IHRA: Goforth's 'work in progress' Camaro claims President's Cup win in Maryland

If you were a Las Vegas oddsmaker setting the line for the IHRA President's Cup at Maryland International Raceway last weekend following qualifications, you were likely wondering if you'd chosen the right line of work after all the eliminations were done.

Billy Harper, the Pro Modified points leader who had a blistering qualifying run of 5.832 seconds at 243.15mph, lost the engine in his Dodge Viper before the first elimination run.

Defending series champion Jason Rupert, after his own record-setting qualification run, was working on his car until the last possible second, and then some – he arrived at the starting line for first-round eliminations still wearing street clothes, and had to change into his Nomex at the water box. The car launched well, but the run was a disaster, at 7.675 at 125.23mph.

And Nitro Motorcycle racer Tracy Kile became the immediate favorite with a superb 6.253-second, 230.33mph qualifying run. But Kile lost in the first round to Jason Pridemore's Gunslinger Harley-Davidson.

Yet Cary Goforth, top qualifier in Pro Stock, not only made it to round one and beyond, but to the finals, where his AMSOIL-sponsored Chevrolet Camaro went up against the Aruba-backed entry of Trevor Eman. Goforth won, but not for lack of effort on Eman's part, as his Camaro brushed the driver's side wall and he still kept his foot in it until it he saw Goforth's taillights. Goforth's run was a strong one at 6.27 and 224.55mph.

Still, Goforth said after the race that his car is still a work in progress as he tries to build more consistency into his Camaro, as well as the other cars on his team. A teammate, John Konigshofer, wasn't even able to qualify for the race, costing him the points lead that is now Goforth's.

"You want to celebrate, but at the same time you still feel bad because you want all of our guys up here racing with us," Goforth said. "We've still got some work to do."

Despite the fact that Maryland International was repaved over the off-season, and that record runs were set in both the right and left lanes, Goforth thought that having lane choice was a big factor in his win over Eman – Goforth chose the right lane, leaving Eman the left. The left lane, Goforth said, had a tendency to suck you towards the wall, which is what happened to Eman.

"The right lane was just a little bit better, and it was very important to keep lane choice," he said. "Our car has had some issues. We're just now figuring out what it wants.

"Our team's been in a little bit of a slump, but we're going to fight our way out of it. We're happy, and I'm really appreciative. It's a good Father's Day gift for my dad, so we're really happy."

Next up is the MOPAR Canadian Nationals Presented by Williams Racing at Grand Bend Motorplex in Ontario next weekend, June 24-26. For information, log onto www.grandbendmotorplex.ca.