Clay And Smida Win Super Pro At Dynatech Mountain Park BTE / Citgo Event
By Tim Glover
(June 18-19 – Clay City, KY) For the second week in a row, the BTE/Citgo Series visited an Afco Division Three track. This time Clay City Dragway in the state of Kentucky was the venue for the Dynatech Mountain Park Bracket Nationals. Bracket racers from all over the country made the trip to the famous track located in the hills of eastern Kentucky.
Racing action got underway Friday night with the Jeg’s Gamblers Race. Richie Allen took the win with his Dodge Daytona in a true Gambler’s race (no split) after Footbrake racer Clayton Clark went -.001 red for the loss.
Saturday's action got underway with the Pace American / Barker Trailer Sales Run For The Trailer. Richie Allen kept up his good work, winning the Afco Super Pro portion of the cash on the last pass down the race track, taking the win from the Lobner family, who made the trip from Kansas.
Phil Smida from Ohio defeated John Colley of West Virginia in a great Afco Super Pro final round. Smida was .007 and ran a dead on 5.022 at 133.35mph for the win. Colley, in the King Cutter dragster, was .004 and carded a dead on 4.796 at 143.80mph, leaving a margin of victory of only .001 seconds. Again, there was no split in the final!
Phil Combs, the 2004 Citgo Champ and current 2005 Nesbitt Performance points leader, continued to impress in Dynatech Sportsman. Combs took out several tough No Box racers, including Luke Bogacki, en route to the final. He then defeated Brandon Downey for the BTE/Citgo Diamond Trophy, "Happy Gilmore" check and those valuable BTE/Citgo points. If he continues this streak, the new Brett Nesbitt 540 cubic inch BBC and $2000 cash from BTE awarded for the division championship could be his. Downey went -.001 red, and then compounded the loss with a 6.739 on a 6.74 for the runner up spot! Combs didn’t leave much room to work with, posting a 7.20 at 90.5mph (7.18 target).
Jerry "Super Duck" Marcum made a big move in the Race Tech Jr Dragster Championship points standings, defeating the JrDragRaceResults.com car of Chris Sons in the final. Sons was happy to make it to his first ever event final. Marcum took home the BTE/Citgo Diamond Trophy and "Happy Gilmore" check for his efforts.
Danny Berryman turned it red in the Outlaw Bike final, giving the win to Jim Casdanada in the all new class being held at select events around the country.
Billy Helton won the giant four-foot trophy when Mike Martin turned it red in the Jeg’s Trophy final.
On Saturday night, promoters Barker and Sons went ahead and staged another JEG’S High Roller Gambler event for the racers. The final saw Chuck Mink from Ohio defeat Luke Bogacki’s Vega for the $1600 Afco Super Pro winner’s purse. Jonathan Clay finished in the semi-final round.
Joe Lee took the win after Andy Hensley turned it red in the final of the special No Box Gambler.
SUNDAY
Sunday got underway with presentation of the MGM Best Engineered and Best Appearing car awards. Willie Connor's beautiful ‘37 Coupe was declared the Best Engineered Car, and James Rainy, who destroyed his motor Saturday, went home, changed it, and made it back in time to win Best Appearing Car with his ’68 Camaro.
Jerry “Super Duck” Marcum won the Jr Dragster portion of Run for the Trailer, carding an 8.064 on a 8.06 dial. Dynatech Sportsman racer Timmy Roe made a real run for the trailer, going 6.660 on a 6.66 with a .003 light. The run wasn't quite good enough to take the lead away from nationwide leader Alan West of Delaware. Brad Childers was the Afco Super Pro Pace American Run for the Trailer winner, running 5.010 on 5.01.
In Sunday's Afco Super Pro action, Jonathan Clay, a former Millennium Million Dollar winner from Rockingham, defeated longtime veteran bracket racer and winner of many big events, Dwayne Blair from Swamp Branch, Kentucky. Clay was .008 and 5.098 on a 5.07 in the final for the win. Blair runner upped with a breakout 6.386 on a 6.39, but his.021 light told the story. This was the second straight day a King Cutter sponsored car made it to the final round and finished runner up.
Last year’s nationwide runner up, Clayton Clark, found himself in a familiar position, winning the same Dynatech Sportsman event he won in 2004. Clark made it two in a row after defeating the red-hot Evansville, Indiana driver Eric Paul. Paul, who was the $5K winner last week at Milan Dragway’s BTE / Citgo event, enjoyed being in his fifth final in a row and second BTE /Citgo final in as many weeks. In today’s final, Paul red lighted with a -.001 and then clicked it a little early, running a 6.465 on a 6.41, handing the win to Clark, who hails from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Clark’s .062 aided 6.38, 106.45mph pass (6.37 dial) was good for the win.
Michael Needham defeated Sean Florence in Race Tech Jr Dragster for the cash, big check, and trophy.
Danny Berryman couldn't get it done again in the Outlaw Bike final, giving the win to Kevin Hobbs. Neither one had reaction times worth writing home about, but Hobb’s closer to the dial 10.28 at 122.10mph (10.20 dial) did the trick. Berryman crossed the finish line .097 seconds later with a 10.76 at 129.32mph blast (10.50 dial).
The next BTE/Citgo event will take place in Topeka, Kansas, on July 2-3 at Heartland Park.
