Blog Posts

Byron - Midwest Junior Super Series - Saturday

8/8/2020

The schedule for the second day of the Midwest Junior Super Series consisted of the Quick !6, the age group classes followed by the Sportsman race. The Sportsman race consisted of all the cars running in their age groups through a series of elimination rounds. When the groups reached eight, they were put into a Ladder system with all the cars running against each other, regardless of group/class.

In the Quick 16, it was Jesse Lasik against Madison Drafke, with Jesse taking the win light.

In the 6-9 age group, it was Nash Rachford taking the win light over Griffin Kroening.

In the 10-12 age group, Gavin Adams defeated Lane Fisher.

In the 13 and over group, it was Jordan Ancel over Caleb Burns.

After the age groups completed their competition, the Sportsman Race began it's eliminations.

In the finals, it was Sarah Bazell against Alyssa Marten. Sarah is 16 years old and comes from Lancaster, Oh. If Alyssa's name sounds familiar, she won Friday night's $500 Gambler race. She was going for a double.

With Alyssa in the far lane and Sarah, the near, it was a close race, however Alyssa took the win light to complete the double!

During the event, I was trying to think of something a little different to shoot that I don't normally do. It dawned on me that shooting the cars and documenting the races didn't tell the whole story. So I thought I would photograph the Mom's and Dad's as they prepped the cars to run. Without them, the kids wouldn't have the fun of racing.

To see the rest of this series and the rest of the day's images, please click here.

If you see something you would like to purchase, please click here or on the Ordering tab at the top of the page.

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Back to the Track - Byron, Midwest Junior Super Series

8/8/2020

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After nearly a year away from any racetrack, it was finally time to get back to work. As a return, I chose the Protect the Harvest, Midwest Junior Super Series. This Series does not run at my home track of Route 66 and I'm almost always working at 66 when it makes it's only Illinois appearance. The Series travels the midwest hosting races for youths, age 6 to 17., in various classes. The above links will take you to the Series sponsor and Series website.

Friday, the schedule was a Test &Tune and a $500 Gamblers race to close the day.

At 5:00 o'clock the call came from the tower to start lining up the cars for the Gamblers race, $500, winner take all.

I want to reassure everyone that in the above photo folks were social distancing. It may not appear that way, but they were!

The racing was very competitive with the kids giving it their all.

After seven rounds of competition it came down to the final two cars, Alyssa Martin of Beaverton, Mi. and Caleb Burns of Fredericktown, Oh. In a very competitive race it was Alyssa taking the win light.

The above photo is the finals, with Alyssa in the far lane. I have to apologize for the quality of the image, however by the time the race was run, it was very dark!

The weekend's events continue on Saturday starting at 8:00 a.m. You can check the schedule on the Byron Dragway website or Facebook page.

To see all the photos from Friday, please click here. If you see something you would like to purchase please click here or the Ordering link at the top of the page.

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2020 Ingalls Park A.C. Practice Tree Nationals

3/7/2020

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L-R Troy Bogner, Madison Drafke, Braden Bowden

Saturday, was the 2020 version of the Ingalls Park A.C. Practice Tree Nationals to benefit the Midwest Junior Super Series. The Series' mission is to provide a fun and competitive racing environment for racers and their families at tracks around the Midwest. For 2020, the Series has a seven race schedule:

The following sponsors contributed to the success of this event:
Summit Racing
Lucas Oil
VP Racing Fuel
Allstar Performance
Diamond Pistons
Antron Brown Racing
Git Sidewayz
Get'M Performance
Car Chix
The Roloff Family
Pat and Dave Beimfohr (Midwest Junior Super Series)
Ingalls Park A.C.
Route 66 Raceway
Chicagoland Speedway
Sontag Speed Supply
John Homestrom

I arrived at the beginning of the event and shot a short video of the early happenings. The full crowd had not yet arrived.

As friends gathered, the talk began! Route 66 representatives Bill Larson, Greg Nickleski and I spoke and cured all the ills, present and future, of every racing series in the United States! At the event, Jeanette DesJardins, from Car Chix/event sponsor, and I spoke. This is the "off-season" third event we have attended together.

Georgina Buckley, Jeanette DesJardins

Jeanette has been on the road for the past six weeks for Car Chix and just returned from the Detroit Autorama. Not to rest, she is flying to Jacksonville, Fl., on Monday to consult with a business for a marketing campaign. Besides Car Chix, Jeanette is owner of Crank It Media.

In the above picture, you will notice Jeanette is wearing a "Lawson Strong" T-shirt. She wasn't the only one. There was a large group wearing the logo wear in support of the John Lawson family, who as you know, lost all their racing equipment in a fire.

