Mellinger wins DRO AA/FC Challenge at Martin, Mich; Bowen clinches championship




Mellinger drives Candies family tribute AA/FC to DRO win at U.S. 131; Bowen wins second championship in a row

Ohio racer Wayne Mellinger, driving and tuning his seldom seen Candies Family tribute Mopar AA/FC, won his first Hedman Husler Hedders DragRacingOnline.com AA/FC Challenge race at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Mich.

A perfectly prepped track and temps in the 60-degree zone created great performances and the worst engine carnage in the history of the series. Both the Bowen family Pontiac and Mark Sanders’ Mustang used up three engines in the rounds on Saturday, Sept. 6.

Mellinger defeated Sanders from Washington State, driving his Jake Sanders-tuned “Mr. Explosive” Mustang, in an eventful final round. Sanders had won the previous DRO Challenge during the World Series of Drag Racing in August.

Mellinger qualified low at 5.8236 seconds and improved on that effort with a final round 5.8117/227.81 that defeated Sanders, who left on Mellinger by a tenth of a second but had his third engine of eliminations go sour about 800 feet out. A streaking Mellinger got his first DRO Challenge win.

Michigan’s Shawn Bowen in the “Violator” Firebird wrapped up the 2014 Hedman Husler Hedders DRO AA/FC Challenge points championship with a semifinal exit at Martin. He has amassed 573 points in just six races and is the 2014 Champion for the second year in a row.

The last race that racers can earn points for the 2014 points championship will be at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park on September 19-20.

A special event to begin the 2015 points championship will be held on the eighth-mile at Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, NC, on October 3-4.

Photo by Dennis Mothershed




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