Sanders runs low E.T. three out of four rounds
MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. (February 7, 2011) – After traveling nearly 4,000 miles across the country from Seattle to southern Florida for the first race of the 2011 Nitro Jam season, the “Mr. Explosive” team headed by driver Mark Sanders finally returned home with an Ironman in hand this week as Sanders kicked off the young season with a victory at the Palm Beach Nitro Jam at Palm Beach International Raceway last month.
Sanders qualified with the top spot on opening night at the Palm Beach Nitro Jam with a very quick 5.82 second lap at 244 miles per hour, a precursor of things to come as Sanders went on to meet up with another drag racing superstar in the final. With the IHRA Chicago style format, Sanders’ time was good enough to advance the “Mr. Explosive” Funny Car into the finals against IHRA legend Paul Romine. In that final round matchup Sanders was out of the gate first and never looked back, putting down another consistent 5.87 second lap at 242 mph, defeating Romine's 5.941, 240 mph.
“The ‘Mr. Explosive’ team is back baby,” exclaimed Mark Sanders following his win. “We drove all the way across this great country to be here tonight and to get the win in front of these great fans is what it is all about. We went toe-to-toe with one of the best in the business and we were able to put down a really hot lap and come out of here with the first win of the year."
Despite opening the weekend with a hard-earned victory, day two did not go as planned for Sanders and his team as their 1970 Nova failed to make the final even with another solid 6.12 lap during qualifying. After a major thrash in the pits to make the consolation round, “Mr. Explosive” came back and ran low E.T. of the consolation pairings with a 5.92 at 244 mph. While the team didn't win a trophy on Saturday, they did boast low elapsed time three out of the four rounds of racing.
After returning home from a long weekend of racing, Sanders’s crew chief and son Jake Sanders was certainly pleased with what they accomplished.
"We came to PBIR to run hard, like we do at every event, but to win the very first race of the season and set low E.T. three out of four rounds was a great way to begin the 2011 racing season,” Jake said.
With a solid start to the 2011 season, the “Force of the North” is ready to make another long haul to the next Nitro Jam event on the schedule at State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge, La. The Mardi Gras Nitro Jam will be held February 19-20 and tickets can be purchased online at www.nitrojam.com.
Be sure to check out the Nitro Jam website for race updates and the new live timing system. Also, visit www.mrexplosiveracing.com for team updates throughout the weekend.