I spoke with John's niece, Miranda Alley, and of course Corbin her son, and she told me that while the family has been grief stricken over the loss, they have been buoyed by the support coming from all parts of the country!

If you have never been to the Practice Tree Nationals, it is a competition using a drag racing practice "Christmas" tree to test reaction times. However, anytime you get racers going head-to-head there is going to be competition, smack talk and attempted intimidation! Here is Dom Bowden attempting the "Stare-Down" of Todd Trench! I think Todd was locked-in and focused!!

This is the type of fun that is to be had at this event. Another part of the fun, is watching different classes of drivers compete against each other. In the case below, Junior Modified driver Braden Bowden is going head-to-head with former Junior/ High School and now Super Pro driver, Tori Trench.

Here is some more of the comraderies and competition.

After the round robin competition, it came down to the finals in each of the three classes, Junior, Sportsman and Pro. In the Junior class it was Madison Drafke vs Mia Rybarski with Madison taking the #1 trophy.

In the Sportsman Class, it was Troy Bogner vs Bob Churchill with Troy claiming the top prize.

In the Pro Class, it was Braden Bowden vs Tori Trench, with Braden taking the win.

This was another great event where everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. Congratulations to our winners and the beneficiary of the event, the Midwest Junior Super Series.

Footnote: As I was packing, I heard a commotion by the Tree. It seems a grudge match had developed and the bet was a steak dinner. Thus it was Bob Churchill vs Joe Zolper! It was Bob taking the win light to his great exuberance. He wanted to make it abundantly clear that, "I kicked Joe Zolper's (expletive deleted). The competition never stops!!

Note: There are a couple of hundred more images to be processed and when they are done, I will post a link on Facebook for your perusal.

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2020 Race & Performance Expo

2/23/2020

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Scott Hoffman's "ShowHoff"

After a years absence, the Race & Performance Expo returns for its 12th annual show. The Expo returned to the Schaumburg Convention Center on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday was the Trade Show portion which was not open to the public. Saturday and Sunday the show was open to everyone. Over the past few years, Jeanette Desjardins, founder of Car Chix, moderated a panel of motor sports women. The panel consisted of Kara Jinrich (1320 Wheels), Tiffany Olson (Sycamore Speedway Promoter), Stephanie Long (Lights Out race Promoter) and Natalie Hirschfield ( driver Natalie Hirschfield Motorsports).

If you are female, mother, husband or father and want to learn how females are integrating into the male dominated sport of motor racing, I highly suggest this seminar. Among the topics discussed were entrance into motorsports, male dominated sport, use of social media and sponsorships.

After the seminar, it was time to hit the floor. The first stop was my home track display, Route 66 Raceway/Chicagoland Speedway.

The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow always have a display and the High School Engine Building Competition. The teams consists of five members and if they can disassemble and reassemble a small block Chevy engine in less than 35 minutes they qualify for the Championship in Indianapolis, In.

In addition to the high schoolers, they provide instruction to junior drag racers on how to work on their motors.

While walking around I found Emilee Ballard. I knew her car was being worked on, but not the extent! She explained the plan was to have the car here for display, however it wasn't ready, so she had a collage of photos of the car in disassembly and re-assembly. Emilee's boyfriend, Cody Medeisis, is heading up the entire car rebuild from the ground up. She is also getting an air shifter.

The display was in front of Cody's truck, awaiting the new engine, and his sister's car, Nichole. Nichole recently graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Physiology from Iowa State and is enrolled at Lewis University for a Nursing degree. She stated the commute for weekend racing is going to be a lot better!

A couple of weeks back, I saw a Facebook post that Herman Zehnder, five time Route 66 Track Champion, was looking for a ride. I found Herman and his brother Joe. They explained that Herman had installed a throttle stop on the his Mustang in order to run Super Street and Super Pro. He has a quick disconnect to disable it, if needed. He is looking for a different class car to enhance his chances to make the Division 3 Championships at Norwalk in 2020. If anyone knows of a ride, hit him up. Also Joe has been campaigning his white Mustang convertible in the Sportsman Class. However in the past, he drove a Camaro. He purchased a Camaro awhile back, however he hurt the motor. The car has been repaired and the plan is to drive the Camaro in 2020.

On Saturday afternoon, Car Chix held a calendar autograph session with:

Natalie Hirschfield - Ms. April
Kimberly Deutsch - Ms. June
Kamryn Schubbe - Ms. September
Ashley Finney - Ms. October
Stephanie Long - Ms. December

Right across from the Car Chix trailer was one of the most popular cars on display. The Dodge Daytona "Dauntless" Pro Mod of Motor Trend TV's Garage Squad's Joe Zolper. Joe completed this car in 2019 and was seen racing at the Route 66 Raceway "No Prep" TV show.

