DeFrank Wins NHRA Season Opener on Phoenix Tires!
February 19, 2016
We have a HUGE network of racers competing on our Phoenix Race Tires. One of the most successful NHRA Sportsman racers out there is Jimmy DeFrank, who competes in Division 7 Super Stock. He's been running Phoenix Race Tires for quite some time, and recently took home a victory at the 2016 season opener in Pomona, California. Check out the press release regarding his victory below:
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CHATSWORTH, Calif. (February 19, 2016) � Auto Club Raceway at Pomona has historically been a strong racetrack for Jimmy DeFrank, and the 56th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals, held at the venerable Southern California facility last weekend, held true to form. Thousand Oaks, California-based sportsman racer DeFrank earned his 19th national event trophy with the defeat of Fred Moreno in the Super Stock final round. It was the 46th final of DeFrank's career and his 37th in the extremely competitive Super Stock category.
"We are so excited to get another national event win and to start the 2016 season this way," said four-time Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series national Super Stock champion DeFrank, who is now just a single victory away from a milestone 20 NHRA national event wins. "We don't usually set goals based on statistics � we really just try to take it one race at a time. It's so darn hard to win, and if you think past one race or even just one round, it can make things more difficult. But now that we have 19, of course we will be trying for No. 20 at the next race."
A smooth weekend was on tap with a steady team surrounding him at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, including dad Jim DeFrank Sr., mom Loraine, brother Tony, Jeff Taylor, crew chief Davey Allison, Wally Bose, Kevin Motter, and Joe Burk. There was even more support, though, coming from the homefront.
"My brother Tony and his wife Meghan had their baby girl in the off-season. After the win, my brother text-messaged me a picture of his two-month-old baby girl with a big smile on her face and he typed, 'Good job, Uncle Jimmy.' Little Ellie has already brought so much love and joy to our lives, and it was really special to get my first win as an Uncle."
DeFrank's '10 DeFrank & Sons Racing Chevrolet Cobalt hit the racetrack in Pomona branded with the familiar California Car Cover, California Car Duster, and Golden Shine Car Care graphics, and the team was able to contest the event with the support of K&N Filters, Red Line Oil, Phoenix Race Tires, Race Ramps, JEGS, Biondo Racing Products, Racers for Christ, and Jim Butner Auto.
In the first round of Super Stock eliminations, DeFrank was on his game with a .013-second reaction time and an 8.851 on his 8.80 dial to end Ron Roddel's day early. Roddel was .076 at the tree and 10.540 on a 10.51. Round two brought about a tough match with second-generation drag racer Keri Angeles Pari, whose father, John Angeles, formerly piloted her '69 Firebird. Angeles Pari was a killer .001 at the tree, but DeFrank was right there with a .004-second reaction time, and his 8.828 (8.80) got the win light over his opponent's breakout 9.905 (9.91).
"Keri has been driving so great, and she was again at this year's Winternationals," said DeFrank. "I struggled terribly in qualifying on Thursday, but things really came together with an ace-start on Friday. I could not believe it, and I just kept wondering if we could keep on that line. Thankfully, we did, and that was very important in round No. 2; Keri had a great package, and we needed that good run. That was the toughest round of this race."
In round three, DeFrank advanced past good friend and teammate Taylor with a .018 reaction time and an 8.891 (8.80) after his opponent launched early and illuminated the red light.
"It can be very nerve-racking to race one of the best drivers and someone you look up to, but you just have to not think about those things at all and stay the course," said DeFrank. "We all felt positive going into that round because we knew that either one of us could win, and that would mean a bye run in the fourth round that would send us right into the quarterfinals. After we got by Jeff, he helped me a ton for the rest of the race, and we all won the Winternationals together as a family and as a team."
DeFrank took the green light in his single in round four, and in the quarterfinals he was back to work with a .016 light and 8.836 (8.80) to halt Adam Emmer's .064 and breakout 10.126 (10.17).
On Sunday, just in time for the semifinals and final round, conditions presented a challenge for drivers and tuners.
"There was a big weather change from what it had been for our early morning qualifying runs," explained DeFrank. "This was the warmest Winternationals that I ever remember. It was as hot as 88 degrees (Fahrenheit) on Sunday afternoon, and the racetrack was also very warm, but NHRA did a good job keeping the track in good condition. The biggest challenge [due to the time of day that brought warm conditions] was the semifinal round on Sunday afternoon. It was the worst air we had run in all weekend."
DeFrank's 8.86 on the window reflected the team's careful consideration of the conditions, and he complemented the projection coolly with a .010 reaction time to Dustin Braun's .062. At the top end, it was DeFrank with the ticket to the final as he cleared the finish line in 8.949-seconds to his challenger's 10.004 (9.92).
