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Race 5
July 3, 2010
Auto Club Dragway, Fontana, CA
By: Brad Cannon
The weather for the event could not have been better. All the racers
were looking forward to the event. We started with a special award for
the first racer to sign up with SCEDA, they would receive a case of
Lucas Oil. The winner of this prize was Meziere Enterprises Electronics
competitor Joy Linehan, who made the walk to the SCEDA trailer as the
gates opened. Great job Joy!!! Also another special for the weekend
was the Mickey Thompson Performance Tires and Wheels SCEDA NO-E bonus
for those racers who signed up before time trail session number one and
paid for both days. There was also a pair of sunglasses that was
donated by Gatorz.com and Mark Means of Means Financial that went to the
first racer to run right on their dial in eliminations. Both of these
awards will be talked about later on.
In the Meziere Enterprises SCEDA Electronics class, it was Gabe Torres
taking the victory over Rob Strong in a great final round. Torres
dialed 7.77 and ran 7.765 for a .005 breakout; Strong dialed 10.85 and
ran 10.845 for a .005 breakout as well. Also, both drivers had
identical .006 reaction times on the starting line, but Torres got the
win with a .0009 margin of victory. With his victory, Torres received
$1000 and a SCEDA “Big Guy” trophy; in addition, he also qualified for
the year end ARP Race of Champions. In the semis, Strong defeated
“Bullet” Bob Wilson. Wilson went red by .014, handing Strong the free
pass into the final. In the other matchup, it was a battle of the young
guns with Torres defeating rookie and current point’s leader Zach
Meziere. Torres had a .007 package with a .002 light and running 7.775
on his 7.77 dial to defeat Meziere, who ran 8.069 on his 8.06 dial, but
did not get off the starting line first. The Arias Pistons dial rite
winner was runner up Zach Meziere, who ran 7.981 on his 7.98 dial to win
the $130 prize. The Cal Automotive first red light award went to Don
Meziere, who went red by .009 in a losing first round effort to Ryan
Tietz. The West Coast Super Cops bonus was not claimed in this category
today. Honorable mentions for the day go out to semi finalist “Bullet”
Bob Wilson for having a .005 light in the first round to defeat Dan
Simmons, Ryan Tietz for running 8.551 on his 8.55 dial in the first
round to defeat Don Meziere, Don Steed for having a .002 light in the
first round in a losing effort to eventual winner Gabe Torres, Branko
Sindicich for running a perfect 10.300 on his 10.30 dial in the second
round to defeat “Dead On” Don Gatlin. For his efforts Sindicich
received a case of Lucas Oil as a Mickey Thompson Performance Tires and
Wheels SCEDA No-E racer had already claimed the Gatorz.com sunglasses
prize. It also looks like maybe Sindicich wants to take a stab and try
and take the “Dead On” title. More honorable mentions go out to Harold
Meziere for a .009 light in the second round albeit on a losing effort
to eventual runner up Rob Strong, winner Gabe Torres for a .003 light in
the third round to defeat Corey LeClair, Zach Meziere for a perfect
8.070 on his 8.07 dial on a third round bye run, Torres for his earlier
mentioned .007 package in the semis to defeat Zach Meziere, and Torres
and Strong for their pair of .006 lights in the final in a truly awesome
race. Tough luck today went to Steve Bruns who lost in his first round
matchup against Branko Sindicich. Bruns had the reaction time advantage
off the starting line, but had some tough luck around the 1000 foot mark
when we saw a body panel flying off the car. The car, or actually
truck, as that’s what he was driving, had lost the passenger door,
startling Bruns and causing him to do the smart thing and lift and
giving up the matchup.