Todd Trench was signing up his team cars at the Route 66 booth and I had to ask who was driving this year? An earlier Facebook post, indicated that Todd may have been contemplating a return to the driver's seat of one their two dragsters. At this time TJ and Tori will both be driving their respective cars.

Another of my favorite cars was on display. The Nostalgia Funny Car of Rocky Ausec, "Solid Rock"

Hanging with Rocky for the show was Dennis Salzwimmer, President of the Great Lakes Nostalgia Funny Car Circuit. For 2020, they have 14 nostalgia funny cars running 12 events. They will be making a stop in August at Route 66 Raceway.

The Junior Drag Racers were all on display. If you don't know what Junior Drag Racing is, it is this. Children ages 5-17 drive half-scale dragsters in several classes. Each driver is licensed by participating in a training program prior to racing. The "juniors" are the future of the sport.

The fun part of attending the Expo is, reuniting with friends in preparation for the upcoming race season. Bruce Boyle had his Camaro displayed in the NMCA area. Bruce purchased the Camaro a couple of years back, however had not really done a lot to it. In preparation, for racing in six National events and other races throughout the season, he went through the entire car. Now he knows exactly what's in the car.

I also met with Jim Luckett and John Hulbert of Illinois Beat the Heat. I asked John if his car was different car and learned that he had it painted and restored the name "Law and Order" to the doors. They already have numerous events scheduled including several at Cordova and the Nationals at Route 66.

Here are some more images of the Expo.

This was a good weekend to get pumped for the upcoming 2020 race season. The Expo provided a venue to renew friendships, see new products and cool cars. The crowds were good, especially after a year off. Now it is time to start racing. Can't wait!

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2019 Rockett Brand Racing Fuel E.T. Bracket Series Banquet

1/26/2020

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Saturday Night was the final culmination of the 2019 Route 66 Raceway season with the Rockett Brand Racing Fuel E.T. Bracket Series Awards Banquet. This year was a special year in that the Route 66 ET Bracket Team won the Division 3 Bracket Championship in Indianapolis. Two of the team members, Jay Allen and Mike Krueger also went to Pomona for the National Championships. Will Tharpe, the NHRA Division Director was on hand for the festivities.

Following the opening remarks, Track Chaplain Bill Beagle was introduced and gave memorial remarks for those lost in the past year. Janet and I want to thank Route 66 and Chaplain Beagle for including our son, Michael, in the Memorials.

Chaplain Beagle followed the Memorials with the Dinner Prayer and blessing. It was then time to eat.

At the conclusion of dinner, Bill Larson, the Captain of the winning Bracket Team took over the emcee duties and began the award ceremonies.

First up, was the Junior Sportsman class. This year, it was a very close finish with Hayley Becker taking the Championship by two points over Mia Rybarski. Hayley collected two wins this season.

Final Standings
1. Hayley Becker
2. Mia Rybarski
3. Ryan Brockman
4. Brody Grimes
5. Brindy Covell

Next up, it was the Junior Modified's turn. With one win and 1 runner-up, Danny Ellis Jr. took the Championship.

Final Standings
1. Danny Ellis
2. Zach Manaseri
3. Jake Lucky
4. Kamryn Schubbe
5. Madison Drafke

Following the Modifieds the NHRA Junior Drag Racing Challlenge Winners were recognized

Jr. Modified Zach Manaseri Jr. Sportsman - Brindy Covell

Next up, was the High School Class. The High School participants have been battling each other for quite awhile through the Junior ranks. This year it was Darcy Ancel taking the Championship over Samantha Senko by 20 points with two wins and one runner-up.

Final Standings:
1. Darcy Ancel
2. Samantha Senko
3. Allison Furman
4. David Kovar Jr.
5. Alex Mullin also Challenge winner

Each year an individual is selected to receive the Spirit Award. This award is emblematic of the spirit and dedication to racing at Route 66:

The 2019 Spirit Award went to Steve Zelipsky. Steve has long supported the Junior Program at Route 66. He is now involved in the Super Pro class with his grandson, former Jr. Champion, Nate Kelley. This year he took on the task of being junior modified racer Jake Luckey's crew chief. Jake finished a respectable 3rd in the standings. In the pits, Steve is affectionately known as "Grandpa Steve"! Congratulations on the 2019 Spirit Award.

