IMPORT Drag Racing...NOPI Style!
By Jeffrey Tutino

RENOLDS, GA... Seems lately I can't stay at the house. This past weekend I find myself at Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, GA. for Import Drag Racing NOPI Style. After a long Friday, I set out on the 5 plus hour journey from Mooresville, NC behind the wheel of our new company ride, "ZOOMER", with our Import man Paul Hammond and our shipping, receiving and polishing/daughter Nicole. The ride is smooth and we lay on heads down at 1:30 am Saturday.

7:00 am and its time to meet Team Bullish in the lobby. Ara and part of his crew need a ride, and we are more then willing to accommodate. The heat at the track was sweltering, 94+ with high humidity. We scope out the scene - from the drag pits to the show car area - before making our way to the starting line for first round of Pro qualifying. We have a lot at stake in this Import Scene, as Bullish has made a mid year switch to FLUIDYNE High Performance and its NEW Pro Drag Radiator w/Internal Stewart Components Electric Water Pump. They debuted these sweet units in Englishtown and saw cooler water temps with less heat gain from 'burn-out' to finish line then ever before. So impressive, that the fan never clicks on until 60-70 feet past the traps. Pretty awesome when you also realize the total package is 6lbs. lighter then other brands. The Georgia Heat proves to be NO match for the COOL FLUIDYNE.

FLUIDYNE wishes to thank our loyal customers, i.e. Abel Ibarra, R.J. Simrock, Shaun Carlson and so many others for their support of the FLUIDYNE IMPORT Advantage. A special welcome to the new PhatRidz Factory sponsored Dodge Neon - as they unveiled the new car with its FLUIDYNE Drag radiator for everyone to see - and hope to debut on the track at Dinwiddie, VA. I've missed many - I am sure - but believe me when I say we are very sincere about the support and loyalty we receive from this Import Crowd. Lets face it... they know what works and also looks COOL.

The racing was both exciting and controversial... something I wish to remain neutral on... and NOPI continues to prove that they know how to promote - as the crowd that filled the stands and the show car area was awesome. Saturday After Hours at NOPI means "Street Glow" competition, live music, Foam Pool and showing of the Fast and the Furious. They also had another round in the Swimsuit competition. We wish Miss FLUIDYNE, Nikki Zeno, would have been along, as she would have - without a doubt - captured her second Swimsuit title. For you that have seen Nikki, she will be at the NOPI Nationals in Atlanta in September.

Sundays eliminations were the point in which I must decline comment. I just wish the fans could have seen the Pro cars at their best. Maybe before next years event, they will bring in a starter that understands the staging process, and someone will review the rulebook... OK, I had to say something. It's off to Indy next week to see the other side of our business at work. Friday night at IRP it's Craftsman Trucks - where FLUIDYNE is yet to be defeated and holds the top nine spots in the points - and Saturday its Busch Grand National. Until later... See ya at the races