation was all for not as Mayers lit the red-light and handed the victory to Taxis for his 2nd victory of the weekend

The series will now take a 6 week break before returning to Numidia Dragway the weekend after the Lucas Oil Divisional Series finishes up there for the Inaugural North vs. South .90 Shootout presented by VP Race Fuels on June 15th & 16th. For more info you can visit Facebook.com, www.midatlantic90.org or call President Rob Keister at 856-332-2851.