englishtown weather N - NON-points and '07 Top 16
T - Includes Pro 10.0
P,E - Includes Pro 8 Shootout and 11.50
16 - Top16 - NON-points
'08 National, VA
Featured Drivers
2008 East Coast Supercharging Corvette Challenge Event 4 Winner Ralph Savarese 2008 American Racing Headers Pro 8 Shootout Race 1 Winner Could be you 2008 Cartek Racing Pro 10.0 Race 2 Winner Wayne Keegan
2008 Vette Doctors Pro 11.50 Race 1 Winner John Panuzzo
11/17/07 - Englishtown, NJ - There was over a two month wait for the final 2007 race of The Vette Doctors Pro 8 Shootout presented by Carroll's Rod and Racecraft. The race originally scheduled for October 27, 2007, which was rained out, was made up today. Two drivers were in the hunt for the Championship, Bill Maloney, who came in 8 points ahead of Mark Shaw, would have to cancel a date with Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and the cast from Entourage to make this race. There were four other competitors in today's Pro 8 Shootout who joined Maloney with the 1997 Black Corvette with single rear mounted turbo and Mark Shaw with the 1970 Corvette with the a 511 cid motor and nitrous to boot. Edward Monari made his Pro 8 Shootout debut after completing his license passes this week. Monari was driving the 1997 Torch Red Coupe owned by Michael Conway sporting the origial 346 cid motor and lots of nitrous. Conway is still healing from a recent surgery on his knee and thus could not race. Conway is preparing a second Corvette to run in the Pro 8 Shootout next year to be driven by Monari but Eddie got the early nod in the C5 this year due to the injury. Pro 10.0 Champion David Shen's car was in the house but without him. The 1965 naturally aspirated Red Corvette would be piloted instead by his dad, David Sr. The other two cars in the field were Chris Young and myself. We entered the class mostly to get the hits at the pro tree and to help promote a grudge match we would have later in the day. Both cars naturally aspirated with Young sporting a 434 cid small block chevy assembled by his uncle Ralph Savarese and tuned by racer Paul Thompson from Massachusetts, and I with the LS2 block 402 cid motor built by The Vette Doctors.
For today's Corvette Challenge bracket results click here.
Qualifying
At the end of qualifying, only three cars were officially qualified. David Shen Sr. had some trouble getting off the line and could not get a full pass and clicked it off to the tune of 12.635 @ 120.01. He later found in the pits the car was leaking and decided to park it for the rest of the day and the season. The motor in the car is currently for sale as the Shen team plans to return next year with a new motor capable of running Pro 10.0 naturally but wired for nitrous for the Pro 8 Shootouts. As you know, the maximum allowed ET to qualify for this class is 9.99 so if you cannot run that as well as be legal for it, you do not make the show. I was next on the ladder with a 10.253 @ 133.14. The car was back to its old tricks of unloading the tires and bouncing like a bucking bronco with its new found power with a slick intake change to an Edelbrock Victor intake and custom plumbing for the fuel injection. Chris Young was in the fourth spot on the ladder after the second round of qualifying as his first pass, a 9.88, was not legal for his equipment and came back in the second round to run 10.202 @ 113.69. This left three drivers that did make the field. Eddie Monari ran his personal best in the Conway Corvette to lock the third spot with a 9.167 @ 146.07. Mark Shaw had a lot to celebrate with his first 8-second pass taking the 2nd qualifying spot with an 8.952 @ 121.82. In the number one spot was the points leader and the guy who seems to run an 8.5 regardless of conditions. With an 8.542, Maloney was in the top spot despite the car popping and spitting out some black smoke. He and the Vette Doctors were off to try and get the issue resolved for the first round.