The last round of the day brought DeFrank and his Chevy Cobalt to the starting line for a 4 p.m. battle-of-the-brands with Ford Mustang driver Moreno on a racing surface that was hovering at a toasty 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Ultimately, the race was over before it began as Moreno jumped the gun and fouled out by .009-second.
"I saw the win lights on the scoreboard as I landed from the wheelstand, and at about the same time, my dad came on the radio and said, 'We won, we won. What a weekend.' I was so relieved and excited," said DeFrank, whose final number for the day was a 9.315 (8.90). "I ran the car down the track to the 1/8th mile and shut it off to be easy on parts and save them for the next race in Phoenix, then I drove around the shutoff area, got my time slip and headed down the return road in front of the grandstands where my dad, mom, Jeff, Davey, and everyone was waiting for me. Then the hugging and high-fives started.
"I never really had a confident feeling throughout the weekend, but instead I was very calm and just kept feeling so thankful to even be at the races with my family and friends. As each season passes and as I get older, I realize more and more how special it is that we can do what we do. Getting to win is just a dream. It's the cherry on top."
DeFrank's Pomona History
"Pomona has always been so special to me and to our entire family," said DeFrank. "This is the racetrack that I remember going to first, and most often, as a little boy. I had always dreamed of getting to win a race at Pomona, and those dreams have come true. I can honestly say that some of our best racing and family memories have taken place there."
DeFrank made his NHRA debut in Pomona, and he earned his first national event win at that racetrack in his first final round in 1995, where he defeated Bud Pickens for the Super Stock trophy. On the very last day of the 1997 season, DeFrank sealed the deal on his first national championship there at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, and in 2013 he accomplished the remarkable as he raced to victory in not one but two categories to earn the first of two double-ups to date in his career.
"We are always so happy to race in Pomona," said DeFrank. "We enjoy having family and friends there with us, and it's fun to talk about all of the wonderful memories and try to make even more. We go there with a lot of excitement, but I don't know that our past success has made us any more confident. It doesn't matter where you go, NHRA drag racing is so competitive that wins and losses are decided by just thousandths of a second. The positive is that we get to race at Pomona twice every year, and that has allowed us to collect more data that helps us at each race. But you never truly know what will happen."
The Story on Stock Eliminator
The Winternationals came up quickly on the heels of the 2015 season, which concluded this past November with DeFrank in possession of NHRA's Division 7 Stock Eliminator championship for the first time in his career. He finished the year No. 3 in the national points, an all-time high for DeFrank in the Stock category. For much of his career, the California Car Cover CEO has entered two categories at both national and divisional events. His 46 final rounds include one in Competition Eliminator at the NHRA Finals in Pomona in 2000, where came up just one win light shy of his first double-up after winning the Super Stock final over veteran racer Mark Faul.
This year, however, DeFrank surprised many by entering just one category for the Winternationals. His Stock '69 Chevrolet Camaro did not see the light of day at the 2016 season-opener.
"We are truly thankful for the year we had in Stock last season," said DeFrank. "We reached our goal of having an improved season in Stock Eliminator, and we even exceeded our goal by winning the Division 7 championship for the first time. Ending the year No. 3 in the national points was our best finish yet in Stock. We also had a great year in Super Stock last season, but for the Winternationals, we just wanted to try to focus 100% on one category and get more comfortable there again. It turned out great this time, but we do know it can't always turn into a win. I'm very torn, but I do believe that a heavy focus on one racecar is still better than driving two, and I know that many of the greatest sportsman in drag racing will disagree with me on that. We'll bring the Stocker back out for Las Vegas or maybe in the summer."
On the 2015 to 2016 Transition
"Last season was one of our best years ever, and I'm very thankful and proud of it. There were so many highlights, including the double-up in Las Vegas, winning class in both Stock and Super Stock at the U.S. Nationals, and posting a runner-up at Indy in Super Stock," said DeFrank. "Toward the end of the year, it was a bit trying and stressful, especially heading into the last divisional race when we needed to win the third round of Stock to take the lead in Division 7. We were able to accomplish that, and really the only item we did not achieve was winning the Stock national championship. We were oh-so-close, but we just didn't get it. Still, I could not be more thankful for the 2015 season we had.
"We did a lot of organizing and cleaning in the off-season to make sure we were even more prepared than usual for Pomona. We actually enjoyed spending that time preparing for the race season when we had our days off from the office at California Car Cover Co. It's relaxing and fun to do anything that involves the racecars and race trailer. For the most part, our Super Stock Chevy Cobalt came to Pomona the same as it was at the 2015 World Finals because we felt like it was a good car and we just plain lost the round in November. We did go back and forth some on making changes to the Cobalt, perhaps to try to make it faster � but, ultimately, we felt like it had the potential to hurt our consistency, so we decided against making those changes for now."
