Goodguys Scottsdale March 2016 Recap

[Trackside-Brandy]

Goodguys 7^th Spring Nationals
Scottsdale, Arizona
Written by Brandy Phillips
Photos by Terry Lysak, Brandy Phillips & Jane Thurmond

With two Goodguys Rod and Custom Association events in the books and another this coming weekend, let’s take a quick
look at the season opener a couple weeks ago in Scottsdale, Arizona.









It was only four months ago when the race season ended with the Duel in the Desert Shootout in Scottsdale. When
returning to the same location for the first event of the season, several familiar faces were present that had also attended
Duel in the Desert last November. People like Mark Allen and his 1967 Camaro, Richard Trujillo with his 1969 Mustang
and Dick Eytchison with his 1965 Chevelle were all back in the running to compete in the Street Machine Class. Tough
competition at the Duel in the Desert eliminated these drivers during the qualifying rounds, which meant they would not
move on to Pro Class for the start of the 2016 season. Winning the Street Machine Class at the 7^th Spring Nationals meant
they could finally move on and compete alongside the other Pro Class drivers.





Over the winter months several of the Pro Class drivers spent the off-season making modifications, testing and dialing-in
their vehicles before the first 2016 Goodguys event. Scottsdale was the first event where Pro Class drivers could earn
points, helping them qualify for the 2016 Duel in the Desert Shootout. The point system is based off of your final ranking
at the end of the weekend. Ten points are awarded to first place while second place receives nine points and so on until
the points run out. All other Pro Class competitors who did not rank in the top ten are still awarded one point for
participation. Earning points early on can help guarantee your spot into the Duel in the Desert Shootout this November.
The more events you attend and the higher you place, the better chance you have of competing in the final event of the
year.





Chris Smith was one of those Pro Class drivers that spent the winter months making some significant and noticeable
modifications to the ridetech 48 Hour Corvette. Wider front and rear fenders along with a fresh coast of paint were added
to the 48 Hour Corvette just in time for its one-year anniversary. The ridetech Corvette was re-debuted at Goodguys
Scottsdale, showing off the revised look along with its new competitive edge.





Greg Thurmond was also out at Scottsdale with SCAR, his 1965 Corvette. Greg had the opportunity to run in the Duel in
the Desert Shootout last November, qualifying him for an immediate entry into the Pro Class. Greg spent the weekend
tweaking the Corvette and making changes. Though he was faced with some challenges, Greg took 4^th place out of
thirteen Pro Class drivers. There’s a lot more in the car and when Greg finally gets the Corvette dialed-in, he is going to
be a tough car to beat.





Al Unser Jr. and Robby Unser were both out with the Speedway Nova and Camaro. Al suffered mechanical issues
throughout the weekend, leaving him with little time on the track.





Robby on the other hand was in full race mode, not only showing off for the crowd, but also helping give rides to the
Goodguys Autocross for Kids Charity, which helps raise money for the Austin Hatcher Foundation.







While the Pro Class and Street Machine Class included several veteran drivers, the Hot Rod Class had no registered
vehicles all day Friday and partially Saturday. The autocross staff finally rounded up a couple drivers, convincing them to
participate in the class with the possible chance of making it into the winner’s circle come Sunday. Jim Austin’s 1950 gold
Coupe and Tyler Straton’s red 1949 Mercury were two of three Hot Rod Class competitors. Though slow, it was fascinating
to watch these cars go around the autocross course. It definitely made for some great photos.





With the increase in pro-touring trucks, the Goodguys Truck Class has grown significantly over the years. It is always nice
to see new trucks at the Goodguys Autocross. Now that I race a truck, I’ve become more aware of the truck class, who is
racing that weekend and the newcomers to the group. Rumors on social media spread that I would be present in
Scottsdale with the C10R. After informing some of the competitors that I was part of the Pro Class for the weekend, there
was a huge sigh of relief. What I forgot to tell them was that a faster truck than myself would be out at Scottsdale and he
would be tough to beat.




Now let’s move on to the winners of the Goodguys 7^th Spring Nationals Autocross winners.







Scott Fraser came to Scottsdale to win in Bruce Cambern’s 1966 Cobra and that’s exactly what he did. Scott was on a
mission to get into first place and stay there. A third place finish at the Duel in the Desert Shootout left Scott and Bruce
hungry to regain their ranking and place first at the season opener. Now if you do not know Bruce, I had the opportunity
to be parked next to the ’66 Cobra throughout the weekend. Let’s just say the comedic relief between Bruce and Scott
was greatly appreciated. When Scott returned back into the pits after a run, Bruce and him would engage in a deep
bickering match on why Scott was not faster. Honestly Scott was untouchable throughout the weekend, but it’s always
better to be prepared and continue to spread the margin between first and second place. Scott not only won Pro Class,
he took the overall lead with a 1:06.001 lap time.





