4/19 Results Woodburn Dragstrip

April 21, 2015 Posted By Bill Pratt

Sunoco ET, Wilson’s NAPA High School, Volkswagen Completed under First Warm Day of Spring

With a high recorded temperature of 78 degrees, there were lots of racers and vehicles that were feeling the heat. However, as we all face adversity, it is about how you can handle those changes. During Sunday’s action, the racers that handled it best were Tom Avgerakis (Super Pro), Robert Schaffer (Pro), Derrick Jackson (Sportsman), Nathan Bighill (High School), Rick Elverud (Volkswagen), and Brandon Robinson (Run Tuff). Through thick and thin, and everything in-between, these racers were the ones who captured the ever important round wins needed to win their category. Pictures from this event can be found at www.facebook.com/woodburndragstrip.

Super Pro eliminations had a final round between Tom Avgerakis and Kirby Olmsted. With neither driving starting the day in the top 15, it was a great shot-in-the-arm kinda event for both drivers. Avgerakis downed Loretta McCool, Gary Barr, Stephanie Nass, and Mike McManus to reach the final round, where he eliminated Olmsted in a double-breakout finish that was separated by .015. Ken Sweo was the number one qualifier with a .002 reaction time, and McManus earned the A-1 Performance Trans and Converters Package for the Points/bonus Abby’s Gift Certificate with a .016 package.

Pro bracket featured a Robert Schaffer, filling in for Eli Taghon, and ‘Dynamite’ Dave Bronec, last year’s ET Finals Pro Champion. Schaffer went through eliminations defeating Steve Kelly, Randall Ray, Tony Price, Matt Kielman, and Alan Snyder. Schaffer turned on the coals when it mattered most, going .010, .006, .017, and .006 in the final four rounds of racing, including running 10.829 on his 10.82 in the finals. Jarod Anderson was the number one qualifier with a Perfect reaction time, one of THREE in the opening round of Pro, earning him a Perfect Light Club t-shirt and decals, courtesy of Northwest Wholesale/Hilton Racing, the suppliers of Goodyear/Hoosier/Mickey Thompson Race Tires. Meanwhile, Dean Tabert’s Honey Badger Nova won the Package for the Points/Pico Wiring set with a .026 package.

The Sportsman categories final round was a repeat of the 2011 ET Finals, where Derrick Jackson and Dave Wilson faced off for class supremacy. Looking as far back as round three, the worst reaction time between the two drivers was a .038! Jackson defeated Jason Heard, Lori Winberg, Jamie Ladd, and Karl Hart to earn the semi-final round single. In the finals, Wilson left first with a .007 reaction time, but took too much stripe at the finish line when he broke out by .022, meaning that Derrick Jackson would take the win. Jerry Durant Jr was the number one qualifier with a .024 light, and Jerry Weber won the Package for the Points/Lucas Oil 6-pack with a .039 overall run.

Some drivers get lucky at their first ever event. Some drivers are just born to be good. Then there’s Nathan Bighill. At his first ever event in the Wilson’s NAPA High School Series, Nathan qualified number one with a .007 reaction time. Then, he went through three rounds of eliminations defeating one of last year’s ET Finals representatives in Jack McGarry, a competition single, and Jerold Mix in the finals with reaction times of .069, .081, and .012. While a sample size of one race is nothing to begin writing books about, it is a good sign for the future of racing!

The Volkswagen category showcased Rick Elverud and Mike Morrow in the final round. Elverud, the undisputed Burnout King, defeated Jerry Caddell and Jeffery Hall, while Morrow downed Aaron Coy and Bernd Arndt. In the final round, it was Elverud getting the win after Morrow suffered mechanical issues and couldn’t run close to his dial-in. Keep an eye out for Volkswagens to take over Woodburn Dragstrip on May 30th at the 30th Annual Northwest VW Bug Run!

In the Tualatin Transmissions Run Tuff category, Brandon Robinson and Mark Dawson faced off in the final round to see who would be the best of the first rounds losers. Robinson defeated Lee Ennis, Tracy Herinckx, and Nicole Gross to reach the final round, where he defeated Dawson despite not having the better reaction time of the two. Gross and Kacee Pitts were the semi-final finishers.

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: Tom Avgerakis, Newberg OR (’95 Beretta) [.064] 8.467, 161.34 (8.47 dial).
R/U: Kirby Olmsted, McMinnville OR (’68 Camaro) [.025] 9.092, 148.17 (9.11 dial).
Semi’s: Gary Palmateer, Monmouth OR; Mike McManus, Happy Valley OR.

Pro
W: Robert Schaffer, Oregon City OR (’71 Nova) [.006] 10.829, 123.71 (10.82 dial).
R/U: David Bronec, Hubbard OR (’72 Nova) [.019] 10.250, 129.55 (10.24 dial).
Semi’s: Alan Snyder, Cornelious OR; Dean Tabert, Tigard OR.

Sportsman
W: Derrick Jackson, McMinnville OR (’67 Dodge A100) [.031] 12.588, 100.21 (12.59 dial).
R/U: Dave/Sherry Wilson, Canby OR (’06 Mustang) [.007] 13.58, 101.03 (13.61 dial).
Semi’s: Jerry Weber, Albany OR.

High School
W: Nathan Bighill, Hammond OR (’71 Nova) [.012] 11.894, 113.39 (11.84 dial).
R/U: Jerold Mix, Aumsville OR (’92 Mustang) [.063] 12.470, 107.79 (12.35 dial).
Semi’s: Isaac Church, Springfield OR.

Volkswagen
W: Rick Elverud, Aloha OR (’55 Bug) [.248] 14.413, 66.05 (13.60 dial).
R/U: Mike Morrow, Lincoln City OR (’15 GTI) [.228] 17.423, 73.31 (14.45 dial).
Semi’s: Jeffery Hall, Hillsboro OR; Bernd Arndt, Tigard OR.

Run Tuff
W: Brandon Robinson, Salem OR (’73 Duster) [.036] 13.193, 101.21 (13.18 dial).
R/U: Mark Dawson, Sutherlin OR (’72 Cuda) [.029] 11.746, 110.82 (11.79 dial).
Semi’s: Nicole Gross, Estacada OR; Kacee Pitts, Lebanon OR.