Rockingham: Bob Bertsch summary

BERTSCH CHARGES FORWARD TO ROUND 2 AT ROCKINGHAM

ROCKINGHAM, NC -- Bob Bertsch and the Rislone Engine Treatment Pro-Stock Mustang rolled into last weekend's 38th Annual IHRA Spring Nationals presented by Advance Auto Parts and Castrol looking to continue their upward curve of improvement in 2009 at the second stop on the IHRA NitroJam tour.

Bertsch's Rislone Engine Treatment Mustang entry would lay down an impressive qualifying time of 6.370 @ 218.44mph, granting Bertsch a number six position in the Elite Motorsports Pro-Stock field. Bertsch ran an identical time to the number five qualifier, but was barely edged out by virtue of the fact that the number five car ran a mere .18 mph faster at the big end of the track. "We were really happy with our qualifying effort," said Bertsch. "Rockingham is always a good track, and to be running in the top half of the field like that in qualifying always makes you feel a bit better heading into the race."

The first round of eliminations would see Bertsch lay down a smooth 6.34 second run at 218.09mph, cranking out a lower ET than his qualifying effort, and one of the better runs of the round. "The first round worked out really well for us. What I thought was pretty neat was the fact that our Rislone Engine Treatment Mustang is actually one of the less-aerodynamic bodies in the pro-stock world, yet we managed to run near identical ET's and MPH figures as some of the more sleek Pontiac-bodied cars," explained Bertsch.

During the second round of eliminations, however, the Rockingham track would put an end to Bertsch's run of smooth passes. "As soon as we left the line, the car hooked hard to the right towards the centerline," said Bertsch. "I gathered it back up and stayed in the throttle, but unfortunately the car just wouldn't seat back down into the groove and we took another trip towards the centerline." Although Bertsch would fall in the second round to the eventual event winner, his veteran driving skills would keep the Rislone Engine Treatment Mustang off of the walls and away from the centerline, avoiding potential damage and disqualification. So was Bertsch a bit nervous during his hectic round two pass? "To be honest, its one of those things where instinct takes over and before you know it, its all over. All I know is we sure covered a lot of turf!" said Bertsch with a laugh.

The next stop for Bertsch and his Rislone Engine Treatment Mustang on the IHRA tour will be in Crandall, TX at Dallas Raceway May 29th through the 31st. "We are very excited to get back out on the road and continue our quest win our first event in 2009," stated Bertsch, clearly enthusiastic about this year's possibilities. "We've been improving greatly every time we hit the track, so that only fuels our desire to bring our Rislone pro-stocker to the line as soon as possible!"

-credit: barsleaks