Next up: Follow along at nhra.com and dragracecentral.com as Jimmy DeFrank and the California Car Cover team race their quick Super Stock Chevy Cobalt at the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Phoenix, February 26-28, 2016.
Caption for Winner's Circle photo:
"I was so happy to have everyone there with us, especially my mom, Loraine," said DeFrank, who celebrated the 19th national event win of his career in the winner's circle at the 56th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals. "My mom always says that if we make it to Sunday, she'll come out. I always tell her what a tall order that is, but we made it and she was there with my cousin, Mo; good friend Joe, who got to be there for the first time for one of our wins; and some high school friends who brought their children and came out to support us. We had a blast."
DeFrank's '10 DeFrank & Sons Racing Chevrolet Cobalt hit the racetrack in Pomona branded with the familiar California Car Cover, California Car Duster, and Golden Shine Car Care graphics, and the team was able to contest the event with the support of K&N Filters, Red Line Oil, Phoenix Race Tires, Race Ramps, JEGS, Biondo Racing Products, Racers for Christ, and Jim Butner Auto.
In the first round of Super Stock eliminations, DeFrank was on his game with a .013-second reaction time and an 8.851 on his 8.80 dial to end Ron Roddel's day early. Roddel was .076 at the tree and 10.540 on a 10.51. Round two brought about a tough match with second-generation drag racer Keri Angeles Pari, whose father, John Angeles, formerly piloted her '69 Firebird. Angeles Pari was a killer .001 at the tree, but DeFrank was right there with a .004-second reaction time, and his 8.828 (8.80) got the win light over his opponent's breakout 9.905 (9.91).
"Keri has been driving so great, and she was again at this year's Winternationals," said DeFrank. "I struggled terribly in qualifying on Thursday, but things really came together with an ace-start on Friday. I could not believe it, and I just kept wondering if we could keep on that line. Thankfully, we did, and that was very important in round No. 2; Keri had a great package, and we needed that good run. That was the toughest round of this race."
In round three, DeFrank advanced past good friend and teammate Taylor with a .018 reaction time and an 8.891 (8.80) after his opponent launched early and illuminated the red light.
"It can be very nerve-racking to race one of the best drivers and someone you look up to, but you just have to not think about those things at all and stay the course," said DeFrank. "We all felt positive going into that round because we knew that either one of us could win, and that would mean a bye run in the fourth round that would send us right into the quarterfinals. After we got by Jeff, he helped me a ton for the rest of the race, and we all won the Winternationals together as a family and as a team."
DeFrank took the green light in his single in round four, and in the quarterfinals he was back to work with a .016 light and 8.836 (8.80) to halt Adam Emmer's .064 and breakout 10.126 (10.17).
On Sunday, just in time for the semifinals and final round, conditions presented a challenge for drivers and tuners.
"There was a big weather change from what it had been for our early morning qualifying runs," explained DeFrank. "This was the warmest Winternationals that I ever remember. It was as hot as 88 degrees (Fahrenheit) on Sunday afternoon, and the racetrack was also very warm, but NHRA did a good job keeping the track in good condition. The biggest challenge [due to the time of day that brought warm conditions] was the semifinal round on Sunday afternoon. It was the worst air we had run in all weekend."
DeFrank's 8.86 on the window reflected the team's careful consideration of the conditions, and he complemented the projection coolly with a .010 reaction time to Dustin Braun's .062. At the top end, it was DeFrank with the ticket to the final as he cleared the finish line in 8.949-seconds to his challenger's 10.004 (9.92).
The last round of the day brought DeFrank and his Chevy Cobalt to the starting line for a 4 p.m. battle-of-the-brands with Ford Mustang driver Moreno on a racing surface that was hovering at a toasty 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Ultimately, the race was over before it began as Moreno jumped the gun and fouled out by .009-second.
"I saw the win lights on the scoreboard as I landed from the wheelstand, and at about the same time, my dad came on the radio and said, 'We won, we won. What a weekend.' I was so relieved and excited," said DeFrank, whose final number for the day was a 9.315 (8.90). "I ran the car down the track to the 1/8th mile and shut it off to be easy on parts and save them for the next race in Phoenix, then I drove around the shutoff area, got my time slip and headed down the return road in front of the grandstands where my dad, mom, Jeff, Davey, and everyone was waiting for me. Then the hugging and high-fives started.
