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2013 Champions Bays & Rupert and race winner John Hale. Photo credit: Rob Gibson
This year’s California Hot Rod Reunion at Auto Club Famoso Raceway might well go in the books as one of the greatest drag racing events ever. There were more cars, more stars, more action and more fun for thousands of racers and fans who were in attendance than any race weekend this writer has seen in 45 years of racing. I’m sure John Hale, Jason Rupert, Adam Sorokin and Jim Murphy agree.
Jason Rupert guides the Bays & Rupert Funny Car into a smoky burnout!
Here’s how it went down. During qualifying, Hale’s first attempt on Friday was disqualified because of fuel pump issues. He thundered back on Saturday where he found himself a secure spot in the field. Later during Saturday’s first round of eliminations he dispatched John Powers and on Sunday, John put 2012’s winner, Mike Lewis, on the trailer and did the same to Jason Rupert in the semis. In the finals John came up against Dan Horan who, like Hale, had worked his way through his side of the ladder. Mark Sanders, James Day and Anthony Bronge all fell to Horan’s shoe. In the final Hale and Horan left the line with the same reaction times but Hale drove past Horan for the win. While the crowd erupted, no one was happier than Jason Rupert who needed Hale to beat Horan so that Rupert would mathematically lock up his third NHRA Heritage Series championship. Had Horan won the final, he would have won the championship.
John Hale and Dan Horan’s final round showdown
Top Fuel was as wild as they get. Denver Schutz was the number one qualifier on Friday. He sat out his second qualifying shot on Saturday getting ready for round one later in the afternoon. Schutz made a bye run in round one because of an odd number of cars entered in the category. He then took out Bill Dunlap in the second round and Brett Harris in the semi finals. On his way to the finals, Sorokin, who was qualified sixth, knocked out Jim Young, Rick White and Rick McGee, guaranteeing him a slot in the final round. In the final, Sorokin laid a hole shot on Schutz putting him at half track first…great news, except that Adam’s small block started chewing itself up while Schutzs’ Hemi-powered car was making up ground fast. Right at 1,000 feet Sorokin’s engine let go and detonated completely. In the meantime, Schutz’s car pulled hard to the right toward the center line, ultimately crossing the line into Sorokin’s lane passing him and clicking the lights on Sorokin’s side of the track. WOW! What a ride. In a similar situation to Jason Rupert’s Funny Car Championship win, Jim Murphy, who’d been eliminated in round two, actually had accumulated enough points in making that round to win his first NHRA Heritage Series Top Fuel championship!
