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XPRO Xpertise Fabled Willowbank Raceway celebrated Australia Day 2025 in style as the iconic facility hosted the latest round for the NDRC season championship.
Included on that event menu was a selection of XPRO Nitro Funny Car competitors.
After qualifying was decided on Saturday, Sunday featured intense battles unfold for the NDRC event-winning Christmas Tree trophy and valuable championship points.
In XPRO Nitro Funny Car, the Aeroflow/Rocket Industries teammates of former champ Morice McMillin and rookie Josh Leahy were truly impressive, with the pair delivering a full candles side by side pass which saw both racers in the dark about who had taken the win until informed by commentators after the fact.
It was McMillin who took the win with a 4.040 ET at 448.98kph, narrowly edging out Leahy’s 4.128/437.66kph result.
It wasn’t the first time McMillin and Leahy had faced off on Sunday either, lining up against each other in round one with the pair on top of each other to the half track before Leahy (5.348/221.13kph) threw a belt, with McMillin taking the win (4.174/444/38kph).
There was plenty of drama in the XPRO Nitro Funny Car B-Final. Justin Walshe was shut down and pushed back from the line when his rival, Chris Stipanovich, suffered clutch issues which saw him trundle down the track after his burnout before pulling his chutes and coming to a stop in the braking area. It was a heated racing incident, and an animated Justin Walshe verbally expressed his frustration to the Stipanovich crew after being pushed back to the starting area. Stipanovich was openly apologetic when interviewed in the deep end as to how the situation played out.
Walshe ran his B-Final as a solo after the Top Fuel A Final, burning down the track before getting off it early when losing a belt to throw 4.26/393.37kph up on the boards.
Walshe and Stipanovich had earlier lined up against each other in round one, with Stipanovich pushing back after shaking during the burnout and Walshe taking a solo (5.148/244.18kph) before getting off it with a fuel leak.
In round two Morice (4.107/445.38kph) and Leahey (4.091/446.74kph) both ran solo passes, while Stipanovich and Walshe were no shows following their round one issues.
Defending Australian National FC champion Justin Walshe qualified #1 for the class at Willowbank’s New Year Nitro event. “I didn’t see nothing!” grinned McMillin after being told he had taken the win.
“The thing was moving around and I was driving the crap out of it. Then I saw Josh come past me in the braking area, and I had no idea who had won it at all. He was flying, and I was just trying to get to the end.
“We have the best team in drag racing, there is no two ways about it, and I am so happy to represent the brand, Rocket and Aeroflow and everyone – thank you so much to everyone, this is a team victory, that is for sure.”
“It is unreal to do this beside my mate, and it is so cool we are out here doing this as a team – we keep saying it, but we really mean it: one team, one dream! I can’t thank everyone enough,” Leahy added.
The next major event on the NDRC major calendar including the XPRO Nitro FC division is April 5-6 when Dragway at The Bend lights up for the Riverbend Nationals.
Posted by Amanda Cobb
Photos by Bruce Biegler & courtesy of Grant StephensFor more XPro Funny car class photos link to the LMLC Media photo gallery > HERE
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