Today’s forecast here in Indianapolis predicts dry but cold weather for qualifying the final round of LSX Challenge competition for 2014 – excellent for making power, but less than ideal for applying it to the pavement. While the index classes and True Street competitors take time trials, here’s a look at what is going on in the pits.

In the SAM pits, School of Automotive Machinists’ student Zach Nelson (right) discusses the intricacies of Jud Massingill’s All Motor Camaro’s multi-plate clutch.

Steve Verplank’s LSX Rumble Mazda RX-7 has forsaken rotary power for an iron-block 408 LS, boosted by a ProCharger F-1R supercharger and backed by an RPM ‘glide. The 71-year-old driver says that now that he’s upgraded from the previous D1 blower, the 2,850 pound car makes 730 horsepower to the wheels. He’s looking for an 8.70 this weekend in his first outing with the new blower.

We love little details, like the sectioned-and-welded intake pipe on Josh Pratt’s Real Street Pontiac. It’s something you see a lot on old-school Japanese tuner cars, but most Stateside builders would rather save the work and start with a mandrel bend.

The detail we find most intriguing on Ray Bulach’s RS Camaro is that well-worn shift knob – you don’t see many three-pedal cars this quick, and experiencing him spool that turbo on the line against the two-step is a full body experience.

George Toll’s nitrous-breathing Pontiac slumbers in the pits, awaiting the call for first round qualifying.

Tim LeMay's Buick has forsaken turbo V6 power in favor of a 5.3 LS block with aftermarket pistons and rods, fed by a pair of 56mm turbos. Look closely at the underside of the hood and you can see burn marks caused when the previous all-stock 5.3 bottom end experienced a spontaneous dry sump conversion just weeks ago. We'll be keeping an eye on this car in True Street today.

One more photo before we head out to shoot the on-track qualifying action… Back in a bit!

Qualifying Round 1 Results

ERL Performance All Motor

In the first round of qualifying, Robert Strong’s ’87 Monte took the early lead with a 9.302, with Don Baskin five hundredths behind. Jud Massingill struck his Camaro’s tires right off the line, and idled through to the third and final spot in the field.

Robert Strong holds the All Motor lead after one round of qualifying.

JE Pistons Drag Radial

Mark Carlyle is once again the man to beat in Drag Radial (at least for the moment), clocking a 4.516 in the 1/8th mile. We wouldn’t be surprised to see the order change before eliminations, though – Anthony Manna and Mike Brown are close on his heels, with just over a tenth of a second from first to worst in the three-car field, and the second and third place qualifiers actually carrying more speed through the traps.

Twin exhaust plumes shoot from the fender turbo outlets on Mark Carlyle’s Drag Radial Corvette.

Holley EFI Real Street

Kevin Rounsavall took the early lead in Real Street, running 7.900 at 174.55 MPH in the first round of qualifying. Paul Falcon also found a seven, albeit by a margin of just .013 seconds, and the rest of the field spanned the eight-second zone with a total of 13 cars making qualified passes. Louie Filippides and Gregory Harmon are both on the outside looking in as of the end of the first round, without a qualified pass, but they will both get another chance in the second (and final) round this evening.

Kevin Rounsavall sits atop the current Real Street ladder, one of only two of the thirteen car field to find a seven second pass on the first try.

Greg Delaney put his nose in the air on his first qualifying pass but managed to stick the landing and still run 8.136, good for 5th in the current qualifying order.

LSX True Street

Dan Rensch of Etna, Ohio took top honors in LSX True Street with a two-pass average of 8.294 seconds in his ’71 Nova

While he might technically be runner-up with an 8.647 average, Tim LeMay is first in our hearts for the way his '87 Buick can go this high up on the bumper and still run mid-eights.

Final Qualifying Results

ERL Performance All Motor

No change in the batting order for the All Motor class as the result of the second qualifying round, but the elapsed times tumbled – all three competitors are in the eights, with three tenths covering the field. Strong will get a competition bye into the final, while Baskin and Massingill will pair up to determine who will meet him there.

Drag Radial

Mark Carlyle retained top spot in Drag Radial on the strength of his first qualifying run, going hard up on the back wheels on his second try. Manna and Brown swapped places in the qualifying order thanks to Brown’s improved 4.573 in the second round. Just over seven hundredths of a second covers the gap between these three, meaning it is anyone’s game once eliminations begin.

Real Street

Kevin Rounsavall retained top position in Real Street with a marginally quicker second pass, but the big mover was Louis Filippides who went from DNQ to the number two slot with a home run 7.932 pass. That leaves the top two, plus Falcon and Ray Litz as the Seven Second Club, with everyone else stretching out through the low eights and beyond. It should make for some lively competition once eliminations begin.

That’s it for tonight from Indy – after running the first round of NMCA Pro Mod, the decision was made to pull the plug thanks to track temperatures dropping to the point where traction became iffy. We will see you tomorrow bright and early with more LSX Challenge results, photos, news, and commentary!