Meadowlands GT 1990 : what a race!
The race was to take place on a very short and crowded track. The Meadowlands circuit was probably the shorter one ever used in IMSA. It attracted a thirty car field, which meant that it would bring some very close racing. The 1990 season was highlighted by the fact that it was, as for the GTP cars, a factory battle. Lincoln Mercury, Mazda and Nissan were involved and had developed high performance GT cars that were as sophisticated as the GTPs. That left no room for the private entries to win. However, the races continued to bring some excitement, with a fierce battle between the three manufacturers. The categories were split into three different pieces : GTO, GTU and AAC. The last category, which was formerly run separately, was the home of American built cars. They were less developed than the GTOs and the cars were attractive. Most of the competitors, who could no more keep up with the best, entered this class.
Roush Racing fielded a pair of Mercury Cougar XR 7s, which were powered by 2,5T engines. Robby Gordon and Dorsey Schroeder were the drivers. The cars were backed by Whistler Radar Warning receivers. Mazda Motorsport RX7s, which were powered by quadrirotor engines, were managed by Jim Downing. Pete Halsmer and Elliot Forbes Robinson drove them. CCR entered two Nissan 300ZX Turbos, which were driven by Steve Millen and Jeremy Dale. Seventy Four Ranch had a very powerful Ford Mustang, which was driven by George Robinson. A very unusual car was to be seen at this track : Jeff Elghanayan's Ford RS200. This rally car, which had been upgraded to the GTO class, proved to be competitive in the hands of Joe Varde. Anthony Puleo was the only privateer to show up with a Chevrolet Camaro, he would put up a good run. The GTU class, also, was to provide a great show between Nissan, again, Mazda, and Dodge, with some very well prepped Daytonas. Leitzinger Racing fielded two top notch 240SXs, which were driven by Bob Leitzinger and David Loring. The two of them appeared as the race favorites. Another Nissan 240SX was entered by Kryderacing, a series regular, the car being driven by team owner Reed Kryder. Mazda Motorsport entered one MX6 , which was a new car. John Finger would drive it. Amos Johnson and Lance Stewart each drove another MX6, which was entered by Team Highball, which was the most successful Daytona GTU team. Mandeville Auto Tech entered Lance Stewart's car. Three older cars were driven by David Yarmoluk, Dick Greer and Chuck Coffey. Full Time Racing had developed two Dodge Daytonas, Stu Hayner and Don Knowles were the drivers. The AAC class was to showcase four Chevrolet Berettas, with two of them entered by Clay Young. The cars were powered by V8 4,5L engines. 
Clay Young entered two Chevrolet Berettas, one for himself and another one for Mark
Porcaro. He easily won his class.
Copyright Mark Windecker
Clay Young and Mark Porcaro were at the wheel of these cars. Dan Osterholt and Robert Borders had 5,0L engines powering their own cars. Three Chevrolet Camaros were entered. Del Taylor, a man who drove a weird Chevron B36 Buick in 1981-83, drove one of them. Kendall Cranston and Frank Herchick had immaculate cars. Tom Ciccone car was an older one. Kenny Irwin fielded the sole Buick Somerset, a car which was not suited to this kind of track. The last car to be seen was a Pontiac Firebird, driven by Francis Mariano. Thirty cars were to be rolling around this very short course. Things would prove difficult to handle for the top teams. The battle for the pole would be harsh, however. The Mazda RX7s, which had been added an extra 50lbs since the last race, proved to be as fast as ever. Pete Halsmer was the first to set the qualifying pace, he and Steve Millen would trade the pole many times, but Pete Halsmer finally emerged on top with a 44s558. Steve Millen was alongside him on the outside of row one. He would however see his hopes take a tumble when his car caught fire in the second qualifying session. An oil pipe had split and leaked directly on the exhaust. He jumped out of the car and helped clear the mess. The six semi-works cars were on the first three rows. Joe Varde was happy with his seventh position on the grid, just ahead of George Robinson, in his Ford Mustang. David Loring's very potent Nissan 240SX was right behind