In the Mickey Thompson Performance Tires and Wheels SCEDA No-E class, it
was Mike Agnew taking a weird victory on his final round bye. Yes
folks, Agnew took the victory in the final on a bye run. He staged the
car and took the green light to take the $1000 win in one of the
weirdest final in SCEDA history. Agnew was one of the racers who took
advantage of the opportunity to run for $1000 by signing up before the
first time run and paying for both days. Agnew also received a SCEDA
“Big Guy” trophy, and qualified for the ARP Race of Champions. In the
semis, Scott Joines was unable to answer the call for his bye run as he
had grenaded his motor on his quarter final victory over Vic Hobbs. The
other semi final matchup saw Agnew defeat Alan Hoefer. Agnew had the
starting line advantage and broke out by less in the double breakout
matchup. Because Joines was unable to answer the call for the semis, the
Agnew/Hoefer matchup was also racing for the win, as there would be a
ladder bye in the final. The Arias Pistons dial rite was won by Dan
Marciano, who went 10.115 on his 10.11 dial to take the $170 prize. The
Cal Automotive first red light award went to Jeff Interlicchia who went
red by .012 in the first pair out to Val Houmard. I guess that Jeff
wanted to make sure that he got at least some money for the day. The
West Coast Super Cops perfect light bonus was not claimed and will roll
over to tomorrow. The pair of Gatorz.com sunglasses was won by event
winner Mike Agnew. In the second round, he went a perfect 10.440 on his
10.44 dial to claim the glasses. As the run order had No-E running
before Electronics, Agnew did it first and hence claimed the glasses
over Electronics racer Branko Sindicich. Honorable mentions for the day
go out to Branko Sindicich for his .004 light in the first round in a
losing effort to Sam Robinson III, Dan Wilder for running 11.666 on his
11.66 dial in the first round, albeit on a losing effort to Doug Hemrick,
Ralph Ramirez Jr. for a .006 light in the first round to defeat the
current points leader Dick Krieger, Vic Hobbs for a .008 light in the
second round to defeat Dan Hermes, Agnew for a 10.421 on his 10.42 dial
in the third round to defeat Val Houmard, and George Chatterton III for
a 8.621 on his 8.62 dial in third round in a losing effort to Scott
Joines.
In the Calvert Racing Suspension SCEDA Stock/Super Stock Combo, it was
point’s leader Daniel McClelland taking the victory Jeff Interlicchia.
Interlicchia went red by .030 in the final, handing McClelland the
victory and the advance of more precious points. With his win,
McClelland received $500 and a SCEDA “Big Guy” Trophy. Additionally, he
qualified for the year end ARP Race of Champions. In the semis,
McClelland defeated number 2 in points Brett Brown. Although Brown had
the reaction time advantage, he broke out trying to take the striping,
giving McClelland the victory. The other matchup saw Interlicchia
defeat Dan Mason. Interlicchia had the reaction time advantage and ran
an 11.455 on his 11.45 dial to advance to the final. The Arias Pistons
dial rite was claimed by Dave Rayborn in his SS/AH car he ran an 8.701
to claim the prize in his beautiful SS/AH car. Honorable mention for
the day go to Chad Landgon for having a. 005 light in the first round to
defeat Ken Etter, Doug Gibson for .006 light to defeat Bill Ripple in
the first round, Jeff Interlicchia for a .005 package in the second
round to defeat Chad Langdon, and Interlicchia again for his 11.455 on
his 11.45 dial in the semis.
In the Terminator Blocks, Clutches, and Accessories SCEDA Jr. Dragsters,
it was Zach Meziere taking the win over Brandyn Phillips. Phillips, who
is from Jonesboro, GA and driving former junior dragster racer Kelly
Davis’s car, had the reaction time advantage, but Meziere was able to
run closer to his number taking the victory. In the semis, Phillips had
the bye run and Meziere defeated point’s leader Ryan Diosdado. This
prime time matchup saw number one and three in points squaring off, with
Meziere, the number three, taking the victory in the double breakout
affair. The Arias Pistons Dial Rite was won by Ryan Diosdado. He ran
8.066 on his 8.06 dial to take the $50. Diosdado also received $25 from
Dan Hepler for being the number one qualifier, with a .001 light in
qualifying. Honorable mentions for the day go out to Leah
Lambert-Mitchell for a perfect light in a first round winning effort
over Logan Daly and Chandler Meziere for running 9.069 on his 9.06 dial
in the second round to defeat Ryan Houmard.
Race 6
July 4, 2010
Auto Club Dragway, Fontana, CA
By: Brad Cannon
This was another one of the beautiful southern California days that
everyone was looking forward to. The day was a celebration of the
birthday of our great country, and all the racers were looking forward
to competing. The Mickey Thompson Performance Tires and Wheels SCEDA
No-E racers who had paid Saturday for both days before the first time
trial session once again had the opportunity to be running for $1000.