After the Spirit Award it was time to continue driver awards with the Sportsman Class. Stephen Mroz took the Championship with one win and two runner-ups. Stephen was in a battle with Paul O'Keefe all season for the points lead. In the final race of the season, Paul went out early in the competition and Stephen won the race taking the Championship.

Final Standings
1.Stephen Mroz
2. Paul O'Keefe
3, Steve Flounders Jr.
4. Andy Brodzinski Jr.
5. Megan Hurley
6. Autumn Larson
7. David Lyons
8. Fred Trombley
9. Raymond St.Pierre
10. Jeff Sandowski

Pro Bike followed, with a tight race between Mike Krueger and Tom Ewig. It went down to the last race of the season with Mike and Tom facing off against each other in the Finals. Mike took the win and the Championship.

1.Mike Krueger
2. Thomas Ewig
3. Robert Sutterlin
4. Bruce Damewood
5. John Niles

Next up, was the presentation of the Run Tuff Eliminator Trophy. At the Route 66 Classic in August, the bracket racers compete to qualify for the 16 positions who race for the trophy. In 2019, it came down to previous Run Tuff Eliminator winners, John Hixon and Mark Marusak. Mark was a little quicker on the light, however he slightly broke out at the stripe, while John ran a 9.903 on a 9.90 dial-in to take the win. John became the first two time winner of the Run Tuff Eliminator at the Classic. The cool thing was that it was almost four years to the day that John won his first with his oldest daughter Morgan crew chiefing and this time, with youngest daughter Savannah doing the crew chief job!

Next up was the Pro E.T. Class. Troy Bogner matched a milestone by winning the Championship with one win, which tied Herman Zehnder with five Route 66 Track Championships!

1. Troy Bogner
2. Matt O'Connell
3. Adam Needles
4. Owin Profitt
5. Ryan Alley
6. Mark Marusak
7. John Coyle
8. Jodie Kovel - tie
8. Don Dumdie - tie
10. Dave Meccia - tie
10. Bruce Mason - tie

The next presentation was to Tori Trench for Rookie of the year. She had a 4th place finish in her Super Pro class, with one Runner-Up and went four rounds at Indy. When, while accepting her Junior Modified Championship, she warned everyone that she would be a force to be reckoned with. Congratulations Tori!

In Super Pro, it was Mike Murray taking the Championship by a scant 16 points over Kenny King. Mike had one win, 1 runner-up and went many rounds throughout the season.

1. Mike Murray
2. Kenny King
3. Jay Allen
4. Tori Trench
5. Nick Mistrata
6. Don Schomer
7. Michael Franklin
8. Nick Hooten
9. Alan Block
10. Al Kuefler

The next presentation was for Family of the Year. The 2019 Family of the Year was the Mroz family. They actually go back to US 30 in the 70's and 80's. Dad, Tom, who passed away 18 years ago this month campaigned his unique chopped top 76 Buick that his son, Bill, races in Super Pro. Bill's brother, Stephen is this year's Sportsman Champion. The glue that holds this team together is Mom, Linda. They go out of their way to promote Sportsman Racing at Route 66 and their hometown of Summit!

Before the last award of the night, time was taken to acknowledge the special Wally awards of the 2019 season. First was the NHRA Tv All Access Challenge.

Super Pro - Nick Hooten
Pro ET - Mark Marusak
Sportsman - Paul O'Keefe
Pro Bike - Bruce Damewood
High School - Alex Mullin

Next, was King of the Track.

Class Winners:
Sportsman - Fred Trombley
Pro Bike - Mike Krueger
Super Pro - Tom Begler

And the Winner of the 2019 King of the Track...Pro ET Driver Ryan Alley!

Now the last award of the night was Driver of the Year. After 22 years, Route 66 was finally able to send a RACE CAR to Pomona! That car was driven by Jay Allen, 2019 Driver of the Year!

In honor of the 2019 Rockett Brand Racing Fuel E.T. Bracket Series Track Champions, I made the 2019 Track Champions Collage. Congratulations to all our Champs!

This puts a cap on the 2019 Route 66 Raceway Season. In about 10 weeks we start all over again for the 2020 season. I will see everyone then!!

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PRI 2019 - A Look Back

12/14/2019

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It's been a week since the PRI Tradeshow. The nice thing about being a "blogger" vs a "Journalist", I get to write when and what I want. I don't answer to an editor, copywriter or have deadlines. So saying that here is sort of a recap of my Friday PRI day.