"I never really had a confident feeling throughout the weekend, but instead I was very calm and just kept feeling so thankful to even be at the races with my family and friends. As each season passes and as I get older, I realize more and more how special it is that we can do what we do. Getting to win is just a dream. It's the cherry on top."
DeFrank's Pomona History
"Pomona has always been so special to me and to our entire family," said DeFrank. "This is the racetrack that I remember going to first, and most often, as a little boy. I had always dreamed of getting to win a race at Pomona, and those dreams have come true. I can honestly say that some of our best racing and family memories have taken place there."
DeFrank made his NHRA debut in Pomona, and he earned his first national event win at that racetrack in his first final round in 1995, where he defeated Bud Pickens for the Super Stock trophy. On the very last day of the 1997 season, DeFrank sealed the deal on his first national championship there at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, and in 2013 he accomplished the remarkable as he raced to victory in not one but two categories to earn the first of two double-ups to date in his career.
"We are always so happy to race in Pomona," said DeFrank. "We enjoy having family and friends there with us, and it's fun to talk about all of the wonderful memories and try to make even more. We go there with a lot of excitement, but I don't know that our past success has made us any more confident. It doesn't matter where you go, NHRA drag racing is so competitive that wins and losses are decided by just thousandths of a second. The positive is that we get to race at Pomona twice every year, and that has allowed us to collect more data that helps us at each race. But you never truly know what will happen."
The Story on Stock Eliminator
The Winternationals came up quickly on the heels of the 2015 season, which concluded this past November with DeFrank in possession of NHRA's Division 7 Stock Eliminator championship for the first time in his career. He finished the year No. 3 in the national points, an all-time high for DeFrank in the Stock category. For much of his career, the California Car Cover CEO has entered two categories at both national and divisional events. His 46 final rounds include one in Competition Eliminator at the NHRA Finals in Pomona in 2000, where came up just one win light shy of his first double-up after winning the Super Stock final over veteran racer Mark Faul.
This year, however, DeFrank surprised many by entering just one category for the Winternationals. His Stock '69 Chevrolet Camaro did not see the light of day at the 2016 season-opener.
"We are truly thankful for the year we had in Stock last season," said DeFrank. "We reached our goal of having an improved season in Stock Eliminator, and we even exceeded our goal by winning the Division 7 championship for the first time. Ending the year No. 3 in the national points was our best finish yet in Stock. We also had a great year in Super Stock last season, but for the Winternationals, we just wanted to try to focus 100% on one category and get more comfortable there again. It turned out great this time, but we do know it can't always turn into a win. I'm very torn, but I do believe that a heavy focus on one racecar is still better than driving two, and I know that many of the greatest sportsman in drag racing will disagree with me on that. We'll bring the Stocker back out for Las Vegas or maybe in the summer."
On the 2015 to 2016 Transition
"Last season was one of our best years ever, and I'm very thankful and proud of it. There were so many highlights, including the double-up in Las Vegas, winning class in both Stock and Super Stock at the U.S. Nationals, and posting a runner-up at Indy in Super Stock," said DeFrank. "Toward the end of the year, it was a bit trying and stressful, especially heading into the last divisional race when we needed to win the third round of Stock to take the lead in Division 7. We were able to accomplish that, and really the only item we did not achieve was winning the Stock national championship. We were oh-so-close, but we just didn't get it. Still, I could not be more thankful for the 2015 season we had.
"We did a lot of organizing and cleaning in the off-season to make sure we were even more prepared than usual for Pomona. We actually enjoyed spending that time preparing for the race season when we had our days off from the office at California Car Cover Co. It's relaxing and fun to do anything that involves the racecars and race trailer. For the most part, our Super Stock Chevy Cobalt came to Pomona the same as it was at the 2015 World Finals because we felt like it was a good car and we just plain lost the round in November. We did go back and forth some on making changes to the Cobalt, perhaps to try to make it faster � but, ultimately, we felt like it had the potential to hurt our consistency, so we decided against making those changes for now."
Next up: Follow along at nhra.com and dragracecentral.com as Jimmy DeFrank and the California Car Cover team race their quick Super Stock Chevy Cobalt at the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Phoenix, February 26-28, 2016.
Caption for Winner's Circle photo:
"I was so happy to have everyone there with us, especially my mom, Loraine," said DeFrank, who celebrated the 19th national event win of his career in the winner's circle at the 56th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals. "My mom always says that if we make it to Sunday, she'll come out. I always tell her what a tall order that is, but we made it and she was there with my cousin, Mo; good friend Joe, who got to be there for the first time for one of our wins; and some high school friends who brought their children and came out to support us. We had a blast."