With feature cars lighting up the night, the 4th Annual Baxter Auto Parts/Sunbelt Rentals/Bi-Mart Night of Fire made everybody stand on their feet with excitement. Darin Bay’s Jet Dragsters fired the crowd up with passes of 299 and 289 mph respectively. Brent Murray claimed victory in the Nostalgia BB/ Funny Car category by running a blistering 6.678 at 208.04mph to Mark Tarabochia’s 6.852 at 206.65mph. Ed ‘The Outlaw’ Jones laid down impressive quarter mile wheelstands to the crowds delight. Adam and Justin Brennamen took their smoke shows to the concrete, and ran their A/FX Funny Cars to an 8.859 at 164.83 and 8.933 at 162.19 respectively.
Chris Storlie and Vulcan McClellan’s 10.5 Outlaw racing machines went every which way but straight, still turning in times of 6.596 and 218.34 for Storlie, and 7.057 at 207.56 for Vulcan. Chris Marshall also ‘upped the ante’ after a wild mid-track moved the flamed Fiat towards the center of the track, annihilating a couple of timing cones. Joey Severance again lowered the mark in the Top Alcohol Dragster category. After lowering the E.T. record from 5.268 to a 5.236 Friday, he then obliterated the record even lower to a 5.224 in his rocketship dragster. Gregg Lawrence also made impressive runs, concluding with a 5.522 at 257.80mph.
On the bracket side of racing, this weekend was a true family experience, with familiar names often finding themselves in the Quality Concrete/Salem Concrete Paving Winner’s Circle. Friday’s racing showcased Rayce Kidd winning all over the place. First up was the K&N Filters ET Bracket Triple Crown Electronics Race #1, where the 18 year old faced off against 19 year old Charlie Dietrich…and what a final it was! Kidd left the starting line with a .012, Dietrich with a .013. At the top end, Dietrich ran a 7.457 on the 7.45…to Kidd’s 7.454 on the 7.45! In the Non-Electronics Race #1 version, Brad Burton lined up alongside Nicholas Shepherd’s ’38 Chevrolet Roadster. To the top end both racers went, with a win going to Burton on the double-breakout finish.
With special thanks to Yukon Gear & Axle, the popular Dragster vs Door Cars event returned for another year. In the past two years, the Door Cars have earned more round wins over the Dragsters. However, 2014 was a new year. The final round matchup again brought Kidd and Tom DeBartolo into the finals. Kidd again slammed the tree with a .015 to Tommy D’s .014. At the finish line, Kidd earned the win after DeBartolo broke out by just .004 at the finish line. With roughly the same number of Door Cars and Dragsters signed up, the landslide victory went in favor of the DRAGSTERS, winning 36 points to 19 at this year’s running of the Yukon Gear & Axle Dragster Vs Door Car Shootout.
For Non-Electronic cars, Yukon Gear & Axle also put up a Door Car Shootout for all Non-Electronic cars. Do the names Nicholas Shepherd and Brad Burton sound familiar? They again found themselves in the final round against each other, this time with Shepherd hoping for different results. Leaving the starting line, Burton had the advantage by .02, but the win went to The Shep after Burton broke out by .031.
Then on Saturday, it was more ‘Family Fun’ when Dan Shepherd won over John Chitwood to claim the K&N Filters ET Bracket Triple Crown Electronics Race #2 victory. Plagued by transbrake problems throughout the first half of the weekend, a solution was found Dan took all the way. A prouder winner’s circle there may never be. In the semi-final round of the K&N Filters ET Bracket Triple Crown Non-Electronics Race #2, Ron Sears and final round opponent Casey Allum ran right on their posted dial-ins: Sears a 10.494 on the 10.49, and Allum a 12.365 on the 12.36. The final round showed different results though as Allum slimly broke out, meaning that Sears would be the winner. Saturday night we watched in awe as Richard Dietrich’s flyin’ ’41 Chevy downed dragster after dragster after dragster before finally eliminating last year’s Sunday winner in Tom Malicki.
On the Non-Electronics side, Richard’s wife Dawn Dietrich was also fighting for a win. The possibility of a husband-wife winner’s circle was shot down in the semi’s by the deadly number one qualifier Zach Craig, who would face off against Dustin Ward in the finals. Separated by only .002 on the starting line, it would all be determined at the finish line stripe. Running a 10.690 on the 10.68 was good for Ward, but Craig’s incinerating 9.851 on the 9.85 showed that he was going to win at Woodburn Dragstrip for the second consecutive year. Saturday also included eliminations for ET Motorcycle that was claimed by Roger Wolff over Joseph Lind. Lind had the reaction time advantage but encountered problems, resulting in a slowed run. In the Olympic Iron Works Harley Eliminator category, class sponsor Gary Tokos was able to ‘reclaim the money!’ after getting the win over John Conley via a slight .005 red light start.
Sunday’s racing meant Race #3 of the K&N Filters ET Bracket Triple Crown, as well as point’s finals for Dragster/Roadster and NW Drag Bike competitors. Electronics showcased Tom Avgerakis and Dennis Kooker into the final round. Avgerakis made it into the final by leaving Mike Hilsendager, Bill Heard, David Secondi, Paul Nero, and David Thornton to earn a semi in the singles. Meanwhile, Kooker defeated Richard Dietrich, a competition single, Traci DePeel, David Chun Jr, Bill King, and Andy Schlenker. In the finals, Avgerakis had the reaction time advantage and was able to get the win after a double-breakout finish.
The Non-Electronics category showed off David Chun Jr and Jarod Anderson in the finals. Chun Jr ripped into the finals after defeating Nicholas Shepherd, Pat Figini, Casey Allum, Hollis Runge, Jerry Weber, and Michael Pliska to reach the finals. For Anderson: Carl Meinig, Richard Beyea, Nicholas Shepherd, Frank Pettit, a single, and Brad Burton were the defeated racers. In the finals, it was Chun Jr with the reaction time advantage and the win after a breakout for Anderson.
Dragster/Roadster eliminations brought a final round between Gary Hogansen and Mike Ekerson. Hogansen’s battle to the finals was through David Cookman, John Hamilton, and Tom Stanford, while Ekerson eliminated Scott Utter and Keifer Eickmann to earn the semi-final round single. In the finals, mechanical issues plagued Ekerson, meaning that Gary Hogansen would score his first victory at the biggest event of the year.
The ET Motorcycle brought a final round between Gary Tokos and Jim Werre. Tokos made it into the finals after defeating Mark Adams, Mike Graver, and Shane White, while Werre defeated Ted Brown, a single, and Roger Wolff. In the finals, Tokos had the reaction time advantage and took that into the winner’s circle. Other Motorcycle winners were Jeff Marsh (Pro Mod), Kerry Drost (Pro Street), and Shane White (Quick 8).