I drove down at "0" dark early in the morning to catch Jeanette DesJardins' 8:00 a.m. seminar on Opportunities for Women in Motorsports. I am a very big supporter of women in motorsports. It might stem from the fact I have a wife, three daughters and a female dog! This year's panel consisted of Leah Pritchett, Top Fuel Dragster (driver for Schumacher Racing), Alex Taylor (driver of the "Badmaro" Camaro door-slammer), Lea Ochs (driver of the "Lead Sled Resurrection" Ford Fairmont SW), Sarah Burgess (former Drifter and currently Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series racer), and her daughter, Bridget Burgess (LOORRS and asphalt modified driver).

L-R Leah Pritchett, Jeanette Dejardins, Alex Taylor, Lea Ochs, Sarah Burgess, and Bridget Burgess

This was an excellent seminar with discussions on sponsorships, building your brand, personal relationships and social media. Over the last twenty years there has been a big push for diversity. Motorsports is the largest sport where men and women can compete together on the main stage. While we have made strides, there is still a long way to go with different series having better success than others. NHRA is probably the most successful for women to compete at the highest level. There have been two women world champions in the last several years at the Pro level, Brittany Force (Top Fuel) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock). At the Sportsman levels of drag racing, there are many women competing including young girls in the Junior Drag Racing programs. In Stock Cars, there aren't as many women competing, yet, at the highest levels, however there are some up and coming drivers like Natalie Decker and Hailee Deegan. If you come to PRI next year, I would highly recommend this seminar.

After the seminar I took some time to walk around the convention center to get the lay of the land. As I was walking around, I found Nate Kelley and his grandfather, Steve Zelipsky.

For 2020, Nate is driving a dragster and intends to drive in the Route 66 Bracket Series and some Super Comp races.

I was then off to find the Garage Squad's Joe Zolper with this Dauntless Daytona Pro Mod dragster. If I remember correctly, this car was nine years in the making. This was my first time seeing the car and I was not disappointed. It is beautiful!

Joe was busy all day attending to the admirers! Awesome car. I just heard that Joe's daughter, Ruby, wants her junior dragster painted like Dad's car. Go Ruby!

I then went and found part-time Route 66 racer Don Yonkers, who was working the Palmgren booth.

Don works for Palmgren, a C.H. Hanson company, who are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Palmgren business. In 2019, Don started the bracket season at Route 66, however when his torque converter went south, it prematurely ended his season. The torque converter has been repaired and he is looking for a more positive 2020 season. He also stated he has a great torque converter repair company!

When you are wandering around PRI, you never know who you may run into. It could be this guy.

Tony Stewart

Or these guys!

Jason Line and Greg Anderson

Or these folks.

John Force, Brittany Force and Austin Prock

There was even a sighting of legendary NASCAR crew chief Ray Evernham. (No photo though)

Here are some more sights of the show.

In past PRI's, the trailers and haulers were exhibited outside. This year they were inside Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL Colts. Having never been in a NFL domed stadium, I decided to take the trek to see it. In comparison to race tracks, I was struck by how small it seemed. I have been told when it is full of fans it appears bigger.

Being a Bears fan, I unfortunately had to look at this banner. The Colts Super Bowl win over the Bears!

As I was leaving Lucas Oil Stadium, I ran into Route 66 racer and track announcer Bill Larson. He pointed out a car that I had missed on my way into the Stadium. It was Route 66's own, Ted Peter's new Nostalgia Pro Stock car. I'm told the car has some good history, I can't wait to find out!

This concluded my 2019 PRI day. Because this event continues to grow, one of these years, I will have to extend my visit to Indy and PRI. If you haven't attended a PRI show, I would highly recommend it. It's worth the time!

My next event should be the January 25th Route 66 Rockett Brand Racing Fuels ET Bracket Awards Banquet. Make your reservations and I will see you there.

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Route 66 ET Bracket #8-Bogner Wins Fifth Championship

8/26/2019

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Sunday was the final Rockett Brand Racing Fuel ET Bracket Series race of the 2019 season and crowned the Track Champions. This was highlighted by Troy Bogner winning his fifth Track Championship tying Herman Zehnder for the most track championships. When you realize that this is Route 66's twenty-first season and Troy and Herman have won ten of the 21 Pro Championships, that is domination by two drivers!

Onto the rest of the day. First, I want thank Mother Nature for this weekend! This season has been a struggle and there haven't been too many kind words directed at her! The weather for Friday night's Race Your Ride and Sunday's ET Bracket race was spectacular. Great days to be at Route 66!!

The racing started promptly in the morning with the two rounds of Time Trials. Sunday included a Junior Drag Racing League "Fun" race. Their last race of the season was rained out so it was decided to include this. The track appeared to be hooking well.

