No Parachutes! No Brakes! Ends Semifinals Bid for the JPM Team...

     With the opening round of the 2009 CIFCA season scheduled for beautiful Barona, California the JPM  team showed up to the track with high hopes. The team had rebuilt the motor, put in a brand new all titanium Crower clutch, changed to a smaller size tire and performed all of the off season maintenance needed to make 2009 a success.

     After battling a starter and fuel delivery problem early Friday afternoon the team decided to make a pass on the 1/8 mi. track to make sure that everything was in good working order. The test pass was strait and smooth and the team packed up for the night.

     Saturday's first round of qualifying began at 5pm and the car ran great. “It was really smooth off the line, with just a little bit of tire shake at about 400’” said driver Joe Powell. The JPM Funny Car ran a 4.88 at 144mph. Not a bad pass on a 4.70 1/8 mile index. Second round of qualifying went off at around 7:30 just after the national anthem. In second round of qualifying there is a Burnout contest. The longest, smokiest burnout wins with a one hundred dollar prize. Joe did a full track burnout, rolled across the finish line and won the contest. The team posted a 4.86 @148mph for their second round of qualifying putting them in the #4 spot.

     First round of eliminations was against #1 qualifier Eric Gates. Joe left the starting line first and ran a 4.83 to Eric’s 4.97 and won the round. Unfortunately the cheers turned into screams as Joe’s parachutes tangled with each other and never blossomed. Joe and his Olds Achieva Funny Car ran off the track, skipped the sand trap and crashed into the finish line catch net at around 100 mph.

     Joe climbed out of the car a little dazed but basically uninjured. The same could not be said for the Oldsmobile. “The body is junk, the motor sucked in a bunch of rock and sand as the throttle was wide open after impact and I am not

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sure but the chassis “looks” strait” said Joe. It took the safety crew 45 min to get the car out of the net and off the track. The Team reports that after looking at it further there are puddles of brake fluid under both rear tires, the brakes must have failed at some point.  The JPM team wanted to thank everyone at the track and all of their colleagues at CIFCA for their concern, support and encouragement.

     Preparations to repair the damage are already underway and unless there is major unseen damage this team plans on being back chasing a win this July 4th in Albuquerque.