4/12/15 Results - Woodburn Dragstrip

Matt Claussen may have lost in the final round of the Super Pro category, but he was not yet done making an impact on this story! Claussen went on to defeat Sportsman Champ Bob Glafka, Karl Hart, and Motorcycle Champion Ted Brown to win the King of the Hill Challenge, crowning him as the ‘big dog’ of the day’s events. With class wins by Al Lyda (Super Pro), Paul Miller (Pro), Glafka (Sportsman), Brown (Motorcycle), and Bryce Moilanen (Run Tuff), it was a fantastic blue sky day at Woodburn Dragstrip, thanks to our friends at the NWDRA. For information on future dates, please visit www.woodburndragstrip.com, or our Facebook page at facebook.com/woodburndragstrip.

Super Pro eliminations brought out the best of the best to see who could survive the grueling rounds of competition. In the finals, it came down to Al Lyda and Matt Claussen. Al Lyda made his way into the money round by earning wins against 2013 Super Pro Champion Loretta McCool, Wallace Cronin, Dennis Weddle, and NWDRA member Dave Sattem. Against Claussen in the finals, both drivers left with near-identical lights (.004 to a .007), but the win went to Lyda when Claussen broke out by .014. Lyda’s phenomenal day, where he also won the A-1 Performance Trans and Converters Package for the Points/bonus Pico Wiring set with a .016 package, was cut short when a broken front suspension left him unable to compete in the King of the Hill. Dave Sattem was the number one qualifier with a perfect light, of which he had two throughout the day, nabbing him a pair of Perfect Light Club t-shirts, courtesy of Northwest Wholesale/Hilton Racing, the Suppliers of Goodyear, Hoosier, and Mickey Thompson Race Tires.

In Pro bracket, it was a pair of first for 2015 finalist as Paul Miller and Jessica Burnett did battle. Paul Miller took his ’71 Chevy to wins over NWDRA member Rich Potter, Mark Dawson, Richelle Reidl, Alan Snyder, and Joe Sorensen. In a nearly heads-up final round (10.57 to 10.50 dial), both drivers were ready for a close match. Miller left first with a .008, and Burnett second with a .020. Blazing down the all-concrete quarter mile, it was Miller who snuck out in front by .028 at the finish line and earned the win. Miller, who was attending his first race of the year, said he plans to run the entire 2015 season, and plans to ‘earn’ the right to represent Team Woodburn at the ET Finals and visit his daughter, who currently schools in Boise ID. Paul Miller also earned the A-1 Performance Trans and Converters Package for the Points/bonus Lucas Oil Detailer with a .016 overall package, and Robert Lee Jr was the number one qualifier when he had a perfect .000 reaction time first round against 3-time Pro Champion Nicholas Shepherd.

In the final round of the Sportsman category, a pair of racers who were in the semi-finals of last year’s ET Finals came head to head. Bob Glafka, who lost in the semis at the ET Finals last year, defeated Tracy Herinckx, Lori Winberg, point’s leader Sherry Wilson, Earl Eberly, and Dan Stokes. Facing off against 2014 ET Finals Winner Karl Hart in the finals was no easy task, and Glafka took advantage of Hart’s starting line miscue by leaping to a .07 advantage and never looking back, taking the win and running a 12.028 on his 12.00 dial-in. Glafka, who has been a member of the NWDRA for many years, was proud of all of the round wins earned by club members at the illustrious event. Marty Arrigotti was the winner of the A-1 Performance Trans and Converters Package for the Points/bonus Abby’s Pizza Gift Certificate when he had a .003 reaction time and ran a 12.540 on his 12.54 dial-in! Arrigotti also earned the number one qualifier spot when he duplicated his .003 reaction time in first round of eliminations, and nearly duplicated his ET, running a 12.538 to win a double-breakout against the dangerous (on the race track) Gordon Cady Jr.

Ted Brown started the day happy to get out of first round with the win light in his lane. What he didn’t expect was to go all the way into the final round to face off against Rick Tedder, a veteran who has many years of riding experience, in the final round. Brown reached the finals by defeating number one qualifier Eric Johns, and 2013/14 Motorcycle Champion Don DePeel, before earning the single in the semi-finals. In the final round, Brown won the nail-biter against Tedder in holeshot fashion, as Tedder’s 8.010 (on the 8.00 dial) was bested by the 9.532 (on the 9.52) of Brown, thanks to Ted Brown’s .027 reaction time advantage. With his win at the first event of the season, it’s fair to say Ted Brown is the current points leader as well!! 2013/14 Olympic Iron Works Harley Eliminator Champion John Plaster won the A-1 Performance Trans and Converters Package for the Points/bonus 6 quarts Lucas Oil for his .024 package.

The Tualatin Transmissions Run Tuff category is for the racer who has the misfortune of losing in the first round of competition. At this event, it was a pair of Pro vehicles making their way into the final round, when Bryce Moilanen and Dave Bronec faced off. Moilanen downed Pat Figini, Greg Gifford, Shane White, and David Chun Jr, while Bronec eliminated Brian Carr, Richard LaChance, Hollis Runge, and Rick Ropar. In the finals, Moilanen had the reaction time advantage and never looked back, running a 10.081 on the 10.05 dial-in to defeat last year’s Division 6 ET Finals Pro Winner.

Listed below are final round results, in order of driver name, hometown, (vehicle year/model), [reaction time], elapsed time, miles per hour, and (dial-in).

Super Pro
W: Al Lyda, Hillsboro OR (’56 Chevy) [.004] 10.703, 128.81 (10.61 dial).
R/U: Matt Claussen (’02 Undercover) [.007] 8.146, 162.27 (8.16 dial).
Semi’s: Gary Wargnier, Keizer OR; Dave Sattem, Camas WA.

Pro
W: Paul Miller, Dundee OR (’71 Chevy) [.008] 10.643, 119.77 (10.57 dial).
R/U: Jessica Burnett, Sandy OR (’62 Nova) [.020] 10.599, 123.42 (10.50 dial).
Semi’s: Ron Wirostek, Brush Praire WA; Joe Sorensen, Woodburn OR.

Sportsman
W: Robert Glafka, Battle Ground WA (’70 Torino) [.073] 12.028, 97.78 (12.00 dial).
R/U: Karl Hart, Portland OR (’84 Pontiac) [.140] 13.212, 96.79 (13.18 dial).
Semi’s: Dan Stokes, Albany OR.

Motorcycle
W: Ted Brown, Beaverton OR (’09 Kawasaki) [.065] 9.532, 138.01 (9.52 dial).
R/U: Rick Tedder, Mill City OR (’06 Suzuki) [.092] 8.010, 162.24 (8.00 dial).
Semi’s: Mark Adams, Portland OR.

Tualatin Transmissions Run Tuff
W: Bryan Moilanen, Woodburn OR (’71 Vega) [.051] 10.081, 125.75 (10.05 dial).
R/U: Dave Bronec, Hubbard OR (’72 Nova) [.136] 10.139, 130.62 (10.13 dial).
Semi’s: Rick Ropar, Portland OR; David Chun Jr, Vancouver WA.

Ted Brown -> Motorcycle