After the completion of the Time Trials, the round robin eliminations began. The first to complete its class was Pro Bike. It's only right, that the race should come down to numbers 1 & 2 in the points, Mike Krueger vs Tom Ewig! Tom was slight quicker off the line, .022/.026. Both pushed each other to a double break-out, with Mike running closer to his dial-in, 8-46/8.450, than Tom's, 9.11/9.086. With this win Mike secured the Track Championship.

Next up was High School. This pitted Darcy Ancel against Owen Rink. Darcy had the slower vehicle so she left first with Owen trying to race her down. Owen had the slightly faster reaction time, .071, to Darcy's, .076. Owen was not able to track Darcy down with Darcy running closer to her dial-in, 16.08/16.133, to Owen's 14.65/14.721. Like Pro Bike, this win secured Darcy the High School Track Championship.

After High School, it was Super Pro's turn. This put long time bracket racers Don Schomer and John Woolwine against each other. They were very close in their Dial-in's, Don 9.71/John 9.32. They were both going for the win and pushed each other to a double break-out. John would have won, however he went red by -.001! This gave Don the win.

In Pro, it was Troy Bogner against Jody Kovel. Jody had the slower car and started first with Troy trying to catch him. At the line, Jody ran closer to his dial-in,10.48/10.498 to Troy's 9.42/9.447, however Troy beat Jody on the tree, .059/.083. This goes down as a "Hole Shot" win for Troy and as previously mentioned, the Track Championship.

The last class to be contested was Sportsman. This placed Steve Mroz against Andy Brodzinski Jr.
Steve had the slower car leaving first with Andy trying to catch him. Andy tried a little too hard and broke out giving the win to Steve. However, I'm not sure it would have made much difference when you compare the numbers, Steve .060/14.34/14.342 to Andy's .086/12.58/12.536. This gave Steve the Sportsman Championship. This was Steve's fourth 2019 season final losing three previous times to Paul O'Keefe, #2 in points. Paul went out in the first round today which secured the championship for Steve.

JDRL "Fun" race

In the "fun" race, it was just a good time! No pressure, No money just racing!

In the final it was Cooper Hamelen against Danny Ellis. It was Cooper taking the win with having the better reaction time and running closer to his dial-in than Danny, .074/8.96/8.991 to .144/8.02/8.055. Cooper was not available for photos after the race.

In addition to those championships and photos already mentioned, it was Mike Murray taking the Super Pro Championship.

In Junior Modified, it was Danny Ellis taking the Championship.

In the Junior Sportsman class, it was Hayley Becker taking the championship. Hayley was not available for photos, however here she is from a previous race.

Track Bites

It was long time Super Pro racer Al Kuefler's birthday and what a birthday show it was! Look at these reaction times:

Round 1 - .006
Round 2 - .000
Round 3 - .000
Round 4 - -.008

Al said he wasn't upset about going red by -.008 because he was so close to another perfect light. He will take that any day!

To show the fun that was being had, in the first round eliminations of the Junior "Fun" race, I saw Sydney and Samantha Senko coming through the tunnel to race against each other. I thought this was going to be fun. Then I noticed there was dial-in of 17.00. It seems, Junior Sportsman racer Ryan Brockman selected their dial-ins. Syd won with a 17.633 with Sam breaking out with a 15.377. I don't think either have ever gone that slow down the track!!

When photographing a bracket race, it can be fast paced with race after race. Trying to get the shot, sometimes, take precedence over which cars are racing. This was happening when I noticed a car that I hadn't seen in awhile. It was long time 66 racer John Singleton! John had moved to Tennessee and was back in town and decided to come race. It was good to see John back at 66!

On Saturday, there was one of the last car nights at the Duke's Drive In, Bridgeview. Dukes has been a long time gathering place for car guys and racers. It is closing and eventually hopes to re-open at a new location. However there is no timetable for that to occur. Near the end of the night, Nick Hooten started his car and it backfired shearing off several teeth from the flywheel. The racing family jumped in with Joe Malfeo offering up his garage to make the repairs. The car was taken to Joe's, repaired and made it to 66 about 4:00 a.m. to race Sunday. Unfortunately, Nick went out in the first round, but the car survived. Great job everyone!

And "POOF" like that the 2019 Route 66 ET Bracket Season is over. Next up for the Indy qualified bracket racers are the ET Bracket Finals. Good luck Team 66!

To see all the images from Sunday's race please click here.

If you see something you would like to purchase, please click here or on the "Ordering" tab at the top of the page.

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A Beautiful Night at 66-Race Your Ride #12

8/24/2019

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We finally got a moderate temperature, low humidity day to race! Friday night's O'Reilly Auto Parts Race Your Ride was a mix of street cars and race cars. With a major race at Cordova and a Midwest Junior Super Series race in Martin, Michigan, it was a good turnout.