them, trailing Don Knowles, Bob Leitzinger and Lance Stewart. The Dodge-Nissan battle was set, with Mazda now playing nearly second fiddle. The AAC cars were behind the best GTU cars, which proved how the latter cars evolution. Clay Young, a veteran, was the best qualifyer, with Kenny Irwin just behind him. The race would provide some excitement, as backmarkers, which were more or less ten seconds off the pace, would play a role in the outcome of the race. The field would lose two cars even before the green was set as Elliot Forbes Robinson lost wheel on the pace lap and Tom Ciccone was out due to an accident. The race was set and Steve Millen used his Nissan better torque to take the lead. Robby Gordon swept by too, but Pete Halsmer recovered his position before the end of lap one. The top five drivers, Steve Millen, Pete Halsmer, Robby Gordon, Jeremy Dale and Dorsey Schroeder, would run nose tail for three laps, until they had to face the backmarkers. This led to a first change in the lead. Pete Halsmer could use the clear portion of track which was left while Steve Millen had to move to the left. He would not be allowed to pull away from the pack, though. The five leaders had built a consistent gap over George Robinson, who was running alone. After five laps, Joe Varde was out of the race with a power steering failure. The two leaders were running together, with Steve Millen waiting for a mistake by his rival. George Robinson had pitted to change a punctured tire.
David Loring won the GTU class at the wheel of the Leitzinger Racing Nissan 240SX.
Copyright Mark Windecker
The GTU class was led by Don Knowles, who had a very fine start. David Loring was overtaken by Lance Stewart, who jumped the start in an incredible way. While Don Knowles managed to stretch his advantage to a mere three seconds, David Loring nudged Lance Stewart, who spun. Don Knowles maintained his position until lap twenty three, when he came back to the pits with a broken engine. While Steve Millen and Pete Halsmer were still ahead of the field, Robby Gordon was twelve seconds down. Jeremy Dale and Dorsey Schroder were a little further. The latter would miss turn one with fading brakes, and he would one lap in the process. Pete Halsmer was a clear five second ahead of Steve Millen when they lapped Dorsey Schroeder. In fact, the action between Steve Millen and Dorsey Schroeder turned into an incident. Both cars collided, and they had to pit for repairs. That left Pete Halsmer in the lead, with thirty seconds or so over Robby Gordon. In GTU, David Loring was easily leading the race, with five second advantage over Stu Hayner, in the second Dodge Daytona. The race would turn into drama when Pete Halsmer, still in the lead, would try to pass Steve Millen, who was now two laps down. Both cars collided again, with Steve Millen spinning in front of Pete Halsmer.
Pete Halsmer had a great race, but he was out of luck at the end.
Copyright Mark Windecker
Both cars were heavily damaged, but they could still run! Pete Halsmer was still in the lead, but his hood threatened to fly off, which it did a few minutes later. He nursed the car home, but in a slow way. Robby Gordon was closing in on the leader, but he had to cope with a failing gearbox, and Jeremy Dale was getting closer too. One lap from the finish, the three of them were nose to tail, to the crowd's delightment! Pete Halsmer, whose experience was great, managed to keep the two furious guys at bay, and he probably thought he had won the race when he exited the last turn. Then his engine suddenly faltered, and he could not go faster. Robby Gordon managed to get past the Mazda, while Jeremy Dale also tried, but he finished third, while Pete Halsmer was disappointed to lose the race on the finish line. Robby Gordon, Pete Halsmer and Jeremy Dale ended up within a car length! The GTU class did not see any change as David Loring held his position over Stu Hayner, who ended up five seconds behind him. Lance Stewart was third, but he was one lap down. Amos Johnson was next, with a Mazda MX6 still under development. The AAC class was probably the less troubled one, with Clay Young leading the race right from the start. He was followed by teammate Mark Porcaro, while Kenny Irwin did not get a chance at challenging him as he retired at the end of lap one.
