The BME Bulletin
#5 OH-EIGHT WRAP-UP The final two events of 2008, in Las Vegas and Pomona, Calif., were close to home for the Nevada-based BME/Okuma/Red Line team. Driver, Troy Buff, qualified 15th at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals with a 3.935-second elapsed time at 300.26 mph in his final qualifying attempt. "The car wasn't qualified going into the fourth session, so I just pulled everything back to make sure that the setup was double-safe," Miller reported. "Making the show in Las Vegas was good because a lot of quality cars didn't get in." Buff faced No. 2 qualifier Antron Brown in the first round. Trying to "hole shot" Brown, Buff's BME machine moved too soon, triggering a red light, while Brown ran 3.843 to Buff's 3.928. The season finale in Pomona saw the black and yellow BME Dragster qualify eighth in the opening session at 3.904/302.96 mph. With that solid start, Miller and the team took advantage of the opportunity to test in the next three sessions, ultimately ending up 14th on the qualifying list. Buff squared off with Hillary Will, who was No. 2 in the championship standings at the time, in the first round of eliminations. He dispatched the Will with a career-best e.t. and top speed of 3.840/309.27 mph, dropping Will from second to fourth in the final rankings. The season ended for the BME Team in a second round match with Cory McClenathan, 3.880 to a tire-smoking 10.051. "I chose the right lane for the second round, which historically is the better lane at Pomona," Miller explained. "The track was a little warmer than we anticipated, and the car moved 10 feet, then spun the tires. "All in the all, the last two races were good for the BME/Okuma/Red Line Oil Dragster, so I have no complaints. Now we're working on blowers and cylinder heads, getting ready to start the new season with a test session in Phoenix and building our own chassis which we'll debut next Spring." BME RACE RESULTS
ACDelco Las Vegas
NHRA Nationals
Automobile Club of
Southern California NHRA Finals
NEXT RACES
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