2009 Buick Grand Sport Nationals - Going Strong

Unfortunately all of this talk around the campfire didn't amount to much. Tuesday night began test and tune, which continued through Thursday with thunderstorms looming. Friday there was a flash of rain, for about 10 minutes, during "pure tech." At the GS Nats, the competitors actually inspect each other's cars to make sure they are in compliance with the rules. Meanwhile, the track was dried and re-prepped, in the morning it had been torched and scraped to get a fresh surface. Once ready, a few of the faster cars, including the 6-second Gallina-Freeman twin-turbo car and Dave Fiscus, began to make qualifying passes before Odell Cantrell had a very unfortunate crash that totaled his T-thankfully his safety equipment proved effective and he was OK aside from a scrape or two. Before the crew had a chance to clean up the track, the sky opened up and that was all she wrote for Friday's festivities. Given these happenings, Race Director Jim Carswell wisely did not want to press his luck on Saturday when it rained all morning then showered again briefly in the afternoon. After the track had dried, runs were limited to just test and tune.

Given the lack of eliminations and heads-up racing, one would think that the 2009 GS Nats wasn't any fun. But nothing could be further from the truth. As with every year of the Nats, old friends were united, new friends were made, beer and barbeque was shared-as was laughter. I saw a man with a Kenny Powers mullet driving an ATV with only his left hand, as his right hand was occupied in shoveling a well-seasoned piece of sirloin into his mouth. This impressive feat was missing only one thing: a can of beer. Many late nights were spent at the host hotel's gazebo and Beech Bend campgrounds. Some sharing stories and throwing back some brew, others twisting their moustaches hoping to see their competitors have a few too many the night before eliminations. All was in good fun, though, as they say and I was happy and amused to witness it as I hope to be in 2010. Given the results of the 29th GS Nats, we can only imagine that the 30th is going to be huge (especially with double the payout). Don't miss it!

Cotton's Performance, as always,...        read full caption Cotton's Performance, as always, was on hand to support the event and sell some product in the process. Turbos, exhaust systems, downpipes, you name it was available for purchase.	As you would expect, owner...        read full caption As you would expect, owner Jack Cotton brought out Pumpkin for TSO competition. He was also manning the grill in the evening, treating some of his customers to some Massachusetts-style BBQ.	RJC Racing was another sponsoring...        read full caption RJC Racing was another sponsoring vendor that had intercoolers, charge pipes, and methanol on hand. Alcohol has become increasingly popular among the Turbo Buick crowd, hence the Turbo Alcohol Injection class.
Case in point ...	Sponsor Hartline Performance...        read full caption Sponsor Hartline Performance came with turbos, converters, and Cal's apt fingers, which did plenty of tuning throughout the weekend. Some of the fastest cars at the event could be seen in the Hartline tent. In addition, Cal Hartline is also responsible for race rules in the TSO class and a little BBQ of his own. I can't tell you how disappointed I was to miss the crawfish, I heard they were delish.	Tony Gomes and Dave Fiscus...        read full caption Tony Gomes and Dave Fiscus were both using an absurd amount of boost, a TA Performance block, Hartline tuning, and drag radials to chase after the TSO title and record with sub 8-second times.