With record heat and a few rain delays, Milan proved to be quite a challenge for even the most seasoned racers. This race was particularly important for us to win because it would give us a good lead in points heading into Columbus, Ohio. With stiff competition this year, every round counts immensely. Thankfully, this was our 6th year racing in Milan, Michigan and with all our old data, we were able to use our experiences here to our advantage.
Friday saw a few rounds of test and tune with two rounds of qualifying before Mother Nature stepped in and ended our night early due to rain. We were lucky enough to be prepared for the track conditions we encountered and qualified #1 with a 7.21. But the rest of the field wasn’t too far behind with the #2 qualifier running a 7.26

Saturday was a busy and hectic day, especially because this race was expected to be a two-day race. With the impending rain on its way, 3rd round qualifying was up in the air, and was finally ran at noon. No one ran better, which only solidified our #1 spot. We were paired up first round with Phil Hines and ran a 7.21 to hand us our first round win. Unfortunately that was all of the racing we got to do on Saturday because the rain moved in and didn’t slow down for hours, cutting our day very short. After much debate about the finals and where the race should be finished, it was agreed upon that the racers would stay for Sunday and finish up the race with the knowledge that a local race will also be happening at the same time.

Second round we ran against Kenjo Kelly and when the tree dropped, we dusted off a 7.28 giving us the win! But it would be a repeat of the final in Joliet, IL as we found ourselves paired against John Kolivas. This time, however, the roles would be reversed as we found ourselves on the winning side of the light with a 7.34 for the win!

With this race win under our belt,  we are in a great position!! We have the month of August off for our wedding with no racing until September in Columbus, Ohio but that doesn’t mean we’ll be resting! Continuing our hard work on the car will give us the best chance at the championship!

-John, Melissa & the Hellion Crew

Congratulations to John Urist for winning NMRA Ford Nationals while running Russell ProClassic plumbing, and Edelbrock SC1 heads prepped by Race Flow Development.

Click here for more information on John Urist.