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.

John Urist

Per team Hellion

A summary of our short weekend at the NMRA Ford Nationals in Atco, New Jersey.

Going into Atco, we decided not to change the car much as it had ran a 7.17 at 200mph in Atlanta. We felt that with the way the car was running, we had a great chance at winning this race without any major changes. Because of impending rain heading our way, we had two rounds of qualifying to finish on Friday night and possibly one round of eliminations. In our second round of qualifying, we ran our personal best of 7.12, at 203mph. This is a new class record for mph and we are striving to achieve the ET class record. After this stellar pass, the impending rain rolled into Atco and unfortunately the rest of the weekend did not look much better.
We came to the track early Saturday morning in hopes of there being a break in the rain but to our disappointment, it did not happen. Early Sunday morning they called the race and it is to be finished in Joliet, IL, our 4th race of the season.
-John, Melissa & the Hellion Team

Urist wins 6th NMRA Super Street Outlaw Championship

A few words from John, Melissa & the Hellion Team

With the end of the season here, I wanted to write one last summary letter to sum up the race weekend in Bowling Green, KY and to take a moment to express my gratitude for all the sponsorship you have given me.

Going into Bowling Green, KY, our team sat 2nd in points, trailing closely behind John MacDonald. We knew that in order to win this race, we needed to maintain our consistent runs and do our best. First round eliminations saw some exciting racing as one of the top 3 contenders was taken out, followed by round 2 where we saw some cars have mechanical failure. Third round eliminations came and we found out that due to engine problems, John MacDonald was unable to race Chip Havemann. MacDonald’s inability to make that round left the door open for us to win the championship. We entered the final round down by 90 points, if we win; we knew we would clinch the championship. The tree fell and our competition got loose mid-track and we have had a solid 7.41 to take the win!

Winning our sixth championship was not only incredibly exciting but also extremely rewarding. After all the seasons’ ups and downs, we were able to win our 6th for not only team Hellion, but for all our sponsors as well. Without your support we could not have won this year. We look forward to defending our championship next year!

Sincerely,

-John, Melissa & the Hellion Team

John Urist 5-Time Champ

The Edelbrock and Russell team wish Team Hellion the best of luck in their pursuit of a 6th world championship.

John Urist

March 26-28, 2010 – Commerce, Georgia

NMRA Invades Atlanta, Georgia In 2010
The NMRA Keystone Automotive Ford Nationals, the #1 all-Ford motorsport show, will invade Georgia with the Inaugural Nitto Tire NMRA Peach State Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, March 26-28, 2010. Georgia, a leading Ford market, deserves an all-Ford race and show where all its Ford enthusiasts can participate.
This NMRA event will feature special Outlaw 10.5 racing as well as special NMRA classes that allow for participation from all levels of blue oval performance. Be sure to bring your Mustang or Ford out and compete in the Tremec True Street class on Saturday at a NMRA national event! This event will also feature a huge all-Ford auto show & shine, presented by UPR Products, a giant manufacturers midway, and much more. For more information visit: NMRA Digital

Track Name: Atlanta Dragway

City: Commerce, Georgia

Track Phone: (706) 335-2301

Track Address: 500 E. Ridgeway Road, Commerce, GA 30529

Web Site: Atlanta Dragway

Email: msavage@nhra.com

Tickets available. For pricing and complete event schedule details visit the NMRA or call call 714-444-2426

John Urist's Team Nitto Mustang

Just when Mustang racers and followers of the NMRA didn’t think “The Fireball” John Urist could be any more dominant than his 5 Super Street Outlaw Championships, Team Hellion once again shocked the Mustang racing world with the first ever pass to break the 7.30 barrier. Hellion was the first to break into the 7.40(s), the 7.30(s) and now the 7.20(s).

“After working out some bugs, we had the chassis straight and we were confident that a low 7.30 was possible, stated John.  First round came, and the track was spectacular…7.29 at 194 – the first sso car in the 7.20’s.”

Although The Team Nitto Tire / Hellion Racing Mustang set a new benchmark for the class, John’s weekend came to an early end on Sunday morning. “Sunday first round was not as expected, as we had a malfunction with a vacuum circuit and lost power, giving the win to fellow racer Chip Haveman. Hats off to Chip.  We know this season will be more competitive than ever.”

“Considering circumstances, we are leaving Florida on a high note; we are the first car in the 7.20′ s and leaving prepared for our next race in Atlanta.  We learned a lot about our new set-up, and thanks to our partners at Edelbrock and Race Flow Development, the freshly plumbed Russell ProClassic hose and fittings worked flawlessly and our high flowing RFD ported Edelbrock SC1 heads are making more power than ever.”

Look for future posts from Team Hellion after every NMRA event.  We wish John, Nitto Tire and the entire Hellion Team the best of luck in 2010.