Monday, July 08, 2013

Woodburn Hosts Nostalgia Hot Rods, Junior Dragsters

NHRA Wally’s were on the line Saturday for the NAPA Auto Parts Jr Dragster competitors as the Division 6 Jr Dragster Challenge event was run to completion.  In addition to the Jr Dragsters, the Nostalgia Hot Rod Series ran its fourth points earning event, and the Jr’s had their 9th points event.  Individual winners were Cheyanne Helvey (Jr Fast Wally), Austin Varner (Jr Lightning Wally), Dylan Hough (Jr Thunder Wally), Robert Glembocki (Top Gas), Roy Panschow (Hot Rod I), Nicholas Shepherd (Street Machine I), Jeff Enger (Hot Rod II), Garry Heinrich (Street Machine II), Bruce Poppino (Stick Shift), CJ Stoakes (Inline/Flathead), Rick Olson (Run Tuff), Carson Wheeler (Jr Fast), Katie Day (Jr Lightning), and Trevin Walberg (Jr Thunder).  Close racing was by far the theme for today’s action, as every round was toughly earned by every competitor.

The NAPA Auto Parts Jr Fast category featured a final round with reaction times separated by just .021, for racers Cheyanne Helvey and Dustin Day.  Helvey made it into the money round by defeating Carson Wheeler and Jerold Mix before earning the single.  Day’s trip into the final came by defeating Kacee Pitts, a single and Emily Mix.  In the final round for the NHRA Wally, Helvey reacted quicker with a .060 to .081 advantage, before getting to the finish line first and running closer to her dial-in, awarding her with her first ever Wally.  Pitts was the number one qualifier with a .004.



In the NAPA Auto Parts Jr Lightning category, the hunt for the Wally came down to Points leader Austin Varner, who had to defeat Anthony Friesen and Josh McMyne; and Div. 6 Champ Kyler Pitts who downed Cole Rose and Adam Lint. In the final round, reaction times were separated by just 15 thousandths of a second, advantage Varner.  However, Pitts ran closer to his dial in…but by only 8 thousandths, meaning that by .0072 seconds, Austin Varner sealed away the Wally on a ‘holeshot’.  Lint was the number one qualifier with a .045 reaction time.

For the NAPA Auto Parts Jr Thunder category, the final round came to Dylan Hough and Adam Duncan-Robinson.  Hough, starting off in the number one qualifying position, eliminated Nicholas Karr and Ramon Vincent before earning the laddered single.  For Duncan-Robinson; a competition breakage single, Alisha Miller, and Conner Rice were the victims.  In the final round, Hough had the starting line advantage and ran an 8.944 on his 8.93 dial-in to secure the victory and the Wally.

Top Gas competition features drivers who run the assistance of electronics in their vehicles.  The class of 18 drivers whittled its way down to just two drivers.  Robert Glembocki had arrived from defeats to Richard Smith, Marty Stewart, Mike Miller, and a single.  For Debbie Dawson, her journey into the final was through a competition breakage single, Gary Wargnier, a laddered single, and Kevin Petersen.  In the final round, Glembocki had the starting line advantage and never looked back, downing Dawson in defeat.  Kevin Petersen was the number one qualifier.

The Hot Rod I category is for drivers in vehicles that were made in 1959 or before, and run faster than 11.99 seconds.  Roy Panschow and Jim Estes were in the final round for this weekend’s event, with Panschow earning a single before defeating Tim McDaniel, and Estes defeating Jim Pray and defending Champion Paul Comeau.  In the final round, Panschow uncorked a supersonic .007 reaction time to defeat Estes, earning the win from the number 4 qualifier position.  Comeau was the number one qualifier.

Street Machine I, the largest category, features drivers who are in vehicles 1960-1975, running faster than 11.99 seconds.  In this final round, the racers consisted of two consistent late round finishers:  Nicholas Shepherd and Ryan Schaefer…not to mention best friends!  Shepherd’s ‘62 Chevy was off the starting line first with a .015, and used that to win the race on a double-breakout finish. Steve Stuart was the number one qualifier with a perfect reaction time, which earned him a T-shirt and two decals courtesy of Northwest Wholesale/Hilton Racing, the suppliers of Goodyear and Hoosier Race Tires.

In the Hot Rod II category, drivers must have vehicles 1959 and older, and dial in at a 12.00 or slower.  Jeff Enger, who won the championship in the inaugural season, again found himself in the final against the vehicle that defeated him for the championship last year, now with Dawn Dietrich doing the driving.  Enger defeated Steve Canton and John Hite before earning the single on his way to the final.  For Dietrich, the trip was through Mark Tabert, Lyle Scott and number one qualifier Robin Andress.  The final round was over before it began when Dietrich turned on the red light start by just thirty four thousandths of a second, giving the win to Jeff Enger.