In the Meziere Enterprises SCEDA Electronics class, it was “Dead On” Don
Gatlin taking the victory over Saturday’s winner Gabe Torres. In the
final, living up to his title Gatlin ran a dead on 7.689 on his 7.68
dial to defeat Torres, who also went dead on with a 7.715 on his 7.71
dial. The difference was in the starting line where Torres left a
little to be desired, allowing Gatlin the victory. With his win, Gatlin
got $1000, a SCEDA “Big Guy” trophy, and qualified for the year end ARP
Race of Champions. This was a great day for Gatlin as he also won the
Super Eliminator Association race that was also running this day. In
the semis, Gatlin had the bye run and Torres defeated Tom Drake Jr. The
reaction time advantage went to Torres and that gave him all the
advantage he needed to take the victory and advance to his second final
in as many days. The Arias Pistons dial rite was Rob Strong, who 10.806
on his 10.80 dial to take the $130 prize. The West Coast Super Cops
Perfect Light Bonus was once again not claimed. The Cal Automotive
first red-light bonus went to Dan Simmons, who went red by .004 in his
first round matchup with Sarah Lockhart. Honorable mentions for the day
go out to “Bullet” Bob Wilson for running 8.232 on his 8.23 dial in the
first round, albeit on a losing effort to Corey LeClair, Mike Conway for
a .009 light in the first round in a losing effort to Tom Drake Jr, Joy
Linehan for running 9.328 on his 9.32 dial in the first round to defeat
Don Meziere, Rob Strong for a .009 light in the first round to defeat
Mark Miyashiro, Gatlin for a .007 light in the second round to defeat
Sarah Lockhart, Corey LeClair for running 7.949 on his 7.94 dial in the
second round to defeat Gary Mignaca, Tom Drake Jr for running a dead on
8.630 on his 8.63 dial in the second round to defeat Rob Strong, who had
a great .001 light, Gabe Torres for a .009 light in the semis to defeat
Drake Jr, and both the finalists for their dead on runs in the finals.
The point’s battle is really starting to take shape now, with “Dead On”
Don Gatlin having a one round lead over the rookie Zach Meziere. Rob
Strong is in third, 3 rounds out of first, with Corey LeClair and Dan
Simmons rounding out the top 5.
In the Mickey Thompson Performance Tires and Wheels SCEDA No-E class, it
was Mike Agnew taking the double up and claiming his second victory in
as many days by defeating George Chatterton III. Although Chatterton
had a slight reaction time advantage, he took the stripe by a bit too
much, giving Agnew his second victory in as many days in the double
breakout affair. With his win, Agnew once again took advantage of the
increased payout and claimed the $1000 prize, a SCEDA “Big Guy” trophy,
and qualified for the ARP Race of Champions. In the semis, Chatterton
had a bye and Agnew defeated Don Lutz. Agnew had the reaction time
advantage and that gave him all the advantage to advance to his second
final in as many days. The Arias Pistons dial rite was won by race
winner Mike Agnew, who went 10.354 on his 10.35 dial to win the $180
prize. The West Coast Super Cops perfect light bonus was claimed by
Broc Broaddus, who had a perfect light in the first round to defeat
Terry Barkley. The Cal Automotive first red light award went to Dan
Hermes, who went way red in the first round to JR Mora to claim the
prize. Honorable mentions go to Broc Broaddus for his earlier mentioned
perfect light, Chris Soliz for running 10.909 on his 10.90 dial in the
first round to defeat Courtney Glover, Cynthia Lang for a .005 light in
the first round to defeat Dan Wilder, Dick Krieger for a .002 light in
the second round to defeat Broc Broaddus, Bryan Moffitt for running
13.331 on his 13.33 dial in the second round to defeat Cynthia Lang,
George Chatterton III for running 8.607 on his 8.60 dial in the second
round to defeat Branko Sindicich, Krieger again for a .003 light in the
third round on a bye run, winner Mike Agnew for running a perfect 10.370
on his 10.37 dial to defeat Krieger in the fourth round, and Chatterton
for running 8.601 on his 8.60 dial in the fourth round to defeat Eric
Christianson who had a .008 light. The points battle is really starting
to heat up with Dick Krieger in the lead, but with his weekends efforts,
Mike Agnew has moved up into second, only 2 rounds out of first place
and Dan Marciano, Sam Robinson IV, and Brad Cannon round out the top 5.