Kyle Tuck of Detroit Speed and Engineering came in second with a 1:07.652. Kyle had a couple setbacks that did not
allow him to run for part of Saturday. Though the Camaro was out of commission for part of the time that did not stop
Kyle from putting on a great show when the Camaro was out on course. Kyle also participated in the Autocross for Kids
program throughout the weekend, giving rides to passengers who donated money to the Austin Hatcher Foundation. If
you had a chance to watch Kyle come off course, you most likely caught a glimpse of his passengers’ laughing and
having a great time after each run.





The Street Machine Class was probably the most epic battle in quite some time. Chris Hall, owner of the beautiful 1968
Firebird, took a chance and attended Scottsdale though his wife was full-term and ready to have a baby. The baby had
yet to come, so Chris took the opportunity to race one last event before taking a break once the baby was born. That
little girl was a trooper because less than a week after Scottsdale she decided it was time to come out. Shelby Lynn Hall
was born March 12^th at 10:38pm weighing in at 7lbs, 5oz and 19.5 inches long. With two older brothers and one very
cool dad I have a feeling we will be seeing Shelby behind the wheel in the future. Congrats to the Hall family and a big
welcome to little Shelby.





Unfortunately Chris did not take home the win in the Street Machine Class. The battle between him and Adam Watkins for
first lasted both on Friday and Saturday. Chris would take the lead then Adam would bump him out. This went on
throughout the entire weekend. When asking Chris how he felt about second place, he was just happy to place on the
podium.







Adam on the other hand had quite an impressive weekend. This was only his third Goodguys Autocross. He started with a
stock 1972 Corvette. After his first autocross he made a few modifications, came back and tested the car once again.
Returning to the autocross course for a third time with more modifications resulted in some impressive lap times. As
Adam worked his way on the leader board and then took first place, many realized that whatever he had done between
the last Goodguys autocross and now was making quite the difference. Adam won first in the Street Machine Class with a
1:11.406.





The best story of the weekend was focused around Jane Thurmond as she beat Chris Hall and Adam Watkins, running her
fastest lap time Saturday evening. Jane ran a 1:11.143 beating Adam by a little under 3/10ths of a second. Unfortunately,
official timing ended an hour before Jane threw down her quickest lap. Jane was not disappointed though. Her goal of
getting into the 1:11 range was accomplished and Pleasanton would provide her another chance for a first place win. One
thing is for sure, Jane is on a mission of her own to win the Street Machine Class and move into Pro Class. Her and
Scarlett have been through quite a bit of bad luck the last couple weeks, but Scarlett is running better than ever and
Jane’s is getting extremely quick. She will be hard to beat at this weekend’s Pleasanton event.







As I had mentioned earlier, Truck Class competitors were not looking forward to my presence at Scottsdale. When
realizing the C10R was in Pro Class, many were relieved. When Jay Weir and the Speedtech 1968 C10 pulled up to the
starting line, Truck Class competitors quickly realized their chance at first probably would not happen at the Scottsdale
event. Jay is an extremely good driver and the Speedtech truck is possibly one of the quickest pro-touring trucks running
on the 2016 circuit. Jay’s first run Friday morning was a 1:12.244, which would remain his fastest lap throughout the
weekend. Though Jay got into the 1:11 range, some cone carnage added quite a few seconds to his time, especially with
the new penalty rule.







As three brave competitors joined the Hot Rod Class Saturday afternoon, the gap between first and second was a
significant difference. Ken Burk and his 1940 2-door had over a fifteen second lead on Jim Austin and his 1950 Chevy
Coupe, who placed second. Ken took home first with a 1:36.390 run, securing him the win right before the official times
were closed. Hopefully we will get another chance to see Ken back on the autocross, only this time sporting his new Pro
Class stickers.

Goodguys Scottsdale was the perfect weekend to kick-off the 2016 Goodguys race season. After a four-month break it is
always great to see family and friends, spend time catching up with each other and talk about our favorite pastime, our
pro-touring vehicles. We look forward to the remainder of the season and wish everyone competing the best of luck.




To see more photos of the event view our slideshow below or click the slideshow to view our Photobucket album:



For more info, results and a complete schedule of Goodguys events visit the Goodguys section of our forum:
https://www.pro-touring.com/forums/101-Goodguys-Events

[Pontiac Chris]

Great write up Brandy, with great photo's from Terry, Brandy & Jane, what a great weekend that was, I actually came in third with a 1:12.17 and Jane Thurmond was second with a 1:12.00 I believe. Thanks for the kind words about the wife and little Shelby, I was very lucky to be there that weekend, so very thankful to my lovely wife Amanda for letting me go. Both Amanda and Shelby are doing well, she's a little cutie and I'm looking forward to teaching her about cars. If I don't see you all before Duel in the Desert, have a great race season!

[Pontiac Chris]

Great write up Brandy, with great photo's from Terry, Brandy & Jane, what a great weekend that was, I actually came in third with a 1:12.17 and Jane Thurmond was second with a 1:12.00 I believe. Thanks for the kind words about the wife and little Shelby, I was very lucky to be there that weekend, so very thankful to my lovely wife Amanda for letting me go. Both Amanda and Shelby are doing well, she's a little cutie and I'm looking forward to teaching her about cars. If I don't see you all before Duel in the Desert, have a great race season!