Bakersfield, CA - May 30 - June 01, 2008: Troy Green in the High Speed Motorsports - SilverThin Bearings Top Fuel dragster was the biggest dog on the porch at the inaugural Bakersfield Fuel & Gas Championships (aka Top Fuel Feature) at Famoso Raceway. After qualifying #2, in eliminations Green piloted the sleek HSMS Top Fuel dragster to low ET of the event - a 5.715. In the final Green got the best of his friend, Adam Sorokin running a stout 5.749 at 261.09 (top speed of the meet).

The HSMS team came out swinging with a 5.813 at 249.10 pass in the first session on Friday. That set the stage for one of those gut feeling - we're going to win weekends. That feeling doesn't come often but when it does - Nirvana! It was a grand weekend when the new ideas worked, the mistakes delivered dividends and the car went home with virtually no broken parts. It doesn't get much better than that.

By all accounts, crew chief Brett Johansen and the rest of the team declared this one of the best weekends ever for the car as they had a very "happy" engine that experienced very little parts damage. They were also ecstatic with the performance of the new Hoosier tires which lasted the entire race without any sign of blistering or chunking. In fact, they will leave the same tires on the car for their next race at Bowling Green, Kentucky May 13-15.

With their first win of any kind at Famoso Raceway, the High Speed Motorsports team vaulted from 5th to 1st in the NHRA Hot Rod Racing Series. In recording the two quickest times of the weekend and top speed of the meet, the Brett Johansen tuned, Donovan powered, Stirling top fuel dragster made a bold statement that the 2008 top fuel championship would not be won without this Anaheim, California based team having something to say about it.

Under sunny skies and ideal track conditions the first session of Top Fuel qualifying went off at 3:12 Friday afternoon. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 33 percent, barometer 29.97 inches. Nice racing conditions.

Rick Shelar, Walt Stevens and Dale Singh basking in the sun on their way up the staging lanes for the first qualifying session.

Pair two for the first session featured Troy Green in the High Speed Motorsports/SilverThin Bearings flyer and Pete "Fritz" Kaiser in Ground Zero.

Tom Shelar brings Green into the staging beams while Brett Johansen make his last second engine tweaks.

Kaiser was away first but struck the tires at about the 100ft mark. He pedaled a couple of times but finally had to give up on the run and coasted to a 10.081 at 85.38.

Green marched to the stripe sacrificing some pistons to the aluminum gods clocking a nice 5.813 at 249.10.

Both cars moved good but as it would be all weekend, the HSMS car was soft on the bottom but turned into an animal about 100 feet out.

Green got loose before the 330' mark and was all over the lane forcing him to click it. Nice piece of driving.

Sean Bellemeur was out with the team for this event and not only did the clutch but kept a vigilant eye on his good friend in his old seat.

For the last session Green had the track all to himself as some of the cars passed on another attempt.

The car left hard but pitched a blower belt before half track slowing to a 8.792 at 102.36 but remaining #2. Needless to say, the HSMS team was glad to see this now instead of eliminations.

This was a strange one. It had a hole out on the right side # 4 and it never lit. They were also trying out something in the clutch and it didn't work as it had over .180 of wear in the first 60 feet which sent the motor up over 9,000 rpm as it crossed the 60 foot mark and as the motor came up Troy was on top of it and clicked it shortly after to save them from having a mess.

For the first round Green was matched up with Terry Cox who was out in a brand new car.

Green really unloaded on Cox with both low ET of the event - a sterling 5.715 (low ET of the event) at 252.80 which was also good for a bye in the next round.

By virtue of low ET in round one, Troy Green got a free pass in the second stanza.

Green tried out the starting line but clicked it early to saved parts for the semis. The track seemed good on either side so lane choice at this point didn't seem to be all that big a deal.

To determine who would meet Sorokin in the final Troy Green and Jim Murphy took center stage.

According to Tom Shelar, this was a good race to 1/2 track. Murphy hung Green out in the staging procedure. Troy put it on the high side and rolled in and by the time Murphy rolled in # 7 had gone way fat. It caused Troy to have to slap the pedal at about 100 feet out.

The two cars were near even until Murphy broke a rocker arm just past the 330' mark resulting in a blower bang and flying belt. At that point Green just kept on truckin' to a 5.823 at 254.45.

The final boiled down to a couple of the best in the business who are also good friends - Troy Green and Adam Sorokin.

Just a good old drag race - for a while anyway. Adam went in deep to mess with Troy and Troy's comment was, "I can't believe Adam would do that to me". Oh well he said as he giggled in his helmet before the launch.

However the RTs went out the window early when Sorokin's ride got out of the groove, fishtailed and he was forced to lift and coast though with a 8.479 at 97.95

Talk about driving it out the back door! Whoa. Green ran a 261.09 at 5.74! Green's incremental times: 60ft-1.063 sec., 330ft-2.661, 660ft-3.870/207.03mph, 1,000ft - 4.885. Sorokin was toast with a 8.47 at 97 mph.

Team High Speed were justifiably jubilant. Too bad there was nobody in the stands to share their win.

The core crew from L to R: Todd Shappie, Walt Stevens, Pete Palumbo, Tom Shelar, Brett Johansen, Troy Green, Rick Shelar, Sean Bellemeur and Frankie Hedge.

The whole gang... from L to R: Todd Shappie, Walt Stevens, Arlene Eliason, Amelia Singh, Pete Palumbo, Dale Singh, Troy Green, Brett Johansen, Tom Shelar, {Troy Green}, Lara Green, Sean Bellemeur, Domenica Shelar, Erin Adams, Rick Shelar, and Frankie Hedge.

Green gave a great tribute to the late John Shoemaker in his post-race interview.

 

2008 Fuel & Gas Championships Video Clips