The region’s best racers competed for top honors and season points at the SRCA drag strip in Great Bend, June 2-5.
There were four days of drag racing hosted by the track that helped start it all with the first ever NHRA National in 1955. Classes include Top Dragster, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street and Sportsman Motorcycle. A total of 361 entrants came to compete.
Thursday afternoon consisted of testing and tuning for the weekend with drivers carefully setting their cars up for maximum repeatable performance. In the evening drivers put 50 bucks on the line and ran eliminations to see who could beat his competitors and not go over their dial-in times. Fifteen “gamblers” put the hammer down and the winner of the pot was Jeremy Demers, Carroll, Iowa. He drove a ‘08 Worthy with a 632 Demers motor. Jeremy’s reaction time was .007 running a 9.041 against a 9.02 dial-in. The confident but humble Demers said that he knew it would be a head-to-head race and “I knew I would win.”
The highlight of Friday’s test and tune activities was the wheelie contest which closed out the afternoon. Willing competitors faced off in pairs and launched for max aerial effect. The winner, Chris Chaney of Claremore Okla., driving his ‘92 Camaro, received $500 for his winning effort.
Saturday began with qualifying runs in each class. The non-stop racing included eliminations and the final shoot out in four of the weekend’s classes. The four classes included Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street and a Combo class which included both cars from Super Street and Super Stock. Super Comp produced a runoff between super consistent Kevin Dyck, Winnepeg, MB and Steve Whitfield, Littleton, Colo. Both drivers “broke out” but Dyck was closest and awarded the win. The Super Gas class found Casey Wagner, Hooper, Neb., and Troy Grant, Golden, Colo., in the final with Wagner pulling off the win. Super Street had Gary Stinnet, Emporia, against Sandy Cawsey, Regina, Saskatchewan with the consistent Stinnet edging Cawsey to win the day’s final. The Combo was won by Justin Jenkins, Beatrice, Nebraska who beat Scott Burton, Golden, when Scott red lighted.
Sunday was the day which had the racers competing for top honors and season points at Great Bend’s SRCA race track. Three days of preparatory testing, tuning and elimination racing brought the best of the best to face off at the starting line. Drivers earn points leading to divisional, regional and national championships as well as a chance at a share of the year-end purse of more than $519,000.
The final winners were Top Dragster, Matt Driskell, Wellsville, Top Sportsman, JR Lobner, Gardner, Competition Eliminator, Don Thomas, Amarillo Texas, Super Stock, David Rampy, Piedmont Ala., Stock Eliminator, Scott Burton, Golden, Super Comp, Jeremy Hook, Wichita, Super Gas, Kevin Dyck, Winnipeg, Super Street, Gary Stinnett, Emporia, Sportsman Motorcycle, Curtis Spracklin, Omaha.
Racing action continues in the Summit Racing Equipment Race Series at SRCA with Test and Tune on Friday, June 24, and NHRA Summit racing Saturday night. Friday gates open at 6 and Saturday gates open at noon. Check the track website www.scradragstrip.com for more information.