There were five Junior racers practicing.

There was a cadre of regular Route 66 bracket racers practicing for Sunday's Championship final race of the season. In particular points leader, Paul O'Keefe, went head to head on several passes against 3rd in points, Meghan Hurley. Dave Menoni driving his brown Monte Carlo was testing a setup, going to his past wheel standing one. Race #5 winner, Fred Trombley was testing. He stated since he changed his motor from a 350 c.i.d. to a 383 c.i.d., he has had to race starting in 2nd gear because of the additional torque. In the off-season he may have to buy some slicks.

There was also a group of cars/drivers licensing.

There was even a "K" car driving down the quarter mile.

Overall, it was a very good night of racing.

To see all the images from the night, please click here.

If you see something you would like to purchase, please click here or on the "Ordering" tab at the top of the page.

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Route 66 ET Bracket #5, King of the Track and ( rain delayed) #4 Recap

8/20/2019

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The Route 66 Rockett Brand Racing Fuel ET Bracket Series ran Race #5 on July 6th with the NHRA King of the Track Wally up for grabs. In addition, the Sportsman class and Junior Modified class needed to complete Race #4 and #1 respectively. The day started very nice with a lot of good passes during Time Trials.

During the day things got a little sticky for me. There were several long track delays with oil downs and weather. The day stretched on to the point, I had to leave to take care of some personal family commitments. However, I want to acknowledge the day's winners.

First, lets look at the completion of the rain delayed ETB #4. The Sportsman class final was between the two leaders in points, Paul O'Keefe and Stephen Mroz. Paul had the faster RT, .043, to Steve's .062. They pushed each other into a double breakout! Paul took the win when he ran closer to his DI (12.20) with an ET of 12.199 to Steve's 14.313 on a DI of 14.37.

In the Junior Modified Final, it was Danny Ellis up against Cooper Hamelen. Danny had the faster reaction time .027/.127 and ran closer to his DI (7.90/7.940) to Coopers 9.18/9.206 to take the win.

ET Bracket #5

In the final of Super Pro, it was the door slammer of Tom Begler against the dragster of Tori Trench. Being in the slower car, Tom left first and had a faster reaction of .014 to Tori's .033. Tori tried to run him down, but at the stripe, Tom ran closer to his dial-in, 8.018/8.214 to Tori's 7.68/7.709 to take the win light.

In Pro, it was Ryan Alley against Ed Kroll. With the slower car, Ed left first with a faster RT, .043 to Ryan's.049. Ryan was able to run Ed down running closer to his dial-in, 9.21/9.235 to Ed's 10.73/10.803 to take the win.

In Pro Bike, it was Mike Krueger against Tom Ewig, both riding Kawaski's. Tom was riding the slower bike and left first with a better reaction time of .038 to Mike's .170. However, Mike was able to run Tom down, causing Tom to breakout with an ET of 9.059 on a 9.09 dial-in. Mike ran within .012 of his dial-in of 8.47 with a 8.482 ET.

In Sportsman, it was long time Bracket racers, Fred Trombley vs Bill Larson. Bill left first with the slower car, however Fred had the better reaction time .026/.083. Bill ran closer to his dial-in 13.23/13.280 than Fred's12.19/12.252. This was a hole shot win for Fred!

In High School, it was Samantha Senko up against Dave Kovar Jr. This was a heads up race with a dial-in of 20.00. Dave had the better reaction time, .030/.081. As both cars approached the stripe, they pushed each other to both break out. Sam was closer to the dial-in with a 19.577 to Dave's, 19.519 to take the win.

Juniors

In race #2 for Junior Sportsman, it was Mia Rybarski against Brody Grimes. This was a double breakout race with Mia running a12.154 on a 12.16 dial-in and Brody a 12.299 with a 12.45. Unfortunately, Brody was a little quick on the throttle going red by -.046 giving the win to Mia. Brody was the #1 Qualifier with the Best Reaction Time in time trials.

In Junior Modifieds, it was Kamryn Schubbe against Danny Ellis. This was a heads-up race with both dialed-in at 7.90. Kamryn broke out with an ET of 7.863 to Danny's 7.911, however as in the Sportsman final, Danny went red by -.065 leaving the win to Kamryn.

At the conclusion of the Bracket racing, it was time for the King of the Track. This pitted the four top winners (excluding High School and Juniors) against each for the title and a Wally. In the semi-finals, it was Tom Begler paired with Mike Krueger and Ryan Alley against Fred Trombley. Tom and Ryan won and faced off in the Final. It was Ryan who had the better reaction time and ran closer to his dial-in (.024/9.21/9.243) than Tom's .019/8.18/8.223 to take home the Wally.

