2019 Funny Car Fever
The California Independent Funny Car Association (CIFCA) held their 2019 season opener at Sacramento Raceway Park during the Annual Funny Car Fever. Eight CIFCA teams came out firing on all eight cylinders for the new 5.90 index and racing to only a 1000ft.
Qualifying went as followed. James Maher went 5.93 off the trailer and then followed it up with a 5.92 for the System One Number Qualifier. Mike Troxel took the number two spot with a 5.997. Jim Currie took the #3 spot with a 6.057 and an extra $100 bucks from Wayne Lederer Photographer for his .040 Reaction Time. Ken Breneisen followed closely with a 6.063. Tony Trimp coasted into the #5 position with only one qualifying run. Shaun Bryan placed 6 with a 6.268. The Control Cables Longest Distance award went to Pete Ortiz Jr from Elko, NV who qualified 7th running a correct 6.327. Ortiz also won the Mike’s Transmission Burnout Contest. Rick Alvarado closed out the eight-car field with a 6.368.
Number one and two in the 2019 Good Vibrations Motorsports Points series faced off in round number one of eliminations. Maher was out of the gate for with a .037 light which was good enough for the Enderle Quick Reaction time award but struck the tires at the hit. Trimp cut a very respectable .047 light and took the stripe with 6.186 to put Maher on the trailer. Jim Currie and Pete Ortiz who have been teaming up over the off season found themselves against each other in round one. Ortiz was off the line first .062 to Currie’s .069. Down track Ortiz took the stripe but was too quick with a 5.863 on the 5.90 index. Ken Breneisen was supposed to race Rick Alvarado and Mike Troxel was suppose to race Shaun Bryan but both Alvarado and Bryan could not make the call. So Troxel and Breneisen lined up against each other in a little exhibition match. Breneisen won the exhibition match with a 6.010 to Troxel’s 6.130. Both guys would advance to the semi-finals.
Trimp and Currie faced off the Semi-Final. Trimp loss fire backing up from the burnout but was able to get the car re-fired quickly. Both guys were even from start to finish but at the stripe it was Trimp by .0602! Troxel and Breneisen had a rematch but this time the loser would be eliminated. Kenny was off the starting line first with a .049 to Troxel’s .079 and on the top end Troxel clocked 6.05 to defeated Breneisen’s 6.202
The finals were set up between Troxel and Trimp. These two giants have faced each other time and time again. Trimp got the better reaction time with a .095 to Troxel’s .112 and at the stripe went 5.908 on the 5.90 to take home the Good Vibrations Motorsports Best Package and the NHRA Wally! Troxel clocked a 6.039 and with a runner up finish he will be number two in the CIFCA Championship points series presented by Good Vibrations Motorsports.
Thanks to all of our sponsors for supporting CIFCA this season. Good Vibrations Motorsports, Aeromotive Fuel Systems, Enderle Fuel injection, Billet Connection, D&P Torque Converters, Mike’s Transmission, SCE Gaskets, System One Fuel Filters, Control Cables Inc, and Stith Printing Inc. Special thanks to the Smith family at Sacramento Raceway for hosting the circuit. Finally thank you to all the CIFCA teams who showed up. CIFCA’s next event is June 7-8 back at Sacramento Raceway Park.
