Woodburn 33rd Season Opener a Success
May 20-21, 2006 - Racers and fans were treated to a fantastic weekend of racing action as Alcohol Funny Cars, Blown Alcohol Dragsters, and A/Fuel Dragsters plus Jet Funny Cars put on an excellent show at the Baxter Auto Parts / Bi-Mart / 99.5 The Wolf 33rd Annual Season Opener at Woodburn Dragstrip.
Brian Hough, from Junction City, OR, set low ET of the weekend with his Funny Car on Saturday by covering the quarter mile in 5.77 seconds at 246 mph. John Weaver, from Orting, WA, was right behind with his 5.791, also at 246 mph, which he ran in the opening session on Sunday. Clint Thompson, from Klamath Falls, OR, looked very strong, running a 5.834 at 245 mph. In the finals, Hough was able to defeat Weaver. Other competitors included Randy Parker, from Puyallup, WA, Todd Ashwell, from Salem, OR, Donn Hosford, from Portland, OR, James Peters, from Molalla, OR, and Shane Harter, from East Wenatchee, WA.
In the Top Alcohol Dragster class, Brandon Johnson, from Sheldon, WA, led both sessions with runs of 5.470 and 5.489, respectively. Right behind was Joey Severance, from Spanaway, WA with a 5.50, Gregg Lawrence, from Salem, OR, with a 5.52, Garrett Bateman, with a 5.54, Kim Parker, from Puyallup, WA, with a 5.57, and Mark Hentges, from Federal Way, with a 5.62. Also competing were Bill Edwards, Jr., and Dennis Swearingen.
The Jet Funny Cars of Darin Bay and Ken Marley thrilled the crowd with an outstanding fire show and thunder booms. They completed runs of 6.50 and 6.83 at 232 mph. More than 175 additional racers competed in 10 classes. The results are listed below.
Dragsters & Roadsters
(W) Rob Bese, Salem, OR, 1923 T,10.007 sec., 117.32 mph
(R/U) Jason Brown, Fort Lewis, WA, FED, 10.138 sec., 132.88 mph
(Semi-finalists) Walt Skoczylas,25 T Altered, Aloha, OR and Ron Austin, 27 Roadster, Medford, OR
Top Comp
(W) Randy Pressel, Colton, OR, dragster, 8.011 sec.,164.26 mph
(R/U) Eddie Wells, Eugene, OR '04 Undercover, 7.166 sec.,180.14mph
(Semi's) Bob Schmidt, 97 Firebird, Silverton, OR
Super Street
(W) Susan Gross, Oregon City, OR, 77 Vega, 10.918sec., 127.40 mph
(R/U) Dudley Gee, Canby, OR, 66 Mustang, 10.827sec., 127.60 mph
(Semi's) Ken Woodward, 70 Chev, Lyons, OR
Super Gas
(W) Rod Andreas, Gervais, OR,'71 Vega, 9.919 sec.,153.24 mph
(R/U) Ken Heard, Ridgefield, WA, 86 Mustang, 9,910 sec., 144.25 mph
(Semi's) Jim Hominuik, Ridgefield, WA, 81 Camaro,
Super Comp
(W) Jeremy McKee, Auburn, WA, 95 Chevy, 8.930 sec., 162.86 mph
(R/U) Ty Anderson, Vancouver, WA, four start,
(Semi's) Steve Iverson, Vancouver, WA; Moe Trujillo, Boring, OR
Stock/Super Stock combo
(W) Joe Sorenson A/SA, Woodburn, OR, 69 Camaro, 10.667 sec., 121.00 mph
(R/U) Steve Hanby B/FIA, Salem, OR, 94 Camaro, 10.912 sec., 121.31 mph
(Semi's) Jim Evans, 71 Corvette, Puyallup, WA
Motorcycle
(W) Craig Rych, North Bend, OR, 76 Kawasaki, 9.773 sec., 127.78
(R/U) Jeff Marsh, Woodburn, OR, 95 Kawasaki, 9.206, 135.97
(Semi's) Mike Kelly, Vancouver, WA, 89 Suzuki
Super Pro
(W)Traci Merritt, Oregon City, OR, 63 Nova, 10.891 sec., 131.75 mph
(R/U) John Young, Vancouver, OR,'03 dragster, 8.239 sec., 162.33 mph
(Semi's) Mike Miller, Portland, OR, 73 Pinto
Pro
(W)Robert Rhines, Salem, OR, 68 Firebird, 11.237 sec., 118.18 mph
(R/U) Jarod Anderson, Springfield, OR, 55 Chevy, broke
(Semi's) Jim Pray, Pleasant Hill, OR, 37 Ford; Jennie Stanford, Corvallis, OR, '99 Stanford
Sportsman
(W) Jolene Woodword, Lyons, OR, 74 Nova, 13.249 sec., 96.18 mph
(R/U) Rene Crunelle, Hillsboro, OR, Nissan Pickup, 22.805 sec., 57.29 mph
(Semi's) Bill McNeal, Milwaukee, OR, '40 Ford
