The 4th race of the NMRA 2014 season is in the record books, and it was the most tightly contested Coyote Stock race so far.

Five of the top qualifiers ran in the 10.40s, and the “bump” to be in the top half of the Pro Ladder was a blistering 10.58!

The quicker ETs were not entirely surprising – this is the first race with the new lower minimum weight of 3000 lbs. However, the tightening of competition is entirely due to the continued efforts of the drivers to hone their combinations.

Mike Washington made his way back into competition after missing the last  race, but suffered catastrophic damage to the ring gear in first round. MIR event winner Joe Marini improved his performance with a new best of 10.40.

How close was the racing? Check out this ride along video with Darin Hendricks in the semi-finals against Joe Charles.  This race was decided by .003!

There was no easy way to the winner’s circle, with many races decided by thousandths of a second. Ultimately, class veterans Joe Charles and Shane Stymiest faced each other in the final. Once again, Stymiest put up a quicker ET with a record-setting 10.38, but this time Joe Charles took the win, capping a streak of stellar reaction times with a .018 for a holeshot victory.

Elimination Ladder Courtesy NMRA