NOPI Sport Compact

Scott Kelley wins Las Vegas NHRA Event in his Toyota/TRD Corolla

The weekend got off to a rough start as Scott Kelley spun hard through 1st and 2nd gears and when he grabbed 3rd, it broke. No 1st run and a cracked transmission case for the Kelley car. With about 2 hours between rounds, the team immediately got to work swapping out the transmission.

For the 2nd and final round of qualifying, the track was in good shape and hooked harder than expected; the car bogged hard off the line, but the new engine is stout and put down a 10.252 second pass at 131.83 mph, good enough for 3rd qualifying position. It was the quickest pass in the 10s and only the top 2 qualifiers were in the 9s.

Julie Stepan (Lucas Oil Chevy Cobalt) qualified 6th and would be Scott’s 1st pairing for the finals. The track was hot and sticky even though the sun was still setting. The car launched well, grabbed a bit, but Scott easily moved on to the semi-finals where he would meet #2 qualifier, Jeremy Lookofsky (DVS Shoe Company Honda Civic).

Scott worked his magic and got Jeremy to red light. It was moot, as Jeremy's engine was hurt. Scott easily moved into the finals where he faced Leslie Armendariz (Scion tC).

With all of the Hondas out of the way, Scott only had a Scion between him and his 1st Wally since coming to Toyota. Known as a master of the lights, he had a two-tenths of a second reaction time advantage but didn't need it and took the win, 10.048 @ 133.65 mph vs. 10.532 @ 138.03 mph.

Next up, the Indy NHRA Sport Compact Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, IN August 18-19.