Street Machine II class is for vehicles that are 1960-1975, and run 12.00 seconds and slower.  In the final round Garry Heinrich lined up against incoming points leader Gordon Cady Jr.  Heinrich’s road to the final was through Ken Sweo and Leon Torgerson, whereas Cady Jr downed Ernie Lucas and Randy Nichols.  In the final round, Cady Jr had a great package with his .037 reaction time and running a 12.605 on his 12.58 dial-in (package is figured when you take your elapsed time [if not a breakout] and subtract your dial-in, then add your reaction time) to have a .062 package.  However, Garry Heinrich erupted off the starting line with a .004 reaction time before running a 12.229 on his 12.20 (a .033 package!) to emerge victorious. Cady Jr was the number one qualifier.

Stick Shift is a category dedicated strictly for the manual shifting machines that venture to Woodburn.  It was appropriate that in the final round the number one and two qualifiers lined up to do battle.  The number one, Bruce Poppino, defeated Paul Carbaugh first round to earn the single into the final round.  The number two, Bob Johnson, downed Dick Arnold and Jim Wise.  In the final round, Poppino had a substantial starting line advantage, and was able to use that at the finish to secure the victory, and take the points lead back from Shawn Choruby.  A full list of all class points can be seen on our website.

The Inline/Flathead class is a great class showcasing nostalgic vehicles with, you guessed it, Inline or Flathead powered motors.  CJ Stoakes and Walt Skoczylas found themselves into the final round at this event.  Stoakes had to defeat Jim Johnson, Doug Powers and Walt Pearce to be in the final round. For Skoczylas: Richard Bjerklund and Michael Bjerklund were defeated before he earned a single into the final.  In the final round, Skoczylas had the reaction time advantage, but broke out at the finish line trying to get the win. Pearce was the number one qualifier at this race.

Run Tuff is a category for racers who have the misfortune of losing in the first round of eliminations.  For a simple $10 buy in, with 50% payout, racers have the chance to compete again before leaving for home.  In the final round, Rick Olson and Jim Pray faced off with Olson getting the win after having a significant starting line advantage.  Olson then went on to run right on his dial-in with a 3, putting together a 27 thousandths package.

The NAPA Auto Parts Jr Fast category ran their point’s race prior to the Wally event.  In the final, Carson Wheeler and Dustin Day faced off to see who would get the event win and, more importantly, the points.  Wheeler drove to the final by taking down Taylor Toftemark Ashley Thompson before having a single.  For Day: Emily Mix, Kacee Pitts, and Hayley Jackson were the defeated racers.  In the final, the race was over before it even began when Day turned on the red light by just .011. Hayley Jackson was the number one qualifier with a .005.

In the NAPA Auto Parts Jr Lightning class, it was a battle of the ‘K’s with Katie Day and Kyler Pitts.  Day’s journey to the final was through Anthony Friesen and Josh McMyne, where Pitts defeated Austin Varner and Adam Lint.  In the final round, Day had almost a .04 advantage on the starting line to get the ‘holeshot’ win.  A holeshot is when a driver runs farther off their dial-in, but corrected the difference with their reaction time.

For the NAPA Auto Parts Jr Thunder race, Trevin Walberg and Conner Rice lined up to battle in the final.  Walberg downed Ramon Vincent and Hailey Bellikka before earning the single in the semi’s.  For Rice: Cooper Chun, Ryan Bese, and Dylan Hough were the defeated racers.  In the final round, Walberg lost over six hundredths of the starting line but was able to score the win on the double breakout.

The Jr Tuff category is one where Jr Racers who lose in the first round are given a second chance to race.  While Cheyanne Helvey took the victory, it is also with great admiration we give appreciation to Anthony Friesen and his family.  Pulling up to run the final round, the Helvey’s were ready to fire up their car when they realized the chain had broken off at some point, and they notified the Friesen’s they would have to forfeit.  The Friesens, then showing true sportsmanship, decided they would chose to run the final later on after the Helvey’s had their car fixed, inevitably costing them the race.  So while congratulations go to Cheyanne Helvey for her victory in Jr Tuff, special congratulations go to Anthony Friesen and his family for their job in preserving sportsmanship in drag racing.

Final Round results listed in order of driver name, City/St, (vehicle year and model), [reaction time], elapsed time, miles per hour, and (dial-in).

Jr Fast Wally
WINNER: Cheyanne Helvey, Milwaukie OR ('09 Eickmann) [.060] 9.644, 67.81 (9.63 dial).
R/U: Dustin Day, Estacada OR ('07 Dragster) [.081] 8.295, 76.96 (8.28 dial).
Semi's: Emily Mix, Aumsville OR.