In the Calvert Racing Suspension SCEDA Stock/Super Stock combo, it was
Jeff Interlicchia taking the victory over John Brooks. Although Brooks
had the reaction time advantage, he took a bit too much stripe and broke
out, allowing Interlicchia to take the win. In the semis, Interlicchia
defeated a red-lighting Doug Gibson. Brooks defeated current point’s
leader Daniel McClelland. McClelland had the advantage on the starting
line, but took a bit too big of a stripe and broke out by more in the
double breakout affair. Honorable mentions for the day go out to winner
Jeff Interlicchia for a .012 package in the first round to defeat Chad
Langdon. He had a .005 light and ran 11.437 on his 11.43 dial to
accomplish this task. Ed Drucker had a .001 light in the first round,
although in a losing effort to Doug Gibson. The point’s picture has
taken shape with Daniel McClelland in the lead by 4 rounds over Brett
Brown. Jeff Interlicchia is in third, 5 rounds behind McClelland and
Doug Gibson and Chad Langdon round out the top 5.
In the Terminator Blocks, Clutches, and Accessories SCEDA Jr Dragster
class, it was Madison Whitten taking her first win ever, by defeating
Chandler Meziere. In the ouble breakout, both cars broke out by .010,
but Whitten got the victory by virtue of her .004 reaction time
advantage. Congratulations Madison on your first ever WIN!!!! With the
win, she received a SCEDA “Big Guy” trophy, and qualified for the year
end ARP Race of Champions. In the semis, Meziere had a bye run, and
Whitten defeated the hired guy, Brandon Phillips from Jonesboro GA. He
went red by .021, allowing Whitten to advance into the final. The Arias
Pistons dial rite was won by Zach Meziere, who ran a dead on 7.900 on
his 7.90 dial to claim the $60 prize. The number one qualifier award
sponsored by Dan Hepler, went to Cory Freedle, with a .001 light.
Honorable mentions go out to DJ Houmard who ran 8.207 on his 8.20 dial
in the first round to defeat Logan Daly, Brandyn Phillips for a .003
light in the second round to defeat DJ Houmard, winner Madison Whitten
for running 7.931 on her 7.93 dial in the second round to defeat Ryan
Houmard, Steven Brewer for having a .002 light in the second round,
although on a losing effort to Ralphie Ramirez III, Corey Freedle for
running 10.588 on his 10.58 dial in the third round, although losing to
Brandon Phillips, and Madison Whitten for her 7.931 on her 7.93 dial in
the semis to defeat Brandon Phillips. The point’s battle is really
taking shape and heating up, with Ryan Diosdado going for two Terminator
Blocks, Clutches, and Accessories SCEDA Jr. Dragster championships in a
row. He has a 5 round lead over Zach Meziere, who is also second in
Meziere Enterprises SCEDA Electronics. Ryan Houmard and Chandler
Meziere are tied for third, with DJ Houmard rounding out the top 5.
The best appearing car was awarded to Ryan Tietz, who received a
selection of Lucas Oil products, in his beautifully painted 32 altered.
Just to show how amazing a weekend Mike Agnew had, he claimed both $1000
victories in Mickey Thompson Performance Tires and Wheels SCEDA No-E,
for a total of $2000, as well as 2 SCEDA “Big Guy” trophies. With these
wins, he secured his spot in the ARP Race of Champions. He also won the
pair of Gatorz.com sunglasses that was donated for running dead on his
dial in the second round on Saturday. On Sunday, he won the Arias
Pistons Dial Rite for another $180, bringing his weekend total up to
$2180. Because of his wins he moved up to second place in points, well
within the reach of 2009 champion, Dick Krieger.
The last SCEDA Series weekend should surely be full of excitement with
all the racers vying for the championships. It is anyone’s race and
hopefully we see all the racers on August 14 and 15 at the Auto Club
Dragway, in Fontana CA. For those who have qualified for the ARP Race
of Champions, the junior portion will be contested on Saturday August
14, with the adult portion on Sunday August 15. See you there! |