To see all the event's photos please click here. I want to thank Sam Martin for taking and supplying the Winner's Circle photos.

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D'Arcy Buick GMC Rt. 66 Classic-We Beat Mother Nature!

8/18/2019

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Everyone had high hopes for great weather for the "Classic". Unfortunately Mother Nature had other ideas. For the better part of the day there was a persistent rain that didn't allow for any on-track activity. However, the fans did not let the weather win. With umbrellas and wet weather gear they toured the Midway. viewed the classic cars, and visited the teams in the pits.

And then there was the Pin-Up contest to crown Miss Classic.

The Midway activities continued through the day and finally in mid-afternoon, the weather started to break. The "66" staff hit the track to dry it again and make another attempt to get cars on the track. The scheduled was changed and starting shortly after 5:00 p.m. cars were to go on track and an attempt to complete the whole program would begin. This year, Chaplain Bill Beagle made a dedication to longtime Route 66 Drag Staff member Bob Norkus who recently passed away. Katherine Norkus, Bob's daughter represented the family. This was followed by the National Anthem for which, in motorsports tradition, the drag staff paid homage.

The Will County vs Grundy County Annual Grudge Match were to start the program. Terry D'Arcy provided the trucks to be used in the Match. Grundy County won it's third consecutive match 4-2. They now hold a 3-1 advantage in the four years of the Match. To see more about the Match, click here.

The night was filled vintage and nostalgia cars, Super Stocks, Pro Stocks, the Great Lakes Nostalgia Funny Car Circuit were amongst the types of cars blasting down the track. In addition, John Lawson brought his two nostalgia nitro fueled funny cars, Runaway and QuickDraw. Bob Malloy brought the Beedy & Malloy nostalgia front engine dragster out for a pass. All in all it was an impressive group of cars.

After the first part of the "show" was completed it was the NHRA Junior Drag League's turn to hit the track for race #4. This race sponsor was Sub-Trailer Hitch and AreA Landscaping Supply Inc. sponsored the Best Reaction Time.

The Junior Sportsman were the first class to run. After the one round of Time Trials, there were three rounds of eliminations before the Finals. In the Finals it was Brindy Covell vs Nellie Ford. Brindy cut the tree down with a .001 reaction time with an ET of 11.941 on a 11.93 DI and 53.55 mph to Nellie's .294 RT, 13.967 ET, 13.96 DI, 45.71 mph. With Nellie running closer to her dial-in, this would count as a hole shot victory. Brindy also won Best Reaction Time in Time Trials with a .028. Also this was the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Challenge race and came with a Wally. At the conclusion of the event Nellie was not feeling well and was not available for Winner's Circle photos. Get well soon, Nellie!

In the Junior Modified class there were four elimination rounds before the Finals. In the Finals, it was Zach Manaseri against Danny Ellis Jr. for the Wally. This was a heads-up 7.90 DI race. Zach had the faster RT .067/.111 and ran closer to the DI, 7.954/7.969 to take the Wally. Zach is aging out of the JDRL and this is his first Wally. This finals appearance should keep Danny in the lead for the season championship.

Ruby Zolper won the award for the Best Reaction Time.

In the big car category, this was the Run Tuff Eliminator race. There were quite a few cars trying to qualify for the top 16 spots to go for the title of Run Tuff Eliminator. In the end it was two of the local Rt. 66 ET Bracket racers running for the title, John Hixon and Mark Marusak. In the finals Mark had the better RT, .022 to John's .047. However, Mark was a little too quick at the stripe and broke out, 9.919 on a 9.93 DI. John was 9.903 on a 9.90 DI! John celebrated in the Winner's Circle with his youngest daughter Savannah. This is the first time in the WC with her Dad!

With all the bad and threatening weather, I was skeptical we could complete the show. However with great teamwork, the Staff at Route 66 pulled it together and completed a great event. Kudos to the Staff and the fans for sticking-it out to witness some great racing.

To see all the images from the day, please click here.

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Byron - Midwest Junior Super Series - Saturday

Back to the Track - Byron, Midwest Junior Super Series

2020 Ingalls Park A.C. Practice Tree Nationals

2020 Race & Performance Expo

2019 Rockett Brand Racing Fuel E.T. Bracket Series Banquet

PRI 2019 - A Look Back

Route 66 ET Bracket #8-Bogner Wins Fifth Championship

A Beautiful Night at 66-Race Your Ride #12

Route 66 ET Bracket #5, King of the Track and ( rain delayed) #4 Recap

D'Arcy Buick GMC Rt. 66 Classic-We Beat Mother Nature!

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