Jr Lightning Wally
WINNER: Austin Varner, Astoria OR ('05 Akron) [.103] 8.953, 73.03 (8.90 dial).
R/U: Kyler Pitts, Lebanon OR ('10 Eickmann) [.118] 9.295, 69.98 (9.25 dial).
Semi's: Josh McMyne, Salem OR; Adam Lint, Vancouver WA.

Jr Thunder Wally
WINNER: Dylan Hough, Junction City OR ('10 Motivational) [.078] 8.944, 74.54 (8.93 dial).
R/U: Adam Duncan-Robinson, Vancouver WA ('08 Motivational) [.103] 10.123, 64.19 (10.35 dial).
Semi's: Conner Rice, Milwaukie OR.

Top Gas
WINNER: Robert Glembocki, Bend OR ('67 Nova) [.018] 9.753, 128.95 (9.68 dial).
R/U: Debbie Dawson, Sutherlin OR ('76 Vega) [.049] 9.556, 142.04 (9.48 dial).
Semi's: Kevin Petersen, Portland OR.

Hot Rod I
WINNER: Roy Panschow, Dayton OR ('46 Chevy) [.007] 10.647, 112.40 (10.49 dial).
R/U: Jim Estes, Oregon City OR ('52 Henry J) [.158] 10.852, 123.66 (10.76 dial).
Semi's: Paul Comeau, Vancouver WA; Tim McDaniel, Lebanon OR.

Street Machine I
WINNER: Nicholas Shepherd, Tigard OR ('62 Chevy II) [.015] 10.669, 119.50 (10.67 dial).
R/U: Ryan Schaefer, Tigard OR ('72 Nova) [.028] 10.901, 121.04 (10.92 dial).
Semi's: Todd McMillan, Salem OR; Steve Kelly, Vancouver WA.

Hot Rod II
WINNER: Jeff Enger, Newberg OR ('32 Victoria) [.106] 12.098, 110.79 (12.25 dial).
R/U: Dawn Dietrich, Battle Ground WA ('39 Chevy) - foul.
Semi's: Robin Andress, Eugene OR.

Street Machine II
WINNER: Garry Heinrich, Boring OR ('65 Cutlass) [.004] 12.229, 110.21 (12.20 dial).
R/U: Gordon Cady Jr, Vancouver WA ('65 El Camino) [.037] 12.605, 103.37 (12.58 dial).
Semi's: Randy Nichols, Lafayette OR; Leon Torgerson, Vernonia OR.

Stick Shift
WINNER: Bruce Poppino, West Linn OR ('65 Mustang) [.076] 11.839, 108.80 (11.60 dial).
R/U: Bob Johnson, Salem OR ('63 Fairlane) [.358] 12.302, 110.45 (12.15 dial).
Semi's: Jim Wise, Lebanon OR.

Inline/Flathead
WINNER: CJ Stoakes, Halsey OR ('74 Plymouth) [.098] 15.189, 103.92 (15.15 dial).
R/U: Walt Skoczylas, Aloha OR ('54 Dragster) [.039] 11.905, 103.92 (11.95 dial).
Semi's: Walt Pearce, Twisp WA.

Run Tuff
WINNER: Rick Olson, Philomath OR ('56 Chevy) [.024] 12.033, 105.15 (12.03 dial).
R/U: Jim Pray, Pleasant Hill OR ('37 Ford) [.116] 11.379, 114.08 (11.36 dial).
Semi's: Todd Buckbee, LaCenter WA.

Jr Fast
WINNER: Carson Wheeler, Wilsonville OR ('08 Eickmann) [.49] 7.969, 82.13 (7.95 dial).
R/U: Dustin Day, Estacada OR ('07 Dragster) [-.011] 8.299, 77.88 (8.27 dial).
Semi's: Hayley Jackson, McMinnville OR.

Jr Lightning
WINNER: Katie Day, Estacada OR ('05 Motivational) [.038] 8.171, 79.59 (8.15 dial).
R/U: Kyler Pitts, Lebanon OR ('10 Eickmann) [.075] 9.282, 70.66 (9.27 dial).
Semi's: Josh McMyne, Salem OR; Adam Lint, Vancouver WA.

Jr Thunder
WINNER: Trevin Walberg, Junction City OR ('09 Eickmann) [.123] 8.966, 72.63 (8.98 dial).
R/U: Conner Rice, Milwaukie OR ('04 Akron) [.061] 10.418, 61.82 (10.46 dial).
Semi's: Dylan Hough, Junction City OR.