Runner up Bill Maloney
From L to R,
Winner Mark Shaw
Photos by Mike Roberts
Round 1
With the Championship on the line and three cars in the field, the number one qualifier, Bill Maloney, would get a bye run. This meant a free pass into the final and perhaps the Championship. Mark Show, on the other hand, would have to bop his way to the final to meet Maloney if he was to take the Championship. With another stage of nitrous on tap, the Conway car driven by Monari had the goods to end Shaw's season. Having only made a handful of passes on the car, they decided not to the hook it up and take their chances with the current package. Monari and Shaw would hit the track first. Track Manager Eddie Krawiec laid some fresh glue on the line and the cars were ready for the show. The lights flashed and only one car left the line it seemed. Shaw was away for a half second before Monari left the line. Shaw was out with a .139 reaction time on the .400 pro tree and Monari left, if we can call it that, with a .619 reaction time. It is fairly obvious that more seat time in the C5 will improve those reaction times as we have seen Conway cut double-oh lights with the car in the past. Monari motored and sprayed the motor down the track to a new best for him in the car, 9.186 @ 150.20, and I bet he wished the second stage was hooked up as it just was not enough to take the win. Shaw crossed the finish line first with a 9.008 @ 152.24. Maloney then made his single pass and it was obvious the car was not quite right as the same popping was heard and he shut it down early making only a 10.301 pass @ 97.08 MPH.
Round 2
The stage had been set. It came down to two men, two cars and one race. This one was for all the marbles. The C5 of Maloney's vs. the C3 of Shaw's. These two had faced off before but not with the season championship hanging in the balance. While this is what we always want to see, we could not have written a script any better. The two men wanted what Angelo Valla and Mike Mitchell have previously had, the Pro 8 Shootout Championship. Shaw took the right lane Maloney the left. Maloney was done with his burnout first and waited for Shaw before setting the prestage bulb. Shaw pulled up and pre staged, then staged as Maloney built the boost. The cars were staged and the lights flashed. Shaw was out of the hole first with a .136 reaction time and Maloney followed with a .159. Just after that, the Black C5 got loose and headed right then left before he had to lift to gather the car back up. Shaw left clean and kept right down the middle of the track and was on his way to a stellar finish. He was across the stripe first with an 8.932 @ 152.78, the event win and the Pro 8 Shootout Championship.
The Chase
This has been a two dog chase from the beginning. Maloney's turbocharged 402 cid Corvette had been the front runner when it came to hitting the 8.5 index but consistency was Mark Shaw's forte. While being out et'd by Maloney by as much as 1.1 seconds qualifying in the first race of the year and coming back to win Race 1 over Maloney, Shaw drew first blood. Race 2, Maloney appeared to have dug a huge hole for himself by not attending the race. Shaw, however had hurt the car in the first qualifier and could not get in with Conway's car as he could only get a 10.079 out of the car in Race 2 leaving the door open for Maloney to come back into the chase. Maloney then went on to win two in a row to set the stage for the today's very exciting points finish.
Outlook for 2008
Announced earlier in the month, the Pro 8 Shootout will return for one more year. Low car count had this class on the brink of extinction but the racers have bled life back into it and have offered to give us a better show in 2008. The class will be evaluated again at the end of next season. Mark Shaw will return to defend his Championship and Bill Maloney will return to try and wrestle it away. As stated earlier, Mike Conway is building a second car for Monari to race in next year. Alan Eckert's car is close to being finished and should debut in 2008. Mike Romain is due to return with a turbo setup that nearly made it to today's event. George Benson is rumored to be readying his 7.50 certified C6 Z to play in the class as well. Rumor has it 2006 Champions Angelo Valla is well into repari and could return next year. Pro 10.0 racers, David Shen and Chris Young are planning to try the class by adding nitrous to their naturally aspirated motors. While Paul Major is headed in a different direction with his car, a twin turbo setup to wreak havoc on the drag radial world, he will bring the car to play in the class when possible. To answer the question about my racing plans, there are no plans to make my car quick enough or legal for the class.
Awards and Payouts Today
Winner Mark Shaw earned a payout of $100 cash and a trophy
Runner-up Bill Maloney earned a payout of $50 cash and a trophy
Number 1 Qualifier Bill Maloney received a plaque for his 8.542 qualifying run
Mark Shaw received the Best Reaction Time plaque for the best winning reaction time in the first round at .139
RD4 Christopher Young (1993 Quazar Blue Coupe) vs.Edgar Perez (1999 Torch Red Coupe) The Blue vs. Red battle comes down to a quarter final match in the bracket class
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To view all elimination videso for this event in one playing go to 
