"THE RUN" (THE OG) Amato vs Ormsby video (1 Viewer)

[mike]

YouTube - Gary Ormsby/Joe Amato Top Fuel Final Pomona 1990

Oh if that doesn't raise the hairs and give you goosebumps, I don't know what will... Finding this has made my night!! Ormsby with that dreaded red light, don't think it would've mattered much in the end though =/

We all talk about how we miss that cackle, watching this has made me miss it that much more.

Awesome vid, makes you feel like you were there.

Enjoy maters

Mike

 

[none]

Don't know about anyone else, but I've got some pretty big goosebumps goin' on right now!

Thanks for posting that, Mike!

 

[T.Smith]

Very Cool!!!

Man I miss the sound of 98% nitro.

 

[BaldyLochs]

Very neat. That Castrol dragster was wicked in 89 & 90. Arguably Lee Beard's greatest years yet. I was in Dallas the year they ran it primered. Omsby was completley out of control that weekend. It seems like everytime they came up to the line that day they reset the friggin national record. Great Winston drag..... oh yeah, you heard me....I said WINSTON drag racing!!!! God Bless Gary.

 

[afx421]

that 98 percent cackle brings back memories and brings on the goosebumps!. some of the greatest days in drag racing!

 

[vegasnitro]

Those itty-bitty front wheels/tires on the diggers always cracked me up. Look how different Pomona is now ... there was a snack bar 30 feet from the burnout box for goodnessakes!!!

 

[----NONE----]

Man, it seems like just yesterday. I was a huge Amato fan at the time.
That was a race.

 

[Just Paul]

That's AWESOME!

Let me set this run up...

Amato came in with a points lead barely over one round of racing.
When qualifying was over, Ormsby was holding Low ET with a 5.01 or 5.02, and Amato qualified 3rd or 4th. Back them Low ET paid 50 points, and with the difference in position, the points came out to a one round even lead for Joe going into first round. (200 pts)

Rewind- The night before, the same two cars were in the same two lanes for the Budweiser Classic, and Amato won going away with a 4.97, which did not count for the Low ET points, or #1 Qualifying spot, but the GO team new Amato was capable of running a 4 second pass in that left lane.

Well, GO got lane choice for that final, took the left, and stuck Joe in the right, thinking maybe that lane would not hold a 4 second pass.

As luck would have it, in the FC final just befoe they ran, Joe's teamate Bruce Larson smoked the tires mid track in the lane Ormsby wanted to run. (left) and Ed the Ace went right down the right lane for the win.

After seeing that tire smoke, Lee Beard changed lanes at the last second, putting Joe in the preferd left lane, where Larson just smoked the tires.

Amato took back low ET in the finals, with another 4 second pass just like he ran the night before.

Man I get worked up just thinking about it. What a race!

 

[D]

Thanx Mike,
That was just what I needed. Isn't the internet great.

S/F
D

 

[cars]

Thanks Mike! My heart is pumping so hard right now. I remember watching that run like it was yesterday! Can't wait for E-town, I'm all worked up now!! lol JJ

 

[ricko999™]

Mike, thanks for the super video of this historic final!
Along with the drama of the championship on the line, Ormsby was diagnosed with prostate cancer and told few people of it. Gary managed this secret like the champion he was. Little did we know that less than a year later, we would lose him. He was only 47.
RIP GO!

 

[JP1Special]

WOW!! That was exactly what I needed to get Friday jumpstarted. I was there and it does seem like yesterday.

 

[DrRocket]

That was a great video!! Thanks for linking to it.

I love the sound of fresh 98% nitro in the morning!!

 

[none]

Yeah, Pomona was a little different back then! We`re not seeing how full the big grandstand is, but that place looks PACKED! I can only remember going to one or two races there, before the new tower was constructed, but I kinda miss the old look of the place. Thanks for the link Mike, that was a nice way to start my morning!

Btw, I had the pleasure of meeting Gary Ormsby Jr. at the Winters...nice guy!

 

[scotty]

I had already been an Amato fan but it was that exact run when I became a hardcore Tim Richards fan. Been rooting for him ever since. Alan Johnson surpassed this run last year, but somehow I will always remember this one. Never thought I'd actually see this run again. Thanks for posting it Mike and great camera work!

 

[marlin]

Now, that was ...COOL.....seeing that was a real treat.....Thanks

 

[mick]

thank you very much!
so, first the engines fire up and we all miss the cackle.
then, when the tree goes green and amato streaks to the
finish line, did anyone find themselves thinking, "boy, those
dragsters sure were slow 17 years ago, i'm sure glad they're
30 mph and 1/2 second faster today"

.........i didn't.

 

[.]

I love the sound of fresh 98% nitro in the morning!!

I almost don't like watching these old videos because it reminds of how good the cars used to sound before NHRA neutered them and made them sound wimpy.