Spectacular Race Day! A day of Thirds and New/Old Winners

As I arrived at Route 66 for the Rockett Brand Racing Fuel ET Bracket Series race I noticed a lot of trailers and motorhomes. In addition to the Bracket Series, the NHRA Junior Drag Race League and the Midwest Top Sportsman Series were running.  With a beautiful weather forecast for the day, the first round qualifying started at 9:30 a.m., followed by second round which continued into the early afternoon. The car count was 250+. There was also a couple of Pro Mods testing. Randy Adler was testing his 57 Chevrolet and Bobby 'D' D'Andrea was there with his 1963 Corvette Stingray. Both cars experienced trouble in almost every round, never getting a clear run.

When first round eliminations began, the racing got serious. This race was originally scheduled to be the final race of the season, but there was an early season rainout which was rescheduled to August 14th.  Everyone was scrambling for round wins and points. The first final round to be contested was the JDRL Sportsman Division. This was won by Braden Bowden with Cooper Hamelen finishing second. Cooper also had the Best Reaction Time. This was Braden's third win!

Next up for a final race was High School with Nate Kelley pulling out the win over Conner Lawson.

For the most part, the day went very smoothly with only a few minor stoppages. There were no crashes or major fluid spills. The next class for a final was Pro bike, with Greg Darm pulling out the win.

It was at this point that the elimination rounds quickened. In quick succession, it was Allie Furman over Jesse Lasik in the JDRL Modified class. Elizabeth Manaseri had class Best Reaction Time. 

This was followed by Matt Scmczak defeating Andre Harris in the Midwest Top Sportsman Series.

Paul O'Keefe garnered his third win of the season in the Sportsman Class.

In Pro ET, it was John Haut over Ricky Pena.. This was Ricky's 4th or 5th appearance in the finals. John Haut was Route 66' very first Super Pro Champion.

And finally in Super Pro, there was a very popular win when former JDRL racer Nichole Medeisis took the win light. This was Nichole's first win in the "big" car!

Here are some images from the rest of today's action.

At the end of a great day of racing there is nothing better than a super Route 66 sunset to end the day!

To see all the images from today, click here.

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