April 23-24,
2005, Sonoma, CA - The Goodguys 17th Nitro Nationals was marked
with iffy weather conditions, a record number of oil downs and
some of the closest Top Fuel racing in memory. The teams came
in Friday to overcast and rainy skies and a chance of rain over
the weekend. Being just a two day event scheduling would be tight
at best with two qualifying sessions Saturday for all classes
so any interference from Mother Nature or unforeseen on-track
incidences would, and in this case did, throw everything off.
Because of a weather delayed start and TF engine carnage, most
(if not all) classes only got one shot to make the show. With
24 TF cars on the grounds that meant if you missed your tune-up,
you would be one of the eight cars going home. However, that
was not the case with the WW 2 Racing entry as Murphy made his
one shot count with a 6.147 @ 245.32. Here's how it went....